Act.19 · [Goldrop · Worth Its Weight in Gold]

Foreword:

Homo sapiens' DNA has a double helix structure; it's like a drill.

[ --Mary Eileen Adler Aya]

[Part 1 - Remember to dye it pink]

Xue Ming and Xiao Qi ran for their lives.

At first, Xue Ming grabbed Xiao Qi and swam as fast as he could, but then he suddenly realized that this spirit, without its lower body, was actually not as fast as Xiao Qi with its two legs.

So, Seventh Brother naturally hoisted Amin onto his shoulder and, in a very strange position, sped away towards the central square.

Before the holes in Xiao Qi's body had healed, she heard the sound of AK-12 bullets exploding behind her, and her already leaky spirit body was riddled with more than a dozen bullet holes.

Bai Qingqing didn't know what the damage to this spiritual body meant. Perhaps, like the people of the Hand of Omnipotence, even if they possessed soul power, it was shattered soul power.

However, at this moment, she had no time to think about such things.

Two hundred meters behind them, in a maze of alleyways, a mysterious woman leaping and running among the low-rise buildings had already charged forward with a gun.

As Xiao Qi fled, she asked, "Is this your inner demon?"

Jiang Xueming couldn't figure out what was going on. Judging from the other party's stance of holding the gun, aiming, and firing, it was indeed exactly the same as his female character.

As Little Finger once said, the ability of [B·Side] is almost equivalent to being reborn, nurturing another self on the basis of the original essence.

Does switching accounts mean you've killed your old self?

If Bailu Plus came out of Niflheim, it must be a dead person, in spirit form.

Jiang Xueming, clinging to Xiao Qi's shoulder and using his steel-like body to block the incoming bullets, spoke to Brother Qi.

"She might be my inner demon, but why is this guy causing me trouble?"

Xiao Qi: "Do you remember Jack Martin?"

Xue Ming: "He only has half a soul."

Xiao Qi: "Maybe this green tea girl also wants to imitate Jack and kill her other self, so that your essence will belong to her alone -- and [B·Side] won't be able to turn you into a man!"

Xue Ming's expression changed. This seemed both quite plausible and quite outrageous.

I never expected [B·Side] to have such a request for a female character account? She'd rather kill off her main account just to get perfect attendance on Earth Online!?

"No! Absolutely not! Absolutely not!" Whether for her life or her manhood, Xue Ming would not agree to this, "Please! Xiao Qi! Run faster!"

"That's fast enough!" 9527's legs moved like the wind, his spirit form resembling a children's cartoon character, his legs flying like Jerry in flight, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. "Although this woman is much more enthusiastic than you."

Jiang Xueming shielded Xiao Qi's back, his two iron arms blocking Xiao Qi's lower back. "Were you serious when you covered your mouth and chuckled just now?"

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant!" As the central square drew closer, 9527 finally breathed a sigh of relief, "I just want it all!"

Before he finished speaking, Seventh Brother leaped over the wall of the temporary outpost, crashed into the driver's seat of the Big Frog, and finally returned to his physical body.

She awoke from her frozen state as if electrocuted, unable to recall how many holes her spirit had pierced or how much mental damage she had suffered. The moment she reconnected with the Steel Heart, her brilliance stone [Windowless Abode] burst forth with dazzling golden light, intending to use a weak current to stimulate its master's bioelectric system and reactivate her slow heartbeat.

"Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo." Xiao Qi shivered all over. She could only breathe in and out. Her eyelids started to droop, and her mind wouldn't cooperate. She slumped in front of the Big Frog's control panel. Her mental energy was depleted and her battery was empty. She fell asleep in no time.

Xue Ming didn't have time to deal with Bailu Plus. He returned to his physical body and experienced the same symptoms as Xiao Qi. Being too far from the body caused excessive spiritual activity, much like an adult insect or butterfly using its soul power for too long. For VIPs, the soul leaving the body also represents a huge consumption of mental energy.

He felt a stinging, aching pain in his eyes; the long-dormant Gate of Death had reopened to him. His muscles and joints became stiff and fragile, as if he had been staying up for days and nights and wanted to pull out a Worry-forgetting Tea from his backpack to recharge his brain.

--His hand had just grasped the thermos when his knuckles couldn't support the weight of those few hundred grams, and the bottle was about to slip from his palm.

"Oh no!"

Through blurry vision, a hand grabbed the thermos.

It was wearing cut-resistant gloves, which Xue Ming recognized as protective gear matching the Flash Butterfly Armor outfit.

