I hit the ground with a controlled thud, my "Dao-Dash" frequency turning the ice-slicked rock into firm soil. Around me, the battlefield was pure chaos. Bai Ling was a blur of frozen light, her reality-bending powers creating walls of ice that shattered Bio-Humans into glittering dust. Lin Yue, meanwhile, was using her gravity-glove to turn discarded machinery into improvised projectiles, shouting corporate insults at every Restorationist she hit.
[DAO MESSAGE: HOST, YOUR CURRENT OBJECTIVE LIST IS AS FOLLOWS: A) NEUTRALIZE BERSERK ZHOU MIN. B) LIBERATE BIO-BATTERIES. C) PREVENT BAI LING AND LIN YUE FROM ACCIDENTALLY COLLATERAL-DAMAGE-ING THE MOUNTAIN. D) SOLVE THE ELDER COUNCIL'S QUIZ ON THE MEANING OF LIFE. E) FIND OUT WHAT'S FOR LUNCH.]
"Priorities, System!" I yelled, dodging a flying piece of reinforced steel.
Then, the ground vibrated with a force that made the mountain groan. Zhou Min—now a glowing, incandescent figure radiating raw Dao energy—burst through the side of the facility, his white eyes burning with primordial fury.
"My... contribution... points!" he roared, swatting aside a Restorationist leader who dared to approach him. "I demand a refund for the last... one hundred years of 'Basic Oxygen'!"
He wasn't fighting with skill; he was fighting with pure, unadulterated, century-long resentment. He ripped apart the data cables that had enslaved him, then slammed his glowing fist into the ground, causing a localized earthquake that almost sent Bai Ling plummeting into a crevice.
"Inelegant," Bai Ling scoffed, stabilizing herself with a wave of ice. "He wastes too much energy."
"He's my former boss, and he's clearly having a bad day!" I shot back, activating my own "Stability Field" to keep the ground from splitting beneath us.
Just as Zhou Min was about to punch a hole through the entire mountain, a figure emerged from the depths of the facility. He was tall, gaunt, and his eyes burned with a cold, intellectual fanaticism. This was Archivist Kael, the true leader of the Restorationists.
"Director Zhou," Kael said, his voice resonating with an unholy power. "Your raw energy is exactly what we need. Witness, Chen Feng! The true power of the Dao, unburdened by your 'Normalization'!"
Kael raised his hands, and the residual energy from Zhou Min's rage, combined with the siphoned power from the Bio-Humans, began to coalesce. A swirling vortex of golden light tore open in the sky above the mountain.
"By the grace of the Un-Anchored," Kael chanted, his eyes blazing, "I awaken you, Primordial Serpent of the Void!"
From the vortex, a colossal, serpentine head made of pure, raw starlight descended, its eyes two burning suns, its scales shimmering with the colors of a thousand galaxies. It was a creature from the dawn of time, a living weapon of the old Dao, far more ancient and terrifying than any of us.
"The Elder Council was right," Lin Yue whispered, her face pale. "They aren't trying to restore the Dao. They're trying to unleash it."
Kael merely laughed, a sound like grinding rocks. "This world is a prison! We will tear it down and restore the glory of the ancients!"
With a final, triumphant glance, Kael vanished into a hidden portal, leaving us with a berserk Zhou Min, two squabbling "allies," and a giant, reality-eating space snake.
Zhou Min, seeing the Serpent, didn't recognize it as an ally. He only saw another "Manager" trying to steal his "Dao-Credits." With a roar of pure, unadulterated frustration, he leaped toward the Serpent, swinging wildly.
"This is unacceptable! Your energy readings are off the charts! I will not stand for this fiscal irresponsibility!"
I looked at the chaos:
Zhou Min vs. Primordial Serpent: A fight that would end with either the mountain exploding or reality tearing itself apart.
Bai Ling vs. Lin Yue: Currently arguing over the most "efficient" way to disarm Zhou, while ignoring the actual cosmic horror.
The Bio-Batteries: Still chained in the burning facility, waiting for liberation.
The Primordial Serpent: Slowly descending, its gaze alone causing the reality around us to fray.
"Okay, System," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "New plan. I need a distraction that stops a berserk Director, silences two Apex women, liberates enslaved humans, and somehow, politely, tells a cosmic horror to go back to sleep. And it needs to be tax-deductible."
[DAO MESSAGE: ...HOST, I BELIEVE WE HAVE ENTERED THE 'PANDEMONIUM' PHASE OF THIS QUEST. ON A SCALE OF 1-10, YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS ARE CURRENTLY... CALCULATING... 0.00001%. GOOD LUCK.]