Reincarnation Paradise-Chapter 839: Yanchen
Chapter 839: Yanchen
"Twilight Palace, seventh floor. The painful cries of the wounded and the smell of blood permeated the seventh floor, where contractees wrapped in bandages sat scattered around.
"Boss, when's dinner? I'm starving to death." A contractee with a broken leg leaned against the wall, chewing on something. His jaw muscles were well developed, probably from constant chewing. 𝔣𝖗𝔢𝔢𝔴𝖊𝖇𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖊𝔩.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"It's almost ready. Wait a bit." A team leader responded impatiently, surrounded by a few other leaders engaged in discussion. "Boss, even if I die, at least let me die full."
The contractee with the broken leg murmured. After noticing his team leader's expression, he fell silent.
Several team leaders gathered together, led by Yan Chen. "The first wave of attacks was successfully repelled. Based on the current casualties, the Paradise of Reincarnation will only hold out against Heavenly Gate Paradise for up to ten days.
If we continue launching such assaults daily, at most five days, and our numbers will far exceed the Paradise of Reincarnation's, then we can consider counterattacking..." As Yan Chen spoke, he noticed several team leaders staring at his hand intently.
"What's wrong?"
"Yan Chen, your hand..." A team leader pointed at Yan Chen's hand, looking grim.
"My hand?" Yan Chen raised his crystallized left arm. He had previously taken medication to remove the abnormal condition, which had minimal effect, but there were signs of recovery. The crystallization wasn't an irreversible process.
Raising the crystallized left arm, Yan Chen noticed large cracks appearing on it, on the verge of shattering. For a close combat spear master like Yan Chen, losing a hand was a significant blow, significantly reducing his combat capability. An OL-dressed beauty beside Yan Chen immediately placed her hand over his crystallized arm.
"Boss, haven't you received a prompt?" A pink-coloured energy surged from the OL-dressed beauty's hand, adhering to Yan Chen's left arm like glue, sealing the cracked arm. "Taffy, come here." The OL-dressed beauty shouted, and soon, a slightly chubby-faced girl with a faint sweet smell approached.
She emitted a sense of innocence. "Not good." Taffy observed Yan Chen's left arm and realized the severity of the situation. She was Yan Chen's chief healer, skilled in healing-type skills and medical arts.
Most healing contractees relied on skills, but Taffy was different. In the real world, she was an intern doctor and integrated medical skills with healing-type skills upon entering the Reincarnation Paradise.
"Very serious?" Yan Chen suddenly recalled Xi's previous words, 'Perhaps this meeting will be our farewell.'
"Extremely, extremely serious. These crystals are gradually invading your body."
Taffy gestured behind her, and several of Yan Chen's trusted aides quickly erected a tent on the seventh floor with a red cross on top.
"Excuse me." Yan Chen walked toward the tent, and suddenly, someone spoke up. "If there's no other way, you can come to me." Playing games on a tablet within the Twilight Palace, Su Xiao's surroundings were filled with contractees. It was impossible to open treasure chests or engage in similar activities, leaving only games as a pastime.
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Yan Chen paused, and Taffy pouted beside him. "Brother Baiye, do you have a solution too?"
"I do, but it's not gentle. If you were a mage, there would be no way, but fortunately, you're not." Su Xiao's fingers danced rapidly. His puzzle-solving game was getting more complex. As for Yan Chen not being a mage, Su Xiao had that feeling since their initial meeting. Yan Chen's aura was different from that of a mage.
"What solution?" Yan Chen wasn't worried about Su Xiao's ill intentions. With the Reincarnation Paradise practically confined within the Twilight Palace, infighting at this time would be brainless.
"Electrotherapy." Su Xiao's fingertips sparked with 'electric arcs.' Sensing it, Yan Chen instinctively stepped back. "This thing... not good." Yan Chen sensed that the energy in Su Xiao's hand wasn't electricity; it didn't carry that terrifying aura. It was an energy that could annihilate everything, extremely unfriendly.
