Chapter 372: This May Hurt

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Golden light consumed the chamber.

Not ordinary Qi.

Not merely Shen Tian’s Domain.

Something deeper.

Something connected directly to the enormous Fate extraction array beneath the Crowned Serpent facility.

Thousands of formation lines lit simultaneously.

Walls.

Floor.

Ceiling.

Underground conduits stretching throughout the entire complex.

For seventy six years...

The Crowned Serpent had expanded this place.

Layer by layer.

Experiment by experiment.

Bloodline by bloodline.

They had built a machine capable of touching something humanity wasn’t supposed to understand.

Fate.

And now...

Shen Tian had his hand on it.

Caius Voss stared.

"No."

His voice trembled.

Shen Tian looked toward him.

Then...

Smiled.

"Yes."

Caius rushed toward the central console.

"STOP HIM!"

Nothing happened.

Silence.

Caius froze.

Then...

He shouted again.

"SECURITY!"

Still nothing.

Bai Xue slowly looked around.

Bodies.

Destroyed equipment.

Collapsed doors.

Unconscious soldiers.

Then...

She smiled.

"What security?"

Rose laughed.

Caius’ face twisted.

"You..."

His eyes moved toward Shen Tian.

"You have no idea what you’re touching."

Shen Tian raised an eyebrow.

"Neither did you."

"I BUILT THIS."

"And?"

Caius stared.

Shen Tian’s hand remained surrounded by golden Qi.

The formation beneath him pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

Then...

The system appeared.

Foreign Fate Extraction Structure

Original designation: Crowned Serpent Imperial Vessel Array

Operational lifespan: 74 years, 8 months

Accumulated modifications: 2,418

Core functions:

Fate Detection

Fate Extraction

Fate Fragment Storage

Bloodline Identification

Bloodline Separation

Destiny Signature Analysis

Artificial Narrative Reinforcement

Artificial Fate Implantation

Compatibility Assessment

Xu Ning stared.

[This thing is monstrous.]

Shen Tian looked through the functions.

"Useful."

[Host.]

"What?"

[People died to build this.]

"I know."

His voice changed.

Xu Ning became quiet.

Shen Tian looked toward the enormous machine.

Then...

At the chambers.

Bodies.

Experiments.

People reduced to numbers.

The amusement disappeared from his face.

"Which is why they’re never using it again."

Xu Ning stared.

Then...

[What are you planning?]

Shen Tian’s green eyes reflected the golden formation.

"Taking the useful parts."

[And the rest?]

"Destroying them."

Xu Ning smiled.

[Very villainous.]

"Obviously."

. . .

Qin Hao pulled against the golden chain wrapped around his arm.

Nothing.

The chain wasn’t physical.

It passed through his clothing.

Through his skin.

Directly into something deeper.

His Fate.

His system flashed violently.

WARNING

External Fate extraction detected

Loss rate increasing

Current Fate Value: 681,400

Then...

681,250.

Qin Hao’s eyes widened.

"SHEN TIAN."

Shen Tian looked over.

"What?"

"Turn this thing off."

"I’m working on it."

"My Fate is dropping."

"Slowly."

Qin Hao stared.

"THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT BETTER."

Han Yuer immediately grabbed the golden chain.

Her hand passed through.

"Qin Hao."

"I’m fine."

Current Fate Value: 681,110

Qin Hao looked at the panel.

Then...

"I’m becoming less fine."

Adrian was having the same problem.

His system flashed.

Fate extraction detected

Current Fate Value: 87,920

87,810.

87,690.

Adrian stared.

Then...

At Shen Tian.

"Blond bastard."

Rose heard his thought.

She covered her mouth.

Shen Tian noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Adrian looked toward Rose.

"Don’t."

Rose smiled.

"He called you a blond bastard."

Shen Tian looked toward Adrian.

Adrian sighed.

"It was internal."

"Still rude."

"You’re stealing my Fate."

"Technically the machine is."

"WHILE YOU’RE HOLDING IT."

"Details."

Elena laughed.

Adrian looked betrayed.

"Whose side are you on?"

Elena smiled.

"Yours."

"Doesn’t feel like it."