He looked up again and saw his female mascot, in spirit form, holding up a bowl of tea, her other hand lifting her mask, her face full of regret.

The woman opened the bottle and pressed her lips to Xue Ming's. "You're lucky you ran fast. If I had gotten this body first, you wouldn't have stood a chance."

"It wasn't that I ran fast." Xue Ming the thermos, grasped the female spirit's hand and finally had a chance to say a few words: "It was Xiao Qi who ran fast."

The feeling was strange; the chilling spiritual pressure emanating from his palm felt like a sharp, bladed whip.

The woman turned her head to look at the Big Frog, then scanned the steel components of the mecha, trying to see all the industrial achievements of the Soviet Union. Finally, her gaze settled on 9527, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"You're really something. I definitely couldn't fix this thing."

Xue Ming finally finished the entire pot of Worry-forgetting Tea, panting heavily as he recovered from his brain dysfunction and his various nerve areas began to function again.

The stench in the air, the thunderous roar of the VIPs battling the Lord of Cinder in the distance, and the undead body before him, seemingly constructed of black mist and mud—everything became clear.

"Is there anything else you want to say? I'm very busy and don't have many opportunities to talk to you face-to-face like this."

The woman picked up a gun--

Xue Ming immediately went on alert, drew his gun, and confronted the enemy.

"No, you've already obtained the physical body, I have no chance." The woman's words were concise and to the point, and Xue Ming: "I have a few favors to ask of you."

Xue Ming saw that the spirit's main weapon was on safety, but he did not let his guard down.

His female body unlocks the weapon, and he can fire it in less than a second.

"Explain."

"Next time you switch character accounts—" the woman raised an AK-12 and tapped its receiver. "—dye this thing pink."

"Huh?" Xue Ming couldn't understand. To be honest, he thought the request was outrageous, "Why?"

The woman pursed her lips. "Actually, you wanted to do this last time, but you didn't have time to figure it out. You glanced at [JoeStar]'s oven a few times, remember that?"

Xue Ming: "That's true. But I wanted to make a rust-proof paint, and it seems like it would be good for ceramic coatings too."

"Stop fooling yourself!" The woman shrugged dismissively. "Titanium alloy? Rusty? You really came from a factory?"

Xue Ming: "Okay. Anything else?"

The woman pointed at Xiao Qi: "Did you just confess your feelings to her? I heard it clearly!"

Xue Ming: "I'm afraid I won't have time to say it, or the chance to say it."

The woman patted Xue Ming on the shoulder.

"Take care of yourself. I'm leaving."

In an instant, the entire world seemed to undergo a wondrous transformation.

All the joyous and boisterous vengeful spirits vanished without a trace, turning into smoke and dust.

Thirty-six minutes have passed since the Lord of Cinder's Soul Power [Icon] launched its attack.

The woman's spirit was as if swept back towards the beach by an invisible hand and a raging wind.

Xue Ming couldn't understand how [she] came to be, why she was here, or what her inner demons were.

Are these spirits figments of his imagination? Are they imaginary enemies?

Or perhaps these vengeful spirits do indeed exist in the Dead Sea in Niflheim.

He climbed onto the Big Frog, feeding his seventh brother tea in an attempt to wake his lover, all the while pondering carefully.

During the investigation of the soul essence of the VIP tea room, there was a stack of materials that mentioned this matter.

The Earth is like a living thing; all life is born from the soil, and the essential substances in the bodies of all carbon-based organisms come from Mother Earth. This is the same principle as the concept of "harmony between man and nature" in Eastern mysticism.

When a human organ dies or a limb is amputated, the nerves controlling that part of the limb may still be alive, and the brain will continue to send electrical signals to the body, mistakenly believing that the limb is still alive.

Perhaps Niflheim is very close to Mother Earth's brain.

--The dead creatures on Earth are like its dead cells. Its powerful geomagnetic field still mistakenly believes these creatures are still alive, constructing these strange spiritual entities with the magnetic field of the entire planet. Niflheim is its bioenergy center.

Of course, these are just Xue Ming's guesses.

Back at Xiao Qi's side, he unscrewed another pot of Worry-forgetting Tea, a stash he'd gotten from Brother Ye Bei. To be honest, it would be a bit difficult to put the bottle on Xiao Qi's lips.

This girl is great in every way, except she likes to talk in her sleep.

All I could hear was Xiao Qi snoring and calling out.

"Ah, yes, yes, hug me here. Hug me."

Before the tea could even be served, the girl knocked out a few drops from her front teeth, making Xue Ming's temper flare up.

