"Really...you...you really want to give this Immortal Crystal Heart to...to Emily."
Zhuihun could hardly believe his ears. Upon hearing this, his old face immediately turned into a withered old chrysanthemum, his facial muscles twitching and causing all the wrinkles on his face to bunch up.
It wasn't that Zhuihun didn't trust Zhou Ziwei, but rather that... this Immortal Crystal Heart was simply too precious, especially for a Spirit Warrior... it was a treasure that was priceless, and even one person using it would find it insufficient, so who would be willing to give it away for free?
Zhuihun made such a bold statement before, so now he has no reason to go back on his word. If he can't even get over his own conscience, why would he go back on his word and make things difficult for himself?
Seeing the distrustful look on Zhuihun's face, Zhou Ziwei felt a wave of frustration. He thought to himself... Is it only Zhuihun who is allowed to keep his word, but I can't even be a little generous? Hmm... It seems that Emily is actually my apprentice, and I even personally gave her life, so... I left this good thing to someone I created. This... shouldn't be anything great, right?
Zhou Ziwei felt a pang of shame and quickly stuffed the largest Immortal Crystal into Zhuihun's hand, saying, "Keep this one with you for now! After we go out and see her, you can give it to her yourself."
Seeing this, Zhuihun quickly waved his hand and said, "No... I don't care if you want to give this good thing to Emily, but... this is yours, and if you're going to give it away, you should give it away yourself! Now you're handing it to me and asking me to pass it on to Emily, what kind of nonsense is that!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei smiled wryly and pointed to his nose, saying helplessly, "I would like to personally hand over the Immortal Crystal to Emily, but... my appearance has changed so much that I'm afraid Emily won't recognize me at all. If that happens... and I, who look like a complete stranger, offer her a gift right away, Emily will think I'm pursuing her!"
“That’s true…” Zhuihun nodded upon hearing this, seemingly agreeing with Zhou Ziwei’s statement. Then, the old man’s expression changed again, and he warned, “I’ve noticed that you’ve been incredibly nice to my precious daughter lately. Could it be that you… you’ve been harboring some kind of evil intention all along? I hope you don’t let me find out, otherwise I don’t care if we have any agreements. If you dare to lay a finger on my precious daughter, I’ll castrate you first and then we can talk about anything else.”
"No way... Since Lord Zhuihun says so, then I... I'll just keep this Immortal Crystal Heart for now!" Seeing how Zhuihun was protecting his precious daughter while looking down on his character, Zhou Ziwei was furious. He turned around and left, wanting to avoid seeing her and getting annoyed.
"Hey...hey, don't go...don't be angry!"
When Zhuihun saw that Zhou Ziwei's expression was off and that he had taken away the Immortal Crystal, he was both shocked and ashamed.
He quickly stepped forward to block the road and said, "I'm sorry... I'm just a blunt person, I'm really... sorry!"
Seeing Zhou Ziwei's cold face and lack of response, he had no choice but to continue with a forced smile and said, "Besides, it's because I lost my daughter once that I realize how hard-won this reunion is, so... naturally I don't want my daughter to be schemed against by others like this... Also... although you're not very good-looking, you seem to have an aura that's extremely similar to mine... I'm just afraid that my Emily might have a little bit of an Oedipus complex, then... that would be a disaster."
Zhou Ziwei glared innocently at Zhuihun upon hearing this, thinking to himself... What... If Emily takes a liking to me, then I'm doomed? Am I not sunny enough? Poor me, being told by an old man that I have a similar temperament to him, what... what does this even mean...?
"Ugh... It's so stuffy here, it's like the air isn't circulating at all... Could we have been buried alive?" Zhou Ziwei finally realized the problem of the thin air, but due to his limited abilities, he didn't show any panic about it.
So what if the way out is blocked? This little thing might be difficult for others, but for Zhou Ziwei... it's like a blind man lighting a candle. Let alone such a small space dozens of meters underground, even if... Zhou Ziwei were to drill straight from this side of the earth to the other side, it wouldn't be impossible if he put in the effort!
"Yes, we have been buried alive."
Zhuihun shrugged indifferently, then gently patted the twelve black gold swords he had just retrieved, which had been transformed from the Hundred Transformations Sword. They then combined in mid-air to form the shape of a giant drill...
Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 645: The Wolf's Tail is Showing
Seeing that Zhuihun seemed eager to leave immediately, Zhou Ziwei quickly waved his hand and said, "Senior, wait a moment. You've probably forgotten the main purpose of our trip!"
