Yeye's Invitation — Crash Through

Lu Yuan drank an Enhanced Spirit Power Gene Fluid and tossed the empty vial aside. The formula absorbed noticeably faster than ordinary serums. Over four hundred bottles — the equivalent of more than four hundred thousand First-rank Spirit Crystals — and his Seed of Nature gene had finally reached full tempering.

His physical body had hit the ceiling of what it could achieve at this stage.

What remained was clear: charge the Evolution Cube, then prepare to break the next Gene Lock. His current strength had grown formidable — one ability at Chief Grade, another at Boss Grade. But there was still more work ahead.

He stepped off the hundred-meter high-rise and continued following Amy's signal through the Communication Crystal. The two kept in intermittent contact; she was converging on his position from her end as well. At his current pace, the gap was manageable. A full-speed push and he'd close it in under half an hour.

Just then, he felt a powerful energy signature erupt somewhere in the distance.

Lu Yuan's brow rose. *Something's going on over there.*

He changed course. The signature was close — just around the next corner — and there were quite a few of them.

He scanned his surroundings, bent his knees, and launched himself skyward. His body vaulted dozens of meters and landed atop a thirty-meter high-rise. He stepped to the edge of the roof and looked down.

On the street below, more than thirty Gene Warriors — Gnolls, Kamans, Baros, and Green Demons — were packed together, all facing a single figure.

Corpses lay scattered around them: Gnolls, Kamans, Baros, Green Demons — and among the fallen, some Cat-kin and Elves as well.

A flash of shock. *Isn't that Yeye?*

He had never managed to gauge whether he could beat her. She had never once shown her full strength in front of him, and that quiet uncertainty had never really left him. One thing was unmistakable, though: she was stronger now than she had been.

Yeye's normally vacant, pretty face wore a rare expression — cold, flat killing intent. Her slit pupils had contracted to fine points, radiating a faint but unmistakable regal pressure.

She spoke in an unhurried voice.

"Your comrades were killed."

The Kaman warrior at the front, terror cracking through his composure, let out a furious, high-pitched snarl.

"You killed warriors of the Tianming Empire — you'll die for this!"

Yeye took one step forward.

Every single warrior stepped back by two.

Dark auras rose from around her body. An instant later, four figures condensed from the shadows — each one sharing her exact silhouette.

All thirty-odd Gene Warriors went rigid. Spirit Power churned wildly through them as they stared at Yeye and the four shadow figures, every nerve pulled taut.

Then — without any visible motion from Yeye — the shadows became streaks of light and vanished.

In the next breath, thin red lines appeared at every warrior's throat. Bodies crumpled silently to the ground, one after another. Not one of them had time to react.

The last warrior fell. Yeye vanished without a sound.

*Just as I thought. The first gene she inherited has to be Lord Grade or above.*

Lu Yuan descended from the rooftop.

He was still scanning the aftermath when ice shot straight up his spine. He spun on instinct, raising his greatsword in a cross-guard —

A jet-black longsword had stopped centimeters from his face.

He went still.

Yeye had returned to her usual vacant expression. She tilted her head slightly, looking at him.

"Lu Yuan?"

Lu Yuan exhaled slowly and lowered his weapon. "What a coincidence, My Lord Yeye." A smile eased across his face. "Didn't expect to run into you again here."

"How are you here?"

"I sensed energy coming from this direction while passing through. Got curious." He glanced at the fallen warriors. Several had carried Boss Grade auras — formidable enough by most standards. *Even these wouldn't have been a real challenge to me. Against Yeye, they were nothing.*

He turned back to her. "Your subordinates were killed."

Yeye nodded. "I led this team in. I'm responsible for them. So I need to avenge them."

"They died before you arrived," he said quietly. "That's not your fault. You're avenging them now. They'd be glad."

A moment of silence. Yeye nodded again.

"My Lord Yeye — should we exchange contact details? I picked up a White Cloud Continent Communication Crystal."

Yeye blinked. She considered it a moment, decided the timing was perhaps slightly odd given everything, then concluded there was no time to overthink it and nodded.

They exchanged contact information.

Yeye studied him in silence. Then she nodded slowly and spoke.

"You're alone? Want to come with me?"

Lu Yuan glanced at that beautiful face of hers — and something stirred. Then the image of Amy's bright, cheerful expression floated up in his mind, and he felt a helpless kind of resignation settle in.

He shook his head. "I have companions. I'm about to go meet up with them."

*She's even stronger than she was in the Mist Forest. And she's never once shown her full hand. I still don't know if I could actually beat her.*

Yeye nodded. "Mm."

She turned to leave. *The burden of being exceptional.* Two stunning girls, both extending invitations — but he'd already made a promise to Amy first. A man had to keep his word.

Two steps. Then Yeye stopped and turned back.

"Next time, I'll bring more people."

"Good."

She nodded and turned to go again. Lu Yuan had a thought — a quiet smile crossed his face.

"My Lord Yeye — is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Yeye paused. Her expression didn't change, but she appeared to give it genuine consideration.

"...Grilled fish."

Lu Yuan laughed softly. "All right. Contact me whenever you feel like it."

"Mm."

She turned and was gone.

*Classic Yeye.*

He watched the empty space where she'd been for a moment, then turned and disappeared himself, continuing toward Amy.

Half a day of running after the Yeye encounter had passed. Lu Yuan was considerably closer to Amy's position now.

Just then, the Communication Crystal lit up. Amy's face appeared within it — tight with worry and urgency.

