Amid the chaos, screams from tens of thousands of spectators filled the air as panic spread rapidly.
Audience members seated above the explosion’s epicenter felt the tremors and scrambled to evacuate their seats. A second later, another explosion ripped through, and the entire structure collapsed, exposing twisted steel beams that glinted coldly in the sunlight.
After a few stunned seconds, the school leaders, their beards trembling with shock, quickly issued orders to calm the crowd. As they contacted the police, they also dispatched the campus security team to assess the situation.
Zhou Ziheng, pretending to have just stepped out of the restroom, slipped into the panicked crowd. Finding a secluded corner, he made a call.
Keeping his voice low to avoid being overheard, he said, “I did what you asked. Now it’s your turn to keep your promise.”
A voice distorted by a modulator replied, “I care about results, not the process. If Lin Luxi is really dead, I’ll delete the videos.”
Zhou Ziheng gritted his teeth so hard he nearly cracked them. Inside, he was screaming: If you hadn’t set me up, I never would’ve fallen for this!
But there was nothing he could do now. It was too late to go back.
Zhou Ziheng had been caught with incriminating evidence. If even a few minutes of those videos leaked, his reputation would be ruined. The people behind the underground black market had deep connections. Although Zhou Ziheng might be a step above ordinary people, compared to those with real power, he was just a wealthy heir with little influence. He stood no chance against them.
So don’t blame me.
Zhou Ziheng’s eyes reddened as tears streamed down his face. You’re worthless anyway. Your mother’s dead, your father doesn’t care about you, and everyone hates you. No one will even notice you’re gone. If you die like this, consider it your final act of kindness.
As for Yue Xinghe, Zhou Ziheng refused to believe he truly cared about Lin Luxi. He was just putting on an act, playing the devoted friend to maintain his image.
Lin Luxi was useless, jealous, and gloomy, someone who only envied others. When it came down to a life-or-death moment, Yue Xinghe would probably seize the chance to finally rid himself of the burden he’d carried for over a decade.
If Yue Xinghe didn’t intervene, Lin Luxi was as good as dead.
Meanwhile, Qin Tian, who was handling official matters, received a report from his subordinates.
Reading the update, he smiled in satisfaction.
With this mission accomplished, the boss should agree to his request for a raise, right?
Time rewound to just before the explosion.
Inside the lounge, Lin Luxi had already fixed Yue Xinghe up to look presentable. Indulging a small mischievous streak, he had braided the male lead’s hair into a thick plait, intending to tease him. But once he tied it off, Yue Xinghe’s sharp, defined features stood out even more, giving him an unexpectedly cool and commanding allure.
Alliance University’s uniforms had the same cut for every rank, distinguished only by color. The tailoring was impeccable, accentuating the wearer’s figure. Yue Xinghe already had outstanding proportions, and now his legs looked impossibly long.
Lin Luxi had just started teasing him, joking that when he went out for the interview looking like this, he’d undoubtedly captivate countless young girls, when an explosion ripped through the air above them.
Lin Luxi had always been a protector. Protecting others seemed to have become instinct, etched into his very bones.
But for some reason, when the blast sounded, his body flinched before he even realized it.
His first instinct was to retrieve the seeds hidden beneath his fingernails and use his abilities to accelerate their growth. The force of expanding plants could carve out a space large enough to shield them both from harm.
Doing so would inevitably raise suspicion about his identity, after all, humanity’s evolutionary path in this world lay in mental strength and physical prowess, not superpowers.
But saving lives came first. Yet as he thought this, his body refused to cooperate, stiffening slightly.
A loud ringing filled his ears. An indescribable ache seemed to radiate through every limb.
The massive explosion that had killed him alongside the mutated spider had left behind a lingering trauma.
For two agonizing seconds, Lin Luxi stood frozen, as if transported back to that moment of life-threatening danger. In that fleeting instant, debris from above came crashing down. Yue Xinghe, who moments ago had claimed he was too exhausted to move, swiftly wrapped an arm around Lin Luxi and shielded him beneath his body.
Then came the second explosion, then the third.
The structure around them crumbled, collapsing inward.
After five or six consecutive blasts, silence finally fell.
All was quiet. Darkness enveloped them.
Lying on the ground, Lin Luxi’s breath came in ragged gasps, as though he had just run a thousand-meter sprint.
It took him several minutes to steady himself.
“Yue—”
Lin Luxi’s throat was dry and raw. He swallowed a few times. “Yue Xinghe.”
Silence. No one answered.
It felt like an eternity before he heard groans and pained murmurs from several meters away, Chris and the others who had been standing outside the door. Amid the sounds of distress, there was Gao Keyun’s frantic cursing and Elisa’s cold, commanding voice telling her to shut up.
Lin Luxi swallowed again and tried to call out once more, but just as he opened his mouth, a droplet landed on his face.
His lashes fluttered.
The warm liquid carried the rusty scent of iron.
His expression shifted.
“Yue Xinghe, you’re hurt!”
He had been through countless battles, he knew the smell of blood.
His body, which had felt numb moments ago, finally responded. He raised his hands, groping in the darkness until he found Yue Xinghe’s face. Panic crept into his voice. “Where are you hurt? How bad is it? Where are you bleeding? Yue Xinghe! Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Why wasn’t he speaking?
Because he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would spit blood all over Lin Luxi’s face.
In the darkness, Yue Xinghe braced himself over Lin Luxi, shielding him completely. Beneath him, Lin Luxi was unharmed. Above him, tons of heavy debris pressed down on his back. Yue Xinghe could almost hear the bones in his back silently groaning under the weight.
The force of the explosion was overwhelming, more terrifying than an earthquake. Those who had never experienced one could never truly grasp its power.
The materials used in the school’s stadium were of the finest quality, earthquake-resistant, fireproof, insect-proof, and exceptionally sturdy.
The fact that the blast had been powerful enough to collapse the ceiling meant the explosives were no ordinary ones. They certainly weren’t available on the open market, only through the black market. Not only were they expensive, but most people had no way of even finding a seller.
Even with S-rank physique, Yue Xinghe had already expended most of his energy in the earlier match. Under the repeated impact of the explosions and bearing dozens, if not hundreds, of tons of weight, even an S-rank would struggle.
To make matters worse, his mental energy was flaring up again, unstable and volatile. If he didn’t suppress it, the immense force would soon tear everything around him to shreds.
Not only was his head bleeding from a wound, but the explosion had also torn open the skin on his back. Piled on top of that, the crushing debris only worsened his injuries. His situation was dire.
“Say something!”
Lin Luxi received no answer. He had no idea what their current situation was.
He reached out, feeling blindly over Yue Xinghe’s body, trying to assess his condition and the severity of his injuries.
His fingers found slick blood on Yue Xinghe’s face. Lin Luxi’s hands stilled for a moment, then continued downward, tracing from his chest.
If there had been any light, Lin Luxi would have seen Yue Xinghe’s eyes blazing red, barely suppressed mania lurking beneath the surface.
Lin Luxi’s hands seemed to be pouring fuel on the fire. Yue Xinghe could feel his mental energy raging, slamming against its barriers. Weakened by constant assaults day after day, the barriers were on the verge of shattering. The vast, overwhelming force was about to break free, to destroy, to annihilate everything around it…