The Third Void Realm

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

Three virtual realms descended in succession. The red high-level alert at the Special Abnormality Control Bureau blared without pause.

Yun Ning could still recall the disbelief on the bureau director’s usually stoic poker face.

But he could understand.

Ever since the AI system was introduced, unexpected virtual realm descents like this had become rare, only once every few years.

To encounter three in one night was enough to leave anyone bewildered.

“My teacher is still suppressing the first realm. The operatives assigned to the second realm are short-handed and can’t spare anyone. Even reinforcements from other cities will take time!”

Yun Ning’s expression was grim. The situation was difficult.

The Control Bureau had reacted quickly, mobilizing all local operatives to suppress the realms.

But they were stretched thin.

The three realms didn’t descend simultaneously. The first two had already consumed all available personnel.

By the time the third realm descended at No.1 High School, there was no one left to send.

Even he had just rushed from the second realm’s descent site, the Ying City Funeral Home.

For now, he would have to suppress this third realm alone.

The police station wasn’t far, and they had plenty of officers.

But inside the contact zone where the realm overlapped with reality, the realm’s rules rejected all mundane objects. The more precise the modern device, the easier it broke.

Regular firearms could barely function, but they were useless against the bizarre abilities of the realm’s creatures.

So when a realm descended, the police and military mostly handled crowd control and perimeter security.

Yun Ning’s mind raced, but in reality only two seconds had passed.

In those two seconds,

he also managed to steady his breathing, which had been ragged from the long run and battle.

His virtual energy surged, lifting the stray hair over his forehead without any wind.

Just as Yun Ning was about to finish off the fox monster, someone grabbed his calf.

He looked down. Shi Lei, his face streaked with tears and snot, looked utterly pathetic. He sobbed, “Please save my classmate Huang Xiu! She’s fighting a monster in the teaching building! I’m begging you!”

Huang Xiu… Classmate Huang?

Hearing that familiar name, Yun Ning paused and glanced at Shi Lei again.

If Huang Xiu was willing to use her ability, that would be one more ally.

She was an S-rank genius. Even in the larval stage, if she used her ability well, her combat strength wouldn’t be too low.

“No,” Yun Ning shook his head.

Shirking responsibility was irresponsible.

Huang Xiu was still an ordinary student. She hadn’t trained her ability or received combat training.

As long as she could protect herself, that was enough.

Protecting ordinary people and resolving the realm, that was his job as an operative.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do my best,” Yun Ning said softly.

He gently freed his leg from Shi Lei’s grip. His peripheral vision caught a massive black shadow charging at him from a distance.

“You’re asking for it!” Yun Ning’s face turned cold.

Using his right foot as a pivot, he twisted his whole body, whipping his left leg forward like a whip.

Thud!

The monster, trying to ambush him, raised both arms to block, but the force sent it staggering backward.

“Ow, ow, ow!” The fox monster shed tears.

Its thick arms hung limply at its sides, one kick had broken them.

It seemed to have a fox’s cunning. Realizing it couldn’t win, it retreated, trying to grab the unconscious security guard.

But Yun Ning wouldn’t let it succeed.

He stomped the ground, creating a small crater in the concrete.

Using the recoil, he launched himself forward, landing in front of the fox monster.

“So… so fast!”

Meeting the shocked fox eyes, Yun Ning raised his right foot above his head, then brought his heel down like an axe.

Crunch!

The monster couldn’t dodge. The blow hit its head, sending it pitching forward, face-first into the ground.

Gray dust exploded into the air, obscuring Yun Ning’s merciless, emotionless eyes.

He stomped down hard.

The fox’s head was crushed against the concrete, its face twisting in fear. “Don’t kill me! If you kill me, our principal won’t let you off!”

Principal?

This fox seemed to be a security guard. The pig Huang Xiu had encountered before was apparently a teacher.

So what was the principal? A fox using the tiger’s might?

Was it a tiger?

‘Position equals strength? What a sadly ironic reality,’ Yun Ning thought.

His eyes showed contempt. He didn’t even bother to reply, just increased the pressure on his foot.

Squelch!

The head was crushed flat. Blood splattered everywhere, staining his white sneakers red.

But Yun Ning didn’t mind. He flicked his toe to shake off the gore clinging to his shoe.

Without even wiping the blood off his face, he bent down to check on the security guard. The man was just unconscious, no serious injuries. Yun Ning sighed in relief.

He turned to Shi Lei, who was still looking down. “Could you carry this grandpa out of here?”

This place was relatively safe for now, but there was no guarantee that realm creatures wouldn’t wander by.

It was best to get both of them out of the contact zone.

“I’ll… try.”

Shi Lei nodded uncertainly, his eyes filled with undisguised envy.

If only he could be that strong… maybe he wouldn’t be so cowardly?

He clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms.

Yun Ning pointed at the path he had come from. “Follow this road. Don’t take any side paths. When you see the police cars, someone will come to get you.”

The Ying City police had surrounded the three contact zones, blocked off the roads, and evacuated the residents.

Operatives were important for another reason: inside the contact zone, the dense virtual energy could easily overwhelm an ordinary person’s mind.

So, unless necessary, ordinary people were not allowed into the realm.

The boy in front of him was proof, his mental defenses had already been broken by the virtual energy.

If he had talent, he might have taken this chance to complete a mental transformation and become an operative.

But unfortunately, he didn’t.

Watching the boy struggling under the security guard’s weight, Yun Ning added, “You did well. Not everyone would think of their friends at a time like this.”

He could only offer these words to comfort Huang Xiu’s classmate.

Shi Lei paused at the words, but said nothing. He continued trudging down the road with the security guard on his back.

“First, save the people. I’ll worry about the rest when backup arrives.”

Yun Ning made his plan. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and charged into the campus.