"Master, the battle is over. Shouldn't you be happy?"
The Underworld Mushroom asked.
In fact, the moment it absorbed Xu Linna's consciousness, the Underworld Mushroom's personality had also undergone a subtle shift, influenced by the absorbed consciousness of intense ambition.
At that instant, it had even considered replacing Xu Linna and becoming an independent powerhouse.
However, while absorbing the endless energy from Zhang Chen's body, it realized that Zhang Chen was an opponent that could not be defeated.
Stimulated by these two emotions, the Underworld Mushroom ultimately chose compromise once more.
After all, surviving through stealthy development was the only way to live. Those who directly confronted the strong all died. This was the consensus reached by the collective consciousness within the Underworld Mushroom.
"Mm, it's nothing. I just don't understand why Xu Linna could still use the power of the Time Meteorite after her head sustained a critical injury."
"All abilities are supposed to be released actively by the brain. If the brain has lost consciousness, how could she still activate the rewind ability of the Time Meteorite?"
Zhang Chen said, frowning.
If this question remained unanswered, even a victory felt somewhat unsatisfying.
"Isn't that simple? I'll summon Xu Linna's consciousness, and you can ask her yourself!"
The Underworld Mushroom suggested.
"Mm, that's a good idea. But... don't put her consciousness back into her original body!"
Zhang Chen looked around.
The surrounding bio-engineered humans were already dead or injured, and the remnants of the battle had spread to the periphery of the canyon. Not many bio-engineered humans had survived.
The main reason was that for the past year, the reincarnators had been ordered not to fight the bio-engineered humans, and had been constantly on the run, accumulating a year's worth of frustration.
Finally, after a few days, they could engage in a major battle. Thus, every blow was a killing move, with no mercy shown.
Currently, the closest one was a bio-engineered human fighting Qing Feng.
"This one it is!"
Zhang Chen made a grasping motion in the air with his right hand.
That bio-engineered human was instantly attracted by the force field, and his neck moved towards Zhang Chen's palm.
Qing Feng was in the heat of battle. He missed a spinning kick.
Thinking his opponent had seen through his moves, he was excited, only to find that the person in front of him was gone, having been captured by Zhang Chen.
"Leader, you... that's going too far. He's mine!"
Qing Feng said, daring not to complain, with a look of grievance on his face.
"Alright, alright. There are more over there. I'll spar with you later if you want!"
Zhang Chen said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Qing Feng stuck out his tongue, leaped up tens of meters high, and flew towards the distant battlefield.
Zhang Chen wanted to fight him? That would be repaying kindness with enmity. Better not.
"Okay, let's begin!"
The Underworld Mushroom nodded from within Xu Linna's empty body. Then, the bio-engineered human captured by Zhang Chen twitched, and his entire body went limp in mid-air, his limbs powerless. After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Chen in disbelief.
He turned his head and saw the corpse of Xu Linna controlled by the Underworld Mushroom, his expression full of terror.
"I... I'm dead?"
Xu Linna asked.
"Sort of, and sort of not. Your consciousness has been extracted. You could say you have eternal life."
"But if it never releases your consciousness, then you are no different from being dead."
Zhang Chen said faintly.
"Master, you can ask her questions now. She has lost her energy. No matter how strong her consciousness is, it's still just consciousness. It's currently suppressed by me!"
The Underworld Mushroom explained from the side.
"Alright!" Zhang Chen nodded, then continued to look at Xu Linna and asked:
"How did you manage to perform a time rewind even after I hit your head?"
Xu Linna's expression showed pain for a moment, as if she was strongly resisting the Underworld Mushroom's control.
However, her consciousness, lacking the support of a large amount of energy, was quickly subdued by the Underworld Mushroom.
Her expression shifted from pain to calmness, and then she slowly said:
"Because the one performing the time rewind was not myself."
"I arranged for others to observe the battlefield. When I sustained critical damage, they immediately activated the time rewind."
"So, as long as they can observe my condition, I am an invincible existence and can perform infinite time rewinds!"
"This is also why I chose to set up the battlefield above the canyon rift, to make it easier for them to observe me."
"Someone is controlling the Time Meteorite?" Zhang Chen's heart stirred.
Indeed, only in this situation could it explain why Xu Linna could rewind regardless of how she died.
"That person should be an ordinary person, right?"
Zhang Chen inferred.
"That's right, he is an ordinary person."
Xu Linna nodded.
"Master, how did you know that the one controlling the Time Meteorite was an ordinary person and not a bio-engineered human?"
The Underworld Mushroom asked with a strange expression.
"Because an ordinary person's reaction speed is much slower than that of a bio-engineered human. If it were a bio-engineered human controlling it, Xu Linna would have been able to recover immediately upon sustaining critical damage!"
"Instead of recovering after her body began to gradually vaporize."
Zhang Chen explained.
"Oh~ So that's how it is. Master, you're so smart!"
The Underworld Mushroom flattered him without missing a beat.
"One more question, why couldn't you revive through the time rewind ability after your consciousness was absorbed by the Underworld Mushroom?"
Zhang Chen continued to ask.
"The reason is very simple. Our mastery of the Time Meteorite's power is limited."
"We can only perform time rewinds on ourselves. For example, if an arrow pierces my heart, and the arrowhead is also damaged."
"Then after the time rewind, my body will recover to its uninjured state, and the arrowhead will be detached from my body, but it will remain in its damaged state."
"So, when my consciousness entered the warm family of the symbiote, a rewind would mean I would have two consciousnesses simultaneously, but this is not permitted by the laws, thus the rewind could not be initiated."
When Xu Linna mentioned the "warm family of the symbiote," she even gave a stiff smile, which looked particularly eerie.
Zhang Chen knew that these were lines added by the Underworld Mushroom itself.
He strongly suspected that there was a consciousness involved in multi-level marketing within the Underworld Mushroom's symbiote consciousness.
"Laws? What laws?"
Zhang Chen pressed further.
"We found that when using biological energy, that is, the power to create and destroy meteorites, and the power of the Time Meteorite, it is not done at will without any restrictions."
"There is always a law that constrains them, similar to the physical laws of our world, which cannot be transgressed!"
"However, our research on this is limited. When Master you obtain the Time Meteorite, you can research it yourself!"
Xu Linna said with a humble attitude.
"Mm... Now, take me to get the Time Meteorite!"
Zhang Chen said.
"Okay, it's at the bottom of the canyon, in the room behind that door!"
Xu Linna said, leading Zhang Chen to the large iron door previously guarded by two bio-engineered humans.
"It's here?"
Zhang Chen was slightly surprised!
Xu Linna was truly very cunning, even deceiving Guan Xin. He hadn't expected her to keep the Time Meteorite right under his nose.
Zhang Chen gently pulled, tearing open the large iron door as if it were crumpled paper, and then walked into the room.
As soon as he entered, a powerful suction force suddenly came, and the energy within his body began to drain rapidly...
On the screen on the wall, Zhang Chen suddenly saw Tang Houde's ferocious smile...