Apocalypse: I Have A Multiplier System
Chapter 525: Variable

Chapter 525: Chapter 525: Variable

A minute passed. Then ten minutes passed, but nothing happened.

Su Jiyai panicked a bit.

’What is this place...?’ she whispered in her mind.

’This cage... It’s not normal.’

She looked around slowly. There were no weak points, no cracks, not even a single dent in the floor.

Everything was perfect. Too perfect.

’Someone planned this ahead of time...’

.......

Back in RV

The sun had set and risen again, and still, there was no sign of Su Jiyai.

Xi Ping paced back and forth inside the RV, chewing on her nails.

"She should’ve returned by now! She always returns..."

Qin Feng sat near the table, his fingers drumming nervously.

"Yeah. Something’s wrong. She didn’t even send a signal. Not even a mental ping."

Xi Ping stopped walking. "What if... what if the princess noticed something? What if she—?"

"No." Qin Feng stood up. "Let’s not panic. But we’re not waiting anymore."

He looked out the RV window at the capital city glowing in the distance.

"I’m going in. You’re coming too."

Xi Ping blinked. "But—"

"I’ll turn us invisible," Qin Feng said firmly. "We sneak into the palace. We find her. We bring her back."

Xi Ping nodded quickly. "Let’s go."

.....

Back in the Palace – That Same Night

Su Jiyai curled into a small ball at the center of the cage. Her ears drooped, her tail lay still, and her eyes were heavy from exhaustion.

[My powers... they’re all blocked.]

She had tried for hours. But the invisible pressure surrounding the cage was like a thick wall, stopping everything—her system voice, her melody, even her mental communication.

She sighed, her breath fogging up the glass floor.

Just then, the door creaked open.

The sound of heels echoed in the chamber.

It was the princess.

She walked in gracefully, holding a fan in one hand and a soft smirk on her lips.

"Well, well," she said. "Still pretending to be weak, little one?"

Su Jiyai didn’t move.

The princess walked closer to the cage and stared down.

"You’re clever. I can tell. That’s why I’ll make this simple."

She knelt beside the cage, tapping it lightly with her ring.

"I’ll make a deal with you," she said sweetly. "Form a contract with me. Swear loyalty. I’ll let you out. You’ll be free... with me."

She reached out and gently tapped the cage bars.

"Be mine."

Su Jiyai turned her face away without saying a word.

The princess chuckled.

"Oh, I like you. You’ve got guts."

She stood up slowly and opened her fan again.

"You have three days," she said. "If you don’t accept by then, you won’t get a single bite of food."

Su Jiyai flinched.

From the outside, it looked like she was scared.

The princess was pleased. "Afraid already? Good."

She turned to the maid standing by the door.

"Don’t give her any food. Not even water."

The maid’s eyes widened. "Yes... Your Highness."

With that, the princess left, her laughter echoing behind her.

...

Later That Night

The maid stood beside the cage, watching Su Jiyai.

The little wolf didn’t speak, didn’t move.

She just lay there, ears low and eyes sad.

After a moment, Su Jiyai let out a soft, pitiful whimper.

She crawled to the edge of the cage and reached one paw through the bars.

She wiggled her paw gently, like she wanted a hug.

The maid gasped softly. "Aww..."

She walked closer, her eyes wide.

"You’re... really so cute..."

Su Jiyai whimpered again and made big watery eyes.

Then, she slowly brought her paws together, rubbing them like she was begging.

"Uwah..." The maid clutched her chest. "You’re breaking my heart."

Su Jiyai sat up on her hind legs and waved her paw slowly, like a sad little child saying "please."

The maid’s eyes sparkled.

"You’re... You’re too human!"

She looked away quickly. "No, no, no! I-I can’t! I love you, but I can’t open the cage! The princess will kill me!"

Su Jiyai blinked. She gently placed both paws on the glass and tilted her head like a soft, silent cry.

The maid made a choked sound and turned her back.

"I... I won’t look anymore! If I do, I’ll really let you out!!"

She covered her eyes and ran to the corner, refusing to turn back.

Su Jiyai let out a big sigh as she watched the maid run away in a panic.

"Pretending to be cute is so hard these days," she muttered in her mind, flopping back down inside the cage.

