Chapter Eleven: The Second Dimensional Oxygen Eruption

Just as panic swept over them, a black tree burst forth from beneath the earth. First came the leaves, then the trunk, then the entire body and branches broke through the soil, sending dirt flying everywhere.

Everyone's mouths hung open.

“My God!” someone cried out.

Bai Weiwei was stunned for a moment as well.

But at this moment, Shen An looked at the iron trees emerging from the ground, his face filled with despair.

The range… was enormous!

Shen An felt immense pressure.

One after another, iron trees erupted from the earth, obscuring his vision.

He stepped back, only for an ironwood tree to sprout beneath his foot.

He reached out to touch the tree.

It was incredibly hard, as if made of real iron.

The leaves were like metallic plates, the branches like steel rods.

He sensed a change in the surrounding elemental oxygen.

Without hesitation, Shen An sat cross-legged and donned a monkey-faced mask, beginning a new round of absorption.

Devour, initiated!

Space, initiated!

One by one, the iron trees were absorbed into his space.

On the shore of the small lake, rows of trees stood tall.

Meanwhile, elemental oxygen flowed incessantly into him.

The entire area was filled with a rich fragrance.

Potential value +1000.

Potential value +1000.

“…”

Shen An was tireless, his face blooming with delight.

Another windfall—haha!

Watching the iron trees multiply in his space, his potential value kept rising.

Potential value +1000.

In the distance, Bai Weiwei and the others noticed something unusual.

“Captain, look over there.”

Someone pointed in Shen An’s direction.

At the prompt, Bai Weiwei looked over.

She saw a man dressed plainly, wearing a monkey mask, sitting cross-legged with his palms facing upward, as if… cultivating?

Bai Weiwei’s expression darkened.

This man with the monkey mask—was he mocking them?

She pondered.

“Squad One, go check the situation.”

As soon as she spoke, five members stepped forward and headed toward Shen An.

However, after a few steps, Bai Weiwei raised her hand, stopping them.

“Wait!”

Her face was filled with shock; she realized the iron trees emerging from the ground were disappearing at an astonishing rate.

There were hundreds sprouting before her eyes—how could they vanish?

“Something’s not right. Observe first.”

She instructed.

Her gaze kept drifting to the man sitting in meditation—Shen An—who invoked a sense of familiarity.

Lost in thought, Bai Weiwei failed to notice an iron tree growing right in front of her.

By the time she realized it, a leaf scraped across her arm.

She quickly retreated, but her sleeve was torn, and her skin stung.

Frowning, Bai Weiwei examined the wound.

She was about to bandage it when she froze.

Her arm showed no sign of injury.

She ran her hand over the spot—aside from the torn fabric, there was no wound whatsoever.

Yet she was certain her arm had been cut.

“Captain, are you alright?” a teammate asked in concern.

“I’m fine,” Bai Weiwei shook her head, unsettled.

…

“I’ve struck gold—struck gold!” Shen An continued to devour the iron trees.

He had expected the absorption to cause a commotion.

Fortunately, though the iron trees burst forth from the earth, as he devoured them, they were pulled back underground and automatically transferred into his space.

This avoided much trouble.

He’d imagined a sky full of iron trees swirling into his space.

Potential value +1000.

Another thousand points added.

“These iron trees keep coming. How long will I have to devour them?” he wondered, summoning his panel.

Talent: Devour, Talent Value B-grade (1/10,000)

Talent: Space, Talent Value S-grade (1/1,000,000)

Hidden Talent: Connection to the Future, Talent Value SA-grade (1/10,000,000)

Available Talent Value: 32,000.

“Devour is B-grade. Let’s see if it can be upgraded.”

With that thought, Shen An mentally prompted an upgrade.

A synthetic electronic chime sounded.

“Congratulations, your Talent [Space] has successfully upgraded.

Talent: Devour, Talent Value A-grade (1/50,000).

Available Talent Value: 22,000.

Yes, excellent.

Keep devouring.

Suddenly, his devouring speed doubled.

The iron trees were quickly consumed.

His Talent Value soared again.

Entering his space, Shen An saw rows of trees by the lake and felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

He surveyed the space.

“Huh, it feels larger than before.”

Perhaps it was just his imagination.

He mused.

Then, Shen An looked north in puzzlement.

There, Bai Weiwei had led the special police earlier—now, it seemed a fight had broken out.

He wondered why no one had come to stop him.

Little did he know, Bai Weiwei herself had wanted to approach, but Shen An’s calm confidence and serene cultivation made her hesitate.

Coupled with the ever-appearing and vanishing iron trees, Bai Weiwei had lost control of the situation; without absolute certainty, she refrained from acting against Shen An.

But Bai Weiwei hadn’t anticipated that here, besides the master in the monkey mask, another group was hiding as well.

Now, Bai Weiwei was entangled with them.

“Don’t engage them directly,” Bai Weiwei repeatedly warned her team as they were beset.

These people were all highly trained experts.

Bai Weiwei was secretly shocked.

She had prepared in advance, evacuated everyone, and stationed guards at every exit, yet intruders still got in.

That masked man was one.

Now, these people in black were another.

As captain of her squad, Bai Weiwei had undergone rigorous training and excelled in combat.

Facing two assailants in black, neither side gained the upper hand.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out.

Bai Weiwei hadn’t expected them to be armed.

She had been careless.

When she saw them, she never considered using firearms—her aim was to capture them alive.

But the adversary fired first.

In this moment of crisis, Bai Weiwei made a move she never dreamed she’d make.

She reached out and clenched her fist tightly.

As if she knew something was coming, she anticipated and grasped her hand into a fist.

A warmth seemed to emanate from her palm.

Instantly, the two black-clad attackers stopped.

Everyone froze, their eyes fixed on Bai Weiwei’s hand.

Shen An, too.

At the sound of gunfire, he looked over.

Then he witnessed the scene.

“Catching a bullet with bare hands.”

He recalled a warning from his future self.

Shen An watched Bai Weiwei’s hand from a distance.

Her hands opened, and a bullet slid from her palm.

Silence fell.

Ding!

The bullet dropped to the ground with a crisp sound.

“My God, she really caught it bare-handed.”