Chapter 994
Zhan Lan's Choice Trading My Life for Yours
For example, that crystal core that shines with a mysterious color.
And the instigator of this incident.
Zheng Zha, who was only half alive and almost unrecognizable as human.
The area below the waist completely disappeared, and the exposed muscles and bone fragments were covered with blood and grime, leaving the once vibrant flesh to congeal into a deformed scar.
Only the golden spear in his hand, which was gradually dimming, remained in his charred, bone-deep palm.
As the massive Megatron disappeared, everyone and everything began to fall freely.
Wearing a red cloak, Zhan Lan rushed forward without hesitation and used her trembling arms to support Zheng Zha's remaining upper body.
Her spiritual power, like a thin veil, wrapped around Zheng Zha's exposed wounds, but it couldn't stop the bright red blood that kept gushing out of Zheng Zha's mouth and nose.
Zhan Lan couldn't understand why a vampire, someone who could manipulate blood, would bleed uncontrollably like this.
Li Xiao flew swiftly on his sword and caught the crystal fire source.
He then landed in mid-air opposite Zhan Lan, his black sword hanging low beside him.
Before Li Xiao could speak, Zhan Lan said:
"Li Xiao, go and support Zhao Yingkong!"
"Leave this place...this place...to me!"
Zhan Lan's voice was choked with sobs.
Li Xiao looked at the two disheveled individuals with a complicated expression, remaining rooted to the spot.
His gaze swept over Zheng Zha.
His gaze then fell upon the mechanical core in his hand, which resembled a piece of crystal.
A gust of wind swirled up metal shards behind him, brushing past Li Xiao's face. He was about to speak.
"Li Xiao...you should go..."
Zheng Zha's voice squeezed out from his pounding chest.
The voice was hoarse yet exceptionally clear.
"I can't give you the A-level side quest to kill Megatron, but this core... take it back... it might be useful for Chu Xuan..."
Before he could finish speaking, he spat out another mouthful of extremely hot blood, but Li Xiao had already understood what Zheng Zha meant.
The metal crater behind them resembled an alien space, continuously spewing out a terrifying number of Decepticon machines without ceasing.
These Decepticon robots never looked at the three of them, as if they had no connection whatsoever.
It just keeps rushing towards the sky.
Li Xiao and his two companions knew that these robots had only one ultimate goal: the Spark Source Cube.
As the number of robots increases, the distant horizon becomes increasingly lively.
The flames from the explosion nearly covered half the sky.
Through the slug, Li Xiao knew that it was the echo of Chen Zilong's myriad incarnations battling the machine army.
The fact that this person was able to go this far and drag it out for so long can be said to have exceeded everyone's expectations.
“…Go…Go, Li Xiao…They need you more over there…”
Hearing Zheng Zha's words, Li Xiao finally made a move.
He first sighed, then turned and transformed into a black shadow, soaring into the sky.
With Li Xiao gone, the surroundings finally quieted down.
Only Zhan Lan and Zheng Zha remained.
Compared to how it looked when I first entered this metal city.
The man and woman are now in a very sorry state.
The word "disheveled" is no longer appropriate, as both of their injuries were quite severe.
It's so heavy it's going to kill me.
And coincidentally, one is physical, and the other is spiritual.
The red cloak behind Zhan Lan once again enveloped the Rebirth Talisman and the Lesser Creation Pill.
This time, Zhan Lan did not refuse and immediately stuck to Zheng Zha.
As the talisman burned, the scalding blood gushing from Zheng Zha's face finally stopped.
Just as Zhan Lan was about to put the pill into Zheng Zha's mouth, Zheng Zha closed his eyes and gently shook his head.
next moment.
The crimson flames that had stopped burning around them reappeared.
The blood that had just flowed from Zheng Zha's body turned into raw materials for the flames.
And in an instant, it condensed into a vortex that encompassed both Zheng Zha and her.
Moreover, as the color deepened, the flames transformed into a tangible substance.
Finally, it transformed into a half-opened crimson flower bud, standing on this battlefield.
Time passed second by second.
Amidst the ruins and rubble.
The crimson flower buds beneath the two began to dissipate and decompose with a wisp of breeze.
Zhan Lan was revealed, along with Zheng Zha, who still only had half a body.
At this moment, Zheng Zha still only has half a body.
