Nine-headed bird attack
A familiar corridor leads to the north building of the teaching building, where various laboratories and activity rooms are located.
The chemistry lab is at the end of the corridor around the corner.
But at that moment, a faint crimson light shone from around the corner, ominous and eerie, as if a giant beast lurking in the darkness was quietly opening its eyes.
Whether by accident or intentional guidance from the instance, all the clues pointed to that place.
The two supported each other, their steps heavy, as they walked step by step toward the chemistry laboratory that exuded an ominous aura.
"Jin Can!" Chao Ningning suddenly called out from beside her.
Looking out, Jin Can saw a huge black shadow crouching in front of the laboratory door.
It was a strange bird, as big as a strong ox, covered in jet-black feathers that shimmered with a cold, metallic luster.
Most terrifyingly, nine identical, ferocious bird heads grew on its thick neck!
Each bird's head had a sharp beak and a pair of scarlet eyes, staring intently at them with an emotionless, predatory gaze.
It turns out to be the nine-headed divine bird "Nine Phoenix" from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, which was mentioned in the Chinese textbook!
But at this moment, it possessed no trace of holiness, only a suffocating aura of ferocity and evil.
[Dungeon Guardian Boss: Nine-Headed Ferocious Bird]
[WARNING: High energy reaction detected. Players please proceed with caution.]
“Mortals…” one of the bird heads slowly spoke, its voice hoarse as if rusty metal was rubbing together.
"The fear you exude pleases me."
"Want to earn your 'score'?" another bird head chimed in. "Then you'll have to pass my test."
Nine heads, nine voices, rising and falling, intertwining to create a disturbing, enchanting melody.
"What kind of test?" Jin Can mustered his courage, shielding Chao Ningning behind him, and asked, trying to appear calm.
“It’s very simple.” The bird’s head in the center grinned, revealing a cruel smile.
"Defeat me! Use your barren, laughable knowledge to please me."
Before the words were even finished, the leftmost bird head suddenly stretched forward, and a stream of yellowish-green liquid shot out like a high-pressure water gun, heading straight for their faces!
"Watch out!" Jin Can shoved Chao Ningning aside, and the two of them tumbled to the side in a sorry state.
The liquid splattered onto the wall behind them with a "whoosh," instantly corroding a large hole that emitted thick white smoke. The wall plaster and bricks were dissolved and carbonized at a visible speed.
"How ruthless! Is it aqua regia?"
Aqua regia, a substance typically mentioned only in chemistry textbooks, has never been allowed to be used by students at the school for safety reasons.
Jin Can's pupils suddenly contracted. It was a mixture of concentrated nitric acid and concentrated hydrochloric acid, which could dissolve gold and platinum and was far more corrosive than any single strong acid!
But now, it's shooting and buzzing randomly all over the campus?!
This is not a test at all, it's a one-sided massacre!
Before they could even get their footing, another bird head on the right spat out a stream of colorless, transparent liquid.
The liquid fell to the ground, and a thick layer of white frost immediately formed on the ground, exuding a chill.
"Liquid nitrogen? Cryo attack?" Chao Ningning exclaimed.
Acid, strong alkali, oxidizer, highly toxic gas... In the next few minutes, the nine heads of the Nine-Headed Ferocious Bird, like nine mobile cannons, presented them with a chemical attack that could be described as a biohazard.
The entire corridor was instantly riddled with potholes and completely ravaged.
Jin Can and Chao Ningning could only rely on the limited agility of young high school students to dodge and retreat back to the corner in a sorry state during the gaps in the attacks, and they were in great danger.
"No, we have to fight back! If this continues, we'll be worn down sooner or later!" Chao Ningning said.
The two hid behind a corroded, crumbling corner, panting heavily.
"How can we fight back? We have nothing! Not even a bottle of mineral water!" Jin Can was even more desperate, almost ignoring the warning that his mental breakdown value was rising.
"Wake up! The answer is right there in the question!" Chao Ningning shouted, shaking Jin Can's shoulder.
Golden eyes swept rapidly across the battlefield.
They were trapped in the corridor, and their only "weapon" was the chemical substance sprayed by the ferocious bird itself.
Acid...alkaline...
A bold idea flashed through her mind.
"Do you remember the acid-base neutralization reaction?" Chao Ningning quickly asked Jin Can.
