The Folded Alley.
Silver walls. Silver ground. Silver sky.
Even raindrops, suspended midair, had become silver beads.
Wu stood three meters away, white robes fluttering like grave paper.
"Hand it over." His voice calm as ever. "Why bother?"
Lin Yao didn't answer.
Right hand clenched the blue stone—compass gray mist seeping, mixing with the warm flow from Yinglong's heart core, rushing toward his left hand.
Numb.
Empty.
Yet the blue stone burned.
"Rhea," he croaked, "Heart core… can it overclock the prosthetic?"
Rhea dagger across chest, left palm burning from the heart core: "…Three seconds. Then the prosthetic explodes, my hand is done."
"Enough." Lin Yao gasped. "Listen—"
"I attack him. You go behind. Heart core into prosthetic's core. Detonate."
"Won't kill him." Rhea eyes red. "Space-Folders… can't break space."
"Break the mirror." Lin Yao's right eye bloodshot. "His silver eye… weak point."
Wu suddenly smiled.
"Clever." He raised a hand, fingertip touching his left eye. "But you forget—"
"The Patrolling Angel… has two eyes."
Right eye silver light surged!
The entire alley twisted!
Ground spiraled, broken walls pressing toward them!
"Now!" Lin Yao roared!
He pounced, not at Wu, but at a puddle—Xihua-infused rainwater from the collapsed Watchpoint!
Right-hand mudra flipped—Qi Convergence Spell fragment + compass blue light + heart core warmth—
"Burn!"
The puddle exploded into mist! Gold-purple vapor detonated!
Amid the mist, Lin Yao blurred—
Left half Neuroth combat suit charred, right half Aethra robe torn; left eye empty, bleeding, right eye blazing gold; left hand… moved!
Semi-fusion.
Cost: chest agony, as if gripped by iron clamps.
But worth it!
Speed surged! Residual images flickered past Wu's side—
Right hand lightning-fast, diving for Wu's left eye!
Wu silver eye squinted, head tilted—
Shhh!
Lin Yao fingertips grazed the eyelid, peeling off a sliver of silver membrane!
"Ugh!" Wu grunted for the first time. Left eye bled silver.
But right eye silver light intensified!
"Deadly." He raised his hand; space crack cut through Lin Yao's torso!
Lin Yao didn't dodge.
Instead, he slammed the silver membrane into his left eye!
"…Fuck!" Rhea screamed. "You're insane—!"
Silver membrane in eye—
Pain! Like molten metal poured into the brain!
Yet vision… changed.
Left eye "saw" not the alley, but space structure—silver threads forming a net, Wu at the center, each thread linking both his eyes.
Weak point… at the net nodes!
"Rhea—left, three-line intersection!" he roared.
Rhea understood.
Left palm pressed heart core into prosthetic socket—
Buzz!
Prosthetic end exploded in blue light, veins like vines surging, entwining dagger!
She spun; dagger flew—not at Wu, but slicing empty space!
Clang!
Dagger hit invisible force, sparks flew!
Silver net… shivered.
Wu hesitated.
Now!
Lin Yao right foot pressed ground, semi-fusion pushed to extreme—chest compass gray mist surged, blue stone cracked fine lines!
He pounced at Wu, right hand forming mudra, left hand (last three seconds of movement) grabbing Wu's right eye—
"Blind together!"
Wu silver eye shrank.
Didn't dodge.
Instead… smiled.
"Too late." His voice soft.
Right eye silver light blazed!
Not at Lin Yao.
Aimed at Yinglong!
Hundreds of meters away, suspended dragon head trembled—gold-purple eyes flickered wildly, body convulsing violently!
"…Little one… run…" Dragon voice broken, frothy, "…It's… draining me…"
Lin Yao's mind exploded!
Wu wasn't killing them.
He was forcing Yinglong to fail!
Fen Tian Jian… draining dragon remotely!
"No—!" he shouted, pouncing even faster.
But half a second too late.
Wu right-eye silver light pierced Yinglong's pupil—
Boom!!!
Dragon head reared silently!