However, the upper body, including the skin and facial features, has been restored to its original state.
He even paled a bit more; if it weren't for the gruesome and terrifying fracture on his lower body, no one would guess that he was a disabled patient.
The problem is that they have already used the Rebirth Talisman, which can regenerate severed limbs.
But Zheng Zha's wound was the same as the blood-red base.
It was gradually turning into specks of light and collapsing and dissipating.
Upon witnessing this scene, Zhan Lan covered her mouth.
Tears like pearls welled up in her eyes; she was already sobbing uncontrollably as she held Zheng Zha.
One after another, items for treatment and recovery appeared beside Zhan Lan.
Even Cheng Xiao's immortal power golden needle is included.
No matter what this person did, it couldn't stop Zheng Zha's flesh and blood from being obliterated and disappearing.
In just a short time, a large portion of the abdomen had disappeared, revealing bright red flesh and the spine that should have been solid.
Zhan Lan murmured:
"It's a fundamental collapse, a genetic collapse!"
"By the way, Zheng Zha, hurry up and activate the fourth stage of the gene lock. Isn't it supposed to allow you to control your genes?"
Zheng Zha spat out another mouthful of scalding blood and slowly shook his head in Zhan Lan's arms.
However, he still unlocked the genetic lock again.
And as one shackle after another is broken.
The edges of the abdomen have indeed changed.
On the flesh and bone fragments, one fleshy bud after another is trying to grow and bloom.
At this moment, Zheng Zha's vampire genes may have sensed a life-or-death crisis and were adjusting and developing their recovery abilities.
No matter how much these flesh-colored flower buds struggled, they could not resist being annihilated into specks of light and then dissipating from within.
However, there was a benefit: with the unlocking of the gene lock, Zheng Zha finally felt a little better.
At least he can speak now.
He looked at the crying girl and said softly:
"Alright, Zhan Lan."
"Actually, I already knew from the moment I woke up."
"My body couldn't hold on any longer, so I returned to the Main God Space."
"That's why I risked everything with Li Xiao to kill the giant Megatron. That way, getting the AllSpark core wouldn't be too much of a loss, right?"
As Zheng Zha spoke, he lay in Zhan Lan's arms and gave a genuine smile.
"It's worth it to be able to use this power to protect you one last time."
"Anyway, I've never died before, and I have a chance to be resurrected, so it's okay."
"And I remember you saying that, didn't you?"
"The process of resurrection will be like a moment. Maybe I will just close my eyes and open them again to see all of you standing in front of me to welcome me."
"Then listening to your experiences and stories is really interesting."
Zheng Zha's smile was genuine and calm.
It's like saying we'll go eat later.
At this moment, his fear of death had long been crushed by his expectation of survival.
Even as Zheng Zha was saying these words, Zhan Lan continued to try them out one by one.
Even the final modified version of the T-virus was brought out.
But it also had no effect.
After being excessively purified by the fourth-order gene lock, Zheng Zha's body is no longer something that other bloodlines can interfere with.
So at this moment, let alone Zhan Lan, even if she returned to the Main God Space, she would need to spend a huge amount of reward points to heal and recover.
Seeing Zhan Lan's flustered appearance, Zheng Zha was momentarily at a loss for words.
Or perhaps he knew, but didn't say it.
After all, I'm about to die, so I shouldn't let the living worry about certain things.
As for resurrection, Zheng Zha shook his head inwardly.
Because he had also considered that death might be an option in such a world.
Just like Chu Xuan asked him back then.
Every time you revive someone, can you really be sure that person wants to be revived?
Does he really want to face the world?
Are you ready to face this world?
In his confused state, Zheng Zha remembered a new person.
A newcomer who doesn't want to live.
Zheng Zha had almost forgotten this person's name and appearance.
You can't die!
"Zheng Zha!"
Zhan Lan looked up.
Use your mental power to wipe away the tears on your face.
She stared intently at him.
"You are the captain of the Zhongzhou team!"
"If you die, the next horror movie will have a guide descending. No, Brother Jay didn't really die."
"Perhaps Brother Jie will come back to life as the Guide again."
"Oh, right, and Chu Xuan too!"
"Without your checks and balances, Chu Xuan would become a terrifying presence as the team leader."
Zheng Zha smiled and shook his head:
"No, I'm not that important, Zhan Lan."
