Chapter 278
In this situation, how could Koschei possibly show up? If he takes over the body's response and alerts Talulah, decades of effort will be in vain.
Koschei could only remain silent, but in doing so, he witnessed a horrifying scene.
Zhongli, who ascended into the air wearing a mask, summoned a boulder the size of a mountain, instantly killing five Inner Guards. Ursus's strongest unit was like a toy in front of him.
From that point on, Koschei changed his mind.
Rather than becoming Royal Family heir who has not yet ascended the Victoria Throne, he would rather spend more time taking over Zhongli's body.
This kind of amazing ability is not like ordinary stuff. Who wouldn't be envious?
As the 'The Undying Black Serpent,' Koschei has no shortage of time. He spent nearly twenty years trying to completely take over Talulah's body, so he naturally wouldn't mind racking his brains to take over Zhongli's body.
However, Koschei was isolated and helpless at that time. He knew the timing was not right, so he lay low in silence.
There are two ways to take control of someone else's body: long-term and short-term.
Koschei's approach with Talulah was long-term. This meant subtly influencing her values through prolonged interaction. The higher her acceptance of his beliefs, the greater the success rate and the greater the compatibility in winning her over.
In the short term, as the name suggests, it's about forcing things upon someone. It involves directly seizing control of their consciousness without considering any reasoning.
The limitations are that the spell must be cast at close range, and there is a chance that control can be regained after it is seized. Whether control is regained or not depends on the strength of the Psychic Power of both parties.
At the beginning of the year, an Inner Guards came to Schuratzburg City and secretly infiltrated the city to discuss a deal with Talulah. He staked out the conference room beforehand, filling the entire room with black fog.
This black mist not only reduces movement and attack speed, but also slows down nerve reaction speed.
Koschei briefly took over Talulah's consciousness at that moment and informed the Inner Guards of the detailed plan.
This includes the subsequent attack on Chernobyl and allowing his subordinates to retaliate against non-infected individuals. These are all subtle influences Koschei had on Talulah.
Only if the Rhodes Island causes a major disturbance will it be possible to attract Zhongli's attention.
Taluna, that little idiot, doesn't she know how to think things through? Schuratzburg City in northwestern Ursus, so why did the Inner Guards suggest traveling thousands of kilometers to Chernobyl in southeastern Ursus?
It was precisely because Zhongli lived in Lungmen, near this Mobile Cities, that this location was chosen.
He couldn't ignore something that happened right in front of his own house.
Even Talulah's best friend Alina was a pawn of Koschei. He deliberately arranged for her to stay with cadres who were prone to betrayal; it was a setup.
By deliberately avoiding Alina when she requests an audience, you can lure her to Lungmen for help.
They didn't even need to contact Zhongli; informing Chen would suffice. The Lungmen Guard Department couldn't easily get involved in such international affairs, so they had to ask that man for help. He arrived in Chernobyl to investigate their whereabouts.
Since Koschei hasn't fully taken control of Talulah's body yet, to prevent her from causing trouble, some Inner Guards will try to knock her unconscious so he can take over her consciousness.
Duke Koschei meticulously laid this trap, luring Zhongli to meet him.
Planning before acting is his style of doing things.
During his possession of Talulah, Koschei had plenty of free time each day to study the plan. He could carefully refine and perfect every aspect of it.
The rhetoric I used earlier was intended to get Zhongli to agree with my ideas and increase our compatibility. Unfortunately, the other party didn't play by the rules, and the conversation died down in just a few sentences.
However, it's not a big problem.
Despite Zhongli's extraordinary strength, that's only on a physical level. The ability to seize control of a body and consciousness is solely related to the strength of Psychic Power.
Unlike muscles, Psychic Power cannot be increased by repeatedly stimulating its threshold. Even repeated self-harm and self-mutilation can only improve muscle endurance. Its impact on mental well-being is negligible.
Compared to traditional Psychic Power cultivation methods like meditation, the enhancement gained from devouring souls is far greater.