"Main purpose?" Zhuihun was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then gently patted his forehead and said in realization, "Ah...right, we haven't rescued anyone yet...but...are you sure those people are in this damned place?"
Zhou Ziwei nodded and said, "I'm sure they're not far ahead. Let's hurry over! If we're too late, these ordinary people won't be able to withstand this suffocating feeling."
Upon hearing this, Zhuihun naturally understood the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, he immediately followed Zhou Ziwei down the underground path for nearly a hundred meters, finally discovering a very sturdy underground cell.
Zhuihun used his Hundred Transformations ability to forcefully break open the large stone door of the cell. Inside, he saw a dozen or so men, women, and children lying in a row. However, since the air conditioning had been turned off, there was no air circulation, making the breathing environment inside the cell much worse than outside. These people were now in shock and were even in danger of dying. If they couldn't leave quickly, the first person would probably start dying soon.
"Damn it, we have to get out of here right now." Seeing this, Soul Chaser shook his head and said, "But there are too many of them. My magical artifact, the Hundred Transformations, is large enough, but it can't carry this many people at once. How about... you help me take a few?"
Zhuihun seemed to think it was his own fault for not being able to rescue everyone here at once. He scratched his head in shame and then tried to discuss it with Zhou Ziwei.
Although he hadn't seen Zhou Ziwei's "divine weapon" transform into any combat weapon other than an alloy sword, he guessed that Zhou Ziwei's divine weapon could transform at will, unlike his ever-changing weapon... which could only change into a hundred different forms at most.
If the Soul Chaser's magical artifact can be described as ever-changing... then Zhou Ziwei's divine artifact can be called infinitely versatile.
Zhou Ziwei understood what Zhuihun meant, and without holding back, he immediately waved his hand, and suddenly streaks of bright silver light appeared out of thin air. Then these silver lights combined on their own, and in the blink of an eye, countless silver lights condensed together, finally forming a strange object that looked like a pencil.
This cylindrical, pointed object is a special tool Zhou Ziwei invented to transport multiple people underground. However, the two halves that make up the cylinder have not yet been joined together because the people lying on the ground in a state of shock have not been put inside yet... Originally, Zhou Ziwei preferred to use the earth energy from natural energy sources to move the entire cell to the surface.
However, the amount of attribute-free energy stored in his body had almost been exhausted before he was injured, when the last fire that spontaneously combusted within him burned. During this time, he had no opportunity to absorb external energy to replenish it, so there was very little natural energy available for him to use. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei had no choice but to use the alloy suit to release a huge container.
When Zhuihun saw Zhou Ziwei create such a large magical artifact that could fit more than ten people inside, he was so shocked that he was speechless. He could only nod in admiration and had nothing else to say.
Look at this... this is a truly magical artifact capable of endless transformations! He can conjure up any shape he wants with a wave of his hand... Ah... of course, calling this behemoth, large enough to hold more than ten people, a "small artifact" seems a bit far-fetched. However, just by looking at how Zhou Ziwei's artifact-clad robe remained unchanged after creating such a colossal object, Zhuihun knew... this enormous thing might truly just be a small artifact to Zhou Ziwei...
"Come on, let me help you put them in..." When Zhuihun saw that Zhou Ziwei had made such a big magical artifact, he knew that he wouldn't have to share the burden of carrying half the people. He immediately felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly stepped forward, picking up one person in each hand and about to throw them into the hollow of the cylindrical magical artifact.
"Wait a minute..." Zhou Ziwei immediately reached out to stop them, smiled, and said, "I don't think they're in good condition right now... I'm afraid if they keep struggling, some of them might not be able to make it back to the surface... Please wait a moment, let me first infuse some life force into each of them so they can save their lives, and then we'll talk about other things."
Zhuihun thought about it and realized it made sense. These dozen or so people were all ordinary people with poor physical condition. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be a big deal to let them stay in this small, cylindrical spiritual artifact for a while and then crawl to the surface. But now... several of them were already in critical condition and on the verge of death. If they were just left to fend for themselves in the tube... it was estimated that few of them would survive when they reached the surface.
Zhuihun didn't waste any words and released the people back. He would help move them later after Zhou Ziwei had helped them recover.
Although Zhuihun is very strong, he only knows how to kill people. As for something as complicated as saving people, Zhuihun is quite an amateur.
Fortunately, Zhou Ziwei didn't waste much time. He simply patted each person's forehead lightly and then signaled to Zhuihun that he could move the person away. His relaxed manner made Zhuihun feel that rescuing people was actually quite simple. However, there was one person who suddenly piqued Zhou Ziwei's interest. He spent almost two minutes on that person before finally managing to get rid of him.
