Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

The attacks were too frequent.

There are too many directions.

He had to simultaneously maintain the stability of the firewall, repair the gaps torn by the infrasound, squeeze the foam filling space, create a line of fire to deal with the drone's dive, and sense the sniper's aiming timing—

Every second is being calculated.

Every second is being wasted.

The enemy's attack did not stop for even a second.

The sweat just seeped out of the skin and was evaporated by the high temperature around the body.

Faced with the overwhelming depletion of the city's resources, he finally felt the weakness caused by excessive consumption.

Li Rui clenched his teeth, a hoarse, metallic taste of blood escaping his throat.

He wanted to fight back, but if he spared even a fraction of his strength to attack the outer perimeter, the wall of fire around him would collapse instantly, and the infrasound powerful enough to shatter internal organs and the suffocating foam would completely engulf him.

The defensive line, under immense strain, retreated inch by inch.

Finally, in a certain moment—

The peak of the infrasound and the torrent of flame-retardant foam collided simultaneously at the same point, in their most violent form, against the weakest left side of the firewall.

"Pop".

A soft sound, like a bubble bursting, exploded in Li Rui's mind.

An unexpected gap appeared in that seemingly indestructible wall of dark red fire.

"Fire!!!" Gu Heng roared from inside the command vehicle.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Six specially modified high-pressure tranquilizer darts precisely penetrated the fleeting gap in the wall of fire.

puff!

puff!

puff!

Blood blossomed simultaneously on Li Rui's legs and forearms.

The specially formulated anesthetic destroys the motor commands of the central nervous system at an alarming speed the moment it comes into contact with the blood.

Li Rui's body stiffened abruptly, and his knees instantly lost all strength.

With a "thud," he fell heavily onto the floor covered in frost and ash.

As he fell, the dark red wall of fire that had been desperately holding on vanished with a roar.

The moment the firewall disappeared, the Special Investigations Bureau assault team, who had been waiting in ambush, surged into the corridor like a tidal wave.

Blue arcs of electricity from the high-voltage stun gun danced wildly on Li Rui's body, while a specially made ultra-high-strength alloy restraint net covered his head, trapping him tightly within it.

Immediately afterwards, a large amount of flame-retardant foam was sprayed directly onto his body, completely covering and solidifying him.

A swarm of drones descended from mid-air, their loudspeakers playing a cold, ultimatum-like message urging surrender on a loop:

"Li Rui, you have no way out. Give up resistance and cooperate with the investigation. This is your only way to survive."

"Give up resistance and cooperate with the investigation; this is your only way to survive..."

The mechanical sound echoed in the deathly silent study, sounding incredibly jarring.

……

The footage was transmitted back to the command center.

After a brief silence, the hardline Special Investigations officers could hardly contain their excitement. One of them pumped his fist and whispered, "We caught them!"

The keyboards of the technical team instantly filled the room as they frantically recorded all the data for this historic moment.

And in front of the main control panel.

Gu Heng slowly straightened up, his hands braced on the table, staring intently at the figure on the screen who was bound by a net, covered in foam, and collapsed to the ground.

On that usually deep and reserved face, a feverish, determined smile now appeared uncontrollably.

Live specimen.

The "abnormal being" who possessed the power to overturn the rules of the world finally fell into his hands.

……

The restraint net dug deep into his flesh, and the blue arcs of electricity jumped irregularly, causing Li Rui to experience spasms.

The anesthetic was traveling up his blood vessels, gradually cutting off all motor commands from his central nervous system.

His limbs were completely out of control, and the flame-retardant foam, like a lump of mud, covered half of his face.

"Give up resistance and cooperate with the investigation; this is your only way to survive..."

The surrender-persuasion voice playing on a loop from the drone's loudspeaker overhead was so jarring, it sounded just like an absurd verdict.

All around him, a dozen or so dark gun barrels were pointed at him, the absolute force that this meat grinder called "Order" was displaying to him, this "faulty part".

Li Rui lowered his head, his vision gradually blurring.

He really had no strength left.

That night, he fought his way from the Seventh District to the Fourth District, burning through the mercenaries' blockade with his karmic fire, melting the Special Investigations Bureau's heavy firepower, and also burning away his last bit of spiritual potential.

In his mind, the blood-stained register of revenge was turning page by page.

Zhang Ziqian, who laughed so unrestrainedly at him outside the courthouse, is now gone.

Zhou Shouzhen, who sat high on the judge's bench and traded his conscience for his future, was burned to ashes.

Zhang Zhaoqing, who treated living people as expendable resources and created demons in the underground fortress, was burned to ashes.

And Wang Shijun, who thought himself superior and manipulated everyone's fate as a pawn, along with his ridiculous arrogance, was reduced to ashes.

All the grudges have been settled.

Those directly responsible for Xiaoxiao's tragic death, as well as those behind the scenes, were all sent to hell by karmic fire.

Can we stop now...?

I'm really tired.

My bones hurt, my nerves hurt, my soul hurts.

Just close your eyes and let them take you away like a specimen, or even shoot you to death, it doesn't matter, right?

Anyway, he has done everything he was supposed to do.

Li Rui's eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and his pupils, which had once shone with a blood-gold light, were gradually dimming and falling into endless darkness.

In that tiny second when his will was about to completely dissipate.

A faint yet exceptionally clear warm pulse came from my chest.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

The ruby ​​brooch, pressed tightly against his inner pocket, pierced his numb nerves, sending a stubborn warmth directly into the depths of his soul.

In a daze, the cold ruins and blinding lightning before my eyes receded like the tide.

Li Rui found himself standing in that familiar entryway.

The clear morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled, golden light on the floor.

She was standing there.

Wearing a light apricot-colored knitted cardigan, her hair was slightly ruffled by the morning breeze, and the flame-shaped ruby ​​brooch on her collar shone brightly in the sunlight, reflecting the warmest light in the world.

She tiptoed slightly and, as always, smoothed out the wrinkles on his collar.

Then, she raised her head, her clear, bright eyes looking directly at him.

She stretched out her fair and soft fingers and gently touched his heart.

"But you are the fiercest fire."

She smiled, and with an almost obsessive trust, softly uttered those words:

"Go and burn through the darkness."

boom!

In reality, Li Rui's eyes, which were about to close, suddenly opened!

No.

We can't stop yet!