C21 System Binding

Wu Dayong watched Xia Liang flailing in the flames without raising the temperature. He wanted to savor Xia Liang's screams a bit longer.

Unbeknownst to him, as Xia Liang's body ignited, a wave of consciousness distinct from Xia Liang's own surged from the deepest recesses of his mind—a place no meta-human had ever been able to fully explore or understand.

[Warning! Host has incurred fatal injuries and is on the brink of death...]

[Warning! Host has incurred fatal injuries, resulting in a forced interruption of soul structure analysis...]

[Warning! Host's soul contract has been prematurely bound...]

[Binding successful. Ultimate Protection initiated. Emergency Personality activated...]

These waves of consciousness occurred in less than a millisecond, followed by a brilliant light that flooded the depths of Xia Liang's psyche.

A rich, crystalline Soul Power then flooded into Xia Liang's body, which was over 85% burned.

The pain that had racked Xia Liang with screams suddenly gave way to a searing heat in his head, and then the pain vanished.

He realized he hadn't just lost the sensation of pain; control over his body had slipped away too.

"Am I dying?" he wondered, whether it was the final rally of life or the brink of death.

At that moment, a bright light appeared before him. His eyes, which had instinctively shut against the flames, snapped open on their own.

The first sight that greeted Xia Liang was Wu Dayong, mere inches away, his face etched with horror.

Then, Xia Liang felt something within him expand with such ferocity that it seemed his body might burst. Before another thought could form, a substance—part gas, part liquid—erupted from him.

It was as if a red-hot stone had been doused with a spoonful of water.

This misty substance, semi-transparent and speckled with glints of light, blasted forth. The flames engulfing his body and those on Wu Dayong's hand, which had been choking him, flickered and stretched like candle flames in a gale, then shattered and were snuffed out.

"What is this? Die!"

Following Wu Dayong's enraged bellow, a dazzling orb of fire materialized. In a mix of fear and fury, Wu Dayong swung his other fist, clenched tight with a white, sun-like ball of flame swirling upon it. The temperature of this fiery sphere was indeterminable, seemingly contained within the flames, poised for a cataclysmic release.

Clutching a fist that seemed to hold a miniature sun, Wu Dayong hurled it toward Xia Liang's head.

In that fleeting moment, Xia Liang was utterly bewildered, as if a gun were pointed at his head. But then, as if on cue, his body sprang into action without his command. His right hand rose, a gray aura swirling around his palm like a layer of dry ice, and he boldly met Wu Dayong's fiery punch head-on.

"Crack!"

The sound echoed, reminiscent of a boxer's punch connecting with an opponent's jaw. Xia Liang's hand firmly clasped Wu Dayong's fist, and with a gentle squeeze, the tiny sun atop it burst apart.

In an instant, a white flame erupted from the epicenter of the two men, expanding rapidly to engulf everything within a ten-meter radius in a fiery sphere.

Seconds later, the white flames vanished.

Xia Liang found himself in darkness, a light glimmering overhead, and the sound of running water reached his ears.

"Boom!"

Flames billowed from a breathless Wu Dayong, tracing bizarre patterns across his skin like living tattoos, casting light all around.

It was then that Xia Liang realized he and Wu Dayong were standing in a hemisphere-shaped pit several meters across. The hand that had once clutched his throat had inexplicably let go, and Wu Dayong's other fist, as large as a cooking pot, was still caught in Xia Liang's grasp.

Above them, a broken water pipe gushed forth, yet the water transformed into mist before it could even touch them, rising in the heated air.

Despite the intense heat that should have been scalding, Xia Liang felt no burn. He noticed, peripherally, that not only was his arm unscathed, but the skin was visibly knitting itself back together.

"What in the world just happened? Is my body... cheating?" Xia Liang was even more perplexed than Wu Dayong.

"What are you?" Wu Dayong, who had unleashed a punch as powerful as the sun, confident that no peer would dare face it, was now gripped by fear as Xia Liang had effortlessly caught it, unharmed. Fear began to swell within him.

"Was it Hellfire Yao Xi's doing? There's some kind of protective force hidden inside that child, but that can't be right! Yao Xi's power is characterized by silver and blood-red hues."

Wu Dayong's most potent attack had been futile, sparking an immediate desire to flee within him.

Once the thought of retreat took hold, Wu Dayong realized he was no longer able to continue the fight. He hastily withdrew his hand, casting a wary glance at the spectral Xia Liang before leaping out of the deep pit.

Upon escaping the pit, he was gripped by terror and bolted, with no intention of confronting Xia Liang again.

The events that had unfolded were too bizarre, too frightening.

He could sense a power within Xia Liang, one that dwarfed his own by several magnitudes, yet for some reason, Xia Liang hadn't made a move against him.

He was certain that if Xia Liang had wanted him dead, it would have been effortless.

Meanwhile, Xia Liang, left stunned in the pit after witnessing the formidable Wu Dayong's hasty retreat, was frozen in shock.

"I need to get out of here, too. The noise has drawn too much attention. The Psionic Police are surely on their way. If they catch me, how can I possibly explain what just happened?"

Despite his frantic thoughts, he found himself unable to command his own body.

But as if his body understood his intent, it coiled and then sprang into action, leaping five or six meters high and clearing the pit in a single bound. He landed on the small park's ground, now in complete disarray.

The park was a scene of devastation, with a charred, barren area where flames had raged, and a massive pit before him.

In the distance, the sound of approaching fire engines grew louder. It was unclear if someone had spotted the flames in the park and called the fire department.

"Move, I need to get out of here fast and head home."

Xia Liang recalled the 'heart-to-heart connection' he had experienced and mentally roared.

His body, as if sentient and attuned to his inner voice, immediately sprang into a sprint.

Minutes later, with his clothes incinerated, he scaled the residential complex's towering wall in the nude, then darted up the side of his apartment building with the speed of a thunderbolt. He navigated the air conditioning units and window ledges with agility, reaching the 16th floor in mere seconds.

He slid the window open and at last made his way into the bedroom.

"Damn, is the elevator not an option?"

Xia Liang had never before experienced a Spiderman-esque wall-scaling adventure, and it terrified him to the core. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his throat. Lying on the floor, he patted his chest lightly, much like a frightened girl, still shaking from the ordeal.

But he understood why he had to do it. His clothes had been burned off in the fire, leaving him not only naked but also covered in soot. Taking the elevator would have risked causing someone to faint in shock.

So, climbing in through the window was, in hindsight, a very wise decision.

"Huh?"

He suddenly caught himself patting his chest and mumbling under his breath.

He had regained control of his body.

Simultaneously, a searing pain and an intense itching from his rapidly regenerating skin overwhelmed him, sending him rolling across the floor in agony.

He even managed to ignore the mysterious voice that popped into his head.

"System binding successful. Host, please read the detailed instructions…"