"Whether it's Zhao Yingkong, Li Xiao, or Chen Zilong, Lingdian, they can all replace me."
"Although they are not as smart as Chu Xuan, I believe in them."
"Besides, I still have you, don't I?"
"You are the only mental power user in the Zhongzhou team, and you are smart enough."
"And have you forgotten what you told me when you woke me up?"
"You must live well."
Perhaps it was because his genetic lock had been unlocked that Zheng Zha was unusually intelligent at this moment.
He said with a smile:
"Besides, as the strongest player in the Zhongzhou team right now, death would be a good thing for me!"
"This time, with my death as captain, the difficulty of the horror movies the team faces will definitely be greatly reduced."
"Don't look at me so surprised. I'm someone who has unlocked the fourth stage of the gene lock. I can think of these things."
"Without me, things might be easier for you."
"So live on, Zhan Lan!"
Zhan Lan hugged the body that was now only its upper body, tightly with her arms.
She buried her head in Zheng Zha's chest, watching the light that was about to disintegrate into his heart.
"Perhaps what you said is true, but I made a vow... so goodbye... Zheng Zha!"
Zhan Lan kept her head down, not looking at Zheng Zha, whose expression had changed drastically, and continued speaking.
"Actually, I've discovered another benefit to exchanging for soul bones."
"That is, even after I truly die, these powers can remain and stay within the team."
"Whether it's for new mental users or for any other purpose, it's very convenient, isn't it?"
"That way, it's as if I'm still by your side."
Suddenly, a fleshy crack appeared in Zheng Zha's chest, and a strangely shaped heart emerged. From within, a large hand made of blood seemed to be trying to push Zhan Lan away.
But before the hand could take shape and appear.
A distorted point suddenly began to spin in the center of Zheng Zha's field of vision.
In that instant, the entire world that Zheng Zha could see began to change.
The layers of images begin to recede, finally shattering.
Upon witnessing this bizarre scene, Zheng Zha subconsciously murmured:
"This...reality distortion?"
As the world freezes in time again.
Zheng Zha looked at the darkening sky and quickly lowered his head, only to find that his body had completely recovered.
Looking around, they realized that the city ruins, which had been flattened by the nuclear shockwave, had disappeared.
I am now standing at a somewhat familiar crossroads.
The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, and the concrete slabs were grayish-white.
Sunflowers with drooping heads on the flower bed.
Zheng Zha felt an unusual sense of familiarity with everything before him, but he couldn't quite place it.
After a moment of confusion, Zheng Zha finally remembered where he was.
It's The Matrix, or more accurately, The Matrix.
However, there was no one here at the moment.
Only the wife on the street, with her hands behind her back, was waiting to pick up her husband from get off work.
The distortion of reality driven by his own life, at this moment, centers on Zhan Lan and has a radius of 100 kilometers.
The entire metal city was transformed into a world caught between reality and illusion.
The metal openings that had been pouring out disappeared, as if the robots had entered another dimension.
As memories accumulated, this place twisted into the world Zhan Lan envisioned.
This was also her past regret.
"Zhan Lan, stop!"
"I don't know what you're planning, but you have no chance of being resurrected!"
You can't do this!
"I'm okay, Zhan Lan!!"
"Zhan Lan!!!"
A ripple flashed by, and the sound vanished from this illusory world.
In a daze, Zhan Lan felt as if she had returned to that matrix.
He still possesses certain special privileges and can rewrite a rule with just a thought.
However, as a person with spiritual power, she knew that these were just hallucinations before her death.
Zheng Zha discovers that in this world, he is not only unable to speak, but also unable to move freely.
that's it.
The newlywed couple walked home together, their shadows stretching very long under the streetlights.
When Zheng Zha in the real world finally faded away.
A huge talisman-shaped light and shadow appeared where Zheng Zha had just been.
And then this talisman, inscribed with countless mysterious runes, appeared.
The illusory world began to vanish like bubbles.
Zheng Zha, who clearly felt that he was dead, opened his eyes again.
He spotted the vessel within the giant talisman at a glance.
It was the purse that he had always kept hidden in his breast pocket.
He remembered the unassuming red purse.
That was after they killed the vessel of the golden mask, when he awoke again to find this extra thing on his body. (End of Chapter)