Chapter 410: Chapter 348
"Cough... cough cough."
Phoenix Mountain collapsed on the ground, receiving initial wound treatment from Nurse Lin, occasionally spitting out a small mouthful of blood, his face full of resentment.
"Are you two sick? Only caring about showing off, not giving a damn whether I live or die?"
This is just outrageous. If he hadn’t escaped quickly at the last moment, he would be lying there alongside the No. 29 mutant.
"I only just acquired this ability and can’t control its power yet, so I can only try to maximize the damage." Li Zheng scratched his head; to ensure he could incapacitate Suzuki Yuuki in one strike, he poured all his Genetic Force into covering her with flames, nearly exhausting himself.
"..." Phoenix Mountain looked at Li Zheng and finally sighed helplessly, "I’m really foolish, truly."
"In the last mission, you went so hard you even blew yourself up, just like a friggin’ terrorist, and I actually expected you to think about others’ safety."
"Actually, last time was an accident. Under those circumstances, I had to..." Li Zheng attempted to explain, but Phoenix Mountain weakly waved him off, indicating he should stop.
"No need to explain, no need for reasons. Being weak is the original sin; I’m just too frail." Phoenix Mountain appeared melancholy, "I only ask that next time you play terrorist, give a shout, so we can run early."
"I’ll try." Li Zheng nodded earnestly.
Saying that, but once the fight starts, the battle changes instantly, where’s the time to remind anyone?
"And you, the great beauty Zhan!" Phoenix Mountain was utterly desolate, pointing at Zhan Zhouzhou, "You called me over, but then ran off yourself, leaving me injured like this, don’t you have anything to say?"
All of Phoenix Mountain’s injuries were inflicted by Yamato Reiko, deep gashes that reached the bone, scratch marks across his face and chest, pitiful to behold.
He only managed to hold it together because he’s used to self-inflicted injuries from his outbursts, and thanks to Lin Fengjiao’s timely blood-stopping, he’s still conscious.
Otherwise, he would have long been in shock from excessive blood loss.
"I did it on purpose." Zhan Zhouzhou seemed to have no hint of apology, her expression unusually calm.
Phoenix Mountain: ???
On purpose?
You’re serious?
We’re supposed to be teammates!
You actually put me in danger deliberately, injuring me like this?
Even if you said you needed time to charge a big move, I’d accept it, okay?
"If you want a reasonable explanation, I can only tell you that last move needed some preparation time and couldn’t be disturbed." Zhan Zhouzhou paused, "Actually, if you were a bit stronger, a bit faster, this battle wouldn’t have been a problem at all."
If it weren’t for Xiaoying’s new ability that just happened to pierce the serpent part of No. 29 mutant, limiting its movement, Zhan Zhouzhou wouldn’t have taken such a big risk.
Zhan Zhouzhou looked a little more at Xiaoying, who was snuggling beside Li Zheng. In just half an hour, the improvement was incredible. She was considering whether she should also train a pet for fun.
Yan Guang, standing nearby, listened to the last part of Zhan Zhouzhou’s words, his body slightly trembling, a change appearing in his eyes as if he had made some decision.
Phoenix Mountain, receiving treatment, didn’t notice Yan Guang’s change, or rather... he hadn’t glanced at her much, naturally missing it.
However, Li Zheng and Zhan Zhouzhou, as bystanders, saw it all.
Zhan Zhouzhou frowned slightly, saying no more, unsure what she was thinking.
Li Zheng, on the other hand, felt that if Yan Guang and Phoenix Mountain separated to explore, it would be beneficial for both.
At least, both had considerable strength, and exploring separately wouldn’t pose a life-threatening risk. Plus, exploring individually would yield more resources.
The most crucial point is, without Yan Guang, Phoenix Mountain’s luck would gather back, making his personal growth faster.
Before entering the Matrix, Li Zheng had never seen someone with Phoenix Mountain’s physique.
With no one holding him back, his luck would explode, getting whatever he needed.
Even if he couldn’t explore it himself, he could trade for what he needed from others.
Yet, once someone shared in it, he’d immediately transform into a nanny, with all the good fortune benefiting the people around him.
The stuff he discovered was all for others, and he ended up being the burden.
Sometimes, when it comes to that mysterious thing called luck, you can’t help but believe.
"It’s getting late, today’s challenge ends here, go back for a good rest, and we’ll continue tomorrow afternoon." Li Zheng, noticing the awkward atmosphere, proactively lit the Mysterious Declaration to leave.
