Exclusive Possession – CH 053

Chapter 53.

The night was as still as water, and the stars were like a dream.

The sea surface was as smooth as a mirror, stretching silently into the distance.

As the small raft silently crossed the spatial cross-section, my thoughts lingered for a moment, as if I felt a layer of light, untouchable gauze brushing against my cheek.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

A faint, low engine sound seemed to come from far overhead. Mu Xian’s eyes were still closed. I held him tighter, and Yi Pucheng and I looked up at the same time—

A crescent-shaped white spot of light adorned the inky black sky. But it wasn’t the moon, for it was enormous, almost cleaving the sky above us in two. It was also incredibly bright, dazzling like an incandescent bulb.

Suddenly, an even more blinding white light flashed, and I couldn’t help but close my eyes briefly before opening them again. Against the snow-white background, I saw five black fighter jets. They paused in the air for only a moment before plummeting towards us at an incredible speed.

A surge of joy instantly welled up in my heart—the bright spot must be the exit to a new space, and the fighter jets were the saviors. This was a virtual space; it seemed they were also virtual consciousnesses.

“Miss, hold on!” A deep, stern voice pierced the air. “The mental space is about to collapse! The force of the collapse could very well affect this area! Hold on!”

It was Mop’s voice!

Almost at the same instant, I felt the entire surface of the water tremble violently, and ripples spread out in dense circles, like a smooth mirror being cracked with countless fine cracks.

At the same time, a deafening, earth-shattering sound, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, suddenly came from behind.

Yi Pucheng’s face turned ashen, and I turned around in shock.

This was an incredibly bizarre scene.

Just a few steps away, the water we were on was calm and still. But the space we had just left had been turned upside down.

The world seemed like a giant vortex, the sky twisted into a strange and narrow shape, and the fields were torn into scattered fragments. Stars trailed long, fiery tails as they fell one by one; the black ocean was like a boiling cauldron, with huge waves rolling, folding, and rising higher and higher.

The entire space compressed and rotated before us, like a distorted ghost face.

“Hold on tight to the raft!” Yi Pucheng shouted and then saw a huge wave crash over the cross-section, slamming down on us—this space was also affected!

But where could I hold onto the raft? Mu Xian was in my arms! Without hesitation, I hugged him even tighter, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.

With a “splash,” the raft capsized, and we fell into the water.

The salty seawater rushed in from all directions, blurring the view like a fog. The raft was long gone, and Yi Pucheng had vanished without a trace. The clamor on the water had also become distant.

My mind went blank for a moment, and after a few seconds, I realized that we were sinking.

I immediately grabbed Mu Xian tightly with both hands, slowly exhaled the air from my lungs, and with all my might, began to kick and swim upwards. Mu Xian was heavy, but with the help of buoyancy, I could barely pull him up. This rekindled my confidence—as long as I held on, the rescuers on the plane would arrive.

But after swimming a short distance upstream, I felt the water begin to spin. A tremendous force, like ropes, wrapped around my ankles, feet, waist, and entire body. I couldn’t break free and involuntarily began to spin with the waves, faster and faster.

We fell into a whirlpool beneath the surface. This was the most terrifying, inescapable disaster.

Gradually, my vision began to blur, and I felt dizzy. A tearing pain began to assault my face and my entire body. I knew that in a few more seconds, we would be torn to pieces by the force of the vortex.

My chest felt increasingly constricted, and I finally couldn’t help but open my mouth, letting large gushes of seawater rush into my mouth and nose.

My consciousness was fading, and I could only rely on the feeling in my hands to hold Mu Xian tighter, bury my head in his chest, and close my eyes.

The world trembled silently, and darkness descended upon it.

I vaguely wondered where we would be when we woke up again, whether it would be reality or an illusion, heaven or hell.

***

In a daze, I suddenly felt a strong hand gently supporting my waist from behind. At the same time, it seemed like a breath of fresh air entered my nostrils. I instinctively gasped for air and instantly became fully awake.

