"I am unkillable."
Xuan Hao's lips curled into a sneer.
Rose was unaffected. Her attacks, imbued with purifying power, broke through his defenses and furiously tore apart Xuan Hao's bodily structure.
After dozens of seconds of intense struggle...
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Rose gathered all her strength, her heavy punch, completely enveloped in silver light, fiercely pierced through Xuan Hao's massive head.
"Impressive."
Xuan Hao twitched twice, then crashed to the ground.
Rose gasped for breath, staring intently at the remains on the ground, not relaxing in the slightest.
"Rose, report!"
The Doctor's voice came through her earpiece; he was already in the helicopter cabin.
Rose stared at the monster's corpse, "The Martial Artist possessed by the BOSS wasn't strong. I killed him. I felt a cold aura; the moment he died, he tried to possess me, but..."
She looked down at the bandage on her arm:
"It was blocked by the ancient relic!"
"Excellent!" The Doctor sounded quite excited.
"What now? It shouldn't be dead." Rose remained vigilant.
"Right, we can't let our guard down."
The Doctor said in a deep voice, "Let's assume the worst: it hasn't dissipated and is seeking a new host."
"According to my calculations, if there are no hosts nearby, it will die. Now, the entire base is empty except for you."
"Doctor, what about you?"
Rose instinctively looked up at the sky.
"Don't worry."
The Doctor's voice came, "I've ordered the helicopter to climb very high. This altitude is far beyond four hundred meters, a thousand meters."
"If my calculations are correct, this is far beyond its maximum possession distance."
"Understood." Rose nodded.
"I'm sorry."
The Doctor sighed, "To ensure absolute safety, I can't risk coming to pick you up, or everyone's sacrifice will be in vain."
"Understood."
Rose's voice was calm, "I have an ancient relic. It can't possess me. I will stay here to monitor the situation."
....
High in the sky, inside the helicopter cabin.
The engine's roar was steady and powerful.
The rotor spun stably, and the aircraft had climbed to the designated altitude.
The Doctor's tense body finally relaxed a little, leaning against the cabin wall.
Through the porthole, he looked down at the massive building below, and a heavy sense of fatigue swept over him.
To verify the possession distance, they had paid an unimaginable price.
But it was all worth it.
The Doctor looked at the taciturn pilot in the driver's seat, "Captain, what is our current altitude?"
The pilot didn't turn his head, his voice flat:
"Current altitude, 3200 meters."
"Good." The Doctor completely relaxed.
This distance was already beyond the BOSS's possession range.
He closed his eyes, rubbing his throbbing temples, "Maintain altitude, circle and wait. Do not descend without further instructions from me."
The pilot suddenly turned his head, a slight smile on his face:
"Understood, Doctor."
The smile was faint, yet it was like a sudden flash of lightning, instantly striking the Doctor's nerves.
His mind instantly froze!
An indescribable chill shot through his heart!
"No, no...."
The Doctor's body trembled slightly.
Cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his shirt, and icy fear, like countless tentacles, spread over him.
He turned back sharply.....
As if sensing his gaze, the pilot also slowly turned his head, a faint smile on his lips.
Finally, the smile seemed to lose control, becoming exaggerated and eerie.
This was not a smile at all!
Deep within those eyes was emotionless indifference.
"What's wrong, Doctor?"
"You seem very tired? Do you need some water?"
The pilot's smile grew more exaggerated, his tone as friendly as a casual greeting, yet it made the Doctor feel as if he had plunged into an ice cellar.
His blood seemed to have congealed!
There was no longer any need to doubt; the BOSS was right beside him!
....
On the top floor of the base, Rose remained vigilant.
"Rose, be careful!"
Suddenly, the Doctor's furious roar came through her earpiece.
"Ugh....ugh...."
His voice quickly became indistinct.
It was also mixed with short, suppressed grunts, full of shock and anger.
"Doctor? What's wrong with you?!"
Rose shouted into the communicator, her heart feeling squeezed, an ominous premonition instantly rising.
Unfortunately, there was no answer.
Aside from the engine's roar, the communication channel was filled only with some chaotic sounds.
"Doctor, please respond?"
Rose looked up and saw a horrifying sight.
The helicopter had lost power!
"How could this be?!"