Phoenix Mountain was seriously injured this time. The medical skills Lin Fengjiao learned from Xiao Siyuan could only provide temporary treatment, and for a complete and quick recovery, he had to find Old Xiao for direct assistance.
For him to fully recover and be ready for combat would take at least half an hour. By then, it would be too late, and there’d be no need to risk challenging mutants.
...
"Ye Kai, lend me the Compass for a bit, urgent!"
Phoenix Mountain disconnected from the mission, contacting Ye Kai at the first opportunity to borrow the Hunter’s Compass to head to Xiao Siyuan for treatment.
Seeing his miserable state, Yu Xiaoyu, despite being mentally prepared, felt heartache: "Brother Phoenix Mountain, why did you hurt yourself like this again?"
"It’s just a minor injury, no big deal!" Phoenix Mountain obtained the Compass, inserted a Power Core, and directly teleported to Xiao Siyuan’s room.
Just as he left, Yan Guang quietly walked not far away, taking out a Pocket Watch.
Yu Xiaoyu, noticing, quickly chased after her, grabbing her hand and asking, "Sister Yan, where are you going?"
She knew that Pocket Watch; before opening any door, Phoenix Mountain and Yan Guang would each use it once to ensure the difficulty was within controllable bounds.
"None of your business." Yan Guang responded coldly and firmly, shaking Yu Xiaoyu off, putting away the Pocket Watch, and directly opening the door.
Before leaving, she did not look back and mumbled to herself, "You also don’t understand Phoenix Mountain."
With those words, she stepped into the light screen.
Me?
Not understanding Brother Phoenix Mountain either?
Yu Xiaoyu was dumbfounded.
What a joke!
No one understands Brother Phoenix Mountain better than I do!
Strangely, Yu Xiaoyu, who should have been happy after Yan Guang’s departure, found herself not happy at all.
Was it because of what Yan Guang said before leaving?
Yu Xiaoyu felt a little irritated, inexplicably irritated.
...
"Doctor Xiao, your medical skills are really skyrocketing; you can even develop your own potions, and they work so... awesomely!" Phoenix Mountain lifted his shirt to look, clicking his tongue in admiration.
Orthopaedic doctor Xiao Siyuan had successfully evolved into the "Ace of Men’s Health," a blessing for the "patients."
"Not bad, just stumbled upon it." Xiao Siyuan responded to the compliments without much reaction, calmly saying, "That’s just a side effect; the key use of this potion is still treating internal injuries."
"You should be more careful with your Genetic Ability usage in the future. Though its backlash on internal organs isn’t as severe as before, there’s still some impact. If accumulated over time, it’ll become a major issue; don’t take it lightly."
The three abilities that Phoenix Mountain developed could form an ability combination, enhancing the power.
But his defense was mostly reliant on the Abyssal Bloodline, a Golden Tier Ability; after developing the Salty Pig Hands, the defense seemed inadequate again.
Each full-blown burst more or less affected his internal organs.
Both Li Zheng and Zhan Zhouzhou noticed it today.
Actually, Li Zheng suspected that Zhan Zhouzhou deliberately put Phoenix Mountain in danger, possibly with the intention for him to find Xiao Siyuan for a thorough treatment.
"I understand, but..." Phoenix Mountain sighed, "There’s no other way!"
"Watching Li Zheng and the others grow stronger, leaving me behind, I feel incredibly uncomfortable."
"I was once on the same level as them, how did I suddenly get left behind?"
"I’m not reconciled..."
"So I can only fight with all my might."
As they say, go mad or die.
If I can’t match them in strength, I’ll fight them with my spirit!
Put my life on the line to fight, to battle!
In any case, I can’t be left behind by them!
Absolutely not!
But...
Even risking my life doesn’t seem enough to compete with Li Zheng, that madman.
Damn it!
That dog is truly reckless!
Darn!
Phoenix Mountain, closing his eyes, could still recall Li Zheng’s attempt at sacrificing himself with the No. 30 mutant.
It was beyond ridiculous - ridiculously absurd to the max.
"Want to get stronger?" Xiao Siyuan casually asked, seemingly uninterested, "Which path are you taking, tell me, maybe I can help you."
"You?"
Phoenix Mountain bitterly shook his head, "The Abyssal System Genetic Ability I’m developing, the items are hard to find, how could you help me?"
He’s been searching for days, and aside from some stuff Li Zheng had, there’s hardly anything from others.
How could a medical specialist like Xiao Siyuan have anything Abyssal System related...?
"Abyssal System, huh, I have some."