The chaotic currents battered the Chosen Ones. Some dim sparks, like meteors burning out mid-flight, flickered and vanished, scattering completely. Only the strong could break through the turbulence to reach the other side. And among the strongest, right at the heart of that meteor shower, one blazed like a burning star—its blinding silver light tore straight through the chaos, charging toward them.
"Huh? That little punk again!" Jill Young clenched her right hand, golden light crackling, ready to snipe her opponent in the chaos.
Just then, another massive presence bulldozed into the chaotic vortex like an icebreaker. The chaos hid their face, but Jill Young felt a jolt—because that radiance, beyond the dazzling silver, was faintly edged with gold.
Gold?!
Before she could get a good look, the chaos buzzed and the scene shifted in a blink.
—————————— Not-So-Manly Divider ——————————
It felt a bit like riding a void ferry to another world, except the void ferry was more like a boat—easy and breezy. But when all the Chosen Ones arrived at their destination this time, they felt wiped out, like they'd swum a round trip across the East Sea.
Patrick Zade was experiencing this time-space warp for the first time. One second he was hollering on the round platform, the next he’d landed in a totally different place. Scattered around were just over twenty people—his own crew. He looked up at the soaring ceiling and the vast space all around. Wasn’t this exactly what the files described? One of the supply transfer bays in the Tiberius Laboratory.
"This is the Tiberius Laboratory?" Patrick Zade glanced around, matching the scene to the images he'd seen, and joy exploded in his heart: "I made it! I really made it! This is the Tiberius Laboratory!"
But before he could fully savor his hyperspace arrival, Patrick Zade’s good mood was completely shattered.
"Hey, boss." A bunch of Chosen Ones crowded around Patrick Zade, all wearing that classic look—men shocked, women speechless. One of Patrick’s own guys shakily raised his hand, pointing at his boss’s face, stammering in disbelief: "On your face, on your nose, that thing, why is there…"
"Huh?" Patrick Zade was confused, but then realized his view was off—right in the center of his vision was something that absolutely shouldn’t be there. It was so close he hadn’t noticed at first, but when he crossed his eyes for a peek, his face turned a ghastly shade of green.
This was a guy who’d kept his cool even when gambling everything to open the hyperspace gate—now he was totally stunned, like someone had whacked him on the head with a hammer.
His own crew tried to hold back, but the Chosen Ones sent by the "Divine" sure didn’t. They froze for three seconds, then lost it—bursting out in wild laughter, no matter where they were.
"Wahahahaha! I can’t—I’ve never seen anyone this ‘legendary’ before!"
"On your face—pffft—you’ve got a chicken stick! King, you’re a real king, I bow to you!"
"Oh my god, it’s right on your nose… Damn, it’s even sticking up! Pointing to the sky! And even when it’s up, it’s so tiny!"
"Unicorn King! You’re totally the Unicorn King!"
"Unicorn? You bastard! I tried so hard to hold it in, but I just can’t—pffft, hahahahaha!"
Wild laughter swept the huge space. Surrounded and stared at by everyone, Patrick Zade started trembling. Nobody knew why, but there was a stubby little stick standing straight up on his nose. Instinctively, he wanted to grab it, but stopped himself. He wanted to say something, to ask, but had no idea how to begin.
Right at the moment of entering hyperspace, on the verge of stepping onto the throne of the Divine, this twitchy, black, stinky, ridiculous thing—this is the shame of my entire life! No matter what it is, I’m gonna smash it to bits!
"Aaaah!" Patrick Zade screamed and whipped out his pistol, firing point-blank at the thing. Bang bang bang! Blinding muzzle flashes made his eyes water. The deafening blasts left him half-deaf, and the huge recoil shook his wrist. This caliber could take down an elephant.
But Patrick Zade’s eyes bugged out—after a few sparks and ricochets, the bullets flew off elsewhere. He crossed his eyes for another look. The thing, aside from wobbling on his face, was totally unharmed!
"What the—!" The Chosen Ones around him froze.
Hit point-blank by a big-caliber gun and nothing happened? Was this stubby stick seriously that terrifying?
"Why are you all just standing there…" Patrick Zade was trembling all over, ready to kill anyone he saw. "Help me out here! Get this thing off me, now!"
Someone whipped out a Damascus saber, someone else brandished a sharp katana, another started prepping ice and fire spells.
Whoosh! The Damascus blade came slashing down!
(Oddball: Oh~~~~)
The saber snapped in half.
