Chapter 408: End

## Chapter 406: The End – A Triple Feature (7,000 words)

Du Xue and Xia Naiming fell into despair.

Suddenly, a group of combat mechs, having received external communications, soared into view from a distance.

"Damn it, criminal, stop!" a group of powerful hunter-model combat mechs commanded. "Surrender immediately! We will imprison you directly."

They swiftly pressed their launch buttons.

Special capture nets flew towards the killer from all directions.

However, after performing this act of restraint, their hearts were seized by excruciating pain, and their faces turned ashen. One by one, the mechs crashed to the ground, kicking up enormous clouds of gray dust.

"Hmm?"

The killer's expression changed as he quickly dodged the metal nets, a somber look on his face. "This race is too clever. Their first words weren't to kill me, but to imprison me. They've found a way to deal with me."

The guilt-death mechanism was not invincible.

It was a law encoded into the "guilt gene fragment," similar to normal laws, where the severity of punishment varied based on one's thoughts and crimes.

"Their attempt to imprison me only violated Article 37 of the 'Illegal Imprisonment' law, causing cardiac arrest and severe pain, instantly depriving them of motor function!"

They didn't even dare to harbor thoughts of "injuring" him, because that punitive mechanism was far too severe.

The killer looked at the mechs, already incapacitated by their "crime," but he had no intention of finishing them off. It was irrelevant; they were no longer a threat for a short period, and destroying mechs was energy-consuming and unnecessary.

"After all, they finally reacted," the killer sighed deeply. The assassination had been perfect, foolproof.

When he first attacked the research institute's zoo, he deliberately displayed cruel and infuriating acts of torture. This was to provoke the anger of the guards, making them think of "killing this humanoid beast" rather than capturing or imprisoning him.

Thus, his "legal citizen rights" were protected, directly triggering their highest-level guilt-death response. His legal citizen rights could not be revoked because he was already a Trojan virus, capable of manufacturing "fake ID cards" to fall under the "Citizen Protection Law" and receive human rights protection.

It had been a perfect plan.

He hadn't expected the President to create a miracle, supported by an unknown, tenacious will, delaying him for a period. Otherwise, whether he had obtained the "dynamic key" or those mechanical computers, he would have directly seized humanity's core permissions, and the world would have been his.

And even then, he could have quickly caught up, but Du Xue's continued game of hide-and-seek delayed him further, filling him with intense frustration.

"A battle of wits, this is a contest of intelligence! I still have a chance! Still have time!" His expression hardened as he looked at the first batch of mechs arriving. "They still can't threaten me. I just need to..."

He looked at the hydrogen balloon, a flicker of anger in his eyes. "Catch him!"

The balloon-fish's scalp tingled, and it frantically flew away.

"Restrain him!"

The surrounding combat mechs continued to launch capture nets.

They could only launch once before collapsing to the ground, convulsing, having violated the penalty.

"We have single-use tools helping us; hurry up and run," Xia Naiming thought, shaken. "There is a way to deal with it after all, but a group of people taking the risk of 'crime' to apprehend a criminal..."

He found it hard to describe the bizarreness of the situation. His heart had just begun to relax, but then a roar came from behind him. A terrifying aura rippled outwards as the killer, his face crimson, entered a state of complete madness, breaking through the combat mechs.

The killer was utterly insane. "Those who block me, die!"

His laser cannon directly blasted down, instantly incinerating the fallen combat mechs. He tried to warn them with death.

But it was useless. The Ishdars charged forward relentlessly, roaring and swarming. They merely threw their capture nets before collapsing to the ground, losing all motor function.

They were powerful imperial elites, formidable in combat, yet they died so inexplicably.

As the chase entered the urban area of Velia, the mechanical city, more and more humans attempted to intercept the killer. Countless residents of the capital looked up at the sky, most holding their breath, quietly awaiting the final outcome.

"Will our civilization be destroyed?"

"Humans who escape the law must be punished!"

The sky raged, countless mechs fell, terrifying glows and lasers continuously vibrated, forming towering dark red mushroom clouds. On the ground, handsome Ishdar men and women fled, a dense mass of black.

Screams, roars, desperate shouts, and frenzy intertwined, forming a bloody battlefield across the entire mechanical city, like the beginning of civilization's end, portending immense misfortune.

