Dual Worlds: I Have a Doomsday World

Just as Lin Qi trusted Lin Xin, she also trusted her brother.

Lin Qi nodded, gathered his thoughts for a moment, and began, "I have a friend..."

It was the classic opening for asking for advice, but Lin Qi wasn’t just inventing a friend out of thin air.

This was Lin Qi’s subtle way of telling Lin Xin about the other identity he concealed beneath his "corporate drone" persona.

In the past, Lin Xin had just been an ordinary person, so Lin Qi wouldn’t have dragged her into danger.

But now that Lin Xin had embarked on the path of an Extraordinary Professional, Lin Qi felt there was no need to hide his ties to the Mercenary Corps from her.

If he weren’t worried about Baili Xueyuan hiding somewhere and eavesdropping, Lin Qi wouldn’t even need to hide his identity as a Tier Three Wizard from Lin Xin.

This was the unique trust that existed only between blood relatives.

"She isn’t in Red Fruit City right now. She’s currently investigating the special cyber psychosis, and she’s found one of the people who is a source of it."

"But earlier today, she sensed she was being followed. The other party seems to have some special means; no matter where she goes, they can lock onto her approximate location. Based on her description, I think the people tracking her are likely from... the Eastern Alliance."

"What I want to ask is, is my guess correct?"

Lin Qi’s description was rather vague, but Lin Xin could definitely understand what he meant.

After listening to Lin Qi’s story, Lin Xin was visibly stunned for a moment.

’A friend?’

’What friend?’

’A Tier Four friend?’

’Since when did Lin Qi have connections like that?’

Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Xin.

’Could it be that Lin Qi has another persona, aside from the corporate drone?’

Lin Xin suppressed her curiosity and didn’t ask, instead mulling over Lin Qi’s question.

Finally, Lin Xin said, "If that friend of yours is a Tier Four Extraordinary Professional, then congratulations, you’ve guessed correctly."

After giving Lin Qi the answer he wanted, Lin Xin thoughtfully added an explanation. "This operation involves a large number of Tier Four Extraordinary Professionals, and the Assassin Alliance isn’t the only group taking action. But the objective is very clear: to corner and kill the source individuals of the special cyber psychosis you mentioned."

"These targets are all Tier Four Extraordinaries. Even if we could learn their identities, it would still be very difficult to pinpoint their locations. That’s why the personnel on this operation have all been equipped with a new type of detector."

"This thing doesn’t have any special functions—it can’t even detect Low Tier Extraordinary Professionals. But as it happens, it’s exceptionally effective against Tier Four Extraordinaries. The device is used to detect the power of their Extraordinary will, and no Tier Four Extraordinary Professional can escape it."

"Your friend has most likely been mistaken for one of the sources of the special cyber psychosis."

As she spoke, Lin Xin gazed deeply at Lin Qi.

’So that’s why Lin Qi is decked out in this Prosthetic Body. It’s not because he loves prosthetics like the old man, but because he’s secretly involved in other dangerous business.’

The information Lin Xin revealed was very likely classified.

She hadn’t just answered Lin Qi’s question; worried he might make a wrong move, she had shared more than she should have.

Finally, Lin Xin added a warning, "Lin Qi, there’s one thing I have to remind you: any unregistered Tier Four Extraordinary who appears in the Asian Administrative Region is extremely dangerous."

"I won’t interfere with your decisions, but I hope you recognize the risks. Don’t play with fire, or you’ll get burned."

This time, Lin Xin was very calm. She didn’t lash out in anger as she might have in the past, but simply stated the facts.

Lin Qi nodded. "I understand. Don’t worry, I’ve always known what I want."

Before he came into contact with the Doomsday World, what Lin Qi had always wanted was to give his family a better life.

But now, what he wanted was far more difficult to obtain, yet fundamentally simpler.

Lin Qi wanted safety, so that he and his family could continue to survive.

The things that stood in the way of that safety were the European Big Business Alliance and the potential Blood Moon crisis.

As long as he lived in the Cyber World, these were things Lin Qi could not escape.

