Chapter 55: [King Maomao], Returns!

"Baa, baa, baa..."

Walking alone through the desolate street, Yuan Zhu led the fully resurrected, infinitely energetic little goat forward. Suddenly, a dark red suit of armor covered in green, tomato-juice-like blood blocked his path ahead.

It gripped a long spear, holding it reversed with the tip pointing downward, where foul bone-marrow blood dripped rhythmically. A faint, dim light glowed from the eye-slits of its helmet, coldly staring at Yuan Zhu with a provocative posture ready to strike at any moment.

Clatter.

The sound of clashing iron chains echoed, and only then did Yuan Zhu notice that the waist of the dark red armor was connected to a familiar ring of chains. That was Zhou Chu's [Law].

"Hey, are you alright?"

True to expectation, the young lady's figure emerged from the darkness. Her breathing was slightly hurried, and the chain extending from her right red glove was connected to the dark red armor. It looked as if she were walking the armor knight in the dark night with a dog leash.

"I just caught up with Meng Xiyue and heard them say you chose to stay behind to cover the rear, so I specifically came to help you." She glanced at the black rope in Yuan Zhu's hand, shifted her gaze to the little goat, and then asked, "Where is Granny Yu?"

Yuan Zhu had no way to explain in detail how he had sent Granny Yu into the shadow world and entered a loading stage waiting for the return of the Yellow Springs.

Thus, he pointed at the red knight's armor, turned the tables, and asked, "The old grandmother has passed away peacefully. What is that?"

"A forbidden piece of equipment I restrained with my [Law]. Since you are safe now, let's leave Naye City together."

Acting with swift and decisive resolution, the young lady directed Yuan Zhu to run along with her, while using the chains to control the spearmen armor to charge at the very front. It brandished the sharp spear in its hand, slashing wildly in all directions and directly chopping the occasional scattered mad tomatoes and ghouls along the way into piles of fragments.

The dark red armored knight possessed supreme martial prowess and fierce offensive skills. The long spear in its hand was even imbued with a certain type of force-field damage, leaving the wounds of the chopped mad tomatoes and ghouls unable to heal for a long time, forcing them to wait in place for death.

This was simply a top-tier substitute fighter! A Record-Spirit version of a Stand User. He didn't need to lift a finger at all; this spearmen armor had resolved all troubles for her. It filled Yuan Zhu with burning envy and longing.

He wondered if his future ghoul would have such capability?

Yuan Zhu led the little goat and quickly caught up, asking out of curiosity, "Where were you before? How come I didn't see you?"

"When we left the temple, we were attacked by a group of temple-guarding red-headed monk-monsters. I stayed behind to hold them off, and Meng Xiyue and the others evacuated early. By the time I caught up, they were escorting the injured Lü Rang out of the city and informed me that they had been attacked by Granny Yu, asking me to come and pull you out."

Yuan Zhu understood: "Then you've really been working hard." A firefighter indeed; if she wasn't covering the rear here, she was rescuing someone over there. This young lady was a good person, beautiful and kind-hearted.

"I cannot stand by indifferently and watch ordinary people like you fall into danger; this is the self-binding law I set for myself. Unfortunately, I was still a step too late and failed to save Granny Yu." At this point, her mood dipped slightly.

Yuan Zhu consoled her: "Granny Yu was too old and originally unable to survive in such fierce combat. While the uniform brought her a glimmer of life, it was also the uniform's powerful function of absorbing life (foul blood) to sustain itself that trapped her in the vicious cycle of longevity-seeking health supplements, unable to extricate herself. Perishing because of this can be considered the natural order of things."

"Health supplements? What is that?" Zhou Chu keenly captured the unfamiliar term, and her intuition told her that this thing was problematic and worth investigating!

Yuan Zhu sighed: "Sigh, you wouldn't understand. That is the inescapable fate of all the elderly."

The two of them and the goat moved quickly, soon arriving near the city gate.

By this time, Meng Xiyue's team had long since passed through the checkpoint, leaving behind a ground littered with smashed ghouls and mad tomatoes near the gate, having cleared the roadblocks in advance.

Thus, the two of them broke out of the encirclement without any obstruction.

The moment he stepped out of Naye City, Yuan Zhu felt an inexplicable sense of relief. The psychological sense of oppression gradually dissipated completely.

Looking back, the boundless 'starry vine network' had completely covered the entire sky of the Naye Buddhist Kingdom, casting a faint starlight that enveloped and protected the city. That layer of psychological oppression was likely related to this 'light' shrouding the Buddhist kingdom.

After successfully breaking out of danger, the knight armor that had been leading the way and clearing paths all the way gradually vanished and dissolved into the air.

Zhou Chu's right-hand glove and chain also evaporated and dispersed accordingly. Only the young lady herself remained, looking neat, though her hair was dampened by sweat.

At this moment, she looked at the sheep-herding boy Yuan Zhu and said, "Your uniform has completed its metamorphosis."

The implication was signaling Yuan Zhu to honestly confess what kind of substance he had used to feed the uniform. Asking about it meant her occupational hazard was acting up again.

