2026-01-25 04:43:31The dust from the cave-in hung heavy in the air. Xin’s lungs burned, but the sight in front of him made his blood turn to ice.
The Elemental was massive, its body made of jagged obsidian and flowing lava. It held Old Chen off the ground with one hand. Chen, the man who had taught Xin how to tie a safety knot and shared his lunch every day for three years, looked like a broken doll.
"Put him down," Xin said. His voice wasn't shaking anymore. It was flat and cold.
"Come and take him, little Spark," the Elemental hissed. Its grip tightened. Chen let out a strangled groan.
"Warning," the voice in Xin’s head rang out. "Emotional distress detected. Host energy is turning volatile. If you attack now, the Engine will enter 'Overdrive.' You will gain power, but you may lose your mind."
I don't care, Xin thought. Save him.
"Xin... don't..." Chen wheezed, his eyes bulging. "Just... run..."
"I'm done running, Chen," Xin said.
Xin didn't wait for a plan. He didn't wait for Mei or the Captain. He lunged.
The silver mark on his chest didn't glow blue this time. It turned a fierce, angry red. The power didn't flow through his veins; it tore through them. He felt like he was being filled with boiling lead.
[Level 4 Unlocked: Berserker Pulse.]
[Condition: Rage-Induced Evolution.]
Xin hit the Elemental with the force of a freight train. He didn't use a clever time-reverse or a thermal blast. He just punched. His fist, wrapped in red energy, cracked the creature’s obsidian chest.
The Elemental roared in surprise, dropping Chen. Mei scrambled out from the rubble and dragged Chen toward the safety of a concrete pillar.
"Xin! Stop!" Mei screamed. "The energy is turning black! You’re going to burn out!"
Xin didn't hear her. He saw only red. He tackled the monster, and the two of them crashed through a brick wall into the supply depot.
Inside, the depot was filled with rows of glowing vats. This was the "Evolution Fluid" Captain Han had mentioned—thick, neon-green liquid used to power the alien army.
The Elemental kicked Xin off and stood up, its chest smoking. "You think a little anger makes you a god? You are still meat and bone!"
The monster raised both hands. The lava flowing through its veins surged, and it shot a stream of molten rock at Xin.
Xin didn't dodge. He stood his ground and held up his hands. The red energy formed a jagged, vibrating shield. The lava hit the shield and splashed harmlessly to the sides, melting the floor.
"Host," the voice warned, sounding distorted. "Energy levels at 150%. Physical body sustaining damage. Please... vent... the... power..."
"Venting!" Xin screamed.
He grabbed one of the nearby vats of Evolution Fluid and ripped the lid off. He didn't drink it—he jammed his glowing red hand directly into the liquid.
The reaction was violent. The green fluid turned silver, then red, then exploded. The shockwave knocked the Elemental back into a rack of weapons. Xin stood in the center of the explosion, absorbing the raw energy.
[Level 5 Unlocked: Core Integration.]
[New Ability: Weapon Manifestation.]
The heavy metallic glove Captain Han had given him began to melt and reshape itself. It fused with the silver mark on Xin’s arm, forming a sleek, armored gauntlet that hummed with power.
Xin felt his mind clear. The red rage cooled into a sharp, focused blue. He wasn't a window cleaner anymore. He looked like a soldier from the future.
"My turn," Xin said.
He pointed his new gauntlet at the Elemental. He didn't fire a blast. Instead, he pulled. The gravity in the room shifted. The Elemental was yanked toward Xin as if caught on an invisible hook.
As the monster flew toward him, Xin swung his gauntlet. A blade of solid light erupted from the wrist. With one clean motion, he sliced through the creature’s core.
The Elemental froze. Its eyes flickered, then went dark. It shattered into a thousand pieces of cold stone.
Silence filled the depot. Xin stood there, his chest heaving, his new armor glowing softly.
"Xin?" Mei’s voice was small. She and Chen walked slowly into the room.
Chen was limping, his face bruised, but he was alive. He looked at Xin—at the glowing armor and the cold light in his eyes—and he didn't smile. He looked afraid.
"What did they do to you, kid?" Chen whispered.
Xin looked at his hand. The gauntlet felt like it was part of his skin. He realized he couldn't take it off. He had traded a piece of his humanity for the power to save his friend.
"I'm okay, Chen," Xin said, though his voice sounded robotic. "I'm just... upgraded."
"We found the Fluid," Mei said, trying to break the tension. She looked at the smashed vats. "Well, what’s left of it. Captain Han is going to be happy. With this energy, we can power the Resistance's EMP jammer."
"It won't be enough," Xin said, looking up. His Pulse Sense was stronger now. He could feel the giant spire in the center of the city humming. It was getting louder. "The Reverse protocol has reached 80%. We have less than an hour."
Suddenly, the ground groaned. Not from an explosion, but from the earth itself.
Outside, a car floated into the air. Then a mailbox. Then a stray dog.
"It's starting," Mei gasped, grabbing onto a heavy metal pipe. "The gravity... it’s flipping!"
Xin planted his boots. His armor locked onto the floor with magnetic force. He grabbed Chen and Mei, holding them down as the world around them began to fall up.
"Host," the voice said. "The Elemental General is calling for you. He is at the top of the spire. He says if you don't come, he will drop the city from ten miles up."
Xin looked at Chen. "I have to go."
"You can't fly, Xin!" Chen yelled, clutching the pipe for dear life.
Xin looked at his glowing gauntlet. He felt the Engine inside him, ready to roar. He looked at the giant spire piercing the clouds, the center of the nightmare.
"I don't need to fly," Xin said. "I'm just going to fall... in the wrong direction."
He released his magnetic lock. Instead of falling to the floor, Xin was sucked toward the ceiling. He smashed through the skylight of the depot and shot into the air, falling toward the sky.
