"And then what happened?"
Steve pressed for more information.
"Why did George go to the capital? Do you know the reason?"
Harold shook his head, looking completely lost.
"That is beyond what this humble priest can know. Back then, after George confirmed with me that Paula had indeed visited and taken the pendant, he seemed to suddenly realize something. He then hurriedly left the mountain, and I have no knowledge of what happened after that."
"What about Paula? You said she took the item; didn't you find her in the mountains?"
"No."
Harold gave a bitter smile.
"Over these past few years, I have searched almost every inch of the Appalachian Mountains. Aside from her footprints from back then, there hasn't been a single trace of her aura. It's as if she evaporated into thin air."
Just then.
At the Command Center.
On the giant screens of the thousand-man Think Tank, data flowed like a waterfall. Countless fragments of intelligence were being rapidly pieced together and reorganized with the assistance of supercomputers.
A few seconds later, an urgent red analysis report was transmitted directly into Steve's mind:
[Think Tank Intelligence Analysis]
[Current event difficulty upgraded; suspected involvement of four anomalies]
[Key Elements Summary:
SSS-level Anomaly Alex: The core victim of the incident.
Curse Source: The power that caused Hannah's ten-year coma.
The Guide: The anomaly that provided clues to Paula and George.
Pendant: An evil object containing energies with unknown functions]
[Timeline: 2020: Paula, led by the Guide, went to the Appalachian Mountains with the goal of obtaining the pendant that could save Hannah.
Point of Suspicion 1: Paula, as an ordinary person, successfully broke through the formation.
Inference: the Guide possesses the ability to break the formation but did not act personally. Instead, he utilized Paula, suggesting he is restricted by certain rules from touching the pendant himself, or requires a specific medium to retrieve it.
2021: George obtained the second clue and headed to the mountains.
Key Turning Point: After confirming from Harold that Paula had taken the pendant, George did not search the mountains but headed straight for the capital.
Inference: George realized that since Paula successfully obtained the pendant, her next step must be to find that Guide to complete the task or to use the pendant somewhere. That destination is in the capital]
[The clue claimed the pendant could save Hannah.
Fact: Paula has been missing for five years, and Hannah has not awakened. This indicates either Paula failed, or this was a scam from the very beginning.
Objective Analysis: The Guide's true goal is highly likely to have Paula bring out the pendant and lure the couple, Paula and George, to a specific location for control or sacrifice.
Conclusion: All clues ultimately point to the capital]
Listening to the cold and meticulous analysis of the Think Tank in his mind, a flash of realization crossed Steve's eyes.
"So that's how it is..."
Steve sneered inwardly.
"Not only using this couple as pawns but also setting a series of traps for them. It seems the one hiding behind the scenes has quite grand ambitions."
He looked at the old priest before him and nodded slightly.
Having learned the truth of those years, Steve did not linger. He cupped his hands slightly toward Harold.
"Thank you for clearing my doubts, Father. I shall take my leave."
"God bless you, son."
Harold bowed his head slightly. His gaze did not fall on Steve but instead rested meaningfully on Alex, whom Steve was holding by the hand.
A flash of extremely complex light crossed his cloudy old eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he still spoke up to remind him.
"Young friend, you should pay more attention to those around you. Sometimes fate is beyond human power to resolve."
Afterward, he closed his eyes and spoke no more.
Steve was slightly taken aback, then nodded.
"I understand."
He understood perfectly. Although this mysterious old priest was not a Supernatural Controller, his unique training must have allowed him to see Alex's essence as an SSS-level Anomaly.
"Alex, let's go."
"Mm!"
Alex responded obediently, ran toward Steve with her short legs, and skillfully opened her arms for a hug.
Steve bent down to pick her up, and with a thought—
Whoosh!
A pair of wings suddenly unfurled from his back.
Boom!
The air exploded as Steve, holding Alex, turned into a streak of light and soared into the sky, instantly disappearing into the clouds.
