novelraw Chapter 138 Time Badge
Chapter 138 Time Badge
At the same time, he felt a sharp pain in his heart; this trip had truly cost him his entire fortune.
Outside the window, the night in the Gobi Desert was as thick as ink, mirroring Xu Si's current mood.
The starlight was pitifully sparse.
The Conqueror's engine roared, but Jiang Li, in the passenger seat, was not sleeping soundly. Her eyelashes trembled from time to time, and her hands unconsciously hugged herself.
Xu Si withdrew his gaze and focused intently on the limited field of vision cut off by the car headlights ahead.
At this speed, the area that the star trails can cover is very limited, and Xu Si can only rely on "Yi Yi's" malicious perception to issue warnings.
This is much more reliable than his star trails.
About twenty minutes later, Xu Si heard the system notification that the item upgrade was complete.
The two strange objects that were originally in the groove have disappeared.
Instead, a brand new badge was issued.
Its size is similar to the previous [Temporary Badge], but the material has changed to a strange interweaving of dark gold and royal blue, like solidified stardust and the deep sea.
The shape remains a simplified hourglass, and there seems to be real sand flowing inside.
Xu Si took it out; it was cool to the touch, and the badge seemed to carry the weight of time in his hand.
[Current Oddity: Time Badge]
[Ranking of Oddities: 520]
Feature 1: Time Freeze
Description: Upon activation, a time-slowing field with a radius of 30 meters is generated, centered on the wearer. Within the field, the time flow of everything except the wearer is reduced to one-fifth of normal, lasting for 3 seconds.
Feature 2: Cost Transfer
Description: You can choose to transfer part or all of the "accelerated aging" cost to other life forms within the domain (including but not limited to humans, monsters, and plants/animals). The transfer ratio is positively correlated with the number of targets and their life strength.
[Consideration: Borrowing and returning—After each use, the wearer is still responsible for any untransferred costs.]
[Comment: Time is the fairest creditor, but now you have the opportunity to make someone else pay for your debts. (Note: Use with caution, unless you want to be hunted down by every living being.)]
Xu Si's breath hitched slightly.
powerful!
too strong!
Just ask, who else?
If around 500 rare items are this strong, what about the top 100? The top 10? The top 3?
This means that the cost of aging that he bears will be greatly reduced, and there is even a chance that he can completely transfer it to others!
This characteristic is simply amazing; rather than making things difficult for yourself, you might as well make things difficult for others.
As for being hunted down by the whole world, who cares?
It's already hard enough for everyone to live, so if we offend someone, so be it.
Without hesitation, Xu Si pinned the badge to the lining of the [Cloak of Concealment], close to his chest.
The cool touch brought him a sense of peace he had never felt before.
With this trump card, we can face madmen like Wang Yanhua or old foxes like Wu Yue.
He now has at least more leverage to maneuver and even turn the tables.
Xu Si's lips curled into a cold smile.
Worth it.
Although the purification points were almost depleted, they were rewarded with a powerful artifact ranked 520th and a barrier master teammate with great potential.
This deal wasn't a loss.
……
Dawn in the Gobi Desert comes swiftly and violently; soon after the blood-red sun leaps above the horizon, its scorching rays bake the camp of the firewood convoy like a furnace.
The team has fallen into silence and numbness in recent days.
The last remaining hope for ordinary people has been extinguished.
Overuse of the psionic barrier made Xiao Luo's face grow increasingly pale, almost as pale as when they first met at the service area.
Tashan stared at the road the convoy had come from, as still as a rock, wishing that more dust would rise from behind.
Wang Hu led a few people to inspect the vehicles, his gaze also frequently drifting back towards the road they had come from. They had been waiting at the encampment for three days, and if Xiao Luo's psionic barrier continued to hold up, something bad would happen.
As for Wang Hu and Ta Shan's suggestion to leave the two of them as backup, Fu Xiaojian rejected it.
The team's combat strength is already limited, and excessive dispersion will only put the team in danger.
Moreover, if Xu Si really comes back, he might miss them.
As the team leader, Fu Xiaojian couldn't take that risk.
Of all the people in the team, Jiao Jiao was the most heartbroken; she had shed countless tears in the past few days.
