101: Chapter 101 Return

"Since the contract is sealed, then live well. Your life is very precious now."

Deep in the starry sky, the other party slowly withdrew her jade-like hand, and that ethereal, lazy voice echoed once again in Zhou An's mind.

"This is just a preliminary transaction, and a small investment I've made in you. Your shriveled soul has been reshaped by me, and I have returned your lost power to you twofold. But remember, in this broken universe, your path ahead will only be harder and bloodier than it is now."

Zhou An felt the surging, ocean-like power of the Tier 5 Peak within him, and his originally manic emotions finally calmed down completely. He took a deep breath and bowed deeply toward the void.

"Thank you. Although I don't know who you really are or what you need me to do, since you saved my life, if you ever have any requests in the future, I will go through fire and water for you."

Zhou An's tone was calm and resolute.

"Heh, go through fire and water? With your pathetic strength right now, you don't even have the qualifications to approach the chessboard. As for what I need you to do... when the time comes, I will naturally come to find you."

The voice paused, seemingly carrying a hint of a smile.

"Go, little bug, and return to where you belong."

The surrounding starry sky began to distort violently, and a sense of weightlessness surged in like a tide.

Just in the last second before the teleportation, Zhou An suddenly looked up. Watching the figure that was about to dissipate, the warm home on Earth and his little sister waiting for him at the subway station entrance suddenly flashed through his mind.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask about a fear buried deep in his heart: "Wait! I still want to ask one question! My family... are they still living on Earth? Is Earth... still there?!"

However, there was no answer.

The scene faded rapidly from his vision like receding tide water, and Zhou An only felt everything go black before his eyes.

Accompanied by an extremely intense sense of weightlessness, the surrounding silence was broken by the sound of howling winds and a nauseating, putrid stench!

"Bang!"

Zhou An snapped his eyes open, his feet landing firmly on the hard metal deck.

There was no laser fire filling the sky, nor were there those massive, twisted aberrant fleets.

As far as the eye could see, there was a dense, dead, black fog that was almost impossible to disperse.

This area, which had once erupted in a brutal battle, had clearly been completely swallowed by the black fog, turning into a true forbidden zone for life.

"Beep—!"

The system emitted a sharp, red alarm sound.

[Warning! You have entered an ultra-high concentration Abyss Black Fog zone!]

[Environmental pollution levels are off the charts! Your SAN value is draining at a rate of 100 points per second!]

Countless twisted auditory hallucinations and roars attempted to drill into Zhou An's mind once again.

But the next second, a ball of pure white light rippled out from the depths of his reshaped soul.

[System Prompt: Secondary Awakening Talent 'Last Stand' Eternal Sanity Anchor has taken effect!]

[Your SAN value has been forcibly locked at: 1 point. Pollution immunity.]

Feeling the unshakable clarity in his mind, Zhou An exhaled a long, turbid breath mixed with black fog.

With a thought, he pulled up his personal panel.

[Name: Zhou An]

[Level: Tier 5 Peak]

[Hidden Identity: God's Emissary of ????]

[Hextech Talents]:

[Smallest Giant (Prismatic)]

[Compound Interest (Prismatic)]

[Level Up! (Prismatic)]

[War Treasury III (Prismatic)]

[Last Stand (Prismatic)]

[Demonic Contract (Prismatic)]

Looking at the glaring "????" deity prefix, as well as the six prismatic talents shining with brilliant luster once again, Zhou An clenched his fists. He had not only survived, but he was even more powerful than before.

He lowered his head and looked at the behemoth beneath his feet.

That was his [Cloud Top Fortress].

The fortress that had disintegrated during the contract deprivation was not only fully restored now but had even undergone a thorough upgrade.

Its entire body emitted a layer of dark golden light resembling the starry sky, giving off a heart-palpitating sense of oppression.

Zhou An's figure flashed.

His right arm, flowing with starry energy, glowed slightly, and [Spatial Displacement] activated! He instantly ignored the hard armor and appeared directly in the fortress's internal main control room.

As soon as he stepped in, the brand-new fortress panel popped up automatically:

[Vehicle Name: Cloud Top Fortress]

[Current Level: LV5]

[Maximum Speed: 600 KM/h]

[Total Area: 800 square meters per floor (4 floors in total)]

[Facility Rating: Full set of life, defense, and kinetic facilities have been upgraded to Legendary grade]

Zhou An glanced at the empty resource warehouse and gave a wry smile.

He was truly "penniless" now. Even the most basic conventional fuel for the main engine had been burned up completely in that sacrifice, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

But fortunately, he had [Smallest Giant].

Soon, the energy in the fortress began to gradually recover.

The lights in the main control room turned on one by one, and the originally dead machinery began to emit a low, powerful roar again.

Zhou An looked at the gradually reviving console, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. Tentatively, and with a trace of trembling he himself hadn't noticed, he spoke: "EVA... are you still there?"

After a brief static, crackling sound.

An electronic female voice that was incredibly reassuring echoed in the main control room:

"Captain, EVA is online. System deep self-check complete, the entire fortress is operating in good condition. Welcome home."

Hearing this familiar voice, Zhou An's back, which had been as tense as a drawn bow, finally relaxed slightly, and he leaned heavily against the soft captain's chair.

This cold artificial intelligence, under this sky of despair, was one of his most reliable "family members."

"Good, as long as you're alive, that's good."

Zhou An smiled, tired but relieved.

He skillfully swiped open the system communication channel, wanting to confirm the current status of District 997, and... to see if there was any news from Muzi and Old Zhang and the others.

However, the channel he opened was filled with blinding, noisy static. The friends list, regional channel, trading hall... all system functions were marked with a bright red "Signal Lost" sign.

This area, composed of high-concentration Abyss Black Fog, was like a massive signal-shielding field, completely cutting off all their contact with the outside world.

Zhou An frowned, looking at the black fog outside the panoramic window that seemed capable of swallowing all light.

"This damn place cannot be stayed in for long; who knows if those aberrant monsters will wander back."

Zhou An slammed the kinetic throttle in front of him forward and ordered in a deep voice: "EVA, immediately cut off all external life support circulation, set shield power to maximum! Full rudder ahead at full speed, let's charge out, damn it!"

"Command confirmed. Main engine operating at overload, route locked to the unexplored area ahead. Breaking out now—"

Accompanied by a deafening, violent roar, the massive [Cloud Top Fortress] spewed blinding exhaust flames from its tail, sprinting forward toward the unknown distance!