Chapter 40

Ma Le absorbed Zhao Renfan, killing one of the veteran adventurers who had once toyed with and betrayed him...

Zhao Renfan's energy restored most of Ma Le's life force, and his eyes and wounds healed rapidly. In a short while, he looked as good as new. Ma Le sat on the ground, panting heavily, recalling the intense battle just now. It was a close call!

To think, this veteran adventurer had a tragic end. Whether in strength or experience, Zhao Renfan was superior to Ma Le. His only mistake was underestimating Ma Le's survival ability.

When Ma Le was first stabbed in the heart, he still had over eighty health points. He just activated the fake death skill and waited for the opportunity to severely injure Zhao Renfan. Then he drank a bottle of Black Light Enhancement Liquid, raising his health to 180. He fearlessly charged forward, taking over 150 points of damage from a chest wound, but at the same time, his desperate attack successfully reduced Zhao Renfan's health to below 100, making him absorbable. As for Zhao Renfan's final desperate strike, it was resisted by Ma Le's ultimate fake death effect, "Death Resistance."

In contrast, Zhao Renfan was not a physical specialist. In the real world, his physical strength was only 32 points. Even with a passive skill that increased his maximum health in the real world, he only had 720 health points. More importantly, he did not have Ma Le's high defense. He had taken some punches and a hit from a tree trunk, losing nearly 200 health points. Then, although he activated his Liberator, his strength exceeded 110, but due to his low physical strength, he could only exert about 70 points of strength. This was enough to suppress Ma Le, whose strength after the transformation was just over 40, but the damage caused was limited. Later, he was hit by Ma Le's fake death desperate attack, which transformed Ma Le back to his original form and activated the Iron Fist, causing over 70 points of direct damage to Zhao Renfan, not to mention the fatal damage to his heart! His health plummeted, and his desperate momentum was overwhelmed by Ma Le. In the hand-to-hand combat, his health finally dropped below the critical 100 mark and was ultimately absorbed by Ma Le.

The Miracle Badge transmitted a notification: Ma Le had successfully killed an adventurer in the real world and could receive a reward. Zhao Renfan's body was absorbed by Ma Le, but a small silver key fell from his body as he died. Ma Le picked it up but was told it could not be used in the real world.

In addition to the reward, Ma Le also gained benefits from the absorption. Zhao Renfan was still using his Liberator when he died, and his strength far exceeded Ma Le's. Therefore, after absorbing him, Ma Le permanently gained 6 points of strength and 1 point of agility, both real attributes. This brought Ma Le's strength over the 60 mark. The Miracle Badge sent a message, telling him to go to Miracle City to claim a hidden reward. Ma Le was overjoyed at this news. He had regretted not choosing high strength and losing the reward, but now he had reclaimed it from Zhao Renfan. It was truly a case of "when you're sleepy, someone brings you a pillow."

Besides the reward and enhancement, Ma Le consciously searched Zhao Renfan's memories during the absorption, focusing on the real identities and whereabouts of the other veteran adventurers. Fortunately, except for Zhao Renfan, the others were not in the same city, and they were using their real names in the Cruel World!

Ma Le was still basking in his joy when he suddenly felt a chill attack his heart, causing him to shiver involuntarily. The chill grew stronger and more dominant, rampaging through his meridians! Ma Le, enveloped in bone-chilling cold, fell to the ground and curled up into a ball. Soon, a layer of frost covered the ground around him, and he looked like a frozen tuna in a freezer, with ice chips falling off when tapped.

Ma Le's fake death effect had blocked Zhao Renfan's final strike, but it could not resist the yin cold true qi on the blade! Just after absorbing the life force, his yang fire was strong, temporarily suppressing the cold qi. Now that his body functions had stabilized, the cold qi found a breakthrough and began to wreak havoc in Ma Le's body.

Leaving aside how Ma Le fought against the cold qi, in a city over a thousand kilometers away, Xia Yingying was sitting in a university classroom. When she entered Miracle City, she mostly chose a random appearance, but her real appearance, though different from what Ma Le had seen, was still very beautiful and charming. This made the male student sitting next to her nervous, wanting to sneak a peek but afraid of being caught, yet unable to resist glancing at her from time to time, causing his friends behind him to chuckle quietly.

Suddenly, Xia Yingying's expression changed, and she looked at her watch, her face becoming serious. She stood up and asked the teacher for a leave, then walked to a secluded spot and spoke into her watch: "Old Jiang, Liu Lei, Wang Na, Zhao Renfan is dead. You must have received the notification, right?"

"Of course," Jiang Dahu's voice came from the watch. "He was mean and arrogant, with many enemies. It was only a matter of time! But he was still our teammate, and we can't let this go!"

"It's not that simple!" This time it was Liu Lei's voice. "He didn't send any distress signal before his death. There are two possibilities: one, the enemy ambushed him and killed him in one strike; two, the enemy was too strong, and he didn't have time to send a signal. Neither is easy to handle."

