"My subconscious?" Lu Zhaoming asked, puzzled. "What about Chi Xiao? Is he also part of my subconscious?"
“No, Red Owl is your fear.” Eagle shook his head. “You are afraid of him, you are afraid of his power, you are afraid that he will destroy everything you cherish.”
"So, I must overcome my fear?" Lu Zhaoming understood what the eagle meant.
“That’s right.” The eagle nodded. “Only by overcoming your fear can you truly control your power and leave this place.”
Lu Zhaoming took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
He began to recall his experiences since arriving in the wasteland, every battle he had fought, every victory, and every defeat.
He recalled Su Li's smile, Lin Shuang's gentleness, and the ordinary people who struggled desperately to survive.
He realized that everything he was doing was not just for himself, but also for them, for this broken world.
"I can't give up!" Lu Zhaoming suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze becoming firm and full of strength.
He began to mobilize the power of judgment within his body. This time, he encountered no hindrance. The power of judgment erupted like a volcano, instantly filling his entire body.
He used his judgmental eye to analyze the energy fluctuations in the void. He discovered that these images and sounds were constructed from a special kind of energy, which was his own subconscious.
"So that's how it is. This is my test of consciousness." A slight smile appeared on Lu Zhaoming's lips.
He quickly adjusted his state, focused his mind, and began to break free from the forces binding him.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Su Li and Qing Lian anxiously stayed by Lu Zhaoming's side.
His body began to react abnormally, and strange energy patterns appeared on the surface of his skin, wriggling like earthworms, which looked terrifying.
His breathing became increasingly rapid, and his body began to convulse violently, as if some force within him was devouring him.
"What...what's wrong with him?" Qinglian's voice trembled, her face filled with fear.
“He’s being consumed by his superpowers.” Su Li’s face was pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. “If he doesn’t wake up in time, he might be completely devoured by his superpowers and turn into a monster that only knows how to kill.”
"Then... what should we do?" Qinglian panicked completely; she didn't know what to do.
Su Li remained silent for a moment, then took out an ancient-looking amulet from her bosom.
The amulet emits a soft light that brings peace and tranquility.
"This is a talisman that the eagle gave me; it can temporarily suppress the fluctuations of his supernatural power," Su Li said. "Hopefully, it can buy him more time."
She placed the amulet on Lu Zhaoming's chest, then held his hand tightly and whispered, "Lu Zhaoming, you must wake up. We are all waiting for you."
The light emitted by the talisman grew stronger and stronger. Gradually, the energy patterns on Lu Zhaoming's body began to stabilize, and his breathing became more even.
Time ticked by, and Su Li and Qing Lian stared intently at Lu Zhaoming, their hearts pounding in their throats, fearing that something unexpected might happen.
Just then, Lu Zhaoming's body suddenly trembled, and he abruptly opened his eyes.
At the same time, in the void, Lu Zhaoming found a faintly glowing point of light. The point of light emitted a warm aura, like a lighthouse in the fog, guiding him in the direction he was going.
"Finally found it..." Lu Zhaoming was overjoyed and rushed towards the light without hesitation.
However, just as he was about to touch the light, a voice suddenly rang in his ear—
"Want to leave here? Not so easy..."
At the critical moment, the voice sounded like the final boss's entrance announcement in a game, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.
Lu Zhaoming's heart tightened. Before he could turn around, the system interface suddenly displayed a line of blood-red warning messages, as if it had gone haywire:
"The host has unlocked the 'Ultimate Judgment' function, but must bear unknown costs."
The price? Heh, I've always believed in taking risks for riches! — Lu Zhaoming
Almost instantly, a severe headache, more intense than ever before, pierced his brain like ten thousand steel needles, causing him to black out and nearly die on the spot.
This feeling is like a CPU overclocked to its limit, ready to explode into fireworks at any moment.
"Damn it, I've really messed up..." These were his last thoughts before he lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes again, the familiar wasteland smell rushed towards me, and I could hear Su Li and Qing Lian's panting breaths after surviving the ordeal.
He's back, back to this messed-up but real world.
However, a memory fragment that did not belong to him appeared in his mind, like a USB drive forcibly inserted into his mind. The contents were extremely explosive: an existence called "Subject Zero" was slowly awakening in a corner of the wasteland, like a lurking beast about to unleash a bloodbath.
Lu Zhaoming sat up abruptly, his temples throbbing. The memory was incredibly clear; he could even feel the suffocating pressure emanating from "Subject Zero."
"Subject Zero... Looks like this wasteland is really going to get lively." He muttered to himself, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Zhaoming, are you alright? Is anything bothering you?" Su Li asked with concern, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, as if afraid he would collapse again.
Lu Zhaoming shook his head, enduring his headache, and said in a deep voice, "Summon everyone immediately. I have important information to share."
Su Li and Qing Lian exchanged a glance. Although they didn't know what had happened, they knew that the news Lu Zhaoming brought this time was definitely extraordinary.
"Yes!" the two replied in unison and immediately got to work.
Lu Zhaoming slowly got up, walked to the window, and looked at the wasteland in the distance, which was dyed red by the setting sun. His heart was filled with unease.
"What kind of challenge awaits me this time?" he asked in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation and a hint of worry.
“The trial… has only just begun.” A deep voice sounded behind him.
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