Chapter 539: The Abyss Awakening

Work is all that matters…

With a pure, simple resolve, Lu Xin seized the elusive strands behind Black Jack and yanked them hard. These strands, once as unreal as a mirage—more like distorted light in a particular condition—had suddenly become tangible.

But as Lu Xin reached out, he truly grasped them and forcefully pulled them toward himself.

“Crack…”

The strands snapped instantly, becoming rigid lines.

It was as if, deep in an endless abyss, at the very end of those strands, something was caught by Lu Xin’s pull.

The weight was immense, like a single strand of hair anchoring an entire mountain.

Lu Xin tugged at the hair-like strand, only to feel its unyielding heaviness.

Frowning slightly, he exerted even more force.

Boom!

The whole abyss roiled as if struck by a massive earthquake. Crumbling buildings collapsed, and terrifying fissures marred the earth, while mental monsters across every direction lay trembling on the ground.

In the distance, something was indeed being drawn near by Lu Xin’s pull.

A dense, nearly impenetrable, blood-red mist burst forth like a surging spring, gradually fading.

Layer upon layer of eerie dust floated upward, obscuring the moon over this ruined world.

Lu Xin continued pulling forcefully, drawing it closer to him.

The pervasive mist thickened even more, spreading out in successive layers.

It resembled a colossal, shapeless beast from the deep sea, drawing ever nearer to the surface.

Behind the red mist, a shadow gradually emerged from the darkness, growing clearer and closer.

As the red mist thinned, the massive form at the end of the strands emerged—a gigantic python at least several hundred meters long, its enormous frame coiling amid the ruins. Its mere movement toppled surrounding broken-down buildings, leaving crater-like pits in the earth.

Excited, Lu Xin looked upward.

His gaze pierced through the dissipating mist of the abyss until it finally landed on the beast.

It truly was a giant python, with a body as thick as a high-rise and a head as large as an entire residential area. Its surface was adorned not with scales or fur but with countless black hands, like barbs, each gripping a strand that spread outward.

Being forcefully dragged closer by Lu Xin, it seemed as though the creature had just been jolted awake from a deep slumber.

From behind the mist, a humanoid head suddenly turned; its tired eyes slowly opened and fixed a gaze as cold as electric currents.

That piercing look met Lu Xin’s eyes.

It felt as if two powerful mental impacts had collided, sending ripples outward from the center.

Around the epicenter, countless mental monsters sprawled on the ground were instantly torn to shreds by the cascading chaos.

Cracks split the earth, fissuring like torn pieces of bread.

“Hehehe…”

Even as the mental impacts annihilated each other, the black particles in Lu Xin’s eyes seemed to settle briefly.

But in the very next moment, his expression grew even more animated.

Alternating his hands, he tugged the strands with even greater force.

“Swish…”

At the same time, the massive, indescribable entity’s eyes suddenly turned ice-cold.

Sensing a powerful pull, it shot Lu Xin an ominously chilling look before, without warning, a large section of its body—a palm that had been gripping the strands—detached and flew off.

Feeling a sudden release, Lu Xin staggered backward a few steps, anger flickering across his face.

He then strode resolutely toward the window, his eyes pitch black as he fixed his gaze on the creature lurking deep within the red mist.

The black particles in his eyes trembled violently, as if wild fury had reached its peak.

Meanwhile, the beast, after losing the hand that had grasped the strands, began retreating. Its face, once weary, now appeared sharply alert.

As layers of red mist blocked its path, it slowly bowed its head.

Strangely, it even seemed to be bowing in deference to Lu Xin.

But after that gesture, it lifted its head again, glared at Lu Xin, and offered a cold, sinister smile.

Whoosh…

Soon, the monster’s colossal form was swallowed up by the layers of red mist, vanishing from sight.

Yet Lu Xin stood by the window, his gaze fixed coolly on the direction of its disappearance.

……

……

“Mr. Single Soldier…”

At that moment, a faint voice sounded from behind.

It was Han Bing.

Her face had turned pale, completely drained of color; summoning all her strength, she managed a feeble cry.

She had been dragged into the abyss as an ordinary person.

During those few seconds in the abyss, she had completely lost her breath, overwhelmed by an endless tide of terror.

Earlier, Han Bing had seen experimental data on ordinary people entering the abyss—a batch of high-level information shared by the Central City Moon Eclipse Research Institute. It was said that once ordinary people spent over thirty seconds in the abyss, they either went insane or developed an anomalous ability, with a 99.999% chance of madness.

Now, her mind was filled with bizarre screams, whispers, hallucinations, and nightmares.

