Chapter 1201: The Snake's Grasp
After the exclamation, the alarm intensified, drowning out all other sounds behind them. Lin Sanjiu's nails dug deep into her palm as she recalled the information about the item.
[The Mountains Remove the Foolish Old Man]
Let me tell you something. We mountains have been living here for generations. We live honest and decent lives. We don't create trouble and we often provide wood and game. What did I do wrong? Why do I have to move?
The foolish man thinks that he can shift me just because he found a deity? Bullshit! Just watch me! When I see him, I'll create a landslide! Let's see who will run first.
Instructions: Throw this handful of loose gravel. It will fall to the ground in the same state without scattering. Collect after using.
Current remaining uses: 3/10 times.
Item effect: Alter an irrevocable situation once.
Note: This item will only be activated if all the people involved recognize that nothing else can be done to change the irrevocable situation before the user tosses the item. The effect is dependent on the particular event. Even if you're dissatisfied with the outcome, you can't complain to this pitiful mountain.
Lin Sanjiu had possessed the [The Mountains Remove The Foolish Old Man] for a long time, but only now did she understand why it hadn't responded the one time she tried to use it before.
The usage method of this item was a paradox.
For the item to work, every person involved must be clear that the current situation was an established fact. However, how could the person holding the [The Mountains Remove The Foolish Old Man] be aware of its power and still believe that the situation was already settled?
In other words, as long as the user knew the power of [The Mountains Remove The Foolish Old Man], the item couldn't exert its power.
Before leaving the hospital last time, Lin Sanjiu had carefully considered how to use this item. The previous owner had used it seven times, which indicated that there must be a way to avoid the paradox. After much thought, Lin Sanjiu realized that the solution was to use another person's hand to activate it, someone who didn't know about the power of [The Mountains Remove The Foolish Old Man].
After all, only when the user was unaware of their ability to change the situation could they consider the current circumstances as already established. If Bohemia firmly believed that she had killed Hei Zeji, there might be a chance for him to come back to life. After resurrecting, his guard status might begin to dissipate.
However, the requirement of [The Mountains Remove The Foolish Old Man] was for all the people involved. Therefore, Lin Sanjiu not only couldn't directly use the item but she also couldn't be involved in the situation.
This also meant that when she realized that Hei Zeji might be attacking Bohemia, she couldn't turn around, walk over to open the door, or help Bohemia. She couldn't be involved; she was afraid she had been involved enough already. All she could do was stand there and disperse her attention.
Unless she was willing to let Hei Zeji forever be a guard there.
The alarms became shriller, making the eardrums tremble. Perhaps due to the silence of the night, the guards seemed to react slower than before. Until now, the corridor wasn't filled with an endless number of guards.
It had been more than a second since the exclamation sounded, and Lin Sanjiu's back was tense. Unconsciously, she had shifted all her attention to behind her. She hoped to hear Bohemia's voice, yet she dreaded hearing another exclamation.
Hei Zeji's guard transformation might be much more severe than she had anticipated. If he regained his mobility after leaving the laboratory but still maintained the appearance and mindset of a guard, it might mean he was dangerously close to becoming a fully transformed guard. Guards seldom used their abilities, and their physical and combat skills had withered to some extent. Hence, when Bohemia encountered a weakened version of Hei Zeji...
A muffled bang against the wall faintly reached her ears from beneath the alarm, accompanied by a half-suppressed female grunt.
Even if it was a weakened version of Hei Zeji, it was still Hei Zeji.
Unable to bear it any longer, Lin Sanjiu turned and rushed toward the utility room. But just as she reached out to touch the doorknob, she abruptly halted her steps. If she opened the door, she would become involved, and Hei Zeji would lose any chance to revert to his original state through the [The Mountains Remove The Foolish Old Man].
What should she do?
After the doomsday, she seldom felt so helpless, not knowing what to do. She bit her lip, and her nails cut into her palm, leaving faint streaks of blood—but Lin Sanjiu didn't feel any pain.
Two sharp and continuous alarms passed, and there was no response from the utility room. Since Bohemia was thrown against the wall just now, no more female voices were heard from inside.
"Bohemia!" Lin Sanjiu's voice erupted unexpectedly, and she realized she had called out louder than intended. Visions of dread raced through her mind until, with clenched teeth, she firmly gripped the doorknob and flung the door open. "Get out quickly!"
Her timing was impeccable.
Hei Zeji, with his face full of black holes, was holding Bohemia's collar in one hand, just as they had done with an NPC earlier, lifting her up from the corner of the wall. Bohemia's body hung limply from his grasp, like a dead snake, seemingly unable to unleash her abilities before being entirely suppressed. Lin Sanjiu glanced at her and saw only a small trace of blood on her forehead, where she had bumped into something. This made Lin Sanjiu feel both relieved and anxious.
"Let her go," Lin Sanjiu said, her voice trembling slightly, like the gentle plucking of a string. In a daze, she looked at the man across from her, the one who had once taught her how to fight hand-to-hand combat. Her right hand was covered by the metal gauntlet, piece by piece. She said, "Let her go. I'm the fugitive the hospital is after."
Hei Zeji lifted a face that bore no resemblance to his former self. His clothes, shoes, hair... everything was identical. Even his posture prepared for combat felt familiar to Lin Sanjiu, but she couldn't recognize his face.
With a 'thud,' he released Bohemia from his grip.
"Get out quickly," Lin Sanjiu whispered to Bohemia, not daring to meet her gaze. "I'll take care of him."
Hei Zeji wouldn't want to stay here forever either.