"Kitty," Du Xue's magic core whispered nervously. It was a brutal slaughter.

"It will be alright. You Ishdars have never been defeated," Xia Naiming forced a smile. He felt like an indigenous Indian trapped in a cage, appearing for the first time in this strange high-tech sci-fi city, full of unfamiliarity, looking at the advanced civilization's girl. "You still have humanity's guardian, the strongest being on earth, Michael Qi!"

"Yes, Uncle Michael Qi will definitely come to punish him!" Du Xue's confidence swelled. "Even though Uncle usually seems sloppy and cheerful, he's very reliable!"

However, Xia Naiming clearly understood that while the guilt-death mechanism wasn't absolute, its suppressive power was immense. Now, just because of one person's turmoil, the Ishdars were losing relatives, countless elites were dying...

If the killer could seize the dynamic key, civilization would be annihilated.

The tragedy behind them continued to unfold, but the next second, a golden giant dragon, Michael Qi, adorned with colorful magic cores, appeared. "Human, cease your actions."

The entire land erupted in excitement, for their hero had arrived. Michael Qi, who had saved the Ishdars years ago, appeared for the second time. They had no doubt that this Celestial Emperor, the strongest on earth, could defeat this terrifying enemy.

"We can win."

Countless people emerged onto the streets, gazing up at the sky, feeling a shiver down their spines. Their sole prayer was for Michael Qi to win. This was a battle that would decide the world's survival, the continuation of civilization and species.

Suddenly, a faint ripple of consciousness spread through the air. It was the psionic energy of the Ishdars, converging into a sound that manifested in the air, transforming into a miracle.

"If our God dies today, then the Ishdars will survive until the day after tomorrow, merely to recount our God's life to other races. We will proudly tell the story of our Lord through the powerful mechanical marvels of technology."

Like the roaring wind, the hearts of all beings converged. They had no choice but to pray and whisper to the scientific deity, Levis.

Michael Qi was filled with immense rage. He cradled Milivena's shattered body, like a dragon prince holding his deceased princess.

Michael Qi bent down, gently placing the body down. He looked at the blood-soaked youth holding a butcher's knife and gave a nervous laugh. "If you take one more step, I don't mind making you suffer a bit... I might even kill you!"

The killer's face showed surprise.

"Do you think I've disabled the guilt-death inhibition?"

Michael Qi suddenly became incredibly calm. "No, that's a permission only two people possess. I'm just running my mouth, you know? Like those keyboard warriors back in the day who'd swear to wipe out your entire lineage, but deep down, had no intention of acting on it. I'm like a foul-mouthed youth who constantly curses, but deep down, I don't mean it. After all, 'f*** your mother' is illegal."

The killer's face gradually turned cold.

Michael Qi's expression also sharpened. "Young man, I'm not those simple, honest Ishdars. I say one thing and mean another. I'm cunning and treacherous. I have an outer facade and an inner self. I'm very good at controlling my killing intent!"

"I want to kill you!"

He suddenly smiled brightly, as if bathed in spring breeze. "See? Nothing happened, did it?"

The killer merely stared, suppressing his anger, then turned away. "This person is crazy..."

He completely ignored this peculiar anomaly, Michael Qi. Undeniably, he was the strongest Celestial Emperor of the Ishdars, the guardian lava dragon. If not for the attack inhibition, he could have slapped him to death in an instant!

But now...

He could only talk!

He didn't even dare to harbor the thought of attacking him!

He continued to pursue Du Xue. If Michael Qi tried to stop him with the intent to harm him, he would inevitably self-destruct.

The next second, the killer slammed violently into a wall.

The immense impact made him vomit blood. He looked up slightly and saw a giant dragon.

"Young man? What are you doing? Deliberately bumping into me?" Michael Qi opened his mouth in surprise, a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Intentionally harming someone triggers the law, you know. Oh, I forgot, you're a human who operates outside the law."

The killer stared at him, then quickly turned to chase Du Xue.

*Thump!*

He slammed violently into another wall. Michael Qi looked down at him with a look of pity. "You have no guilt. You are someone who will never feel happiness!"

The killer was utterly enraged, roaring, "Malicious collisions in the street! That's the lowest penalty! You've found a loophole, but how many times can you endure it? Even the lowest penalty, if endured repeatedly, will break you, right?"

