Chapter 862
The moment it made contact with Shen’s right hand, the speed at which the mass of chaos was revolving suddenly increased, becoming tens of times faster.
It was unlike the time when Chen Xiaolian obtained the Oddity. The revolving rate of the mass of chaos simply accelerated. It did not flow through Shen’s arm to move into his body.
Everything around them was still rapidly disintegrating. The ground, walls and even space itself were breaking apart. In the end, all of them transformed into streams of coding that churned about violently.
The area where they could stand on was becoming smaller and smaller.
“Xiaolian… we will survive this, right?” Qiao Qiao pursed her lips and raised her head. Her eyes stared unblinkingly at Chen Xiaolian, who was standing right before her.
“We will!” Chen Xiaolian nodded resolutely.
In but a brief moment, the Oddity’s rotation speed had reached its zenith.
Suddenly, a ray of light shot out from the mass of chaos, enveloping Chen Xiaolian, Mr San, Bai Qi and the others within the light.
Startled at first, Chen Xiaolian’s eyes then lit up.
Surprisingly, Shen was – without the assistance of the GM – accessing the Oddity to create a small, independent space within Zero City.
This was the equivalent to… an extremely miniature version of Zero City.
Additionally, the GM does not exist inside this mini Zero City.
This was just like what the first GM – Shen’s previous self – had accomplished in the past. And now, he too was creating a mini sanctuary.
Inside this sanctuary, it would be possible to avoid the refresh.
Shen’s face had become utterly pale and his whole body staggered before falling on his knees. It seemed as though all his strength had been drained away.
“Alright, with this we…” Chen Xiaolian breathed a sigh of relief and turned towards Qiao Qiao.
But the moment his gaze fell upon Qiao Qiao, he felt as though his entire body had fallen into an icy cavern. Every part of his body, from the tip of his finger to the top of his hair, felt like they had turned to ice.
Qiao Qiao, Roddy, Soo Soo, Lun Tai, Bei Tai, Xia Xiaolei and the rest… not one of them was covered by the domain that Shen had created.
When Shen was absorbing the Oddity just now, the main room was already facing the refresh process and was disintegrating away, leaving only the centremost area. As for the rest, they had all been transformed into the tempestuous green-coloured code streams.
It was like a small, isolated island in the vast ocean. Moreover, it was constantly being assailed and devoured by the stormy waves.
Qiao Qiao, Roddy and the others had already moved as close as they could to the centremost area in their bid to avoid the code streams that were rapidly swirling towards them. There were only a few steps left between them and Chen Xiaolian.
But now, they found themselves outside the sanctuary.
“Shen!”
Chen Xiaolian let out a heart-rending roar. Before he could even turn his head, he could see Qiao Qiao, who was standing before him, put on a calm smile.
“It’s alright, Xiaolian… it’s alright…”
“Qiao…”
Chen Xiaolian only had time to utter a single word before the surging streams of code wrapped around Qiao Qiao’s body before his very eyes.
The same thing happened to Roddy, Soo Soo, Lun Tai…
Their bodies and even the ground beneath them began breaking apart, dissipating before finally melding into the thrashing streams of code, leaving nothing behind.
They… had died.
Moreover, it was during the refresh process. Completely disintegrated, leaving no chance for a resurrection.
It all happened before his very eyes, just a few steps away from him. He had watched as his lover and friends… all died right in front of him.
“Shen!”
Chen Xiaolian abruptly let out an animal-like roar. Turning towards Shen, he sent a punch towards Shen’s face with all his strength.
Shen made no move to resist and his whole body was sent flying from Chen Xiaolian’s punch. Like an artillery blast, his body slammed against the edge of the domain before falling heavily against the ground.
Chen Xiaolian gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. He then walked towards Shen, who was still lying on the ground. “Just a little bit! Just a little bit! If you had made this domain just a little bit bigger, they would not have to die…”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve already done my best.” Using the ground for support, Shen propped himself up. He wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth, his face revealing absolute exhaustion. “I used up too much of my power earlier. This range is already my limit.”
“Limit?” Rage had gotten the better of Chen Xiaolian and a chilling light flashed across the blades on both sides of the Flash Bow of Ketu-Rahu. “That means it won’t take any effort on my part to decapitate you right now, is that it?”