It wasn’t that she only broke down at the end; she had been yearning to cry for help all along.

It was just that the thought, initially only an impulse, had only now finally emerged as a cry for help…

Alerted by Han Bing’s faint voice, Lu Xin slowly turned his head.

Seeing Han Bing crouched on the ground with her hands over her ears, his eyes flashed with a momentary look of disgust.

He stood silently for two seconds, seemingly with no intention of lending a hand.

After two seconds, the black particles in his eyes quickly receded, restoring their usual stark contrast.

He rubbed his face, gradually smoothing away that exaggerated smile.

Only then did a look of worry cross his face as he hurried over and supported Han Bing.

Worried, he murmured, “It’s okay, I’ll help you…”

Amidst the chaotic clamor inside her head, Han Bing might never even realize those two seconds had passed.

“Let’s go back.”

While supporting Han Bing, he turned and spoke softly to Black Jack.

Black Jack’s scalp tingled and his mind went blank. Without time for further thought, he unleashed his ability with all his might.

It was as if the entire scene were rewinding.

Layer by layer, the peeling wallpaper, the fading sparks of burning embers, and the tide of murmurs disappeared in a blink.

Around the fragmented walls, everything rapidly reassembled until the walls connected, outlining the ceiling, followed by the television, bed, and the frosted glass of the bathroom—all snapping back as if never broken.

They had returned to the hotel room, and even the view outside the window along with the night seemed perfectly normal again.

Only an eerie silence prevailed.

Not a sound could be heard, as if every noise had been completely cut off.

“Phew…”

After a long while, Lu Xin finally exhaled softly and slowly turned around.

At that moment, time in the room appeared to start flowing again as various chaotic sounds filled the space.

Han Bing’s face remained exceptionally pale as she retreated a few steps, her eyes dazed. Realizing she had returned to reality, her legs trembled uncontrollably, though she quickly reached out to steady herself by the window.

Elsewhere, the Ponytailed Man also emitted heavy, labored breaths.

But as abruptly as the gasps came, they ceased—leaving only a pair of terrified eyes fixed intently on Lu Xin’s face.

“Are you alright?”

Lu Xin was the first to rush to Han Bing’s side and ask with genuine concern.

Then he turned his head, his expression growing serious as he looked at the Ponytailed Man.

“Swish!”

Sensing his gaze, the Ponytailed Man abruptly looked up and shot Lu Xin a quick glance.

His expression remained impassive, though his eyes still betrayed deep fear and confusion.

Without further questions, he suddenly said, “Your teammate is under attack by my team. Hurry and save them.”

“Hmm?”

Both Lu Xin and Han Bing exchanged surprised looks.

The Ponytailed Man continued rapidly, “They’re at the intersection of Changzhong Street and Guoyuan Street. One of them is in the Spider-type Second Stage, another can create illusionary clones and real threats, and a third uses mental iron nails to spread a maddening plague. Your teammates are in danger. Save them—and you’ll also be saving my teammates.”

“Alright.”

Lu Xin reacted, furrowing his brow as his head dropped slightly.

By the doorframe, Mom mirrored his movement and quietly said, “That’s right…”

Lu Xin looked up at the Ponytailed Man and asked, “What if we can’t save your teammates?”

The Ponytailed Man’s impassive face showed a trace of pain and regret as he slowly closed his eyes, then reopened them.

“At least you can ensure they don’t suffer so much in death.”

In a low voice, he murmured, “It’s all my fault that they fell into their trap.”

Lu Xin gave a wry smile and nodded, “That works.”

But after saying that, he sat quietly on the edge of the bed, motionless.

Growing anxious, Han Bing couldn’t help but call, “Mr. Single Soldier…”

Lu Xin seemed not to hear her, his eyes fixed on empty space as he nodded slightly.

Throughout this, his face carried a hint of mockery.

There was an air of careless dismissal about him, as if the matter meant little.

Then he slowly turned to face her, a slight smile appearing as he said, “Don’t worry, they’ll be okay.”

“This…”

Under Lu Xin’s unwavering gaze, Han Bing felt her heart skip a beat or two.

For some reason, seeing Lu Xin’s sincere and confident smile left her momentarily dazed.

She couldn’t understand how Lu Xin, calmly sitting there, could assure her that teammates far from the hotel would be safe. What puzzled her further was the strange aura he exuded…

A strange thought stirred in her mind: Is the man before her truly Mr. Single Soldier?

PS: Check out Ye Duizui’s new book ‘Teacher, Please Come’—a new teacher’s difficult class is about to face some serious problems…