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"Swoosh!"

A dazzling beam of light, seemingly brighter than sunlight itself, flashed momentarily across everyone's field of vision.

Two azure beams shot out from the Minion's arm-mounted devices, the recoil so tremendous that it had to flick its wrist upwards at the exact moment of deployment.

"Zzzt!"

The beams emanating from both arms drew a perfect circle around the Minion's position, revealing the long-prepared lethal weapon's imposing power. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

The ground over which the beams passed turned pitch black, with only two finger-thick gaps revealing an abyss so deep that not even sunlight could penetrate.

Divide! Divide!

Everything in the path of the beams split into two distinct halves, clearly demarcated.

The stone ground nearby, the metal walls in the distance.

Even the Grey Iron City gorilla, standing behind the Minion and about to bring down its great sword, was bisected by the beam.

Under the high-temperature, high-energy beam, not even blood appeared at the site of the wound.

The halved Grey Iron City gorilla stood motionless for a long time; with a gust of wind, it seemed to realize it had become a creature of the dead, and its two halves fell irregularly to either side, forming an "eight" shape.

In front of the Minion, Bai E and Captain Rosehair, almost in a direct line, could not escape either.

Two halves.

Two halves.

This was a strike poised against Bai E for a long time.

The activation of the high-energy beam required a considerable charge-up, and at this unimaginable moment, the beam swept out without any warning, shocking everyone present.

Even if Bai E had been fully alert, it was doubtful he could have reacted in time to an attack from such a light weapon.

The lethal weapon from the original intelligent machines indeed possessed the fatal ability worthy of its name.

Rose held the body she had supported by its shoulder, feeling the mass in her hands instantly lighten by half, and her eyes became somewhat dull.

The sudden strike left her mind blank; no matter how much she trusted Bai E, it was hard to believe that someone could be saved after being split in two.

Not to mention that besides Bai E, no one else present had any medical...

"You!"

"You!"

The moment she thought of healing, Rose thought of You.

It had been she who recommended Bai E to go and learn medical capabilities, and she herself had explored the subject long ago.

You looked over from afar, a mournful shake of the head conveying, "I can't do it..."

I can't do it...

Once again... Once again witnessing teammates die before her eyes, and she was powerless to help!

You stood rooted to the spot, clenching her teeth, her whole body trembling.

Her fingers tightly gripped the submachine gun in her hands until, with a fierce motion, she charged toward the Minion, now in a brief state of overload.

Die! Let them all die!

Within You's seemingly calm and cool eyes, a cold, deadly stillness had settled.

"Ratatatatata!" Each bullet carried the flame of rage.

It was like a flickering spark...

"I can't die! I cannot die yet..." The figure standing there, split in two, struggled to maintain the balance of its bisected body.

Invisible, intangible grey mist, like some sticky, gluey substance, desperately tried to draw the two halves of the body together, preventing them from completely falling apart.

Formidable Spiritual Energy tenaciously bonded the body back together; the body, which tended to disperse, was once more united inch by inch under this force, and a piercing light shone in Rosehair's eyes, her will to survive never having been so fierce.

"This is my mission! I must complete everything! Let me finish it all!"

All the souls that had once resided within this body were merely temporary passengers, their ethereal lives ending at some unimportant moment, just as no one cared when the current soul had begun.

And no one cared now.

But there was something that had to be done now.

The captain from Blackwater City was very formidable, and a kind person... So, he must be devoured.

This task had to be undertaken personally.

I must completely settle matters with this soul here and now.

Then... freedom.

May the next soul that takes over this body be free from this moment forth.

No longer bound by the doctor's orders, no longer killing and devouring fellow beings for the sake of slaughter.

There are so many new things in this world.

Go see, go witness.

Go play, go laugh.

Go embrace this world!

"Swoosh!"

The formless mist instantly gathered from the crevices of the body, and with it, the body that had been split in two merged back into one.

The white-haired neck gently lowered from its thrown-back position, the eyes now shining with their restored lively gleam.

"Let me live a little longer..." she whispered softly, turning to look behind her.

"I can save him." White Hair hurried over and crouched down, her eyes sincerely looking at Rose, and the eye that was always hidden under the half-length white fringe also became visible, joining in the gaze upon Rose, "You go help. We can't let the proto-intelligent machine get its breath back."

'The other party is not to be trusted.' Rose always remembered the words Bai E had privately said to her before.

So she hesitated...

"Squeak~"

There was a strange sensation in the palm of her hand.

As if fingers were mischievously scratching at her palm.

In a place White Hair could not see, Rose's left hand was covering the fingertips of Bai E's left hand...

Rose was momentarily stunned, then suddenly overjoyed, yet she showed no sign of it on her face.

Seeming to have made a tough decision, Rose stared intently at the White Hair in front of her, her eyes serious and ice-cold for the first time, "Alright! But if anything happens to our captain, you all will join him in burial... even you."

White Hair looked straight into Rose's eyes, unflinching, "If he is in trouble, I'll be the first to join him in burial."

In terms of souls... shouldn't everyone be equal?

"I'm sorry..."

After Rose left and watched as the original proto-intelligent machine, having entered a temporary overload state from the use of lethal weapons, gradually regained most of its mobility, turning the battle chaotic once again, White Hair then leaned down beside Bai E's ear and whispered so gently.

"You are wonderful, but I can't resist the doctor's orders..."

The doctor's orders were like the deepest brand of thought, innate.

This body wasn't naturally grown; she was one of the doctor's finest creations.

"I will try my best to suppress the doctor's orders, from after my time..."

For some reason, maybe because the awakened soul this time was firm and intelligent, or perhaps it was because of getting "close" to that warm yet cold "sun"?

This body had never wavered during a mission like it had today.

Every target that perished in her mouth seemed as inconsequential as pigs or dogs, bringing her no sense of burden whatsoever.

But no matter what, this was the first time...

For the first time, the temporary occupant of this body started trying to resist the inborn mission of this body.

Yet that would only be a result visible to the next soul...

Change starts with me, yet I won't see the future that change brings.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Large drops of tears fell one by one onto Bai E's face, and White Hair, with a usually expressionless face, couldn't stop crying.

For the first time, emotions overcame the brand, and White Hair looked at the serene, sleeping face so close to her, apologizing for the last time.

"I'm sorry..."

But I can't delay any longer.

A recently deceased body is still useful; if we delay further, it won't satisfy the mad craving for consumption that comes from the brand in this body.

"I know you can't hear me, but I really want to say to you, face to face... I'm sorry."

"I heard you."