Chapter 2

“Energy conversion, huh…”

A near infinite amount of energy existed in our planet and in space. Our science was advance enough to provide an explanation for the various types of energy. Kinetic energy, electromagnetic radiation, photon energy. The space seemed devoid of everything but hidden unseen was energy that we did not have access to, at least at our current technological level. We could not make use of the vast amount of energy that controlled the universe yet.

Zheng had always felt his Qi and Blood Energy absorbed energy from air and space. How else could a human body produce such large amount of energy from just food? The energy absorbed varied depending on the type of technique and the person’s body. His Qi used to be diluted but it was now dense. The Blood Energy also became increasingly corrosive as he grew stronger. All in all, Qi and Blood Energy were energies of different attributes. It was due to their contrasting attributes that produced Explosion and Destruction, which allowed Zheng to achieve what he had now.

Zheng pondered as he held the One Ring in his hand. To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure about the usage of the ring. The description didn’t make it that useful. Energy conversion. So what if the energy was converted to another form? Not like he was going to convert Qi or Blood Energy to the same form of energy, unless he didn’t want to use Explosion and Destruction anymore.

Xuan looked at him with contempt. He sneered. “Your thoughts are naive. Is that all you can think of? Your own energy?”

Zheng asked curiously. “Aside from myself? Like focus Qi and Blood Energy on the ring to create a Destruction bomb? Or what else? How can I know if you don’t say anything?”

“Such as energy refinement. It is also a form of conversion.” Xuan stared at the One Ring with a hint of fanaticism. “To give you an analogy using Wuxia and Xianxia stories and legends from China. When one trains and condenses his Qi to crystalized form, he reaches Jindan. This kind of method is likely to cause a self explosion. However, you can use it to refine your Qi and Blood Energy. You no longer have to exchange higher tier Qi and Blood Energy as long as you have the ring. You can refine your energy then store them in your body or in the rings. This is the simplest method…”

Zheng felt a little scared seeing the fanaticism from Xuan’s eyes. “And? What else?”

“As an energy concentrator!” The fanaticism was truly showing itself this time. “Concentrate the energy from laser gun or laser cannon then condense the energy through the ring before releasing it. That power… We should just use this ring as a concentrator to create a super weapon of our own. Let’s name it Magic Cannon, a cannon created from a magic ring. Next time when someone threatens us with something like a Continental Oscillator, we can deal with it with just one shot.”

(Seems like he’s still bothered by not being able to kill Adam.) The rest of the team looked at each other and had similar thoughts. They lowered their heads in fear of Xuan catching them and scheme them in some future plans.

“You’re not wrong but.. Eh? ChengXiao, excuse me for asking. Why do the eight little flags in your hand look so familiar?” Zheng was trying to slow down Xuan when he saw ChengXiao being quieter than usual and was holding eight little red flags in hand.

ChengXiao said. “Hehe. Didn’t you say that Xiuzhen guy is strong? I thought it would be nice if he dropped one or two items. I couldn’t find anything except for these eight burnt flags. I thought they are something good but they are just normal flags. Very tough though.”

As he spoke, Zheng seized the flags from him. The flags were soft. Their material were neither cloth nor cotton. The density of the material seemed plastic. However, no one would craft a magical item with plastic, not to mention a kind of plastic that withstood the purple flame.

Zheng studied it for quite a while then sighed. “Right. These are the flags Luo YingLong threw down when he used his special attack. Those who Xiuzhen truly have techniques of the immortals (xian). These seemingly flimsy flags could confine my movement. I couldn’t break out of them even with Destruction. I wonder how expensive this ability is if you have to exchange for it… Well, my Explosion and Destruction are good in this respect.”

Xuan casually said. “Legend says… when Qi condenses to a certain degree, it will turn into Xiuzhen energy.”

Zheng grabbed the ring without another word. He sat down in a lotus position and stopped moving.

He was troubled by his own abilities. Everyone else who unlocked the fourth stage looked elegant. Their abilities were stylish and powerful. His Destruction was also powerful but that power was built upon self destruction. Every time he used it against anyone, no matter how strong or weak that person was, he would end up covered in blood and sometimes naked. When he compared himself against the others, he really wanted a more stylish ability. At least something that looked better after he used Destruction.

Zheng sat there without moving a bit. The black glow suddenly retrieved into the ring. A soft white glow enveloped the ring. The ring levitated off Zheng’s hand as a soft white light floated from his palm into the ring. Strings of light then spread from the ring and entered his body. The scene was staggering. Zheng actually looked like he was on his way to ascension.

