“What’s your name?” Sun Shi walked over to Chi Ying. He smirked. “Tsk, never mind. I’m not that interested.”
He tilted his chin, signaling for the people around him to bring Chi Ying to the experimental bed.
She was laid out alongside the others—supernatural beings like her. The only difference was, they were all unconscious. She was not.
Bound by thick metal chains, Chi Ying tugged at her restraints but found them unyielding.
Two researchers pulled a dozen thin, tube-like wires from beneath the bed. Each wire ended in a small metal disc no larger than a centimeter. They adhered them tightly to her temples, neck, and collarbone.
So that’s what those red marks on the corpses in Yuhu City were, she thought grimly.
“Begin,” Sun Shi ordered casually.
A loud buzzing filled the room. Chi Ying winced as a headache bloomed behind her eyes.
She felt a subtle suction wherever the discs touched her skin—supernatural energy being siphoned from her body.
Why? she wondered, silently.
Then came a robotic voice from the machine:
“Current remaining capacity of power storage tank: 60%. Estimated power intake:
Level 5 power users: 4000
Level 6 power users: 500
Level 7 power users: 60
Remaining levels: cannot be assessed.”
Can the machine calculate how many people’s power it can absorb based on its storage? she asked inwardly.
【It appears so. It’s converting power capacity into equivalent user levels.】
I see.
Sun Shi checked his watch. “Three minutes. Any longer, and we risk damaging the container inside her body.”
【Host, can you endure this?】
I think so. I barely feel anything.
Three minutes passed.
“Shut it off,” Sun Shi said.
A technician hesitated. “Professor Sun…”
“What is it?”
“Well, the readings say energy is still being absorbed.”
Sun Shi raised an eyebrow. “Has the transmission rate slowed?”
“No, sir.”
He stared at Chi Ying, his expression tightening.
Level 6… maybe even 7? he mused. He remembered how she’d destroyed Professor Ren Li’s prized lab with ease.
Perhaps… her power even surpasses Gu Chi’s. But we’ve never heard of her before. Could she be the Human Alliance’s hidden trump card?
“What a waste,” he muttered aloud.
Had I known, I wouldn’t have let ‘Song Shi’ mark her. A supernatural of this caliber might’ve even broken through to the ninth level. She would’ve been more valuable than Ye Wuhan, who can only barely maintain level nine with constant power use. And unlike Gu Chi, she doesn’t seem so inflexibly righteous. Maybe, with enough persuasion…
He shook his head. Too late for regrets now.
Ten minutes passed.
“Professor Sun, the transmission rate is still stable,” a researcher reported.
Sun Shi frowned. She must be level eight.
“Increase the rate,” he ordered.
The operator hesitated. “That might kill her.”
“Continue,” Sun Shi snapped.
“Yes, sir…”
Gu Chi watched from his restraints, hands clenched behind his back. His anxiety was visible, but only the system remained calm.
【…How about now?】
Still nothing.
Apart from keeping Yun Ling subdued—who was eager to intervene—Chi Ying had no trouble.
【Good.】
Another ten minutes passed.
“Check the machine,” Sun Shi ordered.
Even Ye Wuhan, a confirmed level nine, would have been exhausted by now.
“Yes, sir.”
Ren Li wheeled himself in. “What’s going on?”
“Professor, the machine’s functioning normally, but Chi Ying’s power doesn’t seem to be depleting.”
Ren Li’s eyes narrowed. “Are you implying there’s a problem with my machine?”
Cold sweat broke out on Sun Shi’s back. “Of course not, Professor. Maybe it was operator error.”
“Hmph. Push me closer.”
Sun Shi complied, bringing Ren Li to the console.
Ren Li examined the data. “No issues here. What’s her physical state?”
“Stable. No anomalies,” Sun Shi replied.
“That’s impossible. Even an eighth-level user would show strain.” He glanced up again. “But… the storage tank is already 80% full. Even if she’s a level nine, she should be near her limit.”
Sun Shi swallowed hard. Someone truly reaching level nine… unimaginable.
“Wait a bit longer,” Ren Li said.
But when the tank hit 90%, even he started to worry.
“What’s going on?! Check her vitals!”
“All normal,” Sun Shi answered, sweat pouring down his temples.
“Warning: Remaining energy tank capacity—10%”
“Warning: Remaining energy tank capacity—9%”
The alerts rang out steadily.
Ren Li’s face twisted in horror. “If she’s level nine, how did she lose to Ye Wuhan earlier?!”
His eyes widened. “Shut it off! Shut it off now!”
Chi Ying opened her eyes, icy and resolved.
Too late.
She inhaled sharply—and deliberately intensified the energy transfer.
“Warning: 5% remaining…”
Ren Li lunged forward in desperation, forgetting his own wheelchair. “Shut it down, now!”
“Professor, the shutdown protocol is complicated—it’ll take two minutes…” the operator stammered.
“Warning: 2% remaining…”
“System overheating. Internal circuits compromised.”
Ren Li collapsed, devastated.
His life’s work—reduced to scorched metal.
Chi Ying swayed slightly, dizziness setting in, but she didn’t stop.
This monstrosity… only its destruction can bring peace.
The machine went silent, save for the sizzle of burning components.
Ren Li’s expression turned murderous.
“Sun Shi, call Ye Wuhan.”
Sun Shi hesitated. “What about the others?”
“Release them. All of them.”
__
【Host, do you still have enough energy?】 the system asked, sensing something unusual about Chi Ying’s condition.
Over half is gone, she replied honestly, but I can still hold on.
Her wrists strained against the cuffs. Though she was weakened, her mind was clear. With a quick decision, she summoned a wind blade, slicing through the parts connecting her restraints to the bed. The metal rings remained on her wrists, but she could move.
She stood, flexing her stiff joints.
