NOVPUBChapter 172: Chapter 171 The Drained Woman
Chapter 172 -171 The Drained Woman
“What is this?” everyone gathered around.
“A secret method divine artifact, it can be a third-class oddity, or even a second-class one. Its biggest characteristic is that it’s not made by humans but comes from relics, legacies, or given by divinities. It possesses powers that defy logic; for instance, this one was used as a weapon,” Chaoyang explained in the official tone of Paradise.
The first thing he did when he returned to the sanctuary was to recreate the cross he had touched at the priest’s place to see if he could use it. The result was a huge disappointment; he did not appear to be an “Awakened individual” from this world.
He also had Ailuodi, Dane, Judy, and Jenny try it out.
Still, none of them succeeded.
Dane was surprisingly calm about this outcome, even remarking that if he had such a talent, he definitely wouldn’t have chosen to be a journalist.
Jenny said there was no one like that in the entire sanctuary.
Selection for the Awakened was very widespread, and the lucky ones with such talents would never end up mining for a company.
It was the same with the nuns.
Those who could settle in the sanctuary were essentially poor souls abandoned by the divinities.
Thinking about it now, the only talented person Chaoyang knew who was left was Leisk. The problem was, this guy came and went without a trace, and God knows where he was hiding now.
So, Chaoyang shifted his focus to the players—five samples were few, but there was no harm in trying.
“It feels like iron to the touch, but the temperature seems a bit off,” Xue Quan was the first to reach out and touch the cross, “There must be some sort of heat source hidden inside. Mr. Host, how is it used as a weapon? It’s not about holding the longer end to hit people, is it?”
“How to use it requires your own comprehension,” he replied.
He definitely wasn’t going to admit that he didn’t know either.
“Do we have to take it apart to find out?” Xue Quan squatted down and examined the details on the metal shell, “There’s a Phillips screw hole here, which should be used to secure the shell.”
“It’s not that complicated to operate; you’ll know how the moment you touch it. If not, then it just means you don’t have that talent,” Chaoyang recited from the “Guide to Wonders Appraisal.”
“Simply put, you’re not qualified! Let me try,” Anthony said as he stretched out his hand without hesitation, moving so quickly as if he were afraid of someone getting there first.
The cross didn’t budge an inch.
“This isn’t right… Host, is this thing broken?”
Chaoyang rolled his eyes behind his mask and ignored him.
Ailuodi pretended to be the third to follow suit, then exclaimed in disappointment, “Ah, I can’t do it either.”
“If it’s a weapon, shouldn’t it be more universally usable? Setting such a high barrier, there’s no way to replenish it if it’s lost…” Cui Zhen’en muttered as she reached out her hand, then suddenly pulled back as if shocked by electricity, “Ah!”
The room went quiet in an instant.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on her.
“I got… an electric shock,” she said with an awkward smile.
“Tsk,” everyone said in unison.
Cui Zhen’en, feeling embarrassed, touched her head and then stretched her hand out to touch it again, but to her surprise, the cross suddenly opened, sprang from the ground, and pounced towards her right arm!
“Be careful!”
“Quick, exchange for a gun!”
Chaos erupted at the scene.
“Don’t, don’t panic, my hand doesn’t seem to hurt!” Cui Zhen’en immediately called out to stop the others, saying, “It feels like there’s a lump of soft flesh inside, warm… and a bit moist.”
By now, the cross had completely replaced her right arm, and due to its large size, it looked quite disproportionate. When she let her arm hang down, the cross had to be slanted to prevent it from propping her up.
“Congratulations on passing the test, you are a Talent.”
Chaoyang clapped his hands as if everything was within expectations, but in reality, he was quite surprised. He hadn’t thought that among the players, there would actually be one who had awakened. At the same time, he came to another conclusion: the physical body would not affect this ability; the Divine Artifact’s judgment was based on the soul.
“That was just an accident, cancel it, I want to try again,” Anthony protested.
Xue Quan was concerned about the most important issue, “Do you know what the cross is for yet?”
“Don’t rush me, let me feel it for a moment… it seems to be communicating with me… hmm… it needs flesh and blood…” Cui Zhen’en blinked, making sure she was correct, “Yes, it’s craving my flesh and blood.”
“Uh, then you test it some more,” the Russian retracted his hand, “Is this thing really a machine?”
“At least it’s not a living thing,” Chaoyang confirmed. Because he was unable to replicate a living person, a running rabbit, or a flying bird—all such replications could only create a shell, and if a soul wasn’t injected into it, it would never be able to move.
Cui Zhen’en quickly made up her mind, “I’ve agreed to give it what it wants.”
No sooner had she spoken than she suddenly showed a pained expression.
“Are you okay?” Zhang Zhiyuan asked.
“I feel like it’s sucking on my arm—my hand has become like a straw…” Meanwhile, Cui Zhen’en’s face became visibly paler and sunken at a rapid pace. In less than thirty seconds, she had become emaciated, with every blue vein standing out distinctly.
It was only because players couldn’t die that the others didn’t take excessive action, but the sight still made everyone gasp in shock!
Another ten seconds passed, and the cross automatically fell off from Cui Zhen’en’s arm. She then collapsed directly, apparently dead.
Ailuodi couldn’t help shivering, “I’m glad I’m not a Talent.”
“What is this exactly, a weapon or a cursed artifact?” Qianyuan Meiko stared at the cross with a complex look on her face.
“Wait a moment, the resurrection program is starting.”
Chaoyang hadn’t expected the situation to turn out like this. Since there were no spare bodies prepared in the underground storage, he had to quickly create a body for Cui Zhen’en. Half an hour later, Cui Zhen’en returned to Paradise Base under the watchful eyes of the players.
“This is indeed an experience you can’t get in reality,” she complained not in good spirits, “Being sucked dry is truly memorable, right, Mr. Host?”
“Paradise will send you an additional 1000 points as a reward for passing the test.”
“Is that so, then I won’t make a fuss,” Cui Zhen’en shrugged, “Actually, the pain wasn’t very clear, perhaps while Paradise reduced the perception abilities, it also released an anesthetic secretion. I could feel its content, and what its ability is.”
“Tell us?” Xue Quan was quite interested.
“Hmm… it’s a bit difficult to describe in words, I’ll try to describe it using understandable terms—it’s like an energy storage device that can absorb attacks from enemies and then release them selectively.”
Cui Zhen’en spoke very slowly, evidently also thinking about how to phrase her explanation.
“What kind of attacks?”
“Like hurricanes, heatwaves, shockwaves, or a cannonball. According to the user’s intention, it can store multiple instances and then release them all at once, or store a single instance and release it in parts. But the magical thing is, it can specify the release location… even the release timing.”
“What does that mean?” Anthony showed a puzzled look.
“For example, if you blow yourself up next to me, the explosive shockwave passing through me would be absorbed, and then I can specify that it be released from the other side—” Cui Zhen’en pointed towards Zhang Zhiyuan, “say, from behind him. This way he would be hit by the explosion without any defense. And the cross tells me… I can also decide when to release it, like an hour later. This means I can release an attack in one place, then leave in advance, and just wait for it to explode on its own. If it’s true, then there are too many ways to use this Divine Artifact.”