Xia Yingying thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that he encountered a weaker opponent, didn't think he would lose, and was careless, leading to his death?"

"That's unlikely..." Jiang Dahu said. "He's been through many battles. Although he was arrogant, he wouldn't make such a mistake..."

"Maybe I'm overthinking it..." Xia Yingying smiled. "Anyway, as Liu Lei said, the enemy might be very strong. For now, don't make any rash moves. We'll discuss a plan when we enter Miracle City next time. Meeting adjourned!"

Xia Yingying turned off the communication function of the Miracle Badge and leaned against the wall. For some reason, a phrase came to her mind: "If I'm really pushed to the brink... I'll go crazy and use all the skills and means I have, even if I die, I'll take someone down with me!" Xia Yingying took out a purple-black crystal and played with it in her hand, muttering to herself, "A dead rookie, why am I thinking about him now?"

...

In Ma Le's father's ward, Ma Xiaoxiao was peeling an apple. Old Ma hesitated for a moment, then said to her with a troubled look, "Xiaoxiao, go see if Ma Le has come back. It's been hours, what's he doing?"

Ma Xiaoxiao pushed open the ward door and looked around, shaking her head. "I haven't seen him... Who knows what he's up to. He just said he had something to do and left..."

Old Ma clicked his tongue, troubled. "Well, you could call Doctor Zhou."

Ma Xiaoxiao said, "Uncle Ma, just tell me what to do, it's no problem!"

Old Ma smiled awkwardly. "This... it's a bit inconvenient..." He pointed to the urine pot on the floor.

Ma Xiaoxiao's face turned slightly red. To cover her embarrassment, she frowned and scolded, "Really, what is Ma Le doing, not coming back for so long... Uncle Ma, wait, I'll go get the doctor for you!" She stood up and walked out of the ward, bumping into a tall figure.

"Who is it, not watching where you're going..." Ma Xiaoxiao complained, then looked up and saw it was Ma Le. She scolded, "Where have you been? Your father wants... your father is calling you, come in quickly!"

Ma Le nodded, said nothing, and walked into the ward, closing the door. Ma Xiaoxiao stood outside the ward, scratching her head in confusion, muttering to herself, "Why does Ma Le seem so strange after going out? He's cold, his face is pale, and he's not talking, walking so stiffly... What's going on?"

After a while, Old Ma's problem was solved, and Ma Le emptied the urine pot. He returned and struggled to say to Ma Xiaoxiao, "Xiaojie... please... stay here... and help me... I'll call... Mom, she'll... be here soon. I... feel... a bit... uncomfortable, can't... stay here... Ah... Ah... Ah... Ahchoo!" Ma Le sneezed and shivered uncontrollably, turning to Old Ma and saying, "Dad, I... I can't... take care of you... anymore, but... don't worry, in... a few days, we'll... be discharged, and I'll... definitely cure you!" He closed his eyes and started trembling again.

"What's wrong, son? Where are you feeling uncomfortable?" Old Ma asked with concern. Ma Le waved his hand. Ma Xiaoxiao leaned in, "Are you running a fever...?" She reached out to touch Ma Le's head but quickly pulled back, clenching her fist. "Oh my, your head is so cold, are you sick? We need to find a doctor!"

Ma Le shook his head and said, "I... I'm fine, I'll... be better after... a few days of rest. Don't worry, I... I'm leaving..." He ignored their reactions, rushed out of the ward, and stumbled down the stairs, hailing a taxi and returning home. Without taking off his shoes, he dived into bed and turned on the electric blanket.

Zhao Renfan's final desperate attack was indeed extraordinary. The cold qi made Ma Le an ice sculpture in the forest for over an hour. Fortunately, Ma Le eventually found a way to guide and resist the true qi, allowing him to stand up and make his way back to the hospital, settling everything before rushing home.

However, the cold qi was an internal issue, and even the electric blanket and blankets could not provide enough warmth for Ma Le. The only solution was to control and guide it, expelling it from his body! But this cold qi was not generated by Ma Le, and even a skilled qigong master would find it difficult to resolve another person's internal energy, let alone Ma Le, who had no qigong foundation. Fortunately, Ma Le's "Unknown Constitution" talent reduced the damage to his body to a minimum, allowing him to maintain himself without immediate danger. Even if he couldn't resolve it, he could survive until the next entry into Miracle City, where, as long as he could afford the credit points, there was almost no injury that couldn't be healed!

Thus, Ma Le began his struggle against the cold qi, staying in bed every day, feeling the true qi's movement in his body, and trying to control, restrain, and block it, always on high alert.

Fortunately, Ma Le's efforts were not in vain. True qi, being a form of energy, ultimately had to submit to human intelligence. After a few days of "practice," Ma Le's understanding of true qi deepened, and his control over the cold qi improved, though he was still far from being able to expel it, he could significantly reduce the pain.

This way, he managed to hold on for five days, and it was time to enter Miracle City again.