The Stopped Pocket Watch

"Ah!"

The icy sensation of liquid enveloping her head suddenly receded like a tide, and Ning Xuan jolted awake from her dream.

She found herself in a dim, underground space, surrounded by utter silence. She was completely alone.

Raising her prosthetic arm, a faint light began to emanate from it, casting a dim glow in the darkness.

She was in a hidden tunnel.

While on her mission to destroy the altars, she had accidentally stumbled upon traces of the zombie horde led by Chen Xing. They were moving underground on a massive scale.

There was no need to guess their target—it was undoubtedly Ning Yu.

So, she had been tracking the horde for a long time, ready to warn Ning Yu at any moment.

But after just half an hour of rest, she had unexpectedly fallen into a dream—something rare for her since becoming a cyborg. She no longer had a strong need for sleep, let alone dreams.

Yet, every time she did dream, it was always the same strange scene: a dark red-lit laboratory filled with countless replicas of her own head.

She shook her head, pushing the chaotic thoughts aside. Half an hour had passed, and she needed to resume tracking Chen Xing and the zombie horde.

As she stood up, the pocket watch she carried slipped from her body and fell to the ground.

Ning Xuan picked it up casually and opened it. Inside was a childhood photo of her and Ning Yu.

"I should take a new photo with my sister and put it in here," she thought, feeling a faint sense of anticipation.

But just as she was about to close the watch, she noticed something strange.

"Huh? Why has my watch stopped?"

The ticking sound, which was usually faint, had completely ceased. In the silence of the underground, the absence of the sound was glaringly obvious.

"That's weird. I just wound it up recently."

Without giving it further thought, she tucked the watch back into her pocket.

As she approached the hidden tunnel exit, ready to leave, her entire body tensed up.

A strong sense of danger surged through her.

"Clang!"

In an instant, her hands transformed into metallic blades, their faint blue glow illuminating her silver hair and the walls of the tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel, two Gluttons emerged, blocking her path.

Damn it, she'd been discovered!

Ning Xuan cursed inwardly, realizing she had been careless. Resting in such a place and even falling into a dream was a mistake.

Staying here any longer would likely trap her. The space was too confined for her to fight effectively, so she had to make a quick escape.

Without hesitation, the mechanical wings on her back began to extend, and her prosthetic devices ignited with bright flames.

The two Gluttons crawled into the tunnel from either side, only to be met with Ning Xuan charging at them at full speed. The impact sent them flying backward.

As they tumbled through the air, they flailed their claws, trying to attack Ning Xuan, but she swiftly pinned them against the tunnel walls with her blades.

Two long streaks of blood were left on the walls as she dragged them along.

By the time she reached the end of the tunnel, the two Gluttons were already disoriented. With two clean strikes, Ning Xuan decapitated them.

She didn't linger. The Gluttons would begin regenerating soon.

She burst out of the tunnel and into a more open area below, where a previously destroyed altar lay.

"Found you."

The area around the altar was now swarming with zombies and mutated zombies.

At their center stood Leviathan, his grayish-white hair cropped short, one eye covered by an eyepatch, and the other gleaming with a mocking light as he looked at Ning Xuan.

"It was you who's been causing trouble for Lady Pride. How dare you betray the master?"

He pulled out his Love-Hate Scythe from his back, its eye locking onto Ning Xuan, making her skin crawl.

"Don't act so righteous. Aren't you doing the same?"

Ning Xuan retorted coldly, but before her words could fully settle, Leviathan was already closing in with his scythe.

The zombies around them scattered, sealing off all possible exits, as if preparing to trap her like a rat in a cage.

"Clang! Clang!"

Sparks flew as her metallic blades clashed with Leviathan's scythe. However, Leviathan's strength seemed far superior, forcing her to retreat step by step.

"What's wrong, Miss Ning Xuan? Show me your true power!"

Leviathan sneered, his movements growing faster and more aggressive.

"Or... is this all you've got?"

Suddenly, a second Leviathan materialized beside him—a summoned clone.

With the clone joining the fight, Ning Xuan's situation worsened. Her mechanical wings glowed brighter, and her speed increased, but she seemed unwilling to engage in a prolonged battle.

Dodging the attacks from both Leviathan and his clone, she began summoning swirling black energy around her.

"Your life is mine!"

A third Leviathan clone suddenly appeared behind Ning Xuan, and all three closed in on her, cutting off any escape route.

But his attack missed entirely. A sudden black hole enveloped Ning Xuan's body as she activated a spatial jump.

Her priority wasn't to fight Chen Xing's forces to the death. She needed to destroy more altars and contact Ning Yu as soon as possible to inform her of Chen Xing's movements.

"Zzz... Zzz..."

The sound of space tearing echoed as Ning Xuan landed next to an unfamiliar altar—one that hadn't yet been corrupted by Chen Xing.

She pulled out the communication device Lacy had given her, intending to contact Ning Yu. By now, Ning Yu should have met with Lacy, so the device would be useful.

"Oh? You're here?"

A cold female voice echoed through the air, causing Ning Xuan's eyes to widen in shock.

Before she could even activate the device, she slowly turned her head.

On a blood-red throne, a gray-haired girl with a crown floated in the air. Her pale fingers rested gently on her cheek, her fingertip touching a teardrop-shaped mark.

She looked at Ning Xuan with an expression that seemed to say, "What a coincidence."

"Chen Xing!"

Ning Xuan realized her luck had run out. She had just teleported here, still in a weakened state, and now she was face-to-face with the mastermind herself.

"Tell me, why are you destroying the altars?"

"I know you're trying to kill my sister."

As soon as Chen Xing finished speaking, Ning Xuan fired back without hesitation.

"It seems you still don't understand your current situation. How dare you address me so casually, you mongrel!"

Chen Xing suddenly stood up, towering over Ning Xuan, who was still slumped on the ground. Her eyes radiated danger as she raised her hand.

In an instant, glowing barriers surrounded Ning Xuan, sealing her off completely.