Swish! The katana sliced upward!
(Oddball: Ah~~~~)
The katana shattered into flying shards.
Ice and fire spells slammed down together, merging into a Frostfire magic orb, pressing the stubby stick down bit by bit.
(Oddball: *****? Owwww, that’s got a vibe~~~~)
Boom! The Frostfire orb exploded instantly, and the rebounding stubby stick didn’t stop—it snapped up and smacked Patrick Zade right on the forehead, flattening him to the ground.
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more awesome action!
"How could this happen?!"
The Chosen Ones stopped laughing for a moment, all staring in shock at the still-wobbling stubby stick.
"Is that chicken stick really this strong? Unbelievable!—Even if it’s super tiny…"
"This thing’s basically indestructible—a man’s ultimate weapon! —But yeah, it’s definitely on the small side…"
"A measly chicken stick and we’re totally helpless. How unbeatable is the real thing? —Of course, it’s still super tiny…"
(Oddball: Achoo! Achoo! Who the hell’s talking smack about me? Ah—choo!!!)
Patrick Zade silently crawled up, his forehead burning, his brain buzzing. He stared at the thing dead center in his vision, then at the helpless Chosen Ones. For once, a rare wave of despair crept in. He turned to the nearby giant for help: "Divine, just destroy this thing and I’ll agree to anything…"
But the Divine didn’t take the bait, barking seriously: "Quit fooling around! Get a grip on the situation. This lab isn’t safe at all—move, now!"
Just then, a series of booming explosions echoed from all sides. After a brief pause, the screech of twisting metal surged in from every direction, followed by the crack and snap of breaking walls. The ground shook as cracks spread everywhere. A gust of wind suddenly whipped up, rushing toward the gaps in the metal walls.
"It’s leaking! The Tiberius Laboratory was supposed to be airtight, but now the shell’s busted and it’s leaking!" The Chosen Ones whipped out their gear: "Good thing we came prepared—just put on your oxygen masks."
"Uh…" Right in the middle of everyone, Patrick Zade looked at his oxygen mask, then at the chicken stick blocking his view, turning pale: "How am I supposed to wear this mask?"
"Hmph!" Suddenly, a big hand snatched Patrick Zade up. The Divine snorted, eyes sharp as knives: "I burned energy to get you through the chaos, not so you could clown around here. Lead the way!" In the roaring wind, Patrick struggled to pick a direction, while the Divine’s massive frame crashed through the bright silver wall, blasting a huge hole and charging deeper into the lab.
On the other side, at the twisted, shattered edge of the building, the glow of countless spells faded, and a huge shadow emerged from the darkness.
The figure stood five meters tall, with a massive, thick torso and short, powerful limbs. It looked nothing like a mage—more like a small mountain giant.
In fact, it wasn’t a living mage at all, but a ridiculously tough stone golem.
Crack! Its thick neck twisted, and two more heads rose up, forming a three-headed golem. Each pair of eyes glowed differently, as if each had its own job. Suddenly, the eyes on the left head flashed—two thick beams shot out, instantly reducing a hiding Chosen One to ash.
A strange multidimensional cube floated out from the golem’s chest, spinning in midair like it was cracking some hidden code.
"I’m in—Tiberius Laboratory! Spin, Truth Cube, spin! This treasure trove of knowledge, this artifact of science—it’s mine!"
Scene three.
Zap! Golden lightning tore through the void, and four figures appeared.
"Big Log didn’t show up, so I guess this dimension is too close to Earth—not a true otherworld. Makes sense—if it counted as another world, then Auntie and every researcher who’s ever been to Tiberius would’ve become Chosen Ones." Jill Young glanced at the cameo in her right hand and let the matter drop.
She looked around—flash, flash, a few red lights appeared, and four or five of their own Chosen Ones materialized nearby.
"Looks like our people got split up—so the enemy probably did too." Jill Young’s mind raced, and she quickly laid out the plan: "Everyone, listen up—three things! First, make sure you’re safe. Second, regroup with any lost teammates. Third, if you run into any enemies, take them out—don’t waste a single word!"
"Yes, ma’am!" The Chosen Ones snapped to attention.
"Mom, I’ll handle the psychic support. Your job is to get more info on the lab, grab as many permissions as you can, and find Auntie and the formula to cure my cousin." Jill Young’s eyes flashed, dead serious: "This place keeps getting hit by spatial shocks. I bet something scary’s about to happen."
Creeeak! The ground groaned and twisted, rippling like waves.