Chapter 85: Holding Power
As Shi Xiaobai was weighing the possibility of his fists being able to shatter the steel-like black cocoon, the three-man team had begun taking action. Although they had never encountered the virus black cocoon before, they were acutely aware of the Church of Virtuality’s infamy. The cult was filled with madmen who treated the human world as a virtual world. This group of madmen reduced life to cold numbers, represented killing as a daily quest used to level themselves up. As they were inhumane with no desires or fear, they had no weaknesses at all.
Compared to the other two terrorist organizations which had clear objectives and desires, the Church of Virtuality posed the greatest destructive threat to the human world. The parishioners who were brainwashed by the Bishop of Virtuality would follow every order. They would ignore all emotions and were collectively a group of controlled powerful zombies.
If WindWithoutTrace was completely brainwashed, what awaited him was just ice-cold death—being nipped in the bud by righteous organizations.
This had to be prohibited!
“Da Da Da…”
GunfireInTheWorld raised his machine gun and aimed at the black cocoon. He had few bullets left, but at this moment, he was not stingy with any of his bullets!
“Peng! Peng! Peng! ……”
Scalding hot bullets violently bombarded the shimmering steel cocoon’s surface. As bullet after bullet pounded furiously on the unyielding darkness, the projectiles shattered and fell to the ground, giving off fiery sparks in the process. Black smoke began to billow as it lingered around the black cocoon.
Only when the last bullet was shot out and the lingering black smoke dissipated from the black cocoon’s surface did people realize that the black cocoon’s surface was as smooth as before despite GunfireInTheWorld’s intense shelling. There was not a single crack or depression!
“F*ck!”
GunfireInTheWorld cursed angrily under his breath as he threw his heavy-duty machine gun to the ground!
“Peng…Peng…Peng”
Despite GunfireInTheWorld having finished spraying his bullets, the sound of bullets striking the black cocoon’s surface did not come to an end. ThatTenderOneShot’s bullets were also working hard at it.
At this point in time, ThatTenderOneShot could no longer bother to hide his location. He jumped down from the tree and quickly closed the distance. Shot after shot, he aimed at the same target. The bullets that streaked out from his barrel hit the same spot on the black cocoon’s surface under his precise control.
However, a despairing reality was starkly revealed. Not a single mark was left behind on the black cocoon’s surface.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
To the side of the black cocoon, the harsh collision sounds of metal hitting metal constantly resonated.
DualBladesToTraverseTheWorld was waving both his arms as two sharp blades slashed down again and again at the bottomless and impenetrable darkness.
A rare tint of redness appeared in the usually calm DualBladesToTraverseTheWorld’s eyes. His breathing became irregular as he constantly jumped, waving his arms and brandishing his blades. Despite repeating his untiring efforts, his blade failed to leave the slightest scratch on the black cocoon’s surface!
“Peng!”
Suddenly, but completely within reason, the short blade in DualBladesToTraverseTheWorld’s right hand broke!
DualBladesToTraverseTheWorld was surprised by this, but he clenching his teeth in determination, he abandoned his broken blade. As he held the remaining short blade with both hands, he angrily slashed at the black cocoon once again!
The competition was just a virtual game, but what WindWithoutTrace was facing was a tragedy of the cruelest reality. The three-man team had given up their obsession with victory, foregoing any conflicts they previously had with WindWithoutTrace. They wanted to save WindWithoutTrace!
Even though they lacked the strength to save him, they still persisted on. It was not to hypocritically proclaim that they had risked their lives to save a person, but to honestly tell everyone that they had done their best to stop this black cocoon, an impenetrable darkness and an incoming tragedy!
DualBladesToTraverseTheWorld angrily brandished his blade as he slashed at the black cocoon while ThatTenderOneShot continued cursing while constantly pulling the trigger.
Without a weapon, GunfireInTheWorld could only watch helplessly. Suddenly, he turned to look at Shi Xiaobai who stayed rooted in his spot. An irrepressible anger suddenly arose in him!
The lowly them were delivering their lowly efforts.
But the powerful him was just watching idly by the side?
“Why aren’t you doing anything?”
GunfireInTheWorld angrily shouted in Shi Xiaobai’s direction!
…
“Why…isn’t contestant DogLeading doing a thing. If this keeps up…”
In the commentator stands, Sweets spoke before stopping mid-sentence. In fact, the audience in the viewing hall had already raised a ruckus. The three-man team’s humble efforts and Shi Xiaobai’s standing by the sidelines formed a stark contrast. It forced them to question Shi Xiaobai’s inaction.