However, Xuan walked to the back of ChengXiao. Lan and YinKong grabbed the other girls back. As ChengXiao seemed confused, the white light surrounding Zheng brightened then bang! The strings gathered outside his body and exploded. ChengXiao who was nearest got blasted away and landed on the floor. He got up to find his front teeth missing a part.

Zheng also looked miserable. His body was covered with wounds. Both his hands were missing. He yelled while still sitting. “God! Give me a full heal!”

“Wait. I need a full heal too!”

Two beams shot down then disappeared. Zheng wouldn’t dare to gather his Qi again. He threw the One Ring to Xuan and said. “The heck is this joke? This technique is only good for dragging your enemies to hell with you… to control the flags? Xuan, did you coax me to get your data for research?”

“How could that be…” Xuan replied with a stern look. “Am I such kind of people?”

(No doubt…) Zheng and a few others thought to themselves. Though no one dared to say it out. They were scared of becoming the next test subject.

Xuan seemed to know what they were thinking. He paid no attention to it and threw the ring back to Zheng. “Where’s your fourth stage? Do you know why the saints are fifth stage? That’s because of energy manipulation and the law of equivalence of energy and mass. A human will exceed the limit of living beings once he can manipulate energy at will. The fourth stage being the prelude to the fifth stage, infinitesimal control is merely the entrance to the manipulation. What you need to do is practice and more practice. Condense that energy. Reduce of the area of explosion until you can successfully condense a large amount of energy. Even if you fail to control the flags, the power of such an attack from the condensed energy is worth the effort!”

Zheng stopped complaining and nodded seriously. He could of course tell that Xuan’s advice was good for him. This advice was the essence of training. If he wanted to keep becoming stronger, he had to really put in the effort. Infinitesimal control and the fourth stage were his capitals to rivaling his clone!

“This is primarily the current situation. The next question is, who do you plan to revive next?” Xuan turned to Zheng again.

Zheng put the One Ring into the Na ring and said. “Qi TengYi and Xiao HongLu. These two people are a must. A person with a vast knowledge of ancient language systems will be a great help in the search for bonus missions in future movies. Then we also have to revive Ming YanWei. Heng you obtained a lot of rewards and points too right? If you don’t have enough, I can help…”

Heng was standing on the side quietly until he heard the words. His body trembled then he shook his hands. “No. Not for now. Wait until I become strong enough to protect her… Then I will revive her myself. So please give me some time.”

Zheng sighed. He patted Heng on the shoulder. “Yes. Grow stronger. Let us all grow stronger. Survive. Protect ourselves. Protect the things important to us… Get a good rest for tonight. We will head into The Mummy tomorrow and revive our comrades.”

Infinitesimal control was really required before attempting energy condensation. Otherwise it would end in an explosion just like what happened to Zheng. Fortunately, not everyone could get their hands on the One Ring.

Zheng recalled Xuan’s words then thoroughly pondered the application of the ring again. He realized the One Ring was actually immensely powerful. One important possibility was if he had an infinite amount of Qi or Blood Energy, could he convert them to psyche force and use this energy to control other people? As the quantity of this energy grew, the number of people he could control grew. That would make ring become the actual One Ring of the movie.

Despite all these thoughts, he stayed with Lori throughout the night. It was only a day in Lori’s perspective but he had been in the Lord of the Rings world for over a month. He made it through the blood baths and wavered on the edge of hell multiple times. A warmth arose within his heart as he looked at Lori. He held her tenderly on the grassy field in their basement. The two quietly cuddled.

A little black dog sniffed their backs. Seeing that the two ignored it, the dog bit their clothes. It was a clever boy as it only bit the clothes and carefully avoided biting their bodies.

Lori really liked being cuddled. Every time Zheng came back weathered and wounded, she felt pity toward him and pains in her heart. So much she wished she could stay by his side every moment. As the little dog disrupted their limited serenity, she waved her hand to the back. “Go, go, doggie. Play to the side or you won’t get A5 steak tomorrow.”

The dog seemingly understood her words. It moaned then walked to the side with a look of defeat. Little flares spitted out through its mouth.

Zheng couldn’t help but glanced over at the dog a few more times. This was the child of the dragon he brought back from Jurassic Park. He coincidentally adopted it as a pet. The original goal was only to use it for dragon blood supply in order to enhance team members. However, the dragon’s rate of growth exceeded their expectation. In just over a months time, it had grown to the size of a dog and could breathe flame from its mouth. If it continued to grow, it might bring back the power of its mother.

(I wonder if there’s a way to make it grow faster. The dragon’s power can rival a typical fourth stage player.) Zheng thought to himself but he knew that was naïve thinking. Dragons would take a hundred years or more to mature. He might not live long enough. He buried these thoughts for now and gave all his attention to Lori.