"Who knows?" Michael Qi said calmly, a sneer on his lips. "My dragon heart isn't as fragile as those humans. I have a big heart and can endure painful punishments. I have people to protect, and you have nothing."

The killer turned.

"A youth like you should burn in hell."

"Do you feel sin crawling up your spine?"

The killer was completely enraged. Such mockery utterly provoked him, but he kept hitting a wall, slamming into a strong body!

He knew clearly that the other party had no intention of killing him. If he could just block him and delay time, he would win. The longer the killer was delayed, the faster he would lose. Eventually, he would be exhausted and imprisoned.

"You're courting death!" The killer roared in full fury, drawing a blade and striking the stout figure blocking his path, unleashing a terrifying force that transformed into a dazzling white light.

*Whoosh!*

Michael Qi dodged with a flicker, smiling. "Young man? Do you really think I'd stand there and take a beating obediently? Standing there to be beaten isn't what the law makes me do. Although I smoke, drink, have tattoos, and swear constantly, I am a law-abiding, law-aware good citizen."

The killer's face gradually stiffened. He brandished his long blade and charged forward in utter fury.

"The rage of the impotent."

Michael Qi continued to smile at him, like a mask of a smiling face, strangely unsettling. "Do you really enjoy wielding that knife to slaughter your own kind? Did you use this knife to kill Milivena? She was a true hero of humanity! Her entire life was dedicated to humanity; no private life, no marriage, no romance, only science. Humanity had no reason to kill her... I don't know what kind of childhood you had, what problems you encountered that make you want to solve everything with violence?"

The killer was covered in blood, trembling.

Milivena had already severely wounded him. Now, he was battered and bruised, being taunted by a dragon, and blocked.

The opponent couldn't directly attack him, but his words were extremely damaging.

"Young man, you should learn to retreat when faced with difficulty. Stop."

Michael Qi's face also gradually paled. This Celestial Emperor, the strongest combatant, found it far from easy to forcefully block the killer, despite his appearance.

But a water mirror appeared.

"Look, this is the expression of a person breaking down. You're hysterical, you're sweating profusely, your face is twitching. Do you remember those humans you tortured to death? If you liked seeing their dying struggles and despair, I think you'll also like your current desperate expression, crying profusely, how touching! You're like those isolated teenagers on the street, abusing kittens, enjoying killing experiments. This is an immature, twisted psychology of a youth."

Michael Qi seemed to become neurotic, talking and laughing, even with tears in his eyes. "I suddenly hate Caroline. When morality and law restrict me, do I have to endure even the hatred I feel for killing my enemy?"

"This lunatic! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" The killer's expression began to grow agitated.

He started to retreat, looking at Michael Qi, furious inside. "Why? Why! Another crazy person who isn't afraid of death! Now that I'm blocked, delaying time, I'll definitely be imprisoned!"

It was supposed to be a foolproof plan! Yet, it was inexplicably reversed again and again! Is there any possibility for me to turn the tide? If they can create miracles, why can't I!

He roared internally, an overwhelming hatred threatening to burst from his chest.

Suddenly, the killer bared his teeth in a smile, then fiercely brought his long blade to his stomach, completely consumed by fury. "Then, President, I'll also take a gamble! If you can live, so can I! I also have strong resolve! Do you think my heart isn't ruthless? To kill others, first kill yourself!"

He charged forward.

Michael Qi instantly blocked him.

*Pfft!*

Due to inertia, the long blade was violently driven into the killer's chest.

"He's committing suicide?"

All the Ishdars on the ground were stunned, confused.

On the other side, Michael Qi looked at the long blade that had been driven into the killer's chest by his collision. His heart ached violently, and his face turned several shades paler. His entire body swayed precariously.

"Hahahahaha!!! Indeed! Great Supreme Celestial Emperor, you are indirectly killing me!"

He cackled cruelly, his face filled with savage madness and triumph. "We're just competing to see who's crazier!"

His chest was pierced, and he was clearly not long for this world, but a terrifying aura spread, his body turning into gray sludge, like shattered cell fluid oozing.

"Sure enough, I succeeded too! The moment I committed suicide, the intense hatred and unwillingness I felt made me realize my resolve!"

"Awakening?" Michael Qi's face became completely solemn, his body swaying, filled with surprise and confusion.

