Chapter 102: Saving Luo Shaotian

Luo Shaotian stared at the distant figure for a long time.

Only after several seconds did he finally speak:

“…Who are you?”

No response.

The woman simply stood there, silent and unmoving, as though she had never heard his question.

Just as Luo Shaotian was about to press further, the figure suddenly lifted her gun.

No words.
No warning.

Yet this single action carried more provocation than any threat spoken aloud.

Luo Shaotian’s pupils shrank sharply.

A threat.

This was a threat.

It had to be—
eliminated.

“Roar—!!!”

Luo Shaotian abandoned the “sacrifice” at his feet.

His muscles, reshaped and reinforced by dark energy, tensed violently.

The next moment, his body shot forward like a black cannonball, tearing through rain and wind.

But before he could reach her—

The woman moved.

With unbelievable agility, she stepped lightly on the slick steel bars. Her petite silhouette drifted backward like a weightless feather, instantly widening the distance by more than ten meters.

So fast.

A flicker of surprise crossed Luo Shaotian’s mind, but his assault didn’t slow.

He pushed off the ground and lunged again.

The next few seconds devolved into a humiliating chase.

Luo Shaotian was like a berserk bull trapped in a spiderweb; every devastating punch, every claw strike strong enough to tear through steel, was effortlessly avoided by the woman’s ghostlike footwork.

His strikes tore through the rain, crushing containers with booming impacts. Claw marks gouged into concrete, sending gravel spraying.

But he couldn’t touch her.

The gray-haired woman danced around him like a wraith on the edge of a blade—never too far, never too close—always maintaining a precise distance, as if taunting a caged beast.

Meanwhile, her strange pistol fired continuously, crisp shots ringing clearly through the storm.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Each blue psionic beam struck not at vital organs but precisely at joints—knees, elbows, shoulders.

The sharp, controlled pain stoked Luo Shaotian’s fury, making his attacks even more frenzied.

“Boom—!”

Another claw swipe missed, and his fingers embedded themselves deep into a concrete wall.

Something’s wrong.
Something’s really wrong…

That strange familiarity surged again.

The longer he fought her, the stronger it became—a déjà vu that made his temples throb.

He felt like…
he had seen this woman before?

“—!”

A blurry image flashed across his mind.

A dim, abandoned factory…
Cramped ventilation ducts…
A petite figure in a maid outfit…
A faint fragrance…

“Hiss—!”

Luo Shaotian shook his head violently. A sharp pain stabbed through his skull, forcibly shattering the vague memory.

What was that?

He couldn’t recall.

It felt as though the memory had been violently erased, leaving only a blank space—and a strange, sinking heartbeat.

The confusion, layered atop his already raging power, made him angrier.

“Who are you?!”

He roared, voice warped with fury.

“Why are you interfering with me?!”

“…”

Hearing his question, Lin Yu’s movements paused ever so slightly.

She turned and met Luo Shaotian’s furious gaze—waiting for an answer.

Maintain distance.
Keep control.

Should she answer him?

Lin Yu breathed heavily, releasing white mist in the cold rain.

This high-intensity mental battle drained far more of her energy than she had expected.

A little stalling was good.
She needed the breather.

“Hey! Who are you?!” Luo Shaotian shouted again.

“Cough… cough—”

Lin Yu cleared her throat, lowering her voice purposely.

“Who I am isn’t important, Luo Shaotian.”

Calling him by name made his body stiffen.

“What’s important is what you’re becoming.”

Lin Yu lifted her psionic pistol, but her aim dipped downward—signaling she wasn’t attacking.

“Do you really… like who you are now?”

You think you’ve gained power.
But all you’ve gained is hunger for anger.

Every wound you inflict, every rage you release, drags you deeper into the abyss—pulling you further from your true self.

You call that strength?
No.

That is depravity.

Depravity…

The word pierced Luo Shaotian’s mind like a burning needle.

His murderous aura wavered, replaced by a flicker of struggle.