He simply put the tea in his mouth, hugged Xiao Qi's head, and kissed her deeply.

He gently massaged and pressed on Seventh Sister's throat and neck, straightening her restless vocal cords and trachea, stimulating her throat to work actively, so that the girl wouldn't choke to death.

Xiao Qi woke up immediately after drinking the soup.

Seeing Xue Ming so close by, and witnessing this scene, she was initially overjoyed, then wanted to laugh out loud, but ultimately feigned mental exhaustion.

"Snoring."

He collapsed again onto the Big Frog's control panel.

Xue Ming poked Xiao Qi's armpit.

Xiao Qi immediately shivered from the itching, but wanted her lover to bring her more water.

"Snoring."

She just kept going on and on, one sentence after another.

"Snoring... snoring..."

Xue Ming: "Your teacher is having a final battle with the King of Cinder, and you're here flirting with me? Is that appropriate?"

"Let's go!" Xiao Qi straightened up like a corpse, emptied the thermos in one breath, and pulled the control lever of the Big Frog with great enthusiasm.

Then she reached out, intending to touch Xue Ming's leg.

"The pressure relief valve lever is here." Xue Ming casually moved Seventh Brother's hand to the other side. "Concentrate."

"Hehehe!" Bai Ziqing grinned and said, "Has our position been reversed again, employer!"

Xue Ming was perched on the Big Frog's robotic arm, rummaging through the narrow cargo bin for tools, too busy to reply.

The Big Frog moved aside, leaping and running along the main road, crossing low walls through the buildings and rooms destroyed in the battle, and heading towards the main battle zone.

"In most anime, it's the chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) teenagers who are always carrying their little sisters and piloting mechs! Both their hands are always busy!" Xiao Qi described earnestly, "One hand is touching the sister's thigh! The other hand is touching the robot's control panel, so why is it reversed here?"

No one answered her, so she turned around for another look.

"Employer?"

Xue Ming jumped out of the car a long time ago.

Xiao Qi shouted, "Where are you going, employer?!"

Xue Ming ran wildly towards the power workshop, turning back to reply.

"I'm worried! I need to go back to the power workshop and check! Big Frog is the mecha unit responsible for assembly; it's not good at combat. I used it to come to the rescue during the emergency, and now I need to go and get the others out!"

[Part ②: The Golden Spiral]

Upon hearing the employer's explanation, Xiao Qi's expression turned serious.

She had to go and support Teacher Su Ling. The Lord of Cinder had thousands of vengeful spirits on him; that was the power of the [collective karma of all beings]. The special ability of the [Holy Icon] alone could create an army of the dead.

Xiao Qi thought so--

--Master always refers to himself as a medical worker, so he probably doesn't have much fighting ability.

--She can use various gemstones to fight, but her Soul Might trait lacks powerful offensive means.

--If the Radiant Stones run out, even the Phoenix be able to protect her master anymore; she'll be eaten by the Lord of Cinder!

The surrounding buildings were scattered and dilapidated, with ruins and broken walls everywhere.

The water tower on the west side collapsed with a roar, as if it had been smashed by some monster, and lay across the middle of the road.

When the Big Frog leaped over the obstacles and arrived at the east greenhouse, Xiao Qi could sense two extremely powerful beings from the murky air and the malevolent spiritual pressure of Niflheim.

She jumped over the low buildings, crashed into the plastic sheeting of the shed area, and rushed into a field of purplish-red sorghum under the artificial ultraviolet lights.

She shouted loudly towards a spot no more than fifty meters away.

"Master A Ling! I've come to save you!"

Before the words were finished, the clear sound of bone cracking was heard.

[Player Su Ling invites you to join the team]

The unexpected team invitation thrilled Xiao Qi —the teacher was alright! The teacher needed her help!

Immediately afterwards, she saw various buffs and damage counts in the [Phoenix] game world.

Layers upon layers of sorghum obscured A Ling's figure, but chaotic and numerous health bars floated in mid-air, indicating that almost dozens of units were fighting and killing each other there.

Xiao Qi activated the electronic fire control of the twin-mounted machine gun, preparing to fire at the bright red health bar. She marveled at how convenient this enemy detection system was; as long as Master A Ling could see an enemy, the information could be relayed to her teammates through the squad's visual system.

But her finger, which was about to pull the trigger, suddenly froze.

--It wasn't that she was affected by any spiritual power, nor was she suddenly attacked by a sniper.

Instead, the occasional "[KILL!]" message was so glaring and so sudden.

