Axel had no medical knowledge, nor did he know whether he had injected the medicine into the right place.
Still, every movie he'd seen made it look simple. Just stick the needle in and inject it. It was probably an intramuscular shot, so finding a vein shouldn't matter.
Besides, if something went wrong, then fate simply wasn't on their side.
The instant the medicine entered Ci Yun's body, a hazy blue glow appeared in her pupils.
Seeing it, Axel let out a quiet sigh.
"It worked... probably."
For someone destined to be a protagonist, surviving ridiculous situations seemed like a basic requirement.
Resting against Axel's chest, every muscle in Ci Yun's body tightened. Her pained whimpers faded, replaced by a long, steady breath.
Bang!
The restaurant doors burst open.
A handsome man led three subordinates inside with complete confidence.
The moment he saw Ci Yun sitting on Axel's lap with her tense body pressed against him, he paused.
The woman with the hime haircut behind him smirked.
"You two certainly didn't waste any time."
"Don't jump to conclusions."
The man cut her off with a grin before focusing on Ci Yun's bloodstained face.
Her expression carried the relaxed exhaustion that came after unbearable pain had finally subsided. Combined with the syringe still sticking out of her neck, everything became obvious.
His smile widened.
"So you're still alive after all these years.
"Back when they created us, they were terrified we'd become uncontrollable. That's why they built a fatal flaw into us.
"Without their medicine, none of us should've survived longer than two months.
"And yet... you've lasted almost ten years."
He casually counted on his fingers before nodding.
"That's right. Ten years. You're nineteen now.
"Impressive.
"You truly were the strongest child among our batch."
After chuckling softly, he glanced at Axel.
"What surprises me is how you found the medicine.
"If you hadn't, dealing with you would've been easy.
"But that's fine.
"Now I can fight you at your best.
"And you can witness how strong I've become.
"The pathetic kid you almost killed back then isn't weak anymore."
He slowly clenched his fist.
Behind him, the woman tied her hair into a ponytail while staring at Ci Yun.
"They always praised you."
She smiled coldly.
"I've wanted to see whether you deserve that reputation.
"I just hope you don't..."
"Hmph."
Pfft!
Axel suddenly spat onto the floor.
Boom!
The instant the saliva touched the ground, it exploded with the force of a bomb.
The floor beneath them shattered apart.
Then the destruction continued downward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosion after explosion echoed through the skyscraper as the saliva punched through one floor after another.
Violent tremors shook the entire building while clouds of dust swallowed the restaurant.
Even Ci Yun was startled awake.
She grabbed Axel's shirt in disbelief.
"What...?"
A confused voice echoed through the dust.
"What just happened...?"
As the dust gradually settled, silence filled the room.
The four superhumans stared at the massive hole beneath their feet before instinctively swallowing.
The woman hurried to the edge and looked down.
One glance was enough to make every hair on her body stand on end.
The handsome man rushed beside her.
His expression immediately stiffened.
The destruction extended far beyond a few floors.
He could actually see the building's foundation.
At that moment, loud groaning sounds spread throughout the skyscraper.
Axel's casual spit had hollowed out its entire center.
The lower the floors, the wider the destruction became.
A gigantic cone-shaped cavity now stretched from the top of the building all the way to its base.
The skyscraper was collapsing from the inside.
"Damn it!"
The handsome man cursed and sprinted toward the window.
There was no point fighting inside a collapsing building.
He smashed through the glass and leaped toward the neighboring office tower.
Crash!
He crashed through its windows before immediately turning around.
His eyes widened as he watched the skyscraper collapse straight downward.
The other three superhumans followed.
The woman jumped next.
The man with the short ponytail landed after her.
The buzz-cut youth was the slowest.
He was also the weakest.
By the time the others landed safely, he remained several feet short of the neighboring building.
"No!"
His desperate scream echoed through the air.
Fortunately, his momentum carried him into the lower floors of the office building instead of the street.
Even so, crashing through more than twenty floors worth of height left him completely broken.
The remaining three barely spared him a glance.
Their full attention remained fixed on the collapsing skyscraper.
Inside the building, Ci Yun gripped Axel's shoulder.
"You're unbelievably strong...