I opened my eyes, and all I saw was the vast ocean. A pale blue glow surrounded me, separating me from the sea. And my arms… were empty.

Before I could even turn around, I saw the water in front of me as if it had been cleaved in two by an invisible knife. The dark seawater suddenly split in two before me, forming two straight, towering walls of water that stretched into the distance—the entire ocean had been cleaved open! And we, like butterflies emerging from their cocoons, rose up suddenly through the gaps in the water walls.

In the blink of an eye, we burst out of the water. The deafening roar of the outside world, collapsing suddenly, returned to my ears.

My waist tightened as I was pulled into his arms from the front.

Under the deep black sky, in the dim light, he quietly looked down at me. His wet hair clung to his forehead, and water droplets still clung to his fair cheeks. His deep, beautiful eyes, like deep, still pools or silent stars, gazed at me.

He woke up.

My eyes welled up with tears, and I hugged him tightly. The whole world seemed to fall silent around me, with only his steady and powerful heartbeat remaining.

Black eyes… Had he returned to normal now?

I looked up at him again. As if sensing my thoughts, he looked at me with his dark, cold eyes, his voice low, soft, husky, and powerful.

“It’s me, Hua Yao.”

It’s me, Hua Yao.

My throat tightened instantly. Thank goodness. It seems he had returned to normal once he left that space.

I couldn’t say anything; I just nodded vigorously. His hand around my waist tightened silently; he looked at me intently, then his gaze shifted to the water below. I turned my head too, and at that moment, even if the world turned upside down, I felt no fear.

He woke up; he came back.

However, the scene before them was truly dangerous and terrifying. The power of that space had completely overwhelmed them.

The sky above us was also distorted, the sea was tilting, and the entire ocean seemed to be lurking with countless dark beasts, surging and turbulent.

We were suspended more than ten meters above the sea, with fighter jets roaring not far overhead, their beams of light illuminating the turbulent surface. Thin, white metal cables dangled from the fuselage of the planes into the water. I could vaguely make out that Yi Pucheng was gripping one of the cables, desperately trying to climb up. There were also dozens of other people, tumbling in the waves—presumably search and rescue personnel who had jumped from the planes.

On Mu Xian’s cool and jade-like profile, his dark eyes suddenly became sharp and piercing, and he gently waved his hand in the air.

A miracle happened.

An endless, pale blue, semi-transparent, finely woven net appeared out of thin air and gently covered the sea surface. The seawater was still churning and struggling, but it seemed unable to overcome the net and instantly calmed down considerably.

That was Mu Xian’s spiritual power!

“Commander!” Mop’s excited voice came from the sky.

“Commander!” The soldiers who were originally floating on the water shouted excitedly. They grabbed the ropes and began to evacuate upwards.

Mu Xian didn’t answer or look at them. He stared at the sea, his brows furrowing slightly.

“Go upstairs and wait for me,” he said softly.

I was startled and felt his hand loosen around my waist, and my body began to rise.

But he remained suspended in place.

Looking at his cold profile and dark eyes, I couldn’t help but reach out to grab him, but I couldn’t even catch the hem of his clothes before I flew over his head.

Mu Xian! I wanted to call out to him, but I knew it was useless; it would only distract him. I could only watch him grow smaller and smaller, my heart pounding with anxiety, hoping that nothing else would happen and that we would all escape safely together!

Just then, a terrifying and bizarre scene unfolded.

The water surface that he had previously blocked with the blue net suddenly surged up into a huge, black wave. The wave rose higher and higher and suddenly broke through the blue net, turning into…

A monster! It turned into a black, ferocious monster!

Monsters? How could there be monsters?

Its body was like a small mountain, with thick limbs and an indistinct face, almost blocking out most of the sky. With a howl, it opened its big mouth and pounced on Mu Xian!

