Chapter 186: Fortune And Glory Lie In Risk
After waiting for a long time and seeing no new projection footage appear, Yuan Zhu couldn’t help but ask: “Hey, Meng Xi, can you do it or not? Is this all the intel you’ve got?”
Pink Haired Head opened her eyes upon hearing this, her cheeks flushed red, forehead slightly beaded with sweat, looking exhausted and strained: “Cut the sarcasm. Do you know how hard this is for me? Most of this [Control Hub]-connected Rat Head brain has been interfered with and damaged by that [Zen Sound]. Very little readable data remains. Moreover, though the bank is large, this group only took one route, and it was a heavy combat zone along the way, so even less could be read. Don’t disturb me!”
Yuan Zhu promptly shut up and continued waiting. Moments later, the projection finally showed new changes.
The footage showed the eight-person squad encountering a new attack. This time, the enemies were a group that looked like ordinary clients rather than bank security—[Buddha Cocoon Hosts], three in total, each wielding powerful ‘Buddhist Magic Power’.
From the projection, these people’s physical qualities had been greatly reinforced, allowing them to condense a kind of crimson red ‘energy’. Even from a distance, just watching the projection, that touch of crimson red brought an artistic conception effect of ‘explaining the Dharma and demonstrating the Dharma’.
Under the boost of this ‘crimson red Buddhist power’, the three attackers had a force field effect similar to [Sanctuary], enhancing their physical bodies and greatly increasing their defense. They could shatter the energy attacks from [Steam Totem] eruptions with bare hands; they could tank Pumpkin Head’s starlight rays with their bodies…
In the end, the strongest ‘Buddha Cocoon Host’ was blasted apart in a head-on clash by a black giant with terrifying muscles, shattering the ‘Buddhist Magic Power field’. At the same time, under the intense energy clash, both burst out of their clothes, revealing sharply defined muscle lines, giving a sense of bromantic collision.
No need to say more about the black man—his body was robust like a skinned bullfrog, with no special effects buffs throughout, only muscles as solid as alloy, brutally tearing apart the Buddhist golden body that also prided itself on physical prowess.
After bursting out of his clothes, that [Buddha Cocoon Host]’s chest revealed a dazzling and glaring flesh pattern. Starting from the throat area, raised flesh patterns snaked across the body surface, like veins grown on the skin or healed scars.
These patterns grew downward toward the abdomen in the form of ‘Reverse Life Tree’, branching out, forming a great tree of flesh on the chest and abdomen. Right in the center of this tree protruded a [Buddha Head Cocoon (Maitreya)] with disordered features.
In the end, this Buddhist devotee was pierced by a hand blade thrust from the muscled black ghost, tearing flesh and chest, squeezing the Buddha Cocoon to burst with supreme physical impact. Then the ‘blood tree patterns’ crawling over the chest self-ignited into black ash, dying amid wails and screams.
The footage cut off here… turning into new color block distortions.
Seeing Yuan Zhu cast a thirst-for-knowledge gaze at her, A Miao automatically spoke up: “The attackers’ state looks like forcibly converted Buddhist [Vajra School Practitioners]. But they lack reason, their behavior driven by a higher-up, clearly not proper Buddha’s Children but one-time puppets.”
“[Practitioner]?”
A Miao: “[Practitioner] is the first realm of the Buddhist Body Refinement school, similar to your [Holy Church]’s Holy Seal. The other Buddhist school that cultivates the divine soul has [Shami] as its first realm. ‘Bodhi Flesh Root, Spiritual Platform Insect Nest.’ The ‘tree-shaped patterns’ on that practitioner puppet’s chest should be the renowned [Bodhi Flesh Root]. [Buddha Cocoon] is formally [Flesh Bodhi].”
Soon, the flushed-faced Meng Xiyue shouted out loud. Then the projection showed new content for the fourth time.
This time’s footage was especially blurry. The eight-person squad, for some reason, was forced to split into two groups. What appeared was Shorty in his cloak mechanical helmet, transformed into a nanny protecting four out-of-control newcomers, constantly retreating.
As for the other three superhuman powerhouses, they had vanished, clearly having split off to act separately.
Opposite the five was a number exceeding 20 [Buddha Cocoon Hosts], each like zombies fiercely hooking out dragons, frenzied but irrational in attacking the group, tugging and interfering with each other yet scrambling forward heedlessly.
Mechanical Helmet single-handedly summoned a [Steam Totem beast] to block the front, launching round after round of explosion impacts, fireballs, fire tornadoes… to obstruct them.
Beside Mechanical Helmet, three puppetized ‘Pumpkin Head Sword Immortals’ assisted in blocking. The four newcomers looked despairing and pained, tears streaming as they wildly swung their weapons, uncontrollably counterattacking.
