Chapter 482: Red Warnings

Grayson tried to ignore the voice and focus on running.

But it was getting louder and louder.

And when he saw Ethan push Neville’s feet out of the barrier.

Something inside him snapped.

And the world seemed to have slowed down.

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.

.

It happened without warning, or rather, the warning just got ignored.

Grayson could see that the shards had stopped falling. They simply hung, suspended in the air.

Ethan’s foot was hanging, lifted toward the threshold. Neville’s hair stilled in its swaying motion.

The whole world had been dipped in amber and gone still.

Grayson, too, stood inside the stillness, unable to move either.

He could not, for the life of him, understand whether the universe had actually slowed or whether his own mind had simply spun up fast enough that everything else looked stopped by comparison.

Just as he was still trying to make heads or tails of this situation, Grayson heard his own voice.

He didn’t know where it came from, but he knew that it was his own voice. But his mouth remained still, unmoving. So it was impossible for him to be the one who was talking.

I’m disappointed in you, the voice said.

Grayson stiffened, unable to retort. He was also disappointed with himself.

Time and time again, the voice went on, almost weary. It just keeps happening. Doesn’t it? Over and over.

But it didn’t mean that someone who was using his voice could scold him for his own mistakes.

Who was the person speaking? A zerg?

But even those high-ranking zerg couldn’t fully copy a person’s voice, even when using their body.

Was this the legendary Zerg Queen? Was it really the Zerg Queen that was why it could use a perfect copy of his voice?

How can you be this useless? The voice continued and asked sharply as it seemingly leaned in close to his ears.

Grayson tried to ask something, but the frozen world wouldn’t let him do anything.

The voice didn’t wait for him to say anything. It turned the question over and aimed it at itself. It mused on its own words, almost curious in its contempt.

Are we, really? Am I actually this useless?

Then it suddenly lashed out.

How could you just run and do nothing? It’s just thirty meters out!

Grayson became confused at the purpose behind its words. He tried to open his mouth again, but the same thing happened.

What are you hesitating for? The voice said, its patience wearing out in his tone.

Grayson had no answer for that one either, because he wasn’t really hesitating at anything.

But the voice didn’t need to hear Grayson’s excuses.

You already broke your promise. You already let your eyes change. You already crossed that line the moment you forced a partial semi-transformation.

The voice became breathless, anger seeping into every word.

So what else are you holding back for? What more is there to lose? Just do the whole thing. Stop being a coward at a time like this!

Then, the voice turned vicious.

Ha! You let that fucking doctor put a leash on you.

The word was coated with utter disgust.

You let that Thiago treat you like a dog. You let him train you to sit and roll at his beck and call.

The voice let out a breathless, scornful laugh.

That man would be three years cold in the ground if it weren’t for Elara and me. He survived because you carried him. He breathes because Elara opened a new path for him after his life in the military. And now you’re letting his ignorant words get into your head? Are you stupid?

Grayson knew that there were some truths to the voice’s words, but he felt like the person behind this voice was being far too harsh.

Am I really this stupid before?

The voice briefly reflected, then turned its attention back to him.

He’s just a doctor. What could he possibly know?

The contempt curdled into something close to hatred.

He doesn’t know anything. He doesn’t know anything about you and me. He won’t even know what we will lose if you keep on letting that fucking doctor’s orders get into your head.

The voice’s pitch climbed high, shouting.

So what the fuck are you doing now?!

Reason was burning off fast for the voice and Grayson.

I swear, if you let that mother fucking Ethan go, you’ll never see Neville ever again.

Grayson’s mind blanked out at the mention of Neville. He might have no idea who this person was, but he didn’t have a chance to find out.

Because the voice seemed to have also realized that Grayson was finally listening to it. It began to shed its cruelty into coaxing.

You don’t have to think. You don’t have to decide. It murmured in a serious, low tone. You only have to stop holding the door shut and let go.

It was so tempting that Grayson nearly bit into it.

Seeing that it was taking time, it snapped.

You understand it too, don’t you?

The hysteria that it was holding back flooded into Grayson’s mind.

As I said earlier, if you didn’t do this, you are going to watch Neville be taken away—

Something in Grayson went very still and very cold at that word.

— You’re going to lose him again

The voice fractured, no longer arguing or tempting.

— and we are not —

It no longer pretended to reason with him and just let out a cold growl.

— We are NOT losing Neville a second time!

And then, as if some wordless agreement had been struck between Grayson and the voice—

Grayson lost consciousness.

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[ WARNING ]

The frozen world stayed frozen for one beat longer. Then, error windows bloomed around Grayson. Dozens of them flared open left and right in a frantic cascade.

[ WARNING ]

The system windows flashed, pulsed, and stacked themselves in front of Grayson like a wall thrown up by a hand desperate to stop something it could already see was unstoppable.

[ WARNING ]

When Grayson opened his eyes again, he was faced with the storm of red system windows.