"You must prove… that your master is worthy."
The divine voice did not echo.
It spread.
Like ripples across still water—
Soft.
Yet impossible to ignore.
The air itself seemed to tighten.
Not suffocating.
Not oppressive.
But controlled.
Precisely confined within the narrow space of the room—
As if reality itself had been… sealed.
"Beast God…?"
Zhizhi's voice trembled.
Not loudly.
Not even clearly.
Just a slight vibration in the air—
Fragile.
Uncertain.
But the moment the words left his mouth—
The pressure vanished.
Completely.
No lingering presence.
No divine gaze.
No overwhelming will pressing against his soul.
It was gone.
Or perhaps—
Not gone.
Simply withdrawn.
Like a hand that had been holding a thread—
Now released.
"…Master will recognize me."
He tightened his grip on the stained suit.
The fabric was rough.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
Yet he held onto it—
As if it were the only thing anchoring him to himself.
His eyes—
Still confused a moment ago—
Slowly hardened.
The hesitation faded.
Replaced by something else.
Something desperate.
Something reckless.
Something that looked almost like faith—
But wasn't.
Far away—
At an abandoned dock—
The wind carried the scent of rust and salt.
Heavy.
Bitter.
Unforgiving.
The skeletal cranes groaned as they swayed.
Metal scraping against metal.
A sound that pierced through the empty space like a dying animal's cry.
Tian Shuangxin clutched the man's sleeve.
Tightly.
Too tightly.
Her fingers had already turned pale.
Her knuckles stiff.
As if letting go would mean losing everything.
"Brother Luo… please…"
Her voice cracked.
Dry.
Exhausted.
"I'll do anything… just this once… I have to go to Green Pheasant Country… I have to bring it back…"
Her grip tightened further.
Almost desperate.
Almost broken.
But the man only frowned.
Annoyed.
Irritated.
"Miss Tian, it's not that I don't want to help you."
He shook his arm.
Hard.
Her hand slipped.
Fell.
"Look at the world right now."
His voice rose slightly.
Not in anger—
But in frustration.
"My people? Every single one of them's losing it."
He pointed vaguely into the distance.
As if the entire collapsing world was right there in front of them.
"They can't sleep."
"Not even for a second."
"The moment they close their eyes—"
He paused.
His jaw tightened.
"…they see it."
Those red words.
Those images.
Burned into memory.
Impossible to escape.
"They're all seeing it."
A beat passed.
The wind howled.
Then—
His tone shifted.
Lower.
Heavier.
"If not for my dog…"
He let out a dry laugh.
"…that big yellow mutt of mine."
"Never mistreated it once all these years."
He exhaled.
Slowly.
"I'd be like Old Wang next door."
"Kneeling in the street."
"Slapping my own face like a lunatic."
He didn't look at her again.
Didn't wait for a reply.
Just turned—
And walked away.
Vanishing into the shadows of stacked containers.
Tian Shuangxin stood there.
For a moment.
Then—
Her legs gave out.
She dropped into the mud.
The cold seeped through instantly.
But she didn't react.
Didn't move.
Didn't even wipe her face.
The waves crashed against the rocks.
Again.
And again.
Relentless.
Like something was crying—
Over and over—
In the dark.
That night—
The entire world changed.
Not violently.
Not suddenly.
But… grotesquely.
Kindness appeared everywhere.
Too much of it.
Too fast.
Too deliberate.
Billionaires stood in front of cameras—
Feeding stray cats with caviar.
Their smiles were stiff.
Their hands—
Shaking.
Politicians hugged retired police dogs.
Tears streamed down their faces.
But their eyes—
Empty.
No warmth.
No sincerity.
Just fear.
Raw.
Undeniable fear.
Human greed—
For the first time—
Did not disappear.
It simply changed shape.
Stitched itself together—
Into something uglier.
A mask.
A performance.
A desperate attempt—
To survive.
Above—
She watched.
Silently.
Without emotion.
"False kindness…"
The voice was calm.
Flat.
"…is still a blade."
Then—
She raised Her hand.
No gesture.
No movement that humans could perceive.
Yet—
Something happened.
A force.
Vast.
Endless.
Spread across the entire planet.
Like ink dissolving into water—
Silent.
Unstoppable.
From the highest sky—
To the deepest ocean trenches—
Everything—
Paused.
For one second.
Just one.
And in that single moment—
All lights—
Went out.
"Nightmare Beast… come."
Space fractured.
Without warning.
Without sound.
A vortex formed behind It.
Dark.
Deep.
Endless.
Roughly three meters wide—
Yet it felt…
Infinite.
Inside it—
A forest.
Beautiful.
Decaying.
Alive.
And dying.
At the same time.
Something moved.
Slowly.
Gracefully.
A figure emerged.
A deer.
But not one that belonged to this world.
Its antlers—
Split.
On the left—
Light.
Aurora-like colors flowed endlessly.
Soft.
Gentle.
Almost comforting.
Tiny particles drifted from it—
Like fragments of healing.
But on the right—
Everything twisted.
Cracked.
