Chapter 402: Chapter 44: Old Xiao, Help!
[The gentlest way to die is in one’s sleep.]
Li Zheng muttered, his gaze gradually regaining its sharpness.
Yes, hypnotizing others may seem gentle, but it’s actually quite cruel.
Those who fall into deep sleep can’t take in any nutrition, and eventually, they will starve to death!
Fujita Daigo must have used this ability to hypnotize many people, and their fate is self-explanatory.
"Living is so hard, let me help you be free!" Li Zheng shook his longsword violently, increasing his flying speed, and in a blink, he burst into the pollen cloud.
The sweet aroma touched his nose, and suddenly he felt drowsy as if he might fall asleep at any moment.
Li Zheng bit the tip of his tongue, the pain bringing back some alertness: "Amazing, I almost couldn’t withstand it!"
"Flame attachment!"
The sword ignited in flames, Li Zheng’s speed was like a lightning strike, flashing past Fujita Daigo. The sheathed sword didn’t inflict obvious damage on the petals but strangely left a spark.
Charging out of the pollen zone, Li Zheng didn’t even look back, snapping his fingers crisply: "Pa!"
"Boom!"
The spark exploded instantly, flames bursting forth, the shockwave pushing the pollen near Fujita Daigo outward, spreading even wider.
"Damn, the poison gas is spreading!" Zhan Zhouzhou almost cursed in anger, wondering when Li Zheng developed such a troublesome ability. Why didn’t he think before using it?
She took out the ticket, about to use the forced departure authority to take everyone away, when a hoarse, unpleasant voice suddenly came from behind: "Use the flying device!"
Turning her head, she saw it was Lin Fengjiao.
The girl wrapped in bandages was gripping the flying device, manipulating its power, cleverly transforming it into a high-power bladeless fan, blowing away the incoming pollen and hypnotic poison gas.
Beside her, Yan Guang was doing the same, back to back with the flying device aimed skyward, successfully holding back the gas for a short time.
"You can use it like this?" Zhan Zhouzhou was momentarily stunned and then, realizing it, she stepped forward to join the two, working together to fight the gas.
However, this method only temporarily maintained its effect. Once the entire space was filled with gas, they wouldn’t be able to escape the necessity of a forced departure.
"I need a drastic move." Li Zheng also knew his time was limited. If they couldn’t take down Fujita Daigo before the gas spread completely, they would have to withdraw, recover, and challenge again later.
That would mean the team would lose an exploration opportunity.
Lightning flashed, as Li Zheng dragged a serpentine trail of electricity in the air, approaching Fujita Daigo again. The flaming sheathed sword attacked repeatedly, leaving sparks on the flower buds’ surface each time.
The lightning wove a net, frequently charging into the gas zone. Li Zheng felt his brain getting heavier, as if he would fall into a sleep he would never want to wake from the next second.
"It’s still not enough!" Looking at Fujita Daigo, Li Zheng had already left over a dozen sparks on the outermost layer. These sparks burned on the surface but did not cause any damage at all.
"If I exploded it now, it would probably only have the power at a diamond-top level, not enough to break through the layers of defense, let alone kill him." Li Zheng slapped himself twice, trying to stay awake, with little success.
If it continued like this, he might fall asleep before he could ignite the flames.
"Since it’s drowsiness, I’ll stir up some emotions. Intense emotions can help stay awake." With grit, Li Zheng decisively removed the Balance Bracelet, trying to recall every anger-inducing event in his life.
Scenes after scenes that made his blood boil flashed through his mind.
The Wu Qian incident, the Zhang Zhehan incident, the memorial dance incident, each fueling Li Zheng with boundless rage.
Transformed by the murderous intent from his heart, his anger gradually turned into a killing intent. Li Zheng’s eyes reddened, breathing heavily.
Ultimately, the scene froze on a black-and-white photo, with words printed in one corner: Jinling Massacre Memorial Hall.
Bang!
It seemed like a string snapped in his mind, Li Zheng’s face twisted, roaring as he turned into a raging demon, charging back at Fujita Daigo faster. He put away his sheathed sword and placed his hands on the flower petals.
At this moment, the killing intent soared to the sky, leaving Li Zheng without any drowsiness, with only one thought in his mind.
"You little devils, I want you dead!"
Whoosh!
Scarlet flames rose from his hands, starting weak, growing stronger, reaching a blazing peak.
"Explode!"
Under the shocked gazes of Zhan Zhouzhou and others, Li Zheng didn’t even dodge, pressing his face directly into it, igniting a massive explosion, the blazes forming a mushroom cloud in the sky.
"Damn! Does he have to be so reckless?"
Zhan Zhouzhou, quick to react, activated the forced departure the moment Li Zheng shouted "Explode," taking the entire squad out.
[Congratulations to Player "Li Zheng" for leading the squad to successfully defeat Variant 30, kill points +2.]
"We did it!"
Always watching the world channel, Liu Qi’s expression first turned elated, then suddenly fell: "Why’s it Li Zheng?"
From behind, the adjutant came to report: "Sir, Ma Long Squad has responded, all is well, all five survived."
This news considerably eased Liu Qi’s mood: "That’s good, that’s good..."
...
"Cough!"
Li Zheng coughed up a mouthful of blood, seizing the last bit of consciousness brought back from the explosion, managing to put the bracelet back on.
The familiar cool sensation spread across his body, finally allowing him to relax completely.
"Damn it, the rage state affects intelligence too much, like a dumbass, almost got myself killed!" At this moment, Li Zheng felt some fear, his mind extremely clear, even clearer than before entering the room of Variant 30.
"The only benefit might be that my spiritual power grew a bit more." Li Zheng smiled wryly, checking his injuries.
In the critical moment, Zhan Zhouzhou’s decisive withdrawal had spared him from taking the full blast of the explosion, so his injuries were not as severe as expected, only five broken ribs and some lung bleeding.
The heart also suffered some gravitational impact, slightly damaged, but his physique was extraordinary, so he was temporarily fine.
"I seem to have a vendetta with rib injuries." Shaking his head with a wry smile, Li Zheng used his daily admin privilege to go directly to Xiao Siyuan’s room, landing and shouting: "Old Xiao, help me!"
Xiao Siyuan seemed to have anticipated this, coming out with a grin: "With such a loud voice and strong breath, you’re far from dying, don’t worry."
Lin Fengjiao followed him out, rushing to Li Zheng’s side, wanting to help him up, but afraid her actions might cause him further harm, standing there awkwardly.
"Doctor Xiao..."
"Don’t rush, let me check him first." Xiao Siyuan came over, pressing Li Zheng’s chest twice, looking serious.
Seeing this, Lin Fengjiao anxiously asked: "Doctor Xiao, Brother Li’s injury..."
"Sigh..." Xiao Siyuan sighed heavily, looking at Li Zheng: "Next time you come, can you please put away this outer armor first? It’s so damn hard, I couldn’t feel a thing."