"It is awakening and it is resolve!"

The killer looked ferocious, his voice hoarse from the intense pain. "Normal humans have their gene locks closed, so no matter how great their anger, it's hard to unleash the potential deep within their bodies. This is the body's self-protection mechanism. But once the gene lock is opened, the gene chain becomes extremely unstable. With strong resolve and an indomitable will, emotional power can 'awaken'!"

"Opening the gene lock means consciousness dictates the body. I call this ability 'resolve'! As long as the heart doesn't die and the will persists like a demon, the body can continuously unleash its potential until every cell's potential is exhausted and its cellular fluid dries up, only then will it be completely destroyed."

"This is the fireworks of life."

"The powerful burst from genetic collapse... will you feel every inch of your cells shattering, the feeling of pus flowing? Genetic collapse is the most unique and potent torture in the world. Only those who can bear this pain and maintain their will without faltering can be said to possess 'resolve'!"

"Do you remember Milivena? I killed her seven times before she finally died! Her resolve allowed her to unleash her life's potential, forcing herself to live, clinging on like a zombie!"

He seemed to transform into a monster, his body beginning to resemble an ape, his nails sharpening, moving on all fours, and even growing a disgusting tail.

"An ape? Is this atavism?"

From a distance, Du Xue had heard that awakened humans could trace back the memories of generations of ancestors, seeing the very beginning.

And now, was this human also awakening?

Was he tracing back the DNA of generations of ancestors—monkeys, apes, ape-men—transforming into an unknown monster?

No, was his gene chain in disarray, collapsing?

But undoubtedly, he pulsed with furious energy, making him incredibly terrifying, like some unknown man-eating beast.

This was a suicidal form of eruption, the price of breaking through life's forbidden zone. While gaining power, one had to be prepared to endure the world's most intense pain!

The killer's body transformed into a monster, his aura soaring from quasi-Emperor to Celestial Emperor level, specifically peak Celestial Emperor. "As expected of a giant dragon, the strongest combatant Celestial Emperor on earth! Even if you didn't directly kill, you indirectly killed, yet you should have collapsed by now. You can still move freely! Your willpower is astonishing!"

He grinned, slowly drawing the long blade from his body.

"Try to stop me again?"

He bared his teeth, a fierce glint in his eyes, and charged forward.

Michael Qi blocked him again.

*Pfft!*

The killer's long blade was violently thrust into his own abdomen again. He stared down in a daze, never expecting Michael Qi to block him once more, and couldn't help but roar hysterically, "Are you crazy?!"

"Heh heh, you want me to move aside? However, I refuse!!!"

Michael Qi opened his mouth and coughed up a great deal of blood, a look of pride on his face, swaying precariously. "Let's see how your will compares to mine! Can your intense will, after being severely wounded a second time, withstand your body collapsing again? Our President endured it seven times."

The killer stood frozen, then roared loudly, looking down at his chest, his entire body oozing thick, black, collapsing cellular fluid. He was in such pain that black tears streamed from his eyes. "I won't die! I won't die!"

He screamed, enduring the agonizing pain, as if using this method to give himself enough confidence. "As long as my will doesn't die, my body won't die! My consciousness tells my body it won't die, so I won't die!!"

"I won't die! I! Won't!!!"

He roared again, and his shattered body astonishingly endured once more. "I won, I finally defeated you! Michael Qi, the guardian dragon of humanity, you can't hold on anymore!"

"What kind of insane conviction and resolve is this..." Michael Qi's mind went blank. He felt as if he was seeing an utter demon, a creature born to kill, disregardful of its own life.

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh!*

He was sweating profusely, completely unable to hold on. In truth, he was close to collapsing after the first indirect killing.

Michael Qi's sweat gradually turned crimson, then his entire body began to bleed profusely. He suddenly gazed at the young man from afar. "I understand young people like you very well. You are very determined, possessing immense resolve, your goals are always clear, you never waver."

"You are the kind of person who will ram through a brick wall without turning back. You are a true overlord, which is why you crazily broke through the desperate situations I set for you, seeking a way to survive."

"You have endured pain that is unimaginable in this world. Your resolve has driven you to this point. And at this moment, what, in my opinion, is the most 'determined' thing you can do?" Michael Qi showed a gentle smile, his body continuously breaking down, no longer with his previous carefree demeanor.

