Translator: CinderTL
Future City.
Feng Qi, wrapped tightly in a trench coat and mask, walked down 23rd Street in the Eastern District.
Future City was a technological marvel, with surveillance cameras linked to the city's defense network installed on every street and alley. All cameras were equipped with facial recognition technology.
As an S-Class wanted criminal in Future City, his first priority was to avoid detection.
Even though the surveillance system was managed by the Future Research Institute, Li Xingchen had warned him that not everyone within the institute could be trusted.
It was nearly dawn, and the streets were deserted. The recent rain had left the air cool and damp, the pavement still slick.
A cleaning robot, playing music, slowly approached from the distance, sweeping the road ahead.
Reaching the end of the street, Feng Qi pushed open the door of a bar.
Inside, soothing music filled the air, and a lively crowd moved through the space, creating a stark contrast to the quiet street outside.
He settled into a corner booth, turning to face Li Xingchen, who was drinking alone.
"Thank you," Feng Qi said.
"For what? I enjoyed using your name to stir up all that trouble. As for the resources we seized, I couldn't take them back anyway. Might as well give them to you. If you all get caught, it'll be proof that you were behind it all."
Li Xingchen grinned, then raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.
"Want a drink?"
"No thanks. What did you really want to talk about this time?"
Seeing Feng Qi's refusal, Li Xingchen poured himself a full glass, then shook his head.
"I have nothing in common with you. Pursuing ideals and enjoying life aren't mutually exclusive. Why put so much pressure on yourself all the time? We should find joy in our suffering. Even if we die, at least we'll have lived fully, with no regrets."
"I just don't like drinking. If you prepared a table full of delicious food, I guarantee I'd eat more than you," Feng Qi retorted, rolling his eyes. "Alright, let's get down to business. What news do you have for me this time?"
In response to the question, Li Xingchen set down his glass, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.
"Keep a low profile for a while. The Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute is about to make a move."
Feng Qi frowned at this. "Tell me more."
"Yesterday, the Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute held a top-level meeting. They explicitly stated their intention to launch an operation against you soon."
"As for why they haven't acted sooner, it's because they received information from an unknown source claiming you're an agent for another Domain Force. They believe your actions against the Technology Research Institute were a probe, a test of their strength."
"Just like the Technology Research Institute's probing of the Tiger Soul Research Institute, your actions were misinterpreted as a tentative challenge. They chose to tolerate it while gathering intelligence about you, trying to understand your true background."
"But now things have changed. They've given up on investigating the non-existent Domain Force behind you, so the Dawn Organization is now in grave danger."
Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately understood.
The Shadow Hunter had clearly betrayed his information to the Technology Research Institute.
Ironically, this betrayal had inadvertently helped him. The Behind-the-Scenes Domain Faction, wary of his supposed backing, had refrained from taking action.
After grasping the situation, he frowned at Li Xingchen, who was still exhaling white smoke. "Smoke less. I haven't seen you stop once."
Li Xingchen grinned. "My body is 76% Spirit Energy Mechanical Transformation. Any toxins that enter are expelled without residue. I'm immortal."
"Let me show you." With that, Li Xingchen suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a pool of black liquid mixed with tar onto the ground.
Feng Qi: ...
Staring at Li Xingchen's smug expression, Feng Qi felt utterly speechless.
"Is there anything else?"
"The Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute is also suspecting internal problems. Every operation we've planned has been leaked in advance. They're likely to launch an internal investigation, so I won't be initiating any covert actions against the institute for a while. We'll wait for the heat to die down before resuming."
Hearing this, Li Xingchen's heart skipped a beat. The Truthspeaker Device, used during the Sacrifice Line operation, flashed through his mind.
At the time, through false intelligence deliberately planted by the Scarlet Research Institute in Twilight City, they learned that a werewolf from the Tiger Soul Research Institute might be among their own ranks. The Technology Research Institute had launched an internal investigation to root out the traitor.
During this period, Mo, the most crucial figure within the Technology Research Institute, developed a black technology device for interrogating all core members.
Now that the Domain Force behind the institute suspected a mole, Li Xingchen was in danger of exposure.
Realizing this, he immediately informed Li Xingchen about the Truthspeaker Device.
Despite the warning, Li Xingchen remained unfazed. "Don't worry. The Truthspeaker Device might work on others, but I'm more of a Psionic Automaton these days. That thing won't affect me."
"What about your brain?" Feng Qi couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Semi-Psionic Mechanization, too."
"You're really tough on yourself."
"Those who aspire to great achievements must be ruthless with themselves," Li Xingchen said, raising his glass and taking a large gulp of wine. "Don't contact me through the communicator for a while. Wait for me to reach out. The Technology Research Institute is conducting a thorough investigation right now, and they could appear at my side at any moment."
"Understood."
"By the way, have you contacted everyone on that list?"
