The Antarctic wind howled through the night. The chaotic battle with the Kaiju had finally ended, and the eternal silence of the polar night returned once more. On the far side of the mountain hollow, a figure crawled out from the wreckage of the battered Steed—none other than Jasper Xiao. Gasping for breath, Jasper pulled the unconscious Li Yuncong from the pile of steel debris. After his mental overload, the kid would need at least a full day’s sleep to wake up.
“Ha... ha... Man, it’s freezing out here!” Jasper couldn’t help but shiver, then looked up, gazing toward the other side of the mountain. There was no sound from the other side, and the radio calls got no response either—who knew what was going on. At least, no Kaiju had popped up so far, which was good news.
“No way, I can’t just leave Yuncong here—he’ll freeze to death.” Jasper knew he had to find a way to keep warm, so he bent down to hoist Li Yuncong onto his back. But just as he did, a sharp killing intent flashed past from above and behind him. Clang! Sparks burst from the armor plate of the Mecha behind him—a sniper’s bullet, and a big one at that!
Jasper immediately rolled over, grabbing Li Yuncong and diving into the Mecha wreckage, using the armor for cover.
“Damn, it’s those Western Chosen Ones!” Jasper’s mind snapped to attention. He quickly peeked out, but couldn’t spot any enemies in the pitch-black polar night. The killing intent struck again—just as Jasper ducked back, another sniper bullet tore through where his forehead had been, showering the armor behind him with sparks.
A kilometer away, the young man named Bond clicked his tongue in annoyance—two shots in a row and still no hit. He racked the bolt and raised his rifle again, only to see Jasper Xiao charging straight at him through the scope. Jasper didn’t dodge or hesitate, barreling forward with a battered, pitted round shield, clearly having locked onto Bond’s position.
The moment Bond saw that shield, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly, as if puzzled by something. Then he snapped back to his cold, indifferent self and fired again—this time aiming for Jasper’s knee.
Bang! The shot punched through the air, but Jasper’s shield skills were top-notch. With his body bobbing and weaving, the shield managed to cover almost all his vital spots. Clang! The heavy sniper round slammed into the shield. The force could’ve cracked a riot shield, but Jasper’s round shield only ended up with a slight dent. Jasper staggered, then kept sprinting, way faster than any normal human.
Bond kept cycling the bolt and firing—click, bang, click, bang—the sniper rifle roaring nonstop. But all he managed was to make Jasper stumble a few times. By the time the magazine ran dry, Jasper was already closing in, about to enter close-quarters range.
“Old buddy, good things come to good people—glad I didn’t toss you out!” At a hundred meters apart, Jasper could already see Bond by starlight. Bond didn’t dodge or flinch, just tossed aside his sniper rifle and charged straight at Jasper, picking up speed—clearly aiming for a head-on clash.
“One last push before this thing’s scrap—let’s knock this bastard out!” Jasper shouted as he charged headlong, shield raised, slamming straight into Bond. But Bond shattered the ice underfoot, raised his left fist, and punched Jasper's shield head-on. His cold face was tinged with a hint of fanaticism, like he didn’t care about smashing metal with his bare hand.
Clang—the fist hammered the shield, ringing like a warhammer striking a bell. The impact sent Jasper flying, tumbling twice before he shook off the force. Dazed, he looked up—Bond had also been knocked back, but he was much steadier. His feet carved long grooves in the ground, his left sleeve shredded, but he didn’t lose his balance.
Jasper checked his shield—there was actually a faint fist mark on it! “No way…” His eyes locked on Bond’s left arm. With his glove and sleeve blown apart, what showed wasn’t muscle, but cold metal. And looking at Bond’s whole style—center-parted long hair, icy stare, textbook soldier build—he looked awfully familiar.
“Winter Soldier?” Jasper couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. “So what is this, a showdown between two knockoff superheroes?”
Bond glanced at the fist mark on the shield and spoke coldly, “So it’s not an authentic shield. Good, that’s a relief.” With that, Bond lunged, whipping out a tactical knife. He moved fast and hit hard, easily matching the strength of a fifth-level Dragon Elephant. But Jasper didn’t flinch—he wasn’t just some Captain America wannabe. Physical enhancement was only the foundation; his real class was Paladin!
Bang! With a crash, Bond was sent flying. In that split second, Jasper whipped out a warhammer and smashed it into Bond’s chest. Tossing his helmet aside, Jasper charged in, warhammer raised, full of righteous fury. “For the innocent people who died in Hong Kong—time to pay up!”
A flash of white light pierced the darkness.
On the mountain ridge, a pile of snow shifted, and a middle-aged man suddenly crawled out from beneath it. He caught his breath, scanned the scene, and frowned. “Not good—the Kaiju are all dead. And down there... is that holy light?” He seemed to instantly figure out Jasper Xiao’s background and hurried down the slope. He had to back up Bond—Bond was the only one in his squad loyal to him, and he couldn’t let him die here for nothing.
As he ran, he worried about what was happening on the other side of the mountain. When he’d jumped off the cliff to dodge the Mecha’s heavy punch, Bond had ended up on this side, while the beast-controlling trio landed on the other. Judging by the situation, the trio must’ve run into that woman who seemed to be a Chosen One—who knows how things were going.
“Should be fine—the Magician is someone even I can’t figure out.” He’d never gotten a read on the Magician’s true abilities, but his own special power always warned him—this person was seriously dangerous.
On the other side of the mountain, sheltered from the wind, Yang Qi didn’t hide or sneak around—she strode forward openly. At first her path looked like she was scouting the area, but halfway through, she seemed to lock onto a target and headed straight for it. Teacher Yang followed close behind, sticking by her like the most devoted bodyguard.
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“Oh? You actually found us—not bad. Looks like your power is detection. To track us all the way from Hong Kong to Antarctica, you must have used that ability. Am I right, Queen?” The robed Magician appeared not far away. “Your powers are useful—why not join us?”
His voice sounded majestic, like a god speaking—every word and tone carried immense pressure, making people want to kneel and submit. An ordinary person would probably drop to their knees on the spot. But Yang Qi just glanced at him and lost interest, instead sizing up the two people behind the Magician. Her gaze finally settled on someone in a heavy robe, and she snapped coldly, “Enough with the puppet show—just talk like a normal person!”
As soon as Yang Qi spoke, the Magician froze, and all his majesty vanished. Even the light in his eyes faded, leaving him hollow and empty. Meanwhile, the mysterious figure started laughing—first a low chuckle, then a full-on laugh. His voice was deep and raspy, not unpleasant but it made Yang Qi frown, because something about it just rubbed her the wrong way.
“Good, very good! Your detection ability is even stronger than I thought—that’s a handy skill!” The mysterious man spoke up. “Out of respect between Chosen Ones, let me introduce myself: I’m the Magician.”
“Magician?” Yang Qi scoffed. “Did you and your robe-wearing buddy swap jobs?”
“No, no, no. That guy from Hogwarts barely learned any magic—he’s a total fake, only knows a few spells. I’m the real deal—the Mind Magician!”
“Mind Magician?” Yang Qi thought of Senior Brother Zhuo Yihang. “So you’re into hypnosis too?”
“That’s right. Before I became a Chosen One, I was a master hypnotist.” The Magician pointed at the two of them. “Normally, when I meet talent like you, I just hypnotize them on the spot. But this time, I’ll make an exception and ask: Want to obey me and help conquer the world?”
“Heh!” Yang Qi laughed. “Normally, when I run into guys like you, I just beat them up. But this time, I’ll make an exception and ask—did you get your head blessed by a bottle opener?”