Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 485 Merit and Metal

Wang Shizhong's injuries healed rapidly under the flow of white light.

This is also a spontaneous application of merit: a fatal wound becomes a non-fatal wound, a non-fatal wound becomes a superficial injury, and a superficial injury is then transformed into nothingness.

However, it is clear that he will still get injured, and his merits will also be limited.

As long as Lu Chongming can avoid being completely dominated by the opponent and can launch an effective counterattack, he can rely on his current strong vitality to gain the upper hand and achieve victory!

Wang Shizhong looked Lu Chongming up and down.

This ability wasn't mentioned in the data and had never been shown before, but it was quite powerful and had a mature style. It was probably power he obtained from the system after defeating Che Rufeng.

Metal? Judging from the feel of the thorns being deflected, it should be metal... but even ordinary steel wouldn't be unbreakable by his thorns.

If the colors on the garment aren't simply flashy, then the nature of the problem is probably more complex...

Let's try again.

Wang Shizhong suddenly slid closer, and the thorns stretched out menacingly. Lu Chongming quickly aimed his gun and fired in rapid succession. However, Wang Shizhong only used the thorns to protect his vital parts, leaving the other less important parts exposed to the bullets.

The electromagnetic acceleration bullet sliced ​​off large chunks of his flesh, but he still managed to get close to Lu Chongming.

As Lu Chongming's body gleamed with metallic light, his short sword thrust out at an accelerated speed, severing all the nearby thorns.

Wang Shizhong kicked away Lu Chongming's short sword and followed up with a hand chop. Lu Chongming did not block it. Wang Shizhong's heavy hand chop made a muffled sound. Lu Chongming did not move, but Wang Shizhong broke out in a cold sweat.

My hand bones are shattered.

Lu Chongming fired a gun in one hand and tapped with a short sword in the other, riddling Wang Shizhong with holes all over his body at close range. For a time, Wang Shizhong was powerless to fight back except to protect his head!
Not only did he gain new abilities, but Lu Chongming's strength, speed, and nerve reflexes also continued to improve as his mental state soared and he absorbed more factors.

In other words, Lu Chongming's value is skyrocketing.

Wang Shizhong had already sacrificed his most valuable assets to delay Zheng Fan's rebellion. His current merits could only keep him alive for the time being, making it difficult for him to launch an effective counterattack.

"So powerful... Is this the power of the system...? Even a brat who hasn't even grown up yet can catch up with me in an instant... But... I've already seen it!"

Wang Shizhong was covered in blood, and one of his eyes had been accidentally blinded, but his remaining eye was fixed on the changing colors on Lu Chongming's body.

As Lu Chongming thrust his sword into Wang Shizhong's chest—a spot he had already stabbed countless times—Wang Shizhong's body, which had been as fragile as paper, suddenly straightened, and he followed Lu Chongming as he withdrew his sword.

"right here!"

Lu Chongming felt a blur before his eyes, and something seemed to fly out of Wang Shizhong's body. Immediately afterwards, several wounds were drilled into his body, and the thing that caused the injuries continued to penetrate and widen his wounds, causing his movements to become sluggish.

At the same time, Wang Shizhong pushed Lu Chongming's side with a palm, and thorns extended from his palm and pierced into his flesh!
He saw through it! The color fluctuations on Lu Chongming's body were not for aesthetic purposes, but rather because he had not yet mastered this ability. After hardening his body, his strength was indeed very high and Wang Shizhong could not break through his defenses, but in reality, many parts of him would revert to their original fleshy texture from time to time.

Wang Shizhong insisted on rushing forward to get beaten just to confirm these things with his own eyes.

But merely inflicting injuries is meaningless to Lu Chongming, whose life energy is inexhaustible...

however!
This is exactly what Wang Shizhong is aiming for!

Thorns pierced through Lu Chongming's waist, pulling the metal ball out of his body.

"This is your greatest reliance! Lu Chongming, as long as I inflict a serious injury on you and force out this life-saving 'elixir,' even if you make your body indestructible, it will be useless!" Wang Shizhong laughed. The piercing thorns deflected the metal ball.

"Why don't I use merit to immediately protect myself? It's to ensure that this sphere, which is wandering uncertainly within your body, will appear precisely in the location I've identified that you couldn't cover with your abilities in time. That way, I can effectively injure you while simultaneously expelling it from your body!"

Wang Shizhong was panting, but his spirits were high: "I still have the upper hand..."

欻!
A sword pierced Wang Shizhong's cheek, passed through his mouth, and emerged from the other cheek, while the muzzle of a gun was pressed against Wang Shizhong's forehead.

Lu Chongming paid no attention to the thorns piercing his body or the metal ball that was brought out by the thorns behind him. He even focused on hardening his body at the point where the thorns pierced him. Wang Shizhong tried to pull out the thorns to get away but was stuck.

Wang Shizhong could feel the intense pain from the wound on his face even if he moved his mouth.

The most important thing is the gun in his forehead!

As the last bit of electrical energy accumulated, Wang Shizhong felt a tingling sensation from the electric current. It would be terrible if it directly shut down his consciousness!
Come back first!
Whoosh! From the other wounds previously inflicted on Lu Chongming, an unknown substance pierced through the wounds and flew out.

Lu Chongming vaguely glimpsed these things; they were some kind of armor plates!?
It was the mental armor piece that Wang Shizhong had previously swiped from that sycophantic sycophant named Song Liang. This thing was a fantasy object, not an ability, nor was it permanently bound to him. The fact that it could convert mental energy into tangible kinetic energy made Wang Shizhong immediately accept it.

This is where it comes in handy.

Following Wang Shizhong's lead, the armor plate sliced ​​off Lu Chongming's hand holding the gun.

The first piece got stuck in the flesh, the second piece widened the wound, the third piece pierced the bone... In the blink of an eye, one of Lu Chongming's hands was also cut off.

Wang Shizhong struggled violently, ignoring the tear in his cheek as he escaped from Lu Chongming's sword. He also tore off the thorns that were stuck in his hand, disregarding the injury on his hand.

Lu Chongming has undoubtedly gone mad; he's willing to risk his life to drag him down with him. He needs to distance himself from him!

Lu Chongming's expression remained unchanged. Although he was drenched in sweat from the intense pain, his resolute expression had not changed at all, except for the metal ball being knocked out.

He flung the sword far away with his sword-wielding hand, then grabbed his severed hand, squeezed the wound hard until it hardened!
The severed hand wound hardened and solidified with a sharp bevel, and then Lu Chongming used his last bit of strength to throw the hand toward Wang Shizhong, who was retreating.

puff!

The sharp, severed hand pierced Wang Shizhong's neck, causing his body to sway precariously.

Both men were covered in blood, and the only sounds at the scene were their heavy breathing. Blood and sweat blurred together, making them indistinguishable.

Wang Shizhong waited for his mouth to be repaired, but even moving his body was still difficult.

He was going all out to finally capture Lu Chongming. Only by getting close to him could he seize the opportunity to launch the metal ball, which required expending a great deal of merit.

How tragic! Apart from his head, not a single part of his body was intact. Under normal circumstances, Wang Shizhong would not still be standing, and would have died from blood loss long ago.

But this is a merit, and Wang Shizhong did not fall.

He has already won; now he just needs to wait for the repairs to be completed.

Lu Chongming no longer has the ability to threaten him.

Wang Shizhong looked at Lu Chongming, whose legs had buckled and who had collapsed to his knees, and after exhaling, a confident smile returned to his face.

(End of this chapter)