Chapter 5: Ancient Relics - Soul of an Old Soldier
Watching the toad approach step by step, Xu Le knew that if he said he was unwilling, the steel fork that had stabbed the ghost would most likely end up in his own head.
The power difference between them was too great. Xu Le wasn't very sure if the spirit here was what he had imagined.
It would be too foolish to choose deception over something he hadn't even figured out himself.
So, be honest!
"I absolutely don't mean to be unwilling, Lord Golden Toad. Regarding the offering, I really don't know what to do. To be frank, I don't know how. If you're willing to believe me, please take it yourself. As for the earthworms, please give me some time. I will find enough earthworms in a few days."
Xu Le's other abilities were almost negligible, but in terms of thinking, he was quite capable. After all, he had been writing novels for so many years. Although he was still unsuccessful, he had a solid foundation in words. Having been an internet keyboard warrior for a long time, he was quite articulate.
The golden toad hesitated for a moment.
"Why should I believe you?"
Just as he was about to make up some excuses, the words couldn't come out when they reached his mouth.
Xu Le felt his body become rigid.
He suddenly entered that state of feverish focus, and the toad in front of him began to distort. The pixel-style scene appeared again.
His mouth involuntarily opened:
"Golden Toad, you know I'm quite special, so you can only believe me!"
The low, dark voice instantly echoed in this hollow house.
Like a prayer of death.
Without honorifics, it even carried a hint of threat.
Xu Le didn't know how he produced such a voice, but that wasn't important anymore.
What mattered was that the toad seemed to buy into this act.
After Xu Le displayed this attitude, it actually became somewhat fearful.
"I understand, young medium. I will serve as a shikigami and protect you until dawn. When you have collected enough earthworms, you can find me through this mark."
After the toad finished speaking, with a pain in his palm, a mark of a gluttonous mouth appeared on Xu Le's palm.
Shikigami, mark!
He touched this mark, and when he touched it, Xu Le clearly felt that fever.
"How to use it?"
"You know."
Xu Le didn't continue to ask, lest his messy dialogue trigger something extra.
"Thank you then, Lord Golden Toad."
"No need for thanks, what's between us is a transaction, not worship."
The toad turned its head after speaking, no longer looking at Xu Le.
It walked to the door of the house, one hand holding the steel fork, the other somehow producing a new cigarette.
Very skillfully, it lit one for itself.
Hiss~ Ha!
"Cigarettes are wonderful, humans really know how to enjoy life."
"Yes, humans really know how to enjoy life."
Xu Le stood in place, savoring the toad's words. It's a transaction, not worship?
His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden distortion below.
Xu Le looked down at his feet, it was Old Zhou's corpse that caught his attention.
Under the distorted vision, there was a black object on Old Zhou's chest.
"Will a strange corpse turn into something strange?"
This nesting doll question, Xu Le didn't get an answer.
After hesitating for a while, Xu Le still decided to take a look.
The toad said it would protect him, these actions should be within its protection range, right?
He bent down and started searching Old Zhou's body.
Soon, he found the black-light-emitting object.
A medal wrapped in a wallet, it was an honorary medal for retired soldiers!
Suddenly, a line of text similar to the previous distorted prompts appeared next to the medal!
[Soul of an Old Soldier]
Ancient Relic - TU Class
Experience: Your shooting and fighting skills have slightly improved.
Soldier's Soul - Effect 1: Slightly enhances physical attributes.
Soldier's Soul - Effect 2: Release the soul of an old soldier, temporarily strengthening oneself. The relic is destroyed after use.
Note: To use this relic, you need to fulfill Zhou Ke's last wish.
Looking at the still-squirming text, Xu Le was a bit stunned.
Ancient relic? TU?
This thing, it's got something to it!
Uh, he's not just repeating himself, but this thing looks... really like it's got something to it!
After hesitating again, Xu Le finally reached out his finger towards this medal.
As he picked up the medal, after a moment of dizziness, clear memories rushed into his brain like a tide.
These memories were rigid, just like many items placed at home.
It's clearly at home, but if you don't see it, you really can't remember it.
Soon, Xu Le's expression kept changing, becoming more and more complex, even becoming somewhat embarrassed.
...
The memories began to constantly backtrack, clear images appearing before Xu Le's eyes.
A few hours ago, Zhou Ke.
That is, the corpse of Old Zhou lying on the ground, was now looking at the walls of the house with bright eyes.
On the dilapidated wall boards of the small house, a colorful fruit with strange auspicious cloud patterns had grown.
