May 27, 2027, 8:59 PM.
A wave of eerie green energy swept across the sky, followed by a rush of scorching heat.
May 27, 2027, 9:00 PM sharp. A fierce wind whipped up sand and dust from the ground, sending stones flying and leaves dancing. Straight tree trunks bent under the gale, their leaves swirling down.
Building windows rattled violently in the wind, making it almost impossible to stand steady.
"Damn! What a strong wind!"
"Has the energy core fused?"
"Boss!"
Xu Junyue and a few others stood within the hazy sand-filled mist, waving towards Tong Yang by the wall.
The strong wind forced Tong Yang to squint. Through the dusty fog, she could make out over a dozen figures. It seemed everyone involved in this operation was present, except for Ye Huai and Mi Qi.
"Damn... a tornado?"
"No way? Is this the so-called energy storm?"
Following their gaze, Tong Yang saw a tornado over ten meters tall rampaging through the city, destroying surrounding buildings.
At the same time, not far from the tornado, a group of people walked slowly forward.
The Tong Yang from the First World took off her white cat-face mask, standing in the middle of the crowd. Armand and Ye Huai stood on her left and right, flanked by some other "Forerunners."
Tang Li and Xu Junyue moved to stand beside Tong Yang, their expressions grave as they watched the approaching group.
The gale whipped their robes. The First World Tong Yang tied her jet-black hair back.
"The residents of the affluent district have already taken shelter in the underground city. The rest have gone to suppress unrest in the slums and the commoners' district. Now, only a few of us remain within the energy storm," the First World Tong Yang said, squinting contentedly. "We can have a good, exhilarating fight."
The First World Tong Yang didn't care about her own life, the fate of the First World, the parallel worlds, or the real world. She only needed to act on her whims.
For her, this was just a game—a duel with her counterpart from another world. But for Tong Yang and the others, it was a matter of survival for the real world.
"Vroom—"
"Crack—"
A wave of heat swept past their cheeks. An invisible force tore through the surrounding buildings. Walls as hard as iron were sliced clean through as if they were cake!
Yet, the severed buildings did not collapse. They all hovered in the air. For a moment, time seemed to stand still, and even the massive tornado halted its advance.
The overwhelmingly powerful magnetic field energy made it impossible for them to predict what would happen next within the storm.
The sky resembled a pool of eerie green seawater, gently swaying. The scenery before their eyes began to change noticeably.
In moments, the sci-fi-esque city transformed into a scene of ruins and decay.
Even more astonishingly, behind the First World's Tong Yang group, the sci‐fi city still stood. But behind Tong Yang's group, the city had become desolate and stained with blood.
The two scenes collided, creating a stark and strange contrast.
"Where is Yang Miao?" Tong Yang asked.
"She's safe. At least until our game is over," replied the First World Tong Yang.
"That's good."
They stared at each other, a confrontation imminent.
Armand's figure moved like a ghost.
Even though they could see him constantly shifting, they couldn't pinpoint his exact location. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of them.
Tang Li hooked her long leg, the sharp heel of her high-heeled shoe landing on Armand's shoulder. "I'll play with you," she said.
Armand raised his right hand, gently caressing her ankle. He tilted his head slightly, narrowing his blue eyes, and pressed his cheek to the tip of Tang Li's shoe. "I'd like to play something else with you. What a pity," he sighed.
"Get out of here, you lovestruck fool!" someone cursed.
Using her leverage Tang Li spun her body, the heel of her other shoe grazing Armand's eye. She landed steadily and adjusted the cloak on her shoulders. "Sorry, our little emotional game is over. I don't intend to continue," she said.
Armand's deep blue eyes fixed on Tang Li, his expression gradually darkening. "A'Li, if you say that, I'll get angry," he said.
"And what about the me from the Third World? I look forward to meeting him," the First World Ye Huai said coolly.
"He's not here," Tong Yang replied.
"Is that so? His body must be quite weak. Never mind, you can accompany me in his place..."
"I'll accompany you," Xu Junyue suddenly stepped in front of Tong Yang, glaring at the other party. "I've disliked you for a long time. How can the same face look so damn annoying on you?"
Tong Yang's side was missing a few people.
Chu Shiyu, and He Jingjing (Sister), who had been brought back by He Jingjing.
