Chapter 55: [mao Mao King], Return!
“Baa baa baa…”
Walking alone on the empty street, Yuan Zhu led the full-health revived, endlessly energetic Little Goat quickly forward. Suddenly, a dark red armor covered in green blood tomato juice blocked the path ahead.
It gripped a spear in its hand, holding it inverted downward, with the spear tip dripping with Filthy Bone Filthy Blood. At the helmet’s eye position, a dim glow emanated, coldly staring at Yuan Zhu in a provocative stance ready to attack at any moment.
Clang.
The sound of iron chains colliding came, and only then did Yuan Zhu notice that the dark red armor’s waist was connected to a circle of familiar chains. That was Zhou Chu’s [Law].
“Hey, are you okay?”
Sure enough, the Miss emerged from the darkness, her breathing slightly rapid, the chain extending from her right red glove connected to the dark red armor. It was as if she were walking this armored knight like a dog on a leash in the night.
“I just caught up with Meng Xiyue and heard them say you chose to stay behind to cover the retreat, so I came specifically to help you.” She looked at the black rope in Yuan Zhu’s hand, then turned her gaze to the Little Goat, and asked, “What about Grandma Yu?”
Yuan Zhu had no way to explain in detail how he had sent Grandma Yu into the Shadow World and entered the channeling phase waiting for her return from the Yellow Springs.
So he pointed at that red Knight Armor and turned the tables by asking, “The Old Woman has already passed away peacefully. What is that?”
“A Forbidden piece of equipment bound by my [Law]. Since you’re safe now, let’s leave Na Ye City together.”
The Miss was decisive and swift, directing Yuan Zhu to flee together while controlling this spear soldier armor via the chain to charge at the forefront, swinging its sharp spear to slaughter all around, directly cleaving the occasional stray Mad Tomatoes and Corpse Ghosts encountered along the way into fragments on the ground.
The dark red Knight Armor was highly skilled in martial arts, ruthless in killing, and the spear in its hand was even attached with some kind of force field damage. After shredding Mad Tomatoes and Corpse Ghosts, their wounds refused to heal, leaving them to die in place.
This was practically a top-tier proxy fighter! A Du Ling version of a Stand user. She didn’t need to lift a finger at all; this spear soldier armor handled all the trouble for her. Yuan Zhu watched with burning envy.
He wondered if his future Ghost Companion would have such capability.
Yuan Zhu led the Little Goat quickly to catch up, asking curiously, “Where were you before? I didn’t see you.”
“When we left the temple, we were attacked by a group of red-headed monster monks guarding it. I stayed behind to block them, while Meng Xiyue and the others evacuated ahead. By the time I caught up, they were carrying the injured Lu Rang out of the city and told me they had been attacked by Grandma Yu, asking me to come pull you out.”
Yuan Zhu understood: “You really had it rough.” A firefighter, always covering retreats here or rescuing there. This Miss was a good person, beautiful and kind-hearted.
“I can’t just stand by and watch you ordinary people fall into danger; that’s the self-binding Law I set. Unfortunately, I was still a step too late and couldn’t save Grandma Yu.” At this point, her mood was slightly downcast.
Yuan Zhu comforted her: “Grandma Yu was too old; she originally couldn’t survive such intense combat. The Uniform gave her a glimmer of hope for survival, but it was precisely the Uniform’s powerful function of absorbing life (Filthy Blood) to sustain itself that trapped her in the quagmire of health supplements for life extension, unable to extricate herself. Dying for that was just the Law of Nature.”
“Health supplements? What is that?” Zhou Chu keenly caught the unfamiliar term, her intuition telling her this thing was problematic and worth investigating!
Yuan Zhu sighed: “Sigh, you wouldn’t understand; it’s the inevitable fate of all old folks.”
The two humans and one goat advanced quickly, soon reaching the area near the city gate.
By now, Meng Xiyue’s squad had already passed the checkpoint and, near the city gate, left behind a ground covered in burst Corpse Ghosts and Mad Tomatoes, having cleared the roadblock ahead of time.
Thus, the two broke through the encirclement without any obstruction.
The instant he stepped out of Na Ye City, Yuan Zhu suddenly felt inexplicably relieved. That sense of mental suppression gradually dissipated completely.
Looking back, the boundless ‘starry sky vine network’ had completely covered the sky over the entire Na Ye Buddhist Kingdom, casting down faint starlight that enveloped and protected the city. That layer of mental suppression was likely related to this ‘light’ shrouding the Buddhist Kingdom.
After successfully escaping, the Knight Armor that had been leading the way ahead also gradually vanished into the air.
Zhou Chu’s right glove and chain similarly evaporated and dissipated. Only the neat and tidy Miss herself remained, though her hair was damp with sweat.
She then looked at the goat herder Yuan Zhu and said, “Your Uniform has completed its transformation.”
The implication was to signal Yuan Zhu to come clean about exactly what he had fed the Uniform to achieve that. It was her occupational habit flaring up again.