Though they appeared thoroughly despairing and pained, their movements were not slow at all—instead fast and ruthless.
Seeing the [Steam Totem] about to fail at blocking the blood-light-entwined Buddhist practitioners behind, that Mechanical Helmet issued some unknown command. One ‘Pumpkin Head puppet’ broke from the frontline, rushed to the two male newcomers, pulled out a black syringe in each hand, jabbed them into their necks, and pressed to inject.
Before the needles could even be pulled out, the drug took immediate effect, making the two newcomers wrapped in plant armor convulse violently, their eyes turn pure black, body muscles and tissues swell dramatically, ballooning up like inflated, roaring as they charged up to slaughter the group of blood-light-entwined practitioner puppets.
Facing the equally unprofessional counterattacks from ‘Buddhist Practitioners’, the two muscle hulks neither dodged nor evaded, tanking all body hits. Even the few headshots to vital points utterly failed—clearly one palm strike smashed the nasal bridge, head snapping back, entire cervical spine broken, occiput pressed to the back.
But this syringe-injected newcomer remained completely unaffected, efficiently swinging fists to counter, forcing the practitioner to retreat step by step. Then the broken neck, supported by violently writhing muscles, straightened back up.
The muscles under the skin likewise twisted nonstop, repairing the caved-in face, revealing a sincere smile.
That Pumpkin Head puppet who injected the newcomers discarded the empty syringes, then came again before the similarly terrified, tearfully shaking-head female.
This time, it didn’t inject a syringe. Instead, before the two females, it raised its right hand high and formed a sword seal.
Then its painstakingly refined ‘Jade Spear’ descended from the sky, piercing its own skull at a 45° angle, leaving a hole that looked like a plant (pumpkin) head on the outside but was half-plant half-flesh inside.
The brain-holed-open ‘Pumpkin Head puppet’ didn’t die immediately. Instead, amid the two women’s screams, it reached its right hand into the brain hole, digging and digging, finally excavating two wriggling, struggling ‘green active tentacles’ from the brain tissue.
The puppet’s two fingers continuously elongated, thinned, turned into spiral spikes, pressing against the two women’s crown points, piercing two holes.
Those green ‘brain tissue tentacles’ burrowed into the wounds eagerly like finding home.
The two who had been screaming immediately stiffened motionless, eyes showing dullness. After about ten seconds, they regained awareness.
By then, the intercepting Pumpkin Head puppet had been overwhelmed by the remaining practitioners, while Mechanical Helmet repelled the scant few practitioners and quickly led the four out of monitoring range.
This time, Yuan Zhu didn’t even speak, directly looking to A Miao for explanation.
“I haven’t seen that black syringe, but I guess it’s related to the muscle black man—very much like the Frog God warrior’s berserk magic potion. As for those two women, it should be Rogue Immortal method ‘Immortal hand on head, tying hair to grant spiritual root’. I judge that Mechanical Helmet, at the critical moment, temporarily decided to forcibly foundation establish the four newcomers. The two males chose the highest cost-performance, fastest-effecting [Power System]; the females were innately deficient, unsuitable for [Path of Strength], so they chose Rogue Immortal foundation establishment.”
Yuan Zhu: “Rogue Immortal? No, those Pumpkin Head puppets are clearly [Sword Immortals]! How would Sword Immortals have Rogue Immortal methods?”
A Miao: “Didn’t you notice? Among those four abilities, the ‘Pumpkin Head’ is an ‘alien Rogue Immortal’. As for the initial ‘spiritual seed’ source of [Rogue Immortal] Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, what do you think it is? It’s precisely from one of the eight external universes, the [Plant Universe]. Native Kunlun Qi Refiners, to resist and escape control by the [Pollution Root Kunlun], allied with alien Qi Refiners, created inferior spiritual seeds uncontrolled by [Kunlun], birthing the [Rogue Immortal System] and fleeing overseas. Thus all ‘star people plant people’ are innate top-tier ‘Rogue Immortal foundation establishment’ materials. [Pumpkin Head] is especially a premium foundation drug combining ‘starlight, plant, space’ multiple attributes.”
Yuan Zhu: “So primitive? A senior from my [School of Dangerous Botany] told me they’re researching ‘pollution seeds’ to replace [new spiritual seeds].”
A Miao nodded: “Makes sense, a wise choice. [Plant Person] though is premium foundation drug, like the original [Kunlun System], today’s ‘alien foundation methods’ are likewise subject to higher control by alien plant people. Like these two women—even entering the Rogue Immortal path, they’d have their life and death firmly gripped by that ‘Pumpkin Head’ teammate. Better to self-develop ‘pollution seed’ foundation—though no prospects, it wins in freedom.”