"Just a minor stroke of fortune. Not bad, right?"

Yuan Zhu, who had already intended to bring the ' power of shadows ' out into the open, briefly demonstrated his ability to manipulate shadows with the aid of the uniform. The young lady nodded repeatedly at the sight, offered the evaluation "Not bad," and showed no further reaction whatsoever.

Huh? Something's wrong!

The Safety Bureau's early-warning assistant, who always liked to warn everyone to be vigilant against anti-law evil gods, vigilant against the [Mao Mao King], vigilant against uniform conspiracies, vigilant against foul bone-marrow blood, and vigilant against tomato heads—why suddenly stop warning?

Just as Yuan Zhu opened his mouth to press the issue, the captain's voice came from behind: "You performed well tonight. Now that everyone has gathered, if you have no other matters requiring you to linger, why not return early?"

Yuan Zhu looked back and saw the captain in a well-fitted suit, holding a large string of bleeding-eyed tomato-like little Buddha heads, raising his other free hand to wave at the two of them.

Then, he pointed in a direction and said, "They are resting over there. Let's go over together."

"Baa, baa, baa!" The little goat tethered by Yuan Zhu caught the bloody tomato scent and eagerly lunged forward to bite at the string of blood tomatoes, only to be stopped by Yuan Zhu pulling on its reins.

At this moment, the captain also looked at the 'black racing suit' he was wearing, nodding in approval: "Nice outfit."

That's it?! Why is he as calm as Zhou Chu? Could there be something wrong with this [Power of Shadows]?

Thus, asking when in doubt, he inquired, "Captain, why are your and Zhou Chu's reactions to my uniform so bland? Is there something wrong or hidden hazards with this shadow energy?"

The captain smiled and replied, "Rest assured, there are no hidden hazards. Among many transcendent powers, 'shadow energy' is a recognized order-type and neutral-leaning power, which is theoretically very safe. Not only that, but whether in the real world or any bubble world, its own shadow layer exists. The shadows of things are everywhere. Choosing this ability to strengthen your uniform means you never have to worry about the energy source being cut off."

Hearing the captain describe it this way, Zhou Chu, who was always brave in rebuttal, rarely remained silent, nodding in agreement instead.

Yuan Zhu unwillingly pressed on: "Uh... is there really no danger at all?"

The captain shook his head in refutation: "How could there be none? Every power has its dangerous side, and shadows are no exception. It's just that compared to other systems, the shadow dimension is much more barren, and the risks and crises it can trigger are limited, which is why it is usually regarded as harmless."

At this point, Zhou Chu also chimed in with a popular science explanation: "The shadow dimension belongs to a universal layer possessed by any independent space-time structure. Because of its universality, stability, and uniqueness, it has been deeply studied by major factions. Therefore, in many power systems, there are abilities to borrow paths through 'shadows' or utilize 'shadows,' making it a semi-open dimension. Because it has been explored, researched, and utilized so much, it has gradually been tacitly accepted as relatively safe."

Despite what they said, Yuan Zhu still detected a flavor of 'shadows are quite useless, hence recognized as harmless' from their words and demeanor.

At this moment, Little Spicy Stick offered a sharp review: "Maybe it really is a bit weak, otherwise why would the [Daoist Scripture] old man only be 17.8% polluted before eating the [Shadow], instead of 87.1%? I think the [Daoist Scripture] chose to assimilate the shadow pollution precisely because of the stability, universality, and uniqueness behind it..."

Yuan Zhu: "So you're saying you know a lot, huh?"

Little Spicy Stick: "I don't know, but I have a unique learning algorithm. The more external information I receive, the better and more precise the algorithm becomes. I compared the various manifestations of shadow energy with other pollutions I've encountered, and then compared them with their statements, concluding that their statements have a high probability of being true."

Yuan Zhu feigned an appearance of humbly seeking instruction: "Captain, if I choose the 'shadow uniform' as my seed of power, what are its flaws?"

"In the short term, there are no flaws; on the contrary, it is very excellent. But from a long-term perspective, the [Shadow Dimension] has an upper limit to its capacity for accommodating power. Shadow dimensions exist in every world, but if a 'world' itself is an item, then all shadow dimensions are the protective film and packaging paper wrapping this item, closely clinging to its surface. Shadows are everywhere, but the shadow dimension itself is thin, because shadows are never the main body, but an auxiliary product."

Seeing Yuan Zhu's expression gradually turn solemn, the captain consoled him: "There is no need to worry excessively. Thinking about the strength and weakness of the shadow dimension has nothing to do with a newcomer at the enlightenment stage like you. By the time you need to consider this question, your strength will already transcend the shadows and allow you to fuse new attributes."

Oh? Is there such a saying? Yuan Zhu's heart stirred, and his useful knowledge base expanded once more.

Previously, it was said that once a certain system was chosen, one could only develop and grow within that set of pollution. Now, if one surpassed the shadows, one could absorb and fuse new pollution attributes.

