Chapter 889
Chapter 889 - 975 Expensive Price
1,322 words
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7 min read
"Actually, when we dealt with the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower before, the best approach would have been recruiting those Powerful melee races, the bigger, the better..."
As the Arch Enemy, the Hammer-man shared the method, but it was obviously unfeasible.
Normal hand-to-hand combat units find it very tough to battle that thing, but if a Giant slowly stomped or crushed one to death, that could be done.....Giants are also masters of wrestling!
Hua Xueyi’s failed attempts had already proved the limitations of their energy-devouring domain...they couldn’t consume the biological energy within a creature’s body!
Of course, if that were possible, it wouldn’t just be a natural disaster for energy creatures, but for all life forms in the Multi-universe.
Polluted organisms, it seems, can bolster this resistance. From the results, pure hand-to-hand is the most effective, but blunt weapons are ineffective (moving external objects), while sharp blades are actually effective because they can increase the internal pressure of the unit. However, the degree of sharpness required is so exaggerated that it’s basically impossible to achieve.
".....Beheading failed, but that seems to be because it doesn’t have a ’head’."
Lu Ping’an also tried the Rule-level weapon, the Abyss Beheading Sword, but the result was subtle.
It appears that in the certification of many abilities and items, it can’t even be considered an independent ’entity,’ not to mention ’alive’."
"...Somewhat like automatic machinery?"
"No, why don’t you imagine instead that they are actually different flowers and branches of a Big Tree."
"...If that Big Tree exists, it must be disgusting." Lu Ping’an envisioned an infinite number of Energy-devouring Evil Sunflowers growing on a huge tree, their limbs wildly flailing, like a dance of demons.
"Indeed, it’s revolting, especially when you have to stay on a planet with them...." Big Cat’s words were loaded.
"...Please share your experience, let us have three minutes of joy."
"Get lost."
But really, with the experienced old stager like Big Cat around, he did indeed save Lu Ping’an a lot of trouble.
At least he learned that the abilities of most Beast Tamers were utterly useless against this thing because it’s hard to consider them as a type of ’life form’ with desires; they can’t be communicated with or connected to.
"What about the abilities of the Gardener series?"
"Actually, trees have souls too, but the fruits and flowers on the trees do not."
Alright, that helped Lu Ping’an rule out another incorrect option.
However, Lu Ping’an was truly vexed. For the first time, the Life system had no way to deal with a type of "animal."
"That Pillar, the Beast of Pure Love, is also of the Life system, but the gap on the same path is too vast. Stop looking for shortcuts; almost all loopholes have been blocked by the big bosses."
Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly. The original three possibilities had one seemingly reliable option directly eliminated.
He had intended to use the Beast Taming series abilities to capture one directly.
He had discovered that the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower was actually blind... well, like him, only probably more profoundly so, as the biological structural design did not require photoreceptors.
Its ability to hunt prey was due to its second ability, in addition to energy-devouring—the trait of perceiving "energy."
So, could ordinary animals pass by harmlessly? The answer is no, as animals have body temperatures too.
Even if it’s a cold-blooded creature, as long as it moves, it has kinetic energy and thus can be caught.
Furthermore, as thinking requires brain activity, any normal life form with cognitive abilities could potentially be captured.
However, it clearly set priorities, trying to kill ordinary life forms on sight, whereas it pursues energy creatures relentlessly.
".....Let’s start by processing the ’material’."
After contemplating for a while, Lu Ping’an made a decision.
Is there any life form that truly doesn’t have any energy at all...
"...What wasn’t there before, is there now."
Under the command of Lu Ping’an, the grand ’dissection project’ continued, and the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower that had been riddled with holes was being dismantled; it would be excellent "material."
In Lu Ping’an’s knowledge base, only one type of ’life form’ doesn’t leak energy...that is the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower itself.
Its energy-consuming domain devoured all energy around it, but this ability didn’t affect its insides (otherwise, it would have died); it had a self-sustaining internal growth cycle that didn’t leak a bit of energy (any leakage was reabsorbed by itself).
And to borrow and utilize the biological abilities of life forms themselves is the sacred duty of the Life system.
If there had been a pure warrior on site, returning home would have been the best choice, but as an "academic team," Lu Ping’an and his party weren’t at the end of their rope yet.
Originally, his most direct plan was to use the Chapter of Enslavement from his own Life Encyclopedia to directly capture an Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower, hide inside it with his team, and directly carry out a dirty version of the Trojan Horse strategy to infiltrate the target area.
But judging from the information obtained from Big Cat, this was basically impossible.
"...Don’t even think about it, they are different flowers from the same branch, impossible to capture separately. Moreover, if nothing goes wrong, they have already remembered you, and they’ll attack on sight next time."
When one client of the same core remembers you and completes information sharing, it’s as if all clients have remembered you.
Without a doubt, this was terrible news.
"Wasn’t it the same before? They seemed to attack any life form."
"But this time, they will adapt to your energy characteristics and actively search and hunt you down."
Okay, before they would attack on sight, but now, just being sensed would lead to being tracked and hunted down relentlessly.
At that moment, even Lu Ping’an himself felt that turning around and leaving might not be a bad idea.
"Let’s try one last time..."
In front of him, the material had already been "analyzed."
The sphere in front of him (Fang Wen), after completing its analysis report, also helplessly shook its head.
"Its skin is useful as material, I can even use it as the main material to create a bionic mechanical life. But the new life cannot have its energy-devouring properties."
"That won’t work either..."
Lu Ping’an had thought if a living Trojan Horse wasn’t possible, then a man-made one would do.
As long as its skin or shell could function, provide mechanical support, and emulate bionic action, wouldn’t it also work?
But obviously, reality was more cruel; Fang Wen couldn’t do it...at least not until she became a true Rule-level entity.
"Then, there’s only one possibility left."
Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly and took out the "Life Encyclopedia."
He targeted the material in front of him, defining it as "life’s material." If this also failed, then there really was no solution.
"...It’s possible."
This was, without doubt, good news.
The "Life Encyclopedia" wasn’t picky about materials, and many of them could be inorganic; and its power had a high probability of replicating the characteristics of the "material provider."
The issue returned to Lu Ping’an’s hands, whether he was willing to waste a precious Magic Pet Slot for this mission...
"...Isn’t an energy-consuming domain outrageous enough? What Magic Pet could have better characteristics?"
Big Cat’s opinion made him somewhat tempted.
"We can provide everything you need! I’m going to fetch the flesh of that Rule-level creature from the engine right now!"
And the generous Hammer-man Captain promptly opened up his treasure trove, helping him make up his mind.
— End of Chapter 889 —