Above Your Head - Chapter 33: The Birth of a Specter (4)

Kai’s life was small—coffee-stained mornings, cracked recipes, and a system in his head that tweaked toasters and dough like it was nothing. Then the sky shattered. Aliens—Skraiths, jagged and brutal—invaded, tearing his city apart with green-glowing weapons and relentless claws. Superhumans rose to fight back, fire and lightning blazing through the chaos, but Kai’s world crumbled with them.Hiding in his apartment, Kai stumbles on blood—human and alien, smeared on his wall after a superhuman battle. His system, once just a tinker’s tool, awakens, offering him a choice: mimic their powers, temporary and wild, through the blood itself. Desperate, he takes it—stealing pyrokinesis, then electrokinesis, then kinetic energy, each power burning through him, fading fast. But it’s not enough. Armed with a humming Skraith weapon and a body tougher from alien blood, Kai joins a ragtag crew of enhanced fighters—Liv, Rylan, Jace, and Tucker—scraping to survive in a warzone where every shadow hides death.As Skraiths swarm and the city burns, Kai’s system pushes him deeper, analyzing, integrating, crafting minor enhancements—durability, strength, sparks of power that could make him a target or a savior. Government factions, rogue scientists, and the aliens themselves start sniffing around, drawn to his strange tech and blood-stolen abilities. By the time Kai crafts his first super-powered enhancement—an artificial strength boost—he’s no longer just a tinkerer. He’s on the edge of something bigger, something dangerous, where blood and sparks could forge a hero—or break him entirely.In a world unraveling, Kai’s fight for survival becomes a desperate race to master his system, outrun the Skraiths, and confront the truth: the power he’s chasing might destroy him—or remake the world.

Hace 24 años, el mundo colapsó. Un virus conocido como Eclipse transformó a la humanidad en criaturas mutantes, llevando a la sociedad al borde de la extinción. Las ciudades se convirtieron en ruinas, los asentamientos luchan por sobrevivir, y la verdad sobre el origen de la infección se ha perdido en el tiempo.En este mundo roto, Kai, un viajero solitario y mercenario de intercambio, sobrevive negociando Obsidianos, la única moneda de valor en la nueva era. Su vida cambia cuando cruza caminos con Lía, una misteriosa joven perseguida por mercenarios. Su única posesión es un antiguo colgante de Obsidiano, cuyo secreto podría cambiar el destino del mundo.Juntos, se ven envueltos en una conspiración que los lleva hasta el Laberinto Ancestral, un lugar prohibido que esconde la verdad sobre el Eclipse. Perseguidos por un ejército liderado por el despiadado Voss, enfrentándose a infectados más allá de la comprensión humana y descubriendo que su pasado está conectado al desastre, Kai y Lía deberán decidir si la verdad merece ser revelada… o si es mejor que permanezca enterrada.Cuando la última puerta del Laberinto se abre y los ecos del pasado despiertan, solo una pregunta queda en el aire:¿Es el Eclipse el fin de la humanidad… o su evolución?

So-called Taisu pulse is a form of physiognomy, which can discern nobility and lowliness, foresee auspicious and ominous events, predict misfortune and fortune. Good sir, do you dare to let me feel your pulse? One pulse reading is worth a thousand gold!Look, making money is so easy, isn't it?Ah, phooey!Living two lives, Qin Liuxi's ideal is always to get by without striving for advancement, because in the world, there are always those who are willing to be lazy and not seek progress, and she is fit for such worthless tasks!But when a whole family shows up miserably and pitifully in front of her, Qin Liuxi's days as a slacker are over.Faced with the precarious Qin family in a state of distress, a maid beggar with an empty money box asking for business, Qin Liuxi has no choice but to shoulder the duties of the eldest lady, managing the household, supporting elders, and child-rearing!Qin Liuxi: I clearly got the script as a slacker, who switched it up?A cousin who questions her existence after being scolded by the eldest lady: I feel like the big sister looks at us like we're trouble!Qin Fourth Young Master, who was beaten and taught a lesson by the eldest lady: Be bolder, remove the feeling!Qin Fifth Young Master, who was lectured into a state of introversion by the eldest lady, solemnly counts on his fingers to answer questions about what the big sister is useless at: She can exorcise demons and ghosts, read faces and draw charms, heal and save people. Oh, which one did you ask about?Later, someone asked Qin Liuxi, if life could start over, what would her dream be?Qin Liuxi remained silent for a long time: To not strive for progress and to live for a hundred years!

In a game-like world where dungeons, monsters, and players appear.