Noon of the next day, all team members gathered on the platform. Zheng said that Qi TengYi did not have to be revived in The Mummy since he never obtained too many points and rewards. It was more cost efficient to revive him with double his points. HongLu on the other hand would require a trip to The Mummy. Zheng placed his hopes on HongLu. They would finally have someone who could at least guess what Xuan was thinking. So that he didn’t have to be scared of falling into Xuan’s schemes without even knowing.

Team China had become so familiar with The Mummy so they didn’t prepare much. They carried t heir weapons then exchanged time in the world. It was the same process of finding the curator then heading to Hamuptra. An event occurred as they arrived at Hamuptra.

“A letteer? For me?” Zheng asked an officer in the base with curiosity. The officer dutifully handed him a letter. It was said to have come from China and was specifically designated to Zheng.

All their acquaintances in The Mummy had their own lives. O’Connell and Evelyn started a business in mining. They had several gold mines in the west under their names. They finally became wealthy. It was reported that Evelyn found a large tomb inside one of the gold mines… This woman seemed to be a magnet for dangers.

Ardeth was working for the future of the Medjai. They had more gold than some of the big countries with the support of Zheng. Ardeth became the most welcomed figure amount American businessmen. That was only his identity in the light. His true identity was still a member of the organization.

Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun failed to find the Holy Grail then began a journey all over the world searching for ruins. They returned to Egypt as the promised day with Zheng was coming near. However, an unkonwn reason caused them to go to China. It was said that they went with Jonathan to search for an immortal medicine that belonged to a Chinese emperor several thousand years ago.

As for Jonathan, he indeed went to China. He wasn’t too rich, though Zheng was never stingy when it came to giving him gold. His sense to money got him a large profit soon after he landed in China. He obtained Aks from Ardeth then sold them to the Chinese military. And in turn was dragged into some military secret. In addition, he accidentally obtained a map for an immortal medicine. So he ended up being chased for his life.

After Zheng learned of everyone’s situation, he could guess what the letter was about. And indeed, it was Jonathan describing the immortal medicine and him obtaining a map. He decided check whether the map was real or fake and got Imhotep along with him. If it was fake, he wouldn’t have to bother Zheng. And if it turned out to be real, he would like a little help from Zheng, with a split of profits. He would get 70% while Zheng get 30%.

“He can go die.” Zheng didn’t bother with him. Too bad that Imhotep also went to China. As soon as he confirmed Imhotep wanted to enter God’s dimension, he would immediately go back to exchange a watch and return to The Mummy. That would add a undying wizard to team China and raise the team’s strength.

Anyway, they could not invite Imhotep to the team for now. There was no hints of anything on this letter denoting their location. Neither did he know if the map was real or not. If it turned out to be fake, the ten of them would cost 500 points a day in this world, which was not really worth the risk. Zheng could only finish what he had to do first and revive HongLu.

“Deducted 8000 points and one rank B reward.” God’s voice appeared in Zheng’s mind.

The images he saw changed to that pitch black night in Resident Evil. HongLu, several team members and movie characters were running on the main road. He played some deceptive tricks like hiding the movie characters and had them ambush team Devil. He seemed to know team Devil wouldn’t kill the movie characters. However, the gap between the two teams’ strength was too high. There was no way for them to outrun the Sky Sticks. The movie characters were knocked unconscious with ease and captured. The scene then came to Xuan landing on the ground then placed a bullet into HongLu’s head.

This was a lonely black room. HongLu had no choice but to take on the stress from life as a test subject. He was young but his mind was mature. He knew he could not let his future continue in the same state. Yet, what could he do? Lonely and helpless depicted him.

If there was someone who could approach me. If there was someone who could listen to my words. If there was someone who could talk with me. If I am not a test subject… If there was someone who could love me…

That nurse entered his life. They gradually started talking and got to know each other. When HongLu displayed his intelligence in front of other people, she finally realized he was such a smart person. Smiles slowly came upon him and then a sudden fire at the research facility…

“I don’t want to experience loneliness. I don’t want to be a test subject again. I don’t want to be all by myself.”

Zheng sighed. He quietly looked at HongLu on the altar.

The boy who liked to twirl his hair sat there confused. As he looked around and noticed Xuan, his expression changed. He pinched the hair on his forehead.

“That means… I revived? This should be The Mummy. So the ancient book that can resurrect people is real.” HongLu muttered. He turned to Xuan. “I lost to you just then… No, Resident Evil should have been long ago. Interested in playing a game with me? We will have a bet in the next movie.”