Harold stood at the entrance of the church, his fly-whisk swaying gently in the wind. His gaze lingered on the distant pair of wings, unable to look away for a long time.
"Such a physical body... truly unheard of..."
High altitude.
The gale howled outside Steve's force field shield, but inside the shield, it was peaceful.
Alex leaned against Steve's chest, her small hands tightly clutching his collar, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Big brother, are my daddy and mommy still alive? Why did that bad person take them away?"
Steve gently patted her back and comforted her softly.
"It's okay, Alex. They will definitely be fine."
But his heart was cold.
For a mastermind who could set such a complex trap and even covet a unholy treasure to kidnap two ordinary people, there was only one most likely reason: Alex.
As the vessel or source of an SSS-level Anomaly, Alex herself was a massive treasure—or rather, a disaster.
"Alright, don't be unhappy anymore."
Seeing Alex's low spirits, Steve changed the subject.
"Big brother will take you to eat something delicious."
With that, Steve banked his body and landed in a nearby bustling small city.
Half an hour later, when the two flew back into the sky, Alex's small hand held a giant three-colored ice cream cone.
"Wow! So sweet!"
The little girl's face was beaming with a happy smile. As she licked the ice cream and looked at the city below that seemed as tiny as ants, her previous gloom seemed to have vanished.
Steve did not head directly to the capital.
George had completely lost his trail after disappearing in the capital four years ago. The capital was so large and the sea of people so vast that rushing there like a headless fly would be meaningless.
He opened the system interface and checked the mission progress.
[Current Mission: Collect 100 Paranormal Cores]
[Current Progress: 91/100]
"Only 9 left."
The corners of Steve's mouth curled up slightly.
"My clones are outwitting those anomalies in various dread domains. The harvesting speed hasn't disappointed me. It won't be long before this manual is in my hands."
Zombie World, Biological Research Institute.
This was a massive underground experimental field constructed of obsidian.
A tense and oppressive atmosphere filled the air.
"Experiment No: B-743, Test Subject: Pig, Injected Core: B-level Paranormal Core."
As the mechanical voice fell, a pink pixel pig enclosed in a fence swallowed the black crystal emitting an eerie light in front of it.
However.
The expected mutation did not occur.
Thud.
The pig merely twitched twice before falling straight to the ground. Its red body gradually turned gray, losing all signs of life.
[Ding! Biological rejection reaction overload]
[Matching failed]
Harry looked at yet another collapsed experimental subject and sighed helplessly.
"Another failed match, and another Paranormal Core blown up. What a waste."
"Next group, bring that fellow in."
Soon, several Villagers pushed in a massive, transparent, reinforced glass water tank.
Inside the tank, an MC Squid, deep blue all over with eight tentacles, was swimming slowly. Its dull, dead-fish eyes rolled occasionally, looking somewhat comical.
"All personnel retreat to the safety zone. Activate the Level 3 Protective Barrier."
Having learned from the previous satyr experiment, the Research Institute was fully prepared this time.
All personnel evacuated to an observation room several kilometers away.
"Ready."
Harry gave the order into the microphone.
"Let it devour."
"Yes, Director."
A soldier specifically responsible for controlling the squid's body closed his eyes, and his power instantly took over the creature in the tank.
The squid suddenly stopped swimming and slowly sank to the bottom, moving toward a Paranormal Core emitting a deep blue eerie glow placed at the base of the tank.
Gulp.
The core was swallowed by the squid in one gulp.
The next second.
Boom!!
The calm water tank boiled instantly.
"Roar!"
The squid suddenly let out a terrifying roar that didn't belong to any marine creature.
Its previously sluggish body began to swell violently, and its deep blue skin instantly turned dark purple.
Tentacles grew frantically, thickening and becoming covered with suckers that looked like eyeballs.
Bang! Splash!
The sturdy reinforced glass tank burst instantly under the slap of the tentacles as if it were made of paper, and a massive amount of water mixed with glass shards splashed everywhere.
