Wang Chen's world was a blur of pain and regret. His parents lay in hospital beds, motionless and cold. His sister, now confined to a wheelchair, faded further into a shell of the person she once was. The laughter and ridicule of his classmates echoed around him, a constant reminder of his weakness, his failures.
Anger! Despair! Hatred!
Countless emotions surged within him, clashing like a storm in his heart. His fists clenched at his sides, his breath ragged, as though he were suffocating under the weight of it all.
"How could this be the end? I've carried so much, how could I just give up?"
"Gods!"
His voice rang out into the abyss, a desperate cry into the darkness. His body trembled as he screamed, his voice strained with every ounce of his being. "Please, answer me!"
But as his words left his lips, something unexpected happened.
The divine power he had summoned recoiled violently, as if repulsed by his desperation.
"Why... why is this happening?" Wang Chen thought, his heart sinking into the depths of despair. But just as hope seemed lost, something stirred in the infinite blackness.
The sound of gears turning. A chorus of mechanical clicks and whirs echoed through the void, as if countless wheels were meshing together in perfect harmony, a mechanical symphony that reverberated through the dark.
And then, a flash of blinding light.
From the endless radiance, an intricate web of gears and mechanisms spun into existence. The sheer magnitude of their movement seemed divine—like an otherworldly force manifesting before him, powerful and unfathomable.
Amid the dazzling light, a figure emerged, towering and godlike, gazing down upon Wang Chen with an expression of arrogance, as though he were looking at an insignificant insect.
"Flesh is weak. Machines ascend."
"Offer your heart."
The words echoed in his mind, and as if they were the final lifeline, Wang Chen, now barely conscious, seized upon them, his voice hoarse but unwavering.
"I accept!"
The moment the words escaped his lips, a shockwave of energy erupted from the Awakening platform. Light and mechanical parts whizzed through the air before vanishing into thin air.
Wang Chen's eyes snapped open. Pain shot through his chest—his heart felt as though it were being ripped apart—and with a violent cough, blood spilled from his mouth.
"Wang Chen!"
His homeroom teacher, Chen Xun, was at his side in an instant, catching him before he collapsed.
"Did I... succeed?" Wang Chen gasped, his grip tight on Chen Xun's sleeve, his eyes pleading for an answer.
"I'm sorry, Wang Chen," Chen Xun sighed, his voice tinged with sorrow. "You didn't succeed."
Wang Chen's eyes widened in shock. His body went limp, his grip loosening.
"No... no success?"
Chen Xun's face was full of sympathy. He had watched Wang Chen's struggles and understood the weight of his burdens, but the truth was unavoidable. In this world, miracles were few and far between.
"Get the priest! The healer!" Chen Xun shouted, urgency in his voice. "Get Wang Chen to the infirmary, quickly!"
The priest and healer rushed over, lifting Wang Chen onto a stretcher and rushing him away.
Around them, the voices of the other students sneered in contempt.
"Of course it failed. Why not just accept your fate as an ordinary person?"
"Exactly! He was dreaming of something beyond him!"
"It's a shame. He couldn't even awaken. He might lose his life here!"
But just as the whispers grew louder, something unexpected happened. Ren Yinian, the idol of Luohai First High, pushed through the crowd, his face filled with genuine concern.
He bent down and took Wang Chen's hand, his expression full of worry.
"Wang Chen, are you alright?" Ren Yinian asked softly.
Wang Chen, struggling to breathe, managed a faint smile, his gratitude for Ren Yinian evident. This was the person who had always offered him help, who had always looked out for him.
"Thank you... for caring."
Ren Yinian smiled gently, but there was something off about his expression. He leaned closer to Wang Chen, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Wang Chen... I came to tell you something important."
Ren Yinian's voice lowered even further, his next words cutting through Wang Chen's fog of pain.
"Three years ago, that accident... it was arranged by me. Not only did it cripple your sister, but I also took your heart. There was no 'broken heart'—only a heart transplanted into my body. Your heart is still beating... inside me."
