This Is My Final Skill

Li Qing focused his mind, trying to ignore the squirming flesh sounds by his ears:

That's right, it really is a car.

Judging by the sound, it seems to be a pretty large bus!

He instantly regained his energy:

The bus was steadily approaching, and in less than three seconds, it would enter the three-hundred-meter range of his Sonically Enhanced Wave.

Where there's a bus, there must be a driver and passengers. All of them could become targets for his Sonically Enhanced Wave's lock-on.

Li Qing hadn't been idle during the six to seven hours he spent at sea. He had already thoroughly understood the specific effects of his skills through various methods:

Whether it was Echoes Act or Golden Bell Shield—

Any movement ability in the game that could "pass through terrain" would gain a special and bizarre ability when translated into his current real-world situation—

During the movement process, he could ignore the obstruction of all objects.

The moment he entered the movement state, Li Qing's body had already "phased out."

It was as if he had mastered some profound wall-piercing technique. He would charge in the most concise, rigid straight line towards his movement target, passing through everything obstructing his path, including humans.

Although the enemy's attacks could still deal damage to his health during this process, both fists and bullets could only pass through his body as if penetrating air, unable to hit his physical form at all.

This meant—

"As long as I can hit a passenger on that bus with Sonically Enhanced Wave, I can use Echoes Act's 'phased state' to directly penetrate this chunk of flesh!"

"No matter how strong it is, it won't be able to restrain my 'phased out' body anymore!"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Li Qing's ashen pupils, as if he had regained his sight at that very moment.

He concentrated, using his exceptional hearing to lock onto the bus's location, but he immediately discovered a fatal problem:

The "emitter" for Sonically Enhanced Wave was his right fist. To use Sonically Enhanced Wave, he naturally had to first point his fist at the target he wanted to hit.

And that bus was currently behind him, about three to four hundred meters away.

But Li Qing couldn't turn around.

The nauseating chunk of flesh had him bound tightly at the waist, legs, and shoulders, preventing him from even turning his body.

Li Qing was now like a prisoner nailed to a cross, unable to move under the entanglement of the flesh.

"Damn it..."

He gritted his teeth, trying with all his might to extend his fist behind him.

But the chunk of flesh, whether it had detected Li Qing's intent to escape or was acting on instinct to restrain its prey—

It clung tightly to Li Qing's shoulders and elbows with its constantly wriggling, disgusting body, making it impossible for him to move his fist, not even an inch.

"Get... get off me!"

Li Qing roared in anger, attempting to break free from the flesh's restraint with an overloaded burst of brute force.

But the deathly shackle formed by tumors and tentacles remained completely still.

It applied increasing force to Li Qing, and an ordinary person would likely have their bones shattered and limbs broken in such a terrifying struggle.

And Li Qing's "invincible" digitized body, while saving him from the pain of broken bones, couldn't save him from the despair of waiting to die alive within the disgusting flesh.

"No..."

"I can't do it at all!"

The hope that had just arisen was extinguished silently:

"That bus will drive out of my skill range in a few seconds, and my health can only last for another 6 seconds at most."

"And I..."

"I can't even turn around to cast a skill!"

Li Qing tightly pursed his lips, and a wave of regret suddenly surged uncontrollably in his heart:

If...

If I hadn't deliberately let Andrew escape just now, but had forced him to stay in this dangerous place with me...

Then, I would now have a 'teammate,' a teammate who could serve as a 'friendly target' for me to cast Golden Bell Shield on.

Golden Bell Shield was also a movement skill, and it could also allow him to escape his current predicament.

Unfortunately, the only friendly target he could currently cast Golden Bell Shield on was the one he had foolishly driven away himself.

Stupid, so stupid!

I actually sacrificed my own life because of a meaningless act of pity towards an NPC.

This is truly...

"A disgrace!!"

"I, who blame my failure on the lack of 'teammate' assistance..."

"Am a complete and utter disgrace!"

Between the boundaries of life and death, the dimming pupils of Li Qing suddenly ignited with a raging fire:

"I am The Player."

"I am the most special existence in this game world!"

"You always brag about liking challenges and considering yourself the highest-level player."

"If I have to drag a useless fatso into danger just to win, then I might as well die, being such a weak and cowardly me!"

Li Qing gritted his teeth, a resolve flashing through his mind:

"Realization, huh?"

"If even that newbie NPC Amor can do it, why can't I dare to do it!"

"The so-called realization"

"Is to personally carve out a path forward in the dark wilderness!"

Feeling the surging, passionate blood within him, he unhesitatingly executed a maneuver he had never dared to attempt before:

"Digitization Mode—"

"Deactivate!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the white haze in his eyes instantly dissipated, and his digitized body reverted to its normal flesh and blood.

Li Qing had already tested this: from deactivating digitization to re-entering it, there was an approximately one-second 'loading' time in between.

During this brief interval, he could only endure pain with his physical body.

Just like now:

The twisted flesh mass clinging to him, as if sensing blood like a shark, began to gnaw ferociously at his body.

Skin tore, blood gushed out.

Flesh and blood were devoured bite by bite, and his bones emitted crisp cracking sounds under the pressure of the flesh mass.

"Agh!!"

Li Qing inevitably let out a pained cry.

Having always fought using Digitization Mode, this was his first time experiencing such hellish agony in combat.

Moreover, the horror of watching his own body being gnawed, torn, and devoured by the monster was so shocking and unbearable.

But this was exactly what Li Qing wanted:

He wanted his body to be damaged.

Because his digitized body was indestructible; even if it tore or deformed under immense external force, it would instantly heal the moment it was damaged.

Therefore, no matter how hard he tried, his arm would not bend from being unable to withstand the force.

Only in his physical state, in his fragile physical state, could he make his arm break completely—

Break at an angle that a normal arm could never reach.

"Now!"

Based on his prior perception, Li Qing had roughly predicted the time when the bus in the distance would pass through the range of his Sonically Enhanced Wave attack.

Enduring the pain of being gnawed by the flesh mass, he exerted all his strength and violently stretched his arm backward.

At this moment, his elbow joint had already been half-devoured by the monstrous flesh.

The fragile and broken joint could no longer support the force of Li Qing's arm struggling against the flesh mass's tentacles. Under this immense force, it immediately deformed and bent.

And so.

Li Qing's right forearm twisted at a 270-degree angle. Without him being able to turn around, and with his elbow joint firmly controlled by the flesh mass, his fist was aimed in the direction the bus was passing behind him!

"Digitization Mode, activate!"

He instantly activated Digitization Mode, shutting out all pain.

Digitization Mode would restore his damaged body to an intact state immediately, but this recovery process required a brief moment.

And during this brief moment, his right arm remained in its broken, 270-degree bent state.

That blood-stained fist was steadily pointed behind Li Qing, aimed at the bus passing by about 300 meters away.

"Please..."

"Please hit."

"This is my last skill—"

Li Qing gritted his teeth tightly, letting out a roar that contained all his hope:

"Sonically Enhanced Wave!"