"So, when your people are completely helpless, then come find me." Su Xiao resumed his game. As an essential force for their side, Su Xiao wouldn't let Yan Chen die. From Yan Chen's previous performance, Su Xiao could see the potential for cooperation, regardless of Yan Chen's inclination for sisterly figures, which didn't concern Su Xiao.
"Thank you." After speaking, Yan Chen headed toward the tent. "Professor Yang." Taffy made a funny face at Su Xiao and followed Yan Chen into the tent. What went unnoticed was that Yan Chen's steps toward the tent were somewhat 'decisive.'
Despite Taffy's cute appearance and occasional coquettishness, making her seem like a delicate girl who could be easily pushed around, once she started operating, she became a demon, displaying cruelty beyond imagination.
Once, when Yan Chen was severely injured, Taffy removed his heart and other vital organs, keeping him alive using life support while awaiting revival. Yan Chen could never forget a particular action by Taffy at that moment; when she removed his heart, she licked her lips.
It wasn't out of fear but curiosity about how his heart tasted, whether it was better boiled or fried. Taffy was the female version of Hannibal. There were no harmless, cute contractees in the Reincarnation Paradise; most of them were staff members.
The OL-dressed beauty frequently entered and exited the tent. The first few times were uneventful, but in the subsequent visits, faint traces of blood were visible on her. Seeing this scene, those team leaders revealed contemplative expressions. Pained cries emanated from the tent, and Su Xiao's fingers paused.
The character in his game was crushed to death by a mechanism, and the screen turned black and white. The tent's curtain swayed, and Taffy, dressed in dark green surgical attire, stepped out with a few blood spots on her fair face. With her usual expression, Taffy walked up to Su Xiao and bowed, saying, "Mr. Baiye, our leader wishes to discuss something with you."
"Okay." Su Xiao stood up. If Yan Chen sent someone to find him, it meant Taffy couldn't resolve his crystallization. As for Su Xiao's method, it was straightforward: use the Green-Steel Shadow energy to eradicate the energy causing Yan Chen's crystallization from within his body.
Su Xiao entered the tent, and a metallic rust scent hit him, the smell of blood all too familiar to him. Yan Chen lay shirtless on a makeshift bed, about 40 centimetres high, with adjustable functions. Three significant areas on Yan Chen's chest had already crystallized, forming pale red crystals interconnected with his muscle tissue. As for Yan Chen's left arm, it had utterly crystallized, resembling a piece of artistic red crystal.
"Taffy said I have about 10 hours left to live." Yan Chen's breathing was somewhat tricky. One of his lungs had crystallized, and this crystallized energy was like a relentless pestilence.
Su Xiao was about to check Yan Chen's condition when Yan Chen raised his hand, indicating that he would wait for a moment.
"Baiye, have you dealt with the Flying Arrow guy?" The Flying Arrow man, in Yan Chen's words, was Lan Jue.
"Taken care of."
"That's good." Yan Chen pondered for a moment and continued, "Your combat prowess is strong. If I don't make it through this ordeal, only you can handle Xi. Those team leaders are not her match. As for Lucky Girl and Bug Lady, they can, at best, hold Xi back. Grizzly's power is decent, but he's too reckless." As Yan Chen spoke, he took a few deep breaths.
"Also, the reason I ended up in this state is that I killed Xi once."
"Killed Xi?" Su Xiao narrowed his eyes. The intelligence he previously received indicated that Xi could resurrect eight times, giving her nine lives. Now, Yan Chen has confirmed Xi's resurrection ability.
"Yan Chen took a few hurried breaths and said:
'Exactly, I killed her once. Remember, when fighting Xi, her usual crystallization isn't frightening. As long as the resistance is sufficient, one can avoid crystallization. The real terror lies in the moment of Xi's death. At that time, she will completely crystallize and explode. Under no circumstances should you come into contact with those splattering crystals, as the consequence will be like mine. This kind of crystallization doesn't require a judgment and will continue to worsen.'
