# 248
**Chapter 248: A Cup from the Master**
Beep, beep, beep…
The phone rang repeatedly. A few seconds later, a woman’s worried voice came through.
“Muye? Is that you, Muye?”
Rumble—!!
Lightning tore through the Chaos clouds, and violent winds swept the earth. Atop the tallest building in Cangnan City, a cloaked man sat on the edge, gazing at a distant patch of light beyond the city, silent.
After a long while, he finally spoke:
“How… have you been lately?”
“…Fine.” The woman fell silent, then her voice trembled. “After all these years, you finally bothered to call.”
Chen Muye said nothing.
“Do you know? These past few years, I haven’t dared to ignore a single unknown call. I kept thinking… what if it was you? What if you wanted to come back, and I missed it?” Her voice cracked.
“The day we divorced, I told you… I can’t come back,” Chen Muye said slowly.
“Why?! Why not!?” the woman screamed hysterically. “You’re an anti-drug officer! Your job is dangerous! I know! I’m not afraid of dying!! I’m willing to take that risk and stay with you!
But why… after we had our child, did you have to leave me?
What exactly happened to you?!”
She sobbed uncontrollably. “Do you know? Xiaoyang started first grade this year… When he introduces himself in class, he always says his dad is an anti-drug cop. He looks so proud, but he’s not happy…
He’s waiting for you to come home too.”
Chen Muye’s grip on the phone tightened. He looked down at himself, bitterness flickering in his misty eyes.
“I’m sorry…”
Boom—!!
A dull explosion echoed from the edge of the city.
Chen Muye took a deep breath and spoke slowly into the phone: “In a few days, maybe a month, a sum of money will be transferred to your account. It should be enough for you and the boy to live comfortably for the rest of your lives…”
“Muye… Muye? What’s wrong?” The woman’s voice turned anxious. “I don’t want your money! I just want you to come—”
“I’m sorry.”
Before she could finish, Chen Muye hung up. He stood slowly from the edge of the building, looked down at the city beneath his feet, and murmured:
“Miracles… always come to an end.”
…
Boom—!!
The roar of artillery and the crash of thunder mingled in the sky. Under the dark heavens, colossal blue giants marched forward, white frost spreading across the ground.
The front line of frost giants was struck by artillery, forcing them back a few steps. As the smoke cleared, their shattered bodies reformed. They reached into the air, and massive frost axes materialized in their hands.
Whoosh—!
They hurled the axes, which tore through the air and sliced several artillery vehicles into pieces, causing them to explode.
A military helicopter swooped overhead.
“Frost Giants. Looks like Loki has entered Cangnan City,” an officer on board said, lowering his binoculars and speaking into his headset.
“How many?”
The officer squinted, counted roughly, and frowned. “Just the ones visible now—over two hundred. Every one is at River Realm, and more keep coming.”
Gasps came through the channel.
“That many… Is Loki trying to wipe out the entire city?”
“With our current firepower, we can’t stop them. If they reach the city center, it’ll be catastrophic!”
“What about the [Phoenix] Squad? Command ordered them to support Cangnan!”
“That’s the problem,” the voice on the channel said grimly. “Three hours ago, the plane carrying the [Phoenix] Squad… went dark.”
“Went dark?” The officer’s face turned pale. “That’s a special ops team! How could they vanish without a trace? Even if a god struck, there’d be signs!”
“We’re investigating. Likely someone fed false intel, deliberately pulling the [Phoenix] Squad away from Cangnan.”
“I don’t care how you investigate!” the officer barked. “Without a special team, how do we stop these Frost Giants?”
On the ground, the towering Frost Giants surged toward the city at terrifying speed, a blizzard swirling around them—one that could bury all of Cangnan.
Against such power, conventional weapons were useless. Bullets and shells froze before even touching the giants; ninety percent failed.
Just as the military line was about to break, an ethereal carriage raced in from the distance.
The thunderous footfalls of the Frost Giants ceased. Sweet birdsong filled the air. Asphalt cracked as soil erupted beneath, green spreading across the battlefield. In an instant, lush grass carpeted the entire area.
Wherever the carriage passed, flowers bloomed. In a heartbeat, the battlefield became another world entirely.
“The Master is here.” In the helicopter above, the officer’s eyes lit up.
The Frost Giants sensed the change but did not slow. With roaring blizzards, they charged the carriage!
Their howls shook the sky!
The page boy driving the carriage glanced at them disdainfully and reined in the horses. A resonant voice rang from the cabin behind him.
“Foreign vermin—trivial.”
Whoosh—!!
A teacup shot from the cabin, drifting lazily into the raging blizzard. A drop of tea spilled, becoming an invisible blade of vapor three hundred meters long. It swept horizontally!
In an instant, every Frost Giant within a kilometer froze. A thin red line appeared at each of their necks. Heads parted from bodies; the towering corpses toppled, thudding to the grass.
From above, nearly half the Frost Giants lay headless, their blood dyeing the green meadow crimson.
The officer in the helicopter stared, stunned, and whispered in awe:
“One cup from the Master—shatters a hundred foes, stains a thousand li… Is this the power of the Human Apex?”