My heart clenched, and I saw Mu Xian below wave his hand, creating a deep blue shockwave that drew a sharp and swift arc in the air, crashing irresistibly into the monster!

The monster was knocked to the side and fell back into the sea. At the same time, a clear and powerful voice resounded throughout the world: “Fire!” It was Mu Xian’s voice.

As if only then did all the soldiers react, a barrage of fire erupted from the aircraft’s cannons and from the guns of the soldiers on the sea! It rained down on the monster like a storm!

Intense sparks burned on the monster’s body. It let out a groan and plunged headfirst into the sea. The pungent smell of blood instantly filled the air, and the monster seemed to have sunk to the bottom, never to resurface.

My heart sank—the attack worked! Great!

Just then, my waist tightened as a metal arm gripped me. A familiar, steady voice sounded in my ear: “Miss! Hold on tight!”

Before I could finish speaking, I was lifted up and placed on the cold, hard metal floor—before me was the wide-open, swaying cabin door and the bright, flat cockpit; I was already on the helicopter!

“Mop!” I turned around excitedly and saw Mop staring intently at the sea, looking quite nervous.

“How could there be a monster?!” I shouted.

Without turning his head, Mop replied, “This space was constructed using the Commander’s mental energy. Once the Commander leaves, the space will collapse. The collapsed mental energy field is in a chaotic state, which even the Commander can’t control, hence the chaos and the creation of these monsters!”

Just then, another robot came over, fastened the seatbelt around my waist, and immediately went back to its work. I quickly leaned against the bulkhead and looked down with Mop.

But the battle on the sea wasn’t over yet.

Mu Xian and his group were caught in a chaotic battle.

Not just that one.

One monster after another roared as they emerged from the seabed; Mu Xian led his soldiers in a desperate retreat. Even Yi Pucheng, like the other soldiers, grabbed a rope, a machine gun in hand, and began firing at the monsters. Other fighter jets unleashed their full firepower, firing rapidly towards the sea.

My heart was in my throat as I stared intently at Mu Xian’s figure hovering in the air. His back looked so upright and fearless, and thin blue nets and blue shockwaves appeared from his palms, blocking most of the monster’s attacks.

I was hundreds of meters away from him, but we were both rising at the same time.

We were getting closer and closer to the exit.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t far now. Just hold on. As long as I could get out through the crack above my head, it would all be over!

But then, the most terrifying thing happened.

The entire sea surface seemed to be pushed up by a tremendous force, slowly and surging upwards. It rose higher and higher until the top was almost level with my line of sight. An unprecedentedly huge whirlpool formed in the water, as if the entire ocean had been sucked in.

All the gunfire seemed to pause for a moment.

Then I saw the entire ocean transform into a crouching behemoth.

You couldn’t tell how big its body was at all. Its lower body seemed to be buried deep within that distorted, chaotic mental space, while its upper body remained in our space. Its head alone was larger than the bodies of any of the previous monsters. It looked disgusting and terrifying.

It opened its blood-red maw and let out a deafening roar, then raised its head toward us—a dark, blurry, ferocious head with bulging muscles.

Without any hesitation, it lunged at Mu Xian and the others!

I gripped the handrail on the bulkhead tightly, my throat felt like it was blocked with a piece of iron, and I couldn’t shout!

Just then, a new, blinding blue light suddenly erupted around Mu Xian’s body. His outline was no longer visible; he resembled a bright sphere of light, suspended and burning in the air. Dense rings of blue shockwaves rapidly formed around his body, relentlessly charging towards the monster!

The soldiers’ firepower was overwhelming, drawing streaks of golden fire. This interwoven barrage, along with Mu Xian’s mental energy shockwave, attacked the monster.

Time and space seemed to stand still at that moment.

The monster slammed its head into the blue net woven by Mu Xian, letting out a heavy, deafening roar. I could feel the plane trembling violently with its roar. Its head was pressed against the mental net, its claws still struggling in the air, and it was emitting low, muffled groans, as if it was gathering power.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate, a tense and menacing standoff.

