Chu Xuan’s finger was instantly swatted away by Zheng Zha, sending the handgun clattering to the floor. Zheng Zha then snatched him up and slammed him down, roaring, “Damn it! I know you have no desire to survive, so I want you to stay strong until you unlock the third stage of the gene lock. But what are you doing? What the hell? You don't need to test things on your own temple, do you? Did you want us to watch our comrade commit suicide right in front of us?” Before the words had fully left his mouth, Zheng Zha raised Chu Xuan high and smashed a heavy fist into his jaw. A sharp crack echoed, and he had actually broken Chu Xuan’s mandible. Chu Xuan flew back nearly ten meters from the force.

Zheng Zha gasped for air, roaring fiercely, “‘Overlord’ will fully repair him! Deduct the reward points from my account!” Ba Wang and Wang Xia quickly pulled him away from Chu Xuan, but Ba Wang said coldly, “Chu Xuan, you should know the regulations among mercenaries, right? Except for falling into enemy hands, suicide for any other reason is forbidden... You’re going to implicate your teammates doing this!” Chu Xuan’s injuries were not severe; the glow from the ‘Overlord’ instantly repaired his broken jaw. The man silently touched his jawbone before finally speaking, “…You hit me because you care? That’s unnecessary. When I experimented with the shield’s protective capabilities last night, I first tested it on my hand, then gradually applied it to every part of my body. As long as this necklace remains worn, bullets and energy attacks will automatically defend when they get within one or two centimeters of you.”

“Moreover, its protective energy is quite lasting. Basically, a full charge, costing 150 reward points, can be equivalent to the protective effect of a C-level secondary mission item. Even using the Gauss pistol would require twenty continuous minutes of firing to exhaust its energy.”

Zheng Zha yelled again, “Damn it, even so, you can’t point a gun at your own head! What about your greatest dream? What about your desire to live? You want to become a real person, don't you? If you die, can you still accomplish all of that? Try that stunt one more time, and I swear I’ll cripple you!” Chu Xuan pushed up his glasses, turned his head, and said lightly, “It doesn’t matter if you hit me… I can’t feel the pain anyway… However, I was reckless this time. I apologize.”

Zheng Zha, Ba Wang, and Wang Xia exchanged strange glances. They never expected Chu Xuan to apologize to them. This truly startled them all. At the same time, Chu Xuan tossed the necklaces toward them. Each man caught a piece that shimmered with a slightly dull luster.

Chu Xuan continued, “This Dragon Crystal is the greatest gain from this horror movie world—a gain far greater than reward points or secondary missions. If the experiment is successful… Zheng Zha, input your internal energy or Blood Race energy into this Dragon Crystal.”

Zheng Zha blinked, then quickly circulated his internal energy and channeled it into the Dragon Crystal. Comparatively, his internal energy was slightly more abundant than his Blood Race energy because cultivating internal energy was easier. It only required continuous circulation along the meridians, whereas cultivating Blood Race energy demanded completely draining the energy, then forcing the body to recover it repeatedly—this cycle of use and recovery was the required training. That was why the moment he received the necklace, inputting internal energy was his first thought.

The corrosive internal energy flowed into the jade, yet it caused the stone to emit a soft, white glow. Before long, the jade radiated light nearly as intensely as Chu Xuan’s own piece. Only then did Zheng Zha realize he could no longer channel any more internal energy inward.

Chu Xuan hurriedly asked, “How much internal energy or Blood Race energy was consumed? I mean in terms of total volume.”

Zheng Zha felt for a moment before replying, “It consumed about fifteen percent of my internal energy. I haven't used the Blood Race energy yet; the Dragon Crystal didn't absorb much internal energy overall.”

Chu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He took out the other Gauss pistol and aimed it at Zheng Zha’s finger. “If you’re ready, I’m going to test-fire this, okay?” Zheng Zha took a deep breath. “Yeah, let’s do it!” As soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Xuan pulled the trigger of the Gauss pistol. Countless needle-like projectiles shot toward Zheng Zha’s finger, but before they reached his skin, they were stopped by a semi-transparent layer of defense. Chu Xuan kept firing for several seconds, and this protective layer held firm without changing, only slowly fading away after Chu Xuan finally ceased shooting.

