Chapter 7: The True Deity
——▍▍▍▍▍▍▍▍——
Another rainy night.
The rain outside lightly tapped on the glass, blurring the outlines of the city, as if concealing the silence of this pure white room.
He pushed the door open, still holding two cans of warm cocoa.
The woman leaned against the headboard, as if she had long anticipated his arrival, a hint of a smile at the corner of her eye, her voice light and airy, softer than the rain.
“Have you heard that story?” she turned her head, gazing at the shadows of the trees outside, and softly said, “The last leaf.”
“I heard that a sick patient compared a leaf on a tree outside the window to their own life, and a kind-hearted painter painted a lifelike, never-fading leaf on the branch to help the other patient hold on to life?” He placed one can of cocoa on the bedside table. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking the same thing as that foolish patient in the story.”
“I wouldn’t be that foolish.” The woman huffed with pride, “The leaf is too fragile, and I have found something much more suitable.”
She revealed a light smile and slowly stretched her hand toward the ceiling—
“Stars.”
……
……
—————–
——▍▍▍▍’s World Line——
The wheels crushed the gravel, jolting someone out of a dream.
When Nagi opened her eyes, the cabin was lit by faint lights, and the sound of wind outside could be heard.
Her bangs stuck to her cheek, still carrying the lingering warmth of sweat, and beside her was Isabella, who was driving the truck.
“You’re awake? Are you okay?” Isabella asked with concern.
Upon hearing this, Nagi slowly propped herself up. She seemed to have had a nostalgic dream, but upon waking, she couldn’t remember the contents.
The soul-tearing pain seemed to have dissipated, and Nagi felt her body regain its strength.
“Where’s Kane?” Sitting up, Nagi noticed that the chatty man was not nearby.
“He went to rescue Erica—she’s a special child with unique abilities.” After Isabella finished speaking, she added.
“By himself?”
“Don’t be fooled by his usual demeanor; at critical moments, he’s the most reliable captain.” Isabella answered with a smile.
Nagi noticed that as Isabella spoke, the fingers gripping the steering wheel turned pale from the strain.
And at that moment.
A star outside the car window, shedding its starlight, caught Nagi’s attention—
—————–
The door at the deepest part of the base slowly opened, the heavy sound of metal scraping echoed underground.
Silver Wolf walked in front, his footsteps clanking on the metal floor, carrying the still unconscious Erica over his shoulder.
Her hair hung wetly to one side, her skin glowing with a faint golden hue under the cold air and lights, contrasting sharply with her tattered clothing.
Inside the door was a spacious laboratory hall, with circular cold white light sources embedded in the ceiling, and glass walls intertwined with metal supports, emanating the sterile scent of disinfectant.
No one would have imagined that beneath this isolated desert, such a secret base comparable to a military industrial laboratory was hidden.
A gray-haired man stood in the center of the platform; he was Silver Wolf’s employer, but people might know him more by his other identity—Darlion Hurst.
The current president of the world’s largest medical technology company, Hurst Group, once described by “Future Capital” magazine as “the man pushing humanity toward the technological singularity.”
His hands were clasped behind his back, and his gaze scrutinized the girl that Silver Wolf had set down, revealing a hint of greed.
“Are you sure it’s her?”
“Yeah.” Silver Wolf placed her on the operating table, his voice lazy, “Didn’t you say her data was always blank? I couldn’t confirm her appearance, but she gave me a more direct proof.”
Hurst raised an eyebrow.
“She used her powers to transfer—” Silver Wolf extended one finger, “One million dollars to an offshore account of mine that I’ve never made public in less than five seconds.”
A moment of silence descended upon the laboratory, even the busy technicians nearby looked up.
“But it’s a trap.” Silver Wolf chuckled lightly, “She embedded a triggering tracking code in that money—if anyone withdraws the funds, that address will immediately be exposed to the—Special Circle SEMA or the three major academies. Even I don’t want to be targeted by those organizations.”
He shrugged. “A very special ability; if I weren’t relying on the technology support from the firm in the sky, I almost wouldn’t have discovered the trap she set.”
The technicians had already lifted Erica onto the operating platform, metal restraints locking her hands and feet, multiple wires connecting to the back of her neck and spine, and a semi-transparent brainwave sensing ring slowly descended onto her forehead.
As the cold air blew over, Erica’s eyelashes flickered slightly, her lips parted as if she wanted to speak, but ultimately surrendered back into slumber.
Her curvy figure was vaguely discernible under the medical suit, healthy brown skin and softly contoured facial features exuding the allure of an exotic beauty.
Silver Wolf leaned against a nearby device, casually asking, “What do you plan to do? I guess it’s not about extracting her body for secret potions, right?”
“No, that’s too wasteful.” Hurst chuckled and shook his head, his gaze falling on Erica’s alluring figure, but his eyes assessed her as if she were property, rather than admiring beauty.