Spotting Gu Chi nearby, she hurried to his side and began undoing his restraints.
“Are you alright?” he asked, frowning as he took in her pale face.
Chi Ying nodded. “What should we do next?”
Gu Chi didn’t hesitate. “Ren Li will be calling for reinforcements.”
“You mean Ye Wuhan?”
“Not just him. There are also mutated leaders—former high-level power users turned into weapons.”
Chi Ying’s eyes sharpened. “Then we need to find the control system and release everyone else.”
“Exactly. The survivors may be able to help.”
“I’ll go now!”
“I’m coming too,” Gu Chi said. “I know a bit more about their systems.”
The guards stationed near the prison were ordinary researchers. None of them had weapons, and they stepped aside the moment Chi Ying and Gu Chi displayed their powers.
Gu Chi noted their unusually calm expressions.
“They’re not worried,” he muttered.
Chi Ying glanced back.
“They know we’ll be overwhelmed soon,” Gu Chi explained. “There are over a hundred mutated leaders in the facility—former elite power users. Even if we succeed now, they expect us to fall later.”
Chi Ying turned to a console full of buttons. “Is this it?”
Gu Chi stepped forward. “Yes. Same design as the old headquarters.”
He pressed a few keys, and they heard the distinct sound of doors unlocking.
Before leaving, Gu Chi rifled through the researchers’ pockets and retrieved two black devices—communicators.
“Let’s go find Mu Yu.”
__
Mu Yu stood in the corridor, confused. The prison door had opened unexpectedly, and now she watched the other power users roaming free.
Some of them, trained by the Human Alliance, remained composed and immediately began assessing the situation. Others—especially those who’d been nearly turned into zombies—wandered aimlessly, traumatized.
She pressed a hand to the wall, anxious.
“Mu Yu?”
A familiar voice made her spin around.
Seeing Gu Chi and Chi Ying, she nearly cried in relief.
She rushed to them, checking their conditions with wide eyes.
“They tied me to a medical bed, but let me go before doing anything,” Mu Yu explained quickly. “Maybe they were saving me for later, since I’m only level four.”
“Likely,” Gu Chi said. “They target level five and above for extraction.”
Chi Ying patted her shoulder. “Lucky for you, then!”
Mu Yu’s expression soured. “Thanks… I guess.”
She suddenly remembered something. “Oh—Song Shi! I saw her when I was captured. She gave me a strange feeling…”
“I know,” Chi Ying said quietly.
Mu Yu turned to Gu Chi in surprise. “You met her too?”
She saw his grim expression and felt her gut sink.
“I hoped I was wrong,” she muttered.
Gu Chi’s silence confirmed her fears. “We need to leave. Ren Li’s sent the leaders. We’re in for a fight.”
“Mu Yu,” he added, “find the exit and guide the unaligned survivors out. They’re unstable and will only get slaughtered if the leaders find them.”
He handed her one of the communicators. “If you see anyone in a wheelchair, contact me immediately.”
Mu Yu nodded firmly. “Yes, sir.”
“Chi Ying.”
“I’m here.”
Gu Chi looked at her intently. “I’ll follow your lead now.”
She blinked, surprised.
“Shouldn’t I be following you?” she asked.
“I don’t have my powers,” Gu Chi replied. “All I can do is advise. Ren Li’s cornered—he’s sending the leaders after us. They’re your fight.”
Chi Ying’s expression hardened. “Okay.”
__
The alarm went up. Leaders—mutated former power users—had arrived at the prison.
A headquarters-trained supernatural spotted them first. “Retreat! They’re here!”
But these leaders didn’t attack immediately. They scanned the area mechanically, searching.
Chi Ying exchanged a glance with Gu Chi.
They’re looking for me.
She stepped into the open, drawing their gaze. The closest zombie leader’s pace suddenly quickened toward her.
Chi Ying grabbed Gu Chi and ran in the opposite direction.
They didn’t stop until they reached the empty lab again. Behind them, hundreds of leaders followed, cold eyes locked on her.
Even “Song Shi” was among them, though her healing ability was now useless—she stayed at the rear.
Chi Ying ignored her, focusing on the crowd.
She sent a wind blade flying—but a water wall materialized and blocked it.
Realizing she was outmatched, Chi Ying yanked Gu Chi back and stepped in front of him.
“Chi Ying,” Gu Chi called urgently. “Do you have a gun in your space?”
She nodded and summoned one, handing it over.
As Chi Ying channeled her wind ability again, a hint of turquoise glinted in the air. The wind blade sliced through the wall and struck a leader’s forehead.
“They’re stronger than any we’ve faced,” she said grimly. “And they all have powers.”
Gu Chi fired between defenses—managing to take down a few—but the leaders were resilient.
Reinforcements arrived: other supernatural beings who’d escaped. But even together, they could only attack from a distance. No one dared engage directly.
The power comparison was stark. Chi Ying fought like a hurricane, while the rest were mere drizzle.
Even so, after thirty minutes, only half the leaders had fallen.
“Chi Ying? Can you hold on?” Gu Chi asked, hearing her ragged breathing.
“A little… tired.”
She had been fighting all day. Her energy reserves were dwindling.
Gu Chi clenched his pistol. “Chi Ying.”
She looked at him.
He tapped his forehead with one finger. She understood instantly.
With a small, low-cost wind blade, she targeted the black shields hovering over the leaders’ heads.
One by one, the shields shattered.
The effect was immediate.
The leaders, no longer bound by unified control, turned on each other in a frenzy. Their natural hostility erupted without restraint.
Chi Ying stepped back, watching as chaos unfolded.
“Let them tear each other apart,” she murmured, eyes shining.
Gu Chi glanced up at the security camera. “Ren Li must be watching. He knows now—he’s lost control.”
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152