Chapter 87: Awakening
With just one more leap, Qi Chen would be able to reach the Amber Figure!
Without hesitation, he summoned the Overlord again, determined to take this final step. But suddenly, a violent tremor surged from beneath his feet—the entire colossal tree began to shake of its own accord!
The tangled roots that covered the floor of the shopping mall’s main hall instantly seemed to come alive, writhing across the ground like giant serpents. The already battered floor was shattered to pieces under the powerful motion of these thick roots, the expensive tiles crushed to dust in the blink of an eye.
It was as if the giant tree itself intended to move!
The movement was so violent that Qi Chen couldn’t keep his footing among the branches. With the tree swaying so wildly, he could do nothing but cling desperately to the branch beneath him, knowing that at any moment he could be thrown off.
Meanwhile, countless vines sprouting from the tree lashed through the air, flailing in wild disarray like long hair streaming in a storm. The many empty shells impaled by these vines had no chance of steadying themselves; they were like passengers trapped on a runaway amusement ride, hurled about by these long chains and crashing again and again within the confines of the mall.
In an instant, muffled thuds filled the air as countless figures plummeted from above.
Those falling shells were quickly swallowed up among the violently churning roots below—perhaps utterly absorbed, perhaps simply crushed to dust.
...
“Is it an earthquake?!” In the command vehicle, the Gentle Guy and Fu Ying felt the tremor at the same moment, both staring intently at the projection screen in hopes of understanding what was happening.
But all they saw was darkness. From their earpieces, they could only hear the roaring from Qi Chen’s side.
Without a word, the Gentle Guy flung open the car door and dashed outside. Standing on the earth, he could clearly sense the continuous tremors radiating from the direction of Minsheng Mall. In that moment, the mall seemed like the epicenter of a never-ending shockwave, sending forth vibrations of unimaginable magnitude.
Crash!
Suddenly, all the glass on one floor of the mall shattered, and a thick branch burst through, thrusting itself into the view of the stunned onlookers outside.
At the same time, massive roots surged from every entrance of the mall, their momentum as overwhelming as a tidal wave. In mere moments, they had advanced dozens of meters, the ground beneath them cracking under their immense strength.
The city guards stationed near the barricade stared in shock, swiveling their gun barrels swiftly to train all their firepower on these monstrous invaders.
“Fire on the plants outside the mall!”
Fu Ying’s voice rang out in the earpieces. The Gentle Guy whipped around to look at the command vehicle, but the thunderous roar of artillery instantly drowned out any words he tried to shout.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
---
The heavy guns thundered. Even now, the deadly legacy of humanity’s old world wielded power unlike any other. The destructive force unleashed by fire and steel was, in many ways, no less terrifying than the supernatural itself.
Especially against physical entities—guns and cannons remained humanity’s greatest weapon.
The giant roots that had burst from the mall were instantly engulfed in fire. Though supernatural, these entities were corporeal, and their trunks offered no special defense against artillery; wherever they were struck, they exploded into countless fragments!
The Gentle Guy rushed back into the command vehicle, yelling, “Don’t you care whether Qi Chen lives or dies?! You just opened fire?!”
Fu Ying’s face was as cold as water. “And what if those roots breach the barricade?”
The Gentle Guy fell silent, at a loss for words. Fu Ying continued, “Something significant must have happened inside the mall—those roots bursting out were probably triggered by Qi Chen’s attempt to approach. By destroying the plants that have emerged, we might actually be helping him!
“And besides... I never gave the order to attack the mall itself. He still has a chance.”
Breathing hard, the Gentle Guy clenched his fists and declared with resolve, “I’m going to help him!”
As soon as he spoke, a figure wreathed in red-orange heat appeared at his side—the exposed heart beneath his bare chest beating madly, echoing the turmoil within him.
But as he turned, a golden figure leapt forth and landed a punch squarely on his body!
“Sit down and behave!”
Fu Ying didn’t even glance at her old comrade, her eyes still fixed on the dark screen. She pressed her earpiece and commanded, “Mask, report your status immediately!”
...
Fu Ying’s voice sounded in his ear, but Qi Chen had no free hand to respond. The entire giant tree had tilted at an angle, which explained why its branches had pierced the mall. On the slanting trunk, Qi Chen could only cling to a branch to avoid sliding off—any other action was impossible for now. The sounds of artillery from outside reached his ears.
He knew—they were buying him time.
If they had truly abandoned him, the shells would have been aimed directly at the mall itself.
---
The thunderous noise gradually subsided, and the movement of the giant tree slowly lessened. Qi Chen understood—his chance had finally come!
Without hesitation, he rose to his feet atop the branch. A roar exploded in his ear, and suddenly he felt himself grow weightless—a screaming gale tore past him!
He shot through the dense foliage at high speed, his face instantly slashed by a multitude of fine cuts. Squinting against the pain, he paid no heed—his eyes held only the figure of amber, drawing ever closer!
He could already see that, within the amber figure, a web of fine crimson vessels had appeared, threading their way from the crown of the tree and extending down, spreading rapidly from the soles of the figure’s feet to engulf its whole body.
Just a little more, and those vessels would completely fill its form!
“Overlord!”
Just as the amber figure entered his line of projection, Qi Chen let out a desperate shout.
The burly Overlord responded with a deafening roar, spreading his powerful arms and lunging forward!
Crack!
A sharp snap intruded on Qi Chen’s senses—his pupils shrank in shock, watching as a network of cracks raced across the amber figure’s body.
A thunderous, powerful heartbeat echoed grotesquely from within it, and the dormant aura inside suddenly seemed to reach the brink of awakening.
The rigid amber body suddenly surged with energy. It turned its head, flashing Qi Chen a dazzlingly wicked smile.
Boom!
A wave of invisible force swept out. Still midair, Qi Chen felt as though he had been struck by a colossal, unseen hammer—without any foothold, he plummeted toward the earth at terrifying speed!
He knew exactly what this was: a psychic shockwave, condensed from pure mental power!
His own formidable mental strength kept him from losing consciousness immediately, but falling from such a height—death was all but certain.
Unless—he merged with the supernatural once more!