Without its constraints, the squid's size ballooned even more crazily.
Ten meters... twenty meters... thirty meters... "Reporting to the Director, this is Controller No. 03."
The soldier spoke with a hint of fanaticism.
"I... I feel that this body has an extremely strong sense of hunger. Its potential is far beyond this. A single core can't satisfy its appetite at all; it needs more."
"What? One isn't enough?"
Harry was startled at first, then his eyes burst with a light of wild joy.
He thought of that previous satyr.
With just one core, that monster possessed the terrifying power to toy with an entire city of werewolves.
If this squid were allowed to swallow more cores...
"God-making, this is definitely the breakthrough for the God-making Project."
Harry slammed the table and roared.
"Quick, bring out all the cores in stock, especially that batch of high-level Paranormal Cores Steve just sent back. Feed it, let it eat its fill!"
"Yes!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several Endermen who were already on standby instantly teleported into the field.
They held cores in their hands, which even included the S-rank core left behind after Steve killed the Face-Changing Ghost.
By now, the squid had grown to over fifty meters tall, like a moving hill.
Those thick tentacles danced wildly in the air, each swing kicking up a hurricane.
Seeing the cores brought by the Endermen, it waved its tentacles excitedly, coiled them all up at once, and stuffed them into its giant mouth full of sharp teeth like eating beans.
Rumble!!
As several high-level cores entered its stomach, an unprecedented terrifying aura erupted from its body.
The originally clear sky was instantly shrouded in dark clouds; black clouds pressed down on the city, with lightning and thunder.
Beneath those pitch-black clouds, the giant squid's body began to undergo an even deeper level of mutation.
Countless eerie runes emerged on its skin, screaming mouths split open at the tips of its tentacles, and a phantom image of a deep sea vaguely appeared behind it.
Cold, evil, chaotic, and indescribable.
It was like a Great Old One from the abyss, coldly gazing at this world through this pixelated shell.
This was the Abyss Condenser.
The giant squid's aura continued to climb as if there were no end.
Its suffocatingly massive body had already broken through the Research Institute's dome, piercing straight into the clouds.
At this moment, everyone in the entire world, no matter where they were, felt a shudder from the depths of their souls.
"Hiss... what's going on? Why did I suddenly feel a chill down my spine?"
"I felt it too, as if something extremely terrifying has appeared."
"Holy crap, look over at the Research Institute! The sky has gone dark there. What the hell is that thing?!"
Everyone looked toward the Research Institute in horror.
Although they couldn't see clearly due to the distance, that tangible evil pressure was like an invisible giant hand, tightly clutching everyone's throats.
Inside the Research Institute, Harry was trembling with excitement.
"Success, it really succeeded!"
He rushed to the communication console and shouted to the completely mutated Abyss Condenser.
"Report your status! What is your current strength level?!"
The special forces soldier controlling the squid's body slowly opened those thousand-plus compound eyes, his voice grand and ethereal, as if sounding from all directions at once.
"Sixth Rank."
"Damn!"
All the surrounding researchers gasped in unison.
Sixth Rank.
In the entire Huaxia and even the entire human camp, the first true Sixth Rank combat power had been born.
"Sixth Rank... does that mean we can start preparing for the Dragon Slaying Plan?"
Someone swallowed and murmured in a low voice.
"Dragon blood... should be able to make this Ender Dragon go a step further, right?"
"We'll talk about that later."
Harry waved his hand to interrupt their fantasies.
"It is a biological weapon we cultivated. Since it's done, let's release it to wreak havoc on others. The space here is too small for it to move freely."
"Quick, transport it to the Western Fantasy World."
The Western Fantasy World.
Randy, who was controlling a Zombie, suddenly received an emergency communication from Harry.
When he saw the words 'Sixth Rank biological weapon', even this battle-hardened veteran couldn't help but have his hand shake with excitement.
"Good grief, they actually pulled it off."
Buzz!