Black veins spread across it like dried blood.
Dark red.
Deep purple.
Rotting energy pulsed beneath the surface.
It smelled—
Foul.
Like decay.
Its eyes—
Shattered into countless fragments.
Each one reflecting something different.
Fear.
Desire.
Regret.
Madness.
Its wings shifted slightly.
Two orbs hovered above its back.
Rotating.
Absorbing something unseen.
Something intangible.
Emotion.
The creature said nothing.
Did nothing.
It simply lowered its head—
And inhaled.
The next moment—
Its gaze split.
Exploded—
Into countless streams of light.
Flowing outward.
Across the world.
Into every human mind.
And then—
The dreams began.
This—
Was not punishment.
Not yet.
This was—
A test.
Tian Shuangxin's Dream.
She opened her eyes.
A street.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Lights glowed softly.
People walked past her.
Close.
Close enough to feel their warmth.
To hear their breathing.
To sense their presence.
Everything felt real.
Too real.
And that—
Was what made it wrong.
She lowered her gaze.
Her hands—
Clean.
No dirt.
No wounds.
No cracks from the past few days.
She rubbed her fingers together.
Nothing.
As if everything that had happened—
Had been erased.
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Faint.
Almost swallowed by the wind.
"Chi—"
Her body froze.
Completely.
Her heartbeat spiked.
She turned—
Slowly.
A shadow.
Near a trash can.
Small.
Fragile.
A familiar shape—
Curled into itself.
"Zhizhi…?"
Her voice barely came out.
Hoarse.
Unsteady.
The little creature flinched.
Violently.
Its body trembled.
It backed away—
Quickly.
Fearfully.
Its eyes—
Were no longer filled with trust.
Only distance.
Only defense.
"It's me…"
She took a step forward.
Slow.
Careful.
"…Zhizhi, it's me…"
Her chest tightened.
Pain spread—
Sharp.
Unbearable.
But the moment her foot touched the ground—
Reality broke.
The street collapsed.
Like melting tar.
The light twisted.
Shattered.
Torn apart.
And then—
She was somewhere else.
A living room.
Bright.
Too bright.
The chandelier above burned like a surgical lamp.
Cold.
Merciless.
Exposing everything.
Every flaw.
Every weakness.
Two women sat there.
Facing each other.
One of them—
Was her.
The other—
Someone she could never forget.
"Have you decided, Miss Tian?"
The woman spoke calmly.
Elegantly.
Every word measured.
"I've already arranged your mother's surgery."
"One word from you—"
"And it will happen tomorrow."
Silence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
The version of her in the dream—
Lowered her head.
Her shoulders trembled.
Not violently.
Not dramatically.
But continuously.
Like something inside her was slowly breaking.
She didn't say no.
She didn't say yes.
She didn't say anything.
And yet—
That silence—
Was louder than any scream.
Heavier than any refusal.
More final than any agreement.
"I thought you were smarter."
The woman smiled faintly.
Cold.
Detached.
She rotated the emerald ring on her finger.
Casually.
As if discussing something trivial.
"That little creature resembles my late Mao Mao."
"Its existence is a blessing for you."
"And your only chance."
"…otherwise…"
Her gaze swept over her.
Light.
Dismissive.
"Someone like you would never sit here."
"…Madam Zhu…"
Her lips trembled.
Opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
She struggled.
Struggled to breathe.
Struggled to speak.
Struggled to choose.
Then—
"…How much?"
"NO—!"
The real Tian Shuangxin rushed forward.
Her hand reached out—
Desperate.
But it passed through them.
Through the scene.
Like smoke.
Like nothing.
"I didn't mean it—"
"I didn't—"
"I didn't want to sell you—!"
But the dream did not stop.
It did not listen.
It only replayed—
The truth she wanted to deny.
The check was written.
The deal was made.
She collapsed.
Her knees hit the ground.
"I agree…"
Her voice shook.
"…as long as the money comes quickly…"
"NO!!!"
She screamed.
Her throat tore.
Her voice cracked.
"I was trying to save my mom!!"
"I had no choice!!"
Then—
The dream-self turned.
Slowly.
Her eyes—
Empty.
Hollow.
Yet precise.
They met.
Across time.
Across reality.
A silent question—
That could not be answered.
The world shattered again.
Fragments floated around her.
Each one—
Reflecting a different version of her.
Hesitating.
Struggling.
Breaking.
Then—
A cage.
Rust.
Cold.
Silent.
Inside—
A tiny figure.
Still.
Watching her.
Not the past.
Not the memory.
But—
Her.
Now.
"Master."
No sound.
But it pierced through everything.
Directly into her soul.
"Don't look at me…"
She collapsed completely.
"…please don't look at me…"
The small creature moved.
Slowly.
Calmly.
It reached out.
Its tiny paw—
Hooked onto the metal wire.
Its eyes—
Clear.
Pure.
Unwavering.
As if saying—
"If it was your choice… I would still accept it."
Something broke.
Completely.
Above—
It watched.
Silently.
Because this—
Was not punishment.
This—
Was proof.