They were probably hiding somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The First World Tong Yang couldn't be bothered listening to their reunions. She raised her right hand. "I'll count to three. You can choose to run, or you can choose to fight. If you choose the latter, I believe the game will end very quickly."
"Three..."
Tong Yang tugged at Xu Junyue in front of her. "Let's go."
Xu Junyue said, "Go where? We definitely can't leave..."
Before she finished speaking, she turned around and saw that everyone except her had already taken off running, leaving only their backs.
"Damn! Why are you all running!" Xu Junyue quickly chased after them.
"Nonsense! Stay and get slaughtered?"
"Tang Li, weren't you going to play with him? Why are you running?"
Tang Li shot her a contemptuous look. "A wise man knows when to yield. Don't doubt it; a head-on fight is definitely unwinnable."
"Boss, you..."
Tong Yang said, "We can't win. Don't be reckless."
Tong Yang herself might be able to exchange a few blows with the First World Ye Huai and Armand, but she had a very strong intuition. Even though she had never seen the First World Tong Yang in action, she felt that the other could crush them as easily as squashing ants. She didn't know if it was because the aura emanating from the First World Tong Yang was too powerful.
Moreover, Tong Yang and Ye Huai in the First World had been injected with high-quality gene drugs, making them extremely difficult to kill. The "death" Tong Yang mentioned wasn't about killing her outright, since that was nearly impossible. Tong Yang's side only needed to render her incapacitated, to cause her consciousness to collapse, and they would count that as a victory.
Tong Yang was still in a state of temporal dislocation, just like the First World Tong Yang, meaning she couldn't be directly killed either, unless they fought until the temporal dislocation ended.
"Two..."
The voice of the First World Tong Yang faintly reached them. In this "Hunter Game," Tong Yang and her group could only passively become the prey.
"What do we do? Split up?"
If they stayed together, the First World group would also stay together, leaving them with no chance of winning. They had to separate them and take them down one by one.
According to the game rules, with Tong Yang and the First World Tong Yang as the ultimate prey, the game would end as soon as one of them "died."
The best plan was to lure the others away, isolate the First World Tong Yang alone, then regroup to confront her together.
"The Hunter Game has no extra rules. Only the ultimate prey identities belong to me and her. We can find a way to trap everyone except her in other worlds, then deal with her together," Tong Yang said.
Leaving aside whether this could even be done, even if it were possible, Tong Yang wasn't confident that so many of them could defeat the First World's Tong Yang.
Nevertheless, they had to separate them; otherwise, they stood no chance of winning.
"What about the Parallel World's Yan Qing? Perhaps she can do it."
"They are with Chu Shiyu, secretly looking for Yang Miao."
Tong Yang said in a low voice, "Find an opportunity to notify them and Wu Pingxue. If they find Yang Miao, take her back to the real world immediately."
Wu Pingxue could utilize the Parallel World's Yan Qing to send them to any location within the First World. Perhaps she could also temporarily trap the "Forerunners," except for the First World's Tong Yang, in other places. Whether it would work or not, they had to try.
"Where do we rendezvous?" Tang Li asked.
"The Dueling Grounds," Tong Yang said.
The Dueling Grounds was the place where arena matches were held during the fourth round of "Forerunner" selections. Located in the southern part of the affluent district, the wealthy seldom went there except during special periods. It could be said it was prepared specifically for the "Forerunner" selections.
Tong Yang had lived there for a period and had a decent understanding of the surrounding terrain and buildings.
"Alright!"
"Rendezvous at the Dueling Grounds!"
Tong Yang's voice was heavy as she said, "We only have one chance. If anyone gets separated here, no one will come looking for you. Fight with all your might to survive."
Tang Li said, "Everyone, please remember, our goal is to kill the First World's Tong Yang. No matter how many sacrifices it takes, we cannot stop, and we absolutely must not give up."
The weight pressing down on their shoulders came from the entire real world.
Arriving at a fork in the road, the group, as if by tacit understanding, chose different paths.
Following behind them, the First World's Tong Yang and the "Forerunners" advanced unhurriedly, seemingly enjoying the thrill brought by their prey's panicked escape.
"Can we just kill them directly? Including the Third World's Tong Yang."
The First World's Tong Yang looked in the direction they had scattered and said lightly, "As you wish, if you can kill her."
Armand said solemnly, "Miss A Li can only die by my hand."
