"You must have realized by now that I am the type who excels at charging headlong into the breach; what I lack is potent firepower support from the rear. You, however, are a gunslinger specializing in ranged attacks. Perhaps in our old world, you could have made a living quite successfully relying solely on your own abilities, but never forget, this is a world where The Terminator story unfolds! You couldn't even take me down in a few shots, let alone those metal monsters from the future? We are clearly better off together; separate, we both lose!"

Fang Senyan’s words were sincere and logical. Quest remained silent for a moment, staring at the streetlights flashing by on either side of the road, before speaking slowly:

"The reason I allowed myself to be apprehended by the police while severely wounded is because I had previously acquired an elixir from someone else. This elixir can restore a person to peak condition instantly, but... I hadn't met the condition for using it, and your arrival was so sudden, which is why I’m in such a sorry state now."

Fang Senyan inquired with curiosity:

"Acquired from someone else? How did you get it?"

Quest closed his eyes and spoke slowly:

"You must be new to being teleported in here, but I am a Contractor who has already experienced one movie world. The first movie world I visited was Anaconda, and I managed to acquire this elixir there through sheer accidental luck."

Fang Senyan was already familiar with Quest’s character; he knew that Quest’s ‘accidental luck’ likely involved forceful seizure and a trail of blood. Quest was also astute; realizing that Fang Senyan would certainly demand to see the item if he mentioned it, he immediately set the elixir to display mode.

"Unrefined Black Blood Orchid Essence." (Condition: Average) "Origin: Amazon. Borneo." "Rarity: Blue." "Usage Effect: Restores all Health Points and Spirit Points within 10 seconds." "Description: An elixir concocted by indigenous peoples from the decomposed branches and leaves of Blood Orchid flowers washed down by the water." "Side Effect: Ten minutes after ingestion, all attributes will decrease by 33%. This negative effect will last for 1 hour." "Warning: During the recovery effect of Unrefined Black Blood Orchid Essence, you must remain stationary. Walking, running, attacking enemies, or being attacked by enemies will interrupt this effect." "Usage Condition: Using this elixir requires the consumption of 60 Spirit Points (P)." "Evaluation: It is your second life—if you can find an appropriate time and place to use it."

Quest was inwardly raging. His Intelligence stat was meager, only 8 points, which translated to a maximum of 80 Spirit Points. His innate ability, 'Refraction,' cost 5 Spirit Points per use. After being captured, he was left with a mere fifteen Spirit Points. Afterward, although he rested peacefully in the hospital bed, his body remained critically injured, and his natural regeneration rate was severely weakened. By the time Fang Senyan stormed the ward, his Spirit Points had only recovered to 43 points. He was truly forced to watch this heaven-defying item, unable to use it!

Looking at this elixir, Fang Senyan’s eyes flickered slightly, then he made a decisive statement:

"Give it to me, and we'll call everything between us settled. Don't worry about your injuries. Contractors have naturally superior healing capabilities. Find an underground clinic that specializes in treating gang injuries immediately; twenty-four hours of rest will restore your basic combat ability. By then, we can fight side-by-side!"

The muscles in Quest’s face twitched incessantly. He felt completely unable to read the man before him. Although every word the man spoke was flawlessly plausible and reasonable, Quest still felt a bone-chilling cold and an aura of dead stillness, as terrifying as a crypt on a winter night. Two conflicting thoughts warred within his mind.

"Give it up? Or not?"

As Fang Senyan stepped on the accelerator, the car beneath him rumbled slightly as it mounted the overpass. He seemed to know what Quest was thinking; without turning back, he spoke calmly:

"If you were me, would you really let that elixir stay in your hands? Would you possess my level of patience?"

Beneath Fang Senyan’s mild words, his sharp fangs were already bared. Quest shivered inwardly, unable to resist following the path of thought Fang Senyan had guided him toward, and finally submitted with resignation:

"Fine, I’ll give it to you."

Upon receiving the notification from the Nightmare Imprint—"You have obtained Unrefined Black Blood Orchid Essence"—Fang Senyan smiled faintly, clapped Quest reassuringly on the shoulder, then hauled him up and hurled him over the edge of the overpass!

Quest’s shrill, desperate scream traced a long arc in the air, only to abruptly cut off against the grille of a speeding heavy truck. In that instant, five broken ribs pierced his lungs; blood surged into his throat, smothering his cry. His entire body flew seven or eight meters like a discarded sack, slamming against the guardrail before finally falling still. The offending truck driver was clearly no law-abiding citizen either; without the slightest inclination to stop and check, he chewed his gum, muttered an annoyed curse, stomped the gas pedal, and sped away, spewing a thick cloud of black exhaust smoke from his tailpipe.

"Another traffic accident..." Fang Senyan’s mouth curled into a cold smile. He stepped on the accelerator and vanished into the pre-dawn darkness.

Strictly speaking, Fang Senyan had seriously considered cooperating with Quest. After all, the man’s marksmanship, which never missed its target, had left a profound impression on him. If the two joined forces, their combined might would certainly be greater than the sum of its parts (1+1 > 2).