In the sky, an unprecedentedly massive Teleportation Gate roared open, with a diameter of several thousand meters, as if a wound had been torn in the sky.
The next second.
A terrifying black shadow over a thousand meters tall slowly descended from the Teleportation Gate.
Rumble!!
The moment that giant Cthulhu-like squid named the Abyss Condenser fully arrived, the sky of the entire Western Fantasy World instantly changed color.
The originally clear daylight was swallowed by endless dark clouds in an instant; wild winds howled, and thunder exploded.
The will of this world seemed to tremble and let out a mournful cry, as if fearfully announcing that an indescribable Chaos God had arrived.
At this moment, in the entire Western Fantasy World, regardless of race or faction, the gazes of all powerful beings turned toward this direction in unison.
The Holy Church, atop the Holy Mountain.
Atop the sacred and magnificent hall, a woman with eight pure white wings on her back and a face as beautiful yet cold as ice sat upon the divine throne.
She was the highest combat power of The Holy Church, a Rank 7 Archangel of Judgment.
Suddenly, her eyes, which were always slightly closed, snapped open, her pupils filled with disbelief.
"This is..."
She stood up abruptly, her gaze piercing through the void, staring intently at the distant East.
"Such a terrifying aura—evil, chaotic, depraved—an evil even purer than those from the Dark Church in the Abyss."
"My Lady, what has happened?"
The Rank 6 Angel below had never seen her Ladyship lose her composure like this and asked in a panic.
"A great horror has descended."
The Rank 7 Archangel took a deep breath, her tone grave to the extreme.
"Send someone to investigate immediately. We must find out exactly what appeared over there. Hurry."
"Yes, My Lady."
Countless streaks of light flew out from the Holy Mountain, racing toward the source of that aura.
Randy looked at the massive entity that blotted out the sun and nodded with satisfaction.
"Since you're here, don't just sit idle."
He gave an order to the Abyss Condenser through a spiritual connection.
"This world is vast. Go have some fun on your own. I'll find you an ocean; that's your home turf. While you're at it, scout the way for me and see if there are any races in the sea."
"Yes, Chief."
The Abyss Condenser let out a low growl, and with a gentle wave of its massive tentacles, the void vibrated.
Carrying an ominous aura capable of withering all things, it plummeted toward the vast, boundless sea in the distance.
Boom!!
The moment it entered the water, it kicked up a tsunami thousands of meters high.
From then on, this once tranquil sea welcomed its new master.
And countless factions that sensed this terrifying fluctuation also began to stir, attempting to investigate the background of this new god.
Paranormal World, above Haven City.
Steve was carrying Alex, flying past at an extremely high speed.
Suddenly.
Steve, who was in flight, came to a sudden halt and stopped in mid-air.
His sharp psychic power, like a set of antennae, instantly locked onto a direction.
"Hmm?"
Steve's brow furrowed slightly.
"Such a dense, eerie aura."
Seeing Steve stop, Alex, who was in his arms, also looked curiously in the direction of his gaze.
"Eh?"
The little girl's eyes lit up as she pointed to an old residential building below.
"Brother Steve, that's aunt Pearl's house. Should we go visit her?"
"Aunt Pearl's house?"
Steve's heart stirred.
The eerie aura he had just sensed was coming exactly from the house Alex was pointing at.
"Alex, are you sure that's your Aunt Pearl's house?"
"Mhm! I wouldn't remember it wrong."
Alex nodded vigorously.
"After mom and dad went missing, I lived at aunt Pearl's house. It's like my second home."
Steve's eyes narrowed slightly.
Although he had met Pearl, he had never been to her residence. It seemed that this aunt Pearl, or rather her home, hid quite a few secrets.
"Alright."
Steve patted Alex's head and smiled.
"Since we're passing by, let's drop by your aunt Pearl's house and ask for a glass of water."
The two landed directly and walked toward the residential building.
Soon, they arrived at a security door on the third floor, and Steve reached out to knock.
Click.
