Chapter 28: Central Continent Exchange 【Part 2】
A pool of scarlet, viscous liquid suddenly appeared from mid-air and splattered onto Zheng Zha's head!
Zheng Zha didn't feel himself being hit; the Symbiote, upon contact with him, immediately wrapped around his body, quickly forming a black and red battle suit.
The battle suit had no superfluous patterns, only a black Bat on the latissimus dorsi.
Its surface had a matte, dull texture.
It seemed to be Zheng Zha's deliberate choice; the Symbiote didn't form a gaping maw but a closed mask similar to Spider-Man's.
Its white eyes were long and twisted, and the mask's mouth area had a pattern resembling Vampire Fangs, making it quite stylish.
Zheng Zha, originally just under 1.8 meters tall, saw his physique surge after the Symbiote attached, exceeding 2.2 meters in height alone, and his muscle lines became incredibly exaggerated; his arms were even thicker than Zhan Lan's thighs!
—This now somewhat fit the persona of a Gorilla.
“I feel full of power!”
Zheng Zha laughed heartily, his voice, filtered through the battle suit, became deep and hoarse, enough to stop children from crying at night.
“In battle suit mode, muscle strength, cell activity, immunity, and nerve reaction speed are all close to seven times that of an ordinary person!”
As a B-rank one-time enhancement, costing a hefty 6,000 reward points, its power was undoubtedly immense.
Fang Ge remembered its exact values: in attached state, it boosted four major body attributes by 150 points each. In battle suit state, it provided an additional 300 points, totaling 450 points.
Coupled with Zheng Zha's D-rank inner force and Vampire enhancements, he indeed approached 700 points.
As a pure physical enhancement without energy circulation, its advantages were quite significant.
It also wasn't as extreme as the specialized physiques of werewolves or the specialized regeneration of trolls; its abilities were all close to the average of the two.
On top of this, it possessed flexible transformation abilities and excellent defensive capabilities.
If one had to point out any flaws…
Fang Ge quietly watched Zheng Zha, like a child, transform the Symbiote on his arm into an axe, a long blade, and sharp claws, playing with great delight.
However, after only a few transformations, Zheng Zha deflated like a balloon, his body rapidly shrinking back to its original appearance.
“What's going on? I didn't want to change back!”
Zheng Zha looked at his hands in astonishment, urging the Symbiote to don with his mind.
The unexpected transformation didn't occur; he only received an intense feeling of Hunger in his brain.
Fang Ge answered Zheng Zha's confusion:
“The energy consumption of the normal attached state is very small. But the battle suit state requires a large amount of bio-energy; the Symbiote must be well-fed beforehand, otherwise, you'll fall into this awkward situation.”
“Of course, if your will to fight is extremely strong, the Symbiote can still continue fighting… But at that point, it will consume your energy. I think with your thin arms and legs, you won't last long.”
Chu Xuan added from the side: “In critical situations, there are opportunities to eat during combat… it might be a bit disgusting. Of course, I'm just suggesting.”
“Haha…”
Zheng Zha chuckled awkwardly; in combat, what he might eat was unpredictable…
Upon closer thought, Zheng Zha felt a chill.
Manipulating the Symbiote to feast on the Tyrannosaurus Rex Tail, even eating the bones clean, Zheng Zha only received a Half-Full feedback from the Symbiote.
Its appetite was also enormous… and it seemed a bit picky, but this was easily overcome in the Main God Space.
“Calculated this way, even when completely full, it can only sustain high-intensity combat for about twenty minutes.”
Zheng Zha, having completed his transformation again, couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but quickly felt that he was asking for too much.
How could he monopolize all the benefits?
Moreover, in truly critical moments, to survive, he wouldn't be picky about what he consumed.
“Try your counter-skill from earlier; your current body strength should be sufficient to bear it,” Fang Ge reminded.
Power brought confidence, and it also eroded Zheng Zha's limited wisdom.
Before putting on the battle suit, he would never have attempted a second energy counter. Now, Zheng Zha had the courage to take a bold gamble.
Learning from the last lesson, he chose to detonate at his shoulder; the subtle blood energy still couldn't resist the provocation of inner force, and the two energies intertwined again, but without causing a Bloody Storm.
Zheng Zha only felt a powerful force surging wildly within his body, yet it couldn't destroy his sturdy flesh enveloped by the Symbiote.
When D-rank energy initially counters, it can produce a tenfold increase.
And in the Main God's realm, the qualitative difference between each major rank is also roughly tenfold.
For a B-rank Symbiote, it was undoubtedly sufficient to bear C-rank energy counter.
A mere D-rank Vampire and inner force Explosion couldn't stir up any waves.
But once the energy countered, Zheng Zha's own speed and strength could instantly increase tenfold!
Therefore, for Zheng Zha, the most correct way to use the dual energy circulation was to always keep his physical rank one level above his energy circulation, treating the internal energy only as fuel to ignite his physical strength.
This way, Zheng Zha's currently attempted Explosion skill could completely serve as a regular method.
And the Destruction skill that would be developed later could serve as a sure-kill ultimate move!
The great increase in strength made Zheng Zha's self-confidence swell; he wanted to test it now!
Zheng Zha exchanged for a three-meter-thick alloy steel wall, preparing to conduct a small experiment.
With a gentle flick of his wrist, his arm actually transformed into a two-meter-long great blade, which he chopped towards the steel wall!
