Thud. The tremor came again, knocking loose dust and debris from the ceiling. But the twins seemed completely oblivious, lost in their own world.
"You..." Staring at herself across the way, Jill Young had a thousand things to say, but somehow, none of it seemed necessary. After a long moment of indecision, she blurted out the most random question: "How come you have clothes on?" Every time she switched bodies in a dream, the clothes never changed. Now, the Forged in Hatred suit was still perfectly worn on "herself," so by all logic, her big brother on the other side should've been stark naked.
Jack Young's eyes drifted over. His gaze was always unfocused, never landing anywhere, as if he was looking ahead but not really seeing anything. But when he looked at Jill, his eyes suddenly sharpened, opening a little wider than before, looking more alert than his usual half-asleep state.
He spoke, his voice flat and monotone, pure NPC mode: "It's in the Pocket Vault."
—Holy crap! He talked! I actually talked to myself! Forgive my language, forgive how weird this sounds, but Jill Young was honestly losing it right now! For the first time ever, talking to herself felt this shocking, this surreal!
Thud—the tremor grew stronger, the ground itself began to shake. People started screaming, stumbling everywhere. Amid the chaos, Jill Young and Jack Young stood steady, sticking out like sore thumbs.
"Why are you so out of it?" Jill poked Jack's face, slapped his butt, tickled his funny bone, and scratched his armpit, but Jack stayed totally unresponsive. The crowd watched, jaws dropped, Jasper Xiao's eyes practically popping out. To them, it looked like a crazy chick groping a hot guy, not knowing Jill was just curious. "Hey, crouch down!" someone whispered urgently. "It's dangerous!"
Jill didn't hear a thing, muttering to herself, puzzled: "Where's the shared vision? Where's the shared feeling? What happened to the legendary multi-window God mode? Why is there nothing? Don't tell me... this guy is sleepwalking..."
Thud—this time, the tremor was unmistakable, like an earthquake ripping through the whole space. Everyone went down like dominoes, Jasper Xiao barely managed to hunker down to steady himself. At that moment, Jill finally snapped out of her self-examination and looked up at the ceiling. Something massive was up there. Even through thick concrete and steel, that wild, brutal aura crashed straight into Jill's senses.
There was some kind of terrifying beast up there.
At that exact moment, Jack Young looked up too. His eyes were vacant, his face expressionless, but he whispered to Jill: "It's here."
Thud, thud, thud—repeated shocks hammered down from overhead. People screamed, some went wild, even the squad captain and his team were at a loss. They fumbled for their submachine guns and other weapons. At times like this, nobody cared how bizarre it was to pull gear out of thin air. The captain yelled, "Bring out everything we've got! Be ready to fight back at any moment!"
Boom! The captain barely finished shouting when a huge chunk of ceiling suddenly collapsed, crashing to the ground. And with it came... uh, something indescribably huge. It looked like a blade stabbing straight down, but it was grayish-white and seemed organic. Plus, that blade was massive—the ceiling, as big as a van roof, was knocked out in one go.
"What the heck is that?!" the rookie howled. "Seriously, what is that thing?!"
"Idiot, are you stupid?" The big guy who'd just covered his mouth screamed hysterically, "It's a monster, a monster! The monster's here!"
With that shout, everyone started screaming, scrambling away from the giant blade as fast as they could. The room wasn't even that big, but fear had them making desperate, pointless moves.
"Monster?" In the surging crowd, a Chosen One clutching his gun gulped and asked, "Captain, what part of the monster is that? A head? A tail? It's huge!"
"Head? Tail? Huge?" The local beside him gave a twisted smile, uglier than crying. "Are you from centuries ago, or just some backwater? Of course that's the monster's..."
Crack! The giant blade was yanked back up. In the next instant—boom!—another huge chunk of ceiling crashed down, and several more blades tore through the concrete like tissue paper, slamming into the center of the cellar with a rush of wind. The thing, easily half a basketball court in size, was covered in giant blades. Looking at the shape and spread of those blades, the Chosen One stammered, finishing the local's sentence: "Could it be... toenails?"
Boom! Amid the swirling dust and wild wind, a giant claw flipped over and gripped the edge of the hole. Then, with a massive twisting, cracking sound, the thick ceiling shattered like a brittle cookie, and the claw flung a huge chunk aside.
Daylight poured through the gaping hole. Outside, it was still bright, blue skies and drifting clouds, but nobody was in the mood to enjoy it. If you looked up through the hole, the first thing you'd see was a massive head. It was so huge, nobody bothered to figure out if it looked more like a lizard or a turtle. That overwhelming sense of pressure crashed down—pure apex predator vibes, the unmistakable aura of absolute power.
It stared at the people in the room. Its eyes, tiny compared to its giant face, had no whites or pupils—just a solid, eerie blue glow. No expression at all, but everyone saw their own death reflected in those eyes.
"Captain... did we just step into Ultraman's world?" The gunner was nearly in tears, glancing at his submachine gun, his voice all shaky: "Does this thing... even work?"
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Does it work? Nobody answered, but the monster moved. It raised its giant claw and swiped down. No hunger, just pure destruction. That claw came down with the force of a falling sky.
But just then, someone shouted, "Run!" and dashed up the sloped debris from the collapsed ceiling—it was Jill Young. But in the next moment, Jill darted back, because Jack Young was still standing there, spaced out! "Are you trying to get me killed, you jerk!" Jill snapped, hoisting Jack onto her shoulder and bolting out again.