This fruit had no roots or stems, but grew directly from the rock, very strange.
"Ale, is this the legendary Ancient Yonduo fruit? And it's colorful!"
Zhou Ke's voice trembled with excitement.
But behind him, the original Xu Le's eyes kept flickering after seeing this fruit:
"It is indeed an Ancient Yonduo fruit, but the correct term should be Ancient Yonduo seed. It is said to be spores scattered by the Ancient Yonduo mother tree to various parts of the world, formed by absorbing natural forces. However, to have an Ancient Yonduo seed in this place is indeed incredible."
The original Xu Le's voice was very low and strange, like a constantly rubbing sandpan, or an out-of-tune gramophone.
It sounded very eerie, not at all like the voice someone his age should have.
"Is it very valuable?" Old Zhou was already eager to try.
"Very valuable, but it must be preserved intact. You must be careful, there can't be even a slight damage."
"No problem, you hold this for me, I'll go pick it."
Old Zhou handed the flintlock to the original Xu Le, and climbed up the floorboards in a few steps.
Then he carefully picked the fruit.
The original Xu Le looked at the flintlock in his hand, his eyes slightly narrowed, his fingers gripping the gun turning white.
While Xu Le was nervous, Old Zhou had already obtained the Ancient Yonduo fruit with his agile movements and carefully climbed down.
"Perfectly intact, Ale, we've really hit it big this time. We'll split it half and half later, uh..."
Puchi!
As Old Zhou excitedly came down holding the Ancient Yonduo fruit, Xu Le's dagger directly pierced his back heart.
He pushed Old Zhou, then raised the gun in his hand, aiming at Old Zhou who was stiffening and slowly turning around.
Looking at the gun barrel, Old Zhou's expression became even more rigid, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
His slightly weathered face showed a somewhat desolate expression:
"Is this really necessary?"
"Don't move."
The original Xu Le's voice was still low, even lower than before.
He stepped forward, aiming the gun at Old Zhou while taking the Ancient Yonduo seed from his hand.
After getting the Ancient Yonduo seed, the original Xu Le spoke expressionlessly:
"Old Zhou, some things can't be shared."
Old Zhou lowered his head slightly, smiling bitterly in self-mockery:
"Should I... not have given you the gun?"
"Saying these things is meaningless now!"
The original Xu Le's decisiveness made Zhou Ke helpless. The large amount of blood flowing from the wound on his back made him start to become weak:
"Cough cough, Ale, when you go back, can you spare Tingting and my wife..."
Zhou Ke knew that with this injury, he probably wouldn't make it back. Xu Le was too ruthless, he worried that Xu Le would not spare his wife and children after going back, they were his only concern.
The original Xu Le shook his head slightly:
"You're in no position to negotiate with me now."
Zhou Ke still underestimated Xu Le's viciousness and ruthlessness.
The original Xu Le stepped back a few steps, maintaining a safe distance from Zhou Ke, then immediately frowned and swallowed the Ancient Yonduo fruit.
Then he raised the flintlock in his hand, about to completely erase Zhou Ke from this world.
The original Xu Le didn't give Zhou Ke even the slightest chance.
Click!
The sound of pulling the trigger rang out, but the flintlock didn't fire.
"Huh?" Xu Le, using a flintlock for the first time, was clearly stunned for a moment.
His hesitant reaction naturally couldn't compare to an old soldier like Zhou Ke.
Zhou Ke suddenly charged forward, violently kicking Xu Le in the stomach. The pain made Xu Le's face twist a bit, and the flintlock in his hand was also dropped due to this kick.
After falling to the ground, the original Xu Le raised his head in some fear, only to see that Zhou Ke had already picked up his flintlock.
The decisiveness of an old soldier was demonstrated here.
Without any hesitation, he also wouldn't give Xu Le any chance.
Safety off, bolt pulled, fire.
Bang!
With a gunshot, Xu Le felt like his chest had been heavily hammered.
What followed was his vision spinning.
The impact of the flintlock made him completely lose the ability to think for a short time.
Before dying, the original Xu Le seemed to see the walls moving, the red bricks and white walls turning into a mosaic-like state.
But the original Xu Le's consciousness was already blurred.
He didn't know if this was reality or an illusion.
He could only let the whole world in his vision turn into a kaleidoscope-like state.
The flintlock prototype is actually the tube from "7 Days to Die", indeed it's bolt-action bullet shooting... I'm not a military enthusiast, I can't be sure.
(End of Chapter)