God-Tier Awakening: The Dead Can Still Level Up

Chapter 9: An Alarming situation

Just as Qin Haoran was about to reach the side door, Shen Wuxia’s mind was swallowed by panic.

Xingluo’s steps had already become unstable, and although her eyes still held a trace of resistance, her body could no longer properly obey her thoughts.

Qin Haoran supported her with one hand while maintaining that gentle smile, yet the hidden excitement in his eyes had already become impossible for Shen Wuxia to ignore.

Seeing that expression, Shen Wuxia felt his anger turn cold for the first time since returning as a soul.

No... if she leaves this hall with him, everything will be too late.

His gaze swept across the surroundings in panic, desperately searching for anything he could use despite his useless spiritual body.

At that moment, his eyes suddenly stopped on the wall beside the side corridor, where a small red button had been sealed behind a thick transparent cover.

Beneath it, several words had been engraved in clear warning letters.

[Emergency Lockdown Protocol]

[Manual Activation Only]

The moment Shen Wuxia saw those words, his eyes sharpened violently as he instantly understood what it was.

Almost every large building in Asterion had this kind of emergency measure installed after the last great beast tide decades ago.

Once activated manually, the entire structure would seal itself, emergency barriers would rise, and the city guards would receive an immediate distress signal.

For normal people, activating it falsely would bring terrifying punishment, but Shen Wuxia didn’t care about consequences.

He rushed toward the wall without hesitation, his soul passing directly through several guests and decorations before reaching the emergency switch.

The Platinum-grade protective cover blocking the button was strong enough to withstand most ordinary attacks, but against his ghost-like body, it offered no resistance at all.

Shen Wuxia passed through the transparent cover in a single breath and stretched his trembling hand toward the red button inside.

But just as his fingers were about to touch it, a violent force suddenly yanked him backward.

His body was dragged through the air like a chain had been hooked into his soul, and the pain from that pull nearly tore his consciousness apart.

Shen Wuxia turned his head sharply and saw Qin Haoran continuing to lead Xingluo toward the door.

The distance between them had crossed the limit again, and the invisible bond tying him to Luo Xingluo was pulling him back with terrifying force.

Seeing this, Shen Wuxia’s expression changed completely as he struggled against the restriction, but the bond remained as solid as iron shackles.

No matter how hard he pulled, his soul kept sliding backward inch by inch while Qin Haoran moved closer to the exit.

At the same time, Xingluo’s eyes grew more unfocused as she tried to raise her hand, only for her fingers to weakly fall again.

Qin Haoran lowered his gaze toward her, and for a brief instant, that polite smile on his face twisted into something sick and satisfied.

That single expression made Shen Wuxia’s remaining hesitation disappear completely.

Move... damn it, move already.

He grabbed against empty air with both hands and pulled against the soul bond with everything he had.

The next instant, Xingluo’s body suddenly lost balance, and her feet slipped beneath her as if something had violently tugged her backward.

Qin Haoran’s expression changed at once as he tightened his grip around her, but because he had been walking forward, the sudden resistance caused him to stagger as well.

At the same time, a searing pain erupted through Shen Wuxia’s soul, far worse than anything he had felt while fighting the Wolf King.

For one brief moment, his vision turned completely white and his entire existence seemed to flicker like a candle caught inside a storm.

A blue panel appeared before his eyes immediately afterward, its words trembling violently as if even the system had been damaged.

[Warning.]

[Soul Stability has been severely disrupted.]

[Soul Stability: 89%]

[Soul Stability: 87%]

[Soul Stability: 83%]

Seeing the falling numbers, Shen Wuxia’s pupils trembled slightly, but he had no time to think about what they meant.

Because Qin Haoran had already steadied himself again, and his hand was tightening around Xingluo’s waist with far more force than before.

Shen Wuxia gritted his teeth and threw himself toward the emergency button once more, ignoring the burning sensation spreading through every part of his soul.

The distance between him and Xingluo stretched again, and the invisible bond instantly tightened around him like a blade.

His soul shook violently as the system panel continued flashing warning messages before his face.

Shen Wuxia reached the button again, but the moment his hand pressed against it, he discovered that moving it was not the same as pushing a pencil from a table.

The emergency switch was heavy, solid, and embedded inside a mechanism designed to prevent accidental activation.

His fingers trembled against the button while his ethereal body flickered repeatedly.

Behind him, Xingluo was being lifted back to her feet by Qin Haoran, whose smile had already become impatient.

"Miss Luo, it seems you are far more exhausted than I expected," Qin Haoran said softly while guiding her toward the door again.

Hearing that voice, Shen Wuxia’s gaze turned bloodshot as he pushed harder against the red switch.

The button trembled faintly beneath his palm but still refused to fully sink inward.

At that moment, the soul bond dragged against him again, and the pain became so intense that even his thoughts nearly scattered.

[Soul Stability: 56%]

[Soul Stability: 43%]

[Soul Stability: 31%]

Shen Wuxia let out a hoarse roar that no one except Luo Xingluo could hear properly, and all the remaining strength in his soul crashed into the button at once.

The red switch finally sank inward with a heavy mechanical click.

For a single instant, the entire banquet hall remained unchanged, as though nothing had happened at all.

Then a piercing alarm exploded through the building, and every chandelier above the hall flashed crimson at the same time.

[Emergency Lockdown Protocol Activated.]

[All exits will now be sealed.]

[City Guard Distress Signal has been transmitted.]

[All personnel must remain inside the protected zone.]

The music stopped instantly as the entire hall erupted into chaos, with guests turning around in panic while guards rushed toward every entrance.

Qin Haoran’s expression finally changed completely, but before he could react, the emergency steel door above the side exit dropped down with terrifying speed.

He had already stepped halfway past the threshold while pulling Xingluo forward, and the descending door slammed down before he could fully retreat.

A sharp scream tore from Qin Haoran’s throat as the reinforced steel crushed down against his leg and pinned him at the entrance.

Blood spread across the polished floor beneath him while his earlier noble expression shattered by pain and disbelief.

Xingluo fell backward as his grip loosened, her body collapsing onto the floor just inside the banquet hall.

Several guests screamed after seeing Qin Haoran trapped beneath the emergency door, while others hurriedly backed away in fear of being implicated.

The alarm continued roaring through the building, red light flashing across every face as the entire banquet dissolved into panic.

Shen Wuxia floated unsteadily near the wall, his soul nearly transparent as the system panel flickered before his dimming vision.

[Warning.]

[Soul Damage has exceeded critical threshold.]

[Emergency Soul Shutdown commencing.]

[System Activation Progress has been forcibly suspended.]

Shen Wuxia tried to move toward Xingluo one last time, but his consciousness had already begun sinking into darkness.

The final thing he saw was Qin Haoran screaming beneath the sealed door while Luo Xingluo lay safely beyond his reach.

Only then did Shen Wuxia’s expression loosen slightly, and the last trace of strength left his fading soul and the next moment, his vision went completely black.