Coveted After Becoming a Monster [Quick Transmigration] 86

86: Extra Four

[Research Institute Annihilation Progress: 99%. Mission nearing completion. Tasker, please prepare.]

[Research Institute Annihilation Progress: 98%, 99%…]

The cold, electronic voice echoed incessantly.

Li An, who had been dozing on the grass with Ji Yulin in her arms, slightly loosened her embrace and looked up at the sky.

Twenty years had passed, and much had happened in that time.

For example, Qi Fu and Ling Yun had gotten married. Qi Peilan had stepped back from the front lines, passing the leadership of the Metahuman Alliance to Qi Fu. It was likely she would retire completely in a little while.

Cheng Xi had been gone for a long time. Her crow had a fortuitous encounter during a mission and had been in a cocoon ever since.

Li An had gone to see it. She felt as though the crow was trying to use this opportunity to take on a human form, but lacked the power and could only accumulate it over time.

Cheng Xi couldn’t bear to leave it, so she chose to stay by its side.

And Ji Yulin…

Li An lowered her gaze. Even with her utmost efforts, even using her divine power to nourish Ji Yulin day and night, time had still left its subtle traces around her eyes.

Li An stared intently, then leaned down and kissed the fine lines at the corner of her eye.

The kiss was heavy yet incredibly gentle. The arm around Ji Yulin’s waist tightened.

The woman’s eyelids fluttered. Before she was even fully awake, she raised a hand to hook it around Li An’s neck.

“Baby…” a low, sleepy voice murmured.

Li An hummed a soft “Mm,” then lowered her head until their foreheads touched. “Awake?” she whispered.

“You seem to get tired very easily lately.”

The woman in her arms took a moment to stir before slowly opening her eyes. “I suppose so. I always feel fatigued.”

Then she smiled. “Maybe I’m getting a little old. My energy isn’t what it used to be.”

The communicator beside them was buzzing nonstop, as if something major had happened. It vibrated with several consecutive messages.

But neither of them spared it a glance, instead clinging to each other even more than before.

Hearing Ji Yulin’s words, Li An immediately retorted in dissatisfaction, “Nonsense. Where are you old?”

“How old are you? Even among ordinary humans, you’re just in your prime. How can you talk about being old?!”

She had a stubborn look on her face. Ji Yulin’s casual remark was being taken very seriously by this one.

Ji Yulin sighed helplessly and patted Li An’s cheek, soothing her. “Alright, alright. Not old, not old.”

“Don’t just humor me,” Li An puffed out her cheeks, looking indignant.

Ji Yulin had no choice but to repeat herself, which finally earned a satisfied nod from Li An.

No matter how old she got, she was still a child who needed Ji Yulin to coax her.

Ji Yulin raised her hands and cupped Li An’s face, kneading it gently. Li An’s features were squished together and then released, and she let out an unintelligible mumble.

At that moment, the communicator buzzed again.

Both of them froze. Ji Yulin finally turned her head to look at it, reaching out to grab it.

Li An didn’t stop her, but a strange light flickered in her eyes. An invisible force surged out, heading for the war-torn battlefield. This time, however, it changed nothing before abruptly dissipating.

Li An snapped back to her senses to see Ji Yulin holding her hand. Her delicate features were the same as ever as she looked at her gently. “It’s alright. They’ve worked hard for so many years. It’s time the Research Institute was overthrown.”

She smiled again, rubbing her cheek against Li An’s. “If Qi Fu and Ling Yun don’t succeed soon, I’m afraid they’ll have to wait for their daughter to take over and continue the effort.”

Li An was taken aback, a complex expression on her face. “So you’ve known all along.”

All these years, Li An had been secretly hindering the Metahuman Alliance’s progress in attacking the Research Institute to prolong the mission time.

The institute’s destruction was a foregone conclusion. No matter how much Li An tried to delay it, this day was bound to come.

Ji Yulin didn’t explain, only saying, “The Director and the others have lived long enough.”

Hearing this, Li An was reminded of her memories from her past life. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes, and she said in a low, heavy voice, “They won’t die so easily.”

“Okay,” Ji Yulin responded softly, kissing the corner of Li An’s lips.

Just then, the cold, mechanical voice sounded again.

[Research Institute Annihilation Progress: 100%. Congratulations, Tasker. Mission successful.]

As the voice faded, Li An suddenly felt an inexplicable power surge from the world, rushing toward her uncontrollably. The barrier that had always confined her finally began to loosen.

The immense energy was so vast that it caused the surrounding environment to change. Trees toppled, and the sea churned violently. A visible vortex of energy swirled and poured into Li An’s body.

At that moment, every species on the continent felt a strange sensation and turned in unison to look in her direction.

But Li An couldn’t control herself. She was forcibly swept up by the energy vortex, rising into the air.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and opened them again. Her azure eyes were now profound and indescribable.

Demigod.

God.

At this moment, all of creation on this continent was within her grasp. A single thought could trigger floods and tsunamis; a casual glance could decide the fate of an entire species.

But the cold voice in her mind sounded once more.

[Mission complete.]

[Host, please prepare to depart from the small world and proceed to the next mission.]

Panic seized Li An’s heart. She struggled desperately to break free from the torrent of energy.

But the force was pouring into her with an almost insane frenzy, making it extremely difficult to escape.

Li An struggled harder, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead, fighting to get to Ji Yulin.

“Move! Let me through…”

Eight tentacles burst from her back, thrashing just as desperately.

Until Ji Yulin appeared beside her and took her hand.

She stood on empty air, appearing effortlessly out of place despite being in the center of such a dangerous energy vortex. Not even the hem of her clothes stirred.

Li An’s pupils dilated, her face a mask of confusion.

But Ji Yulin offered no explanation, only leaning in to kiss her.

The kiss was gentle, like every time Li An woke from a dream to find the woman who had been waiting for her holding her close, pressing a soft good morning kiss to her lips.

But this time, Ji Yulin didn’t say good morning. Instead, she looked at Li An in silence.

Her dark eyes were calm and gentle, as if they could encompass all of creation, yet they reflected only Li An’s face.

“Don’t be sad.”

A cool hand cupped Li An’s cheek once more, soothing her frantic, chaotic emotions.

“We will meet again.”

“Thousands upon thousands of times.”

Ji Yulin looked at Li An quietly as she spoke, her words like a reassurance, yet also like an ironclad vow.

“We will meet again.”

[Memories will now be erased. Host, please prepare.]

Li An looked frantically at the woman before her. Her body was gradually turning transparent, and the cool fingertips on her cheek were slowly losing their warmth until they vanished completely.

“Don’t be afraid. We will meet again.”

“Thousands upon thousands of times.”

The last words faded in her ears, and the azure eyes suddenly dimmed.

The surging power abruptly dispersed. Deep in the frozen sea, a flicker of light flashed across an octopus egg, which finally showed signs of hatching.

At that moment, standing amidst the ruins of the Research Institute, Qi Fu suddenly felt a pang in her heart for no reason.

She turned to see someone running toward her in a panic.

“Director Qi! Director Qi, it’s bad!”

“Octopus Island has vanished from the sea! We’ve used every piece of equipment we have, but we can’t find any trace of it. It’s as if it just disappeared into thin air.”

The bad feeling in Qi Fu’s heart intensified. “What about Ji An’an and the Professor?!” she asked hurriedly.

The person answered with difficulty, “They… they disappeared along with Octopus Island.”