"Guess even a master driver can't control a car out of fuel," Nangong Shiyu muttered.

He tilted his head toward the driver’s seat, glancing at the fuel gauge. Just as Xia Zixin said, the tank was nearly empty.

If they couldn’t shake the mantis Aberrant behind them, only one outcome awaited them—death.

The sky darkened unnoticed. Heavy clouds merged into a single oppressive blanket. Before long, thunder rumbled from the gray fortress overhead. Rain poured down instantly, splattering violently against the Maybach’s windshield.

"Wipe the windshield! We can’t see the road!" Nangong Shiyu’s heart pounded as the glass blurred completely.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t," Xia Zixin teased, tilting her head playfully. "This car wasn’t started with keys... I tweaked it. Now it only runs—and nothing else." She grinned. "Brace for a crash."

"You can say that so calmly?"

"Aren’t you the same?" Xia Zixin lifted her leg, magic swirling beneath her foot. With a single kick, she shattered the entire windshield—leaving not a single crack behind. Wind roared into the cabin, making breathing and opening eyes impossible.

Nangong Shiyu covered his mouth with his palm, gasping in the cramped space. His eyes stayed shut tight.

"What did you do?!" he choked out.

"Kicked out the windshield. Obviously." Her voice stayed steady despite the gale.

"How can you see the road without it?!" Rain soaked him instantly, plastering his uniform shirt to his skin. "I can’t even open my eyes!"

Unbeknownst to him, Xia Zixin had already conjured a small magical barrier over her eyes. The road ahead was crystal clear.

"Perfectly fine," she called over the wind, her words barely audible.

"How?!"

"I’ll explain during your next lesson, little bro." As she spoke, a raindrop hit her eye. The Maybach swerved wildly, tires screeching on asphalt. Nangong Shiyu nearly flew from his seat.

"W-what happened?"

"Nothing..."

*Damn it. This is unbearable.* Nangong Shiyu gritted his teeth.

The mantis’s stomps echoed behind the engine’s roar. Fuel was almost gone. What now?

Rain hammered his soaked shirt, stinging his skin. The wet fabric clung to him, leaching his warmth.

He reflected on everything that had happened. He’d been dragged into a deadly conflict. Thunder God. Aberrants. Things he’d never imagined real.

Reality and dreams blurred together, the boundary dissolving like mist.

His ordinary life was already shattered. *If I die... will I wake up in my bed? Back to normal?*

No. That was a stupid thought.

There was no reloading this world. Survival was the only path—or he’d vanish forever.

"Xia Zixin..." He whispered the name he’d given her.

"Yeah?"

"Can I... survive this?" His voice trembled, head bowed.

"Of course! What are you scared of? Big Sis is here!"

Her words warmed his rain-chilled heart.

*Enough.*

*This is enough.*

*No more fear.* He steeled himself.

"Do you know Tianmu City’s roads?"

"Every alley and avenue. I’m a living map!"

He didn’t question her familiarity. Her knowledge made his gamble possible.

"How far to Lingyang Lake Park?"

"Not far. About two kilometers."

*Perfect.* Hope flared in his chest.

"Drive straight into Lingyang Lake Park," he shouted. "Crash into the lake itself!"

"What are you planning?!"

"Just drive!" He wouldn’t explain yet.

"Tch... Fine, fine. Big Sis will try!"

Past the intersection, Xia Zixin yanked the wheel. The Maybach spun 450 degrees, tires screaming, then shot toward the park.

This was their last chance.

Nangong Shiyu bit his lip, praying silently—

*Let this work.*

At 160 km/h, two kilometers vanished in seconds. The park gates loomed ahead.

"We’re here," Xia Zixin warned.

She plowed through the barrier gates. Magic flared around the car—metal bars flew aside as the Maybach landed smoothly.

Though wind still blinded him, Nangong Shiyu heard Xia Zixin’s strained breathing.

"Xia Zixin?"

"I’m... fine..."

*No. You’re not.*

"Brace for water!"

As the wheels left the ground, Nangong Shiyu opened his eyes. Water surged in, pinning him to his seat. Momentum then threw him forward—only a warm body cushioned his head from the dashboard.

"Xia Zixin..."

He knew. She’d protected him again.

Without her, he’d be dead. No doubt.

But now... it was his turn.

The Maybach plunged into Lingyang Lake, sending up a colossal spray. It floated at the center, water lapping at the doors.

Nangong Shiyu gripped Xia Zixin’s shoulders. They swam out together. Behind them, the mantis halted at the shore.

It roared—a sound thick with rage and hunger Nangong Shiyu could feel in his bones.

Rain rippled the lake’s surface. Thunder growled over Tianmu City like a final overture.

Nangong Shiyu and the mantis locked eyes. The air reeked of gunpowder. Battle was inevitable.

Suddenly, the mantis vomited yellowish slime onto the grass. It sizzled, eating through the earth. The creature then rolled in the puddle, coating its black carapace in glistening fluid.

"What’s it doing?" Nangong Shiyu frowned.

"Preparing to swim," Xia Zixin panted. "That slime lets it float... and if I recall—it’s an insulator."

His heart lurched.

*Insulator.* A substance resisting electricity.

His plan would fail.

"Tough luck, little bro Shiyu," Xia Zixin said softly. "I guessed you wanted to lure it into water and fry it with lightning. But..."

"Won’t know until we try," Nangong Shiyu replied with a bitter smile.

"You’re more optimistic than I thought."

"I can’t give up." His gaze never left the armored monster.

*No surrender.*

Giving up meant losing everything.

After all this running...

After Xia Zixin’s relentless protection since his arm was severed...

He couldn’t waste her effort.

*Never.*

The mantis finished coating itself. Its carapace gleamed yellow. It howled at the sky, then leaped into the lake.

Time for the final stand.

Nangong Shiyu gathered every ounce of Lightning within him, compressing the energy for one decisive strike.

"Xia Zixin, release your materialized form. You don’t need to hold me."

"But you—"

"You’re exhausted," he said gently, meeting her pale, strained face.

"So release it." He turned back to the approaching monster. "This fight is mine."

"Okay." Xia Zixin smiled faintly, her eyelids growing heavy. "I’m counting on you..."

Her body dissolved into violet particles of light, vanishing into Nangong Shiyu’s chest.

...

Now only he and the monster remained.

Nangong Shiyu focused his last strength, Lightning surging through his veins.

The mantis drew closer. Death’s hand was about to rest on his shoulder.

When the energy peaked, countless visible arcs of lightning erupted from his body. They split the sky and lake, roaring with deafening fury.

—*Insulators merely have high resistance. They’re not invincible.*

Nangong Shiyu believed it. With enough voltage, even insulation would fail.

He still had a chance.