Yan Chen, an intelligent man, aware that he might not survive this ordeal, shared the intelligence he obtained at a significant cost with Su Xiao, preparing him to deal with Xi.
Undoubtedly, this piece of intelligence was crucial. It not only confirmed Xi's resurrection ability for Su Xiao but also informed him of Xi's killing move in advance.
'The Gunner is indeed unreliable. Looks like I might get lucky today.' Though time was short for Yan Chen, he didn't exhibit fear or despair. Instead, he joked about his identity as a Gunner. His current gaze held a deep understanding of life and death, focused solely on one thing.
'My obsession with little sisters... perhaps it's not worth regretting my death.' Yan Chen laughed. He remembered his sister with a gaze that was both gentle and somewhat complex.
Strangely, despite Yan Chen's severe injuries, his sister hadn't appeared yet.
This was Yan Chen's command. If his sister saw him in this state, things would take a wrong turn, turning her into a killer in a matter of minutes.
"Beforehand, I must warn you, my method of treatment comes with a high chance of death." Though Yan Chen wasn't a mage, his body contained an abundance of fire elements.
"No problem. Either way, it's death. Even if there's a 1% chance, I must strive for it."
"Okay." Su Xiao took out a bottle of chewing gum, poured out a piece, and chewed it. [Stride Chewing Gum], white quality, effect: Chew it every minute to recover 15 points of mana; becomes ineffective after 5 minutes of chewing, one piece peruse.
The Green-Steel Shadow energy attached to Su Xiao's hand, and his fingers pointed at Yan Chen's completely crystallized arm. "Damn it!" Yan Chen suddenly sat up, but Su Xiao stepped on Yan Chen's chest, pinning him back onto the bed.
"Better... let me... just get it over with..." Before Yan Chen could finish speaking, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness. The Green-Steel Shadow energy spread throughout Yan Chen's body, activating the fire elemental activity inside him.
This translucent energy was the culprit behind Yan Chen's crystallization. It was Xi's ability, Crystal Energy, converted from mana. One point of mana could be transformed into 10 points of crystal energy. Once released from the body, this crystal energy forms crystals. Xi's reservoir of crystal energy must be substantial.
Crystal energy was a non-reactive energy, whereas mana, chakra, psychic energy, etc., belonged to active energies. Each type had its benefits; active energy had a relatively broader range of use, while non-reactive energy was more stable, avoiding energy surges.
Xi's preference for this highly stable energy was related to her character. That woman despised uncontrollable things.
It wasn't challenging for the Green-Steel Shadow to devour crystal energy. What was challenging was how to prevent Yan Chen from dying due to the actual damage caused by the devouring energy of the Green-Steel Shadow. The real damage caused by the Green-Steel Shadow's energy devouring during the process was indescribably horrifying.
Fortunately, there was 'Yogurt,' the chief nurse of the Mingmen Adventure Group, ensuring Yan Chen wouldn't die instantly. However, preserving Yan Chen's life wasn't guaranteed. A few seconds after the Green-Steel Shadow's energy entered Yan Chen's body, Su Xiao noticed traces of the energy encroaching into Yan Chen's brain.
Su Xiao made every effort to control it. However, the excessive fire elements within Yan Chen's body made the Green-Steel Shadow's energy instinctively head towards Yan Chen's brain. A small portion of the Green-Steel Shadow's energy entered Yan Chen's brain, and his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.
At that moment, an anomaly occurred. Large black patterns appeared on Yan Chen's face. Seeing these patterns, Su Xiao felt they resembled the sealing technique from the Naruto world. Yan Chen had sealed something within his mind. A corner of the seal shattered, and Yan Chen's eyes began to dim.
