Chapter 103
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Chapter 103: The Answer to the Question
The words from the other party, sounding as if they were mentally unhinged, truly amused Holy Shield.
Did they think they could dig out the foundation without anything to support them?
Was it all just talk?
His smile gradually turned somber, as if covered by a veil filled with malice.
"Do you know what it feels like to be crushed to death?"
He extended his right hand, and a purple energy ball began to rapidly coalesce.
But this was merely a decoy; his ability didn’t actually require buildup and could envelop the person in front of him in less than a tenth of a second.
However, Paster appeared completely unfazed.
A faint glimmer flashed around him, and the white coat suddenly vanished.
He opened his right hand, revealing a heart-shaped toy that was larger than his fist.
"I’m quite curious — will you crush me into pulp first, or will I burst your heart first?"
The two locked eyes, and the room fell into a deathly silence.
They both understood that neither was lying.
Indeed, this was the caliber of the first team.
Lin Qingliu felt a sweat in his heart; fortunately, he could still live even if he turned into pulp. Otherwise, he would truly be afraid.
He had at least three methods to kill the person in front of him.
But killing wasn’t the objective; saving was.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha."
After a few seconds, both of them laughed in unison. Holy Shield, who naturally had a larger frame and was now slightly thinner, sounded like a beaten drum, his laughter echoing throughout the room.
"You are indeed quite interesting."
He scanned Lin Qingliu from top to bottom, as if evaluating a product.
"Tell me your true intention and let me see what these so-called ‘Followers’ really want to do."
"Sure, but I’d like to ask two questions first."
"Go ahead."
"First, why pretend to be sick?
"Second, what purpose do the components embedded in your right arm serve?"
When he heard the first question, Holy Shield still appeared calm.
But when Lin Qingliu mentioned the right arm and components, in less than a tenth of a second, the shield had already enveloped Lin Qingliu.
Holy Shield’s facial expression changed even slower than his hand’s movement, and this time the shield was no longer lightly purple but had turned into a deep purple, as if entering a super-frequency mode.
In his eyes, the killing intent could no longer be concealed:
“What exactly did you see? What do you know?”
Holy Shield’s voice carried a tone of inquiry mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible hint of fear, as if he both longed to know and dreaded the answer.
There was no response.
The shield tightened, and the humanoid within struggled in agony for two seconds before shattering like glass.
Threads of illusion dissipated as the shield contracted until it vanished completely.
At the same moment, Holy Shield felt a cool hand gently closing around his heart.
It was over.
"Answer my questions. I won’t give you a third chance."
Holy Shield hesitated for a moment, then let out a long sigh:
"It’s truly astonishing. I can’t comprehend the way your ability manifests.
"But even so, I still can’t answer those two questions. I can only say this much.
"Today’s events have unfolded this way, and I bear the primary responsibility.
"If possible, I would willingly give my life to make amends, but for now, I just want to say that everything I’ve done was for humanity."
"Beep! Self-destruct sequence initiated, 59, 58…"
Lin Qingliu’s pupils dilated instantly as the voice unmistakably came from Holy Shield’s right arm.
Holy Shield raised his arm, a bitter smile on his face:
"Withdraw your hand; it’s no longer necessary."
Lin Qingliu instinctively wanted to sever the other’s arm to save him.
But with his Knowledge Path ability activated, he could see toxins beginning to spread through Holy Shield’s body.
The toxins rapidly infiltrated the tissues through the bloodstream, and in this situation, even Lin Qingliu found himself powerless.
He pulled his right hand out of Holy Shield’s body, and the two locked eyes again, though the earlier killing intent had vanished.
Lin Qingliu knew the other would say nothing more, yet he still clung to a faint glimmer of hope.
"50, 49…"
Holy Shield waved his hand, signaling Lin Qingliu to remain silent, but his face showed no trace of sorrow, as if Sisyphus had finally found release.
He took out a non-standard communicator and began recording a message:
"Son, I’m sorry to tell you this now. When you hear this recording, you should have just returned from the front lines.
"Though it may seem disrespectful, I hope you won’t delve into my death; it has nothing to do with anyone.
"You often asked me about ability development, and I’ve always kept it shrouded in secrecy because I…
"Never mind, son. Live well, for humanity and for yourself."
“Click.”
Holy Shield pressed the communicator to end the recording.
"30, 29…"
“I can tell you’re not a bad person. Relax; the pursuit of knowledge is a natural human instinct, and this situation isn’t your fault.”
Lin Qingliu remained silent.
"To be honest, I don’t have much time left. Even without this incident, I probably only have a month or two. I’m glad to know there’s another organization fighting for humanity before I die. Relying solely on the higher-ups and the Hope Council isn’t enough."
Holy Shield smiled faintly; it was the first time he had seen surprise on this man’s face.
“Please forgive me for not being able to say more, or else I won’t even have sixty seconds to leave my final words.”
As he spoke, Holy Shield handed the special communicator to Lin Qingliu.
"If one day you need my son’s help, show him this, and he will trust you."
Holy Shield didn’t fully understand why he was doing this, but this man was his only support at that moment.
After delivering his last instructions, he leaned back against the wheelchair and began to await death.
From start to finish, he showed no trace of fear.
“20, 19…”
“Do you want today’s incident to be resolved?”
In the final twenty seconds, Lin Qingliu suddenly asked.
“Who wouldn’t?”
“True. Could you do me a favor?”
“Go on.”
“Use the last ten seconds of your life to pass through the gods’ trial and resolve today’s incident with your own life.”
“Really?”
“That’s one of the reasons I came here today.”
Holy Shield’s eyes gleamed:
“I wouldn’t have it any other way!”
“12, 11…”
Lin Qingliu inserted the USB drive he carried into the back of Holy Shield’s head.
Confirming [bestow a blessing].
Time flowed slowly; Lin Qingliu knew that although the Divine Enlightenment Dream could span decades or even centuries, in reality, it would only take a few seconds.
His followers awoke slowly because they had entered a deep sleep coupled with an overflow of power.
As for Holy Shield, his combat experience was vast, his physical strength formidable, and his intellect and knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary people.
Even though the situation had turned out this way, and even though the state of divine enlightenment couldn’t delay his death, Lin Qingliu still had faith in him.
“3, 2, 1, 0, beep beep beep beep beep!”