He remembered his master’s disappointment.
The fear in the eyes of the white-collar worker he saved.
His near-feral madness when he lost control…

No.
That’s not…
That’s not what I am…

Don’t listen.
DON’T LISTEN.

Just as his will wavered—

The voice buried deep within him roared.

She’s lying to you! She’s shaking your resolve! Look at her uniform! That gun!
She’s from Dawn Company!
She’s a magical girl!

The voice hissed seductively at his ear:

They are lackeys of a hypocritical world order!
They don’t understand true justice!
To them, you’re nothing but a contaminant waiting for purification!

Think, boy!
You are someone this world abandoned!
And she—
she is here to defend the world that threw you away!

…A magical girl?

Luo Shaotian forced the words out through clenched teeth.

The flicker of clarity in his eyes vanished—devoured by darkness.

His gaze toward Lin Yu twisted.
Confusion gave way to—

Hatred.

“So that’s how it is…”

He chuckled—softly, bitterly.
A laugh dripping with self-loathing and killing intent.

“So… you’re the force behind New Sea City’s secrets I’ve been investigating.”

Lin Yu’s heart tightened.

The dark aura around Luo Shaotian, which had just weakened, surged back even more violently.

Still can’t do it?

Lin Yu sighed inwardly.

“Fine. I’m not the protagonist of a shonen manga.
Beating someone back to normal with just words? Impossible.”

Her expression hardened.

“Then I’ll beat some sense into you.”

“Shao Tian… this time— it’s my turn to save you.”

Decision made, Lin Yu stopped dodging— and attacked.

“You’re courting death!”

Luo Shaotian’s killing intent soared as he lunged.

His right fist, wreathed in dark energy, tore through the air with a sonic boom toward her face!

Lin Yu didn’t budge.

She watched the fist grow larger in her vision.

And just before the blow could shatter her mask—

[Heart Rewriting]

She poured her strongest, most desperate emotion—

“—stop… for me!!!”

—into the psionic pistol.

No aim.
No calculation.

Just before the fist crushed her mask, she pulled the trigger.

“Bang—!”

It wasn’t a gunshot.

But a pink beam— a mix of sorrow, resolve, and overwhelming tenderness.

“Whoosh—”

The fist froze less than a centimeter from her mask.

Wind whipped her gray hair— but the punch could not advance.

Luo Shaotian’s entire body locked in place.

The blackness in his eyes receded, revealing their original color.

But in those pupils—

Only weariness and confusion remained.

His lips trembled faintly, as if recalling something—or nothing at all.

Then his consciousness shattered.

He collapsed forward.

“Ugh—!”

The immense weight crashed into Lin Yu. She staggered back two steps before barely catching him.

Warmth spread through the soaked fabric of her clothing— tinged with the coldness of rain and faint scent of blood.

She let Luo Shaotian lean against her and slowly sank to the mud.

He was unconscious.
All rage gone.
All ferocity vanished.

His handsome face now held only the peaceful innocence of a sleeping child.

Raindrops clung to his long eyelashes, quivering gently with each steady breath.

It’s over…

Lin Yu stared at him, her heartbeat from the fight slowly settling.

Relief washed over her, heavy as exhaustion after surviving a disaster.

She had won.

She had dragged her most important friend back from despair—
from the rooftop edge of collapse.

But in the moment she finally relaxed—

“—BOOM!!”

A thunderous roar of pure hatred exploded behind her!

Lin Yu spun around, pupils tightening.

Wu Jianguo.

The man who should have been obliterated by Luo Shaotian’s final blow was now— with impossible strength— forcing himself upright from a pool of blood.

He raised his one remaining arm, clutching a brick he’d picked up from somewhere, and charged toward them.

“DIE!!!!”

“Bang!”

Lin Yu’s knife-hand chop struck Wu Jianguo’s thick neck precisely.

His momentum stopped instantly. He collapsed face-first into the mud, splashing dirty water everywhere.

“What rudeness. Terrifying.”

