“Damn it…”
Yun Yao waved her hand to disperse the smoke in front of her as she navigated through the chaos alone.
The thick smoke was gradually clearing, but Yun Yao’s expression grew increasingly grim.
Because she couldn’t see Tian Tian in the crowd.
She wasn’t entirely sure which faction Tian Tian was working for now. After all, the two “Heavenly Moments” had almost completely disrupted all factions. Chu Tianqiu had mentioned that Tian Tian was involved in the Earth Dragon’s game, but she had ultimately stayed behind, and her fate remained unknown.
Yet, she had just seen Dr. Zhao and Han Yimo—so why hadn’t Tian Tian come out?
“Stupid kid… where the hell are you…?”
Frowning, Yun Yao pressed forward. Attackers kept appearing around her, but as they approached, they either tripped, dropped their weapons, or even accidentally injured their own allies with misplaced swings.
Yun Yao moved through the chaos with eerie calm, her eyes scanning the crowd for Tian Tian, completely ignoring the enemies around her.
Out of everyone on the battlefield, Yun Yao was the only one who hadn’t been touched even once, despite the explosions and enemies on all sides.
She could see Dr. Zhao, Han Yimo, even Zheng Yingxiong—but beyond them, there seemed to be no one else connected to Qi Xia.
A cautious realization settled in—she might have come to the wrong place. If Qi Xia wasn’t here, then Tian Tian likely wasn’t either.
The smoke ahead seemed to thin slightly. Yun Yao waved her hand again, confirming that visibility had indeed improved.
“This feels like Zhong Zhen’s ‘Thick Smoke’…” Yun Yao muttered, frowning. “Is he here too?”
A few more steps forward, and Yun Yao’s eyes caught a glimpse of the White Tiger ahead. It seemed her disoriented sense of direction had led her dangerously close to the center.
Even with her “Overwhelming Luck,” it was too risky to challenge the White Tiger’s conviction. She was about to retreat when a strange sensation prickled at her. She looked up at the dissipating white smoke in the air—then slowly widened her eyes.
Something was off…
Not far away, the fighting “participants” seemed to have noticed it too. One by one, they halted their movements, stunned, lifting their gazes toward the White Tiger’s direction.
The White Tiger raised his hand, repelling the swarm of “puppets” around him, finally gaining some clarity as the smoke thinned.
His vision clearing, he noticed the “puppets” were no longer under control—and the one manipulating them had long since vanished.
Those who had attacked him from the smoke had retreated far away. Now, with the haze nearly gone, only a tall woman remained in front of him.
“Absurd…”
The White Tiger suddenly raised his hand, summoning a violent gust that scattered the last remnants of smoke.
His eyes locked onto Yun Yao as he rasped, “I’ll make an example out of you…”
But before he could act, he noticed something unsettling—almost everyone around him was staring upward, behind him. A creeping unease spread through his chest.
Slowly, stiffly, the White Tiger turned.
Then froze, as if struck by lightning.
The open space behind him, where the giant clock and display screen should have stood, was now completely empty.
Not just missing—there wasn’t even a single shard left behind.
It was as if the clock and screen had never existed in the first place.
“Wh…?” His lips trembled, the world spinning around him.
What the hell was going on?
A structure that massive, destroyed without a trace—no debris, no sound?
His mind reeled, leaving only one thought echoing endlessly—
It’s over.
“This… this is too much…” The White Tiger’s entire body began to shake. “If those two truly lose their temper… every ‘participant’ here is doomed…”
Yet the square remained eerily still. With the smoke gone, everyone could finally see clearly—they hadn’t been mistaken.
The giant clock and screen were gone.
The “Extremists” realized they might have somehow completed their mission in the chaos. The “supporters” realized they might have failed theirs in the confusion.
No one moved. The silence was suffocating.
“It’s over… everything’s over…” The White Tiger muttered, voice hollow. “I knew it… I knew something was wrong the moment everyone returned… This can’t be happening!!”
His ragged scream was the only sound left in the crowded square.
“No… no…” Trembling, he clutched at his disheveled hair. “I must be losing my mind… I’ve waited too long… It’s me… I’m the one who’s insane… The clock is still there… I’ve just gone mad…”
Yan Zhichun ran a hand through her hair, sensing something deeply unsettling.
She knew exactly who she had sent for this mission—among them, the ability most suited for destroying the clock and screen was “Disintegration.” In theory, if the structures had been destroyed, there should have been fragments everywhere.
But there was nothing. The clock and screen had vanished without a trace.
Narrowing her eyes, Yan Zhichun studied the spot where the clock had stood. Xiao Xiao, Kim Won-hoon, and Lin Qin were still there—but Dr. Zhao was missing.
She lowered her head, deep in thought. As the “King of Extremes,” she had to make a call—one that would determine the survival of the entire faction—even with limited intel.
Dr. Zhao was gone. The clock had disappeared. Yet Xiao Xiao and Lin Qin didn’t look panicked.
“Wait…” Yan Zhichun’s instincts flared.
Not only were they unshaken by Dr. Zhao’s absence—they also didn’t seem thrilled about the clock’s disappearance. That could only mean one thing:
The mission wasn’t a failure.
But it wasn’t complete either.
So it was still in progress.
“Vanished…?”
Unconsciously, Yan Zhichun mimicked Bai Yang’s habit of stroking her chin. A spark of realization hit her—there was one person who could tie all of this together.
Earlier, the booming voice from the sky had announced that all “Human-Level Zodiacs” could leave their posts.
He had come. He had made the clock disappear.
But since “disappearance” was just an illusion, he must have hidden Dr. Zhao as well—to buy time for the real destruction.
Which meant… they still needed a little more.
“Every action we’ve ever taken… truly does create ‘karma’ when it matters most,” Yan Zhichun murmured.
“And ‘karmic force,'” Jiang Ruoxue reminded softly beside her.
“‘Karmic force’…” Yan Zhichun nodded. “Things are turning in our favor… Does that mean we’ve accumulated immense ‘good karma’?”
“According to Aunt Tong, it only means each of us believes we’re accumulating ‘good karma.'”
Taking a deep breath, Yan Zhichun turned to Zhou Mo behind her. “Send a ‘message’ to every survivor. The mission is nearing completion—everyone must attack the White Tiger with their lives on the line.”
“‘Nearing’ completion?” Zhou Mo blinked, but immediately bowed her head and began relaying the orders.
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