As Horsey sped away in a frantic dash, Ji Jue couldn’t help but glance back and comment, “Wow, he’s screaming really loudly.”

From the back seat, An Ran nodded in admiration. “He has a great voice.”

Sitting behind him, An Ran was checking the metal plates he had previously stored in the hidden compartment of Horsey, but he quickly realized that not only his own plates, even the gun and bullets Ji Jue had stashed there earlier seemed completely renewed.

In the dim light, the faint emblem of Supreme Benevolences flickered in and out of view. The materials, strength, and physical properties had all been enhanced by Ember and reinforced by Ruins.

As expected of Mr. Furnace. He simply ran through the entire batch of weapons once, and since he was already at it, he casually gave them a quick touch-up along the way. Yet that alone was enough to push this batch right to the threshold of alchemical-grade gear. Their stability and durability improved by far more than a mere margin, and every single weapon had its durability completely restored.

Just this display of fundamental craftsmanship alone already placed him a hundredfold above Ji Jue.

An Ran sighed regretfully. “What a pity. If I’d known, I would’ve tossed Darkstar in there too.”

Darkstar was the weapon he kept hidden up his sleeve. Unlike the other metal plates, it was about twenty centimeters long, with a semi-transparent, murky coloration that made its material impossible to identify. Inside, faint threads like blood vessels seemed to drift and flow. When An Ran held it, it had none of the strength or rigidity of steel; if anything, it was unbelievably soft.

Ji Jue had never even touched it. It wasn’t that An Ran was being stingy, but that seemingly ordinary edge could effortlessly slice composite steel into fragments. If Ji Jue absentmindedly fiddled with it and happened to flick it toward his own neck, that would be a real disaster. It was said that members of the An family specialized in weapons like this, and when paired with their throwing techniques, they could achieve almost unbelievable precision and effects.

These days, making a living in the Wasteland Assembly without a few special skills was practically impossible. And if you wanted people to behave and follow orders, the deterrent had to be strong enough.

“What’s there to regret?” Ji Jue asked, not even turning his head as he reached back and patted An Ran’s head. “You’ve still got me, don’t you? Besides, if I can’t handle it, I can always bring it back as homework and ask my teacher!”

That was the one good thing about being a student. Anything you couldn’t solve by yourself, you could just call your teacher for backup.

“Ah, right! Then I’ll be counting on you, Mr. Ji.” An Ran beamed, completely convinced. His eyes shone in the rearview mirror, as if once Ji Jue stepped in, everything would turn out fine.

Instead, it only made Ji Jue feel pressured. His face twitched. “Hey, An Ran, aren’t your expectations of me a bit too high? You’re already a level-five big shot. I’m just a blank-slate newbie, I don’t even have a matrix yet. I’m really not that amazing.”

“No, you are amazing. Mm, very amazing!” An Ran shook his head firmly and said in all seriousness, “You’re way more amazing than me.”

Ji Jue offered a bitter smile. “You could probably take on several of me with one hand, right?”

“Being able to fight or kill doesn’t make someone amazing. If the strongest person was just whoever could win in a fight, then I wouldn’t have argued with my sister and run away from home.”

Tilting his head back, An Ran let the wind rush past as he gazed at the rift realm ahead.

“Ms. Wen is amazing. Mr. Zhang, too. And Ms. Hua is very cool sometimes. But Mr. Ji... ever since I got to know you, you’ve always been amazing.”

Ji Jue was so amused he almost burst into laughter. “Why’s that?”

“Because you know what you want to do,” the boy answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “When Ms. Hua told me about you, I already knew you had to be incredible. Someone who knows what they want to do, knows what kind of life they want to live, and then moves forward without hesitation, even becoming enemies with those who stand in their way... even if it means dying, they still won’t bow their head. I think someone like that is way stronger than me.”

Ji Jue fell silent. After a long while, he let out a sigh. “Is that all? Doesn’t everyone have a life they want to live?”

An Ran shook his head. “I don’t. I don’t know what I want to do in the future, and I don’t know what kind of life would be best. But I don’t want to ‘work’ with my family either. That’s why I ran away from home.”

He sighed. “Originally, aside from my left leg, both of my hands were supposed to be cut off too. But my aunt pleaded for me. If I still can’t find the answer I want before I turn eighteen, I’ll have to go back home to work. And if things go badly, if I don’t go back, my hands really will be cut off.”

“...There are still three or four years until then, right? Just take your time figuring it out.” Ji Jue was quiet for a moment before adding, “Don’t worry, you’ve got me. Even if by then you still can’t figure out the life you want, I won’t just stand by and watch someone cut off your hands.”

“Mm, Ms. Wen said something similar.” An Ran looked at him seriously. “But Mr. Ji, you can’t beat up my sister. You’ll die.”

What’s with this kid being so blunt?

Ji Jue clicked his tongue and smacked the boy lightly on the forehead again. “Then can’t I just make you a pair of prosthetic hands?! I’ve already read up on bionics three times these past couple of days. When the time comes, it definitely won’t stop you from playing the violin or the pipa[1]!”

