【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

A guttural cry for help pierced the silence of the snow-covered plain. The sound, carried on the biting wind, brought with it an overwhelming sense of dread. My heart clenched, and almost simultaneously, the ground beneath my feet trembled. The snow caved in, and a low, muffled boom filled the air. Then, something enormous burst forth from beneath the snow.

Everyone was in a state of chaos.

It was a complete loss of control in an instant. Snow was ripped up, body bags rolled over, and nameplates were flung everywhere. People were knocked over, others were thrown out, and the sound of shovels hitting the ice was like shattering bones.

I instinctively drew my knife. It was a muscle reaction, not thought.

In my line of sight, the creature was so enormous it was almost nauseating. Its dark green shell gleamed wetly, reflecting a blinding light. It was the color of the Zerg—I'd seen it in documents, but never up close. Its limbs were like scythes, sharp enough to cut through the air. Snow was flung into flakes, mixed with blood and dark green bodily fluids, and a stench filled the air.

I heard someone cursing through gritted teeth, and heard broken shouts coming from a certain direction, but I couldn't tell who it was at all.

Everything happened too fast. As the monster turned, its scythe-like forelimbs rose, the movement stiff yet powerful. The next second, it swept across, cutting through the air with a whistling sound.

Someone was right there on that path, with absolutely no time to dodge.

My brain seemed to have been rusted by the cold wind. Without thinking, I rushed forward. When I pushed that person away, I barely realized what I had done. I only remember the force was so heavy that my entire shoulder went numb, and then, it hurt.

The sickle grazed my body, cutting through my clothes and skin. In that instant, I felt no pain, only heat. A burning heat. Blood seeped down my clothes, and I smelled the metallic scent—intensely strong.

My breathing became unsteady, as if the air had been sucked out. All around me were the sounds of fighting, chaotic and rapid, and someone calling my name.

I tried to look up, but I couldn't see anything. Snow and blood were smeared on my face, stinging my eyes. A corner of the Zerg's shell had been blown open not far away; it roared, its bodily fluids splattering everywhere. Qianmo's voice was mixed in with the chaos; I heard him calling me, but I couldn't respond at all.

My body was sinking, the snow beneath my feet felt like liquid. I knew I might not make it.

The feeling of weakness spread from my abdomen all the way down to my fingers, making them unresponsive. My breathing became heavier and heavier, and the tinnitus overwhelmed all other sounds like a tidal wave.

I thought this was my end. Not the kind of heroic ending, just a simple, real, chilling fact.

The wind is still blowing, the snow is still falling, and me...

I always thought that as long as I didn't admit weakness, I wouldn't be fragile. As long as I didn't bow my head or bend my body, I could hold on and become strong. But until that moment—I realized that the strength I thought I had was just a thin shell, and once it cracked, it couldn't hold back anything.

Blood flowed down my side into the snow, and the temperature was rapidly dropping. The wind seeped into the wound, stinging me so much I could barely breathe. My head began to throb, and all the sounds around me became a jumbled mess, like distant thunder, muffled and chaotic, making it impossible to distinguish which voices were human.

I tried to open my eyes, but my vision was shrouded in a white mist, as if covered by snow. Several shadows flickered in the mist—some were running, some were pulling, and there were sounds of metal clashing. I tried to lift my head, but my neck felt frozen and I couldn't move it at all.

Then, I saw that tall figure. That old, stiff military uniform, that old, stiff man.

He walked against the wind, his steps frighteningly steady. His military uniform was old and stiff, the insignia on his shoulders worn dark. Snow fell on it, but didn't melt. The moment that calm and silent aura appeared, the surrounding noise became blurred.

Ye Lin.

He stood there in the snow, like a stone or a wall. His face was smeared with blood, but his eyes were piercingly clear.

I seem to see him scolding me again, and I also see him crawling out of the pile of corpses all by himself.

I knew it was him. Even if the world were collapsing, I would still recognize him.

The wind lifted the hem of his military uniform, the fabric stiff as metal. I couldn't see what he was holding up, nor could I hear what he shouted. All that remained in my mind was that deep, tangible presence, like a command to live.

I wanted to respond, but no sound came out. My breathing grew shallower and shallower, and the world receded little by little. That tall figure gradually blurred in the snow and mist, as if swept away by the wind, or as if I had let go of it.

My consciousness began to sink.

It turns out that what I thought was just what I thought was really just what I thought.

My last breath slipped from my lips like a broken thread, leaving nothing behind. Everything was severed completely before I could even speak.