Translator: CinderTL
The second ability, Daze, proved far more useful.
Daze's effect was to convert a portion of his qi blood into a special hypnotic energy that seeped into his target upon impact.
The specific daze effect varied depending on the target's physical resilience.
However, the daze energy could be stacked.
Each punch could add +1 to the daze stack. With enough stacks, he could completely daze even powerful enemies... provided they weren't killed before reaching that threshold.
As the Narrator put it, the daze ability had high growth potential but limited practical use in its current state.
Low-level daze energy could be instantly neutralized by opponents with strong regenerative abilities, preventing any stacking.
But high-level daze might allow him to stun enemies to death continuously.
After acquiring two new innate abilities, his mood soared.
With Lin Ran by his side, returning to the Abandoned City felt like coming home. He felt no fear whatsoever.
He eagerly awaited domain creatures to challenge him, hoping to collect more innate abilities and grow stronger.
While many innate abilities proved useless, something was better than nothing, and even the weakest ones could contribute bloodline evolution points.
Currently, his bloodline evolution points stood at mid-tier 1653/10000.
Killing domain creatures typically only granted him a few dozen to a few hundred bloodline evolution points, leaving him far from advancing to the high-tier stage.
After learning about Feng Qi's abilities during their conversation, Lin Ran couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Brother Qi, what innate ability would you gain if you killed me? And roughly how many bloodline evolution points would you get?"
Feng Qi: ...
He wasn't at all tempted by Lin Ran's suggestion.
Having spent so much time in the Dream Realm, he was now certain of one thing:
Domain creatures he killed vanished completely from the river of history.
At least, he had never encountered any domain creatures he had previously killed in the same area again.
If he killed Lin Ran now, there was a high probability that Lin Ran would disappear from reality upon their return.
With that thought, he rolled his eyes.
"Don't be ridiculous. Didn't I just tell you that domain creatures whose innate abilities I extract are completely erased?"
"But what if the Lord of the Mist were erased, and I'm still alive and well?" Lin Ran persisted, his curiosity piqued.
"There's no 'what if' about it. I could never kill my own brother."
Hearing this, Lin Ran grinned and nodded. "Brother Qi, I was just joking. I still want to stick with you on this timeline."
As they chatted, the pair continued moving eastward through the Abandoned City, from its western district to the eastern district.
The Abandoned Star City covered roughly one-third the area of the original Star City, but its vast expanse meant that only a thorough, grid-based search would suffice.
After searching for some time, Feng Qi turned to Lin Ran and said, "A'Ran, fly up and see if Little Black is getting closer."
"Got it!" Lin Ran immediately transformed into mist and soared into the sky.
Looking westward, he spotted a black mist rapidly approaching their position.
Returning to Feng Qi, Lin Ran reported with a serious expression, "Brother Qi, Little Black is almost here."
"Let's go meet Suction Cup."
"Is that Senior Xiao Mu Qing?" Lin Ran asked curiously.
"Yes, I told you earlier—she's a cloned embryonic form of Senior Mu Qing."
Hearing this, a hint of curiosity flickered in Lin Ran's eyes.
The two of them quickened their pace toward the abandoned hospital.
About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the hospital grounds.
Feng Qi then shouted toward the dilapidated building:
"Suction Cup!"
The words themselves didn't matter; what mattered was attracting Suction Cup's attention.
The tall grass around the hospital rustled, and a small head poked out, its expression blank and bewildered, strikingly similar to Mu Qing's when she was at a loss for words.
The moment Suction Cup spotted Feng Qi, her eyes lit up like stars.
After a brief moment of eye contact, she scrambled toward him on all fours.
Feng Qi extended his arms and embraced the charging Suction Cup, the force of the impact causing him to stagger backward.
Lin Ran swiftly intervened, using the mist to steady Feng Qi's swaying body and help him regain his balance.
Ding! Successfully acquired a deployable automatic combat weapon. This weapon can be thrown and used. Once deployed against a specific target, it becomes a single-use weapon and cannot be retrieved.
Just then, the Narrator's snarky voice echoed in his mind.
Ignoring the Narrator's taunts, he reached out and gently patted Little Suction Cup's head, a faint smile spreading across his face.
In the previous Future Dream Timeline, he wouldn't have been able to accomplish much without Suction Cup's protection. His time in the Dream Realm would have been fleeting. He remained deeply grateful to Suction Cup.
So many Future Dream Timelines started and abandoned, and you still claim gratitude? Is your way of showing gratitude just promising to do better next time? This makes you sound like a real jerk.
"Pah!" he mentally retorted, flipping the Narrator the middle finger.
"Brother Qi, Senior Mu Qing is so tiny! If I hadn't looked closely, I might not have recognized her," Lin Ran remarked, gazing at the Suction Cup in his hand.
Hearing this, he nodded with a smile. "Indeed. Her white hair and gray eyes make her look slightly different from Mu Qing, but the resemblance is still there if you look closely. I didn't recognize her at first either."
"Then how did you figure it out later?" Lin Ran asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Later, when we were working with the Scarlet Research Institute, Wei Wei revealed that Suction Cup was actually a clone of Mu Qing."
Lin Ran nodded, about to respond, when he suddenly turned his gaze toward the end of the street.
Feng Qi followed his gaze.
Little Black's figure materialized, drifting toward them at an incredible speed.
Glancing at the Suction Cup in his hand, Feng Qi sighed inwardly.
Revolution always demands sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of Suction Cup.
As Little Black approached, Feng Qi hurled the Suction Cup without hesitation.
Watching the Suction Cup's bewildered expression, Feng Qi felt a pang of guilt. He grabbed Lin Ran and turned to leave.
Hearing the sounds of fierce combat erupting behind them, Lin Ran couldn't help but ask:
"Brother Qi, what are our chances of winning if Suction Cup and I team up against Little Black?"
"Do you want the honest answer?"
"Of course. Don't worry about hurting my feelings. Just tell me."
"Almost zero. In the power systems I know of, there's no counter to Little Black. Even if you two joined forces, it would only be a matter of time before he killed you. Besides, he still has his third form. You have no chance."
Lin Ran clicked his tongue in dismay.
"I was being reckless. Forget I asked."
(End of the Chapter)
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