“A bit of Opportunity, not bad, right.”
Yuan Zhu, who had intended to openly reveal the ‘Shadow Power,’ simply demonstrated his Uniform’s ability to manipulate shadows, earning nods of approval from the Miss, who evaluated it with a single “Not bad” and nothing more.
Hmm? Something’s off!
The Security Bureau’s warning assistant, who always loved admonishing everyone to be vigilant against the Anti-Law Evil God, vigilant against [Mao Mao King], vigilant against Uniform conspiracies, vigilant against Filthy Bone Filthy Blood, vigilant against Tomato Head… why had she suddenly stopped warning?
Just as Yuan Zhu opened his mouth to press the issue, the Captain’s voice came from behind: “You all performed well tonight. Now that everyone’s gathered, if you have no other business requiring you to stay, how about returning ahead of schedule?”
Yuan Zhu turned back and saw the Captain in a proper set of Clothes, carrying a large string of tomato-eyed Buddha Heads weeping blood with both eyes, raising his other free hand to greet the two.
Then, he pointed in a direction and said, “They’re resting over there. Let’s go join them.”
“Baa baa baa!” The Little Goat tied to Yuan Zhu smelled the bloody tomato scent and eagerly tried to pounce and gnaw on that string of Blood Tomatoes, but Yuan Zhu yanked its reins, stopping it.
The Captain then looked at the ‘black Racing Suit’ on him and nodded in approval: “Nice Clothes.”
And that was it?! Why was it as calm as Zhou Chu? Could there be something wrong with this [Shadow Power]?
So he asked directly: “Captain, why are you and Zhou Chu so nonchalant about my Uniform? Is there some problem or hidden risk with this Shadow Energy?”
The Captain smiled back: “Relax, no risks. ‘Shadow Energy’ is considered a recognized order-type among many Supernatural Powers, leaning neutral, and theoretically very safe. Moreover, whether in the Real World or any Bubble World, every one has its own Shadow Layer. Shadows of things are everywhere. Choosing this ability to reinforce your Uniform means you’ll never have to worry about your Energy source being cut off.”
Hearing the Captain describe it this way, Zhou Chu, who was usually bold in rebutting, unusually stayed silent and nodded in agreement.
Yuan Zhu pressed unwillingly: “Uh… no dangers at all?”
The Captain shook his head in refutation: “How could there be none? Every Power has its dangerous side, and Shadow is no exception. It’s just that compared to other Systems, the Shadow Dimension is more barren, with limited risks and crises it can trigger, which is why it’s usually seen as harmless.”
At this point, Zhou Chu chimed in to explain: “The Shadow Dimension is a universal layer present in any independent spacetime structure. Due to its universality, stability, and uniqueness, it has been deeply studied by major factions. Thus, many Power Systems include abilities that borrow ‘Shadow’ or utilize ‘shadows,’ making it a semi-open Dimension. Because it’s been explored, researched, and utilized so much, it’s gradually defaulted as relatively safe.”
Despite what they said, Yuan Zhu could still detect a vibe from their words and expressions of ‘Shadow is pretty underwhelming, so it’s deemed harmless.’
Little Spicy Stick sharply commented at this time: “Maybe it really is a bit weak. Otherwise, why did the [Immortal Scripture] Old Man get polluted only 17.8% before taking on [Shadow], instead of 87.1%? I think [Immortal Scripture] chose to assimilate Shadow Pollution because it values the stability, universality, and uniqueness behind it…”
Yuan Zhu: “So, you know all about it, huh?”
Little Spicy Stick: “I don’t understand, but I have a unique learning algorithm. The more external information I receive, the more excellent and precise the algorithm becomes. I compare the various manifestations of Shadow Power with other pollutions I’ve encountered, then compare them with their statements, and believe their statements are most likely true.”
Yuan Zhu pretended to be humbly seeking advice: “Captain, if I choose ‘Shadow Uniform’ as the Power Seed, what are its defects?”
“There are no defects in the short term; on the contrary, it is very excellent. But from a long-term perspective, the Shadow Dimension has an upper limit on its capacity to accommodate Power. Every world has a Shadow Dimension, but if the ‘world’ itself is an item, then all Shadow Dimensions are the protective film wrapping paper packaging that item, tightly adhering to the item’s surface. Shadows are everywhere, but the Shadow Dimension itself is thin because shadows are never the main body, but rather accessory products.”
Seeing Yuan Zhu’s expression gradually become serious, the Captain comforted him: “No need to worry too much. Thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of the Shadow Dimension has nothing to do with a newcomer at the Enlightenment Stage like you. When you need to consider this issue, with your strength, you will already be above the shadows, fusing new attributes.”
Oh? There’s such a statement? Yuan Zhu’s heart stirred; useful knowledge had increased again.
Previously, it was said that once you choose a certain System, you can only develop and grow within that set of pollution. Now, if you surpass the shadows, you can absorb and fuse new pollution attributes.