“The newly leaked technology from the academy; we barely managed to steal it from the ‘Crimson Cross’.”
At this, Silver Wolf furrowed his brow. “Crimson Cross? If I remember correctly, they are also searching for this ability user.”
“Clearly, they’re too late.” Hurst didn’t seem to want to continue this topic, his gaze shifted to the screen beside him, where a series of Erica’s EEG and “magic power” analysis data popped up.
“Do you know, Silver Wolf—” he said softly, “the future of this world will not be steel, nor wealth, nor weapons.”
His eyes blazed.
“It will be the network, the data, everything interconnected.”
“And her ability is enough to allow her to dominate the network and data like a deity.”
“In other words, if I can implant her ability into my own body, I will be the deity of the new world.”
Silver Wolf chuckled, “You’re quite mad.”
“Madness and evolution are often hard to distinguish.”
Just as these whispered words fell—
Wail—wail—
Wail—
A series of piercing red alarms exploded overhead.
“Intruder alert.”
A cold mechanical female voice echoed.
The smile on Silver Wolf’s face grew wider: “He’s here.”
—————–
“Warning zone lockdown failed.”
“External passage E7 has been breached.”
The last communication recorded in the headset cut off abruptly, followed by a total signal loss.
Kane pulled out the earpiece, took a deep breath, the barrel of his gun still warm, his palm sticky with a mixture of blood and gunpowder.
He stumbled through the last corridor, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the empty metal passage.
Kane was on the brink of exhaustion in both strength and magic, and just as his power holography was about to cancel due to insufficient magic, he saw Erica right behind this door.
He pushed open the heavy alloy door in front of him, almost crashing through it.
Behind the door was a completely white circular laboratory.
Cold light poured down from above, as if wrapping everything in a shell of holiness and cruelty.
And there she was.
Erica lay quietly on the central platform, half her body covered by machines, her hands and feet bound, breathing very shallowly, her chest slightly rising and falling.
“Erica—”
Kane had taken a step forward when suddenly the air froze.
A figure had appeared between him and Erica without him noticing.
Silver Wolf’s footsteps were silent, his twin guns raised, aimed at Kane.
And in the first instance, Kane raised his gun, aimed at the tall man before him.
“You’re awfully late, Kane Aldridge; I have always looked forward to competing with the so-called Class A ability users.”
“You mean you’re rushing to report to hell?” Kane replied with all his strength, his gaze passing over the man before him, landing on Erica in the back.
He knew that if he wanted to take Erica away, he had to deal with the man in front of him.
But he was severely lacking in both strength and magic, unless—
……
……
Silver Wolf’s movements were like a beast, yet precise as a machine.
Unable to deploy holography, Kane could only shoot as an ordinary person.
However, the first two bullets shot out were evaded by Silver Wolf with precision, and the third bullet was knocked away by Silver Wolf’s claw, sparks flying.
Upon the start of the battle, Silver Wolf did not choose to use his gun as Kane expected; perhaps he saw through this being Kane’s area of expertise, so he activated his own ability—lycanthropy.
His body gradually changed during the fight.
Skin splitting, veins swelling as if inflamed, his mouth releasing a low growl that was inhuman.
Bones twisted and grew, his back arching like a beast, silver hair spreading from his shoulders to his limbs, hands transforming into clawed beasts, fangs tearing at his facial skin, pupils slitting, the hue of midnight blue, radiating dazzling magical brilliance.
He let out a low growl and pounced toward Kane, his claws nearly ripping the floor apart.
Kane barely dodged, receiving a gash to his abdomen, blood splattering against the white wall, leaving a horrific mark.
However, this gave Kane the chance to create distance.
“Is this all the so-called Class A ability user is capable of?” Silver Wolf laughed mockingly at Kane, who was curled up on the ground.
At that moment, he seemed to be the absolute predator, thoroughly enjoying the torment of his prey.
“Looks like if I go to the Special Circle SEMA or the three major academies, I could easily achieve Class A or above~”
As Silver Wolf spoke, he slowly approached Kane.
“I thought if it were you, it might offer me some different fun, but alas, you’re still a mortal—” He raised his sharp claws, intending to deliver the final blow to Kane.
“——Hmph, do you know the difference between humans and beasts?” Kane suddenly let out a faint laugh.
“What?” Silver Wolf paused.
The syringe that fell from Kane’s hand clinked as it hit the ground.
“It’s that—humans use fire, while beasts fear fire.”
Kane abruptly lifted his head, the glow of magic re-entering his eyes, fiery red chains swirling beneath his skin; he injected the secret medicine from the syringe, briefly gaining a different ability and magic—
Clearly, Silver Wolf did not anticipate this scene; he didn’t have time to dodge, and the fiery red chains swirling with flames rose from the ground, binding his limbs, the scorching chains burning his silver fur.
The air filled with the nauseating scent of charred flesh.