“Oh, right!” An Ran’s eyes lit up again as he grabbed onto his sleeve. “Then I’ll be counting on you, Mr. Ji!”

So you’ve already accepted that your hands might get chopped off?! What kind of messed-up family are you from, kid?!

Ji Jue felt like he had a mouthful of complaints he couldn’t even get out. But just as they found a relatively safe spot and were about to stop, he felt An Ran’s hand press down on his shoulder.

“Careful,” he said. “Something’s watching us.”

Ji Jue froze and followed his gaze. In the distance, within a half-collapsed apartment building that had only recently fallen, a figure flickered behind the shattered wall panels, cautiously peeking at them.

Through the magnification of the binoculars, that face became startlingly clear.

It looked like an unshaven middle-aged man, dressed in ragged clothes like a vagrant. But his face was shattered. On the right side, several eyes had grown haphazardly, blinking one after another. His arms were the same, with two extra segments extending out, which were long enough to drag along the ground.

He watched them warily.

The moment he noticed their alert gazes, panic set in, and he turned and ran.

“Wait!” An Ran raised his hand to aim, but Ji Jue pressed it down, letting the figure run off into the distance until it vanished from sight.

An Ran lowered his hand and looked at him in confusion. “Mr. Ji, that thing wasn’t human.”

“I know.”

Ji Jue recalled the look in that person’s eyes, an unshakable mix of vigilance and fear. For some reason, he was reminded of the final words left behind by the furnace: “If there is ever another chance... I ask that you show us mercy once again.”

At the time, Ji Jue had been completely baffled and hadn’t had the chance to ask for clarification. Now that he thought about it, was this what it meant? Once the furnace had been given a soul, would it feel sorrow and pain for the suffering of these puppets, moved by the plight of its own kind?

Ji Jue shook his head and twisted the throttle again. “Forget it. They don’t mean any harm to us anyway. It’s fine to leave them alone. Let’s switch camps.”

Horsey sped off once more, vanishing into the gradually collapsing and crumbling city. Soon, it was gone without a trace.

***

Meanwhile, in an underground area, darkness reigned. All that remained were the shattered remnants of puppets scattered everywhere. The monsters that had taken root here after their mutations had been ruthlessly wiped out.

In the vast room, aside from a small structure tucked into a corner and a pot slowly coming to a boil on a portable stove, there was no other movement.

Several figures sat on chairs, completely motionless, their eyes hollow. Regardless of age or gender, there was no sign of life in them at all aside from their breathing.

That was, until footsteps gradually approached. Someone pushed the door open and walked in, carrying a massive bundle with a relaxed and cheerful smile on his face.

The nine people immediately stood up and moved forward, working together with perfect coordination to help him unload the bundle, open it, and sort through its contents, tools, loot, and even... captives.

During the process, the fake smile on the newcomer’s face disappeared. What remained was a hollow, empty calm.

“What a bunch of paupers.”

All ten of them bent down, examining the spoils on the ground. In perfect unison, they shook their heads, their overlapping voices trembling with an eerie vibration.

Among the things brought back, the largest was a living person tightly bound in strange bandages, unable even to struggle. All the leaking spirit matter had been completely sealed within. And when the bandages were removed, it revealed a pale face filled with terror.

“W-wait, please—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the ten people surrounding him all took a deep breath. In an instant, the shrill screams were cut off. A crimson aura rose from the person on the ground, flowing into their mouths. His life, spirit matter, even his soul were devoured with savage satisfaction, consumed in a ravenous feast.

And there on the ground, the person who had been struggling just moments ago shriveled in an instant, reduced to a withered skeleton. He had already been eaten clean.

That same crimson glow surfaced in the eyes of the ten people, rising, converging, until a vague figure, like a flayed corpse, took shape in midair. The soul, condensed into tangible form, was wreathed in crimson. Within each strand of red, one could faintly make out writhing, incomplete faces, fragments of countless souls and spirit matters fused together to form this incarnation.

And the ten people collapsed at once, crumpling to the ground as though falling apart.

Only the figure suspended in midair remained, inspecting its limbs before letting out a silent sigh. “Just a bunch of ordinary goods. How useless.”

The one known as the Formless Shepherd of the Dragonrite Society sensed the gaps in his soul. His expression was tinged with regret as he said, “Only a small portion made it in. This place really is strange.”

He had made thorough preparations, splitting his soul apart and hiding the fragments within more than twenty people. Yet at the very moment the rift realm opened, less than half had managed to enter.

Even so, as a Chosen One who had long since reached the Rebirth Realm, he had indeed used this method of dividing his soul to bypass the restrictions of the rift realm and enter this world. Since he had already made it inside, he could simply bide his time and recover at leisure.

For other Chosen Ones, losing half their soul would be a fatal injury. But for Formless, who had spent years immersed in the paths of Heart Core and Ascension, it was hardly a problem at all.

1. The pipa is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Here is an image for your reference. And here is a video of a famous pipa piece. Back when I was in the Chinese orchestra, every pipa player in the orchestra strived to learn this piece. ^^ I've added more info about this piece under Translator's Thoughts. ☜