But Fang Senyan simply didn't want to work with him. This insistence stemmed not only from a vague sense of foreboding but also because the unfortunate Contractor numbered 1884 had already demonstrated, with flesh and blood, the final outcome of aligning with a viper like Quest.

A light drizzle began outside. Fang Senyan sat in a simply decorated restaurant, elegantly dabbing his mouth with a white napkin before picking up his knife and fork. Since entering this world, he had only eaten two biscuits and had been hungry ever since, a hunger that only returned with stubborn persistence after he had completely dealt with Quest.

As a seasoned traveler, Fang Senyan was familiar with cuisines from all over the world. The restaurant he was currently in appeared quite ordinary, yet the menu was extensive. Fang Senyan ordered over a dozen main and side dishes at once: Orange-Scented Salmon, Chicken Kiev, Australian Ribeye Steak, burying his face in the food. He washed it down with a sip of fruity Australian Chardonnay, letting the clean fragrance swirl in his mouth, gradually washing away the fatigue in his body.

The television in the corner of the restaurant was broadcasting the daily news; everything seemed normal. Fang Senyan had already questioned the informant: besides the supermarket robbery, no other crimes had occurred in the past few days. He tried calling the numbers for the two previous 'Sarah Connors'; both calls were answered. This undoubtedly meant the Terminators had not yet made their move. This was good news, as falling even one step behind in the plot's progression meant falling behind at every subsequent step.

Meanwhile, the actual 'Sarah Connor' was currently sharing an apartment with a friend. Fang Senyan had learned when calling earlier that the mother of this future leader of the Earth Resistance was currently on vacation, and her whereabouts were unknown.

Judging by this, unless the plot advanced to the point where the Terminator Arnold appeared, this true Sarah Connor should not enter anyone's sight. But once the Terminator showed up, Sarah Connor would gain the support of a special forces soldier also sent from the future—a formidable opponent in their own right.

"Then..." Fang Senyan swirled the wine in his glass, his gaze falling upon the splendid, antique Los Angeles streetscape below from the year 1984.

"It’s time to make a move."

By now, Fang Senyan had grasped the situation in this world almost completely. Since he knew the female protagonist, Sarah Connor, was temporarily inaccessible, meaning the T-800 wouldn't appear anytime soon, the next logical step was to complete the mission to "Destroy the Temporal Node." This mission seemed to lack any leads, but it was actually hidden within the plot itself—The Terminator T-800 and Reese both traveled here via Skynet's time machine. The vicinity of their initial entry point into this world must, therefore, contain numerous temporal nodes!

Fang Senyan tipped the informant twenty dollars and asked him to procure a map of Los Angeles. Comparing it with the reference materials stored in his memory, he quickly marked out seven locations where the T-800 and Reese were most likely to have arrived. He hailed a taxi at random and began heading toward these seven predetermined destinations.

After dismissing three suspicious locations, the fourth was quite far, requiring him to cross nearly half of Los Angeles. Fang Senyan leaned back into the taxi seat, closing his eyes, mildly enjoying the gentle vibrations, digesting the slight weariness following his feast.

Far from feeling nervous, he was instead filled with waves of indescribable excitement: how could such a thrilling experience and life compare to his previous ordinary existence? To have reached this juncture of unbelievable fortune after facing near-death in the real world was truly astonishing.

Time passed quickly. The journey was a stop-and-go affair due to traffic lights. There was no GPS positioning system back then, but Fang Senyan could judge from the street signs that he was approaching his designated destination. He began to observe the surrounding vehicles and environment carefully. Just then, Fang Senyan suddenly felt a slight warmth in his chest, followed by a cold, mechanical voice:

"Warning: You have entered a relevant ** area. Side quest will be activated." "Warning: You have entered a relevant ** area. Side quest will be activated." "Warning: You have entered a relevant ** area. Side quest will be activated." "Warning: The future Skynet computer believes you are about to pose a threat to the temporal node and has dispatched an unfinished Terminator to hunt you down." "Warning: Terminator T-750 will arrive through the temporal tunnel in fifteen seconds. Your blood type, scent, and appearance have been locked. You must remain in this area for ten minutes; leaving early will result in Skynet locking onto your specific location (Extreme Danger)." "Warning: You are the second Contractor to activate this area's side quest. The protection mechanism for the temporal channel is gradually improving; the strength of the pursuing T-750 Terminator will increase from 70% to 80% of its full potential." "Hint: It has been detected that this Contractor is entering the Nightmare World for the first time. If you persist for ten minutes, you will receive assistance from Delta Force Counter-Terrorism Unit." "Hint: The temporal node will appear after ten minutes or upon the death of Terminator T-750." ................ Let's have an interactive segment with everyone. I wonder if anyone can guess which movie the elixir Fang Senyan swindled from Quest originates from? If you think you know, please leave a comment in the review section. Although there are no premium rewards right now, there are still comment point rewards. Hehe, finally, please don't forget to cast your valuable recommendation votes! A’Tu will repay you with even higher quality content. (To be continued, please visit for the latest chapters.)