For three months, the war entered a new phase. It was quieter. The intel from Mars had given ASEAN Command a priceless advantage, turning what was once a desperate defense into a series of calculated, strategic victories along the Great Wall.
For Task Force Chimera, it was a period of intense, focused training. The looming threat of Lord Maka-Jed felt distant, a storm far over the horizon, allowing them the precious time to hone their skills.
This tense peace was shattered by a priority summons from Director Tran. His face on the briefing room screen was somber.
"Commander," he began, his voice devoid of its usual political maneuvering. "We have a situation beyond the Wall."
He displayed a map of a mountainous region deep in the "Yunnan Dead Zone," territory ceded to the Madakaros for half a century. "We have intercepted a distress call. A hidden settlement of human survivors, people who were trapped outside when the Wall was sealed, has been discovered."
A heavy silence filled the room. The 'ghosts'—the billions left behind—were a foundational tragedy for every human inside the Wall.
"The commander who found them is Inquisitor Vex of the Soul Drinker clan," Tran continued, displaying the file of a gaunt, calculating Madakaros. "The Mars intel identified him as a specialist. He isn't after resources. He's a cultivator."
"What is his objective?" Lin Ming asked, his voice steady.
"A breakthrough," Tran said grimly. "He has tens of thousands of people under siege in their mountain fortress. He's waiting for a celestial alignment in one month. His research suggests it will amplify the energy from a mass ritual sacrifice. He intends to slaughter every last soul to fuel his ascension to the Nascent Soul realm."
The air grew cold. A Nascent Soul. A level of power so far beyond their own it was almost mythological. The two investigators on Mars were of that realm, and they had nearly annihilated the team without effort.
"An offensive by the regular army is impossible," Tran stated flatly. "We don't have the time or the strength to push that deep. This is an assassination and rescue mission, deep in enemy territory. It is, by any sane measure, impossible." His eyes locked onto Lin Ming's. "But your team has a history of making the impossible look merely improbable. You are their only hope."
After the briefing, the weight of the mission settled upon them.
"His cultivation is listed as Peak Golden Core," Minerva's voice came from the room's comms, her tone clipped and analytical. "He is at the final gate before Nascent Soul. A master of psychic and soul-based arts."
"So he's one step below the monsters we met on Mars, but a specialist in the one type of combat we have no defense against," Quynh Nhu summarized, her voice tight. This was beyond tactics or superior firepower. How could you shoot an enemy who could fight you inside your own head?
"We can't fight him as we are," Lin Ming said, his voice quiet but resolute. The decision had already formed in his mind. "We don't have time to accumulate power normally. I have to take a risk."
He walked to the reinforced safe and retrieved the small, lead-lined box. He opened it. The [Soul Pearl] lay within, a sphere of polished blackness that seemed to steal the warmth from the room.
Pham Tuan flinched. "Leader, that thing… Minerva's analysis said it was pure spiritual poison."
"Vex's power is of the soul. He wants to devour tens of thousands of souls to form his Nascent Soul. To stop him, I can't just be his equal. I need my own spirit to be an unbreakable fortress. This," Lin Ming said, holding up the pearl, "is the only path."
He was going to ingest an artifact of condensed death energy to strengthen his soul. It was like trying to stop a flood by drinking the ocean. The logic was insane, born of absolute desperation.
"This is not a gamble, Ming. This is suicide," Quynh Nhu said, her voice dropping the sarcastic edge and becoming raw with genuine concern.
"Then it's a suicide I have to attempt," he replied, his gaze unwavering. "The alternative is to let those people die. I won't do that."
He looked at his team, at the trust and fear in their eyes. "Prepare the 'White Rabbit'. Set a course. I need twenty-four hours of absolute focus to do this. When I wake up…" He looked at the Soul Pearl. "…or if I wake up, I will either be strong enough for this mission, or I will be dust."
Without another word, he entered his private chamber and sealed the door. He sat cross-legged, the pearl resting in his palm. It felt cold, a repository of silent screams. He wasn't just trying to strengthen his spirit. He was trying to force a breakthrough—to use this volatile, immense power to forge his own Golden Core.
He thought of the survivors, trapped and hopeless. He thought of Vex, planning a massacre to elevate himself. A cold, hard resolve settled in his heart.
He placed the pearl on his tongue. It tasted like ash and regret.
He closed his eyes, centered his will, and swallowed.
His world didn't just go black. It shattered.