Chapter 50: The End

Humans cannot easily perceive the existence of the虚界, but for the offspring who inherently belong to the void, it is effortless.

In accordance with 020's request, she only needed to perform a most rudimentary "ritual."

She rolled up the short blade attached to her garment and pointed it at her own forehead.

"Though the resonance between mundane objects and our kind is faint, it can serve as your medium to return to eternity."

The blade pressed slowly and firmly into the skin of her forehead.

Xingyu felt the familiar, slight dull ache, but even more so, an indescribable shudder.

Finally, tiny cracks emerged on her forehead, and bright red blood slowly oozed out.

"This is the first mark. A minor fissure is not enough to open the passage of connection. Continue."

She raised both hands, and two shapeless limbs extended from her shoulders, resembling tentacles of the void.

The newly split limbs wrapped around two short blades, precisely piercing her left and right palms, carving triangular symbols.

Blood flowed from the three wounds, but it did not drip down.

The membrane between the planes grew softer, and the pure white world opened before her once again, as if the background color of the universe was being revealed.

In this moment, she understood.

Every white space she had ever seen belonged to the虚界.

It coexists with the material world and interacts with it, serving as the carrier for all information flow and the source of all "intuition" and "premonition."

The intense premonition from just a moment ago was precisely the urgent summons of the虚界.

By gazing directly into the虚界, she would gain greater inspiration and revelation, making it easier to touch the undercurrents beneath reality.

"The虚界 is the shadow of reality, yet also the essence of reality. Ordinary people can only glimpse a corner of it in dreams and hallucinations, but you, my youngest sister, can now face this eternal truth head-on."

Every drop of blood seemed to traverse the barrier between planes, transforming into pure white energy in another dimension.

This energy was not stationary, but pulsated within the void, attracting and merging with one another, weaving intricate patterns.

In the end, her blood converged into a spiral rune. This rune slowly rotated within the虚界.

Simultaneously, the air in the material world trembled unnaturally, as if the two dimensions were overlapping to some degree.

"Remember. This is our essence, the true name shared within the void."

As the final syllable fell, its form began to blur, as if melting into the surrounding space.

As 020 drew closer, the changes within the nest became far more violent.

Light and shadow began to pulsate, as if welcoming its return.

The nest reached out toward 020, greeting its master like a living creature.

New passages and spaces continuously formed, while old parts disappeared or reorganized.

The nest was constantly adapting and evolving, every change making it more complex and powerful.

"...The time has come."

Xingyu murmured to herself, enduring the familiar dry sensation as she looked at the triangular wound on her hand.

The wound did not vanish.

She seemed to have acquired a... new ability, or knowledge.

The importance of this ability or knowledge went without saying, but its nature and application remained to be explored.

She hadn't even processed the chip in her body according to plan, nor had she found and investigated the Supervisor...

At this moment, a silvery-white path emerged within the虚界, like a bright ray of light amidst dust.

...A path?

This path was identical to the one she had once seen in 020's memories.

She even subconsciously rubbed her "eyes," then switched back to human form.

The visions of the虚界 faded from her field of vision, but the presence of that path remained intense, acting as a guidance carved deep into her soul.

At the end of the path lies...

She had a vague premonition.

A small amount of blood trickled down from between her brows, but she ignored it, quickly following the silvery-white path forward.

Moving forward.

Moving forward.

Her pace gradually accelerated from cautious walking until it became a nearly instinctive run.

The road surface gradually leveled out, as if paving the way for her advancement.

The dim light barely illuminated the dilapidated street scene before her. Pocked concrete ground was sparsely dotted with a few yellowish street lamps, casting gloomy light.

Flanked by grayish-black brick buildings, their walls mottled and peeling, exuding an air of decay.

The night was too deep. At this hour, the streets of the D-Ring were nearly deserted.

On the empty road, two figures were walking side by side, left and right.

They seemed to consciously choose more secluded routes, heading toward areas devoid of human presence.

Those backs were somewhat familiar.

Xingyu's fingers brushed against the short blade tightly bound to her leg.

She carefully checked the wall, confirming that the foothold was safe and sound before lightly vaulting onto the roof of a single-story house without making a single sound.

From her vantage point on the roof, Xingyu continued to track the two figures ahead.

They conversed from time to time, their voices blown away by the wind, making a single word impossible to discern.

Her pupils flickered in the darkness, resembling a predator locking onto its prey.

Her heart pounded violently in her chest, but she forced herself to remain calm.

She was not yet within range of her [Information Reading].

A little closer...

Her breathing grew light and shallow as Xingyu struggled to control her presence.

There was a distance of nearly a person's length between the continuous flat rooftops, and she leaped across them nimbly.

There was no need to check the status of the虚界 anymore; she knew the path guiding her had pointed to the destination.

As the distance closed, Xingyu's gaze locked dead onto the information manifesting on the figure to the right.

Supervisor of the Borderland Mutual Aid Alliance.

Senior Agent of the Nine-Ray Commission.

[Ability: Blood Extraction.]

[Basic Effect: Forcibly extract blood through physical contact with living organisms, which can be stored and used.]

[Branch Effect: Blood Perception—Sense the blood flow of medium-distance organisms in the surroundings to determine their position and state.]

[Branch Effect: State Isomerization—Alter the physical properties of extracted blood.]

That business suit uniform, which seemed out of place in the F-Ring... As expected, it was not ordinary fabric, but a unique material bearing a special serial number and name.

As for the person beside him—he was a full-fledged agent also affiliated with the Nine-Ray Commission, but not an Extraordinary.

She bit down on the index finger of her left hand, her teeth overlapping with a simulated circle of bite marks to prevent herself from making any sound due to the impending pain.

Like melting wax, Xingyu's form instantly transformed into a pool of flowing liquid.

Her consciousness expanded under this special state, rapidly blending into the surrounding shadows.

In the虚界, she saw a blood-red figure that completely overlapped with the Supervisor's silhouette.

The very next moment after she completed her concealment, two slender, scarlet threads pierced the air like lightning, precisely nailing into the spot where she had originally hidden.

The sharp bloodlines nearly pierced the hard stone wall, producing a teeth-grating frictional sound.

The Supervisor's footsteps suddenly halted as he slowly turned his head, his sharp gaze seemingly able to pierce the darkness.

The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly, revealing a faint, elusive sneer.

Simultaneously, the full-fledged agent of Nine-Ray finally realized something was amiss and hurriedly halted his steps.

He looked at the Supervisor in confusion, tension lacing his voice: "What is wrong with you? Has something happened?"

"Leave," the Supervisor said in a cold, resolute voice. "I have private business to attend to."