Just like Duo’s “Buddha Tomato unity,” or the Vajra Temple Abbot’s “Corpse Buddha unity”?
“We’re here!”
The Captain’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Lu Rang, pale-faced and sitting on a rock, breathing heavily with difficulty. Behind Meng Xiyue was Mai Lili acting as a tail, and the Black Butcher Huo Tuoluo, covered in blood with multiple wounds.
Compared to the other three, Brother Black’s Uniform had also undergone deep Alienation, transforming into a brand new Butcher apron. The leather apron’s surface was climbed with green ‘Filthy Blood Plant patterns.’ Wrapping his burly, fat torso, it appeared even more imposing.
Clearly, Brother Black had relied on his racial invisibility talent to assassinate quite a few Mad Tomatoes in Na Ye City, getting stained and absorbing Filthy Blood. Not only did he not go mad, but he successfully completed the Uniform Transformation.
Seeing his body full of wounds that showed no signs of healing, it was obvious he had only simply fed the apron with Filthy Blood, without drawing Vitality from the Uniform himself. So the wounds couldn’t heal, but he also didn’t have the risk of deep pollution, assimilation, and mutation like Grandma Yu.
This level of restraint isn’t something ordinary people can have.
“Eh? Brother Zhuzi, how did this goat come back to life again?” Lu Rang saw the arch-enemy behind the herding Candle and exclaimed in surprise, clenching his fists tightly.
At that time, he had acted on a hot-headed impulse, stepping forward to protect this Little Goat, only to be severely injured by the rampaging muscular Grandma Yu’s high-speed flying kick. He felt like his lungs had exploded, blood gushing out, and could only lie there waiting to die.
He still clearly remembered that as his body grew cold and his consciousness blurred, his mind had raced at high speed for a brief moment, deeply regretting saving this goat.
If he could do it over, he would absolutely not save it, and even kill this damn little beast in advance!
“Ah?” Yuan Zhu turned back and saw the Little Goat with a pair of horns growing from its head, responding, “Ah! Before dying, Grandma Yu had a moment of clarity and entrusted me with a dying wish. She told me to feed the two remaining Blood Tomatoes on her to the Lamb. Sure enough, it clung to life, but it’s still far from full Rehabilitation. I had no other choice at the time; seeing many dead Mad Tomato monsters on the roadside, I plucked tender buds, branches, and leaves from them to feed the Little Goat. Sure enough, it quickly recovered and healed itself, now lively and not mad.”
“Beast! There were actually two Tomatoes left for this wretched creature!” Lu Rang clenched his fists, full of unwillingness. He had eaten 5 in one go and still felt weak on the verge of death. He didn’t expect Grandma Yu to leave two for this little beast?! Why not compensate me? I’m so miserable! I’m the victim!
“What? You actually fed Filthy Blood products to this goat?!” Zhou Chu, who had been calm all the way, suddenly lost her composure, staring intently at the Little Goat that feared her, noticing the faint green residue on its spiral horns.
In her mind, Filthy Bone Demonic Creatures were always signature red-black, so she subconsciously ignored this strange green. This goat was indeed polluted!
She looked at Yuan Zhu righteously: “Do you know what you’re doing? If you hadn’t said it and let this goat return to Du Ling Star unchecked, it would be equivalent to bringing the ‘Filthy Bone Filthy Blood’ latent on it into Reality, at least causing a small-scale Filthy Bone Demonic Creatures disturbance. In severe cases, the entire neighborhood would be under lockdown, with many innocent civilians caught up and degenerating into Demonic Creatures.”
Yuan Zhu clicked his tongue: “That serious?”
The Captain spoke up: “This world’s ‘Filthy Bone Pollution’ has already undergone multiple rounds of Dilution. The Demonic Blood Characteristic on this Little Goat is not obvious; it has transformed into non-spreading, hidden form. The impact of Filthy Bone Blood on it is more in Bone Reinforcement and enhanced Vitality. It’s stronger and more aggressive, but not mad.”
“Baa baa baa…” The Little Goat started sticking its tongue out at the Captain, provoking him.
Lu Rang said angrily: “What? I’m injured so badly I can barely breathe. Yet it not only came back from the dead but also gained Reinforcement from the disaster? Yellow Heaven, where is the justice?!”
“[Yellow Heaven] is already dead!” Meng Xiyue rolled her eyes and quipped, leaving Lu Rang speechless.
As everyone knows, [Yellow Heaven] died long ago. Yellow Heaven’s remnants were all driven to the New Continent.
“Since everyone is fine, let’s return.” The Captain, carrying a large string of bleeding Buddha Head little Tomatoes, notified everyone to prepare.
The next moment, Yuan Zhu felt the world spinning. When he steadied himself again, the surrounding wilderness night scene had disappeared, and they had safely arrived at the brightly lit [Mao Mao King’s Happy Home] luxurious Hall.