"Who would fight you for her? That woman looks tough to deal with."
"Is that so? Miss A Li is very gentle."
"Get lost."
"I'll go this way first."
"Then I'll chase this side."
"That green-haired turtle is arrogant enough, my type."
The "Forerunners" scattered, following their escape routes, leaving only two people at the fork in the road.
"Aren't you going to chase?" the First World's Tong Yang asked.
"You? With your speed, you could definitely catch up to her. Them splitting up is perfect, no one will disturb you two," the First World's Ye Huai retorted.
"She's no match for me. Killing her outright would be too boring."
The First World's Tong Yang had sought out Tong Yang precisely because life was too dull; she wouldn't let the game end so simply.
"Splitting up isn't a wise choice. I suspect they will come looking for me on their own," the First World's Tong Yang said, curling her lips.
The First World's Ye Huai said, "Don't underestimate them too much. I'll accompany you—"
Slap—
The First World's Tong Yang raised her hand and slapped him. "Get far away. Don't try to interfere in my affairs."
The First World's Tong Yang hit him hard; a red handprint instantly appeared on his pale cheek.
The First World's Ye Huai lowered his gaze, his expression calm. A trickle of blood slid from the corner of his mouth. "...Understood."
With that, he chased after one of the directions.
The First World's Tong Yang stood still in place. The background of the dark green sky swayed like seawater, tornadoes slowly traveled across the ground. Apart from these awe-inspiring and shocking sights, they posed no real threat to anyone.
The First World's Tong Yang pulled a mobile phone from her coat pocket. It was unmistakably the one Tong Yang carried with her! No one knew when it had ended up in her hands; probably even Tong Yang herself hadn't noticed.
She swiped on the screen and, after a moment, dialed a number.
The phone rang for seven or eight seconds before it was finally answered.
"Sis?"
On the other end of the line, Tong Le's hesitant voice sounded.
"Sis, are you done with your work?" Tong Le asked.
The First World's Tong Yang held the phone to her ear and fell silent.
"Sis?"
Not hearing a response for a long time, Tong Le called out, puzzled.
"Asleep?" the First World's Tong Yang said.
"No, I'm doing my homework."
"Still doing homework this late?"
"Yeah, I haven't finished yet."
"Do it tomorrow. Rest early," the First World's Tong Yang said.
Tong Le paused for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Are you Sis?"
The First World's Tong Yang raised an eyebrow. "Who else would I be?"
Tong Le chuckled sheepishly. "Sis said before, today's tasks must be done today. So, I can only sleep after finishing today's homework."
The First World's Tong Yang asked with a smile, "Do you like the Sis from before, or the Sis now?"
Tong Le declared loudly, "I like any Sis. As long as it's Sis, I like her."
The First World's Tong Yang said, "What if Sis did something annoying?"
Tong Le said, "If Sis does that, there must be a reason for it."
"There's no reason. I just simply want to do it."
"After doing it, will Sis become happy?"
The First World's Tong Yang said, "Mm, quite happy."
"Then that's enough! As long as Sis is happy!"
The First World's Tong Yang was momentarily lost in thought, then smiled. "You're still the same as before."
"Sis, what did you say?" Tong Le asked, confused.
"Nothing."
"Sis, aren't you busy anymore?" Tong Le asked.
"Mm, not very busy."
Tong Le said happily, "Then can I call you tomorrow?"
"Why call me?"
"Tomorrow is Friday. We have an activity in the morning. I'll call you then, okay?"
"Mm, if I can answer," the First World's Tong Yang said.
"Sis, you must pay attention to your phone then!"
"Mm, I'll try."
"Mm! Sis never breaks her promises to me!"
The First World's Tong Yang smiled. "Okay."
After hanging up, the smile gradually faded from her face, and she put the phone back into her coat pocket.
I wonder who will answer this phone tomorrow.
After splitting up, Tong Yang found herself in a very strange situation.
It was as if she were trapped inside a jigsaw puzzle. The sky was divided into different components. One part showed a dark green hue, with buildings suspended in the air; another part was an endless dark night, where one could vaguely see abandoned structures standing in the darkness; the remaining part of the sky was bright as day, like a city that never sleeps.
Tong Yang realized they were in a chaotic zone where three worlds intersected. She could see it, others could see it, and people in the real world could see it too.
