Chapter 2: Extremely Dangerous

With the help of a flash of lightning, he clearly saw the portrait printed on the card, along with the basic information about the original owner of this body.

Xiao Kaitian, born December 3rd, a native of Han-Tang.

In the photograph, he looked somewhat youthful, his hair styled in a sharp, retro side part. On their own, his eyes, brows, and nose might not be considered handsome, but together his features formed a lean and striking visage, possessing a subtle, enduring charm. Especially now, with his eyes gleaming an eerie blue, there was an added, intangible allure.

“So this is who I am now—very likely my projection in this dimensional space,” Xiao Kaitian muttered to himself, repeatedly studying the photo and comparing it to the reflection on his phone screen before reaching his conclusion.

“If that's the case, then everything that belonged to him, I, Xiao Kaitian, will temporarily inherit, even if our final paths diverge.”

With a grave expression, he picked up the phone, pressed the button on the side, and unlocked the screen with his fingerprint.

This was a Porsche-customized model from Han-Tang’s top smartphone brand. Despite the violent car crash, the device had only suffered some damage to the screen; its functions were otherwise unaffected. After unlocking it, Xiao Kaitian checked over the various bits of information.

At last, his gaze settled on the most recent text message:

"Xiao Kaitian, if you don't want anything to happen to your sister, come to 3 Ogihara Trading Company, 5 Chome, Aikane by midnight tonight."

It was a concise and straightforward threat. Familiar now with the rules of this world, Xiao Kaitian quickly grasped the meaning: it was a kidnapping threat involving his family—his sister.

His expression grew cold as he opened the navigation app to check his location. He was currently somewhere along the highway from Higashikyo to Aikane, the capital of this island nation. According to the navigation, if he drove, he could easily reach the designated address before the deadline.

There was no question of whether he would go. Xiao Kaitian slipped the phone into his breast pocket and, braving the torrential rain, strode toward the battered Toyota Corolla.

He needed a car.

The Toyota Corolla, a staple of the island's automotive scene, was favored for its value and reliability but, compared to German vehicles, was notably flimsy—one accident could spell disaster.

Standing in front of the car, Xiao Kaitian gazed at his reflection in the rain-speckled window, his blue-lit eyes calm as lightning flashed overhead. Slowly, he extended his right hand and placed it on the car’s battered frame.

“System structure—full deconstruction!”

Centered around him, his divine source rapidly expanded. Under the influence of his special ability, the divine source enveloped the entire vehicle, seeping into every detail. The blue light in Xiao Kaitian’s eyes flared even brighter.

“Reassemble damaged components!”

With a surge of power not native to this dimension, his divine source flooded the half-wrecked car. Strange green symbols and diagrams flickered across the bodywork, and the crumpled front end, as if by miracle, began to restore itself, piece by piece, structure by structure.

With squeaks and grating sounds, the once-totaled Toyota Corolla’s caved-in hood, shattered engine, and scattered wiring system gradually returned to working order.

“Whew!” Xiao Kaitian let out a long sigh. This was his first time using his special ability in this dimension, and thankfully, it had gone smoothly. He checked his divine source and saw that of the ten symmetrically arranged stars orbiting it, three had been shining, but now only one remained—the other two had dimmed.

This was the price of his “Regeneration” skill: two sparks of the divine source spent.

Each star represented a spark of the divine source, and activating one unlocked immense capabilities—precious beyond measure. Xiao Kaitian’s face darkened at the thought; he hadn’t expected that restoring a car would cost him two divine sparks.

Still, there was no room for regret—he needed to reach the rendezvous point as quickly as possible.

“I’m coming. Whoever you are, if you dare lay a hand on my projection’s family—” Xiao Kaitian slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut, a cold smile curling at his lips. “—you’d best be prepared to vanish from this world.”

During his analysis of the car, he’d also discovered that someone had tampered with it beforehand—subtly and skillfully. The accident he’d been in was no accident at all.

Gripping the steering wheel, Xiao Kaitian couldn’t help but smile grimly. “Interesting. Very well, I’ll play your game. Let me show you what it means to be a true king.”

The engine sputtered to life as he turned the key. Concealing his divine source—his most vital resource, not to be squandered—he let the blue glow fade from his eyes until only a pair of clear, black-and-white pupils stared back from the rearview mirror.

He switched on the car’s heater. It was now winter in the island nation; though he himself was unbothered by wind and rain, the body he’d just taken over was still fragile. He had to avoid mishap. With the heater running, the cabin warmed quickly, evaporating the rain from his clothes.

He also used his divine source to examine the condition of his new body. Compared to his status in the Central Axis Universe, he was now a character with a combat power of about one hundred.

That level of strength would make him utterly insignificant in the Central Axis Universe—even a microbe there could overpower him.

His face darkened at the thought. Damn it, just how low a dimension was this place?

But as the car sped down the road, his dissatisfaction began to abate.

He noticed that the occasional drivers in oncoming traffic possessed even lower combat strength—typically ranging from three to five.

What did that mean? It meant that his basic abilities were several dozen times stronger than the average person in this world. Yet, rather than feeling triumphant, he could only lament how pitifully weak this dimension was.

“Damn it!” His expression grew increasingly grim. At this rate, returning to the Central Axis Universe would be a distant dream.

Through the pitch-black, stormy night, the Toyota Corolla carved a blazing red arc of taillights, racing toward its destination at a breakneck speed.

At the Aikane precinct of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Department, Harui Masanobu yawned widely as he stared at the monitors.

He’d been responsible for surveillance for over a decade, and the people on this route were generally law-abiding—rarely did anything trouble him.

But tonight, at last, something out of the ordinary occurred. He happened to glance at a feed showing a Toyota Corolla roaring by at near maximum speed.

“This is outrageous!” Slamming his cap onto the desk, Harui Masanobu grabbed the phone at once. “Hello? Sweetheart—ah, no, Chief Inspector Sakura Harui, there’s a vehicle speeding on the Jingon Expressway. Yes, very dangerous!”