Standing in front of the control panel of "Annihilation Light," Lu Zhaoming felt his spiritual energy rapidly draining away.
His gaze was fixed on the complex control panel, every button and indicator light seemed to be dancing, as if mocking his powerlessness.
He took a deep breath, forced himself to concentrate, and followed the data provided by Professor Lin, step by step, to close the program.
Every step he took put him under immense mental strain, as if his energy was being drained by an invisible straw.
Cold sweat beaded on Lu Zhaoming's forehead, and beads of sweat slid down his cheeks, dripping onto the cold control panel.
He felt his body tremble slightly, almost unable to hold on, but the determination in his eyes never wavered.
"Xiao Hu, A Fu, don't come any closer. This is my responsibility. Protect yourselves," Lu Zhaoming said in a low voice, his tone firm and unwavering.
Xiao Hu and A Fu exchanged a glance.
The indicator lights on the console began to flash more frequently, as if to warn him that time was running out.
Cold sweat poured down Lu Zhaoming's forehead. He gritted his teeth and continued operating.
In his mind, the system's cold warning sounded again: "Beep! Warning! Host's mental energy is about to be exhausted. Please terminate the operation immediately."
"Nonsense! Continue!" Lu Zhaoming roared in his mind, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his eyes blazing.
Finally, with the input of the last command, the blue light on the console gradually dimmed, and the device stopped operating.
The entire experimental field fell into a brief silence, with only the distant hum of machinery continuing.
Xiao Hu and A Fu breathed a sigh of relief and were about to step forward when a rumbling sound came from afar, and the ground began to tremble slightly.
"Oh no! Red Owl has activated the backup power source. He may have other plans!" Professor Lin exclaimed, his voice filled with obvious panic.
Lu Zhaoming forced his tired body to stand up, scanned his surroundings, and quickly made a judgment.
He turned to Xiaomei, his eyes filled with a mixture of tenderness and determination: "You know Chixiao's next move, right?" Xiaomei hesitated for a moment, bit her lower lip, and finally nodded: "He plans to use alien signals to summon more unknown forces." Lu Zhaoming's heart skipped a beat, realizing that this was an even greater crisis.
He quickly made a decision: "Afu, Xiaohu, you escort Professor Lin to safety. Xiaomei, would you like to help me stop him?" Xiaomei nodded firmly: "I believe in you." Her eyes shone with trust and determination.
Lu Zhaoming nodded, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Since that's the case, then let him taste the power of the Doomsday Judge." He clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with unyielding spirit, and turned to walk towards the backup energy source.
Just as they were about to take action, the system interface popped up another notification:
"Beep! Host, are you ready to face the challenges ahead?" Just as they were about to take action, the system interface's cold, merciless red warning light popped up again, blinding them and its shrill tone seemed to pierce their eardrums, more punctual than the death knell of the King of Hell: "Beep! Warning! Host's mental energy has reached its limit, completely drained! Not a single drop left! Immediate rest is recommended, otherwise you may die on the spot at any moment!"
Lu Zhaoming felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, as if a DJ zombie was being shoved into his head, its booming bass making his temples throb wildly, as if they were about to explode.
He forced a smile, trying to project a nonchalant grin, but the result was worse than a grimace. His voice was hoarse, as if he'd swallowed a bellyful of sand and then scrubbed it with a file: "Ha... I know, I know, you nagging system, you nag even more than my mother. Looks like the real challenge... has only just begun." He finished with a weak cough, his lungs throbbing with pain.
His gaze struggled to pierce through the overlapping shadows created by extreme exhaustion, fixed on the ominous distance—that bastard Chi Xiao was definitely plotting something monstrous again. The oppressive feeling of an impending storm was as thick as ink, making him almost smell the bloody stench of rust and gunpowder permeating the air.
He could almost see a new, more violent storm brewing and gathering on that gloomy ruin, stirring up the leaden clouds rolling across the sky.
"Gulp." He swallowed hard, his throat as dry as the Sahara Desert.
My body swayed, and I could feel my bones creaking and cracking, as if I were about to fall apart and turn into a pile of parts at any moment.
Xiao Mei, standing next to him, had a face the size of a palm filled with worry, as if to say, "Boss, are you still okay? Should we lie down first?" Her big eyes were blinking, and she was almost in tears.
Lu Zhaoming took a deep breath, and the air he inhaled was icy cold with a pungent, dusty smell that made his trachea ache.
He forced out a smile that was seven parts roguish and three parts ruthless, and facing the bottomless darkness, or perhaps his own useless, broken body, he spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva in a low voice, yet with an undeniable evil and determination: "Damn it... rest? That word doesn't exist in my dictionary! If you want me to lie down, even the King of Hell has to line up and call my number!"
Before he could finish speaking, he bit his tongue hard. A sharp pain, like a lightning bolt, struck his chaotic mind, forcibly dispelling some of the drowsiness.
He staggered, his feet feeling like they were stepping on cotton, but with the fierce determination that came from his very bones, he didn't retreat a single step. Instead, he took another small, trembling step forward.
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