She still owes Brother Dao two strange items that haven't been returned! He's such a stingy person, he'll definitely come to her in a dream to collect the debt.
Su Su practiced military boxing repeatedly at the edge of the camp. Her punches were sharp, but they carried a lingering sense of anxiety.
Sweat had already soaked through her vest, outlining the taut lines of her muscles.
But she seemed tireless, each punch appearing to shatter the barriers of Sequence 3.
Fu Xiaojian leaned against the door of the Mengshi vehicle, his brows furrowed in a deep knot.
As the team leader, he had to bear all the negative emotions of the team. Although no one said anything, the invisible pressure made it hard for him to breathe.
The team's weaknesses became apparent. Without Xu Si, a top-tier combatant, the team's morale began to crumble. Looking around, apart from Su Su, who was about to reach Sequence 3, there was really no one else in the team who could shoulder the main responsibility.
It's a pity the tour guide flag can't sense in reverse, otherwise he could have roughly figured out Xu Si's condition.
Reason told him he had to leave; Ronaldinho couldn't hold on any longer, and the morale of the entire team was on the verge of collapse.
but……
"Time to get going!"
They lingered as long as possible during each camping trip, all to keep the flame of hope burning brightly for everyone.
"Pack your things and let's leave immediately."
The order was given, and the camp echoed with practiced, subdued sounds.
No one spoke; only the soft clatter of supplies and heavy breathing filled the air.
With red eyes, Jiao Jiao cast a "recovery" spell on Xiao Luo one last time.
"Sister Jiaojiao, Brother Dao will definitely catch up." Xiao Luo had no doubt whatsoever.
The moment the convoy started and Xiao Luo released the psionic barrier.
Boom! ...
The sand dunes several hundred meters to the side and rear of the convoy suddenly exploded!
A dozen enormous black shadows burst from the ground, carrying with them a cloud of yellow sand, just like cod leaping out of the Alaskan sea!
【Chi-tailed Shark Crocodile】
This is an entire group! At least a dozen! Most of them are level one, but there are quite a few level two!
"Enemy attack!!!"
At Shao Bing's shout, the convoy sped out of the camp immediately.
Instead of chasing the Flame Chariots, these guys have set their sights on them, and they've chosen this particular time. Fu Xiaojian is currently considering countermeasures.
"Tashan! Hold the front! Su Su and Shao Bing, protect the flanks! Wang Hu, guard the bus! Jiao Jiao, be ready to treat at any time!" Fu Xiaojian's roar exploded immediately after a brief moment of distraction.
The crocodile sharks following closely behind were like a death knell, getting closer and closer.
Despite the convoy's best efforts to increase speed, the red-tailed shark continued to close the distance to the bus.
Just as it was about to catch up, Tashan leaped out of the bus, his massive body suddenly expanding, his arms slamming into the ground. A several-meter-high arc-shaped rock wall rose up behind the convoy, colliding head-on with the charging Chi-tailed Shark Crocodile.
However, the three-headed shark-crocodile at the forefront completely ignored the obstacles, its bone-spiky head slamming into the rock wall like a battering ram!
"Boom—Crack!"
Amidst the deafening roar of rocks shattering, Tashan groaned as his massive body was thrown back several meters by the immense impact.
Following closely behind were several tail spikes that pierced towards Tashan's body all at once.
The sounds of clashing weapons rang out incessantly, and Tashan had single-handedly halted the pursuit of the [Chiwei Shark Crocodile].
But he was soon at a disadvantage.
The dozen or so [Chi-tailed Shark Crocodiles] were clearly beyond his ability as a single meat shield, but fortunately, he had learned a rear naked choke technique from Shao Bing these past few days.
At this moment, his massive body was locked in combat with a [Chi-tailed Shark Crocodile], enduring the frenzied attacks of its tail hooks.
Meanwhile, the series of spiked stones that suddenly appeared on the Gobi Desert disrupted the pace of the [Chi-tailed Shark Crocodile]'s pursuit of the convoy. The damage wasn't much, but the taunt was maximized.
In an instant, Tashan directly attracted the hatred of all the [Chiwei Shark Crocodiles].
In an instant, he was overwhelmed by the attack.