Chapter 128

"Psychos!"

"How are they sticking to us like goddamn leeches!"

"Who wants to fight them anyway!"

The group, covered in blood and panting, scrambled into the abandoned building, sealing the doors and windows shut, their bodies pressed tightly against the walls.

The parallel world humans posed no real threat, just a time-consuming nuisance. However, First World Ye Huai, Armand, and the others were a different story. While dealing with the parallel world humans, they relentlessly harassed our group, leading to a messy three-way brawl. It was a tough fight, and they'd only just managed a full retreat.

Tong Yang wiped the blood from his face. "What time is it?"

Someone answered, "Just past midnight."

So much had happened, such a hard-fought battle, yet only three hours had passed since the energy cores of the two worlds fused at 9 PM on May 27th, 2027. There were still nearly eight hours to go until Wu Pingxue's promised temporary sealing of the inter-world channel.

They had to hold out in this parallel world for at least eight more hours.

"Hah!"

"What do we do? Those guys are like hounds; they can sniff us out from a mile away."

Tong Yang said, "We need to last until at least 7:30 AM. We can't engage them head-on, but we also can't just hide without being found, otherwise they might return to the First World early."

Tang Shuyan had already relayed Wu Pingxue's message to everyone.

Tang Li suggested, "A war of attrition?"

Tang Shuyan said, "Attrition doesn't necessarily mean fighting. We advance when they retreat, retreat when they advance."

Xu Junyue rolled her eyes. "You think they'll ever retreat? It's only us doing the retreating."

"And we can't stray too far from the First World's energy storm zone."

They could use the spatial chaos within the energy storm area to easily return to the First World.

"Holy crap!" A-World Chu Shiyu, standing by the window, took a glance outside. "They've caught up."

"Move!"

Regardless, engaging First World Ye Huai's group head-on offered no benefit for their mission. Their only choice was to avoid a direct confrontation.

"Don't run away. Let's play a game together."

"The Slayer isn't here. This is your best chance. Won't you seize it?"

"Stop running. You can't escape."

"Are all you Third World people cowards?"

"If you've got the guts, step out. How about a one-on-one duel? Or we can even let you have two against one?"

"You all seem pretty useless to me. A bunch of trash?"

The voices from behind sounded lazy, almost bored.

"Idiots! Who'd fall for such an obvious taunt!"

"Instead of wasting your breath on sarcasm, why don't you try catching us first!"

"Such annoying flies, always sticking to us."

Cursing and retreating, Tong Yang's group deliberately led any parallel world humans they encountered towards First World Ye Huai's location.

With the anti-gravity wire devices, their mobility was incredibly high. While First World Ye Huai and the others were fast on their feet, they couldn't match the ability to scale walls and fly across rooftops. For the time being, they could only follow from a distance.

Being unable to catch up was one thing, but Xu Junyue and the others kept tossing out taunts every now and then. The "Forerunners" seemed particularly susceptible to this; even though they couldn't close the gap, they stubbornly kept tailing them.

Tong Yang fired an anti-gravity wire, grabbed Xu Junyue's arm, and used the anti-gravity to soar through the air, landing on the roof of the opposite building.

Xu Junyue let out an excited shout. "The anti-gravity wire is such an awesome tool! They should really popularize this in our real world."

"Keep it down." Tong Yang's ears were ringing from her noise.

The "Forerunners" trailed far behind. First World Ye Huai shot Armand a sideways glance. "You seem to be enjoying this?"

Armand feigned innocence. "Not at all. I'm quite irritated right now."

"Bullshit!"

"If it weren't for those anti-gravity wires, we'd have caught them ages ago!"

"Now look at us, following them around like fools."

Armand scoffed. "Making excuses? Can't catch them, so you have no other ideas?"

Someone else shrugged. "Force them to fight us? Like capturing some Third World people?"

"Too troublesome. I don't want to fight Tong Yang. It'd be a drawn-out mess, and chances are we still wouldn't win."

First World Ye Huai said, "Is that your excuse for slacking off?"

"Anyway, the Slayer doesn't intend for us to kill Tong Yang."

"They're leading us around like we're on a leash. What's their goal?"

Armand said, "Buying time, probably."

First World Ye Huai said, "Their target is the Slayer. They'll definitely try to trap us here and return to the First World."

"Oh? Really? Can they do that? Trapping us here isn't exactly easy."

"I'm kind of looking forward to it!"

"I wonder how they'll do it? Not like all of them combined stand a chance against the Slayer anyway."

The night passed with Tong Yang's group moving in stops and starts, barely resting, constantly circling the area.

First World Ye Huai's group followed at a leisurely pace behind. It was a strangely harmonious stalemate, with no major clashes, just the occasional exchange of insults. Neither side could gain the upper hand.

As the sky gradually lightened, everyone looked weary.

"All night. How much longer are you going to keep walking? Isn't the time up yet?" a Forerunner asked, exasperated.

"All night. Would you die if you stopped chasing? Give everyone a breather, would you?" Xu Junyue retorted, not backing down.

"Maybe we should just talk this out," Armand suggested.

Tang Li asked, "Talk about what?"

"Find a solution."

Tang Li said, "We're going back to the First World. Will you follow?"

"Of course. Wherever Miss Ah Li goes, I follow."

"Then there's nothing to discuss," Tang Li said.

Someone sighed. "How about this: the others stay, and Tong Yang goes back to the First World for a one-on-one with the Slayer? The result will be quick, and we can all relax."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Pitting a human against that monster? You think he can win?"

"The Slayer is powerful, but she has weaknesses. If you find them, it's not completely impossible to defeat her."

Xu Junyue's eyes lit up. "What weaknesses?"

