Bloody Battle and Kill

When the sun shifted from overhead to the west, Zhang Mo woke up.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Ning Rongrong's chin. She was looking down, staring right at him, and their gazes collided head-on.

Ning Rongrong froze, and then her face turned bright red in an instant.

"You... you're awake?"

Zhang Mo tried to sit up, only to realize he had been resting his head on her lap. He braced himself against the ground to straighten his body, then turned to look at her.

Her face was still flushed, but her eyes were red-rimmed as well, as if she had been crying.

"How long have you been waiting?" he asked.

Ning Rongrong turned her head away, her voice muffled: "I don't know. The sun moved from over there to over here."

Zhang Mo checked the position of the sun; it had been about three or four hours.

He looked down at himself—his chest still ached, but it was much better than before he had lost consciousness. He could move his left arm, too, though it still hurt. He tried clenching his fist, and about fifty or sixty percent of his strength had returned.

Ning Rongrong watched him from the side and asked in a low voice: "Are... are you okay?"

Zhang Mo shook his head: "I'm fine."

Ning Rongrong was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said: "Are you stupid?"

Zhang Mo looked at her.

She didn't turn back, but her ears were bright red.

"Who told you to share your life force with me?" her voice was even quieter, "I never asked you to do that."

Zhang Mo thought for a moment and said: "You were dying at the time."

"That still doesn't mean—"

"It does."

Ning Rongrong was stunned.

Zhang Mo stood up and stretched his arms. He looked at the sunset in the distance and said: "You saved me once, I saved you once. We're even."

Ning Rongrong watched his back, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only let out a huff.

"Who says we're even," she muttered under her breath.

Zhang Mo didn't hear her. He walked back to where he had been lying and bent down to pick something up—the skull Shi Nian had left behind.

Illusion Wisdom Skull.

It was the size of a fist and deathly pale, but the green flames in the eye sockets were gone, leaving only two black holes. Holding it in his hand, he could feel a faint chill.

Ning Rongrong leaned in to look.

"Is this a Spirit Bone?"

Zhang Mo nodded and handed it to her: "It's yours."

Ning Rongrong blinked, not taking it.

"Didn't you say you couldn't use it?" she asked.

Zhang Mo said: "I can't use it, but you can. It can resist illusions and enhance mental power. You're a support-type; if your mental power is stronger, your amplification effects will also become more powerful."

Ning Rongrong looked at the skull, then back at Zhang Mo.

"Do you know how much this thing is worth on the Douluo Continent?"

Zhang Mo did not know.

Ning Rongrong continued: "A Spirit Bone. There are only a few in the entire Douluo Continent. Even Title Douluo fight over them. And you're just giving it to me like this?"

Zhang Mo looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"What else? Keep it as a paperweight?"

Ning Rongrong was left speechless by his remark. She took the skull, and the moment she touched it, the bone dissolved into points of light that merged into the center of her forehead.

She closed her eyes, and a faint purple glow radiated from her body.

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, and her gaze was brighter than before.

"How is it?" Zhang Mo asked.

Ning Rongrong sensed the changes and said: "My mental power has increased by at least thirty percent. Illusion resistance... it seems to be there, but I won't know the effect until I test it."

She paused, looked at Zhang Mo, and suddenly asked: "Do you really not want it?"

Zhang Mo shook his head.

Ning Rongrong stared at him for a few seconds, then looked away and said softly: "Then... thank you."

Zhang Mo was taken aback. This was the first time he had heard her say thank you, and it sounded so natural.

Just as he was about to say something, his right eye suddenly stung.

A purple light screen popped up:

[Congratulations to the host for killing Shi Nian (Level 76 Spirit Saint)—Kill confirmation complete]

[World Source Points obtained: 500 (credited)]

[Spirit Bone obtained: Illusion Wisdom Skull (transferred to Ning Rongrong)]

[Dual-world collision delay: 76 days]

[Current remaining time: 441 days]

[Host's first kill detected, bonus reward: Primary World Source Points ×100]

[Total World Source Points: 600]

Zhang Mo stared at the "600" and did some quick mental math. A targeted summon cost 1000 points; he was still 400 short.

Ning Rongrong leaned in to look at the glowing text and suddenly asked, "What are World Source Points for?"

"Summoning," Zhang Mo said. "Once I gather 1000 points, I can summon a specific person."

Ning Rongrong paused. "Summon another one?"

Zhang Mo nodded.

Ning Rongrong fell silent. After a few seconds, she asked in a low voice, "A man or a woman?"

Zhang Mo glanced at her. "I don't know. The system didn't say."

Ning Rongrong let out an "oh" and didn't ask again.

But she lowered her head, lost in thought.

Zhang Mo closed the system panel and checked the sky. The sun was setting; if they didn't leave now, it would be dark soon.

"Let's go," he said. "Back we go."

Ning Rongrong nodded and followed behind him.

When they reached the maze, Ning Rongrong suddenly stopped.

Zhang Mo turned to look at her.

She pointed at the pile of debris—Huyan Li's corpse was still there, but it had begun to dissolve into particles of light.

"What about him?"

