The lean man holding the scimitar was just preparing to advance on Zheng Zha, when the young monk urgently interjected, "Hei Tan, hold! Imani isn't dead yet!" The lean man hesitated and stopped, letting the light-dazzling scimitar hang down by his side. They watched as the young monk stepped out from the second-floor staircase landing, but astonishingly, he seemed to walk on air, slowly descending to the ground floor as if suspended.
Zheng Zha had already entered the second stage of unlocking the Genetic Lock. Back in the basement, the darkness had concealed him somewhat, preventing him from taking truly severe damage. Every punch the hulking giant threw carried the force of ten thousand jun, especially the blows delivered by the hand wearing the Tiger Fingers; one strike alone nearly pulverized and shook the surrounding walls to dust.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the muscular giant lacked significant sensory acuity, vision, or fine control over his colossal strength. In the basement, only a few stray punches grazed Zheng Zha; most attacks missed entirely. Of course, those glancing blows still sent Zheng Zha careening into the walls. Indeed, overwhelming force can often subdue finesse—when one's raw power vastly surpasses the opponent's, sheer brute strength is enough to shatter any subtle technique.
Zheng Zha dared not close the distance to the giant any further, forcing him to use his dagger to attack the giant's periphery. After several swift slashes, the giant was wounded in multiple places, several of which had severed tendons. Had Zheng Zha not feared the giant's terrifying power, he might have already plunged the dagger deep into the giant's chest cavity.
After suffering several injuries, the muscular giant was no fool; he knew continuing this way meant his certain demise. Not only could he not hit his enemy, but he was being methodically bled dry by the dagger strikes. This frustrating realization drove him into a frenzy of howling rage. He threw himself forward toward Zheng Zha, heedless of anything else, allowing the dagger to slide deep into his abdomen, where a gentle twist cleanly severed a large portion of his intestines. Simultaneously, however, he managed to wrap his arms around Zheng Zha.
"Keep running, you Monkey of the East! Keep running! Do you actually think you're a monkey? Become meat paste! You coward who only knows how to flee!" the giant screamed maniacally. The sheer force in his muscles was not merely ten thousand jun; clamping down like this, they could easily crush and twist solid steel. Immediately, Zheng Zha felt the awful sound of bone grinding against bone resonate through his own frame.
"Ah!" Zheng Zha roared back in tandem. The sensation of imminent death descended upon him once more. Since arriving in this terrifying place, this was the first time he truly felt the extreme danger of hovering on the brink of life and death. The immense power radiating from the giant's arms was too terrifying; even channeling his inner Neili was insufficient to resist it. If this continued, in ten seconds at most, he would be completely crushed into pulp! (Cannot die! I've survived so many dangers… How can I die here!) Zheng Zha opened his mouth and bit down hard onto the muscle of the giant's shoulder. A burst of coppery blood flooded his throat, and a surge of bloodthirsty violence erupted in his core. At this critical juncture of life and death, the Genetic Lock unlocked again, plunging him directly into the second stage. His entire musculature began to convulse violently. After two or three seconds, his muscles swelled—the unmistakable sign of unlocking the second stage of the Genetic Lock: complete, free control over his physical body, allowing him to unleash his latent potential to one hundred percent! "Die, monkey!" the muscular giant was still screaming wildly, but before his tirade could finish, an immense force burst forth from his embrace, slamming him violently against the wall.
"Your mother is the monkey!" Zheng Zha's eyes were blazing crimson. For some unknown reason, he felt an overwhelming urge to drink blood. As he sent the giant flying, he immediately lunged forward again. The two immense forces collided head-on. Now operating in the second stage of the Genetic Lock, waves of pure combat instinct flooded Zheng Zha’s mind. As he grappled with the giant’s massive hands, he simultaneously planted a foot, spun up, and twisted his arms to get behind the giant. With two sharp cracks, the giant's arms were instantly wrenched out of their sockets.
The muscular giant managed only a single shriek before Zheng Zha hooked his own legs around the giant’s and pressed down hard, forcing him onto the ground. Two more sickening snaps followed as the giant’s legs were also broken. That wasn't the end; Zheng Zha lifted the broken body, jumped upward, smashed through the floorboards above, and reappeared on the first floor, holding the giant captive.
The young monk stood more than ten meters away, looking at Zheng Zha, and spoke seriously, "Second stage of the Genetic Lock unlocked? Then you must be the captain of the Central Continent team. Xue Nai... tell that person named Qi Tengyi to state their mission!" Qi Tengyi shuddered several times, his voice grinding out between clenched teeth: "... To bury the undead priest Imhotep!" The young monk tapped his forehead with a finger. "Bury the undead priest Imhotep, is it? That's a relief. I thought your mission was to kill Anck-su-namun. That means... the Book of the Dead is in your hands? And you’ve used the Book of the Dead. That must be why you refused me, and why you risked coming here to rescue those few people. Because without them, you might not find the other volume of the Book of Resurrection. What a shame. If you hadn't learned the secret of these two books, we might have maintained peaceful relations. But now that you know the secret..." Zheng Zha paused, asking reflexively, "The secret of the two books? What secret?" "The 'Main God' places certain items within specific horror movies—items that cannot be exchanged from the 'Main God,' such as the skills detailed in the two books, which cannot be exchanged or learned from the 'Main God.' Especially the Book of Resurrection; although everyone only gets one chance, possessing it... Remember this: it’s an unwritten rule among teams when they meet. If both sides are of comparable strength, they exchange information, including experiences surviving horror movies, or methods for escaping particularly plot-altering horrors. We encountered another team that had also experienced this movie, so we also know the secret of these two books... If the strength difference is vast between the two sides, then..." "Xue Nai!" the young monk suddenly roared. With that, he spread his arms, and behind him, a monstrous cobra vaguely materialized, one meter in diameter and over ten meters long. Furthermore, this cobra possessed two identical, ferocious heads of different colors. The moment the cobra appeared, Qi Tengyi suddenly went limp and collapsed to the ground, while Zheng Zha froze instantly. His body lost all motor control, allowing the muscular giant to fall limply from his grip. One of the twin cobra heads lunged toward him, aiming straight for his throat.
The massive maw seemed poised to swallow him whole... its size was certainly sufficient to consume him entirely...—(Recommended Novels: Yan Gui, Book ID: 11510; Chu Feng, Book ID: 119008) Jump to
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