chapter 153 part 3
"Whoosh~"
Flames roasted the crowd. In a short while, everyone broke free from their frozen state. Zheng Zha, who was closest to Ren Arakawa, even suffered severe burns.
After the ice melted, Zhang Jie coughed violently a few times, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
He struggled to pick up the twin guns that had fallen to the ground, checked their condition, then leaned against the wall, panting heavily while cautiously observing his surroundings. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"We... survived..."
The werewolf-enhanced Nuowa and the second-stage Gene Lock user Zhao Yingkong were in slightly better condition.
The ones who truly suffered were Xiaoye Hui and Zhan Lan.
These two women had chosen enhancement paths that barely strengthened their own bodies, making them essentially no different from ordinary people. After being frozen, both were mentally dazed, almost stupefied.
Zheng Zha's steps were unsteady, his body swaying. His eyes were filled with rage and dissatisfaction as he stared fixedly at Chu Xuan, walking towards him one step at a time.
The surrounding team members watched this scene in silence. No one spoke, and a tense atmosphere filled the entire factory.
Zheng Zha walked up to Chu Xuan and, using all his strength, swung his fist violently at Chu Xuan's infuriatingly calm face!
The fist landed heavily on Chu Xuan's face with a muffled thud, the sound echoing in the silent factory.
However, Chu Xuan stood as still as a cold wax statue, firmly rooted to the spot. His body didn't sway in the slightest, and the expression on his face remained unchanged.
Other than a bright red mark that instantly appeared on his face, proving he had indeed been hit, he seemed completely unaffected by the punch. His eyes were still calm, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him. He just stared placidly ahead.
Zheng Zha had originally thought this punch would at least elicit some reaction from Chu Xuan, allowing him to see his anger and dissatisfaction, but at this moment, he was stunned.
He stared blankly at Chu Xuan, the rage in his heart feeling as if it had been doused with a bucket of cold water, vanishing without a trace. In its place was a deep sense of powerlessness.
His fist remained suspended in mid-air, trembling slightly, but he no longer had the strength to continue his attack.
For a moment, Zheng Zha felt like a pathetic clown performing his anger alone on a stage, while Chu Xuan was the cold spectator, completely unmoved by his entire performance.
This huge contrast made him feel incredibly frustrated and helpless. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, all that came out was a long sigh. He then powerlessly lowered his fist and turned to walk towards Zhan Lan.
"Ahem." Ren Arakawa cleared his throat. "Everyone, don't be so gloomy. At the very least, our team's score has reached a high of eleven points!"
Ren Arakawa's reincarnation watch also recorded his earnings from this cycle.
Even the well-traveled Main God Ren Arakawa found it hard to suppress his excitement.
That was 31,000 Reward Points.
In addition to a rich reward of one B-rank side story and seven C-rank side stories!
As if reading Ren Arakawa's mind, Chu Xuan spoke calmly, "After the settlement, I suggest a reasonable distribution for the team's reward. Of course, without you, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. You can take seventy percent of the team's reward."
"That works too."
Ren Arakawa nodded in satisfaction. He was willing to concede this bit of money. After all, investing in the protagonist team had an explosive rate of return.
However, while the plan was indeed good, the way the other members of Team China now looked at Chu Xuan was different from the way they had initially looked at a brilliant person.
By focusing solely on benefits and putting the safety of the members second, Chu Xuan had already lost everyone's trust.
"Ren Arakawa." Zhang Jie, being the veteran most familiar with Ren Arakawa, limped over. "Brothers, let's just end this reincarnation cycle. We really can't hold on anymore."
Chu Xuan seemed to have anticipated this. He said indifferently, "Our advantage is now immeasurably great, accumulated through great difficulty. If you want to return, you will lose tens of thousands of Reward Points and at least three B-rank side stories."
He scanned the entire room. "Are you sure?"
Zheng Zha roared, "What do you mean, 'are you sure'?! Rushing in recklessly was tragic, but even if we had died, we would have accepted that ending! Because even if Ren Arakawa's plan isn't as good as yours, he has a human touch! And you?! You treat every one of us like a pawn!"
He looked at Chu Xuan's missing arm. "You don't even make an exception for yourself! You're a madman! I unilaterally declare that I will no longer follow your orders!"
After saying his piece, Zheng Zha looked at his big brother, Ren Arakawa. "Captain! You make the decision! We really can't hold on any longer!"
Ren Arakawa's expression was a bit awkward. He thought that this was the perfect moment to pull out a camera and record Zheng Zha's performance.
In a few days, when Zheng Zha became a reckless ape again, and the team lost Chu Xuan, leaving Zheng Zha without a strategist and his heart cold with despair...
He could show him the recording then.
That scene would surely be hilarious.
But for now, the team was indeed as dazed as a Komodo dragon after being tormented by a dozen Indians. Ren Arakawa sighed. "In that case, from now on, our priority is to return to the Main God Space as soon as possible. Chu Xuan, call it off."
Chu Xuan nodded expressionlessly. "As you wish."
After placating the team's emotions, Ren Arakawa began to consider the direction of his enhancements after returning.
Perhaps because they shared the same brain, the other Ren Arakawas in their respective worlds were also planning at this moment.
On the deck, Pirate Ren Arakawa, as the greatest hero of the Impel Down escape, was eating grapes one by one with the aid of his two Earth Grudge Fear masks.
He muttered to the air, "The most pressing matter right now is the Uchiha clan extermination event. Of course, it would be best if my enhancement direction could lean towards defeating Enel, the user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. After all, I don't know if I'll be able to beat that character, who was basically a plot device for the Nika Fruit to win. Frankly, I think it'll be very difficult, with almost no chance."
Stephen Fang's voice immediately came through: "We still don't know how much Main God Ren Arakawa will gain from this trip, but the synchronization we've provided these past few days should be enough to support his survival, right? Unless the Main God's dynamic difficulty adjustment is unreasonable."
Uchiha Ren seemed to be busy on his end. It took him a long while to reply, "I might really be getting arrogant now, but I think that as I am, facing Obito and Madara on the night of the Uchiha clan's downfall is no longer a guaranteed death. If it really comes down to it, I'll defect to Orochimaru. When Main God Ren Arakawa returns, have him focus his enhancements on the prerequisite for killing Enel!"
Pirate Ren Arakawa finished the last of the grapes and said, "Without a way to deal with Orochimaru's abilities, it's best not to take that step. That guy can reincarnate at any time. It would be no different from a lamb entering a tiger's den. Besides, we've now awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. No matter where we go, we're a fat sheep."
Uchiha Ren sighed, "Stop talking about me. It seems you've escaped Impel Down, so our chances of survival have increased a bit. But in the world of One Piece, being at sea... how is that any different from being in an even larger Impel Down? The World Government won't let you go."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pirate Ren Arakawa shot to his feet.
"I'll give you a vote for that. You're a true prophet!"
Uchiha Ren: "What's wrong?"
"What else could it be? A ship's here!"
(end of chapter)