“Ughhhhh——!!”
Silver Wolf roared in pain, for the first time without a smile.
His body thrashed violently, claws ripping at the chains, tearing himself to shreds in the flames.
With a crack, he forcibly snapped the chain on his shoulder, flesh and blood torn apart, bones protruding.
His eyes glowed with wild blue light, and in the next second, his entire figure transformed into a blur, disappearing into thin air.
And Kane did not pursue; he merely took a deep breath, pressing one hand to his abdominal wound, the fiery red chains extending from his arm, tightly wrapping around the wound—
“Zzz——!!”
The sound of burning skin and flesh pierced his eardrums; the intense pain nearly caused him to faint.
Yet Kane’s expression did not waver in the slightest; he only gritted his teeth, his face pale as paper, but his eyes became increasingly clear.
The bleeding had stopped; he could still move.
Kane slowly got up, staring directly ahead.
All around was dead silence, Silver Wolf had vanished.
Only in the air, an almost imperceptible disturbance, like the wind passing over water.
That was Silver Wolf, using the body functions granted by lycanthropy, moving at high speed, his figure completely untraceable by the naked eye.
He had already locked onto Kane’s blind spot, launching his all-out attack—
Kane did not turn around; he only slowly raised the gun in his hand—
His index finger hooked onto the trigger, aiming at a point in the air.
Bang!
A bullet shot out, precisely piercing into a high-speed-moving rift in the air.
“——What!?”
Silver Wolf’s figure had just materialized when a bullet struck his forehead, his head jolting violently, blood splattering.
But Kane didn’t stop.
Bang—bang—bang—bang—
Kane did not move his feet, adjusting the gun slightly; each bullet precisely hammered into the wound created by the first shot.
Like blades stacked, like a sculpture being peeled away, five bullets piled up, ultimately thoroughly cleaving Silver Wolf’s forehead apart.
Silver Wolf’s body convulsed a few times, as if wanting to say something, but only blood spewed from his mouth, kneeling on the ground, losing all ability to move.
“Oh, and one more difference: humans use guns, while beasts do not—well, can you no longer hear?” Kane coldly withdrew the azure glow from his eyes.
The magic within the secret medicine allowed him to once again deploy “holography” for a few seconds.
Kane, having eliminated Silver Wolf, staggered toward Erica; the effect of the secret medicine was fading, and he needed to get Erica out of there before its side effects turned against him.
He took a step, wanting to approach—
Snap.
It wasn’t an explosion or gunfire, just a very light sound.
Kane’s body seemed to be struck by some invisible force from the side, his whole person violently thrown aside, crashing against the metallic wall.
“Thud!”
He grunted, his organs almost dislocated from the impact, sliding heavily to the ground, blood flowing from the corner of his lips.
He looked up and saw a pair of highly polished leather shoes stepping out from the dim end of the laboratory.
“An impressive battle, Mr. Kane.” The gray-haired man was now standing beside Erica, as if evaluating a piece of merchandise.
Kane struggled to prop himself up: “…..You are…… Darlion Hurst?”
The man chuckled lightly.
“Oh? It seems you know me.”
He extended his hand, slender fingers gently pressing on the device at the side of Erica’s head.
“Then it becomes all the more meaningful—I wish for you, Kane Aldridge, to witness this moment.”
“Witness what?”
“Witness how an ordinary person evolves into an ability user, a true god, through science.” Hurst’s eyes sparkled with magical brilliance: “Isn’t it a magnificent technology?”
His gaze intensely fixated on Erica, revealing a mad and hideous smile:
“What a special ability; once I possess it, I will become the god of the future—”
“And all of this will only take thirty seconds.” His tone was calm, as if demonstrating a successful business acquisition.
Kneeling on the ground, Kane squeezed out the last ounce of magic from his soul, a flash of azure brilliance flickering in his eyes—at the instant the holography unfolded, he suddenly froze, then fell back, sitting on the ground.
Seeing this, Hurst laughed: “Have you given up struggling?”
Kane, however, revealed a radiant smile.
This surprised Hurst slightly.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing, I just seemed to hear some good news.”
Hurst frowned slightly: “What?”
“You just said…… you’re now an ability user and plan to become a true god, right?” Kane coughed lightly, as if expelling blood stuck in his lungs, then grinned widely: “What a coincidence, the one I know—”
“Just doesn’t strike against ‘ordinary people’.”
——Boom!!!
The entire laboratory’s ceiling exploded.
Concrete and steel plates were penetrated by a surge of lightning from above, the gale flipping all the instruments in sight, arcs of electricity surged up from the rail, plunging the laboratory into instant chaos.
A figure of a girl floated down from the gap, her long hair as deep as the night sky flying in the rush of thunder—like a true deity gazing down upon the laboratory below.
Kane lifted his head, locking eyes with Hurst: “Blasphemer who dares to become a god—are you ready to face the true divinity?”
