243: Chapter 243 Contingency Plan for Failure

[mask of calamity has been damaged! Damage level: 1025!]

[You have received Soul Devour! You will take 820 points of Soul damage per minute for 820 minutes.]

Inside the dungeon, Tang Long let out a muffled groan and nearly collapsed.

Zheng Duo and Red Hand hurried to support him.

"Your Excellency, what's wrong?"

"What happened outside!"

Veins bulged all over Tang Long's body, and he ground his teeth audibly.

"The Blasphemers... killed... my Clone!"

Red Hand's face darkened immediately as he said, "Your Excellency, can we take action now?"

Tang Long grabbed his pant leg, but his face contorted in pain, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Zheng Duo added, "Little Tang, you wait here. Leave the outside to us."

Tang Long shook his head with all his might. "No..."

"The one in white... can be killed..."

"The one in black... can blind people..."

"Wait... for the Apostle to die... then drive... drive him away!"

"Stabilize... me, take me... out..."

The two basically understood what he meant. But seeing him in this state, they didn't dare agree to let him return to the battlefield.

But Tang Long wouldn't let go. After a long while, he squeezed out a few more words.

"I can... re...surrect..."

At this, the two had no choice but to nod.

Red Hand used psionic energy to help stabilize him, and then the three of them stepped out of the dungeon together.

It had to be said, Luo Xin was truly brave.

Taking advantage of Blood Fiend suddenly losing his combat effectiveness, he actually began to counterattack once more.

However, his strength was no longer what it used to be, and he was clearly no match for Evil Eye.

Just then, two more Spirit Map experts suddenly appeared at the dungeon entrance, startling everyone.

Without a word, Luo Xin turned and fled, while Evil Eye flashed to Blood Fiend's side, preparing to take him and escape.

But Blood Fiend gritted his teeth and barked, "Contingency plan!"

Evil Eye's heart skipped a beat. The vertical eye on his forehead immediately snapped open again, fixing its gaze on Tang Long.

"Truly seeking death!"

Red Hand sneered and raised his hand, sending forth a massive blade of fire over a hundred meters long that slashed down from above.

At the same time, Blood Fiend roared and spat out a vast curtain of blood, forcefully blocking the strike.

Amidst the billowing dust, layers of ripples vibrated.

Tang Long screamed again and tumbled to the ground.

Meanwhile, Evil Eye grabbed the nearly incapacitated Blood Fiend and chased after Luo Xin.

Fire Hand followed in pursuit, while Zheng Duo glanced at Tang Long and hesitated.

Tang Long waved his hand urgently. "Dan... dangerous... help... him."

Zheng Duo sighed and took off like a meteor in pursuit.

Tang Long struggled to sit up and used every ounce of his strength to create another Clone.

He left the Clone there as before and crawled back toward the dungeon.

Almost as soon as he entered the dungeon, he could no longer hold on and fainted.

————

Earth, a small island in the South Seas.

Secret experimental base.

The silver-haired old man threw off his hat, discarded his cane, and immediately pressed a button on a remote control.

The partition wall in front of him rose quickly, revealing the scene in the room on the other side.

Inside, a man's body, connected to numerous tubes and wires, was suspended in mid-air.

Several researchers in sealed insulation suits were also working while suspended.

"Dr. Thompson, any progress?"

As the old man's voice carried over, the researchers on the other side turned their heads. A bearded foreigner smiled and greeted the old man.

"Good afternoon, Elder Mai!"

"Thank you for giving me and my team such an incredible opportunity. You surely don't know what we've discovered yet, but I assure you, this is absolutely the greatest discovery in all of human history, bar none!"

The old man was somewhat impatient. "I don't want to hear your pleasantries. I spent a fortune to bring you here for answers! Tell me simply, what exactly is going on with this person?"

Thompson spread his hands. "It's difficult for me to describe it in short, simple terms you would understand."

"If I have to put it simply, the person in front of you isn't human at all. He exists in a state between information and matter."

"Do you know what a holographic projection is? A human form projected by light and shadow information."

"Of course, the information density of this test subject is countless units stronger than even the most advanced holographic technology today."

"Most importantly, this information can actually transform between informational and material states."

"This could never be a human creation. If God truly had a son, I believe it could only be him."

"Nonsense!" The old man's expression was quite grim. "What 'son of God'!"

"I'm telling you clearly, he is a human! A very ordinary person!"

"He was born in a small mountain village. His father was a carpenter, and his mother spent her life herding sheep! I saw them with my own eyes back then!"

"So he couldn't possibly have any connection to God!"

"You'd better find out why this man turned out like this as soon as possible, or I'll shoot every one of you and send you to meet your God!"

With that, the old man pulled a pistol from his armpit and pointed it at them.

Several staff members trembled in fear, and Thompson quickly raised his hands and shouted.

"Okay, okay! He's not a god, he's just an ordinary person!"

"I was just using a metaphor!"

"You're absolutely right, Boss!"

"If you insist on finding that answer, I need five hundred to a thousand times more power than we have now! This lab can't meet those requirements. Can you put the gun down first, you..."

"Are you listening, Boss?"

The old man didn't respond because at that moment, he suddenly saw Tang Long, suspended in mid-air, open his eyes.

And... he seemed to glance at him.

His scalp tingled, and his heart raced.

But before he could warn Thompson's team, the suspended Tang Long suddenly transformed back into a burst of electric light and radiation.

The electric light swept through like a tide. The insulation suits failed to protect the staff; their bodies shook and smoked amidst a shower of sparks before they collapsed to the floor one by one.

All the equipment in the laboratory was incinerated in a flurry of sparks, and all the lights went out.

A few seconds later, the current and radiation flowed back, condensing once again into Tang Long's body.

For some reason, many scars had appeared on Tang Long's body, and he was missing an arm.

Tang Long's eyes were now more expressive. Though they held a hint of confusion, he was clearly looking around.

The old man immediately pulled out his large-caliber revolver and fired wildly at Tang Long, quickly emptying the chamber.

The glass shattered, and three bullets embedded themselves in Tang Long's chest.

Tang Long's expression showed pain, and this time, he was actually bleeding!

The old man was dumbfounded. After a while, he suddenly felt extremely unwell—his heart condition was flaring up. He hurriedly reached into his pocket for his medicine with trembling hands.

But before he could take it, his body stiffened, and he slowly slumped to the floor.

A few seconds later, a large group of subordinates rushed in at the sound and hurried to give him his medicine.

But the old man gritted his teeth and pointed at Tang Long in the opposite room, and the sound of gunfire soon erupted again.