Chapter 96: 96, I want to thank myself seven times

Ren Xiaosu had a gun, but firing it would instantly reveal his position, drawing the Qing family's men to surround him—trapping him between front and back, and he would truly be finished.

Moreover, if the experimental subject launched a close-range assault, a dagger would be far more useful than a firearm.

Instinctively, he reached for his dagger, the one Yang Xiaojin had traded him. But upon touching it, Ren Xiaosu's face paled—his dagger had vanished!

At that moment, Ren Xiaosu suddenly recalled Yang Xiaojin had pretended to bump into him before leaving. The dagger must have been stolen then!

Ren Xiaosu couldn't help but laugh bitterly—this girl was shameless. They had agreed to exchange it, yet she had taken it from him anyway?! What trust remained between them?

How cruel...

Ren Xiaosu marveled at Yang Xiaojin's thieving skills. After all, no one in the settlement could silently pilfer something from him.

He sighed inwardly—without a dagger, what could he do?

Yet Ren Xiaosu didn't know that ordinary blades could no longer pierce the experimental subject's skin. Even bullets would only be locked into the surface by their muscles in an instant.

A direct headshot wouldn't work either, as the skull was the body's toughest bone. These experimental subjects no longer feared bullets—unless the bullet pierced their eyes.

However, the experimental subjects' speed was nearly equal to his own, and the chance of hitting their eyes was almost zero.

His marksmanship was advanced, but not perfect.

At that moment, a gust of wind stirred behind him. Instinctively, he ducked, and a foul wind swept over his head.

Steadying himself, Ren Xiaosu looked up and was startled to find an experimental subject that had somehow crept close beside him—except this one had no iron chains on its arms.

"It was believed that experimental subjects had chains on their arms, and approaching them would expose one's presence." This had become an ingrained assumption, but Ren Xiaosu hadn't realized not every experimental subject wore chains.

Moreover, those without chains could move through the woods without a sound—this was terrifying!

Ren Xiaosu reached behind him, frowning as he felt five claw marks on his back.

He missed the settlement, where danger lurked only when one showed weakness. Here, however, everyone around him sought to kill him!

He tried to retreat, but each step back prompted the four experimental subjects to advance two steps. At some point, Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt these creatures weren't here by chance—they were coming for him!

The four experimental subjects crawled on the ground with limbs splayed, while the one without chains silently climbed a tree like a giant spider.

Ren Xiaosu couldn't fathom what kind of laboratory could turn living people into such abominations.

At that moment, a combat team passed a few hundred meters behind him, but they had already lost track of Ren Xiaosu. Despite the short distance, they failed to notice the situation here.

Observing the four experimental subjects' reactions, Ren Xiaosu noted they all froze as the combat team passed, as if they too didn't want to be interrupted in their hunt!

A strange feeling stirred in his heart, but he had no time for it. When the experimental subjects' attention was drawn away by the combat team, Ren Xiaosu decisively commanded his shadow to pounce.

In that instant, Ren Xiaosu decided to strike first!

He wanted to lure the experimental subjects toward the Qing family's forces, but he feared the hundreds of people there would recklessly slaughter all living beings.

Compared to the Qing family's hundreds, Ren Xiaosu preferred facing four experimental subjects!

As the shadow lunged at the three on the ground, the one in the tree dove toward Ren Xiaosu.

He stepped back slightly, his left leg muscles tensing instantly as his entire body surged with energy. When the experimental subject reached him, Ren Xiaosu hurled a punch at its face like a cannonball!

But he had underestimated the creature's agility. It twisted midair, evading his fist with ease, even reaching out to grab his arm!

Startled, Ren Xiaosu withdrew his hand and retreated another step!

Meanwhile, he kicked the experimental subject before him, sending it flying several meters. It twitched on the ground before rising again to pounce at him!

Suddenly, a searing pain tore through Ren Xiaosu's body, a bone-deep tearing sensation that drenched him in sweat and made his muscles tremble!

He saw his shadow entangled with the three experimental subjects, who tore at its body frantically. One even bit into the shadow's waist!

The shadow's strength could lift an experimental subject with one hand, but when it slammed the creature into the ground, it remained unharmed!

This was the disadvantage of having no weapons—Ren Xiaosu couldn't kill the experimental subjects outright, and it was uncertain who would die here.

Ren Xiaosu wanted to go home, even if the path was paved with blood and thorns.

Because he couldn't use blades to kill them instantly, even his shadow gradually weakened, facing three monstrous foes.

The monsters clung to the shadow, each bite feeling as if they were sinking into Ren Xiaosu's own flesh.

Pain signals from specific points surged through his nerves, forming a chaotic storm in his neural network, disrupting his rational will.

His movements slowed, his hands trembled, and though the experimental subject before him repeatedly tried to attack, it was repelled—but it too noticed its enemy growing increasingly sluggish and weak.

Ren Xiaosu's vision reddened; he endured the agony, tears nearly spilling.

For years, Ren Xiaosu had never cried, not even shed a single drop. Leaning against a tree trunk, he gasped. Everyone here wanted him dead.