Rose felt a chill throughout her body, an icy coldness to the bone.
Was there a struggle in the cabin?!
"Could it be...."
Rose reacted, her face instantly turning pale.
"It possessed the pilot! It's on the plane!" A massive fear rushed into her mind, Rose's voice filled with despair.
Then, she saw the plane falling.
"Boom--!!!"
On the distant horizon, a muffled roar erupted, and dazzling flames shot into the sky.
The Doctor.... was dead!
Rose instantly collapsed to the ground.
....
At the crash site, flames burned fiercely.
The crashed helicopter was deformed, and the pungent smell of charring, mixed with fuel, permeated the wind.
Suddenly, space gradually warped.
Rose's figure appeared from the rippling distortions.
Her body trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Everything seemed to be over.
"If I were stronger, could I have taken the Doctor and left directly?" Rose's eyes were filled with regret.
If she had known, she should have continued her rigorous training.
Rose took a deep breath, forcing down the surging sadness in her heart, and stepped towards the flames.
Suddenly, a cold wind swept through the surroundings.
"Yin God...." Her voice was as deep as if from the netherworld, "Don't struggle."
"I know you're here."
Rose approached the flames step by step, her voice filled with endless weariness and resolute killing intent.
"So many people have sacrificed, even the Doctor.... You must completely dissipate!"
Just then!
"Whoosh!"
As if in response to her threat.
A frantic cold current swept around, stirring up the ashes on the ground, forming a continuously rotating gray tornado that instantly enveloped Rose.
Icy cold! Sticky!
Like countless tentacles trying to bore into her skin, seep into her bones, trying to invade her brain, tear apart her consciousness.
This was far more powerful than before!
"It's useless, you can't possess me." Rose clenched her fists, "I will watch you die!"
The cold wind swirled, blowing past her ears.
It sounded like intertwining wind, yet also like it was coming from the depths of her Soul, intermittent and incredibly cold:
"I will not disappear."
As soon as the words fell, the cold wind tornado enveloping Rose instantly dissipated!
That omnipresent, unsettling feeling of mental erosion completely vanished.
"Is it over?"
Rose gasped heavily.
Sweat had soaked her fringe.
"I will watch you die." Rose lit the bandage on her arm; this ancient relic began to burn.
The flames were unaffected by the wind, still rising upwards.
This indicated that there were no mental ripples around.
Rose repeatedly confirmed, finally receiving feedback from the ancient relic: the mental presence of the source of pollution had completely disappeared!
Her tense nerves finally relaxed.
The feeling of surviving a catastrophe did not bring her joy, but rather an endless heaviness and sadness.
She looked towards the burning wreckage.
The Doctor was dead.
The sun set in the west, the afterglow like blood.
Outside the base, at the temporary gathering point ten kilometers away.
After receiving the Doctor's orders, all research and combat personnel had gathered here.
A suffocating silence permeated the air.
Finally, Rose's weary figure appeared in everyone's sight.
"Captain Rose!"
"Captain, you're back."
"Where's the Doctor? How is the Doctor? We saw the helicopter seemed to have crashed....."
Everyone gathered around, talking over each other.
Rose stopped.
Her face was incredibly pale and haggard.
"The Doctor, he...."
Rose's voice was hoarse, with an unconcealable choke, "To completely eliminate that monster, he died with the BOSS!"
These words were like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's hearts.
After a brief, deathly silence.
Suppressed cries, disbelieving sobs, and sorrowful sighs instantly spread through the temporary camp.
Everyone's faces were filled with sadness and bewilderment.
The pillar had fallen....
"Boom boom."
Just as this immense sadness enveloped them.
A beam of light shot from the distance, and a black car approached, speeding past them along the road outside the base.
The car window was down.
In the driver's seat, a very ordinary-looking middle-aged man had his right arm casually resting on the window frame.
Just as the car brushed past the crowd....
The driver turned his head to look at the people by the roadside, and across more than ten meters, his gaze met Rose's.
Suddenly, his lips curled slightly upwards.
A half-smile.
Eerie and deeply meaningful.
That smile!!!
In that instant, all the blood in Rose's body seemed to freeze.
Her mind went blank!
An even colder, more despairing chill than facing the BOSS's true form instantly crept over every inch of her skin!