At this moment, within Yan Chen's consciousness, he sat in a pitch-black room. "Where is this..." Yan Chen's pupils contracted, and memories he had sealed away surged forth, numerous memories flooding back. A family of four in the living room, a teenage boy sitting on the sofa, using his phone to reply to messages, occasionally smiling foolishly.
The smile was like that of a first love; this was Yan Chen during his teenage years. A barefoot girl peeked out beside him, slightly younger, with a resemblance in their features, clearly siblings. When she noticed the girl peeking, Yan Chen quickly hid his phone, making the girl laugh as if she had caught something.
Yan Chen 'ferociously' glared at the girl, wordlessly warning her: 'Dare to tell Mom and Dad, and I'll beat you.' His younger sister, next to Yan Chen, got angry. She tilted her head arrogantly, utterly unaffected by her brother's threat, shouting, 'Mom, my brother is in puppy love.'
Yan Chen was scared out of his wits; his phone slipped into the crack of the sofa. The message on the phone read: 'Darling, my ugly little sister is peeking. Let's not chat for now.'
In the perception of most elder brothers, regardless of how their little sister actually looked, she was ugly in their eyes.
The memory stopped there, and the next scene unfolded. In the hospital, Yan Chen sat anxiously on a plastic chair in the corridor alongside his parents, but his sister was absent.
Soon, a doctor brought Yan Chen's sister out of the ward. This lively girl was behaving somewhat oddly, looking sideways at Yan Chen with a gaze that made him feel very unfamiliar.
The conclusion given by the psychiatrist was that Yan Chen's sister had a mild form of schizophrenia, producing a personality with antisocial and violent tendencies. They recommended her for observation at the hospital.
The memory jumped again. Blood, a blood-stained kitchen knife, a girl covered in blood with lifeless eyes, a middle-aged couple lying dead on the ground for quite some time, and a trembling young Yan Chen cowering in the corner.
A day later, a hungry and somewhat exhausted Yan Chen stood up. He looked at his sister covered in blood and then at his parents' corpses. He recalled his father's words before he died, 'Help your sister, don't hurt her. It's not her will.' The memory jumped again, landing in the reincarnation paradise, the gathering place for the Mingmen Adventure Group.
Yan Chen sat at the forefront, and those ten-plus members seemed somewhat fearful of him. Rumours had it that Yan Chen was a psychotic sister-obsessed individual who killed his family members and forcibly imprisoned his sister. However, Yan Chen did not incline sister-obsession.
His sister's personality disappeared when he killed his parents, leaving behind a schizophrenic, violent girl. Yan Chen didn't even want to see her. Talking about their obsession with his sister was far-fetched. Yet, Yan Chen knew, to some extent, that this mad girl was still his sister.
Tragic experiences can make people strong, such as Yan Chen. He did everything an elder brother could do, like earning money to support his sister and secretly dealing with the appearance of certain unknown bodies at home. These were all the experiences of 'sister-obsessed' Yan Chen. Reading this, one would realize that it was his sister who was truly disturbed.
In Yan Chen's consciousness, he sat on a chair, with darkness on his left and brightness on his right. He was caught between light and darkness. Gradually, the sealing technique recovered, and Yan Chen's memories faded away. This was an act of helplessness. With these memories, he often couldn't help but want to kill his crazy sister.
However, the idea of familial love told him not to do so. In the miracle land of the reincarnation paradise, perhaps there was a way to restore his sister's lost personality. This was one of Yan Chen's motivations. After completely sealing the unfortunate memories, Yan Chen's mind was filled with the memories he had constructed himself using 100,000 Paradise Coins.
Even though his real memories were sealed, there was an idea always telling him not to touch his sister, that it was very 'dangerous.' His sister had a flaw; she was missing a personality. She needed that restored so that he could have his complete sister.
At that time, he must remove the seal, which would reveal many things to him. Yan Chen, the sister-obsessed Flame Demon Knight. Whoever dared to provoke his sister would be challenging his sister-obsessed soul. At that point, Yan Chen would become a lunatic, and many contract holders knew this.