This feeling... is exactly the same as the cold repulsive force of the Zeroer's core!
A chill of despair, like the deep chill of the universe, instantly gripped Pei Du's heart, nearly freezing his very core! His molten-gold eyes stared intently at Xu Shuangyao's pale, bloodless face, at her slightly trembling eyelashes beneath her tightly closed lids, as if hoping for a miracle, hoping she would open those clear eyes in the next second and look at him with a hint of anger or worry as usual...
Just then!
Xu Shuangyao's long eyelashes, as fragile as butterfly wings, trembled very slightly and violently...!
Pei Du's heart suddenly shrank! An indescribable throbbing gripped him instantly!
However, the expected awakening did not come.
Beneath the tightly closed eyelids, the eyeballs seemed to move in extreme pain. Then -
brush!
Xu Shuangyao's eyelids suddenly opened!
But what was reflected in Pei Du's molten golden pupils were no longer the familiar pair of eyes full of vitality.
Deep in the pupil, there was an extremely dazzling and extremely cold... pale golden cold light, like a ghost fire that suddenly lit up in the abyss, suddenly lighting up without any warning!
That light was cold and empty, without a trace of Xu Shuangyao's emotion! Only a pure, inhuman, soul-shaking feeling... scanning and locking!
Next second!
A cold, flat, and unwavering mechanical sound, like the most precise friction of metal, came out of Xu Shuangyao's slightly parted, bloodless lips with a clear and abrupt sound, uttering each word with pauses:
"Detected... a high-threat... End Star Core... individual... Pei Du..."
"Clearance... Protocol... Initiated..."
boom--!!!
Pei Du's mind went blank!
The cold, mechanical voice, every word like the shockwave of a supernova explosion, shattered the last shred of hope in his heart! That voice… wasn't Xu Shuangyao's! It was Cradle's! It was Zero! It was a cold, ruthless command to kill!
She... was truly being transformed! The Cradle's cleansing process was covering and erasing Xu Shuangyao's consciousness!
"No!!!" Pei Du roared, as if his soul was being torn apart! The dark golden lines covering his body instantly erupted with an unprecedentedly intense light, like the core of a star on the verge of exploding! That light, brimming with furious rage and a near-desperate madness, instantly evaporated the surrounding venomous green mist and the restless vines, forcing them back!
He suddenly stretched out his hands covered with dark gold patterns and desperately grabbed Xu Shuangyao's shoulders, trying to forcibly pull her back from the cold abyss of transformation!
"Look at me! Xu Shuangyao! It's me! Pei Du!" His voice was hoarse, with the texture of metallic friction, but it contained an unprecedented urgency, almost pleading, "Wake up! Don't let that thing devour you! Wake up!"
Just when his fingers were about to touch Xu Shuangyao's shoulder——
Buzz!
An invisible, cold and powerful repulsive force field suddenly burst out from Xu Shuangyao's body!
The force field had a faint golden glow, like a shield unique to the Zeroer, and it hit Pei Du's palm precisely and coldly!
Bang!
With a dull thud, Pei Du's hands, covered in dark gold patterns, were forcibly repelled! An icy, logically corrosive energy crept up his arms, attempting to disrupt the flow of his Star Core Blood! Although this force wasn't strong enough to truly injure him, the malicious repulsion, emanating from a common source, felt like the sharpest ice spike, piercing his heart.
Xu Shuangyao—or rather, the body that was being occupied by the Zeroer program—was rejecting him!
"Threat...level...increased..." The cold mechanical voice echoed again. Those pupils, gleaming with a pale golden light, locked onto Pei Du, who was just a few feet away, like the most sophisticated detectors. There was no familiar emotion in them, only cold, programmed murderous intent. "Execute...force...clear..."
Her body suddenly sprang up from the ground with an extremely stiff yet incredibly swift movement! The movement completely defied human mechanics, carrying an inhuman and eerie feeling! Her right hand, covered in pale golden lines, held its five fingers together like a knife. The fingertips even condensed a tiny, yet annihilating, pale golden energy blade. With a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, it pierced Pei Du's heart with lightning speed!
Clear goals! Efficient movements! Absolutely no emotions! This is the most standard killing mode of the Zero Slayer!
Pei Du's golden pupils suddenly contracted! In the thousandth of a second when the pale golden energy blade was about to pierce his chest, his left arm, covered with dark gold patterns, raised up to block it like lightning!
Swish——!
A sharp sound of energy annihilation rang out! The pale golden blade fiercely pierced the dark golden lines on Pei Du's left arm! A small ball of dazzling energy sparks exploded!
Although it failed to pierce the defense, the cold corrosive force and huge kinetic energy contained in the sharp blade still caused Pei Du's body to sway slightly! What made him even more frightened was the undisguised, pure will of destruction contained in the attack!
She... was actually attacking him! Using the Cradle to empower the Null Sector!
"Shuangyao! Stop!" Pei Du forced himself to suppress the surging blood and the severe pain in his heart. He exerted force with his left arm, trying to block the stabbing hand knife. At the same time, his right hand grabbed Xu Shuangyao's wrist, trying to subdue her!
However, that body, eroded by pale golden lines, displayed astonishing fighting instincts! Xu Shuangyao's body was like a weightless piece of paper. The moment Pei Du exerted force, it unexpectedly slid back half a step at a strange angle! At the same time, the blocked hand knife changed from stabbing to slashing. The pale golden energy blade drew a deadly arc, slicing towards Pei Du's throat with even greater speed!
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