For a moment, she felt a chill run down her spine.

--A dark figure flew backward from the sorghum field, collided with the Big Frog's mechanical legs, and bounced away like a ball.

Xiao Qi then realized that it was the King of Cinder!

Lord of Cinder was like a cannonball thrown out by something, his torso slamming into the leg armor of the Big Frog. Protected by the Immortal Lune, his body was like a football kicked with all its might, plowing a bright red mud mark in the sorghum field, and coming to a stop in front of the concrete platform of the water ditch, half of his head smashed to pieces.

"Uh," Xiao Qi didn't know what to say, so she used the context of "Xianglin's Wife" to explain—she only knew that A Ling had no food to eat at home in winter, but she didn't expect that RSH would come in spring and be able to play with the King of Fire like a ball.

She turned the turret around to examine the King of Cinder's belly more closely, and sure enough, it was empty. His internal organs, along with the clothes made of graphite cloth strips, had been torn apart, and there was nothing left.

Then another figure flew by. It was a giant hybrid warrior created by the [Statue]. He was covered in black threads. He was a necromancer controlled by the Lord of Cinder using his soul power. Now he had become a cannonball in A Ling's hands.

Before the Lord of Cinder could extricate himself from the mural state, his physical body was slammed into the wall of the ditch by the undead puppet, shattering into pieces along with the sand and gravel. His torso and skull were squeezed upwards by the sudden force, turning him into a true superior being.

Xiao Qi finally came to her senses. A whole stalk of red sorghum had fallen down, and she saw at the end of the path that Teacher A Ling had just swallowed the crispy roasted pork, a specialty of Mimir Hot Spring, and was holding up the undead body of another hybrid warrior with her other hand.

The buff on her forehead looked like she was fighting a raid boss.

[Strength Boost: Your core muscle strength is boosted by food supplements, currently at its maximum output of 1551 kg]

[Spiritual Unity: Your spirit and body become one, allowing you to use most Radiant Stones]

[Sudden Rise of Killing Intent: Your current sapphire color scheme is Red|Red|Red|Red|Red|White|Blue|Gold|Orange|Orange -- Gains buffs to Muscle Exertion, Mental Strength, Accelerated Metabolism, Accelerated Natural Recovery, Luck, etc. The unified affix in the status bar is "Sudden Rise of Killing Intent"]

[Extremely High Attack Power: Source: Voodoo Herbs Alchemy Solvent [Red] -- Your condition is excellent; you wield weapons with ease, almost as if they were extensions of your body.]

[Swift and Unpredictable: Source: Staff | Remains of Mingde -- This staff, reforged in the hands of a craftsman, can stir up divine winds and make you lose two-thirds of your weight.]

[Toxin Resistance: Source: Carrion crab claw meat -- can resist non-toxic substances below 50 mg, except for neurotoxins that attack the central nervous system. Toxins related to organic failure are almost ineffective against you.]

[High Temperature Resistance: Source: Hoof and meat of highland deer - able to breathe normally at temperatures of 71 degrees Celsius]

[Low Temperature Resistance: Source: Sulfopyrite chili water - allows normal breathing at temperatures as low as -22 degrees Celsius]

[Crippled: Source: The Skeletons of Niflheim - Your right pinky and ring fingers are broken, and your right wrist bones and tendons are severed.]

[Vita Imprint: Source - The Skeletons of Niflheim - You are terminally ill and your days are numbered.]

[Bleeding: Every woman has to get her period for a few days every month, please understand.]

[Blood for Blood: So Angry]

"What kind of power is this!?" The Lord of Cinder broke free from the minced meat, half-body still attached, and tried to escape the greenhouse, crawling awkwardly outwards.

At first, he only thought of --

--David Victor placed a curse on him, "Do not kill."

However, he can rely on the [icon] to fight, and he can use the spirits in Niflheim to kill his enemies. After all, it is Spirit Calamity he created, which has nothing to do with his central nervous system, and he can perfectly bypass this devil's contract.

But compared to this outrageous VIP, he was like an innocent child. In the collision of spirits, he was crushed by Su Ling, like a toy car hitting a dump truck.

After the icon's power dissipated, the VIP returned to her physical body and began fiddling with her magic bag.

This field medic demonstrated to Maddes Bruno the benefits of being a good person through his own actions.

Her stomach was like a black hole, stimulating her body with different pyroxenes, maximizing the effects of tools like food, stones, and sticks, and eating at a speed as if a Taotie beast lived in her stomach.

