Apocalypse Forecast

The original expectation was perfect. Ai Qing encountered the enemy. Ai Qing was in danger. Huai Shi descended from the sky. Huai Shi effortlessly blew up all the monsters. Huai Shi, the hero, saved the beauty. Ai Qing was safe. Ai Qing's affection increased. It should have been just like that, no doubt about it. Where exactly did the problem arise?

Huai Shi looked around in astonishment at the monster carcasses strewn across the ground and, amidst countless spurting gouts of plasma, the teenage girl who calmly discarded her empty submachine gun, pulled a sword blade resembling a long nail from her cane, and thrust it straight into the skull of the last hyena. Something doesn't seem quite right?

He stood there frozen, gazing bewilderedly at the scene before him. Then, he stiffly turned around, took a few steps back, and walked behind the wall again. It's an illusion, just an illusion. The way I came in wasn't quite right. Let's try that again.

He turned around once more, took a deep breath, and jumped out. "Ai Qing, I'm here to save—"

The scene remained unchanged. The only addition was Ai Qing's pitying and indifferent gaze, as if looking at an idiot.

What's going on? he mumbled, scratching his head in confusion. Since when did Inspectors become so powerful in combat? Or is Ai Qing hiding her skills? Is she actually an expert among experts?

Even Huai Shi felt a chill at the back of his head looking at the sword strike she'd made in the heat of the moment. It wasn't until he shook off the awkwardness and focused intently on the teenage girl before him that he noticed something was off—she was standing, steady and firm, but her posture was unnaturally strange and stiff. No ordinary person would choose to stand like that, no matter how mechanically perfect her stance seemed. It just looked awkward. Just like a machine.

"Exactly, it's a machine, no doubt about it." As usual, with her mind-reading-like response, Ai Qing reached out. She slightly lifted her long skirt to reveal the steel structure at her ankle. The slender structure that extended up along her calf looked like foil adhered to the skin. The delicate veins seemed to glow with something, faintly shining through her pale skin. Thick blood oozed slowly from the torn skin on her knees and toes, as if she were standing on the tips of knives. She stood before Huai Shi.

"It's just an emergency response exoskeleton, don't look as if you've never seen the world before, okay?" She flicked off the blood dripping from her wrist and casually tore a piece of her skirt to bandage it.

"Uh..." Huai Shi, at a loss for words, awkwardly scratched his head. "How come I've never seen this advanced thing before?"

"It's an experimental model from the Technology Department workshop, not yet mass-produced. I'm sort of an internal test guinea pig." Ai Qing manipulated the auxiliary APP on her phone, dragging those temporarily spiked values down to their lowest and turning off the aiming and counter modules. Her wildly beating heart finally calmed down, and bruises gradually appeared on her arms and ankles. The unnatural flush on her face faded, revealing paleness.

Observing Huai Shi fully armed, she slightly raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, I owe it to someone for being thrown into prison. When it mattered, I couldn't even find a reliable thug. I had to apply for one just in case of emergencies..."

"Sorry for the trouble, let's not dwell on it, shall we?" Having lost the chance to play the hero, Huai Shi felt deflated. "Besides, didn't I just escape from prison to come save you?"

"Something's wrong at the Special Affairs Department?"

"Yeah." Huai Shi pondered for a long time, unsure of how to explain the dreadful scene to her. Fortunately, Ai Qing understood his meaning after a moment's thought. Her eyebrows furrowed. "In that case, is there a problem with Qi Yuan?"

"Right." That was the good thing about talking to Ai Qing. She always got to the point, so there was no need to beat around the bush.

After the two exchanged information, Huai Shi could finally pass the mess onto Ai Qing to worry about. And he finally turned his attention to Shen Yue, who was shivering in the corner. "Who's this?"

"A Sublimator sent as reinforcement from the local area. Although he's Third Stage, he doesn't seem to be of much use." She turned to glance at Shen Yue and sighed, refraining from saying anything too harsh. After all, his assistance had indeed helped her substantially.

When he introduced himself, Shen Yue forced a smile. But when Huai Shi dragged the Legacy of Iron Whip behind him on a rope, Shen Yue's expression completely darkened. He sat down and didn't speak again. Jin Mu's death had clearly hit him hard.

"What's next? What do you plan to do?" Ai Qing suddenly asked.

"Hm?" Huai Shi looked at her, puzzled. It was the first time she had inquired about his intentions, and he wasn't sure what she meant.

"Strictly speaking, you're no longer an official employee of the Astronomical Society. You don't need to be responsible to the Social Security Bureau or the Special Affairs Department. Even though you're currently an escaped prisoner, this was caused by circumstances beyond your control. You are free now, Huai Shi, even if just for the moment." Ai Qing looked at him seriously. "Whatever decision you make, I no longer have the authority to command you."

The implication couldn't have been clearer. Whether he chose to wash his hands of the matter or simply walk away, it was a perfectly normal choice—a legitimate reason for a person to protect their own life. He had no obligation to participate in this fight.

Huai Shi thought blankly for a while, then couldn't help but laugh. "But that doesn't stop me from wanting to chop Qi Yuan into a mushy mess, right?"