Lin Xin nodded as well. After giving Lin Qi another deep look, she stood up and walked over to a cabinet in his workshop. "I was worried Sister Li would interfere, so I told her I was coming down to grab some piece of junk you made as a kid. I’ll just take this with me."

Lin Xin picked up a humanoid model with a red and yellow color scheme. Its design was extremely angular and sharp.

It was something Lin Qi had built while reminiscing about his past life. The model had even influenced him later when he used an Exoskeleton to pass for a Prosthetic Body.

Lin Qi waved his hand dismissively; the object only held sentimental value for him.

Taking the model, Lin Xin walked out of Lin Qi’s workshop, pulling the door shut behind her.

Lin Qi took out his bracer again, Lin Xin’s words replaying in his mind.

’All unregistered Tier Four Extraordinaries who appear in the Asian Administrative Region are very dangerous.’

’King Arthur?’

’Dangerous?’

Perhaps. But to Lin Qi, she was a friend he could trust, at least to a certain extent.

And a straightforward one at that.

He composed a message:

[I’ve confirmed it. The people looking for you are indeed from the Eastern Alliance. Their objective is the same as yours. The reason they’re relentlessly pursuing you is that they’ve mistaken you for someone from Ninghang Technology.]

[You can make direct contact with them. Once they realize you’re not their target, they’ll most likely leave you alone. Right now, unregistered Tier Four Extraordinaries in the Asian Administrative Region aren’t their primary objective.]

Lin Qi sent the intelligence to King Arthur, along with his suggested course of action.

Whether King Arthur would follow his advice was not something Lin Qi could control.

Lin Qi figured that if King Arthur kept hiding, her pursuers would eventually realize this suspected "target" was a tough one and would likely call for more backup.

The sewers were indeed King Arthur’s home turf.

But this was the Asian Administrative Region, and the Asian Administrative Region was the Eastern Alliance’s home turf!

If enough Tier Four Extraordinaries reached the sewers, King Arthur wouldn’t be able to stay hidden.

...

In the sewers, King Arthur felt her bracer vibrate and immediately checked the message.

In her mind, the "Wizard" was a reliable and powerful individual who was not only highly skilled but also well-connected.

The Wizard’s intelligence was crucial for her decision-making process.

After reading the message, King Arthur frowned.

’So, it really is the Eastern Alliance. And their target is the mother sample Bearer, too?’

’This complicates things.’

’It conflicts with the Mercenary Corps’ mission.’

She mulled it over for a moment.

’Whatever. I’ll deal with my own problem first. I’ll let Guang Ling decide how to complete the Mercenary Corps’ mission.’

’As long as Guang Ling isn’t a complete idiot, he won’t make me clash head-on with the Eastern Alliance.’

’But this mission... I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off about Guang Ling, though I can’t put my finger on what.’

’After I solve this immediate problem, maybe I should have a proper talk with the Wizard.’

All sorts of thoughts swirled through King Arthur’s mind.

She, like Lin Qi, felt that Guang Ling had been acting strangely recently.

Ever since the mission in Alliance City began, Guang Ling’s methods had deviated from his usual style.

It wasn’t just a discrepancy in "Ability," but also in attitude.

Although the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps had a one hundred percent mission completion rate, this particular mission had already caused such widespread repercussions that, theoretically, any sane leader would have aborted it.

Yet Guang Ling showed no intention of giving up, as if determined to follow this path to its dark end.

King Arthur pushed the chaotic thoughts from her mind, closed her eyes, and focused on the sounds and movements within the sewers.

With her familiarity with the sewers, she barely needed to rely on data from detection-type Prosthetic Bodies. She could assess her surroundings using just the Extraordinary senses of a Tier Four Knight.

’Nine hundred meters away. So persistent.’

King Arthur muttered to herself. She didn’t know that the Eastern Alliance possessed a way to detect the location of Tier Four Extraordinaries—this was the classified information Lin Xin had leaked.

King Arthur had made her decision. She trusted the Wizard’s advice.

After confirming their direction, she headed straight toward their location.