To compete with her in firepower, the onslaught of BUR rockets was like a resounding slap in the face, extinguishing all of Maddes' fighting spirit.

Freed from the constraints of her heavy armor, she ran and jumped as if she were flying, as unrestrained as a wandering spirit, completely disregarding Isaac Newton's earnest teachings.

"What kind of power is this?! What kind of power is this?!"

Maddes Bruno didn't understand --

--Originally, this strange and mysterious Eastern woman was speaking to him in a very serious manner.

[I rank highly on the Abyssal Railway strength leaderboard]

Maddes only saw it as a bluff, a provocation.

But as this young woman tore the giant apart with her bare hands, a kill notification of [EXP+100] kept popping up above her head.

At over a hundred years old, what kind of situation hasn't he seen?

--Yes, as the Lord of Cinder, he had never seen anything like this before.

Earth's weaponry systems have advanced with modern science, and Maddes has seen many new gadgets. However, this VIP's ability to use "external objects" has exceeded the comprehension of the Lord of Cinder.

This ability was given to her by the seemingly comical and childish [Phoenix].

As long as you're in this game--

--She is the absolute ruler.

At this moment, the Lord of Cinder could only turn to the distant Death Giant for help.

He played his silver flute and heard the footsteps of Death God behind him.

The holy image transformed into countless black threads, all shooting towards the Ice Man in the far distance.

--If we could control the Ice Man, even just turning Ice Man head to release a fluid ray in this direction and summoning some of its minions, we could probably escape!

Maddes Bruno had only one thought in his mind!

Escape! Escape from this greenhouse!

Maddes exclaimed with elation, "We did it!"

Eight hundred meters away, the Ice Man's body was impacted by the statue, causing him to stagger to the side. Then, as if swatting away mosquitoes, the black lines on his skin were broken and scattered.

At the same time, Maddes's soul power shattered, and he instantly stepped into the Gate of Death—

The dense black lines collapsed and destroyed, almost burning away all the neural synapses in his brain.

He fell into a daze, only thinking about surviving by relying on the divine power of the Immortal Lune within him. In the attack of the giants, probably nothing but a [[Outlaw]] like him could survive!

This vicious tactic of sharing life with the universe and suffering mutual destruction—you can't escape unscathed!

Maddes, whose legs had just recovered, lay sprawled in front of the aqueduct platform, foaming at the mouth and glancing sideways at his opponent who was so close at hand, eager to see what other amazing tricks this VIP had up his sleeve.

"Master A Ling! What do we do?!" 9527 could already hear the Ice Man's roar, and the violent spiritual pressure generated by its chrysanthemum-shaped mouth as it focused its rays.

Then--

--Su Ling ripped the health bar off her head and casually rolled it into the shape of a large trumpet.

She lifted the powerless Lord of Cinder, trapped in the Gate of Death, snatched the flute from his hand, and stuffed it into the mouth of the trumpet.

Xiao Qi saw the teacher start spinning, grabbing the King of Fire's legs and turning him around in front of the water channel platform, faster and faster, and heard the teacher's angry roar—

"--Homo sapiens' DNA is double helix shaped! I'm spinning, you're spinning, we're a drill! Possessing infinite power!"

The large, golden loudspeaker started working, sounding like a broadcast from a game channel.

The silver flute whistled a long, drawn-out cry in the gale. When the Lord of Cinder was freed from the frenzied windmilling motion, his body was spinning violently, making a steady self-rotation, drilling through a gust of wind, his body bearing the trail of golden light.

He was thrown more than seventy meters, from the shed to the abandoned cattle pasture, and landed in the hay barn, screaming in pain.

The shouts emanating from the cannon's mouth immediately transformed into rings of golden ripples, and the immense noise caused the Ice Man's head to turn the cannon barrel accordingly.

There was another survivor in the sorghum field, the ghost of a hybrid giant struggling and writhing. Xiao Qi, operating the Big Frog's machine gun, fired a final shot at the still-dead, bone-crushing, and flesh-torn vengeful spirit to prevent it from resurrecting.

Su Ling gazed towards the coastline and saw the Ice Man unleashing a torrent of fire and rays upon the ranch. Immediately afterward, she heard the sparse tumbling of ice fragments and their surroundings. However, these terrifying creations were no longer relevant to the people inside the greenhouse.

The spirit that flew through the air returned to her hand. After a few adjustments, it transformed back into the shape of a health bar and was placed steadily above her head. Su Ling finally called out the official name of this move.

"Take this! ~The Final Golden Spiral!~"