The door opened quickly.
Pearl was wearing loungewear and holding a rag, clearly in the middle of cleaning.
When she saw Steve and Alex standing at the door, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face.
"Steve? Alex? You're back."
She quickly stepped aside to let them in.
"Come in, come in! Well? Did you find any clues in the mountains?"
"Yes, we found some clues. We just got back."
Steve led Alex into the house, quietly observing his surroundings.
"We were passing by, and Alex said this was your home, so she insisted on coming to see you."
"This child is so thoughtful."
Pearl closed the door happily and greeted them warmly.
"Have a seat first. I'll get you some water and cut some fruit."
With that, she turned and walked toward the kitchen.
The moment Pearl turned around, Steve's gaze instantly sharpened.
His power precisely captured that faint, ethereal, eerie fluctuation in the air.
This aura didn't come from Pearl herself, but rather... Pearl came over carrying two cups of steaming hot water, placed them gently on the coffee table, and greeted them with a smile.
"Here, have some water. Alex, this is your favorite honey water."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Alex obediently picked up the cup.
Steve didn't touch the cup. Instead, he looked up, his gaze piercing as he looked directly at Pearl and spoke bluntly.
"Aunt Pearl, I seem to sense an ominous aura hidden within this room of yours."
"What?!"
Hearing this, the tray in Pearl's hand almost slipped, and a look of panic instantly appeared on her face.
"How could there be such a thing in my home? Steve, you're an expert; could you help me take a look?"
Steve nodded and stood up with a grave expression.
"Alright, I'll help you look for it."
He closed his eyes, sensing carefully once more, then opened them, his gaze locking onto a direction.
"In that position."
Steve strode toward the depth of the hallway; seeing this, Pearl and Alex also hurriedly followed close behind.
Soon, the three of them arrived before a closed bedroom door.
Steve stopped and pointed at the door, asking.
"This is?"
"This is my bedroom."
Pearl immediately stepped forward and, without hesitation, turned the doorknob and opened the door.
"Quick, come in and take a look."
The room was decorated very cozily and didn't look unusual, but as soon as Steve stepped inside, that cold aura became distinct.
"Steve, where is the aura you sensed?"
Pearl looked around nervously.
Steve didn't say a word and walked straight to a massive solid wood wardrobe in the corner of the room.
He stood before the wardrobe; that aura was precisely seeping out from inside.
"It's in here."
Steve reached out and gripped the wardrobe door handle, preparing to pull it open.
Behind him, a trace of fear appeared on Alex's small face. She carefully hid behind Pearl, peeking out with half her head.
The wardrobe door was slowly pulled open.
It was filled with all sorts of clothes, but at the very bottom, a black wooden box covered by a few old garments stood out prominently.
Steve frowned slightly and reached out to take the box out.
The box wasn't locked; with a gentle flick, he opened the lid.
What met his eyes was a silver necklace with an ancient design.
The pendant was a heart, with a dark red gemstone embedded in the center.
The moment the box was opened, a dense, eerie aura rushed toward him.
"This is the source."
"This? This is Paula's necklace... the one she wore for her wedding."
[Item : Cursed Necklace]
Pearl remembered it clearly.
"Bring Miss Hannah here, she's gonna need to hear this as well."
...
"As expected."
The hypothesis in Steve's heart was confirmed.
"Putting on the necklace during the wedding, followed immediately by the mother falling into a coma."
Steve looked at Hannah and said in a certain tone,
"Miss Hannah, the reason for your coma may have been found; it's this necklace."
"What?"
Hannah and Pearl exclaimed at the same time.
"This necklace is not only an evil object, but also a Cursed Item."
Steve analyzed calmly.
"Its rule is likely that the mother of the person wearing it will fall into a coma."
"If that's the case, then everything makes sense."
Steve turned to look at Pearl.
"So after Paula discovered that this necklace caused her mother-in-law to fall into a coma, in order to prevent her husband from continuing to suffer and to stop the curse from spreading, she secretly took the necklace back. But she didn't dare to just throw it away anywhere, so..."