The sphere of light where Mu Xian was located was becoming increasingly intense. I could almost see the air around him ignited, with sparks flashing faintly. The soldiers were like madmen, firing their guns at the monster with all their might. I could even faintly hear Yi Pucheng cursing loudly.

Suddenly, the monster lunged forward and smashed through the blue net!

It broke free!

Before I could even cry out in alarm, I saw it violently shake its head, its gaping maw like a bottomless abyss. With a roar, it swallowed Mu Xian and dozens of others whole. Then, it lay prone on the spot, its massive jaws chewing powerfully a few times; I could even hear the sound of it swallowing.

Then, it raised its huge, ferocious head, looked at us with its sinister, beastly eyes, opened its mouth, and bit down on several ropes below the plane.

Things happened so fast that I stared blankly at the scene before me, unable to believe my eyes.

“Commander!” Mop and the other soldiers beside me roared in unison, their voices filled with anguish. I felt a sharp, stabbing pain, a chilling sensation creeping into my heart.

What happened? Mu Xian… was dead? Was he devoured by that monster?

That was it… over?

Just then, the monster bit the rope and yanked hard—the plane roared violently. My vision began to tilt, the world started to spin, my head slammed against the cabin wall, and waves of dizziness washed over me.

My head began to throb, and my temples throbbed. In an instant, it felt as if my soul had left my body, and I lost all feeling in my limbs. Suddenly, I couldn’t hear any sound; I could only see Mop and the others staggering about, their lips moving in and out of place, their expressions filled with shock and pain.

“Mu Xian!” I heard myself let out a heart-wrenching cry, and then I saw our plane plummeting rapidly. The cabin instantly shattered into pieces. An incredibly powerful force slammed into my back, and my vision went black as I fell into the monster’s mouth.

I kept falling, falling. I couldn’t see or hear anything; I could only feel myself falling deeper and deeper into the darkness.

“Mu Xian!” I heard a tearing sound coming from deep within my chest.

But I kept falling, and I didn’t know how much time had passed.

“I’m here.” A deep, gentle, and faint voice suddenly rang out in the darkness. I was jolted, but I couldn’t discern its direction.

Just then, a bright light appeared before my eyes.

A dazzling blue light, like a gleaming blade, pierced through the deepest darkness. Then, a star-white light slowly descended from above, merging with the blue light.

The darkness was swept away, and I vaguely saw the indistinct outline of a monster struggling to disappear into the light. Then, the whole world seemed to be filled with pure light.

I vaguely thought, was it Mu Xian’s mental power combined with external defensive forces? They finally killed the monster!

I faintly heard Morin’s voice, along with several other voices, coming from somewhere indistinctly: “They are out! They are all out!”

“It worked! Thank God!”

“The commander’s mental power has erupted! It has shattered the collapsing spatial forces!”

…

In a daze, I saw more than ten bodies floating in this dazzling light, just like me. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t move at all. Then, a tall and familiar figure appeared in front of me.

His clothes were tattered, his face pale, and his handsome features were framed by dark, deep eyes that were so still and profound. He knelt down in front of me, lifted me from the light, and looked down at me quietly.

“You will no longer face any danger,” he said in a low, calm voice. “You will no longer have to worry or be afraid.”

I choked up instantly, reaching out to touch his face. But the blue and white light grew stronger and stronger, quickly obscuring his features. I felt dizzy, my consciousness fading, and my last impression was of him holding me, standing quietly in the boundless light.

***

For a long time afterward, I felt as if I were trapped in a warm, peaceful darkness. I couldn’t see or hear anything.

Later, I began to hear some sounds, faint and indistinct; then many unfamiliar people and unfamiliar scenes flashed before my eyes. I wanted to open my eyes, but I could not. It was as if I had fallen into a hallucinatory, inexplicable dream.

