Mind Link Severed

Nightmare Spores, Nightmare Dust.

Listening to Ma Ran's explanation, these were clearly two different things.

"We aren't affected by the Nightmare Dust?"

"Why?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Song Chu had already found the answer himself.

He wasn't a stubborn idiot.

Ma Ran's previous assessment of Song Chu had been quite accurate.

He was a man with keen observation skills, formidable combat power, and a mental will far exceeding normal levels.

In the blink of an eye, Song Chu remembered Ma Ran's earlier mention of a 'damage threshold' and connected the cause and effect.

Ma Ran had already stated that to eliminate the Nightmare Mother, one needed a high life level and strong mental will!

From this perspective, it was difficult for Nightmare Dust to drag people with high attributes in both aspects into a dream.

At this point, it was the Nightmare Spores' turn to shine.

Song Chu felt that, if he wasn't mistaken, the Nightmare Spores were specifically prepared for such powerhouses!

"Can someone like me be considered a powerhouse?"

Song Chu glanced at Ma Ran, then at the Elephant Hunting Spear in Ma Ran's hand, questioning his own existence. "If I'm a powerhouse, then..."

"What about you?"

"How does that dangerous alien life form view you?"

After having the spear effortlessly taken from him, he had clearly recognized the gap between himself and Ma Ran.

To be deemed a powerhouse by an extremely dangerous alien life form, said to have the potential to grow into a world-destroying entity...

Song Chu really didn't know whether he should feel happy or sad.

"Natural enemy."

After uttering these two words, Ma Ran sighed, a hint of annoyance in his expression. "The information I foresaw wasn't comprehensive enough."

"Six days ago, I started eliminating the Nightmare Spores."

"Because I had never encountered such an enemy, I didn't manage the pace well."

"I killed too quickly, too many, and too ruthlessly."

"As a result, it caused the Nightmare Mother to develop fear."

"It regards me as a natural enemy and is unwilling to appear within my sight."

"It's deliberately avoiding me."

Song Chu tried to keep up with Ma Ran, feeling he should say something, but he opened his mouth and didn't know where to start.

There were simply too many points to comment on!

"Compared to that alien life form, your danger level is clearly higher, right?"

As he spoke, Song Chu's expression suddenly changed.

When he was confronting Ma Ran earlier, he was too nervous to realize the problem.

He now suddenly realized with a start that more than half of the inner energy in his acupoints had been unconsciously depleted!

A slight sense of weakness washed over him, making him feel lightheaded.

Ma Ran glanced at him and immediately deduced the reason for his weakness. "Inner energy is consumed while resisting the erosion of Nightmare Dust."

"Put on your gas mask, give yourself an adrenaline shot, and use some smelling salts."

"The auxiliary refreshing effects of these items are extremely limited, but they can at least slow down the depletion of inner energy a bit."

Song Chu nodded solemnly. "Okay!"

He readily followed Ma Ran's instructions.

After completing the process, Song Chu felt much clearer, but unfortunately, the depleted inner energy couldn't be replenished in a short time.

He pinched his nostrils, finally letting the pungent ammonia smell from the smelling salts dissipate slightly.

The two quickly traversed the woods and arrived within the scope of the Area A3 buildings.

Military motorcycles, off-road vehicles, and other means of transport had suffered varying degrees of damage. They were stained with thick, black liquid and corroded to the point of being unusable.

This was clearly the work of the Nightmare Mother.

It was not some low-intelligence alien life form.

In Ma Ran's opinion, it was powerful, intelligent, and cunning, with strong learning abilities, making it a very troublesome opponent!

To concentrate and maintain high vigilance, both of them chose to remain silent, ceasing their idle chatter.

Ma Ran maintained a speed that Song Chu could keep up with as they ran towards their destination.

At the same time, he deliberately suppressed the flow of his inner energy, causing the light emanating from him to gradually dim.

The once intense life force had also weakened considerably, gradually falling to a level similar to Song Chu's.

The information Ma Ran had shared with Song Chu was indeed true.

This dangerous alien life form hadn't fully matured yet.

It harbored a natural fear of Ma Ran, who had eliminated dozens of its spores.

For the past six days, it had been desperately evading Ma Ran's pursuit.

The Nightmare Mother feared Ma Ran, yet it also craved his body, wanting to make Ma Ran its host.

It rejected and resisted him, yet it couldn't withstand his allure.

"Such incredible stamina..."

Song Chu panted heavily, struggling to keep up with Ma Ran's pace. "I originally thought he was a product of Caolu Academy's star-making program, but now it seems they truly live up to their reputation."

"Sixth Stage of Inner Qi..."

"How on earth did he achieve that?"

"Caolu Academy hasn't even been officially established for half a month, has it?"

"To be precise, about ten days?"

Ma Ran was a mysterious enigma.

The more he observed and pondered, the more confused he became.

Just as Song Chu was drenched in sweat, his calf muscles extremely stiff and on the verge of cramping, Ma Ran suddenly stopped moving.

"Did... pant... we arrive?"

Song Chu adjusted his gas mask, which had started to slip due to sweat, and placed his hands on his knees, trying to calm his wildly beating heart and disordered breathing, attempting to recover his stamina through respiration.

Ma Ran, without a bead of sweat on his brow or a hint of breathlessness, shook his head and said, "Almost."

The reason he stopped wasn't to look after Song Chu, but because a very familiar voice had suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Ma Ran, you're still alive? That's great!"

It was Liu Huadie's voice!

She was communicating using her Concentric ability.

In a daze, Ma Ran almost felt as if he had returned to the war-torn years before his rebirth.

However, Liu Huadie's next words immediately brought Ma Ran back to reality.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she was enduring some kind of pain. "My current level of ability development, speaking these few words to you..."

"Is already at... its limit."

"My heart... feels like it's being twisted..."

"Su Qiangwei will... connect with you... afterwards."

With that, she directly severed the mental link.

Ma Ran looked at the bewildered Song Chu and softly explained, "Sister Die was just contacting me using her superpower, Concentric."

Song Chu blinked, then came back to his senses, realizing that the "Sister Die" the other person mentioned was Liu Huadie.

He, like Liu Huadie and He Nanguang, was a member of Anhui's Fulan Academy, and they had some history together.

"What's the situation outside now?"

Song Chu's expression was grave, and his voice was hoarse. "Every ten minutes, each sealed zone sends a safety signal to the main control area."

"The moment the Nightmares started moving, other regions should have come to support us."

Ma Ran raised his hand and made a shushing gesture.

Song Chu obediently shut his mouth and stopped speaking.

Su Qiangwei's voice echoed in Ma Ran's mind...

Su Qiangwei: The reinforcements are in position. Just call me "Sister," and I'll help you.

Ma Ran: ?