"So she sent it to me?"
Pearl pointed at herself, her face somewhat pale.
"Correct."
Steve looked at her.
"Pearl, if I may be so bold as to ask..."
Pearl smiled bitterly.
"My mother passed away when I was very young."
Steve was stunned for a moment, then whispered,
"Sorry."
But this also validated the Think Tank's deduction.
[Rule confirmed: Whoever wears the necklace, their mother must suffer the coma curse.]
[After Paula discovered the truth, she transferred the necklace to someone without a mother, thereby exploiting a loophole in the rules to seal the curse.]
[Follow-up deduction: Since the source of the curse has been confirmed, why did Paula still go to the Appalachian Mountains to get the pendant?]
"The pendant... the power of inverting fate?"
The words of the old priest, Harold, flashed through Steve's mind.
"Could it be that Paula took the pendant to use the ability of Inverting Fate to reverse the necklace's curse and wake Hannah?"
Just then, an urgent message from a Zombie Clone rang out in Steve's mind.
[Locked the coordinates where George last appeared in the outskirts of the capital.]
[Location confirmed: Capital West Outskirts, Nameless Barren Mountain.]
Steve stood up abruptly.
"The exact location where they disappeared has been found."
He said to Hannah and Pearl,
"I must head to the capital immediately; that should be the end of everything."
"I want to go too."
Alex immediately jumped off the sofa and hugged Steve's leg tightly.
"Alright."
This time Steve did not hesitate; since the final mystery was to be uncovered, Alex, as the SSS-level Anomaly Core, had to be present.
A few minutes later, at the edge of the capital.
Two figures fell rapidly from the clouds, landing steadily on a patch of grass cordoned off by caution tape.
This was a stretch of barren mountains in the western outskirts of the capital, usually deserted.
At this time, military personnel had already set up a strict cordon around the perimeter, and several Zombie Clones were standing straight not far away, waiting.
Seeing Steve land, the several Zombie Clones immediately surrounded him.
Steve went through all the information he had organized on the way once more.
After George left the Appalachian Mountains, his final tracking signal had disappeared near this mountain.
He handed Alex in his arms to a nearby Zombie Clone.
Alex blinked her big, curious eyes, looking at the two identical Steves in front of her, and couldn't help but reach out her small hand to touch the Zombie Clone's face.
"Brother, you look so much alike; are you twins?"
The Zombie Clone holding her grinned.
"We are both your brother Steve, so of course we look alike."
After settling Alex, Steve turned around, his gaze cold as he stared at the seemingly ordinary barren mountain before him.
In his perception, the interior of this mountain had been hollowed out, hiding an extremely obscure and powerful energy fluctuation.
"Hiding in a turtle shell?"
Steve sneered, and the aura of his Fifth-Stage Peak erupted without reservation.
Boom!
His right fist clenched, blue frost gathered at the knuckles, and the surrounding space distorted due to this terrifying extreme cold.
"Open for me!"
Steve shouted violently and threw a simple, direct punch.
Dong!
The entire mountain trembled violently, as if a magnitude ten earthquake had occurred.
Just as the force of the punch was about to touch the mountain, a transparent energy shield suddenly rose, attempting to withstand this strike that was capable of shattering mountains.
But before Steve's absolute strength, this shield lasted for less than half a second.
The shield shattered instantly like fragile glass, dissipating into a sky full of light specks.
Rumble.
The originally intact mountain wall collapsed, revealing a deep, pitch-black, massive cave entrance.
A stale and decaying scent wafted out from within.
Steve brushed the dust off his hands, his eyes deep.
"Go."
With a wave of his hand, he led several powerful Zombie Clones and strode fearlessly toward the revealed mountain entrance.
Inside the deep passage, Steve led several Zombie Clones forward cautiously.
As soon as they stepped into this hollowed-out mountainside, a nauseating Weird Power surged toward them like a tide.
