Alphas

The video cut off abruptly, leaving the girls completely bewildered.

"Assassin's Creed surrendered right after that," Xu Xiaoyou said faintly. "There are no battle scenes of the kind you're looking for."

"Killing God Changqing's divine endowment cannot be activated normally; it can only be triggered through self-termination. Once active, the specific attribute boosts are unknown, but they certainly won't be small. However, he will die if he cannot end the battle within three minutes."

"Assassin's Creed might have been able to trade members to take down Killing God Changqing while his divine endowment was active, but with the qualifiers imminent, they weren't going to take that risk. There was no need."

"Anyway, that's the general idea."

"I still hope you'll watch the recordings of each member of Assassin's Creed before the league starts to familiarize yourselves with their combat styles. 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated,' right, Anya?"

Angelina held her head in her hands, looking troubled.

"I'll watch them."

"That's it then. We'll discuss the specific tactical details after the competition starts. Dismissed for now; I have things to handle at the guild. Bye~" Xu Xiaoyou stood up.

The girls exchanged glances and followed her to the coffee shop entrance.

"Did you hear something?"

Bai Youyou suddenly stopped and looked at the alarm clock on the wall.

They had seen this clock when they first entered the coffee shop.

A faint ticking sound echoed in the air; clearly, it was different from the normal operation of a clock.

"Well, it seems that's not an alarm clock," Xu Xiaoyou smiled. "One small oversight."

Intense flames erupted, and the fire from the explosion swallowed the girls in an instant.

...................

Looking at the images on the curtain, the youth slowly came to a halt on a rusted tower while rain slid down the rust-mottled storage tanks. Looking out, beneath the storage tanks was a network woven from steel bars and pipes. Years of moisture and erosion had left the factory beneath him teetering on the edge of collapse. The magnificent city in the sky looked like it was burning in the rain, using his hometown as fuel.

A wanted poster of him was being broadcast on the large screen of a float-ship. The number following Zhou Zuo's name was enough to tempt even him; it could provide for an ordinary family for a lifetime. If his mother and sister were still around, he probably would have been happy to turn himself in.

This was Alphas, a beautiful and dreamlike metropolis—for those on the upper levels.

This was Alphas, a hive city of disease, overcrowding, rusted iron, and despair—for those on the bottom who had no key to the future.

"Zhou Zuo, did you get the item?"

"Their transport route passes through the Hongluo River Rust Belt in Northern Sector 2. I know the environment here better than anyone."

Zhou Zuo slowly lowered the hood of his hoodie. The audio from the law enforcers' communication channel played in his earpiece. Three teams were currently closing in on his position along the banks of the Hongluo River. Two other teams were deep in 'the Mire'; that was a small-to-medium-sized slum settlement filled with desperate sinners just like him. From the sound of it, the law enforcer teams seemed to have broken out into a conflict with the refugees there.

Even the gangs he usually clashed with had stood up in a display of shared hatred upon learning the law enforcers were searching for him, looking as though they were ready to risk their lives against them.

As for the final team, they had already reached the Red Goose Factory. Beneath his feet, they were carefully searching every corner because the item in his hand was of vital importance. Those investigators would never let them go; this was a canister containing a key to the future.

"The contents are vital to us. Robert won't dare report such a massive dereliction of duty to his superiors unless he can't hide it anymore. The special operations section won't be deployed for at least three hours. You must take this time to evacuate."

"Once the drones and float-cars are deployed, everything will become difficult."

"They're already near you. You have to find a way to lose them on your own. Rust District L2 is a good place; the people there call it the Woodpecker's Home. You should be familiar with it. We'll meet there later."

Zhou Zuo looked up at the hazy sky. That beautiful city in the sky was reflected in his eyes. Three giant pillars rose into the heavens, separated from each other by thousands of miles, spanning the entire world.

The energy field they collectively generated allowed that city to stay far away from this scarred land. A space elevator pierced the clouds, where thunderheads rolled like a thorn driven from the surface into the firmament. All the underclass who could not board that city were pinned down below, never having breathed fresh air even once until the day they died.

"Prisoner number X0117, you have nowhere left to run. Please stop your futile resistance. Put down your weapon immediately, put your hands on your head, and come back with us to face Elias's judgment."

Several fully armed law enforcers climbed the iron tower to confront the youth. Rain flowed across their tactical helmets and dripped onto the standard-issue firearms in their hands, the iron-black barrels reflecting a lethal glint.

"You want it?" Zhou Zuo weighed the metal canister in his hand.

The heavy object was tossed into the air and caught again, drawing everyone's gaze.

"If you want it, come and get it!"

Zhou Zuo suddenly threw the metal canister downward. The law enforcers' hearts skipped a beat as they stared wide-eyed, only to realize a moment later that the youth had leaped toward the other side. He pressed a button on his watch, and his entire body was adsorbed onto the wall, defying gravity as he sprinted away.

"The 'key' is still in his hands! Don't let him escape! After him!"

The law enforcers leaped down one after another, hovering in the air with the help of gravity relay devices as if stepping through the rain, quickly chasing after the youth.

Zhou Zuo flipped over a railing and headed down the rust-pitted stairs. Just as a red aiming light locked onto his head, he vaulted over the guardrail, arms wide, and plummeted toward the ground. At a certain moment, he turned his watch, and his body was sucked toward another wall at a speed of a hundred meters per second, vanishing from the law enforcer's sight in the blink of an eye.

"He's running that way! Pursue him!"

The whistling wind rushed past his ears, and the world flipped and turned before his eyes, becoming surreal and distorted. Zhou Zuo felt the tug of gravity as his body became as light as a feather. One second he was on one building, and the next he appeared on the roof of an abandoned workshop. Shadows chased him as he moved through the narrow alleyways.

"I see him!"

A law enforcer shouted and chased into the alley, only to step right into a trap on the ground. A strong voltage instantly surged through his body. The searing numbness and spasms caused him to lose consciousness and collapse. His companions didn't even look back as they stepped directly over him.

These high-voltage, low-current traps were discarded military products. Due to their concealability, they mostly circulated in the black markets of the slums. Almost every member would be equipped with them; they were usually not lethal but served as excellent distractions.

"Over here! You can't escape!"

The shouts of the law enforcers gradually grew distant, and the youth's figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the alley. Zhou Zuo bent down and picked up the metal canister that had fallen to the ground. A small crack had opened in the middle of the canister, and a few small black lumps had scattered from it.

Zhou Zuo picked up the black substance and rubbed it between his fingers. A slightly moist sensation came through, and a cool, refreshing scent—reminiscent of sun-dried old book pages mixed with rotting leaves—filled his nose.

Is this soil?