Seeing this, Zhuihun couldn't help but feel puzzled. After a careful comparison, he indeed discovered that... the girl who had been tormented by Zhou Ziwei for more than two minutes was the most beautiful one among the group of more than a dozen people.
He really is a lustful man...
Seeing this, Zhuihun glared at Zhou Ziwei with disdain, while secretly reminding himself that he would have to keep a closer eye on his daughter in the future. In short, he would not allow his daughter to have any opportunity to be alone with this lecher, lest the boy take the opportunity to harm his precious daughter. Speaking of which... this boy seems to have a good way with women, and he would have to find a way to ruin it.
While Zhuihun was lost in thought, Zhou Ziwei had already acted swiftly and decisively, infusing the remaining two people with life in one breath. Then, seeing Zhuihun staring blankly at him, Zhou Ziwei stopped bothering with Zhuihun and threw the two people into the cylindrical spiritual artifact, one in each hand.
With a soft "creak," once everyone had been inside, the two halves of the tube immediately closed together perfectly.
Zhou Ziwei finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Zhuihun beside him, saying, "That was close... Luckily, I had the foresight to do something. While I was infusing these people with life force, I gave them a quick and simple check. Sure enough... that guy you mentioned who was so scared that he threw away his skeletal body and turned into red mist to escape into the ground was hiding inside that little girl's body. Hmph... But he's unlucky. Now he has no chance to escape anymore. I sealed him completely into that little girl's soul. Now he can't leave even if he wants to. He can only sleep inside that little girl's body for the time being. Ah... Hahaha..."
Upon hearing this, Zhuihun's eyes widened instantly. After a long while, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "Oh, I see... Hehe... I'm so sorry, I thought you were still lustful, and when you saw that the girl was pretty, you... you know... took advantage of her..."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei felt a wave of dizziness. He glared at Zhuihun and said, "What kind of eyes do you have... Even if I were to take advantage of someone, I should be touching that girl's body! How can I keep touching her head and taking advantage of her? I think... maybe you have some kind of unhealthy mindset, that's why you always have such unhealthy thoughts?"
Zhuihun chuckled awkwardly and said, "Ah... that... of course not, hehe... misunderstanding, it's all just a misunderstanding. Oh dear... what are you going to do with this ghost? Hmm... we can't just let it sleep inside that little girl's body forever! Why don't you just release it here? Anyway, my strength has almost recovered, and with just one sword strike... one strike I guarantee I can annihilate this little ghost instantly."
"No... I know your swordsmanship is formidable, but... I won't trouble you this time. I still have a great use for this ghost. Once we return to China, I'll find a way to deal with it and make sure it doesn't have a chance to cause trouble."
What a joke! The reason Zhou Ziwei didn't expose him beforehand, but instead used the opportunity of infusing these people with life force to seal the escaped fish inside the little girl's body, was because he had his eye on this guy. He planned to take him back to the country so that his clone could devour him. In that case, Zhou Ziwei's clone's strength would inevitably experience another great leap forward.
The two of them didn't dare to delay any longer. Zhuihun immediately led the way, charging forward with his ever-changing drill, while Zhou Ziwei piloted his pencil-tip-shaped cylinder... or you could think of it as a rocket in appearance.
Then the group broke free from the earth's shackles and flew out, breathing fresh air once again.
To be honest... this place had just been ravaged by a fire, and the air was filled with the smell of burning. It wasn't very fresh. But for those of them who had been buried underground for so long, being able to breathe freely was naturally very satisfying. Let alone breathing in the burnt smell, even if they came out and went straight to a public restroom, they would not hesitate to take a big breath and feel that the air was incredibly fresh.
"Boom!" Two people, along with a truckload of spoils, suddenly appeared on a patch of scorched earth. In just a few breaths, Zhou Ziwei heard a shrill alarm sound from above the military base, followed by the sight of fighter jets flying in from all directions.
"Listen up, you men! You are surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately, or you will be killed without mercy."
Hearing the formulaic warning from the plane above, Zhuihun rolled his eyes helplessly and said, "What a bunch of idiots... Do they really think they can keep us here? They don't even know what death means... Sigh... I feel sorry for them!"
Those below, listen: "You have only one minute to consider... If you don't surrender, we will immediately launch the most severe attack. This place is already locked on by at least a hundred small nuclear bombs. If you make any move, all one hundred-plus small nuclear bombs will attack immediately. Moreover... even underground, we have already sealed it off. If you dare to go underground again, you will be instantly blown to ashes. Now you only have one choice... Surrender, or perish!"