"I've recruited several, all exceptionally talented individuals. Where did you even get this list?"
"Everyone on that list is on the Technology Research Institute's assassination list."
Hearing this, Feng Qi finally understood.
The list Li Xingchen had given him had allowed him to recruit many like-minded and ambitious individuals, rapidly expanding the Dawn Organization.
His only regret was that no human sleeper cells had contacted him yet.
But he could understand why.
Every hidden human faction must have its own plan for salvation. Contacting one at this moment would be incredibly risky, potentially leading to the complete collapse of their own carefully laid plans.
What Feng Qi needed to do now was continue to strengthen the Dawn Organization's power and influence, giving those hidden factions hope of overthrowing the Technology Research Institute.
Coming back to his senses, he turned to Li Xingchen and smiled. "If there's nothing else, I'll be heading out. I don't feel safe staying out here."
"Where are you staying now?" Li Xingchen asked curiously.
"Nowhere permanent. I change locations every day. Lately, I've been staying in the sewers. It's relatively safe there."
"That sounds rough," Li Xingchen said with a grin, showing no trace of sympathy.
"As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest. How about I crash at your place for a night sometime?"
"Don't try to get me killed," Li Xingchen's smile instantly froze.
After some more casual conversation, Feng Qi stood up and left the tavern. He walked down the street he had come from for a while before turning into a dark alley, his figure disappearing into the shadows.
In the days that followed, Feng Qi led the Dawn Organization into hiding.
Three months later, Feng Qi received shocking news from the organization's investigators: Li Xingchen and over a dozen core members of the Future Research Institute had been arrested.
During their trial, they were convicted of being "human traitors" and sentenced to public execution at Future City's execution ground in three days.
Feng Qi was stunned by this news.
Li Xingchen's sudden exposure seemed highly suspicious to him.
While Li Xingchen was under the control of the Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute, his own power was not to be underestimated. Even if he couldn't defeat the Domain Force directly, he could still cause significant trouble and inflict heavy losses.
Yet now, Li Xingchen was about to be executed, and the Future Research Institute remained completely silent.
More importantly, the Technology Research Institute was only executing a dozen people, including Li Xingchen. But far more than a dozen warriors within the Future Research Institute had secretly opposed the Technology Research Institute under Li Xingchen's leadership.
There seemed to be many hidden truths behind this.
Filled with doubt, Feng Qi immediately contacted the organization's members and launched an investigation into Li Xingchen's exposure.
In the following days, nearly half of the Dawn Organization's members went out to gather intelligence.
From subsequent intelligence reports, Feng Qi learned that the Technology Research Institute had leveled over a dozen charges against Li Xingchen. The three most serious were:
1. Murdering his teacher, the former Future Research Institute Director.
2. Secretly colluding with Domain Force factions to subvert Human Civilization.
3. Conspiring with the Dawn Organization to obstruct the Technology Research Institute's development and attempting to manipulate the entire Future Research Institute for his own purposes.
There were many other charges as well, each sufficient to warrant Li Xingchen's execution.
However, the reason for Li Xingchen's exposure remained a mystery, with no answers to be found in the available intelligence.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Future City was deserted as its residents flocked to the official live-streaming app.
The broadcast showed the scene at Future City's First Execution Ground.
Li Xingchen had yet to be escorted to the platform, but the area around the execution stage was already packed with Future City residents.
Having learned of Li Xingchen's crimes from the official news reports, they seethed with hatred, eager to witness the human traitor face justice.
Feng Qi, wearing a trench coat, had also blended into the crowd, quietly waiting.
He felt a deep sense of injustice regarding Li Xingchen's fate.
But he was powerless to change anything.
At this stage, the Dawn Organization was no match for the Technology Research Institute.
Charging into battle against such an enemy with nothing but passion would be like a moth flying into a flame, ending in utter annihilation.
His Sacrifice Line had a more crucial mission to fulfill, and he couldn't fall here.
Yet, after two years of companionship, he still came to see his friend off on his final journey.
For safety, he had undergone minor physical adjustments with the help of a Dawn Organization disguise artist before arriving, including subtle changes to his face and appearance.
As he waited, Li Xingchen was escorted to the execution ground by two City Defense Soldiers.
His clothes were tattered, and large areas of his mechanical enhancements were damaged, leaving him in a wretched state.
The City Defense Soldiers forced Li Xingchen into a metal chair, securing him with special chains and placing a metal cap over his head.
He was to undergo Spirit Execution.
Spirit Execution was similar to the pre-Cataclysm electric chair, but instead of electricity, it used a specially refined spiritual energy extracted from highly purified necro minerals.
When this spiritual energy was infused into the body, it rapidly eroded the victim's consciousness, causing a slow, agonizing death.
On the Spirit Execution Chair, Li Xingchen stared impassively at the enraged crowd before him.
His heart remained remarkably calm.