Lin Yu withdrew her hand calmly, not sparing the fallen “vengeful ghost” another glance.

Just then—

“Whoooosh!!”

Tires screeched across the rainy night.

A black, driverless car drifted wildly and came to a stop at the edge of the construction site.

The door swung open.

A petite figure carrying a silver medical kit jumped out and sprinted into the ruined battlefield.

“Brother!”

Lin Xue’s voice trembled with restrained panic.

She spotted the two figures in the mud and the devastation around them— but she didn’t waste a second on shock.

She rushed forward, knelt down, and opened the medical kit.

“How is he?!”

“…I made him stop.” Lin Yu’s voice was weak but relieved.

“I see.”

Lin Xue’s eyes scanned Luo Shaotian rapidly. She grabbed a handheld scanner and swept it across his body.

Her brows furrowed instantly.

“No. The psionic contamination is still active. Your attack only forced it into temporary suppression! He needs an inhibitor immediately!”

From a hidden compartment, she retrieved a syringe filled with ghostly blue liquid.

The needle glowed faintly under dim streetlights.

“Hold him down!”

Lin Xue’s tone allowed no refusal.

Lin Yu gripped Luo Shaotian tightly.

The cold needle pierced his neck.

The blue liquid flooded into his bloodstream, icy energy surging outward and colliding violently with the black aura beneath his skin.

“Ugh—!”

Luo Shaotian convulsed, brows furrowing in pain.

The dark aura writhed like a mortally wounded serpent—
fighting, twisting, resisting.

But under the overwhelming cold psionic force— it weakened.
It shrank.
It was neutralized and sealed deep within him.

Moments later, his breathing steadied.
His face relaxed.

Crisis averted.

Lin Yu leaned back against a shipping container, feeling the calm breathing of her friend. Her nerves—stretched taut all night—finally slackened.

Rain continued falling, washing away blood and sin from the ravaged ground.

She looked at the sleeping Luo Shaotian… then at the unconscious Wu Jianguo… then at the ruined battlefield.

Exhaustion hit her like a wave.

“We need to leave immediately!”

Lin Xue’s voice snapped her back.

She had already packed her tools, her face full of urgency.

“Brother, the psionic fluctuation from your shot was way too strong! The collar around your neck must have sent a top-level alarm! Department Zero and the Company will be here in under five minutes!”

Lin Yu fell silent.

She gently lowered Luo Shaotian to the ground, shielding him with her own body from the cold rain.

Then she looked at her sister.

Her heterochromatic purple-green eyes shone with quiet determination.

“Xiaoxue,” she said softly.

“Take him away.”

“What?” Lin Xue froze.

“Brother?! Have you lost your mind?! What about you?! You’re still under surveillance—if they see this, they’ll purify you on the spot!”

“It’s fine…” Lin Yu’s voice was terrifyingly calm.

She touched Luo Shaotian’s cheek gently— then looked at Lin Xue.

“Xiaoxue… do you believe me?”

Lin Xue trembled.

She met her sister’s purple eyes— eyes filled with no fear, no hesitation— only unwavering resolve… and a trace of sorrow.

“I believe you,” Lin Xue whispered.

“I’ll always believe you.”

“That’s good.”

Lin Yu smiled faintly.

“Didn’t I say someday I would bring the Abyss into the light?”

She withdrew her hand.

“This is the first step.”

“Brother…” Lin Xue’s eyes filled with tears. She threw her arms around Lin Yu, hugging her tightly.

“Do you know how much it hurts me to see you like this…?”

Lin Yu gently patted her back, like comforting a child.

“Silly girl. I’m your sister.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“…Okay.”

Lin Xue gritted her teeth and let go.

She struggled to lift Luo Shaotian onto her back and turned to leave.

“Xiao Xue!”

Lin Yu called out.

“Be careful.”

Lin Xue paused. She understood.

Then she nodded firmly.

“I will take him back safely!”

Lin Yu smiled faintly— and nodded back.