26. New World.

In an instant, the light and shadows around them changed, leaving Alex no time to react. Even Pietro, with his superspeed, couldn't respond in time. Within a fraction of a second, Alex felt his body tremble before his consciousness and body plummeted rapidly.

His survival instinct made him look up, and he was horrified to see himself falling like a camera sinking into the ocean, rapidly descending with the sunlight above growing distant, unable to do anything but watch.

Alex wanted to turn and check Pietro's position. If he remembered correctly, Pietro should have fallen into the purple light with him, but to his dismay, his view seemed fixed, unable to move.

Soon, all light vanished into the distance. All observable matter and light around him disappeared, leaving Alex's consciousness drifting in boundless darkness.

"Where... is this?"

Alex wanted to speak but found he couldn't feel his body at all. Even basic senses like touch and taste had vanished, filling him with instinctual fear. Quickly, Alex forced himself not to think irrationally or succumb to fear. The most important thing now was to understand why he was here and in this strange state.

Where exactly was this place?

He should have been transported by Miss Minutes, so why was he in endless darkness? Most importantly, where was his body?

If the portal had separated his soul and consciousness from his body, there was only one other possibility—he was dreaming.

That was the only explanation Alex could think of. He wasn't a scholar, nor did he understand physics, so he couldn't scientifically explain his current state, only guess based on the closest experience.

This feeling was undoubtedly most similar to dreaming.

Suddenly, a faint light appeared from 'behind' him. Alex felt something glowing behind him, the light growing stronger, but he couldn't control his view or turn his head to see it.

As Alex grew anxious, he felt his perspective slightly shift. He was puzzled but soon realized he was slowly 'turning' his view. The light emerged from the right, and Alex's vision gradually shifted from the darkness to the source of the light.

Initially, it was just a few faint stars, like a ribbon of flowing starlight in the dark.

As his view expanded, Alex saw it wasn't one ribbon but countless moving threads, composed of stars, resembling a giant tree formed by mirrors reflecting countless chaotic timespaces, merging into a colossal 'tree.'

World Tree?

This was the first word that came to Alex's mind. While metaphorically fitting, it couldn't compare to the grand and magnificent scene before him. It wasn't a 'World Tree' made of multiple worlds and planets but rather a terrifying time flow attracted and combined by countless multiverses.

Soon, the lights grew larger. Initially, it was just the dazzling starlight before him, but before long, Alex felt similar starlight ribbons appearing around him.

Countless stars filled Alex's vision, and the brilliant light made him instinctively close his eyes.

The next moment—

Ding! Clang! Crash!

A cacophony of sounds filled his ears, along with pain and Pietro's screams.

Opening his eyes again, light returned to Alex's vision, and he found himself in an empty alley. A few stray cats darted out of a trash can, disappearing around the corner.

"Ah! My leg!"

As Alex took in his surroundings, a cry of pain brought him back to reality. Turning around, he saw Pietro on the ground, his wheelchair overturned.

"Pietro, are you okay?" Alex got up, ignoring the pain, and quickly approached Pietro.

"I'm... okay." Pietro clutched his injured leg. "You didn't tell me our journey would be this thrilling. My nearly healed leg almost broke again!"

"If you're complaining this much, your injury isn't serious." Alex's words were unkind, but he was relieved. He turned the wheelchair upright and turned to help Pietro.

"No, it's fine. I can manage. It's a good sign, right? At least it shows my leg is really healing; otherwise, it wouldn't be this sensitive. It should be better in a few hours, definitely by sunrise tomorrow at the latest."

Pietro struggled up and sat in the wheelchair. Alex noticed that Pietro had become more talkative since learning about President X's death. It was a good sign; Pietro was no longer as despondent as before.

"That's not bad. I thought you'd need a few months." Alex examined Pietro's leg, still bandaged tightly, looking no different than before.

"Super speed, remember? I'm a speedster. Unless it's a fatal injury, I heal within a week. I'm already frustrated it's taking this long." Pietro grinned but then glanced around and asked Alex, "So... did we make it?"

Hearing Pietro's question, Alex slowly picked up the time controller from the ground and nodded slightly.

"Yeah, we made it. The time controller isn't just any device. It has the power to traverse multiverses, so wherever we are, we're no longer in our previous universe."

With Alex's confirmation, Pietro's breathing became rapid, clearly excited. His body trembled slightly.

"I can't believe it. We actually did it. No one has ever activated this device before. How did you manage it?"

"I don't know." Alex looked deeply at the time controller, its black screen reflecting his face. Recalling the recent events, he rubbed his temples.

"Alex, are you okay?" Seeing Alex's odd state, Pietro poked his arm.

"I'm fine. The priority now is to check out this world. Don't forget, we're unknowns here. For safety, we need to gather information about this world first."

Waving his hand, Alex walked behind Pietro. Though they were dirty, they were not conspicuous enough to attract attention.

Listening for a lively direction, Alex pushed the wheelchair, and they slowly made their way through the dark alley toward the bustling, sunlit street.

As they approached the sunny street, Pietro grew more excited. He hadn't felt such warm, comforting light in a long time. A slight smile finally appeared on Alex's usually tense face. Hearing the clearer sounds of laughter and chatter, his heavy heart gradually lightened.

Finally, they emerged from the gloomy alley into the bustling street.

Pedestrians walked along the street, a few teenagers on skateboards weaving through the crowd, and some women in office attire rushed with coffee cups, heading toward their destinations. Everyone had their own goals; everything was so natural.

Alex couldn't help but smile at the busy street. Despite it being somewhat similar to streets abroad in his memory, it still felt wonderfully novel.

At this moment, he could finally enjoy the beauty of another world without the crushing pressure. Alex was eager to experience the services of a foreign land.

Shifting his gaze, Alex looked at a large screen on a high-rise, showing various intriguing brand advertisements.

But in the next moment, Alex's smile froze, his face stiffening.

On the giant electronic screen in the distance, colorful letters spelled out a city slogan:

—Welcome to Metropolis.

.....

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27. Another Universe.

28. Twins.

29. The Sword Hanging Overhead.

30. Heading Towards Destruction.

31. An Unstoppable Catastrophe?