"What... more than a hundred small nuclear bombs." Upon hearing this, Zhuihun's old face immediately turned ashen.
Soul Chaser was a weapons enthusiast who paid close attention to the latest technology and weapons research in the United States. Therefore, he naturally understood what those more than one hundred small nuclear bombs meant. They were a relatively advanced and powerful weapon of mass destruction in the world at that time.
Although the destructive power of small nuclear bombs is not as great as that of real nuclear bombs, the explosive force alone is not much different. However, these small nuclear bombs are weakened and lose their radiation effect, which is a small contribution to human environmental protection. They prevent a single nuclear bomb from causing barren land for hundreds of miles for ten years.
Even weakened small nuclear bombs, if numerous enough, are just as terrifying... even more terrifying than one or two real nuclear bombs... There are over a hundred small nuclear bombs... Over a hundred of them thrown... even a mountain of gold piled up here would probably be melted, let alone humans made of flesh and blood. And if they had laid an ambush deep underground beforehand... then they would truly have nowhere to escape.
If they had known this would happen, they wouldn't have just broken through the ground and crawled out from here. Who knew that as soon as they came out, there would be more than a hundred small nuclear bombs waiting for them here... If they had known this would happen, they would have put in more effort and quietly crawled underground for more than ten kilometers before surfacing. Wouldn't everything have been fine then? It seems that although these guys sealed off this place, Zhou Ziwei and his group's underground traversing ability is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
Of course... if they really traveled dozens of kilometers underground before coming out... Zhuihun and Zhou Ziwei would definitely be fine, but... the dozen or so people trapped in the pencil-shaped tube would probably not survive at all. The air was already very thin underground, and the lack of oxygen was extremely severe. If Zhou Ziwei had kept them trapped in that tube for so long... they would definitely have died.
It's too late to regret it now; solving the problem is the key.
So Zhuihun immediately turned to Zhou Ziwei, his face contorted with worry, and said, "What do we do now? I know your artifact has incredible defensive capabilities. I doubt that even if a hundred or so small nuclear bombs were to fly over, they would be able to kill you. How about... I stay here and distract them while you try to break through?"
Zhou Ziwei was stunned upon hearing this, finding it hard to believe his ears. He said, "You're attracting their attention here, so...you're doomed...how could you..."
"Are you trying to ask me how I can be so great?"
Hearing this, Zhuihun gave a bitter laugh and said, "I don't want to die either... but... in this situation, I know I have absolutely no hope of surviving. And if I were to surrender... that's even more impossible. Over the years, I've killed quite a few government officials, and there are countless people who hate me. If I really fall into their hands, what good will I get? Unless I'm willing to abandon my principles and become their henchman for anything... hehe... I, Zhuihun, am the number one assassin among the world's top ten assassins, the King of Assassins... Zhuihun only dies standing, never lives kneeling. I... can't become their prisoner. And since I'm doomed anyway, why not just grant you your wish... at least you're my daughter's mentor, aren't you... we're not exactly strangers anymore. And if you get out alive, remembering what I've done for you, I doubt you'll mistreat my daughter Emily, right?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei shamelessly touched his nose and said, "So you're saying you're entrusting your daughter's future to me, is that it?"
"My daughter's life?" Zhuihun was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then flew into a rage and raised his hand to slap Zhou Ziwei.
"You pervert, you've finally shown your true colors, haven't you? I knew you weren't a good person, you've been eyeing my precious daughter all along."
Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 646: Devastating Disaster
Seeing that Zhuihun seemed genuinely angry, Zhou Ziwei decided it was best not to joke with him anymore. He quickly dodged Zhuihun's slap, shook his head, and said, "Don't be angry... Actually, I've always treated Emily like my own daughter. It's not wrong for you to entrust your daughter's future to me... Can't I be Emily's father in your place?"
"You...be Emily's dad, haha...what a joke, a little brat like you, and you want to..."
Upon hearing this, Zhuihun burst into laughter. Due to his habitual thinking, he was still used to recording Zhou Ziwei as a five or six-year-old kid. However, he then realized that the precocious little guy now seemed to have grown into an adult and was no longer the little kid he used to be.
However… even Zhou Ziwei looks like a young man in his early twenties now, but Emily… if you calculate based on her birth date in her previous life… she is already over forty years old now, so Zhou Ziwei's claim of wanting to be her father is still just a joke.
However, Zhuihun had no idea that this Emily was not his daughter who died many years ago, but a new soul created out of thin air by Zhou Ziwei using a full 600,000 units of soul power. It was just that the moment this soul was created, Zhou Ziwei forcibly stuffed the soul memories of Zhuihun's deceased daughter into this blank soul.