The person rolled their eyes. "You think I'd tell you?"

"Then your proposal is rejected."

Tang Shuyan whispered a reminder, "Time's almost up."

Of course they couldn't let Tong Yang go back alone to duel First World Tong Yang. The odds of winning were practically zero.

Tong Yang said, "Let's move. Find a chance to contact Wu Pingxue and return to the First World."

"Right."

Without wasting more breath, Tong Yang's group used their anti-gravity wires to put distance between them again.

Tang Shuyan dialed Wu Pingxue's number, asking about the timing for their return.

Wu Pingxue's tone sounded unusually grave as she addressed everyone: "Immediately."

Sensing something off in her voice, Tang Shuyan paused. "Has something changed?"

Wu Pingxue said, "The United Government has recalled all androids sent to suppress the unrest in the civilian districts."

Tang Shuyan's brow furrowed deeply. "Why? What are they planning?"

Wu Pingxue let out a sigh and said, "They plan to use the spatial rifts created by the energy storm to launch a full-scale invasion of the real world by the bionic humans. I miscalculated. Their numbers are far beyond imagination."

"Can't we seal the passage from the First World to the real world?"

Wu Pingxue replied, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I can only manage to seal it one way. It's possible to leave the First World from anywhere, but re-entry is now impossible."

Tang Shuyan's expression turned grim. "What can we do to stop them?"

"Destroy the energy terminals that control the bionic humans, and find Yang Miao. She can command them to halt their actions," Wu Pingxue stated gravely. "Chu Shiyu and the others have already located Yang Miao in the civilian district. Now, all that's left is for you to destroy the energy terminals."

"Where are they located?"

Wu Pingxue answered, "Inside four top-tier bionic humans. They are currently carrying out this plan."

"It's worth mentioning that the combat capabilities of these top-tier bionic humans are comparable to First World Tong Yang's."

Hearing this, everyone drew a sharp, collective breath.

A single First World Tong Yang was already incredibly difficult to deal with. How could there be four others just as powerful in the First World?

Wu Pingxue said, "My apologies. The plan may very well fail."

The fact that the First World chose to deploy bionic humans to invade the real world under these circumstances indicated their numbers were vast. Coupled with the advanced weaponry from the First World and parallel worlds, the real world wouldn't hold out for long.

"We can't let the bionic humans enter the real world," Tong Yang gritted her teeth. It was a case of "misfortunes never come singly"—they hadn't even dealt with the Tong Yang of the First World yet, and now another thorny problem had arisen.

Chu Shiyu from World A paled, muttering, "Are they insane? Destroy top-tier bionic humans? How is that even possible?"

A deathly silence fell over the group. If they couldn't handle First World Tong Yang, how were they supposed to deal with four others of similar strength? Such a daunting task seemed nearly impossible!

After a few seconds of silence, Tong Yang asked, "If we make Yang Miao the magnetic field anchor, could she control the top-tier bionic humans?"

"She could," Wu Pingxue confirmed. "But the real world wouldn't withstand the powerful impact. The world's barriers would become virtually useless. Moreover, she has half bionic human blood. Becoming a temporal anchor would fully activate that lineage. Once the magnetic field energy dissipates, she would lose her life, just like all the other bionic humans."

Tong Yang clenched her jaw. "Then there's only one way. Before the bionic humans invade the real world, kill First World Tong Yang and have your people destroy the magnetic field energy."

Wu Pingxue paused for a moment before saying, "They have already begun to move. Someone must go and stop them. Compared to First World Tong Yang, the bionic invasion of the real world is the more pressing threat. Even if you all band together to confront her, it would only result in more casualties at her hands. Tong Yang, you must act alone."

"If you can kill her, all will be well. If you cannot, then all is lost."

"How did it come to this..." He Jingjing murmured.

Wu Pingxue's words hit everyone like a blow to the head, leaving them reeling and unprepared.

Wu Pingxue sighed. "Tong Yang, if you fail, I will take the magnetic field energy development data and technology from the Second World back to the real world. Combined with the real world's own technology, we might be able to hold out for a few more decades."

The fact that the ever-strategic Wu Pingxue was making final preparations was proof enough of how monumental their task was.

"The rest of you, rendezvous with Chu Shiyu and her team at the dueling grounds. What you have to do is no easier than Tong Yang's task, and you may even be more likely to lose your lives."

While Tong Yang would face First World Tong Yang, the others would have to confront all the bionic humans, including the top-tier ones.

Everyone's expressions were severe. "We understand."

"Before the mission begins, I want to remind you all. What you are about to do will most likely be in vain. If you choose to return to the real world, I will still bring the development data and technology to help you resist the invasion."

"In other words, you are under no obligation to do this."

Tong Yang always adhered to one principle: never engage in endeavors where the value doesn't match the cost, and certainly never make pointless sacrifices.

Since the outcome would probably be the same whether they acted or not, she should abandon meaningless actions.

What kind of thing is worth doing when you know it's meaningless from the start?

But then, if they gave up just like that, what would all their experiences up to this point amount to?

"Let's do it. We're going to die sooner or later anyway. At least this way, our deaths will sound a bit more honorable," Xu Junyue said.

"Yeah. Do our utmost and leave the rest to fate."

"After all, we were prepared to face death even before coming here."

"Boss, let's do it!" Xu Junyue turned to look at her. "It's life or death either way."

Tong Yang's expression was calm. "Then let's do it."

Tong Yang wasn't completely without a chance of winning. She knew what First World Tong Yang's weakness was.

But did she really have to use that method, to tarnish the memory of First World Tong Le's death in such a way?

Was there truly no other way?!