. . .

Chen Mo wasn’t complaining.

Not yet.

His eyes were fixed on the golden chain.

Ancient inheritance circulating.

Studying.

Analyzing.

Then...

His thoughts came.

The extraction isn’t random.

Several women looked toward him.

Chen Mo ignored them.

For once.

His eyes narrowed.

It’s targeting unstable Fate first.

Qin Hao looked toward him.

"What?"

Chen Mo spoke aloud.

"The array is stripping unstable Fate fragments."

Shen Tian looked over.

Chen Mo continued.

"The Fate we lost recently."

"Recovered Fate."

"Temporary Fate."

"Anything not fully integrated."

Qin Hao’s expression changed.

He looked at his system.

Current Fate Value: 680,940

Then...

The rate slowed.

680,910.

680,902.

Qin Hao stared.

"He’s right."

Adrian checked.

His decline was slowing too.

Xu Ning analyzed.

Then...

[Confirmed.]

Shen Tian’s eyebrow rose.

"So the machine is cleaning them."

Qin Hao’s head snapped toward him.

"Do not call losing Fate cleaning."

Shen Tian smiled.

"Spring cleaning."

Qin Hao stared.

Han Yuer laughed.

Qin Hao looked toward her.

"Yuer."

"I’m sorry."

She wasn’t.

Not remotely.

. . .

Subject Zero was different.

His chain wasn’t extracting slowly.

It was ripping Fate from him.

Artificial Fate Value: 812,000

805,000.

791,000.

773,000.

His body convulsed.

Shen Tian’s expression changed.

"Xu Ning."

[I see it.]

Subject Zero dropped to one knee.

Golden cracks spread across his skin.

The stolen destinies inside him were being pulled back toward the array.

Not because they belonged to the Crowned Serpent.

Because...

They didn’t belong to him.

Subject Zero grabbed his chest.

"Pain..."

Shen Tian released the central console.

Caius’ eyes widened.

"Yes!"

He rushed forward.

Shen Tian disappeared.

Then...

His foot struck Caius’ face.

BOOOOOOM!

Caius flew across the room.

Shen Tian appeared beside Subject Zero.

"Look at me."

Subject Zero struggled.

"Pain..."

"I know."

"Make..."

His fingers dug into the floor.

"...stop."

Shen Tian looked toward Xu Ning.

"Options."

[Three.]

"Fast."

[Option one. Disconnect him.]

"Do it."

[Can’t.]

Shen Tian’s eyes narrowed.

[The array considers his entire Fate structure foreign material. Disconnecting without replacing the stabilizing energy could collapse his artificial destiny.]

"Option two."

[Destroy the array.]

"Risk?"

[Massive Fate backlash.]

"To him?"

[Everyone.]

Shen Tian looked around.

The women.

Qin Hao.

Han Yuer.

Adrian.

Elena.

Chen Mo.

Subject Zero.

People above.

No.

"Three."

Xu Ning hesitated.

[Transfer ownership.]

Shen Tian stared.

"Explain."

[The array currently recognizes Crowned Serpent as administrative authority.]

[You are already overriding it.]

[If you complete the takeover...]

[...you control extraction priority.]

Shen Tian smiled.

"There we go."

Qin Hao heard.

His face changed.

"No."

Shen Tian looked toward him.

"What?"

"You are not becoming administrator of the Fate stealing machine."

"Why?"

"WHY?"

Adrian started laughing.

Qin Hao pointed toward Shen Tian.

"Does nobody else see the problem with this?"

Bai Xue raised her hand.

"I see opportunities."

Qin Hao stared.

"Of course you do."

Rose shrugged.

"Better him than Caius."

Qin Hao looked toward her.

"That is an incredibly low standard."

Rose considered.

"Fair."

Shen Tian stood.

Then...

Walked back toward the core.

Caius struggled upright.

"No..."

Shen Tian ignored him.

"Xu Ning."

[Ready.]

"Take it."

[Host.]

"What?"

[This may hurt.]

Shen Tian smiled.

"Good."

Xu Ning stared.

[That wasn’t a challenge.]

"Too late."

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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)

SEND POWESTONES!!!

ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!