"But we should leave.
"It would be ridiculous if we died because of something we caused."
Axel laughed.
"No need."
He adjusted her position until she was sitting properly on his lap, facing the table.
Their distance became even smaller.
Ci Yun's face reddened despite herself.
Pretending nothing had happened, she focused on the steak before her.
Oddly enough, despite the explosion moments earlier, the table and food remained completely spotless.
Axel wrapped an arm around her waist before leaning closer.
"You seem much better now.
"But after everything you went through, you've burned through plenty of energy.
"Eat.
"I worked hard making these.
"Even Alfred doesn't know this, but I'm actually a pretty good cook.
"I'm just too lazy most of the time."
He picked up the knife and fork, cut off a piece of steak, and lifted it toward her mouth.
Watching the meat approach, Ci Yun's heartbeat quickened.
Embarrassment flickered across her face.
No matter what she had done or how many lives she'd taken, she was still only nineteen.
Slowly, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
Her cheeks turned bright red.
Then...
Nom.
The fork completely bypassed her mouth.
Axel stuffed the steak into his own.
Chewing happily, he spoke through the food.
"Why aren't you eating?
"You expecting me to feed you?
"The utensils are right there.
"Feed yourself."
Then he mischievously stuck a finger into her open mouth and poked the back of her throat.
"Ugh!"
Ci Yun gagged violently.
The blush vanished instantly, replaced by a deathly pale complexion.
Her expression changed so quickly it resembled a stage performer changing masks.
Axel burst into laughter.
At that exact moment, the skyscraper finally reached its limit.
Crash!
The weakened lower structure gave way completely.
With its center destroyed, the upper floors crushed everything beneath them.
Instead of toppling sideways, the skyscraper folded straight into itself.
Seeing the collapse, Ci Yun grabbed Axel's wrist.
"Stop eating!
"We have to go!"
"Go where?"
Axel calmly cut another piece of steak.
"I don't run."
"I know the collapse can't kill you.
"But falling with the building would still be a mess."
Before she could finish, Axel placed a piece of steak into her mouth.
This time he actually fed her.
Even knowing he was teasing her, she still felt an odd sense of relief.
Crunch.
As she chewed...
The building completely gave way.
Instinctively, Ci Yun unleashed her telekinesis to shield both herself and Axel.
Yet another force expanded beyond hers.
Axel's overwhelming psychic power enveloped everything around them.
Meanwhile, people inside the neighboring office building stared through the dust.
"What happened?"
"Was that an earthquake?"
"Wait..."
"Look over there!"
"A chunk of the building is floating!"
"There are people standing on it!"
"And... a dining table?"
More and more people gathered at the windows.
Ci Yun slowly opened her eyes.
She had expected weightlessness.
Instead, she felt nothing at all.
Looking down, she froze.
Their chairs remained firmly attached to a massive section of flooring nearly sixty square meters in size.
The entire slab floated effortlessly in midair.
She knew better than anyone how difficult true telekinetic control was.
Destroying something required power.
Controlling something required absolute precision.
When she was nine years old, she could blast through thick concrete walls.
Yet she could barely manipulate something the size of a Rubik's Cube.
Axel, however, was effortlessly controlling an enormous section of the building while simultaneously shielding everything from dust.
Even the steaks remained perfectly clean.
Still carrying his plate, Axel stood and gently set Ci Yun back onto the floating floor.
He looked toward the neighboring building and casually waved at the handsome man.
Then he began walking.
Each step caused the floating floor beneath him to split into perfectly smooth sections.
As one piece separated, another seamlessly formed ahead of him.
The shattered slabs continuously rearranged themselves into a suspended pathway.
Ci Yun silently followed him, a bloodstained smile spreading across her face.
From a distance, the floating stone pathway resembled a massive runway suspended in the sky.
Axel walked across it as though he owned the heavens.
Across the gap, the handsome man swallowed hard.
Because he possessed telekinesis himself, he understood exactly how impossible this feat truly was.
Every trace of confidence vanished.
Sweat streamed down his face.
Beside him, the woman with the hime haircut slowly spat out her chewing gum.
Her voice trembled.
"How can he be this strong...?"
===
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