The blade was lightning-fast, piercing through the thick wall in the blink of an eye. Even more surprisingly, the cut was incredibly smooth, as if meticulously polished.
“Holy crap…”
Zheng Zha himself was stunned! Was this the miracle of great strength? Awesome!
But soon, that feeling of 'cool, domineering, and awesome' gradually faded, and Zheng Zha was stunned to realize that in just a short while, his inner force and blood energy had been completely depleted.
“With meager energy bolstering a powerful physique, endurance will naturally be an issue.”
Fang Ge curled his lips, motioning Zheng Zha not to be complacent:
“The next goal is to boost your inner force and blood energy as much as possible… You know how to eat, right? You know how Vampires suck blood, right? Start with low-year Vermillion Fruits and ordinary dragon blood; the former excels at expanding the dantian, while the latter can enhance physical strength.”
“Of course! Of course!”
Zheng Zha exited the battle suit state and forcefully patted his chest, indicating that he would pay attention.
—As for how much to trust the words of this lazy bum… perhaps it was time to have a talk with Miss Loli.
—Miss Loli, you wouldn't want Zheng Zha to be ostracized in the Central Continent Team, would you?
Fang Ge had anticipated this situation and was quite satisfied.
Even without energy, Zheng Zha still possessed B-rank physical enhancement.
It was like a heavily armored warrior running out of mana but still being able to deal damage with basic attacks.
And not like burning through health and lying on the ground begging for support!
The current Zheng Zha, compared to his original self in the novel—who was a disgrace among his peers without Explosion, and a one-shot wonder who would blow himself to pieces and lose combat effectiveness with Explosion—was immeasurably stronger…
“Then there's Zhan Lan… From what I know of you, you probably aren't willing or suited for frontline combat.” Fang Ge turned his head to look at Zhan Lan beside him, speaking concisely.
As if you know me so well…
Zhan Lan muttered inwardly, but still nodded, admitting that what Fang Ge said was true.
She didn't have that kind of talent; the same combat-oriented enhancement wouldn't be as effective on her as it was on Zheng Zha.
“I can do logistical or support work. Like healing, enhancement…”
As she spoke, her voice trailed off; after all, these things… it seemed anyone could do them, and she had no particular uniqueness to speak of.
Zhan Lan also possessed some intelligence, but it was clearly not as outstanding as Fang Ge's or Chu Xuan's.
Fang Ge didn't discuss with her but directly ordered:
“I suggest you exchange for Mental Power Scan and Buddha Wheel. As for why, just take a quick look at the entries, and you'll understand.”
“Mmm…”
Despite being given a blunt command, Zhan Lan felt a sense of reassurance, because there was indeed a place for her in the team.
【Mental Power Scan, one of the techniques for using mental power. The specific method of use is to release mental power, extending the user's own senses, perceiving images, sounds, colors, and even deeper information such as each person's unique mental fluctuations through mental power. The direction and convergence of mental power can be controlled, changing the range and accuracy of detection. The exchanger possesses mental power talent, requires 1 C-rank side mission, and 4000 reward points.】
【Buddha Wheel, from general fantasy, a magical artifact with both defensive and healing functions. Requires the holder to activate its defensive ability with intent; it can automatically generate a layer of golden Buddha light to resist damage when attacked, and can also consume energy within the Buddha Wheel to heal injuries. It slowly recovers when not in use and loses function when energy is depleted. Requires 1 C-rank side mission, and 3000 reward points.】
Indeed, it was logistical and support work, possessing healing abilities while also being able to protect her own safety.
Only, this mental power talent…
Zhan Lan discovered that the Main God allowed her to make this exchange, which meant she met the requirements.
She tilted her head and asked in confusion: “How did you know I have mental power talent?”
“…Intuition. Because you just look like a poor writer, and you don't have any talent, but the Main God wouldn't recruit useless people.”
Zhan Lan gnashed her teeth in anger at Fang Ge's reply.
“You're the poor one, you're the useless one, you're the trash!”
Zhan Lan indignantly crossed her arms over her chest, even selectively forgetting that her reward points were insufficient. She stomped away from Fang Ge, ascending into mid-air in the distance to begin her enhancement.
In fact, in Fang Ge's plan, Zhan Lan was one of the candidates for ‘mastering a path of growth—summoning the ancient Yamata no Orochi’.
She wasn't skilled in combat, nor even in taking hits or escaping. Yet, she possessed extremely strong mental power and illusionary talent, excellent energy control, and impressive learning ability. Choosing a suitable bloodline, she could entirely serve as a healer and a buff provider.
Even a spellcaster.
Zhan Lan's uselessness was merely superficial; she was one of the strong contenders for the strongest mental power user.
Of course, all of this was predicated on her not falling into 'love-struck brain', a DEBUFF comparable to Scarlet Emperor Dao Erosion.
Yamata no Orochi could protect Zhan Lan's safety, and Zhan Lan could amplify the great serpent's combat power and weaken its foes.
In short, no matter which unlucky soul the Yamata no Orochi ended up with, enhancing her Mental Power Scan and life-saving abilities now would not be a mistake.
As for the last one, Chu Xuan…
Honestly, he was indeed one of the few people with Orthodox Cultivation talent.
Of course, that was still beyond what the Central Continent Team could afford.
“I probably know what you'll have me do.”
Chu Xuan was indeed Chu Xuan; he was very self-aware:
“We lack a true logistics personnel, so I've decided to exchange for Alchemist Modification.”