Then, a beach appeared before my eyes.

The sky was dark, and the pale white tide gently lapped against the shore. I was the only person on the vast beach.

I walked barefoot on the fine sand for an unknown amount of time. Then, on the beach ahead, a strange figure appeared from behind.

He was a tall man, dressed in a long white robe with a golden belt around his waist. His long, black hair cascaded over his shoulders like silk.

“Who are you?” I asked, walking up behind him.

A soft sigh drifted on the wind. He stood there silently, his back to me, gazing at the ocean. After a while, I heard a deep, gentle voice, clear and distinct:

“I watched the Milky Way fall before my eyes.”

Watching the pillar of youth being swept into the vortex of time;

The brilliance of life was forever shrouded in darkness.

Pain, like a swamp, swallows up endless years.

We had no choice.

Kill him, and the moment of destiny would surely come.

Let the buried names see the light of day again;

The abandoned time, the cycle repeats itself.

That day was both the end of the world and a new beginning.

“Who are you?” I asked him.

He remained silent. His silhouette stood stark and imposing in the night, like a mountain, and his desolate voice brought tears to one’s eyes.

“Who are you?” I asked again. “Who exactly are you?!”

But he remained silent. I wanted to walk up to him, to see his face clearly, but I could only see his back…

I didn’t know how much time had passed before I opened my eyes.

Before me was a high, silver ceiling, surrounded by several enormous devices displaying various data. Countless thin metal wires extended from those devices, connecting to my head, torso, and limbs.

A transparent mask was covering my mouth and nose, and my breathing was low and weak.

It turns out that what I was just dreaming was all a dream.

Who was that man? The poetry he recited was strange. Before, I only heard his vague, fragmented phrases, so why did I suddenly dream of so much of it today?

Thinking of this, I was startled.

Thinking back to the first time I heard his voice, it was because Mu Xian’s mental energy shook me. Could it be that I heard it more clearly this time because I was affected by Mu Xian’s mental energy again in the virtual space?

That was very likely the case.

With so many doubts swirling around me, I suddenly felt very uneasy.

But now, more importantly, where was Mu Xian?

I struggled to get up but found my limbs stiff and numb and my throat dry and parched. I coughed softly twice. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a figure in a white coat standing next to the equipment on my left. Hearing my cough, his back stiffened instantly, and he slowly turned to look at me.

His round, gleaming metal head and pure red eyes seemed vacant. Seeing him, I immediately banished the heavy dream from my mind, my nose stung, and I called out in a hoarse voice, “Morin…”

He dropped what he was holding, rushed over, and grabbed my hand: “Miss! You…you are awake! That’s wonderful! You’re finally awake!”

“I’m awake!” he said.

“Is this the real world?” I asked in a trembling voice.

He nodded vigorously: “Of course! Of course! I’m here!”

I couldn’t help but laugh, but my anxiety was growing stronger. A little nervously, I whispered, “Where’s he?”

He sniffed, nodded vigorously, and carefully moved one of the instruments to my left. My breath hitched, and my heartbeat seemed to become unsteady.

A few meters away from me, Mu Xian lay quietly on a flat bed. Like me, he was covered in medical equipment, and an oxygen mask covered his face. His features were still as dark and handsome as ever, with fine eyelashes gently covering his long eyes, but his face was somewhat pale, making him look as if he were asleep.

A mix of emotions welled up inside me, and my throat felt like it was stuffed full, making it impossible to speak or even breathe. I could only stare blankly at his handsome face, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time. I wanted to immediately throw off all this medical equipment and rush to his bedside to hug him. But my body was still stiff; I couldn’t move anything except my fingers.

“Don’t worry, he’s doing well and should wake up in two or three days,” Morin said softly from the side, her voice choked with emotion.

I nodded, let out a long, slow breath, and let hot, wet tears roll silently down my cheeks.