Chapter 121: It Was All But a Dream After All

Qingyan approached Lin Shuang and looked at Xiyan, who was suffering in agony within the protective shield. "What happened to Xiyan?" she asked, turning to Lin Shuang. "And why do you look so pale?"

Seeing Qingyan arrive, Lin Shuang felt an immediate sense of relief, though for some reason, she felt her head spinning again. She was a level 56 survivor; her physical constitution had already been enhanced, so it made no sense for her to be in this state just from being thrown against a wall. However, this was not the time to dwell on that, and she quickly explained Xiyan’s condition to Qingyan.

Qingyan wanted to ask more, but Lin Shuang suddenly lost consciousness. Though perplexed, Qingyan had no time to attend to the fainted woman. Xiyan’s state—writhing in the shield as if on the verge of death—demanded her full attention.

"Xiyan, can you still hear me?" Qingyan asked tentatively.

Xiyan struggled to open his eyes. Recognizing Qingyan, he replied with trembling lips, "Yes..."

Knowing he was still conscious, Qingyan felt a flicker of relief. Lin Shuang had mentioned that Xiyan needed cooling, and among her own collection of cards, she happened to have one for exactly that purpose. She immediately retrieved the card, unlocked it, and applied its effect to Xiyan. Although the protective shield belonged to Lin Shuang, she had granted Qingyan usage rights before passing out, allowing her to control it. The moment she activated the cooling effect, she momentarily dropped the shield, then immediately reactivated it once the card's influence touched Xiyan.

"Xiyan, please, don't let anything happen to you," Qingyan whispered.

Her card was specifically designed for temperature control:

[Cool Summer Breeze:
Effect: Creates a refreshing, cool summer atmosphere within a one-meter radius of the user. An essential card for cooling down during the summer. (Each use lasts for one hour, can be ended early.)
Usage: Unlimited]

In his dazed state, Xiyan felt a surge of coolness that eased some of his agony. Moments before, he had felt as if he were being cremated, his brain throbbing with such intensity that every nerve felt like it was being stabbed by a knife. Gradually, the pain subsided. He opened his eyes and saw Qingyan, her face etched with anxiety. He braced himself against the floor to sit up, and Qingyan immediately reached out to help him, guiding him to the sofa.

"Lin Shuang, she..." Xiyan looked at the unconscious woman on the opposite sofa and asked Qingyan with concern.

"She should be fine. The problem right now is you. What on earth happened?" Qingyan sat beside him, grabbed his hand, and unlocked a card. A small sprite suddenly appeared and began hopping around Xiyan’s body. "This will check for injuries. Don't worry."

Before Xiyan could ask, she explained. Watching the sprite dance over him, Xiyan didn't press for more. He remembered absorbing the two black nuclei and opened his control panel to check his character level. Since he hadn't authorized Qingyan to view his data, she couldn't see it.

[Lv 55...]
[Lv 65...]

Xiyan watched in disbelief as his level soared, finally stopping at...

[Lv 99]

"My God!" Xiyan exclaimed in shock. He had actually reached level 99!

Qingyan was startled by his sudden outburst and glared at him. "What are you doing?"

Xiyan scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed, and immediately granted Qingyan access to his panel. She looked at him with confusion, wondering why he would share his stats—what could possibly be so interesting? Her doubt vanished in the next second, and she froze. She saw it: the bold "99" next to his level.

"99...?" Qingyan was stunned, even more shocked than Xiyan had been.

Xiyan looked at her triumphantly. "It seems the black nuclei are quite something. What level are you now, Qingyan?"

"I... I'm 76..." she stammered. It wasn't because his level was high—she had seen many survivors over level 100, some of whom she had even killed herself. Her stutter came from sheer confusion: how had Xiyan jumped to 99 so suddenly? She had heard Lin Shuang say he only absorbed two black nuclei. Could two nuclei really raise someone to that level? She had never heard of such a thing.

Just as Xiyan was reveling in his success, his control panel shifted once more. The smile on his face slowly solidified, replaced by an expression of utter disbelief and despair. Qingyan watched the panel change as well.

Xiyan’s level began to plummet from 99.

[Lv 99...]
[Lv 89...]
[Lv...]

The drop was so rapid it made Xiyan feel like dying. Finally, it stopped at level 19.

"You... level 19?" Qingyan asked, slowly turning her head toward him, hoping she had misread it.

"Yeah... level 19..." Xiyan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Can levels... really drop... that fast?" Qingyan asked, pausing between every word.

"I... I don't know why this happened either..." Xiyan was truly beyond tears. He felt there was nowhere in the world to find justice for such a situation.

"You absorbed two black nuclei and only gained... how much?" Qingyan asked, not knowing his starting level.

"Seven levels..." Xiyan slumped into the sofa, feeling his entire future turn gray.

Seeing his utter despondency, Qingyan couldn't bring herself to mock him further. "Alright, alright, don't overthink it. Maybe you're just unique. And honestly, not being level 99 is a good thing. Think about it: there are so many dangerous people at level 99. If you aren't truly at that level yet, you’d be killed if you ran into them, right?"

Her attempt at comfort only made Xiyan feel worse. He hadn't even had time to warm up to the idea of being level 99 before it vanished, dropping 80 levels in an instant. Who could handle that?

"Really... don't be too sad. Life is just..." Qingyan trailed off, unsure how to console him. Despite the tragedy, she found it hard to keep a straight face; she really wanted to laugh.