The pulse that burst from Yin Lie's chest
was silent—
but it rippled through the world
like an earthquake made of breath.
Qin Mian felt it before she heard anything—
a sudden, searing heat beneath her palms,
followed by a drop in temperature so sharp
it stabbed her lungs.
"Lie—?!"
His body arched violently in her arms.
Not waking.
Not conscious.
Reacting.
His fingers flexed,
curling into the fabric of her sleeve with crushing strength.
Qin Mian gasped softly.
"Lie… you're hurting yourself—"
But he wasn't listening.
He wasn't even "here."
A breath escaped him—
low, rough, primal.
Not speech.
A warning.
The Hunters froze at the sound,
their weapons half-raised,
fear rooting them in place.
Kai's eyes widened.
"…That's not a human reaction."
Yin Lie's hair floated upward,
lifted by invisible currents.
Blue flame curled at the edges.
Frost rippled down his jawline.
Keystone symbols spun in flickering spirals around his spine.
And then—
His eyes snapped open.
Silver.
Blue.
Both glowing too brightly,
like he was seeing the world from beneath water.
Qin Mian's breath caught.
"Lie… you're awake?"
He wasn't.
Not truly.
His pupils didn't focus.
His gaze slid past her,
past Kai,
past everything—
searching for threats he didn't understand.
Searching for the one thing he still responded to:
Her.
He cupped the back of her head with trembling fingers,
pulling her against his chest as if shielding her from something.
Qin Mian felt her heart break.
"Lie…
you're protecting me…?"
But Yin Lie's other hand lifted—
and reality bent around his palm.
The air crackled.
Light twisted.
The ground sank beneath his fingers
as if gravity had forgotten its purpose.
Kai stepped forward—
"No—DON'T—!!" Qin Mian cried.
But too late.
Yin Lie felt her fear.
And the Null-Class instinct
interpreted it as imminent threat.
His head turned toward Kai—
slowly, jerkily—
like movement wasn't fully under his control.
Kai froze mid-step.
Her pupils shrank.
"…He's targeting me."
His aura sharpened—
a blade forged of cold, fire, and geometry.
Wind funnelled toward his body.
Dust lifted.
Shadows bent.
Qin Mian grabbed his face.
"Lie—STOP.
She's not hurting me—she's not hurting anyone!"
He didn't blink.
"Mian…"
The way he said her name
was wrong.
Too many layers.
Too much power.
Too much need.
She felt it then—
not thought, not emotion—
instinct.
He was a wounded creature
whose world had narrowed down to a single truth:
Protect the anchor.
Destroy everything else.
His fingers tightened around her waist.
Kai took one small step back—
even she wasn't arrogant enough to pretend
she could fight this version of him.
The Hunters started shouting.
"He's active again—!!!"
"He's entering hostile mode—!!"
"OPEN FIRE BEFORE HE COMPLETES RESONANCE—!"
Qin Mian screamed:
"DON'T SHOOT—HE'S NOT AWAKE—!!"
But the Hunters were panicking,
fighting instincts older than training.
One pulled the trigger.
Kai spun, trying to stop him.
The shot fired.
It never reached its target.
Yin Lie moved.
Not with speed.
Not with intention.
With instinct.
A wave of distortion burst from his body—
a shockwave like a heartbeat too strong for the world to hold.
CRACK—!!
The bullet dissolved midair,
its metallic structure unwound into a spray of dust.
The Hunter who fired it
was hurled backward
as if hit by a wall of invisible ice.
Qin Mian stared in horror.
"Lie… you didn't mean to do that…"
He shivered violently,
breathing ragged,
eyes glowing too brightly to be human.
"Mian…"
his voice shook,
raw and cracked.
"Stay… stay…"
"I'm right here."
Her hands cupped his face.
"I'm not going anywhere."
His forehead pressed against her shoulder
with desperate force.
But his aura thickened—
dangerously.
Painfully.
Like a storm tightening around a single point.
The ground beneath them trembled again.
Kai muttered:
"He's entering a defensive-response state…
his power is choosing for him…"
Another Hunter screamed:
"That means he'll attack ANYTHING he perceives as a threat—!!"
Yin Lie's breath hitched.
Kai took a tiny step too close.
Boom.
His aura exploded outward again—
a burst of pressure so strong
it threw every Hunter off their feet
and cracked the asphalt in a perfect circle.
Kai hit a wall hard enough to crack it,
coughing blood.
Qin Mian cried out:
"LIE—STOP HURTING PEOPLE—!!"
His fingers dug into her waist—
too tight,
too strong—
but protective, not violent.
"Mian…
don't… leave…"
"I won't—
I won't—
but you have to calm down—please—"
He trembled.
His eyes flickered.
And for one fragile second—
a flicker of recognition broke through the instinct.
"Mian…?"
Her tears fell onto his cheeks.
"Yes.
Yes—Lie—it's me—look at me—
just me—"
But the moment broke.
The Hunters aimed again.
His aura snapped
like a starving animal baring teeth.
He shifted his weight—
arms wrapping around Qin Mian
to pull her into a full shield.
Prepared to kill
anything that moved.
Kai struggled to her feet,
blood on her lips.
"ALL UNITS—
DON'T MOVE—
DON'T EVEN BREATHE—
HE WILL KILL YOU—!!"
The Hunters froze.
The street froze.
Silence fell again.
Yin Lie breathed against Qin Mian's shoulder—
shaking,
power shimmering violently,
instinct screaming for direction.
Qin Mian held his face, her voice breaking:
"Lie…
come back to me…
please…"
And slowly—
his fingers curled into her clothes,
holding on like a child lost in the dark.
"Mian…"
Not a threat.
A plea.
A plea for her to keep him in this world.
Chapter 114 End