She stared at the ceiling of the golden chamber, her tail twitching.

Unknown to her, deep inside the system space, a glowing screen was playing the whole scene in loop.

A tiny digital voice let out a dreamy sigh.

[Host is too adorable... Truly the best actor in the galaxy. Such soft ears... such sad little eyes...]

The system sparkled in admiration as it saved the video in a special "Cuteness Collection" folder.

Su Jiyai, unaware she was now a star inside her own system, was busy thinking of escape plans.

"Alright, let’s see... If I could just short out the runes... maybe if I fake a fever? Or pretend to be dead? Or... chew through the bars?"

She was in deep thought when suddenly—

BOOM!

All the lights in the palace flickered—

Then went completely out.

Darkness filled the entire building.

The maid shrieked from across the room and ran back toward Su Jiyai’s cage.

"Don’t worry, little cub!" she said with wide, panicked eyes. "The lights are just out! It’s okay! Nobody’s going to steal you! You belong to the princess!"

Su Jiyai rolled her eyes.

"As if I’m scared of someone stealing me. I just need to get out of this stupid box..."

She blinked.

"Wait... this blackout... Could it be?"

She thought of Qin Feng. Of Xi Ping.

"They must’ve figured it out. Maybe... they’re here."

Just then—

WHACK!

The maid didn’t even see it coming.

A shadow moved in the darkness like wind.

The next second, the maid was knocked out cold, dropping with a soft thud on the palace floor.

Su Jiyai didn’t even have time to react when her whole world tilted.

"Whoaaa—!!" she yelped as her cage was scooped up like a shopping bag.

"Hey! I’m still inside this thing!"

The figure that held the cage didn’t stop. They dashed through the hallway like lightning, weaving through the darkness, jumping over fallen furniture and confused guards.

Su Jiyai rolled and bumped inside the cage like a ball in a pinball machine.

"Owww! My nose!! My tail!! AHHH!"

Just when she thought she’d throw up or faint, the figure skidded to a stop.

Su Jiyai pressed her face to the bars and groaned.

"Finally..."

But before she could say anything, a female voice echoed above her cage.

"I will not waste this life," the voice said with sharp pride. "In my last life, the princess became powerful only because she formed a contract with the Silver Wolf."

Su Jiyai’s ears twitched.

"Silver... Wolf?"

"She rose to power, ruled the summoning world, and built an empire on the divine bloodline of that wolf."

The voice giggled, soft and creepy.

"But now? That power is mine. I was reborn with my memories... and this time, I will claim the beast before she does."

Su Jiyai blinked hard.

"Reborn...? Is she saying she’s like Leticia from the interstellar world?"

She looked down at her own paws and tail.

"But I’m blue. The legendary wolf was silver, right?"

She squinted.

"Did she... grab the wrong wolf?!"

The woman chuckled again and began to run once more, clutching the cage like it was a treasure chest.

Su Jiyai bounced again and smacked into the cage wall.

"Ugh! I’m gonna puke in here!!"

Back at the Palace

The lights snapped back on.

Guards were running everywhere.

"The blue wolf cub is missing!"

"She’s gone!"

"Check every exit! The princess is furious!!"

The princess stormed down the halls with fury in her eyes.

"FIND HER!" she screamed. "I don’t care if you turn the entire kingdom upside down!"

Invisible in the Shadows

Qin Feng and Xi Ping were hidden behind a large pillar near the treasure hall. Because of Qin Feng’s invisibility, no one could see them.

But both of them looked completely stunned.

Xi Ping was frozen.

"She’s... missing?! But—she was in the cage! How could someone steal her?!"

Qin Feng narrowed his eyes, scanning the chaotic palace.

"...Someone interfered. This wasn’t part of the plan."

"I KNEW this was a bad idea!" Xi Ping whisper-yelled. "Why did I agree to let her pretend to be a prize?!"

Qin Feng clenched his fists. "We can’t argue now. We have to find her."

He pulled out a small black stone from his robe and closed his eyes.

A soft glow shimmered under their feet.

Then—

Footprints appeared on the floor. Glowing, soft, and recent.

"The thief..." Qin Feng said calmly. "They went this way."

Xi Ping nodded. "Let’s go."

Without wasting another second, they followed the glowing trail of footprints.