Ren Yinian casually tugged at his collar, revealing a scar that had not yet faded.
"What! You... what did you say?!" Wang Chen's eyes widened, his body trembling with rage and disbelief. He felt as if his throat were closing up, his breaths coming in sharp, ragged gasps. He grabbed the edges of his stretcher, his grip white-knuckled, as his chest tightened painfully.
"Don't get so worked up, Wang Chen! You might just die from the shock!" Ren Yinian's voice was cold, his smirk ever-present.
"Three years ago, my family's seer predicted you would awaken as an S-rank profession—the Apocalyptic Knight. But you were just a commoner, unworthy of such power. But don't worry, everything that was meant for you is now mine."
"Now that I see you can't even awaken, I know you'll never rise again. This was all just a precaution, to ensure you would never be a threat. You'll be nothing but an ant under my heel, powerless to resist. From now on, I'll be a god, and you—nothing more than a speck of dust."
"Wang Chen, rest well in the infirmary. Take care of your injuries."
Ren Yinian straightened up, smiling down at Wang Chen as if he were some insignificant thing.
He stood there, basking in the sunlight, radiant, untouchable.
"Ren! Ren Yinian! Aaaaahhh!" Wang Chen's voice came out in a guttural roar, his eyes bloodshot and filled with rage. He wanted to rise, to tear Ren Yinian apart, but his body refused to obey. He was powerless.
The truth was now clear.
He had been deceived all along. The person he had been grateful for, the one who had stolen everything from him, was Ren Yinian.
"It's so ironic..." Wang Chen thought bitterly, his mind swirling in a storm of betrayal.
"Ren Yinian!"
"One day... I will kill you!"
The surrounding priests rushed to calm him, chanting incantations to soothe his rage. Wang Chen's low growl faded into weak sobs as he felt his body begin to give way.
His vision blurred, and the darkness took him.
Ren Yinian's smile never wavered. He watched as Wang Chen was carried away, and the crowd murmured in admiration behind him.
"Ren Yinian, you're truly amazing! Even caring for the useless Wang Chen! What a kind heart!"
"He's my idol! So powerful, so kind! He's going to soar!"
"Wang Chen must have used up all his luck just to get a little attention from Ren Yinian. He must be grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime blessing!"
That evening, in the hospital room, Wang Chen's eyes snapped open. His breath came in ragged gasps as he remembered everything.
"Ren Yinian..."
His body trembled with anger, and his eyes filled with hatred.
"That damn bastard!"
"What should I do?!"
"He awakened the S-rank profession that should have been mine! He stole everything from me! How can I fight back?"
And then, in the midst of his anger, a voice—strange, foreign, yet somehow familiar—whispered in his mind.
"Do you wish to merge with the Mechanical Divine Heart?"
Wang Chen froze, staring at the empty space before him, as a finely crafted mechanical heart appeared in the air.
"Could this be connected to the voice I heard during my Awakening? The Mechanical Divine Heart? What is this?"
Wang Chen steadied his breath, focusing. His eyes narrowed as he observed the strange object.
"But it doesn't matter. I have nothing left. I've already lost everything. I have no choice but to embrace it!"
"Merge with me!"
With a fierce determination in his eyes, Wang Chen made his choice.
Boom!
The Mechanical Heart shot into his chest, and his old artificial heart was replaced in an instant. A flood of power, more overwhelming than he could ever imagine, surged through his body, a force like the sun itself.
Simultaneously, a mechanical voice boomed in his mind:
"Congratulations! You have awakened the SSS-rank Super Mech Engineer!"
"You have unlocked the active skill: Super Mech Armor!"
"Super Mech Armor: Arm yourself with the power of machines. Evolve your body continuously and challenge even the gods!"
"You have awakened three divine hidden skills!"
"Mechanical Overload: Trigger the mechanical overload to unleash ten times your normal strength and destroy anything in your path!"
"Mechanical Ascension: The Super Mech Armor can evolve infinitely,