Chapter 53 - Two Sides Of A Coin
Bang!
The floor cracked and the window panes were crushed by the shockwave caused by the collision between the Xuanyuan Sword and the two sharp blades of the evolved zombie.
Finally seeing the man who had dared to enter the female dormitory and who had killed who knew how many dangerous creatures to reach this place, the group of four friends was a bit surprised by the fact that he was actually a person two or three years younger than themselves.
However, the biggest surprise was when they saw that this young man actually had the strength to fight on equal footing against a monster so strange and horrifying as that zombie with blue skin and greenish eyes... No, in fact, from the expression on his face he seemed to have the upper hand.
Remembering that terrifying speed at which he crossed the gate and that horrifying strength that was powerful enough to slightly crack the ground without even touching it, Wu Yijun and her friends could not help but be amazed.
Of course, what the four girls felt the most was hope; hope to survive, hope to finally be released from this prison that was heaven but at the same time was hell for them.
But in fact, Bai Zemin had the upper hand in this battle... Almost to the point of overwhelming his enemy.
"Isn't this thing a bit weak?" While clashing swords against the evolved zombie, Bai Zemin couldn't help but whisper such words under his breath.
He hadn't paid attention to the four friends in a corner as although he currently had the advantage one slip up would be the end for him.
"It's not that that creature is weak, in fact, that zombie is very strong," Lilith replied lazily. "The problem here is you. After defeating the First Order Blazing Beetle you got a great boost of power... Besides, among the evolved existences there are also differences in power and type as well as a combat style."
Bai Zemin nodded before kicking the evolved zombie and making it almost fall out of the window. He had finally reached his target, now he just had to wait a moment there.
Of course, such a thing was not easy since the evolved zombie was constantly moving and with its Agility was giving Bai Zemin a headache.
"Besides, Bai Zemin..." Lilith's voice sounded again. "Your current condition... You are likely to suffer the consequences for manipulating the way your own body works."
"Wh-" Bai Zemin was about to ask what she meant by those words when suddenly his expression changed and he growled slightly.
A small trickle of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth, leaving him dumbfounded.
What is this all about...? The evolved zombie hadn't even been able to hit him once, how was he suddenly bleeding? Furthermore, his veins suddenly began to feel extremely hot as if instead of blood, burning lava was running inside it!
"I told you." Lilith frowned and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes. "You're currently close to creating an active skill thanks to your natural knowledge of human physiology and your Blood Manipulation skill, but apparently you're still missing something.,. You should stop manipulating the adrenaline rushing through your veins by controlling your blood or the pain will only get worse and you could get seriously hurt."
While adrenaline was mostly beneficial, this was so when it was flowing at normal speeds and the body could respond to such stimulation. Bai Zemin's body had been enhanced many times over after absorbing so much Soul Power, therefore, the "normal" speed at which his adrenaline naturally moved was also many times faster than a normal person... However, by manipulating his own blood, Bai Zemin had forced that speed to double.
Bai Zemin did not respond but his eyes glittered and a hint of resolve appeared in them.
If he stopped controlling his adrenaline now that he could through blood flow, then that adrenaline would soon disappear since the initial fright he felt had disappeared after beating up the evolved zombie. If the substance that enhanced his reflexes and reaction speed disappeared, Bai Zemin had no confidence in being able to stop the evolved zombie's attacks.
The speed of the evolved zombie was simply too high for the current Bai Zemin and if he could not defend himself from its attacks then his superior strength was useless.
Besides he had another motive... Bai Zemin secretly sighed inwardly as he looked sideways at Lilith.
Everything had consequences, and he was willing to suffer some of them to achieve his goals. Sometimes, life was like that; losses and gains being two sides of the same coin.
* * *
Meanwhile, in a building a few dozen meters away from the female dormitory.
Chen He and Shangguan Bing Xue were standing near a large broken window on the top floor of the building. Chen He was holding his bow with his left hand and had put on a pair of rubber gloves on his right hand to hold the icy stake that Shangguan Bing Xue had crafted; even though she was controlling the temperature it was possible to see that his hand was shivering slightly due to the coldness.
The carbon fiber cable attached to the ice stake was falling out of the window and a few meters away on the ground Liang Peng could be seen holding the other end of the cable with both hands.
The three of them were staring at the fourth floor windows of the female dormitory as although Bai Zemin had said he would lure the zombie to one of those windows it was impossible to tell which one it would be.
"Over there." Shangguan Bing Xue suddenly noticed something strange and raised her pristine hand to indicate the location to Chen He.
"Got it." Chen He nodded and quickly put the ice stake on his bow as he took a professional shooting stance that he had grown accustomed to and had perfected over the years.
Shangguan Bing Xue glanced at him for a moment before stepping forward and leaping out the window to prepare to fight. While she could attack from afar, the more distant her target was the longer she would need to control her ice creations in the air, and due to the fact that she had no telekinesis, she needed to expend astronomical amounts of Mana. Therefore, she had no choice but to get as close as possible.
Chen He's gaze wandered from the target for a moment and looked at Shangguan Bing Xue, who seemed to be floating in the air and hovering like an immortal ice fairy.
In the end, he shook his head and quickly focused.
"Don't move..."
He muttered as he narrowed his eyes. In his line of sight several meters away Chen He could make out the back of the strange blue-skinned zombie just as Ming Shui Shui had described. He could also see Bai Zemin's body flashing constantly, entangled in what appeared to be a tenacious fight where swords were constantly clashing.
"I got you." Chen He whispered again for no one in particular and his eyes flashed coldly before releasing his grip on the bowstring.
The ice stake had turned into an arrow that traveled at astonishingly high speeds and in a matter of a second or two it had already hit its target.