But Tong Yang wasn't worried. The special particles developed by Bureau 749's Nick could precisely conceal this bizarre phenomenon. At the very least, the real world wouldn't discover the entrances to the First World and the Parallel World.
Tong Yang did not sense anyone pursuing her from behind. She climbed into a building, intending to find a spot with a broad view to assess the situation.
Even if she wasn't being tracked, heading directly to the duel site was pointless. The others wouldn't be able to get there anytime soon. It was better to observe and see if she could seize an opportunity to do something or find any usable conditions.
The affluent district at the epicenter of the energy storm was severely affected. The entire city's power had been cut, plunging the building interiors into darkness.
"I wonder where Chu Shiyu and the others are," Tong Yang murmured to herself.
She hoped they had managed to hide somewhere else without being discovered. Otherwise, they would be the first to die.
Tong Yang lightened her footsteps and entered the pitch-black stairwell.
Reaching the second floor, she suddenly noticed a slender yet unmistakable beam of light.
Pausing her steps, Tong Yang approached the light and found its source was inside a drawer.
Opening the drawer, a purple light ray, thin as a thread yet distinctly bright, emanated from a strange black wristband.
Picking it up, Tong Yang found a button on its side and a pulse-sensing device on the underside.
She pressed the button, and the purple light instantly went out. There were several similar sensor wristbands, not just one or two. At the very bottom lay a brand-new instruction manual.
The wristband could sense the wearer's pulse. Once the wearer encountered a dangerous situation, the sensor ray would activate automatically. If there was no danger, the wearer could manually turn off the ray within one minute.
A purple ray indicated a general situation, red indicated a serious situation, and black indicated a critical, near-death situation. The purple ray could not penetrate walls; the red ray had a penetration range of one hundred meters in all directions; the black ray's range was sufficient to penetrate the entire affluent district.
Note: Pressing the button under normal circumstances will emit a general purple ray, which requires manual deactivation.
Tong Yang's phone was lost at some point, perhaps dropped on the road during her frantic escape. She couldn't retrace her steps to look for it and had lost her means of contacting the others. Perhaps these sensor wristbands could serve a purpose—at least by emitting rays, she could learn their location and general physical condition.
Tong Yang took all the sensor wristbands from the drawer. She would distribute them to the others when they reunited at the duel site.
Tong Yang continued upwards, reaching the floor where the building had been severed by the magnetic field energy.
A fierce wind whipped through the open air. An eerie green light filtered through the floating debris of buildings suspended mid-air, casting patterns on the ground. Overhead, they were shrouded by the massive shadows of structures that seemed poised to crash down at any moment.
Crouching low, Tong Yang moved to the edge. Just as she was about to rise and check the situation, she heard an angry shout from the empty street below.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
Frowning, Tong Yang immediately circled to the other side and looked down.
Xu Junyue was confronting a "Forerunner" on an adjacent street. Whatever the other party had said had provoked Xu Junyue into a rage.
Under the green phosphorescent glow, her hair shone with a greenish hue as she cursed furiously, "You're the green-haired turtle! Your whole family are green-haired turtles! Your entire world is full of green-haired turtles!"
With that, a battle erupted instantly.
Xu Junyue's skills had improved considerably. During her fight with Tong Yang in Sector Twelve the other day, she had clearly been holding back. Now, though gradually losing ground in her struggle with the "Forerunner," she was giving as good as she got.
However, it would be very difficult for Xu Junyue to defeat her opponent, and finding a chance to escape seemed unrealistic. The "Forerunner" was fast; they needed a way to stall it.
"CRASH—"
While Tong Yang was pondering what to do, a tremendous roar suddenly came from the floating buildings above.
She instinctively looked up. Those structures were actually plummeting toward the ground!
All the city's large buildings had been split in two by the magnetic field energy—one half remained on the ground, the other half suspended in the air. Now, they were rapidly falling.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Tong Yang felt a lump in her throat.
"Holy shit!"
"What the hell!"
Everyone caught in the storm's center was stunned by the sight.
Would they be crushed by these buildings before they even had a chance to fight?
At the same time, Tong Yang noticed rubble falling from one building passing through the fragmented scene and entering another space.
A shudder ran through Tong Yang. "Oh no!"
These falling structures would pass through the chaotic dimensional barriers and enter the real world!!