Lu Yuan frowned slightly. "Amy, what's wrong?"

"Xixi and two of my other teammates are being hunted! I can't reach them in time — can you go check if you can help?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

Amy sent over a set of coordinates. The tension in her expression eased just slightly.

He checked the distance: not far at all. He smiled, sheathed his greatsword, and burst into full speed — becoming a blur as he shot toward the position Amy had provided.

At that speed, the displaced air trailed behind him in long, howling gusts that swept down every street he passed.

On a main street, a patrol unit of Mechanical Guardians moved in steady formation.

In the alley corner a short distance away, two male Elves crouched in the shadows, watching the guards with troubled expressions. Their strength — First-rank, high-tier Elite — wasn't anything to brag about. But they'd stayed alive this long through sheer caution, and they intended to keep at it.

"We've only got two people, and we're not exactly impressive. We need a solid plan. Most importantly, we need no one nearby — the last thing we want is some powerhouse walking past and deciding we're a problem."

"If I'd known it would be like this, I never would have gotten caught up in all this. Those Kamans were terrifying."

The other Elf nodded vigorously in agreement.

They had quietly resolved to lie low until the ruins event ended.

Just as the two were about to slip out and scout the situation — a thunderous crash erupted.

They looked up.

An incredibly handsome human was hurtling down the road toward them from the distance. Every Mechanical Guardian in the vicinity activated its defense systems simultaneously.

Weapons came up.

Before a single shot could be fired, the human simply ran straight through them.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

Two-meter-tall Mechanical Guardians launched through the air. Mechanical arms, legs, and assorted components rained down across the street.

The man was gone — vanished at the far end of the road — leaving behind nothing but a field of twisted wreckage.

The two Elves stared at each other.

"W... what just happened?"

"...Was that not an illusion? I thought I was seeing things."

Two male Elves: ???

"I think I saw... a human run past? Or was it an elf?"

The other nodded mechanically, still staring at the debris.

"Are these Mechanical Guardians made of paper?! Just what kind of monster was that?! He just ran through them with his body! That's insane!"

The gap between people was something they couldn't begin to fathom.

Their decision was made: lie low and survive until the ruins closed. No exceptions whatsoever.

In the tangled alleys between steel skyscrapers, Lin Xixi and her two companions moved in quick, silent bursts.

All three of them were carrying wounds. The worst was Alice — a blonde girl in a white robe, a vicious sword gash across her shoulder having soaked the fabric through with blood. She was deathly pale, one hand pressed hard over the wound, blood seeping steadily between her fingers.

"The wound tore open again," she said faintly.

The black-haired girl in leather armor shot her a look of barely controlled panic. "A wound that bad — even a strong healing serum can barely keep up, and we're still running! There's no way it can heal properly! What do we do, Xixi?!"

Three of them pushed forward through ragged breaths. Lin Xixi glanced back at intervals, her face cold as stone.

"Xixi, are they catching up?"

"Not yet. But there are a lot of them. They'll seal off the area eventually. When they do, we'll be cornered."

Alice steadied herself and spoke quietly.

"Leave me here. I'm slowing you both down and making you easier to track. Let me stay behind and draw them off. The two of you might actually make it."

Lin Xixi's expression turned sharp. "Alice. Stop talking nonsense. We're a team — we don't leave each other behind. Don't say it again."

"Right!" The black-haired girl's voice was firm. "Xixi's right. We're a team. If we go down, we go down together!"

Alice raised her eyes to Lin Xixi's unwavering gaze. A long moment of silence. Then, reluctantly, she gave a single nod.

"I'll carry you," Lin Xixi said. "We'll move faster."

Alice opened her mouth to argue. Lin Xixi was already hoisting her onto her back.

The three pressed on.

After several more direction changes, their available space was shrinking visibly with each turn.

Alice let out a muffled cry, her face going another shade paler.

The black-haired girl whispered urgently. "We're still too far from where Miss is — she can't reach us. Is there anyone nearby at all? Because if not, we are really done for."

She hesitated, then added in the same breath, "Even if someone does come... the enemies here are so strong. It might just mean dying alongside us."

Then her eyes lit up. "Wait — didn't Miss say that Lei Feng, the guy who was with us before, is really strong? Should we ask her where he is? If he's close enough, maybe he can come!"

Lin Xixi hesitated at that.

*Don't even mention whether Miss could beat the biggest one. At this rate, I'm not sure we'll live long enough to see her.*

She kept the thought to herself.

Honesty compelled her to admit something else, too: she harbored some wariness toward the man who had joined their team. She didn't fully know him. But with the walls closing in around them, there was no room left for reservations.

The three looked at one another. Despair was written plainly in every pair of eyes.

"We should check if there's anyone nearby first!"

Lin Xixi gritted her teeth. "Fine. I'll contact Miss."

She reached for her Communication Crystal.

"Xixi and two of my other teammates are being hunted! I can't reach them in time — Lei Feng, you're closer to them. Can you go check if you can save them?"

"You got it, Boss!"

"Thank you — thank you so much, Lei Feng!"

Not long after, they ran into more enemy voices ahead and shifted course again. Their space kept shrinking.

Then — footsteps. From the alley to their left, not far.

Lin Xixi's face changed in an instant.

A cold, irritated voice cut through the air.

All three girls went rigid.

This Cat-kin was no ordinary person — not even remotely. Not someone these Gene Warriors could afford to provoke. The moment she had appeared, the pursuers hadn't even processed what was happening before their brothers began to fall.