“You see now? The reason that giant dragon feared no ranged attacks, or could anticipate the high-yield gravity mines, was because of this Dragon Crystal. I also surmise that the dragon could constantly recharge the crystal, allowing it to sustain defense against bullets or missile strikes… Of course, judging by the amount of energy involved, if the instantaneous intensity of the attack is too great, it might breach this energy layer…” Chu Xuan murmured, while Zheng Zha stared blankly at the necklace for a long moment before exclaiming excitedly, “It can be recharged! And I can supply the energy using my internal energy or Blood Race energy—this is incredible! Compared to me, your close-combat ability or defense is too weak. With this necklace, that’s no longer an issue. As long as the necklace can block the attack, you can keep using technological weapons to fight back and kill the enemy, and I can replenish the energy for you! Hahaha, this is fantastic! With this, our team members basically won’t die, unless we face an attack of overwhelming power, or a horror movie world of too great difficulty, hahaha… This is absolutely brilliant!” Ba Wang and Wang Xia grew excited as well. Compared to immensely powerful weaponry, in the unpredictable environment of a horror movie, this nearly absolute defense necklace was a talisman, capable of fully shielding everyone from fatal harm. Furthermore, it was a protective item that could be recharged at any time—this thing was truly more important than any weapon they possessed! Chu Xuan also smiled, nodding. “I was worried that you would expend too much energy—say, half or more for a full charge—which would cut its utility by more than half. I didn’t expect it would only consume so little of your internal energy or Blood Race energy. In short, from now on, for all future horror movie worlds, as long as we plan and execute well, we can essentially proceed with no casualties… This is the combined function of the Dragon Crystal and you!” Zheng Zha laughed heartily. He then proceeded to fill the necklaces of Ba Wang and Wang Xia. This time, he deliberately used some Blood Race energy. Although it was completely different from internal energy, once infused into the Dragon Crystal, it converted seamlessly into the necklace’s own energy, showing no adverse reactions based on the energy type. Interestingly, the Blood Race energy used was less than fifteen percent, and although the total volume was slightly less than the internal energy, the quality of the Blood Race energy seemed slightly more condensed and compact, which is why less energy was needed to fully charge the necklace.

Once everything was complete, everyone put on their necklaces and placed them against their chests. The style of the necklace wasn't unattractive; though lacking ornamentation or carving, the silvery-white chain paired with the softly glowing jade pendant gave it an antique feel. Ba Wang, especially, held up his necklace and laughed heartily.

Waiting until the three of them had quieted down, Chu Xuan turned to Zheng Zha and asked, “Regarding the reward points, secondary missions, and the gains from our last horror movie—that seems settled. Now, let’s discuss you… How did you survive this time? Don’t try to brush us off. Tell us in detail how you lived, and is your strength significantly greater?” Zheng Zha was momentarily stunned before nodding. Chu Xuan muttered, “No wonder… You broke my jaw with a single punch. You never had that much power before.”

Zheng Zha let out a wry smile. He vaguely remembered punching Chu Xuan hard in the face around the end of Alien 1. His strength back then was naturally incomparable to his current power, so he certainly couldn't have broken his jaw with one punch. Thus, he said with a bitter smile, “Do you have to hold such a grudge? That was so long ago.”

Chu Xuan indifferently pushed up his glasses. “Why would I hold a grudge? First, tell us what happened to you.”

Zheng Zha sighed and simply sat down on the floor, beginning to recount everything that happened after he awoke, including the reasons why he survived. Although this explanation was derived from details mentioned by the research personnel combined with his own deductions, it still served as a plausible reason for his survival.

“At that moment, the super high-explosive bomb detonated, and I was still in the ‘Annihilation’ state. My physical toughness surpassed anything before, so I wasn't instantly pulverized but was instead propelled by the force into the dragon’s skull. After that…”