This power was not only cold but also filled with extreme malice and distortion.
Just as Steve and the others reached the halfway point,
Swoosh!
Without warning, a pitch-black energy ball suddenly shot out from the depths of the passage.
Its speed was astonishing; even Steve's vision could only catch a faint afterimage.
This ball of light did not attack Steve, but instead flew past his shoulder at a bizarre angle, heading straight for the cave entrance.
"Not good."
Steve's pupils constricted, and he instinctively tried to turn around to intercept it.
Hum—
Just then, an incredibly tough dark red energy shield suddenly rose behind him, instantly trapping Steve and the accompanying Zombie Clones firmly inside the passage.
"Luring the tiger from the mountain? No... it's a feint."
Steve's face turned ashen as he realized instantly.
"That shield just now was only to force me to break it and expose the entrance; his true target from the beginning has only been one person—Alex outside."
Outside the cave.
"Run!"
Through a mental connection, Steve issued a death order to the Zombie Clone responsible for holding Alex.
That Zombie Clone reacted extremely quickly; the moment it received the command, a pair of pitch-black Elytra snapped open on its back, and its Spatial Ability was activated.
Shua!
Holding Alex, its figure blurred as it dove directly into the void, fleeing madly away from the cave.
However, the black ball of light that flew out from the cave seemed to have built-in navigation; it traced an arc in the air and bit hard at the Zombie Clone's heels, its speed actually matching the spatial traversal.
"Brother... I'm scared..."
Alex, held tightly in the Zombie Clone's arms, watched the black light getting closer and closer; her small face turned pale, and her body couldn't stop trembling violently.
It was an instinctive fear originating from the depths of her soul, as if that black light was her natural enemy, or rather... her inescapable destiny.
"Don't be afraid, brother will protect you."
The Zombie clone comforted Alex while desperately urging its Spatial Power, attempting to shake off that eerie entity.
Inside the cave.
After confirming that the clone had temporarily taken Alex away, Steve forced himself to calm down.
Since he was trapped here, he would deal with the things inside first.
"Break for me!"
Steve punched the energy shield, but found that the shield was incredibly tough and could even absorb his strength.
"This shield is powered by the altar."
Steve snorted coldly, no longer dwelling on brute force to break the formation, and instead turned and sped towards the depths of the passage.
Soon, his vision suddenly cleared.
This was an extremely grand and well-constructed underground altar.
At the center of the altar was a towering main platform, covered with dense, eerie runes, emitting a heart-palpitating red glow.
On either side of the main platform, there was a slightly smaller sub-altar.
Steve's gaze was instantly drawn to the two sub-altars.
There, two skeletons, long turned to white bone, lay clearly visible.
"That is..."
Steve's eyes narrowed, and his psychic power instantly swept over the altar on the left.
Whoosh!
Guided by his psychic power, something flew out from the skeleton's sternum and landed in Steve's hand.
This was a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant embedded with dark red gems.
"This..."
Steve's pupils suddenly constricted.
He hastily took out the necklace he had found earlier at Pearl's house from his spatial storage.
Comparing the two, aside from a slight difference in the newness of their aura, their material, craftsmanship, and even the eerie gems were completely identical.
"Two necklaces?"
A storm surged in Steve's heart.
"Hannah clearly said this was Paula's family heirloom, and there was only one. Why is there another one here?"
Countless fragmented pieces of information began to frantically connect and collide in his mind at this moment.
There was only one family heirloom.
Paula took the pendant with the ability to reverse fate.
Pearl received one, and there was another one here.
Steve strode to the altar on the left and carefully examined the skeleton.
Scattered around were some fragments of rotten women's clothing, in styles popular five years ago.
"This is Paula's skeleton..."
Steve's heart felt heavy.
"Then the one on the other side should be George."
Looking at the star-crossed lovers, now long turned to white bones, Steve didn't know how to explain it to Alex.
But what horrified him even more were the two necklaces in his hand.