After hollering "Split up!" to Jasper Xiao, Jill tore off running. The monster above was no Alien Queen—just by size alone, it had to weigh thousands of tons! That thick ceiling was tossed aside like nothing, and those sharp claws could squash three Alien Queens in one slap! No way to fight this thing. I may want monsters, but this one's way out of my league!
Even Kratos wouldn't take on the gods barehanded!
Right overhead, the monster's massive body blocked out the sky—and that jerk seemed to be looking straight at me. Plus, I've got a hundred-pound lump slung over my shoulder—he's the worst, totally useless and slowing me down, can't even run! Normally, I'd kick a teammate like this to the curb and let them fend for themselves. But—but—this deadweight is literally me!
It's enough to drive me crazy!
"Hyaa!" Jill Young sprinted full speed, legs pumping, diving to narrowly dodge the giant claw slamming down. Boom—the ground shook. In the wild wind, Jill flipped midair and landed solidly. At the same time, a flash of gold—her Rebel Rider materialized on the ground.
Thanks to all the brothers and sisters of Steelbull City! This Rebel Rider is way more useful than the dead weight on my shoulder!
Jill plopped Jack onto the back seat, glanced at his totally blank face, and just gave up—fine, it's like babysitting a coma patient. Compared to a vegetable, this guy's not so bad; at least he can sleepwalk...
Wait, sleepwalking? That senior, Zhuo Yihang, said something about it... Right! Sleepwalking is the deepest layer of the subconscious, the truest, most instinctive state. Only people you trust absolutely on that level can get a reaction from a sleepwalker. Su Yue once made me cook a meal, and I did it. So, when it comes to trust—who could I trust more than myself?
"Listen up, we're escaping, so sit tight!" No time for details, Jill barked out a quick warning, then gunned the engine and shot off. The Rebel Rider's acceleration was wild, and she wasn't sure Jack could keep up, so she didn't floor it right away—didn't want him flying off the back.
But glancing back, Jill saw Jack was sitting solidly on the back seat—not even a wobble.
It actually worked!
Jill got hyped and sped straight for a narrow alley. As long as big bro could follow orders, that monster would have a hard time catching up to the Rebel Rider! This bike was already awesome, and with the Flame Tide boost, it could hit several hundred kilometers an hour! "Hold on tight, we're about to speed up!" Jill twisted the throttle, the bike roared, and they shot toward the alley like a blur. But just as they reached the alley entrance, Jill shrieked, "Where the heck are you grabbing, you jerk!"
Suddenly, the speeding bike wobbled violently, carving a huge S-shape. That split-second delay let the monster's second claw slam down. Boom—the Rebel Rider and both riders were flung high into the air. Tumbling midair, Jill gazed at the blue sky, nearly in tears. God, please take this troublemaker away. If I die today, I've got no one to blame but myself!
But just then, as Jack spun through the air too, a blue light flashed in his eyes. In a split second, his left hand swiped the Rebel Rider, stashing it in the Pocket Vault. His right hand shot out and grabbed a laundry line strung between the alley buildings (the classic Hong Kong kind).
With a flick and a snap, the soft laundry line turned into a nimble whip, wrapping around Jill's waist in the blink of an eye. With a backward tug, Jack corrected Jill's trajectory, sending her flying toward a fourth-floor balcony—while he used the counterforce to leap to the opposite balcony.
"Huh?" For a moment, Jill was stunned. She looked back at Jack, just as he tossed her another laundry line. No words, not even eye contact, but Jill instantly understood. She wrapped the line around her right wrist. At the same time, Jack looped the other end around his left wrist.
The next second, they both leapt, diving deeper into the alley. In the not-so-wide alley, they crisscrossed and zipped forward, yanking down laundry lines and wrapping them around their wrists as they went. Behind them, the giant beast let out a deep roar and charged after them. The old red brick walls were nothing—it smashed straight through, bricks flying like catapult stones, each one whistling through the air.
But even in this chaos, the two of them moved with ease. If Jill was alone, she'd have to tank or swat away some debris, but with Jack, it was a different story. Jack might've been expressionless, but his reactions were lightning-fast and precise. With a flick of his arm, he twisted all those laundry lines into a single cord. Then, with Jack's pulling and swinging, the rope moved like a living python, giving Jill perfectly timed boosts in every direction.
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With those boosts, Jill dodged every flying brick by a hair, and with a tug in return, she launched Jack ahead like a cannonball. Jack was the same—grabbing or hooking with his feet, he always found a foothold on the alley walls. In that moment, the two became one, zipping away from the beast on a single long rope, moving even faster than a regular car.
No way could one person pull this off alone.
Whoosh—Jack vaulted onto a rooftop and yanked Jill up after him. When Jill landed, she dropped right onto the back seat of the Rebel Rider—Jack had already summoned the bike.
"We're on the roof—can you really handle this?"
Facing Jill's question, Jack just said two words: "Hold on." Then, he gunned the engine and shot off. On the bumpy rooftop, packed with solar heaters and obstacles, Jack raced the Rebel Rider at full speed. Whether skimming the eaves or leaping gaps, he always spotted the best route and charged ahead without hesitation.
Looking back, the giant beast was already far behind. Its destructive power was insane—skyscrapers and brick walls crumbled like helpless little girls—but it just couldn't keep up in terms of speed.
Looking at Jack up ahead, Jill felt all sorts of complicated. In that split second, she sensed a kind of unspoken connection—way beyond just being in sync, more like the perfect teamwork of left and right hands.
This guy—not only is he not a deadweight, he might just be the ultimate teammate!