Chapter 188: Death— Hibernation

The small portion of my Original Qi Core slowly dissipated until it almost vanished. I felt my consciousness slipping away and the Virus in my brain started acting up as well. Out of everything that I’ve experienced until now, this is probably one of the worst things that could ever happen to me.

But just when everything was about to take a turn for the worse, Natalia gasped and her eyes shot open. I immediately retracted myself from her, disconnecting the link between her Qi Core and mine. Fortunately, there was still a bit of Qi Energy left in my Original Qi Core and it didn’t disappear. If it were to disappear, it may be possible that I’ll lose my cultivation level. And I, for one, don’t want to experience that very same powerlessness again.

“Natalia, are you all right?” I asked. For a moment, our eyes met and I saw that she was back to being human again. Sigh~ how long was it since I last saw those eyes? It was as mesmerizing as ever, just like the skies filled with a myriad of stars.

Her eyes twitch as she pursed her lips. As her face blushed, she turned away and tried to avert her gaze from mine. She opened her mouth, readying a response to my inquiry.

Just when I was about to hear her voice, something in my mind suddenly clicked into place as if I had amnesia or something.

Well, no.

Actually, what I felt in my head was something close to a thick piece of wood, burying its blunt part on my skull. That’s right, I felt like someone, or something, hit me on the head, making me go unconscious. Fortunately, the virus in my brain wasn’t agitated. Had they were, then I would’ve gone berserk with the inability to control it.

My consciousness drifted away from me.

…..

“Yongrui, are you all right?” Hui-ying asked.

I found myself once again in the white space where I first regained consciousness. I think it’s somewhere in my mind but I don’t want to think about the details. Right now, I’m probably back to being a rabid human again and that’s why I’m here. I remember cultivating my Qi Cores here so maybe the best move to make right now is to cultivate as much as I can so I can regain my consciousness as soon as possible.

“I don’t think I’m doing great,” I responded to Hui-ying in a roundabout manner. “Give the circumstances, why did I revert back to being a rabid human?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m here in this white space again, right? That means I lost my consciousness to the virus again, right?”

And then Hui-ying chuckled. I rarely ever hear her chuckle but every time she did, it always matches the atmosphere. I don’t get why Hui-ying was chuckling right now when the gravity of the situation was worse than what I expected. Why? Is something even funny?

I wasn’t that furious, or frustrated on behalf of Hui-ying’s reaction, but rather, I find it odd that she would chuckle at such a time.

“You’re wrong, Yongrui. Actually “

” this place is the System’s consciousness. You’re here because your body is on the verge of death. It’s not exactly because you turned into a rabid human. If your life is in danger, the System would automatically bring your consciousness here, and then she’ll work on fixing your body. That way, your consciousness won’t be affected if your body undergoes excruciating pain during treatment.” Hui-ying explained. “And also, you don’t have to worry about turning into a rabid human. As far as I know, your body is not decaying and the virus in your brain is not going out of control.”

“That’s good to hear… how about Natalia? Is she all right? Can you check up on her?” I asked with a bit of anxiousness in my voice. I witnessed her revert to her human form but that doesn’t mean something reverted her back to being a rabid human while I was unconscious. A series of questions passed through my head, making me doubt whether the treatment was successful or not.

“Don’t worry, Yongrui. She seems fine. Right now you’re lying on top of her and she wasn’t moving an inch. Her face is reddening and she looks like she’s sweating a little bit… oh, now she’s undressing! You should check it out Yongrui! Her body is just like mine when I still had my human form.” Hui-ying exclaimed. I imagined her putting a hand in her mouth in awe.

“S-stop it! What are you talking about? Why is she undressing?! Am I that heavy? Can’t she push me to the side?” I asked.

“Oh, that? I was kidding,” Hui-ying chuckled once again. “She wasn’t undressing herself. She was undressing you.”

“Undressing me? What is going on over there?!” I exclaimed as I closed my eyes and tried to get my consciousness out of the System’s consciousness.

“I think she’s trying to figure out if you’re fine or not. She’s probably checking for any external wounds or injuries.” Hui-ying continued. This time, there was no hint of a joke in her voice so I believed her. “She’s also blanketing you with her Qi Energy. I doubt that she’ll be able to fix your Qi Cores though. Why, were you expecting anything else besides that?”

“N-n-not really. In any case, what do you mean by my Qi cores being irreparable?”

“In her current level, she won’t be able to do anything about your Dormant Qi Cores. You’d need a lot of Qi Energy to get them up and running again. I guess you’ve consumed more Qi Energy than what your body can handle. That’s why it underwent hibernation.”

“So… I’m hibernating right now? This just took a weird turn.”

“But fret not, Yongrui. the System and I are working together to bring you back. You have the Fatigue Potions in your Storage Rings, right? We’ll need them. Also, we’ll force your body to activate the Skill Automatic Qi Condensation. And then we’ll force your body to activate Automatic Qi Absorption so you can be more productive in gathering Qi Energy unconsciously. With a lot of zom- er, rabid humans in this mountain, I doubt that you won’t have enough Qi Energy to kickstart your Qi Cores.”

“Thanks, Hui-ying. Thank you so much, System.” I muttered.

“And one more thing! If your body were to absorb the incredible amount of Virus Qi Energy in this mountain, the cultivation level of your Virus Qi Core would rise higher than your Original Qi Core. And speaking of your Original Qi Core, the System is working hard to restore it so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“That’s fine, my Virus Qi Core is slightly more powerful than my Original Qi core anyways. And also, thank you so much for restoring my Original Qi Core.”

“No, don’t thank us. It was because of you that we were able to restore it. If you didn’t separate a small portion of your Original Qi Core, it would’ve disappeared completely. That was a good idea, you managed to bend the rules of the Zombie State Reversion Skill.”

“Yeah, and I almost died because of it. If I hadn’t done it, I probably won’t suffer like this. It’s not even winter and I’m already hibernating. Sigh~ “

“In any case, at least you’re still alive. It would’ve been bad news if you were to die after reverting someone back to their human form.” Hui-ying continued. “Bad news for you and us.”

I guess she was right about that. It would’ve been bad news if I were to die like that. And what’s worse, if I die while trying to save a girl, people would call me… what was that again, a simp? I don’t know what it means but it sounds rather disrespectful and unpleasant.

After Hui-ying stopped talking to me, I figured that maybe she and the System were working hard to revive me. Of course, I have to do something about my current situation as well. I can’t just sit idly by in the System’s consciousness and waste precious seconds.

Since the System is technically in my head, I knew that her consciousness is still connected to my body. That’s the reason why I managed to cultivate even while staying in this place. And right now, it wouldn’t hurt if I were to continue on with my cultivation. It’s not like I have something better to do anyway.

Closing my eyes, I tried to sense the Qi Energy Flow in my body. With my Skill: Qi Control, it was way easier than before. In just a split second, I managed to detect the locations of all my Qi Cores, even my Original Qi core which was on the verge of disappearing.

And then I sensed it, an ominous power that lies in my Virus Qi Core. Before, it was almost unnoticeable but now, it has gotten so strong and intense that it may possibly have the ability to overpower my other Qi Cores. I don’t know what Hui-ying and the System are doing to me at the moment… but one thing’s for sure.

If I don’t take control of my Virus Qi core right now, my demise will be inevitable sooner than later.

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