Ai Qing looked at him calmly; if looks could speak, hers was like looking at an idiot.

After a while, she sighed, took out her phone, and took a photo of Huai Shi's bewildered face, saving his confused expression for posterity. Upload complete.

"So, Huai Shi," she declared in the name of the International Astronomical Association, "for the sake of securing the Current Circumstances, you are hereby conscripted." Ai Qing turned off her phone and took a box out of her waist bag, tossing it into his arms. "This is for you."

Huai Shi curiously held the palm-sized aluminum box, shaking it with intrigue. "What's this? Is it a trend to give me gifts nowadays?"

"A Peppa Pig tenth-anniversary commemorative figurine," Ai Qing said expressionlessly. "Don't you like Peppa Pig? Take it home, burn incense for it morning and evening, and let it bless you with smooth sailing."

"...What the heck?" Huai Shi opened the box, astonished. Finding that it wasn't some pink hairdryer, he heaved a sigh of relief.

In the middle of the black velvet lining was a silver-white bracelet with a flat appearance, engraved with jet-black lines that looked less like some magical ancient runes and more like integrated circuitry. Its style was somewhere between antique and avant-garde, making it hard to categorize.

"A new kind of handcuff?" He picked up the bracelet curiously and snapped it onto his left wrist. The bracelet made a subtle clicking noise as it tightened comfortably around his wrist. After he repeated the motion of opening his fingers and making a fist twice, the bracelet clasped around his wrist unfolded as if disassembling itself. Metal pieces fitted together and covered each other, extending upwards until they fully covered the back of his hand, forming a light, fingerless glove. Despite being made of steel, it allowed free movement without hindrance and did not interfere with holding a knife.

His palm felt as if it had been pricked by a needle, a slight ache, but it quickly faded. There seemed to be some sort of peculiar Source Substance structure within it, like a Stigma, but Huai Shi couldn't make it out. The palm of the glove, however, felt like fur or sandpaper. When Huai Shi rubbed his hands together, he heard what sounded like the friction of iron plates.

"A Whetstone from the Cavendish Workshop," Ai Qing explained. "It draws the user's blood and Source Substance to catalyze a qualitative change. Try it, and you'll see."

Huai Shi curiously summoned the Sacrificial Knife and ran his palm over the blade's edge. A chilly sensation, as if being cut by the knife, emanated from his palm as the Whetstone glove siphoned his blood. As his palm passed over it, a faint layer of electrical light sparked on the Sacrificial Knife.

Swinging the knife through the air produced a crackling sound as electricity split the atmosphere. When it slashed through the remains of the monsters on the ground, the edges of the cut immediately turned jet black and soon collapsed, disintegrating into ashes that scattered with the slightest gust of wind.

"It seems quite suitable for you." Ai Qing's eyebrows slightly raised, satisfied with the result. "The specific effects depend on how much Source Substance you put in and the quality of your blood. If your Stigma advances, the effect might be even better, right? Anyway, whatever the case, it's certainly better than foolishly hacking away with just a knife."

Huai Shi scrutinized the Whetstone gloves on his left hand with amazement, repeatedly testing their effects and increasingly realizing their convenience. Not only could they perfectly stack with Heart Poison, but unlike Heart Poison's impact on Source Substance, this layer of electricity plated onto the knife blade was a solid physical attack. With it, he could turn an ordinary weapon into an alchemical product with Border characteristics anytime, anywhere. It was especially suitable for him.

As for its duration, after one sharpening, the lightning effect lasted a little over a minute. This was quite sufficient for Huai Shi's intense, fast-paced, close-combat fighting style. "Thank you," he said, accepting the gift contentedly.

"It's just stuff that was going to be sold off cheaply anyway. If it can be put to good use in your hands, at least it'll have created some value." Ai Qing didn't elaborate on its origins but merely waved her hand. "Enough chit-chat; it's time for you to get to work, Huai Shi."

"And you?"

"I'll do my job." She unceremoniously rummaged through the travel bag Huai Shi had brought, replenishing her magazines and weapons. When she saw a small women's bulletproof vest among the contents, she couldn't help but give Huai Shi a surprised look, not expecting him to be so considerate. In response, Huai Shi could only manage a sheepish smile, indicating it was a gesture of goodwill on his part and that she shouldn't feel shy about accepting it.

"Well then, good luck with your mission." With one last look at him, Ai Qing still couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. This guy just didn't seem like someone who would sail smoothly through life. No, rather, he seems like he might crash and burn quite quickly, doesn't he?

"Take this guy with you," she suddenly ordered, pointing to the self-absorbed Shen Yue. "Although he's a bit useless, he's still a Third Stage Sublimator. He might be somewhat useful."

Shen Yue looked up in surprise, wanting to say something, but in the end, he didn't refuse. Instead, he proactively took Huai Shi's bag and other miscellaneous items, finally shouldering Jin Mu's Legacy of Iron Whip. He panted, his face pale. He seemed increasingly unreliable.

Ai Qing rubbed her temples, her headache worsening. She said nothing further, just lowered her head and waved them off. Anyway, I hope they have a safe trip. She looked down at the instrument in her hand and turned to walk into the darkness.