"You mean? A strong acid reacts with a strong alkali, releasing a lot of heat! If we could get the acid and alkali it spews out to mix with its own body..."
"But how do we do that?" Jin Can asked.
"A feint to the east while attacking in the west!"
Chao Ningning gritted her teeth, rolled up her sleeves, and began to prepare: "I'll be responsible for attracting the acid-spraying heads on the left. You try to lure the alkaline-spraying heads on the right so that their attack trajectories intersect in the middle of us!"
This plan is extremely dangerous. If one is not careful, he could be hit by two deadly liquids at the same time and die instantly!
"I understand! Let's do it!" A ruthless glint flashed in Jin Can's eyes.
She knew this was their only chance of survival.
"I'll count to three, two, one, let's move together!"
"three!"
"two!"
"one!"
The two rushed out from behind the cover at the same time, each lunging towards one side of the corridor.
The nine-headed fierce bird was clearly not expected that the two would dare to take the initiative to attack, and a hint of mockery flashed in its nine pairs of scarlet eyes at the same time.
The four heads on the left turned towards Jin Can and sprayed out highly corrosive acid; the four heads on the right aimed at Chao Ningning and shot out an equally deadly alkaline solution.
Jin Can and Chao Ningning exerted all their strength, maneuvering and dodging in the confined space, guiding the trajectory of their attacks. The attack ranges of the acid and alkaline liquids continuously narrowed and overlapped in the center of the corridor.
"Now!" Jin Can roared.
The two rolled backward simultaneously, narrowly avoiding the converging attacks.
Sizzle—!
The acid and alkaline solutions collided and mixed violently in mid-air, resulting in a sudden and intense reaction.
Blinding white mist and scalding steam shot into the sky, accompanied by temperatures high enough to burn the skin, forming a temporary "steam wall" that temporarily blocked the fierce bird's vision.
"We did it!" Chao Ningning shouted excitedly.
However, before they could even rejoice, a dark shadow suddenly pierced through the steam wall without warning.
That was the head in the very center of the nine-headed ferocious bird. It had not participated in the attack until now, but like a venomous snake waiting for its chance, it launched a deadly surprise attack!
Its target is none other than Chao Ningning, which is closest to it!
"Watch out!" Jin Can's shout was drowned out by the hissing of steam.
Chao Ningning reacted quickly, but was still a step too slow.
She only had time to turn to the side to avoid a fatal blow, but her arm was slashed hard by the sharp beak of the bird's head.
The wound wasn't deep, but Chao Ningning's face turned deathly pale instantly, and her lips quickly turned bluish-black.
"It's...it's poison!" She staggered backward, feeling her body rapidly becoming numb and stiff.
"Ningning!" Jin Can rushed over to support her, only to find that her body was as cold as a stone.
"Can Can... don't worry about me..." Chao Ningning leaned against the wall, her breathing becoming weaker and weaker.
But she struggled to raise her hand and pointed to the head that had remained motionless in the very center.
"I suspect that head... is the core, the commander... It's not spewing out chemicals, but... a catalyst! It's controlling the rhythm of the entire reaction!"
With her last ounce of strength, Chao Ningning said, "The reason our previous attacks...didn't cause it any real damage is because it used a catalyst to form an...energy protective film on its body surface..."
Jin Can understood instantly.
Their previous acid-base neutralization, though seemingly powerful, was all absorbed or transformed by that invisible protective film.
“Can Can…I believe in you…” Chao Ningning forced a pale smile upwards. “You can…do it…”
After she finished speaking, her body transformed into specks of light, like dandelions in the wind, and vanished into the air.
[Teammate Chao Ningning has run out of health and has been forcibly removed from the instance.]
The last companion also disappeared.
Jin Can knelt on the spot, reaching out his hand, but only grasped at nothingness.
In the empty corridor, only she remained, along with the nine-headed, malevolent bird radiating endless malice.
[WARNING: The player has suffered a devastating psychological impact after witnessing the disappearance of their last teammate!]
[Current mental breakdown level: 85/100.]
[Current mental breakdown level: 90/100.]
[Current mental breakdown level: 95/100.]
...
The blood-red numbers were flashing wildly before my eyes, and the dam of reason was crumbling inch by inch.
Loneliness, fear, anger, despair... all the negative emotions overwhelmed her like a flood that had burst its banks.
