CR CH67

Chapter 67: Awakening

“Commander Jiang.”

It was already late at night. Ling Kongmiao returned to his apartment, switched on the lights, and casually tossed his jacket onto the sofa.

“My apologies, Captain Ling, for contacting you so late again,” Jiang Yan’s voice carried a hint of exhaustion.

“It’s fine.” Ling Kongmiao leaned against the table. “Go ahead.”

“It’s nothing, really. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Xiaotian.” Jiang Yan chuckled softly. “That boy only looks obedient on the surface; he’s stubborn to the core and not easy to manage.”

“Not at all, he’s quite well-behaved,” Ling Kongmiao said, lying through his teeth.

Jiang Tianji was very clever—he knew how to make people believe he was being compliant.

He would call out “Sir, Sir” every day, bowing his head in submissive agreement the moment things seemed off, admitting his mistakes with utter docility.

In reality, his actions were constantly crossing the line. Warn him once, and he would shrink back instantly, only to stretch his paws out again a moment later.

Jiang Yan let out a laugh: “Sounds like the outcome is better than I had anticipated.”

“I believe we share the same stance on certain matters.”

“At least we won’t be enemies,” Ling Kongmiao said noncommittally.

“That’s enough then.” Jiang Yan didn’t press further. “It’s getting late. Get some rest early, Captain Ling. Once this matter is settled, I hope we’ll have a chance to talk.”

Ling Kongmiao: “Alright.”

After hanging up, Ling Kongmiao took his clothes and walked into the bathroom. The swirling mist briefly isolated everything outside.

“This matter” referred to the final handling of the Blood Pod Incident.

The “Blood Pod” had originally been a double-awakened ability user cultivation program. The Federation had poured a massive amount of heart, soul, and resources into it, negotiating with the Star Alliance multiple times to acquire the latest real-scene restructuring technology. The Research Institute continuously updated their data templates to modify ability users.

To increase the probability of producing double-awakened ability users, almost all participants in the Blood Pod Program were A-rank elite awakeners—a literal gathering of geniuses. But before the program could officially announce its “ability user modification” phase to the public, disaster struck first.

It was a Super S-rank Tier-Transcendence Task. Less than 3% of the people survived that calamity. And after that incident, Tier-Transcendence Tasks began breaking out one after another across various regions. The number of mutated entities and mental bodies surged drastically, spreading widespread panic.

The sound of running water inside the bathroom stopped. Ling Kongmiao pushed open the door, wiping his hair with a towel while opening his communications device.

– You Li: All departments are fully prepared.

As he went to exit the interface, he accidentally tapped into a certain chat. Ling Kongmiao stared at the “^_^” at the top of the screen, then casually tossed the device onto the sofa.

“…Silly grin.”

Coordinates: Unnamed Star D-1069.

The sky was gloomy, and visibility was low.

Raging waves crashed beneath steep cliffs, the energy-polluted seawater glimmering with a dangerous, dark light.

This place seemed to have once been the territory of a certain species, but it had been worn down beyond recognition. Surrounded by giant boulders, the mountain ranges were completely barren.

A grey mist pervaded the air, pressing a total pause button on the already desolate, uninhabited zone. In the boundless expanse of land stretching beyond the horizon, there was not a single trace of life.

Members of Teams A and B were making their final preparations in front of the energy vortex. This task required pairs. When Jiang Tianji saw his assigned teammate on his device, a trace of speechlessness flashed in his eyes.

With the mission at hand, he didn’t hesitate for long. Turning around to look for Liang Chong, he looked up and saw the other already approaching. Jiang Tianji walked forward two steps symbolically and scanned their assigned sector.

Before he could speak, Liang Chong had already unilaterally split the sector in half and marked his own portion.

Jiang Tianji clicked to confirm without saying any nonsense, though he knew Liang Chong would definitely have some nonsense to say.

“In the end, you’re still walking the path they laid out for you.”

“Yeah. Aren’t you?”

Liang Chong sneered, lowering his eyes to conceal the mockery within them.

“I’m different from you.”

Just when he thought the conversation was over, a counter-question came from beside him.

“Aren’t we the same kind?”

Even though this was just what Liang Chong personally considered “the same kind.”

Liang Chong’s movements faltered slightly. Raising his head to meet Jiang Tianji’s completely unbothered eyes, his expression abruptly shifted.

“You…”

“Sir.”

He watched as Jiang Tianji’s face transformed in a split second, looking ahead with a light, pleasant smile.

Following that disgusting gaze of his, Ling Kongmiao was walking over in their direction. Since now wasn’t the right time to ask questions, Liang Chong said no more.

“Sir.”

Ling Kongmiao’s gaze swept back and forth between the two. Seeing that he hadn’t spoken, You Li behind him gave a few brief instructions.