Biscuit sighed and said, “Have all of you forgotten? Contestant DogLeading is only at the third level of the Psionic Mortal Realm. He might have been abandoning his Psionic Ability cultivation in exchange for cultivating Crab Steps. His offensive strength might even be inferior to a normal person at the third level of the Psionic Mortal Realm. He is not doing a thing because he himself knows it would not amount to anything.”
Sweets was stunned and figured it out too. A mighty figure that had cultivated Crab Steps to the Exemplary Mastery realm but remained only at the third level of the Psionic Mortal Realm was clearly an instance of attending to one thing and losing sight of the other. IChooseDogLeading’s attacks were definitely inferior to his evasion. It was even very possible that it was not even up to mark, so it was impossible for him to shatter the virus black cocoon.
But, was everything doomed to despair?
Sweets could not help but ask, “If there is no way to shatter the virus black cocoon…what will happen to contestant WindWithoutTrace?”
Biscuit remained silent for a moment before he struggled to say, “If contestant WindWithoutTrace is completely brainwashed and becomes a parishioner of the Church of Virtuality, then the inquisitors will immediately isolate him, preventing any further deeper contact with the Bishop of Virtuality. He will be nipped in the bud or even…”
Once he was fully inculcated of those beliefs of the Church of Virtuality, he would become a murderous terrorist. Like a virus, he would be isolated by inquisitors to discipline and reform him, but most parishioners of the Church of Virtuality usually ended up being directly killed.
Sweets immediately found it hard to breathe. To watch a life, despite it being somewhat ugly on the inside and outside, walking towards the ends of darkness, one would naturally feel a sense of sadness for the loss of one’s kind.
The audience in the viewing hall were all silent. Not long ago, they were still finding it surprising and amusing with WindWithoutTrace’s absurd behavior. Now, they were all silently praying for WindWithoutTrace. People in this era faced all sorts of hidden dangers. Even while hiding in the virtual world, a true nightmare still existed. And this nightmare was a public enemy of humanity.
But at this moment, who could save WindWithoutTrace, shattering this hateful nightmare?
…
Nightmares could be shattered but the reality made the cruelty even more vivid.
GunfireInTheWorld found it impossible to understand why Shi Xiaobai was frozen still.
“Why aren’t you doing anything?” GunfireInTheWorld angrily shouted at Shi Xiaobai, “Does the powerful you lack the slightest bit of compassion?”
“WindWithoutTrace might have a grudge with you, but is there a need to turn a blind eye?”
“Can you watch unfeelingly as WindWithoutTrace becomes a parishioner of the Church of Virtuality, becoming a crazy terrorist?”
“…”
The helpless often took it out on bystanders that did not lend a helping hand. From GunfireInTheWorld’s point of view, Shi Xiaobai’s act of standing idle was extremely despicable. It made him feel anger and shame.
Shi Xiaobai, who had been criticized, had his head down all this while. His eyebrows were knitted tightly, as though he was thinking of something, hesitating or even in a struggle.
Suddenly, as though he was moved by a sentence, Shi Xiaobai abruptly raised his head at GunfireInTheWorld.
GunfireInTheWorld was stunned as he swallowed the words that he was about to bellow out.
What…what sort of eyes were those?
Why…why did he have such a gaze?
Suddenly, a soft but firm voice resounded, waking GunfireInTheWorld up from his trance.
“This King will save him…before he becomes a terrorist.”
After Shi Xiaobai said that, he turned to walk towards the black cocoon.
GunfireInTheWorld froze in his spot.
Those eyes…seemed to hide an emotion that caused trepidation in one’s heart. It was hard to guess what the emotion was, and it was not something that could be empathized, but he could feel the upheaval the emotion in his eyes gave.
This guy…this guy that calls himself “This King”…was not simple.
As GunfireInTheWorld watched Shi Xiaobai’s back, his expression softened.
The audience gradually turned silent as they noticed Shi Xiaobai approaching the black cocoon. Even though they understood that God DogLeading was a strange talent that specialized only in movement techniques after hearing Biscuit’s analysis, it did not mean they could understand why he was sitting on his hands.
Even if God DogLeading was only at the third level of the Psionic Mortal Realm, they still yearned for a miracle to happen.
Maybe God DogLeading was able to save WindWithoutTrace, shattering this nightmare?
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Shi Xiaobai came to the side of the black cocoon where DualBladesToTraverseTheWorld was standing.
He looked at DualBladesToTraverseTheWorld and asked, “Your blade, can This King borrow it?”
DualBladesToTraverseTheWorld was stunned as he handed the short knife in his hand hesitantly.
As Shi Xiaobai took over the short knife, he fell into startled state momentarily before he took a deep breath.
“Even This King is afraid of himself when This King uses a knife.”
As Shi Xiaobai held onto the knife’s handle, it was as though he held a power that could destroy everything.