Beneath him, the city was a mess of floating debris and screaming people. Above him, the golden fortress waited like an open mouth.
And standing on the very tip of the spire, surrounded by a whirlwind of lightning, was the General.
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The Deep Blue Secret
The battle for the mind was won, but the war was just getting started.Xin stood on the deck of a small, rusty boat. The city of Jiangnan was far behind them, a jagged line on the horizon. Ahead of them was the endless, dark blue of the ocean."Are you sure about this?" Mei asked. She was busy fixing a bulky diving suit made of metal scraps and alien wires. "The ocean is deep, Xin. And since the meteors fell, the fish haven't exactly been friendly."Xin looked at his chest. The silver mark was pulsing with a soft blue light, pointing like a compass toward the bottom of the sea."Host," the Engine’s voice hummed. "The Star-Steel is below. It is a piece of the original meteor that fell into the trench. You need it to harden your armor for the Level 20 evolution.""I'm sure," Xin said. He looked at the suit Mei had built. "And I’m glad you’re the one who built this. I’d hate to spring a leak a mile down.""Don't worry," Mei grinned, tightening a bolt with her wrench. "It’s 90% wat
Into the Nightmare Zone
Xin and Mei didn't wait. They jumped onto the flying bike and roared toward the center of the city. The giant glass Spire stood tall against the dark sky, but it didn't look like a beacon of hope anymore. It looked like a tomb.When they landed at the base, Captain Han was waiting. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week. Around him, dozens of soldiers were sitting on the ground, staring at nothing. Their eyes were wide open, but they weren't "there.""They won’t wake up," Han said, his voice cracking. "It started with the civilians we rescued from the fortress. Then it spread to my guards. They just... stop talking. Then they start screaming in their sleep."Xin walked up to a young soldier. He used his new Pulse Sense. In his mind’s eye, he didn't see blood or bones. He saw a thick, oily purple mist wrapped around the man’s brain."It’s a Mind-Stalker," Xin said. "A parasite from Earth-6. It feeds on fear. If we don't pull it out, their minds will dry up and die.""How do we
The Price of Peace
Two weeks had passed since the sky closed. Jiangnan City was a mess of construction cranes and broken glass. But for Xin, the hardest part wasn't the rubble—it was the quiet.He sat on the edge of a rooftop, looking at his hands. Without the armor, he looked like a normal kid again. But the silver mark on his chest felt like a cold stone. It hadn't glowed since the fight."If you stare at your palm any harder, you’ll grow a third eye," a voice teased.Mei climbed onto the roof, carrying two steaming bowls of noodles. She handed one to Xin."Any word from the 'Voice'?" she asked, sitting down."Nothing," Xin said, slurping the salty broth. "It’s like the Engine went into a coma. I tried to lift a brick yesterday and almost pulled a muscle. I think I’m back to Level 0.""Better than being a Level 10 statue," Mei said. She pointed toward the center of the city.The Spire was still there. It didn't belong to the Elementals anymore. The Resistance had turned it into a research base
The Hero's Final Stand
The General laughed, a sound like grinding metal. He was pinned to the ceiling by the gravity field, but he still acted like he had won."Time is up, Xin," the General sneered. "The portal is closing. You have sixty seconds. Do you save your planet, or do you save those few tiny souls?"Xin’s hand hovered over the big blue button. Inside his helmet, red lights flashed."Warning," the Engine’s voice said. "Closing the Spire now saves Earth. But 4,200 people are still trapped inside the alien ship. If you close it, they stay in Earth-6 forever.""Xin! Don't listen!" Mei’s voice crackled in his ear. "If you don't shut it down, the whole alien army will come through! You can't fight an entire world!"Xin looked out the window. High in the clouds, the giant golden ship hung like a hungry monster. He thought about the people inside. They weren't soldiers. They were just regular people—moms, dads, and kids. People just like him."I’m not choosing," Xin whispered."What?" the General
Falling Up
Falling is usually a terrifying thing. But falling upward into a violet sky while the city screams beneath you is a whole different kind of nightmare.Xin soared through the air, surrounded by floating cars, chunks of asphalt, and screaming office chairs. The gravity of Earth-1 was losing the tug-of-war with the Earth-6 spire."Host," the voice in his head hummed. "Approach velocity is too high. You will hit the spire at 200 miles per hour. This will result in a very flat Window Cleaner.""Not today!" Xin gritted his teeth.He didn't use his blade. He looked down—or up—at the thousands of people being sucked into the sky. He saw a school bus hovering dangerously close to a swirling vortex of energy."I have to fix the gravity first!" Xin roared.He pulled his knees to his chest and focused every bit of his Level 5 power into his gauntlet. The silver mark on his chest burned so bright it shone through his shirt.[Initiating Kinetic Discharge...]Xin slammed his glowing fist int
The Red Spark
The dust from the cave-in hung heavy in the air. Xin’s lungs burned, but the sight in front of him made his blood turn to ice.The Elemental was massive, its body made of jagged obsidian and flowing lava. It held Old Chen off the ground with one hand. Chen, the man who had taught Xin how to tie a safety knot and shared his lunch every day for three years, looked like a broken doll."Put him down," Xin said. His voice wasn't shaking anymore. It was flat and cold."Come and take him, little Spark," the Elemental hissed. Its grip tightened. Chen let out a strangled groan."Warning," the voice in Xin’s head rang out. "Emotional distress detected. Host energy is turning volatile. If you attack now, the Engine will enter 'Overdrive.' You will gain power, but you may lose your mind."I don't care, Xin thought. Save him."Xin... don't..." Chen wheezed, his eyes bulging. "Just... run...""I'm done running, Chen," Xin said.Xin didn't wait for a plan. He didn't wait for Mei or the Capt
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