"Hahahaha... Even the last hope has vanished."
The nine-headed monstrous bird's mocking voice was like the whisper of a devil, "Now, it's your turn. Come on, use your pitiful knowledge to struggle for me one more time!"
Jin Can slowly stood up from the ground.
Surprisingly, she didn't cry or shout; her face was completely expressionless, only deathly still.
However, in her once clear eyes, two almost insane, black flames now burned.
All along, she had been passively accepting everything: accepting the system's tasks, accepting her friends' help, accepting the rules of the instance, accepting the departure of her companions...
She'd had enough.
[Energy accumulation complete...]
[The special skill "Talk Therapy Resonance" has been unlocked...]
The cold system notification sounded like a tolling bell announcing judgment.
“Hey…” Jin Can raised his head, looked directly into those nine pairs of scarlet eyes, and slowly spoke in an extremely tired yet endlessly sarcastic tone.
"Do all of you NPCs... use the same formula?"
The nine-headed fierce bird paused for a moment, seemingly not understanding what she meant.
“What are you saying, ‘defeat me’ and ‘pass my test’? And you call yourself a ‘mortal’! You act like you’re something special.” Jin Can said as he walked towards it, his steps unusually steady.
"Ghosts again, sliders again, all sorts of fancy but idiotic levels!"
"And you, you insisted on adding 'using your meager knowledge' as your opening line, as if you were afraid people wouldn't know you're the villain?"
"What...what nonsense are you talking about?" The fierce bird sensed something was wrong.
"And these so-called 'secret techniques' of yours, acid-base neutralization, catalytic reactions... We've already studied organic chemistry, okay? Please, can't you come up with something more witty? Like nine heads playing a match-3 game together or something?"
With each word Jin Can spoke, her aura intensified.
An invisible, powerful energy began to radiate outwards from her center.
"What 'the last hope has vanished'... Don't you feel ashamed to say such a cheesy line from a third-rate villain? It's like they've 'Come and defeat me' tattooed on their foreheads to pave the way for the protagonist!"
"What the hell is this?! What are you guys burning?!"
The moment she roared out this final roar, which contained all her anger, grievances, and complaints, the whole world seemed to freeze for a second.
The special skill [Talk Therapy Resonance] has been activated!
This skill is simple yet powerful; it emphasizes emotional resonance and communication, and can force words into reality!
The nine-headed bird suddenly let out a terrified scream, realizing that its body was completely out of its control!
"Yes, yes, you're amazing! You have the strongest defense!" Jin Can pointed at it and shouted with all his might, "Then why don't you mix all nine kinds of your saliva together and taste it? I bet the taste will be incredibly strong!"
[Judgment successful, enforcement in progress...]
Under the power of the Law of Replication, the nine heads of the Nine-Headed Ferocious Bird mechanically turned around like marionettes, pointing their sharp beaks at the very center.
"Wait, wait, wait! This job is way too difficult! Who said it wasn't complicated! I want more money! I demand more money!" The bird-head in the middle also started roaring.
Aqua regia, liquid nitrogen, concentrated potassium permanganate solution, ethanol, sodium metal particles, neurotoxins... and the most crucial catalyst that accelerates all reactions!
Nine chemical substances with different properties and that should not be compatible were sprayed violently onto the same point at the same time!
For a moment, there was utter silence; the expected earth-shattering explosion did not occur.
Immediately afterwards, a chaotic mass of energy, a mixture of extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme toxicity, strong corrosion, and violent oxidation-reduction reactions, suddenly expanded in the center of the nine-headed ferocious bird's body!
It made no screams, made no struggles; its body began to disintegrate from the inside out, utterly destroyed and annihilated by its own most powerful force in the most thorough way.
That enormous body, right before Jin Can's eyes, silently transformed into the most basic particles and quietly dissipated into the air.
bite--!
[Current mental breakdown level: 99/100.]
The blood-red numbers finally settled at this dangerous limit.
Jin Can gasped for breath, feeling as if all his strength had been drained away.
She staggered through the messy corridor, reached out a trembling hand, and pushed open the tightly closed door of the chemistry laboratory, which was now completely unguarded.
The laboratory was silent, with moonlight streaming in through the window and gently falling on the podium.
The exam paper lay there quietly, with the words "Grade 11 (4), Jin Can" clearly visible at the top.
She finally found it.
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