“Liang Chong has always been responsible for high-risk zones and has slightly more experience,” he said, looking at Jiang Tianji. “Judging from your last battle, you shouldn’t have any issues either. If you feel your state slipping, send out a signal immediately—don’t push yourself beyond your limits.”

“Furthermore,” Ling Kongmiao offered a cold reminder, “On the battlefield, there are only teammates and enemies. If you can’t get that straight through your heads, feel free to go back to kindergarten to retake socialization classes.”

“…Understood,” the two replied with their heads lowered.

You Li gave a soft cough: “Captain, it’s about time.”

“Mm.”

Ling Kongmiao turned his body, his gaze suddenly landing on Jiang Tianji.

“Is there something on my neck?”

It was a sudden question. Liang Chong and You Li subconsciously looked toward his neck, while only Jiang Tianji reflexively shifted his eyes away.

“No,” he answered very quickly.

Ling Kongmiao stared at him for a moment without saying anything, then left together with You Li. Jiang Tianji quietly let out a breath of relief.

All the teams began entering the domain one after another. The two stood side by side in front of the vortex.

“When did you figure it out?”

After stepping into the vortex, Jiang Tianji heard Liang Chong’s question. A trace of spectator-like cunning flashed across his expression.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed this brief moment of weightlessness; his shackles loosened ever so slightly right now.

A wild beast and a trapped beast were just two sides of the same coin when it came to their plight. A trapped beast thought the cage was what confined it; a wild beast at least knew that beyond the cage lay yet another cage, and wouldn’t beat itself bloody trying to smash through the iron bars directly in front of it.

Beep—

The moment he landed, his device triggered an alarm.

Thick, mutated plant vines wrapped around him from behind, covering Jiang Tianji’s eyes and dragging him into a fissure.

A B-rank mental interference invaded his mental domain. Caught off guard, cold sweat trickled down Jiang Tianji’s temples. He immediately swung his hand back, stabbing his energy dagger deep into the stone wall. Sliding down a distance further, he barely managed to bring himself to a halt.

The vines bound his waist and abdomen relentlessly, pulling with immense force. Jiang Tianji flexed his arm, channeling a powerful electric current that incinerated the wrapping mutated vines into ash.

“Haa…”

Just as he was catching his breath, looking up to figure out how to climb back up, the stone wall began to vibrate subtly.

An intense wave of unease made him look downward. In the pitch-black abyss, two spots of light were rapidly expanding. When Jiang Tianji realized they were a pair of massive, crimson eyes, his heart beat violently.

Beep!

A piercing alarm sounded, but before the device could even issue a risk warning, it went completely dead.

“Roar—!”

The roar of a giant mutated entity caused the fissure to collapse. Jiang Tianji fell uncontrollably into the depth. He couldn’t make out the full shape of the mutated beast; his vision was completely dominated by a bloody maw lined with razor-sharp fangs.

Blinding flashes of lightning surged with dark green energy, filling the entire fissure with electric power.

A creature resembling both a fish and a snake burst forth from the earth. Dust and shattered rocks fell like rain as Jiang Tianji was launched into mid-air. Utilizing his ability to flash-step multiple times, he slammed heavily onto a giant boulder, narrowly escaping death.

The ground beneath his feet shook violently. Looking around, the number of mutated entities in the area had multiplied exponentially. The energy fluctuations inside the domain were wildly abnormal; the gloomy sky had turned a blood-red color, flickering like a wavering candle flame.

He had felt something off ever since a short while ago.

The hordes of mutated entities seemed to possess intelligence, driving the team members into a corner. Their movements were far more agile, their eyes shimmering with energy—like beasts that had truly come to life.

The giant mutated entity resembled a serpent overall, its mouth filled with dense, sharp fangs, with fish-like fins and spikes lining its ears and tail. With a sudden burst, it buried itself into the earth, launching consecutive attacks as if gliding through an ocean.

Pfft!

Dark green energy whirled around the curved long blade in Jiang Tianji’s hand. He stood back-to-back with a stranger—an A-rank teammate—surrounded by mutated stone wolves.

Their “cores” were exceptionally durable—definitely not something a B or C-rank mutated entity should possess.

The energy projectiles fired from various directions around them could only delay the horde. The trembling beneath their feet grew increasingly fierce, relentlessly fraying everyone’s tightly wound nerves alongside the booming sounds of explosions.

“We can’t keep this up!” He heard the person behind him breathing heavily. “It seems… like a Tier-Transcendence Task! These mid-sized mutated entities are all at least A-rank! We can’t kill them off in a short time!”

“…We’re going to be worn to death here!”

Jiang Tianji was similarly feeling his stamina drain away. Recklessly channeling a massive amount of energy would exacerbate his negative condition, but there was no better way at the moment. Energy coalesced in his hands.

