Chapter 82: One Tree Alone Cannot Support the Roof

“Facepaint, just do your best...” Fu Ying’s instructions came through the earpiece. Though not on site, she was acutely aware that the challenge Qi Chen now faced far exceeded the ability of any rookie anomaly walker, even one with remarkable potential.

Qi Chen did not reply. Instead, he gently removed the earpiece from his ear and carefully placed it in his pocket.

A wave of helplessness swept through him, born from the knowledge that so many vibrant lives would soon slip away, powerless to prevent it.

Even the Overlord was uncharacteristically silent, standing behind him with the solemnity of a stone monument.

Every car on the road was already crammed with red-eyed citizens; there were no vehicles left for Qi Chen to repeat his earlier maneuver. The Special Operations Team behind him was now forced to contend with former colleagues surging out of the Minsheng Mall.

For this final wave of red-eyed citizens, Qi Chen could no longer expect any support from the Special Operations Team.

He was on his own.

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“What does ‘do your best’ even mean...I don’t understand...” Staring vacantly at the last crowd of more than two hundred red-eyed citizens approaching, Qi Chen murmured in a voice only he could hear.

At times, he was a terribly greedy man.

Like now.

The Overlord’s shadow moved closer, gradually enveloping him, until with each breath, it merged into his very being.

Qi Chen’s body grew more robust, his skin swiftly turning an ashen gray. His shirt burst apart, unable to contain his swelling form, exposing muscles even more formidable than a tiger’s.

A mask of stark black and white solidified over his face.

“Roar!”

A rough, thunderous bellow echoed through the air. Reunited with the Overlord, Qi Chen once again felt that overwhelming, world-shattering power that seemed capable of destroying everything.

Yet, unlike the last time in the grand concert hall when the fusion had been passive, this time Qi Chen’s mind was crystal clear. He felt no trace of anger—only boundless calm.

In fact, after his frenzied control over the red-eyed citizens, Qi Chen realized that in that state of deep immersion, he was no longer affected by the Overlord’s burning wrath.

He didn’t know the reason, but sensed that the Overlord’s acceptance of him had just undergone a powerful breakthrough.

Maybe it was exactly this strengthened recognition from the Overlord that allowed him to remain clear-headed after fusing with the anomaly.

“The Overlord... has more than just rage.”

With unclouded reason, Qi Chen could sense deeper emotions from the Overlord. Anger was only the surface; beneath it lay this profound tranquility.

This peace stemmed from the countless ordinary lives—the Overlord’s rage had always been reserved for the anomalies.

...

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“Joy! I’m about to find ultimate joy!”

“There! That’s where the ultimate joy is!”

The shrill shouts carried from afar, as the frenzied citizens grew larger in Qi Chen’s vision. He hunched slightly, powerful thighs tensing—then, with a mighty push, he leapt into the air!

Whoosh!

A gray shadow streaked across the sky; Qi Chen landed in front of the red-eyed mob in an instant. Several hands immediately reached for him, each fingernail caked with dried, dark red blood.

He made no move to defend himself, letting their hands claw at him. Only faint white marks appeared on his ashen skin.

The next second, he brought both fists crashing down onto the ground at his feet!

Crack!

The hard pavement split into a massive web of fractures. Violent shockwaves churned beneath the surface, the ground itself warping and rippling toward the citizens ahead like a rising tide.

In an instant, a great number of red-eyed citizens lost their balance and tumbled to the ground, with those behind them stumbling over the fallen.

But their minds, twisted by the candies, cared nothing for the pain; they scrambled up, eyes red as blood, intent on tearing apart the man standing between them and their ecstasy.

Yet Qi Chen’s assault had only just begun. After toppling the crowd with his first strike, he darted around them, hammering the ground with the relentless force of a pile driver. Under his barrage, the earth began to sink.

Crack, crack, crack!

With the sound of splitting stone, a nearly circular patch of ground collapsed with a thunderous roar, dropping nearly all the red-eyed citizens into a man-made pit!

The citizens who fell in howled with madness, trampling each other in a desperate bid to climb out. Bending his knees, Qi Chen prepared to jump in after them, intending to quell the chaos with his own hands.

But at that moment, an ear-splitting screech of brakes rang out.

He recognized the vehicle at once—it was the command car from the Anomaly Command Center!

Bang!

The car door flew open and Fu Ying, clad in a vibrant red leather jacket, leapt out. Her gaze flickered at the sight of the now-massive Qi Chen, but she quickly realized he seemed to be in full control of himself.

“Well done!” Fu Ying called to Qi Chen, then sprinted straight to the edge of the pit. A golden, humanoid phantom burst from her body in a shimmering wave.

“Leave the rest to me. Go support the Special Operations Team!”

Fu Ying didn’t waste a moment questioning how Qi Chen was able to retain his reason; she simply issued her command decisively.

But for the first time, Qi Chen, who had always trusted her implicitly, hesitated instead of acting immediately. He looked at her, uncertain.

The meaning was clear—could she really handle over two hundred red-eyed citizens in the pit by herself?

Fu Ying let her actions speak.

The golden phantom behind her suddenly spread its arms wide. An esoteric, circular white sigil on its back flared with blinding light. The intricate, scale-like plates covering its body peeled away, and, as if crafted by an artisan, shot into the pit like bullets.

They embedded themselves into the bodies of the citizens below faster than the eye could follow.

“Listen to me! All of you want to sleep now! All you want is to sleep!” Fu Ying stood at the edge, repeating the phrase over and over, her eyes shining with an ever-brighter golden light.

Qi Chen saw clearly that as Fu Ying’s words echoed out, those citizens struck by the golden scales slumped to the ground, falling asleep on the spot.

He turned and saw only pure golden light in Fu Ying’s eyes. The veins at her temples bulged alarmingly, her face taut with strain.

Despite the immense pressure, Fu Ying managed to free a hand, pointing at Qi Chen, then off toward the distant Minsheng Mall.

He understood.

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