Susan Soo didn't say a word. She stared intently at the legal document held up before her eyes—and yet, what she was truly looking at wasn't the text itself.
It was as if she were gazing at her past self.
Once, her personality had been scrubbed clean by information overload. When she first returned to human society, her mind operated with absolute rationality, and she placed immense importance on legal codes. She could memorize every law in the world and hold herself to the strictest standards. Since she had no innate sense of right or wrong, she relied on the law as a guide to understand and integrate into human society.
She was mechanical, rigid, dull—void of any personal opinions about right and wrong, good and bad.
Human experimentation?
If it were the old her, she wouldn't have shouted or made a scene. She'd calmly and methodically list all the laws Adam Zade had violated, and educate him on the penalties he could face. If Adam Zade produced legitimate paperwork, she'd simply move on and do whatever needed doing—no fuss.
If the law allowed it, then let the experiment proceed.
Humans are just part of nature, a bunch of organic compounds—no different from lab mice. If you can experiment on mice, why not on people?
But now.
Her gaze pierced through the paper, locking onto Adam Zade’s face with unwavering intensity.
That handsome face—almost impossible to find a rival for—had once been so familiar, so dependable. But now, Susan Soo was... not having it!
"Hmph... Heh heh... Ha ha... HAHAHAHAHA!" She suddenly burst out laughing, head thrown back, the rhythm unmistakable—a family trait. Her laughter was wild, tinged with sorrow, heartbreak, and resolve.
Meanwhile, out on the Starlit Passage, Jonathan Black started laughing too.
The Overlord Golem took half a step back, tilting its head, ready to test out its ray on Susan Morrow. But Jonathan's wild laughter caught its attention.
[In Memory]
Adam Zade was stunned by Susan Soo’s manic laughter, and a very bad feeling began to creep over him.
"Adam—Zade." Susan stopped laughing. For the first time, she called him by his full name, seriously. The name made the man across from her flinch. "Mr. Zade... Do you really think I’m some robot—no will, no humanity, no feelings of my own?"
[On the Starlit Passage]
Jonathan Black managed to speak: "Big Stone Egg, your style is steady, I’ll give you that. But you’ve got one clear bad habit. You love—dragging people right up to your face."
[In Memory]
Adam Zade’s expression changed wildly. He tried to say something: "I..."
[On the Starlit Passage]
The Overlord Golem tightened its grip on its wrist. "Oh? Makes sense, but what can you actually do about it?"
[In Memory]
Susan Soo spoke coldly: "I have no idea why the Governor of Wisconsin would sign off on a document like this, and I don’t know what tricks you pulled to get state law changed. But since it’s legal now—do as you wish."
Susan relented, and Adam Zade broke into a smile. "Alright, then we..."
"There is no 'we.'" Susan cut him off without hesitation. "I'm leaving."
"What?!" Adam Zade shot to his feet, panic flashing in his eyes. "What did you say?!"
[In Reality]
"You think you’re the only one playing scared? The only one stalling for time? These days, who doesn’t have a trump card up their sleeve?" Jonathan Black sneered. "I can’t do much to you, but don’t underestimate her!"
"Who?" The Overlord Golem looked at Susan Morrow. "So the trump card is with you."
"No!" Suddenly, Jonathan Black’s right hand blazed with gold light—a move he’d been preparing for ages was finally ready. The Twin Sigil shot from his right arm, and the shimmering silhouette of a long-haired woman appeared, unleashing a powerful strike at the Overlord Golem, now within arm’s reach.
The Twin Sigil itself had no attack power.
But the Sunblade Core did!
Yang Qi had never used the Sunblade Core before, precisely because, back at the Gate of Science, she used the Sunblade Core and the Twin Sigil to seal a full-power strike inside Jonathan Black—perfect for taking down the Overlord Golem.
Golden light compressed—then exploded.
The Overlord Golem’s body shuddered, its form flickering as it prepared to escape via hyperspace teleportation.
But at that moment, Susan Morrow raised her hand.
Just like in the world of memory, back in September 1987, Susan Soo raised her hand and slapped the legal document down in front of Adam Zade.
"Listen up! You’re smart, you’re powerful, you can manipulate state laws, and I can’t out-argue you on legal grounds. But I can make my own choices! Whether it’s Tiberia, your Zade Family, or Project-X—find someone else to study it. I’m done!"
Whoosh—Susan Soo vanished from Adam’s sight, leaving him standing there, face twisted in shock.
But the Overlord Golem couldn’t disappear from the Starlit Passage.
A fierce clash of hyperspace permissions erupted. Susan Morrow gritted her teeth and gave it her all. The Overlord Golem roared, struggling desperately to break free, but Susan held it fast, locking it in the current dimension—unable to budge.
The next moment, an invisible force bound the Overlord Golem completely.
"Shatter Force—Shattered Glass!"
The golden Twin Sigil seemed to roar, and from its right arm, the blazing Sunblade Core erupted with terrifying destructive power. A strange field that froze everything engulfed the Overlord Golem, and then—crack, crack—shattering fissures spread across every inch of its body.
In an instant, the golden force smashed into the Overlord Golem.
With a thunderous crash, the glass—and everything within—splintered. The Overlord Golem was finally shattered, utterly destroyed.
The destroyed magical patterns unleashed a rampaging magical shockwave, but the Shock Force field contained it, turning everything into broken fragments.
Crackling, the Overlord Golem shattered into countless fragments in midair. Its crimson magic eye dropped before Jonathan Black, the terrifying red glow slowly fading—until, with a snap, it split into eight pieces.
Clang—the Sunblade Core hit the ground, the Twin Sigil vanished. The Core could only seal one punch; once the stored power was fully released, it lost its terrifying might without anyone to wield it.
But it could still seek out its master.
Fighting off dizziness, Susan Morrow spread her hands wide. Fierce spatial ripples burst from the depths of the void. She couldn’t move anything massive, but sending the radiant Sunblade Core to Earth was no problem at all.
New York City. The cabin of the A380 suddenly split in two. Amid the golden blaze, Jill Young shot skyward. Her right hand snatched the Sunblade Core from the void, catching it firmly in an instant.
Golden flames spread across the Sunblade Core, which buzzed and gleamed with razor-sharp brilliance.
"At last—I held out until this moment!" With a flash, the Sunblade Core slashed into the Divine. The fierce yellow light split open a huge gash in an instant; stunned, the Divine barely reacted before Jill Young spun midair and, with ruthless precision, brought her heel crashing down on its head.
Boom—the giant crashed to the street, smashing a massive crater.
At last, the tide of battle had turned.