Zhang Mo took a look and said, "Don't worry about it. The system will handle it."

Sure enough, the light particles grew more numerous until Huyan Li's body vanished completely, leaving only one object on the ground.

Zhang Mo walked over and picked it up.

It was a bone.

It was entirely golden, glowing with a faint fluorescence, and about the size of a palm.

[Spirit Bone detected: Strength Boost Right Arm Bone (from Huyan Li, Level 65 Spirit Emperor)]

[Attribute: Strength-type]

[Skill: Mammoth Power (instantly triples strength for 10 seconds, 24-hour cooldown)]

Zhang Mo looked at the Spirit Bone, then back at Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong quickly waved her hands. "I don't want it. This is an attack-type; it's useless to me."

Zhang Mo thought for a moment and tucked the Spirit Bone into his pocket.

"Let's go."

The two walked out of the ruins, following the path they had taken earlier.

After walking for a while, Ning Rongrong suddenly asked, "Just now... when you gave me that Spirit Bone, what were you thinking?"

Zhang Mo considered this and said, "I was thinking about whether you could use it."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Ning Rongrong was silent for a few seconds, then whispered, "You really are..."

Zhang Mo waited for her to finish, but she didn't.

After a while, she asked again, "That Life Bond, are you really not in a rush?"

Zhang Mo glanced at her. "Not in a rush."

"Why?"

Zhang Mo thought for a moment and said, "You're only twelve."

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then lowered her head.

After a few steps, she suddenly said, "I'm thirteen."

Zhang Mo didn't quite catch her meaning.

Ning Rongrong added, "According to the way they count in this world, I'm thirteen."

Zhang Mo looked at her, not understanding what she was trying to say.

Ning Rongrong's face flushed again under his gaze; she quickened her pace, walking ahead without looking back as she said:

"I'm just letting you know. I don't mean anything else by it."

Zhang Mo watched her retreating figure and suddenly chuckled.

He caught up with her in a few strides, walking right by her side.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long, one tall and one short, leaning against each other.

A car drove by in the distance, the sound of its horn drifting over from afar.

Ning Rongrong suddenly reached out and tugged at his sleeve.

Zhang Mo looked down at her.

She didn't look up, just held onto his sleeve and whispered:

"That Huyan Li... you fought him well."

Zhang Mo was stunned for a moment, then gave a hum of acknowledgment.

Ning Rongrong continued, "Next time someone else comes, fight them the same way."

Zhang Mo hummed again.

The two of them just kept walking like that.

The sun slowly sank, and the horizon turned a deep shade of purple.

Ning Rongrong, still holding his sleeve, suddenly said:

"Zhang Mo."

"Yeah?"

"In the future... don't go around giving your life away to others so easily."

Zhang Mo looked down at her.

She still didn't look up, but her voice sounded muffled:

"Your life... it's still useful."

Zhang Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"Alright."

Ning Rongrong didn't say anything else.

But her hand never let go.

By the time they returned to the studio, it was already dark.

As soon as she entered, Ning Rongrong collapsed onto the sofa, not wanting to move a muscle. Zhang Mo went to the kitchen to cook, quickly preparing two bowls of noodles. When he brought them out, he saw that Ning Rongrong had already fallen asleep.

He set the bowls down and looked at her.

She was curled up on the sofa, her brows slightly furrowed, her hand still clutching the token at her waist.

It was exactly the same as the first night.

Zhang Mo stood there for a while, then went to the inner room to get a blanket, gently draping it over her.

He returned to the coffee table, picked up his own bowl of noodles, and ate slowly.

After a few bites, he suddenly remembered something and pulled the golden spirit bone from his pocket.

Strength Boost Right Arm Bone.

He looked at it in his hand for a moment before putting it back into his pocket.

The system's voice suddenly rang out:

[Detected that the host possesses an absorbable spirit bone. Absorb?]

Zhang Mo paused, then asked internally: What happens after absorption?

[Upon absorption, the host will gain all attributes and skills of this spirit bone. Simultaneously, the right arm will be reinforced by the spirit bone, and strength will be permanently increased.]

Zhang Mo thought for a moment, then asked: Are there any side effects?

[No side effects. However, a spirit bone can only be absorbed by one person and cannot be transferred once absorbed.]

Zhang Mo glanced at the sleeping Ning Rongrong on the sofa and said internally:

Not yet.

[Confirm?]

Confirm.

The system fell silent.

Zhang Mo continued eating his noodles.

The clamor of the night market drifted in from outside the window, and the neon lights in the distance flickered.

He finished his noodles, washed the bowl, and then lay back down on the sofa.

His right eye began to sting again.

A purple light screen popped up:

[Detection: The second "Crisis Summon" has been completed.]

[The next "Crisis Summon" will trigger in 7 days.]

[Target Information: Unknown.]

[Please prepare yourself, Host.]

Zhang Mo stared at the lines of text, remaining silent for a few seconds.

Seven days.

Another one.

He turned his head to glance at the closed door of the inner room.

Inside, Ning Rongrong was sleeping soundly.

He closed his eyes and counted silently in his heart.

Seven days.

Seven more days.