Koschei has lived for so many years and witnessed the rise and fall of countless powerful individuals. They generally possessed extremely high physical strength, but their Psychic Power was only average. Like students with severely unbalanced academic performance, they weren't particularly difficult to obtain.
Even the occasional one or two Psychic Power individuals cannot compare to Koschei, who has devoured countless souls.
Therefore, he never considered the possibility of failing when it came to taking over Zhongli's body.
Come on, keep ignoring me.
Come on, keep your back to me and be unguarded.
You will pay the price for your arrogance!
After Koschei Zhongli with the sorcery dagger, he immediately began to activate Originium Arts. He was all too familiar with the steps of forcibly taking over someone else's body.
At the same time, ancient and eerie symbols suddenly appeared on Talulah's forehead.
Koschei grinned confidently, delighted with his upcoming new body:
"I want your body!"
Cold, shivering.
Koschei opened his eyes and was utterly shocked by the vast Psychic Power that resembled a galaxy.
Why is his Psychic Power so powerful?
So far, none of the powerful individuals Koschei has defeated possessed Psychic Power less than one ten-thousandth of his current strength.
Koschei's supposedly superior Psychic Power was incomparable to Zhongli's, like a tiny ant.
No, impossible!
That's absolutely impossible!!!
Koschei is going crazy. He really can't understand why Zhongli is so terrifying on both the physical and mental levels.
He's lived for thousands of years to reach his current level. But what the hell is this? Is this guy some kind of ancient monster who's lived for hundreds of millions of years?
Before Koschei could even think of a way to escape, the overwhelming Psychic Power crushed his soul to dust. He only had time for a final, desperate cry:
"No!!!"
When Talulah say something incredibly embarrassing like, "I want your body," Shi Lei was stunned for a moment, and his expression became slightly strange.
No, I understand you like my body, but why did you poke me?
It wasn't until Shi Lei's Psychic Scan detected a surge of energy flying from Talulah's body into his own that he finally understood what those words meant.
For a fleeting moment, Shi Lei felt a very subtle, unusual sensation in his mind. However, that feeling quickly disappeared, and no matter how hard he tried to sense it, he couldn't detect it.
Oh, that's all?
As Koschei's soul vanished, Talulah and went black.
Recalling what had just happened, Shi Lei guessed that some ghost or evil spirit had possessed her and was now coveting his body, wanting to plunder it.
However, this ghost was overthinking things.
Although Shi Lei didn't develop his abilities much, or rather, he was too lazy to develop them, he was a genuine Archon Realm, far Superman in both physical and mental abilities.
Furthermore, Shi Lei has a system within him, even if he's not at the Archon Realm. If it detects a monster trying to control its host's body, it should help suppress it.
Shi Lei never believed in ghosts and monsters before, but now that he has traveled through time, what is there left for him not to believe?
He didn't know the origin of the evil spirit possessing Talulah. However, judging from its instant vaporization after entering her body, it probably wasn't anything powerful.
Time is of the essence; we must evacuate.
With his left hand, Shi Lei created Rock House, and with his right hand, he created Rock Constructs to carry the unconscious Talulah inside. He then lifted off with his hands behind his back, flying at high speed towards the remaining people.
Texas, Exusiai, and Mudrock were closest to him, so he was given a ride. Surtr and Miss Nian were a bit further away, so he flew over and brought them into the Rock House as well.
FrostNova was the furthest away, almost beyond the range of Jade Shield. Shi Lei picked her up, quickly maneuvered the Rock House into the sky, and they disappeared into the clouds.
Shortly after everyone left, a raging Cataclysmic Clouds began to cover the western region of Chernobyl.
Layers of dark clouds, sparkling with fire, drifted in with unstoppable force. The howling wind grew louder and louder, like the roars of countless wild beasts. The entire city was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere of darkness.
When the Cataclysmic Clouds passed through, the surrounding light became utterly dim. The raging storm slashed at the city's buildings like knives. The sound of falling bricks and tiles was terrifying, as if nature itself was roaring in fury.