“Urgh!”
While everyone awaited the next segment of ‘exciting projection recording’, weakling Meng Xiyue couldn’t bear it first, bending over to dry heave.
And like a startled cat, she hurriedly disconnected, removed the helmet on her head, and retreated repeatedly in lingering shock.
Yuan Zhu asked with concern: “Hey, you okay?”
“I’m fine, just those Zen Sounds are too disgusting. They’re everywhere, not only in the saved recordings but in every part of the bank. They kept invading my mind along the ‘Mouse cameras’. It was okay at first; I could shield and resist. But earlier, unable to find valuable ‘Rat Heads’, I decided to follow the combat trajectory and directly watch the ‘live broadcast’ of the current scene.”
At this, she showed an utterly disgusted + regretful expression: “Who knew the live footage was all blurry, the Rat Head visual system thoroughly distorted and interfered, but those [Zen Sounds] erupted doubly, directly penetrating the [Monitoring Hub System] into my brain. Luckily I cut the signal in time, using [Skull Server] to intercept and bear the mental pollution. What a pity for my fine head, thus defiled—if not cleaned promptly, it’ll be gradually twisted by Buddhist Dharma, burning out the built-in [Magic Net hub]. Truly disgusting method—don’t know how much ‘brainwashing fee’ it’ll cost?”
The angrier Meng Xiyue got, the more she lifted her foot to kick the ‘huge head’ in front of her, still not venting enough.
Yuan Zhu suggested: “How about you take two [Heads] from this monitoring room back, sell them to Miao Miao for fencing, recoup some loss?”
“[Star Realm Bank]’s skull servers are all custom; stolen ones won’t fetch a price. But you reminded me—these [Rat Heads] are standard models. Little Yuan, go dig them all out for me!”
Hearing this, Yuan Zhu looked to the row of Rat Heads on the roof, raised his hand to lock with [Holy Light Barrier], success. Then wall-root confinement, sever! Also success.
Cancel barrier, one Rat Head dropped, exposing the Holy Light Barrier-cut cross-section. And handed it to Meng Xiyue.
“Ruined! The Rat Head still has a long part buried in the wall. My mistake—these neck ‘nerves’ are interconnected, passing info; crude decapitation is just destruction. Whatever, no need to dig this Rat Head.”
After watching four segments of recording, Yuan Zhu spoke: “I see the outbreak zone seems quite dangerous; both sides’ combat intensity is a bit over the top. How about we just stay here? Await rescue quietly.”
Meng Xiyue nodded: “That [Zen Sound] is indeed disgustingly lethal. Even from so far, just indirectly peeking via ‘Rat Head’, it polluted my [Skull Server]. Now most of my strength is sealed; I think we should play it safe.”
A Miao, usually engaged in dangerous and thrilling work, shook her head in opposition: “As the saying goes… fortune favors the bold! Precisely because both sides are so strong is there value in scavenging. My idea: we avoid the true main battle zone, don’t approach the [Buddha Cocoon] source, just get close to those four even more wretched newcomers—no fighting, no provoking, follow behind to pick up scraps, how about it?”
Yuan Zhu hesitated: “You sure?”
“Relax, I’m a pro at stealth!”
He then looked to Meng Xiyue: “What about you? Wanna stay here?”
Meng Xiyue: “No way! If you all leave, leaving me alone here, I’d feel even more dangerous!”
Warm guy Yuan Zhu: “Then together it is! I’ll buff everyone. Especially you—feel the warmth from me!”
Ever since condensing [Soul Crystal], his [Holy Seal] developed a series of new functions. Precisely, super-strengthening the originally unremarkable built-in ability, finally usable.
At this moment, Yuan Zhu transformed into a humanoid mobile holy place. Himself a walking [(Sanctuary) Holy Light signal base station], applying Holy Light Blessing to nearby teammates.
On Meng Xiyue and A Miao, a layer of white light flashed and passed. Holy Light added as ‘blessing buff’ gain state to the two, effect at 10% of [Sanctuary] intensity.
10% sounds low, but it’s perfect seal-casting intensity, enough for ordinary people to rampage seven in seven out in polluted environments unscathed.
For a regularly exercising folk fighter, stacking this buff allows body enchantment (Holy Light), dispersing pollution erosion barehanded, tearing demonic creatures casually, plus basic Holy Light passive defense… though just one blessing, [Sanctuary]’s functions are extremely comprehensive.
Can trade mild lifespan reduction for demon-purging purification, pollution defense/counter, defense force field (membrane version), power/constitution/speed boosts…
