Chapter 298: Countdown

Life often carried a certain degree of irony.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

Michael had grown stronger than the vast majority of soldiers, with few ever possessing as much power as he could command. He was also incredibly wealthy, with many funds at his disposal even after acquiring the base of operation his faction possessed.

To top it off, this was his second life. Although his knowledge of the future had become increasingly unreliable due to the changes in events, he still held onto a plan of action.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

Yet despite all his planning and effort, Michael found himself in the one position he had dreaded the most. He would rather be gutted and surrounded by millions of aliens than be stuck in this situation… At least then, he could do something.

When the crew landed back on Earth, they transported Ava’s unconscious body to their base. They laid her on the bed in her room and attached a heart monitor to track her pulse.

For three days and nights, Michael stayed awake by her side, the constant beeping of the monitor ringing in his ears as he waited for her to wake up.

It reminded him of his father’s illness, which he had yet to heal. Like the final days of his mother’s life in his prior life. When every battle tactic and every technique he had learned were rendered powerless in the face of death.

He sat, silent and motionless, in front of a simple monitor watching a singular line going up and down, waiting in the same dreadful anticipation.

“Is this what they call the indifferent cruelty of the universe?” He chuckled darkly, summoning Devil in his sword form.

The goddamned soul-bound weapon had claimed it would slumber for only a day or two, yet there were no signs of it waking after the third. As strange as it sounded, Michael would have preferred the slightly perverted, slightly mad voice over the constant ones echoing in his mind.

At least he wasn’t alone. Ruby had laid her head on his lap, peacefully lost in slumber, while Michael’s hand gently stroked her head.

He had promised her more headpats later, after all.

As for the rest of the crew, while they wanted to stay as well, they knew it could disturb Ava, so they focused on training and exploring their new base instead.

Eventually, as Michael observed, Ava drew in another shallow breath. A sudden change occurred: her closed eyelids fluttered gently, her eyes suddenly snapping open wide.

“!!!”

In stunned surprise, she sat upright, clearly confused about how she had ended up in her room.

“…”

Then, as her eyes met Michael’s gaze, a quiet realization settled over her. She had passed out after saving Michael, causing even more trouble in the process.

“I—I’m sorry, my intention was never to—”

Not willing to let her finish, Michael moved faster than she could react. Gently shifting Ruby’s head out of the way, he towered over Ava’s bed, his arms pulling her into an embrace.

“M—Michael?!”

Her face instantly flushed red. Despite having hugged him before, this was the first time the roles had reversed, and she was the one on the receiving end of his embrace.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

Responding to her quickening heartbeat, the monitor’s readings of her pulse intensified several times over, causing her face to redden even more. It wasn’t possible to halt the natural reaction of her body.

’Gods, how embarrassed can I be?’ She thought inwardly, still dazed by the warmth of Michael’s body.

However, her embarrassment didn’t last long, as Michael’s voice echoed gently next to her ear.

“Never claim that you’re a nuisance ever again.”

Despite his soft tone, it was clear he was serious.

“Even if I had planned to form a faction, you were the one who gave me the final push to do it. Why do you think Ruby always turns to you for advice? Why do you think Victoria sees you as a cute junior, yet still holds deep respect for you? And why do so many of the common soldiers look up to you as a role model? It’s because you’re a reliable warrior who has helped countless people, the crew and myself included.”

He paused briefly.

“Maybe I don’t tell you this enough, but you’re invaluable, so don’t underestimate yourself.”

Wordlessly, Ava’s arms moved as they wrapped around Michael’s frame.

“…Okay.” She exclaimed softly, her voice cracking.

Perhaps Michael’s words were meant to comfort her, but from the weariness in his eyes, Ava could tell that he had been deeply worried.

’It seems I really have acted like a fool.’ Ava thought, unwilling to let go.

Meanwhile, not far from Michael’s base, next to the golden tree where the Emperor’s base was located, the man sat upon his grand throne. His crimson gaze was fixed on a clock.

3… 2… 1…

Finally, the countdown reached zero, and tense silence spread across the empty chamber.

The bio-augments that flowed through Malice’s bloodstream needed to be tuned and regulated in order to keep him alive. This was the primary reason why he could never betray the Emperor. He relied on his blood manipulation to survive.

Of course, there had been days when Malice was late due to complications. But he always arrived in time for the bio-augments to be tuned before they became critical.

However, too much time had passed since his last encounter with the Emperor, and since no one else could manipulate blood to such an extent, only one conclusion could be drawn:

“Malice is dead.”

The Emperor’s voice echoed in the room, his eyes growing heavy.

After retrieving the Titan’s body, it had been processed. Malice’s corpse, which had remained on the dreadful alien, had been skillfully hidden within the creature’s vast blood supply, keeping it beyond detection.

Explaining the Emperor’s ignorance.

“Who could be the culprit?”

The man wondered, realizing that sudden changes were needed.

After all, his most loyal servant had died. This couldn’t be allowed to stand…

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