The killer paused.

"Now, the most determined thing?"

Michael Qi's face held a radiant expression.

"You must have struggled for a long time for this plan, right? The most determined thing you can do at this moment is to choose to give up, turn around, leave that extremist path of no return, and go back to a normal life."

The killer was silent for a moment.

*Pfft!*

But Michael Qi's answer was simply a stab of the knife. "I also wanted to be normal. I once wanted to be kind to everyone, but my heart remained unmoved. Gradually, I grew tired. I found that killing made me happy. I have no reason to refuse."

Michael Qi was momentarily stunned. He looked down at the knife in his body, then at Milivena's distant corpse, and his expression suddenly changed.

"Young man, someone once said that the world is not unique to us. The light of other worlds doesn't come from the golden lava rivers of the earth, but from a golden fireball of molten rock suspended in the sky."

"A golden fireball of molten rock, suspended in the sky—do you think that's possible?"

"You'll surely disbelieve it, right? But disbelief doesn't mean it doesn't exist, because I witnessed it with my own eyes, young man. The world isn't just about killing. There are many beautiful and hopeful things awaiting."

"I couldn't avenge you, Milivena. I want to see the vacuum with you one more time."

A wave of heat swept through. Michael Qi slowly fell from the sky with a crash, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. The strongest guardian god of the Ishdars had finally fallen in Velia, the mechanical city.

*Wuwuwu.*

The entire world wept, cried out, and wailed hysterically.

This was the fall of an Ishdar era. Their President was dead, their guardian god was dead, simply because of a youth with emotional abnormalities who caused mad slaughter.

"But that abnormal one, he won't last much longer!" someone shouted. "Our two strongest beings delivered a fatal blow to him!"

Indeed, the killer's body was also completely collapsing, melting away.

He looked at the combat mechs that had surrounded him, time having been delayed. He gave a bitter laugh. "Heh! Ishdars, you are truly a bunch of lunatics! Even like this, you managed to stop me. I'm dying too, but I won't make it easy for you..."

"Originally, what I wanted was governing authority. But since it has come to this, I will forcefully spread the virus program I researched, invading your brains. What I cannot obtain, I will destroy!"

"Even I don't know how terrifying this thing is..."

His entire body was covered in blood, continually decaying as he rapidly fell.

In his mind, psionic waves silently spread. The surrounding combat mechs abruptly stopped, seemingly invaded by some unknown virus program. This was a virus targeting C language.

"We won?"

"The one who escaped the law has finally died!"

"We finally punished him! The guilt-death mechanism is not invincible after all!"

Some people wailed, completely collapsing to the ground, almost losing their voices. This was a disaster that would be hard to erase or recover from for centuries. But the next second, throughout the urban ruins, Ishdars stood up, their eyes glowing with a beast-like red light, and lunged at others.

"My God! It's that lunatic's dying counterattack! Quickly shut down psionic links! The brainwave network connection!"

"This is a virus, invading and infecting through our external network connections! Paralyzing our brains, causing crashes, brain death, leaving only animal instincts!"

Someone roared, their face contorted in agony.

Countless people began to shut down their outward-spreading brainwaves.

However, those red-eyed Ishdars frantically pounced on others, savagely biting their necks. Gradually, those who were bitten convulsed on the ground before slowly standing up.

"They can infect through biting too!" someone roared.

"Run!"

"Run!!!!"

Someone wailed hysterically.

"Let's go! The world is ending! Find shelter, prevent infection!" Xia Naiming watched the viral contagion spread wildly. People collapsed continuously. Streets and alleys were filled with bitten individuals—chaos, disaster, destruction, apocalypse.

"This is a hacker invasion, a virus spreading..."

Xia Naiming watched the entire mechanical sci-fi city head towards ruin, countless screams and explosions filling the air, his mind a blank. "Or... is it a bioweapon virus? A zombie apocalypse??"

*Boom!*

Wailing, darkness, smoke-filled air, mechanical airships soaring everywhere, mechanical combat vehicles fleeing outwards from Velia, the mechanical city.

"In this era, there are no victors."

At that moment, he looked at the city full of sci-fi machinery and the chaotic crowds. It was as if he witnessed the rolling of a great era's wheel, personally observing the end of an epoch, filled with a sense of destiny, blurring the line between dream and reality.