Is It Over?

Faced with the giant jackal charging towards him while munching on grass, Shu silently threw out a rhinoceros.

The rhino opened its mouth and took a mouthful of grass, but immediately screamed and spat it out.

"Shu! Did you think I would fall for the same trick twice?!" [Vakh] laughed loudly. He had specifically added potent toxins to every creature!

The life forms he created could turn Shu's creations into nourishment, absorbing their life energy and becoming even stronger!

But Shu couldn't do that.

He didn't have the ability to equip every creature with new toxin antibodies!

Vakh was a master of poisons, wielding biological toxins with endless variety, and [Vakh], naturally, also possessed this skill!

He had tried to use this tactic against Shu, but Shu, relying on the faint [Hope] emanating from Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical, had done only one thing: isolate all the toxins.

This had greatly disappointed [Vakh].

But just because Shu could avoid toxins didn't mean the creatures under his command could.

Thanks to the rapidly growing grass, Vakh's energy consumption was now on par with Shu's, even though Shu was only doing half the work!

Now, both of their Honkai energy reserves were almost depleted. [Vakh] knew it was time to close the net…

"Come on, Shu…" Seeing the strengthened jackal about to topple the poisoned rhino, [Vakh] stopped the jackal's attack and looked at the panting Shu.

"You lasted a whole ten minutes on my turf… Considering your exceptional performance, I'll give you another chance…"

[Vakh] looked down at Shu and extended his hand. "Come, witness my ascension to godhood. I will allow someone as interesting as you to live until the end of the world… Of course, they can too."

[Vakh] glanced at the drone in the sky and chuckled mockingly.

He had already guessed who was behind it.

Just those Fire Moth people, along with some ordinary people under their protection…

Shu bent over, panting amidst the waist-high grass. He felt like his lungs were about to explode, his throat burning, and his muscles aching.

His subpar physical condition, without the boost of [Hope], coupled with the intense exertion, had pushed him to his limit.

Taking advantage of [Vakh]'s pause, he tightened his grip on the test tube hidden behind his back, using every second to rest and recover as much stamina as possible.

The time Otto had given him… wasn't enough… He needed to stall a little longer…

The expected surge of [Hope] didn't arrive. He had already discovered in Shanghai that the transmission of [Hope] had a spatial limit…

The stronger the [Hope], the greater the distance it could travel. Even if countless people now held him in high regard because of these few scenes, he could only receive a few scattered points of [Hope] from Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical.

He had even deliberately kept his distance from the building to avoid affecting it.

Seeing [Vakh]'s inclination to talk again, Shu took a deep breath, used [Wish] to repair his eardrums, and then looked at [Vakh].

"I refuse, Herrscher." Managing to straighten up, Shu wiped the sweat from his face and stared coldly at [Vakh]. "I said, there's nothing to talk about between us."

"Is that so? You're quite stubborn." This time, [Vakh] wasn't angry. He looked at Shu's trembling hands with amusement. "Even with your body trembling, you still want to act tough? I admire your courage."

Shu looked down at his trembling left arm, gripping it with his right arm to force it still.

"Hmph…" [Vakh] looked at Shu, clearly seeing through his facade, then at Shu's unyielding gaze with a hint of mockery.

"Why bother… you should know that you're the only one I'm interested in…" [Vakh] walked towards Shu confidently.

"Your futile resistance here will only lead to your death. Why not accept my offer? Consider it for the sake of those who are desperately trying to protect you."

Shu's pupils constricted. He instinctively raised his hand, about to put an end to this conversation.

Everything here was being livestreamed! With [Vakh]'s words, who knew how many people would have their minds twisted!

These words, detrimental to unity… couldn't be spoken!

But the moment Shu raised his hand, [Vakh] smiled and waved his hand. The grass, which had been swaying gently in the wind, suddenly surged, entwining Shu's arms and legs.

"What the-!" Shu struggled, but the grass was incredibly tough, binding him tightly in place.

"See? I can stop you at any time…" Shu looked up. [Vakh] had reached him, looking down at him condescendingly.

A scream echoed in the distance. The rhino Shu had created was tackled by the jackal and quickly devoured by Vakh's creatures.

Shu struggled again, but a large hand reached out and pinched his cheeks, forcing him to look up.

"Any strength left?" [Vakh] leaned down, bringing his face close to Shu's. "This is my authority. I know exactly how much energy you have left…"

[Vakh]'s purple eyes, shimmering with divine patterns, met Shu's gaze through his plain glasses.

He had figured it out. As long as he didn't activate his abilities, Shu couldn't touch his authority.

"So? Consider it?" [Vakh] whispered in Shu's ear, close enough for the drone to pick up his voice.

"After all, among these people, only you have value…"

Shu's face was held in [Vakh]'s grip. He looked at [Vakh], suddenly chuckled, and spoke with some difficulty.

"Then… what about Natasha?"

"Hmm?" The smile on [Vakh]'s face froze.

"You said… only I… have value…" Shu forced a smile, staring intently at [Vakh]'s confused eyes. "Then… what about Natasha?"

"Who do you consider her to be?"

"A stranger… an ordinary person I protect… or…"

"The younger sister you were supposed to protect?"

Shu gritted his teeth, asking [Vakh] each word slowly and deliberately.