Much like Duo Wen, who achieved the 'unity of Buddha and tomato,' or the abbot of the Vajra Temple, who achieved the 'unity of corpse and Buddha'?

"We've arrived!"

The captain's voice interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Lü Rang, pale-faced and breathing laborantly as he sat on a rock, Mai Lili lingering like a tail behind Meng Xiyue, and the black butcher Huo Tuoluo, who was covered in blood and bore multiple wounds.

Compared to the other three, the black brother's uniform had also undergone a deep metamorphosis, transforming into a brand-new butcher's apron. The leather-textured surface of the apron was overgrown with green 'foul-blood plant patterns.' Wrapped around his muscular and fat torso, it appeared even more imposing.

Clearly, relying on his racial stealth talent, the black brother had assassinated quite a few mad tomatoes in Naye City, staining himself with and absorbing foul blood. Far from going mad, he had successfully completed the uniform metamorphosis.

Looking at his body full of wounds without any signs of healing, it was evident that he had merely fed the apron with foul blood while not extracting vitality through the uniform himself. Thus, his wounds could not heal, but he also avoided the risk of deep pollution and assimilative mutation like Granny Yu.

Such self-restraint was not something an ordinary person could possess.

"Huh? Brother Zhu, how come this sheep came back to life again?" Lü Rang saw the mortal enemy behind the sheep-herding Zhu and asked in surprise, simultaneously clenching his fists.

At that time, he had been temporarily carried away by a surge of hot-headed impulse and stepped forward to protect this little goat, only to be heavily battered by the rampaging muscular Granny Yu with a high-speed flying kick. He felt as if his lungs had been kicked to pieces, blood spurting out in gushes, leaving him with no choice but to lie there waiting for death.

He still clearly remembered that as his whole body grew cold and his consciousness gradually blurred, his mind had operated at high speed for a very short time, filling him with endless regret for saving this sheep.

If he could do it over again, he would definitely stand by and watch it die, or even kill this damned little beast in advance!

"Ah?" Yuan Zhu looked back at the little goat with a pair of newly sprouted horns on its head and replied, "Ah! Granny Yu had a moment of lucidity right before her death and entrusted me with a dying wish. She asked me to feed the remaining two blood tomatoes on her body to the little lamb, which indeed managed to hold onto a breath of life, though it's still a long way from a full recovery. At that time, seeing no other options and noticing many beaten-to-death mad tomato freaks by the roadside, I plucked tender shoots and branches from them and fed them to the little goat. Sure enough, it quickly recovered and self-healed, full of bounce and vitality without going mad."

"Beast! To think there were still two tomatoes left for this damned creature!" Lü Rang clenched his fists, filled with unwillingness. He had eaten five of them in one breath, yet still felt so weak he was about to die. To think Granny Yu had left two for this little beast?! Why didn't she compensate me instead? I'm so miserable! I'm the victim here!"

"What? You actually fed this goat foul-blood products?!" Zhou Chu, who had been calm all the way, suddenly lost her composure. She stared fixedly at the little goat, which was full of awe toward her, and noticed the faint green lingering on those spiral horns.

In her consciousness, foul-bone monsters were always characteristically red and black, so she had subconsciously overlooked this strange green. This sheep was indeed polluted!

She righteous-indignantly looked at Yuan Zhu: "Do you know what you are doing? If you hadn't spoken up, letting this sheep return to Record-Spirit Star would be equivalent to allowing the 'foul bone-marrow blood' lurking on it to be transmitted into reality as well, at the very least triggering a small-scale foul-bone monster disturbance. If things go seriously, the entire district will be placed under martial law, and a large number of innocent civilians will be dragged into it and reduced to monsters."

Yuan Zhu gasped in astonishment: "That serious?"

At this point, the captain spoke up: "The 'foul-bone pollution' in this world has already undergone multiple dilutions, and the monster-blood characteristics on this little goat are not obvious, having transformed into a recessive form that is not easily transmitted or spread. The impact of the foul-bone blood on it lies more in skeletal strengthening and enhanced vitality. It is stronger and more combative, but it hasn't gone mad."

"Baa, baa, baa..." The little goat began sticking its tongue out randomly at the captain, launching a provocation.

Lü Rang angrily said: "What? I'm injured so badly I can barely breathe. Yet not only has it come back from the dead, but it's also been blessed by misfortune and strengthened? Oh Yellow Heaven, where is justice?!"

"[Yellow Heaven] is already dead!" Meng Xiyue rolled her eyes and retorted, leaving Lü Rang speechless.

As everyone knew, [Yellow Heaven] had died long ago. The remnants of Yellow Heaven had all been driven to the New Continent.

"Since everyone is fine, let's return." The captain, holding a large string of weeping-Buddha-head small tomatoes, notified everyone to get ready.

The next moment, Yuan Zhu felt a spinning of the heavens and the earth. When he stood firm again, the wilderness night scene disappeared, and they safely arrived back at the brightly lit luxury lobby of [Mao Mao King's Happy Home].