Jill Young didn’t say a word—she didn’t want to waste even a second. With a burst of force underfoot, the plane groaned and lurched, flipping sideways and veering in midair, trying to avoid the skyscraper.
“It’s almost impressively stupid, but exactly what I expected.” The raging wind obeyed his will, blowing the plane back onto its intended path. The giant tapped his head, face full of mockery: “You’re way too easy to read. Playing superhero? When you try to be a hero, you end up saving no one.”
Jill Young still didn’t reply, her jaw clenched so hard it creaked. Her eyes darted around, mind racing.
“Still not giving up? Then witness death.” The giant raised his hand, and a beam of crimson fire shot through the air, aimed straight at Jill’s chest.
At the same time, deep in hyperspace, on the ancient star road—
Susan Morrow had already crossed two-thirds of the way, but her eyelids fluttered and she couldn’t help but open her eyes. Her mind was still linked to Jill Young’s—whatever Jill saw and felt, Susan sensed too. Realizing what was happening with her daughter, Susan’s heart clenched and she couldn’t help but pay attention.
“Oh?” came the voice of the Overlord Golem. “Looks like you’ve got something tugging at your heartstrings. Let me guess, you and that white-haired girl must be close. She’s about to bite the dust, you know.”
As he spoke, the Overlord Golem took the chance to close the distance quickly.
“You’re the one about to bite the dust, asshole!” Jonathan Black shot back, not backing down for a second. Normally cool and aloof, now he didn’t care about appearances or playing dirty. Channeling every internet troll and roast master, he tried to distract the enemy and throw off his rhythm.
But the Overlord Golem ignored him completely.
[Don’t worry about me! Keep yourself safe! I’ve got armor—he can’t hurt me!]
Jill’s call echoed in her mind. Susan Morrow gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and continued to delve into memory.
The flood of memories sped up again.
—Buzz. End of 1986.
“How’s it going?” In a tearoom, Adam elegantly poured red tea, handing a cup to the young woman across from him. “Heard you’ve been worn out lately—take a break.”
“Not bad. We’re getting relatively stable biological samples now. The salamander specimens are making the biggest strides—if we keep the intensity in check, their survival time could stretch to four years.” Joan Morrow took a gentle sip of tea, rubbed her weary head, and sighed, “But I’m still not satisfied. I have to crack gene collapse. Power that can’t survive stably is just fake power. It looks impressive but falls apart at the first hit.”
Adam laughed, “That’s why I like your perfectionist streak!” He was as warm as ever. Then, naturally, he asked, “Why do you think gene collapse happens?”
“No clue—that’s the key issue. But one thing’s clear: compared to natural animals, the Superhuman Key is actually closer to human cells. Even the salamander specimens are showing varying degrees of human-like traits.” It was all right there in the lab reports.
Joan Morrow mused, “I suspect one reason for this constant collapse is the big difference between species.”
Adam’s eyes flashed. “So, if we use human cells, the research would go faster?”
“In theory, yes. But single-cell experiments just don’t work.” Joan Morrow shook her head. “The Superhuman Key has a mind of its own—unless it’s part of a whole living body, nothing happens.”
“So… you need a whole live human.” Adam’s brows lowered, his voice joking but quiet. “Guess I should post an ad and round up some volunteers.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Joan snapped. “International law clearly bans human subjects in biochemical experiments.”
“Haha, just kidding, just kidding!” Adam raised his hands, laughing heartily like the old days.
—Buzz. Noisy, jumbled memories started bleeding in.
After sending Joan Morrow off and calling Peterson in, Adam’s cheerful look vanished in an instant, replaced by something cold and cruel.
“Secretly form a new team. Use any results we’ve got, and find me people for testing.” Adam stared into the void, shadows spreading in his eyes as if he was gazing into the deepest abyss. “However many it takes, get them. Throw bodies at it, throw money at it—crack the Superhuman Key as fast as possible. I’m out of patience.”
…………………
In the raging wind, the A380 spun out of control, wobbling as it hurtled toward the World Trade Center—heading straight for the hostage floor.
Inside the jet, over 1,400 children—some as young as three, most only six or seven—were crammed in shoulder to shoulder. Their little bodies couldn’t keep steady through the turbulence; they tumbled, rolled, and got squished and trampled by each other.
They wailed and sobbed, tears streaming down their faces, helplessly crying out, “Daddy!” “Mommy!” But their parents had already been taken away by agents of Pagamemnon, thrown into the Great Underground Vault, and cast into the portal—where chaotic spatial currents shredded them to pieces.
No one could come to their rescue. These fragile lives didn’t even have the awareness to save themselves. Some kids crushed at the bottom could barely cry anymore—their deaths were inevitable.
Crack! Terrifying sounds rattled the plane’s roof. Shockwaves from the fight thundered like explosions, warping the metal with deep dents. At the same time, blinding lightning circled the jet, stabbing and darting around. The plane’s path twisted under the assault, but the relentless wind kept blowing it back.
“To achieve what no one else can, you have to bear what no one else can bear. To stand where no one else stands, you must make the choices no one else dares.” Amid the lightning, the giant’s voice echoed like a god through the storm: “This world is darkness!”
“The darkness we bear is something you pampered people in happy nations can’t even imagine. You live in fake prosperity, thinking peace and freedom are just a given. But today, I’m here to tell the world—you’re wrong!”
“Without war, there is no peace.”
“Without slavery, there is no freedom.”
“I will become a god, I will become faith, I will become law. My people will rise again! That rise demands blood, darkness, sacrifice—and I’m ready. I have the will to give everything for it!”