The experimental subjects wanted him dead.

The Qing family wanted him dead.

Yet he refused to die.

The shadow was not omnipotent, nor were any of the world's supernatural abilities.

Ren Xiaosu needed weapons, even though he had only ninety-three gratitude coins.

He spoke to the palace: "Give me a weapon."

The palace didn't respond.

"Hey... I said give me a weapon," Ren Xiaosu's voice sank like into the ocean: "I said I'm dying. Give me a weapon."

At that moment, time seemed to freeze. Ren Xiaosu watched the experimental subject lunging at him slow to a near stop.

The palace finally spoke: "Death aura detected. Activate seal?"

Ren Xiaosu was puzzled: "Activate what seal?"

"Unknown."

"What is the cost of activating this seal?"

"Loss?"

"What will I lose?" Ren Xiaosu exclaimed: "You must tell me what I'll lose before I decide whether to activate it!"

"Everything."

Ren Xiaosu sneered at the palace. How much blood had he shed, how many wild vegetables and roots had he eaten to survive? Now the palace demanded he lose everything?

Why should he?

Moreover, did the palace understand what "everything" meant—gold, cash, his guns, Yan Liyuan, Xiao Yu Jie, even his clothes!

What did the palace need his clothes for?

The palace fell silent. Ren Xiaosu felt a pang of melancholy—you could at least haggle!

He gazed at the forest in the night, the approaching killing intent, as the "zero time" in the air slowly unlocked. The experimental subject's speed toward him accelerated.

Its vicious teeth gaped open, seeking to devour his entrails and suck his blood and marrow.

Was death imminent? Ren Xiaosu watched the scene.

But he hadn't lived enough yet!

The next moment, Ren Xiaosu laughed palely. Wasn't it just seven thanks?

He spoke calmly in his mind: "I must thank myself seven times."

"The first time, I thank myself for never being timid when facing opportunities."

"The second time, I thank myself for never fearing when confronting danger."

"The third time, I thank myself for never compromising when facing hardships."

"The fourth time, I thank myself for always having a bottom line when facing temptations."

Ren Xiaosu's voice in his mind grew louder, until it thundered like a roar, shaking the palace to sway.

"The fifth time, I thank myself for never being hypocritical."

In an instant, Ren Xiaosu seemed to hear his own heartbeat, loud as drums.

"The sixth time, I thank myself for remaining as clear-minded as ever, never hesitating."

He heard the sound of wind again, the wind brushing against the texture of his skin. The researchers in the city detecting the laboratory's position suddenly looked up, detecting a massive energy erupting in the north, like the first rise of the blazing sun!

Ren Xiaosu's tone was calm yet resolute: "The seventh time, I thank myself for singing all the way through life's mire, cutting through thorns and brambles!"

The palace fell silent for a moment: "Thanks from Ren Xiaosu, +7!"

"You have unlocked weapon permissions. Do you wish to unlock them?"

"Unlock!" Ren Xiaosu roared in fury.

Suddenly, the locks on time seemed to melt and crumble as well. Ren Xiaosu quietly watched the experimental subject charging toward him. His palm reached into the void, as if grasping some mysterious power.

A blade splits the path of life and death, ten thousand troops charge without turning back!

The next moment, a black blade suddenly appeared in Ren Xiaosu's hand. In the blink of an eye, Ren Xiaosu gritted his teeth and slashed horizontally. Every tendon and flesh in his body boiled to the limit, and the blue veins on his forehead leaped ceaselessly!

With a crash, the sharp blade cutting through leather sounded so abrupt in the woods. The originally ferocious experimental subject was directly split into two by this black blade!

Ren Xiaosu was furious. Life and death are the essence of this world!

The experimental subject's eyes showed bewilderment. He couldn't figure out where Ren Xiaosu's blade came from, nor why this single strike was the end.

The pale yellow blood flowed along the black blade onto the rotten leaves on the ground. Ren Xiaosu held the blade aloft, gazing into the battlefield.

For some reason, when Ren Xiaosu grasped the blade from the void, the shadow in his hand also held a blade.

The black blade and the black shadow merged perfectly, as if they were one.

When the blade appeared, the three experimental subjects entangled with the shadow immediately tried to cease their fight, but it was too late for them to run now.

The shadow swung a blade diagonally downward, slicing the experimental subject before it into two again. It did not pause but took a bold step forward, pressing down on another experimental subject's neck from behind, pinning it to the ground without moving.

The experimental subject's strength was immense, but when pressed by the shadow, it was like a powerless and dying beast. The shadow chopped off its head.

Only one experimental subject fled into the woods, but Ren Xiaosu knew it couldn't escape far.

Ren Xiaosu stood in place, gazing at the darkness before him. The pain that once tormented him still stimulated his nerves, but for the first time, he felt the exhilaration of battle!

It turned out, this is what transcendence means.

At this moment, the palace said: "Activating side quest 2: Obtain 1000 gratitude coins to unlock the intermediate form of weapons."

...

Today, in advance