Dragon heart core's gold-purple glow dimmed sharply!
Heart core… in Rhea's hand, flickered, weakened.
"…Fuck!" Rhea eyes red, pulled last three magnetic spike nails, "Lin Yao! Cover me—!"
She pounced at Wu, not stabbing, hugging him!
Prosthetic end locked around Wu's waist!
"You motherfucker… Space-Folder?!" She roared, pressing heart core into Wu's posterior heart, "—Let's give you a heartbeat!"
Heart core gold-purple light surged!
Wu silver eye first time… flickered uncontrollably!
"You—!" He raised hand to slash—
Lin Yao arrived!
Left hand (last half second) clamped Wu's right wrist, right hand mudra flipped, compass blue light + heart core warmth + silver-membrane vision—
"Break!"
Blue light like blade, slicing silver net node!
Crack!
Not a space tear. Wu's right wrist bone snapped forcibly!
Silver blood splashed!
Wu staggered back, right eye silver light wild, left eye bleeding silver.
Yet still smiling.
"…Three seconds." He gasped, arm dangling, "Semi-fusion… extreme."
Lin Yao fell, left hand completely useless, chest compass cracked, blue stone dimmed.
Rhea released Wu, staggered to Lin Yao, left prosthetic black smoke, cables dangling, sparks crackling.
Heart core in her palm, flickering weakly.
Wu lifted foot, lightly stepped.
Folded Alley began compressing.
Silver walls pressed.
"Last chance." His voice calm. "Hand it over."
Lin Yao coughed blood, wiped mouth, smiled:
"…Wu."
"Right-eye silver frequency… unstable."
"Fen Tian Jian draining Yinglong… too fast."
"You're almost… done."
Wu smile faded.
Silver eyes… flickered.
Like a bad signal.
Like… human.
He raised hand, ready to strike final cut—
Boom!!!
Sky split!
Not space. Mirror Abyss tore!
Gray mist exploded!
A figure dashed out—
Pale. Thin. Left eye empty, right eye silver data stream spinning wildly.
Kael.
He didn't charge battlefield.
Instead, raised hand, punched his own right eye!
"…Fuck!" Rhea screamed, "He's insane—!"
Silver eye shattered!
Data stream like blood spattered!
But not blood—gold-purple light!
Light shot Folded Alley silver ceiling—
Shhh!
Silver net… burned a hole!
Rain fell. Sour. Real.
Kael stood beneath the hole, right eye empty, silver blood flowing, left hand pointing at Lin Yao, lips moving:
"…Run."
"…I'm in Fen Tian Jian… waiting for you."
"…Keys… should poke the lock."
He smiled. Pale, yet real.
Figure vanished into gray mist.
Wu silver eyes flickered violently, first time… losing composure.
"Kael—!" He shouted, voice cracking.
Lin Yao didn't hesitate.
Grabbed Rhea, pounced through the hole—
Silver walls brushed past, shredding combat suit, burning flesh.
Both tumbled out of Folded Alley, landing in real Seventh Alley mud.
Rain smashed faces.
Sour. Painful.
Alive.
Rhea left prosthetic fully destroyed, hanging, cables half cut. She pulled out last half grass pill, shoved into Lin Yao's mouth.
"…Watchpoint… collapsed." She gasped. "Qing He… disconnected."
"Yinglong… almost out."
"Kael… blinded one eye."
She grinned, teeth bloody: "…We… really fucking suffered."
Lin Yao swallowed pill, bitter tightness in head. Yet chest compass… gray mist flickered, leaving faint words:
[Semi-Fusion Cost: Bearer… Three Days Spirit & Machina Disabled]
[After Three Days… Can Reignite]
He lifted his head toward Aethra—cloud sea surging, Yinglong silhouette dim like smoke.
Then toward Mirror Abyss—gray mist deep, a flash of silver, gone.
Kael's signal.
"Not suffering." He croaked, squeezing Rhea's hand, "…Just beginning."
In the distance, silver ship hovered.
Gui's bone whip slowly lifted.
🪞
Burn.
—KHChing