"This one was found on Paula's skeleton, so the one sent to Pearl..."
Steve suddenly looked up at the empty spot in the center of the altar where the core item should have been placed.
"The pendant, reversing fate."
A horrifying conjecture exploded in his mind.
"Could it be that the necklace sent to Pearl wasn't the original one at all, but was rather copied or born from within this altar, using the pendant's power of reversing fate?"
If that were the case, then the mastermind's purpose in sending the replica to Pearl...
Meanwhile, at Pearl's house.
In the kitchen, water was gushing.
Pearl was washing dishes, while Hannah wiped the stove beside her. The two chatted casually as usual.
"Alas..."
Hannah paused her movements and sighed with emotion.
"I wonder if George and Paula can return safely. It's been so many years, who knows how much they've suffered."
"Don't worry, aunt."
Pearl said softly, comforting her as she washed the dishes.
"That Steve is very capable. I could tell with one glance that he's no ordinary person. With him there, they'll definitely be brought back safely."
"I hope so..."
"Hiss..."
Pearl, who was speaking, suddenly stopped, and the dishcloth in her hand slipped to the floor.
She clutched her head violently, and her body began to sway uncontrollably.
"That's strange... Why have I been so dizzy lately... It hurts so much..."
At this moment, Hannah had her back to Pearl and didn't notice anything unusual, still talking to herself.
"Oh right, Pearl, when they come back, we must prepare a good feast..."
After a long silence, she received no response.
"Pearl?"
Hannah turned around, puzzled.
"Ah!"
She cried out in alarm, discovering that Pearl had fallen to the ground at some point, unmoving.
"Pearl, what's wrong?"
Hannah immediately panicked, dropped the rag, and rushed over, trembling as she checked Pearl's breathing.
"Phew, she's still breathing, still breathing..."
Hannah breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up.
"I'll call 911 right away, I'll go..."
Just as she turned around.
Pfft!
A hand, covered in foam and water, effortlessly pierced through her chest from behind.
Blood instantly gushed out, staining the pristine white tiles.
"Ugh... you..."
Hannah's eyes widened in disbelief. She trembled as she looked down at the hand in her chest, then turned her head with difficulty.
What greeted her was a familiar yet strange face.
Pearl slowly stood up, her once gentle face now extremely twisted and maniacal. There was no human emotion in her eyes, only chilling coldness and mockery.
She casually withdrew her arm, letting Hannah fall limply into the pool of blood.
"Steve..."
Pearl looked at Hannah, who was gradually losing her life on the ground, a cruel, wild laugh curling at the corners of her mouth, her voice becoming hoarse and eerie.
"Although you disrupted my ten-year plan, it doesn't matter."
"You actually helped me go through the process I needed to take ahead of time."
"Now that this old woman is dead, next..."
She slowly lowered her head, looking at her body, which was gradually collapsing.
"As long as this shell of Pearl also dies, all the plans will be a closed loop..."
"I can truly... create a god."
"Hahahahahahaha."
Amidst the wild laughter, Pearl picked up Hannah's body.
The air twisted, and their figures instantly vanished, leaving only a pool of blood.
Steve's expression was grim. After discovering the secret of the two necklaces, his psychic power did not stop for a moment, instantly covering the entire main altar.
"Hmm? There's something else there."
Under the perception of his psychic power, an extremely subtle energy fluctuation at the very top of the main altar caught his attention.
Before he could go forward to investigate, a manic burst of laughter suddenly echoed through the empty altar.
"Hahahahaha! It succeeded!"
"Our Lady truly succeeded!"
"A god, we really cultivated a god!"
The voice was sharp and piercing, filled with fanaticism.
Steve's eyes turned cold, and his figure, like lightning, instantly rushed up the towering main altar.
He focused his gaze and saw a strange creature floating in mid-air.
It had no fixed form; its left half was as black as ink, and its right half was as white as snow, with the black and white boundary constantly twisting.