As time ticked closer to his execution, the executioner standing behind him asked the customary question:
"Do you have any final words?"
"Give me a cigarette," Li Xingchen replied without hesitation, a smile spreading across his face.
"You were once my idol. Your inspiring story of growth always motivated me," the executioner said, his eyes burning with anger.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Li Xingchen said dismissively. "So hurry up and give me that cigarette. According to Future City's regulations, this request should be granted before my death, right?"
"You don't deserve it!"
The executioner was about to continue berating him when a companion pulled him back. The companion then reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and stuck it in Li Xingchen's mouth, lighting it for him.
"According to regulations, we have fulfilled your final request."
"Alright, I have no other final words," Li Xingchen said, taking a deep drag. The cigarette tip glowed red as the ember spread.
He exhaled a cloud of white smoke, his expression one of pure contentment.
Seeing Li Xingchen's composure, the crowd below erupted in fury.
The crowd protested vehemently that Li Xingchen, a human traitor, deserved no special treatment. Why should his final wishes be granted? They hurled small stones they had prepared in advance at him.
Gazing at the city residents gathered below, Li Xingchen felt a ripple of emotion within him.
I lived for you, yet you see me as a demon.
An indescribable mix of sorrow and anger surged within him. But when the image of a kind face flashed in his mind, the bitterness in his heart dissipated.
He took another deep drag of his cigarette, a smile returning to his lips.
Just then, the execution time arrived. The two executioners simultaneously pressed their switches.
Instantly, black psionic material surged through Li Xingchen's body, his eyes turning crimson.
The mental agony forced him to clench his jaw.
As he faced death, countless memories flooded his mind. A familiar, gentle voice echoed in his ears:
"Li Xingchen, you were placed beside the demon to kill the demon."
"I am your initiation offering. Such a death is meaningful. Why grieve?"
"Channel your sorrow and anger into strength. Do not disappoint me. I have already given you an excellent starting point."
The story begins with a married couple perishing in an attack by a Domain-Transcending Creature.
Their five-year-old son, clutching a doll and weeping, searched the streets for his parents, becoming an orphan.
Starving and freezing, he encountered a kind old man who took him in.
The old man raised the boy, sent him to Victory Academy, and watched him join a domain combat team as a frontline warrior.
When the boy lost an arm, the old man taught him how to stand up again.
Finally, under the old man's guidance, he successfully entered the Future Research Institute and became a researcher...
The old man was the former dean of the Future Research Institute.
As his consciousness faded, Li Xingchen suddenly felt a sense of relief.
The moment he killed the old man, he knew the person he once was had died.
Yet in his final moments, he felt that former self return.
Images flooded his mind: he and the old man sitting atop a mountain peak, embracing the first rays of sunlight over Future City... The old man's hazy face, bathed in light, gradually became clear.
"Old man, I've failed you."
In his final moments, countless regrets flooded his mind.
As a child, he gazed at the stars, reaching out as if he could pluck them from the sky. Now, standing seven feet tall, the heavens remained impossibly distant...
A peaceful and warm future, once so close, now seemed impossibly far away.
Ah, the bitterness of it all...
The ember clenched between his teeth burned to its end. Li Xingchen's body, as if deprived of support, slumped limply.
The world would never know that this star had willingly plunged into darkness, striving to burst forth with light and illuminate the entire world...
Listening to the cheers echoing around him, Feng Qi clenched his fists.
Li Xingchen's words, spoken with a smile, echoed in his mind:
"Human Civilization's situation is dire. We're like a tree. The higher we reach for the sun, the deeper our roots must delve into the darkest earth, where nourishment and strength lie... We're still too weak. Only the power of demons can defeat demons."
Gazing at Li Xingchen one last time, Feng Qi offered him the highest salute in his heart.
A month later, at Li Xingchen's cenotaph.
Feng Qi lit three incense sticks, stuck them in the soil before the cenotaph, and poured a gourd of strong liquor over them.
"If I don't die, I'll visit you every year from now on."
Just then, a voice called out from behind him.
"Feng Qi, can we talk?"
He turned around immediately to see a burly man in Future Research Institute attire standing nearby.
As suspicion flared in his heart, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a communicator.
"Channel 11-11, password: future."
Feng Qi was stunned by these words. He instinctively asked, "Who are you?"
"The current dean of the Future Research Institute, Li Xingchen's successor, and your future companion."
Feng Qi froze.
He suddenly understood why Li Xingchen had died.
He also understood why the Future Research Institute had remained silent about Li Xingchen's death and the deaths of the others.
Just like the old man, Li Xingchen had chosen a trustworthy person in his final moments, sacrificing himself to help Feng Qi take root in the darkness.
The Domain Force behind the Technology Research Institute had failed to erase that star.
It had merely returned in a different form, waiting for the day it could shine once more...
(End of the Chapter)
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