Buildings and roads across the entire area began to sway precariously. Explosions, collapses, and chaos filled every row and column. High-rise buildings and residential buildings crumbled like dominoes, one after another. Street trees were torn off and cars that hadn't been driven away were thrown into the collapsed pits.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Chernobyl seemed to be suffering the wrath of nature. Catastrophe bring no hope, only ruins and desolation.
Patriot, with his guerrilla fighters, stood atop a high mountain outside the Mobile Cities, observing the situation. Only after the Catastrophe had engulfed most of the city did he finally give his orders:
"Let's go, it's time to go to the evacuation point."
The Ursus Army Group, which they were keeping a close eye on, did not enter the city to participate in the suppression. The military police and civilian police inside the city should not be able to stop the Rhodes Island cadres.
Patriot and the others arrived at the evacuation point, only to find it completely deserted.
For a long time, they were unable to contact the city due to the Signal Tower's blocking. Now, they can't get in touch via Walkie-Talkie and can only wait.
The first Rhodes Island cadre to return was Crownslayer. Exhausted, she led her infected followers in their retreat, preparing to return to Schuratzburg City.
Twenty minutes later, W's Sarkaz squad arrived at the rendezvous point. They waited there with the guerrillas for half an hour, but still did not see the return of their leader Talulah or any Rhodes Island cadres.
W, Ines, and Heredrey huddled together whispering, and soon after, they led their group away.
Patriot, like her, was a cadre of the Rhodes Island, and they were on the same level. Since he led his team away, there was no need to explain their next move to him.
Patriot didn't care about this and continued to stay at the assembly point with the guerrillas.
An hour has passed since the evacuation, and those cadres who have not yet shown up are likely in grave danger.
FrostNova arrived with the Phantom Crossbowmen and asked Patriot if he had seen Mephisto. After receiving a negative reply, he and the Phantom Crossbowmen retraced their steps, seemingly preparing to return to Chernobyl to search.
From then on, not a single member of the Rhodes Island at the cadre level appeared.
The FrostNova Squad did not come.
Big Adam's heavy armor squad did not come.
Mephisto appears to have disappeared, and his fate is unknown.
Even the leader Talulah, did not come.
The Patriot continued their stakeout, waiting for a few infected individuals to return. From them, they learned about the 'descent of the gods'.
Based on further questioning, Patriot confirmed that the celestial being who sent down the meteorite as divine punishment was none other than Zhongli himself.
If he comes to Chernobyl, Talulah might indeed never return.
Upon hearing this, the Shield Guard standing nearby inquired:
"Sir, what should we do next?"
"Wait."
Patriot cast their gaze toward the distant East:
"If Talulah still hasn't appeared by dawn, it means that the Rhodes Island is already defunct. In that case, we should also leave the Rhodes Island and start a new journey."
"Shall we go back to Schuratzburg City?"
"No, it's time to repay the debt of gratitude."
345 Bell Blowing Party 3K
Just as Patriot arrived at the Rhodes Island's rally point, another force was also gathering.
After Amiya and her team rendezvoused with the reserve team responsible for providing support, they successfully withdrew from Chernobyl. They waited for E5 Squad to return to their position on a hill three kilometers outside the city.
Shortly after, Scout's team, which had been operating outside the evacuation route, returned with twelve members.
Compared to the other four teams, their Reconnaissance Squad was nothing short of a miracle. Operating in an urban area with tens of thousands of infected individuals, they managed to suffer zero casualties.
It's worth noting that when Amiya awakened the Doctor, Dobermann's team suffered heavy losses trying to distract the Rhodes Island.
Later, at the G Sector Park, they encountered resistance from several Rhodes Island cadres. Both Ace Squad and Amiya Squad suffered nearly half their casualties. If Xi hadn't intervened, the number of dead and wounded during the forced retreat would likely have been even higher.
"Mr. Scout!"
Amiya, seeing them return safely, wagged her rabbit ears and went to greet them:
"It's so good that you're back safe and sound!"
Scout and the Doctor were old acquaintances from their time in the Babel. Now that the Rescue Operation is over, even if they don't reminisce, Scout should at least say hello.
"Where is the Doctor?"
Upon hearing this, Amiya grinned somewhat awkwardly and explained:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Scout."