“Put down your bow.”
Cheng Cheng’s cold voice came from behind Chen Xiaolian.
“Even if you kill him now, what does that accomplish?”
“Don’t talk nonsense with me! Don’t forget, before this, you wanted to kill him more than I do!” Chen Xiaolian bellowed without turning back and pulled the bow, aiming it right at Shen. “If you want to stop me, then cut me down from behind!”
“Chen Xiaolian… do not forget what you did back when you were in Zero City.”
Although Shen was in an extremely weakened state, he was still able to force out a smile, albeit barely. Shaking his head, he continued, “Did you forget? By channelling power into the Oddity, it is possible to reverse the refresh process.”
“Reverse the refresh?” Chen Xiaolian hesitated for a moment before responding with a sneer, “That refresh reversal back then was stopped by the Development Team. Do you think they’ll still give me a chance to do that right now?”
“They will, because of what I plan on doing next…” Shen waved tiredly at Chen Xiaolian. “Put down the bow first.”
Chen Xiaolian closed his eyes and took two deep breaths before slowly lowering the Flash Bow of Ketu-Rahu.
Earlier, seeing all his guild mates disappear in front of him all of a sudden had caused a momentary emotion of rage to surge into his mind. Now, having calmed down, he knew that this senseless rage was pointless.
“Hearing the exchange between you and the Dev earlier… even if one becomes the eye of the storm, they can still maintain their memories and personality for a time, is that right?” Shen staggered as he got up.
“For a certain interval of time, before Dao Lin fully takes control over this body, I can possess his power.”
“Yes.” Du Wei nodded with a frown. “However, we are uncertain how long that will last. Moreover, at present, none of us have reached the same level of power as the first GM. We are unlikely to become an eye of the storm, far from it.”
“Individually, it is indeed insufficient. However, I’ve done the math. Judging by the things shown by the wings… if we pour all of our power into one person, it should be enough to reach the critical point.” Although Shen’s voice was weak, his tone was very firm.
“Even if it can be done, then what? Surely you are not actually planning on mutual destruction, are you?” Chen Xiaolian had finally settled down his feelings of rage, though his face remained melancholic.
“According to the Dev, Dao Lin was dissatisfied with both worlds. Even if we concentrate all our power into one person and create an eye of the storm, the end result would be his return. When that happens, our world will be destroyed by his hands all the same.”
“The method to resolve it is very simple. After becoming the eye of the storm, while I’m in the midst of gathering up the power of the divine consciousness, I’ll head to the Upper Plane. Before Dao Lin fully takes over my body, I will completely sever the connection between the two worlds.” Shen revealed a confident smile.
After Shen said that, the miniature space fell into a state of silence.
Everyone there lowered their heads and pondered.
After a while, Mr San raised his head and said softly, “It’s possible.”
Everyone there exchanged glances. Slowly, they all nodded.
By their estimate, this was the only solution they have at hand.
Shen… he hadn’t even accessed the complete information recorded inside the special pair of wings.
All he did was listen in on the conversation between Chen Xiaolian and the Dev earlier. Through those few words, he uncovered all the details and came up with the only feasible countermeasure the same moment the Development Team executed their scheme.
At present, only one question remained.
Who would become the eye of the storm?
Du Wei, who had been watching everything silently, suddenly walked towards Shen.
He walked very slowly, but his head was held down. It wasn’t until he was standing before Shen did he slowly raise his head to look at Shen.
Neither of them spoke. They simply looked at each other.
After a lengthy period, Du Wei let out a soft sigh. “Truth is, anyone of us can do it.”
“Yes.” Shen nodded.
“However, I think… no matter who we suggest, you will surely say that you are more suitable.” Du Wei lowered his head and looked at his toes.
“Yes.” Shen’s tone and facial expression remained unchanged, still that of indifference.
“So… since someone has to do it anyways, I think, it’d be for the best if you go, is that right?”
“Yes. This should have been my responsibility to begin with.”
Du Wei let out another soft sigh. “There’s really nothing we can do…”
Shen paused. Then, he nodded and replied, “Life is always full of such situations.”
This time, he spoke more.
“So… are you ready to receive our power?”
“Naturally.” Shen smiled.
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