An energy storm whipped up clouds of dust, drowning out his voice. He could only shout to the person behind him:

“Go!”

In an instant, a ferocious electrical storm forcefully cleaved open a path, its shockwave blasting mutated entities, shattered stone, and dust in all directions.

As Jiang Tianji ran out of the stone wolf pack’s encirclement, he caught sight of severed human limbs on the ground out of the corner of his eye. Everyone was trapped in the domain, desperately holding on; their devices had broken down the second the warning was issued, without even waiting for a rank assessment.

Before his eyes was a sea of blood-red. His body reacted purely on instinct—this was a true, unannounced apocalypse.

The giant mutated entity traversed the earth like an apex predator. The land was collapsing, the fissures expanding and stretching endlessly.

Most of the awakeners had switched to their beast forms, yet even large-type combat phantom beasts appeared tiny before this giant creature. Shadows collapsed one after another in the dust; the line between human and beast blurred completely in this moment.

Teammates possessing sensory abilities were swallowed in a suffocating, fearful tide of dread.

After an unknown period, several streaks of energy ripped an opening through the oppressive atmosphere—the commanders had arrived.

Jiang Tianji immediately spotted that familiar silver-blue hue. Striking back a mutated entity with his curved blade, his combat uniform was tattered, and a deep, bone-revealing wound cut across his shoulder.

Just as a wave of relief washed over him, the ignored, excruciating pain flooded back simultaneously. Jiang Tianji’s hand holding the blade trembled slightly. At a certain moment, an intense surge of heart palpitations made him subconsciously look up in Ling Kongmiao’s direction.

Energies collided, the silver-blue light shining with extra brilliance—yet that brilliance lasted for only a split second. Multiple figures plummeted into the bottom of the cliff like kites with severed strings.

Tang Min’s split mutated shadow collided with its physical body. Jiang Tianji’s eyes flickered, something flashing through his mind.

RUMBLE—!

The surviving members dropped flat to the ground. As the light faded, their vision turned extremely dark. The world lost all sound, like an absurd black-and-white silent film destined for a bloody end.

A ringing buzzed continuously in his ears. As his consciousness blurred, Jiang Tianji recalled that news report that had once caused a massive uproar before quietly vanishing without a trace:

“The Blood Pod gathered the highest-talent novice ability users in the Federation. According to the latest reports, less than 3% have survived…”

The long blade slipped from his hand. Instead of panicking, he stared up at the sky in complete serenity, letting the stone wolves swarm over him.

The S-rank mutated entity overhead seemed to sense something, swooping down with precise locking on his direction.

Amidst the gunfire and smoke, pitch-black shadows silently encroached upon the land, merging with the blood spreading beneath Jiang Tianji. Ever since he was very young, he had possessed a feeling that he was missing something—that he was incomplete.

On the day he clearly realized this, he had also seen shadows like these: black, seemingly alive, clamoring to consume him whole.

That feeling of rejection felt innate. Even though he knew deep down that it was a part of “himself,” Jiang Tianji was unwilling to accept it.

His life was like a game orchestrated by someone else. Even so, he would rather live inside a led-by-the-hand dream.

Forget a part of himself, leave certain truths untouched, and just do what “Jiang Tianji” was supposed to do.

That… really was a naive way of thinking.

The corners of Jiang Tianji’s mouth tugged upward. His dark green eyes reflected shadows invisible to ordinary people, while his human pupils narrowed into icy, vertical slits after a subtle tremor.

The mutated entity roared as it slammed into the ground. Jiang Tianji, impaled on its spike, reached out his hand and gripped the tip of the venomous sting.

Staring into the creature’s crimson eyes, it felt as though he had traveled back through time to the day the calamity had truly descended—the very first Super S-rank Tier-Transcendence Incident.

Everyone believed it was merely a Tier-Transcendence Task, but Jiang Tianji vaguely understood that he had simply walked toward another outcome opposite to his own.

“Hello there,” he offered a polite greeting, respecting every performance like a well-mannered actor.

In the blink of an eye, the person impaled on the spike vanished into thin air.

Dark green energy dispersed into a misty fog. Behind the mutated entity, a far more terrifying shadow emerged—a black silhouette looming indistinctly, resembling descriptions from ancient Eastern codices.

Black scales emerged behind the swirling mist. A massive dragon’s eye quietly appeared beside the mutated entity—cold, dark, and gloomy.

The shadow swallowed the domain in a heartbeat as awakening energy erupted alongside surging bolts of lightning.

BZZZZ—

All monitoring equipment broke down under the interference. The real-time feeds in the main control room went completely black. Before being destroyed, the high-altitude equipment caught in the crossfire transmitted one final message:

The dragon has fallen into the abyss.