So... fundamentally speaking, the current Emily's mental age isn't even a year old yet, and she was created entirely by Zhou Ziwei. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei is more than qualified to be Emily's father...
While the two were joking around, the one-minute time limit given by the person above had expired. Then, the person's voice came from the air again: "The time is up now, gentlemen. Please give me a definite answer immediately. Whether I live or die is entirely up to you."
Upon hearing this, Zhuihun's expression immediately changed. He then whispered to Zhou Ziwei, "I will fly up in a moment and attack those fighter jets in the air with all my might. And you... after my Hundred Transformations attack, immediately escape underground as quickly as possible... I believe in you... even if they really have some small nuclear bombs underground, they might not be able to kill you. This is the only chance. You must seize the opportunity and leave immediately when I make my move. Don't hesitate, understand? After you escape, you will still have a chance to avenge me in the future. But if we both perish here, then... we will never have another chance."
After saying this, Zhuihun stood tall and proud, and the ever-changing magical artifacts on his body began to surge with spiritual energy, about to transform into various small magical weapons to attack... Meanwhile, hundreds of fighter jets in the sky were also fully prepared for battle, and it was clear that a great battle was about to break out...
But at that moment, Zhou Ziwei suddenly grabbed Zhuihun, then laughed and abruptly looked up at the sky, using the little remaining attribute-less energy in his body to convert into sound wave energy, perfectly amplifying his voice. Even people a hundred kilometers away could hear his voice clearly.
Sound wave energy... This is a new type of natural energy that Zhou Ziwei has recently mastered.
This was mainly because during the battle at the dock last time, I encountered a few members of the mechanical and biological special forces. After taking a sonic attack from them, I gained some insights and, after a period of reflection and practice, I was able to initially grasp some of their techniques.
However, Zhou Ziwei's current mastery of sonic energy is only superficial. He can use this sonic energy to transmit his voice over a hundred miles away. However, this simple sound transmission is not too difficult. After mastering the mysteries of sonic energy, Zhou Ziwei can easily do this. But to use this sonic energy to form an effective attack method... that is not so easy.
"Hahaha..." Zhou Ziwei first laughed wildly, then snorted coldly and said, "Is this the kind of despicable and vile means your M country government uses to deal with its friends? Hmph... more than a hundred small nuclear bombs... quite a grand gesture indeed. Do you think you can eliminate all discordant voices with such brutal methods?"
Zhou Ziwei spoke casually, but the white-haired general who was monitoring the situation from the plane was trembling violently... You should know that although the plane he was on was very advanced and had a very sophisticated soundproofing system, the noise during flight was still quite considerable.
Furthermore... the aircraft's soundproofing system is even more advanced. Logically speaking... even if it's thundering and raining outside, he shouldn't be able to hear a single sound while sitting in this aircraft.
But this time... Zhou Ziwei's laughter seemed to be right in front of him. Although there was a distance of nearly a thousand meters between them, as well as the soundproofing device on the plane and the noise from a flight squadron flying here at the same time, it could not make the sound fade away at all. He could hear it clearly. How could the white-haired old general not be horrified?
This... how is that possible?
The white-haired general's expression turned extremely strange. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he abruptly beckoned to an assistant beside him and said urgently, "Quick... Kelly Mogi, use the internal communication system to ask our people... whether they can hear this person's voice within the city of Huaston?"
The assistant, a beautiful female officer, smiled and her large, beautiful eyes crinkled at the words. "Yes... General," she said, "but... how could that be...? It's over a hundred kilometers from here to Waston City. Even if that young man down there has a loud voice, how could it possibly carry his voice all the way over there..."
"Enough with the nonsense." The white-haired general was always kind to his female assistant, but today he was genuinely annoyed. He slapped his thigh hard and roared, "I told you to ask, so go ask now! If you keep babbling on here, I'll send you to a military court right now."
Upon hearing this, Kelly Mogi's face turned quite ugly. However, she also knew that although this old general seemed to have a good temper, once someone really angered him, then... he would definitely make you wish you were dead... even her, the charming female assistant who was known as the most beautiful woman in the army, was no exception. If she didn't want to die, she had better go along with the general.
Even though she still found the old general's idea somewhat absurd, she was very good at reading people's expressions. As soon as she saw the old general's serious demeanor, she knew that this matter could not be taken lightly. She immediately responded with a solemn "Yes," and then activated the military's internal communication system to contact the communications battalion of the garrison in Watson City. Her previously somewhat long and indifferent expression suddenly froze.