Chapter 442: Resurrection

Chapter 442: Resurrection

After leaving Lu Wu, Zhang Chen held onto that fragment and returned to Zone 1, a place he hadn't set foot in for decades.

No one is born destined for greatness, and Zhang Chen was no exception, not born as the First Messenger of the Zero Organization.

Before becoming the First Messenger, he was an ordinary man, not even a Summoner.

He lived in a small city in Zone 1, running a fruit shop and supporting his family of three.

Had his life's trajectory not deviated, he might have spent his entire life in that shop, content with his wife and children.

Such a life now seemed unattainable to the present Zhang Chen.

However, to the Zhang Chen of the past, it might have been a tad too mundane.

He often daydreamed of becoming a Summoner, a powerful one, embarking on thrilling adventures, living a life of epic proportions.

In that era, any man would yearn for excitement, unwilling to settle for mediocrity while others lived their lives to the fullest.

Even those who accepted their fate would indulge in fantasies.

Much like adult enthusiasts of electronic sports, knowing they'd never step onto the field, they'd find ways to vicariously experience the thrill.

Zhang Chen's way of indulging was through collecting.

To be precise, he collected Summoner artifacts.

Every month, he'd save up and visit specific markets in the city, which were essentially black markets.

These markets catered exclusively to ordinary people.

They sold remnants from Summoner battles, collected by specialized individuals from various sources like the Mystic Realm Agency's logistics, competition organizers, battlefields, and even law enforcement agencies.

Through these channels, unused Summoner items were gathered and sold in this black market, a place of high-end dreams and miracles in the eyes of ordinary folk.

People often struck gold in these markets, instantly becoming wealthy.

Zhang Chen's daily visits to these markets were fueled by his fascination with the Summoner world and his own fantasies of overnight riches.

Perhaps fate rewards those with purpose.

Or perhaps it was the arrival of misfortune.

As he frequented these markets, Zhang Chen indeed stumbled upon his extraordinary encounter.

While browsing, an item entered his body, and he could distinctly feel its presence and the surge of power within him.

Overwhelmed with joy, he didn't think much, fearing others might notice his anomaly, and immediately returned home.

Upon reaching home, Zhang Chen began researching his newfound treasure.

This research pushed him into an abyss from which there was no return.

Today, he can barely recall what happened that day.

Time has blurred the memories, and his mind deliberately blocked out the painful events; he only remembers his house drenched in blood.

On that day, he lost his family, and he became a wanted man across the Alliance.

From that day forward, he embarked on a life of escape, the very life he once yearned for—filled with adventure, encounters, and epic proportions.

In a mere few decades, he transformed from a humble fruit shop owner to the First Messenger of the Zero Organization, second only to the leader and above countless others.

He had become a prominent figure within the entire Alliance, fulfilling all his initial fantasies.

Yet, despite achieving all this, Zhang Chen wasn't content.

Especially in the last two decades, with the disappearance of the Zeroers and his rise to the organization's peak, he felt not the thrill of absolute power but an inexplicable loneliness.

On the other hand, he faced the challenges inherent to being a Dark Summoner.

Dark Summoners possess rapidly growing strength, often reaching heights others can't attain in a lifetime.

However, there's a catch.

As a Dark Summoner grows, malevolent aura gradually erodes them.

This erosion accumulates over time, becoming more terrifying as it progresses.

The further they advance, the harder it becomes to maintain their sense of self amidst the encroaching darkness.

This is an incredibly challenging task, which is why the Zero Organization...

Over the course of a hundred years, there have only been five Messenger-level powerful beings.

In reality, the Zero Organization has produced at least a hundred Epic-level individuals during this time.

However, these powerful beings either met their end at the hands of the Nullifiers or perished amidst the malevolent aura. Only a select few still survive.

The reason Zhang Chen remains alive is because he possesses a treasure that counters the malevolent aura.

His treasure is the sanctuary within his heart—his family.

It was a small, warm family that shattered decades ago.

This sanctuary was the sanctuary of his heart, is Zhang Chen's final bastion against the encroaching malevolent aura.

It is thanks to this sanctuary that Zhang Chen has withstood the malevolent aura's erosion time and again.

Without this sanctuary, he wouldn't have survived until now.

Even so, this sanctuary cannot last much longer.

The malevolent aura's corrosion is worsening.

Currently, the only way for Zhang Chen to continue living is to obtain the Gateway Shard from Lu Wu.

Now, as he holds this shard in his hand, he grasps the hope of his survival.

At this moment, Zhang Chen has two choices.

One is to directly wish upon the shard and resolve the issue of the malevolent aura's corrosion.

This is the most direct and effective method.

But as Zhang Chen considers this option, a thought surfaces in his mind.

He suddenly has an idea to use the Gateway Shard to revive his wife and child.

This is not a rational decision.

However, once this thought takes hold, Zhang Chen cannot suppress this notion.

This is the aftermath of relying on his sanctuary to resist the malevolent aura for decades.

Within his heart, a faint voice seems to tell him that this is his only chance to save his family.

If he forgoes this opportunity, not only will he lose the chance to save them, but he may also forget them as the threat of the malevolent aura fades.

If forgotten, they will truly vanish from this world.

Torn between his own survival and his family, Zhang Chen wavers for a while, but ultimately, he resolutely and unwaveringly chooses his family.

Thus, he returns to Zone 1 with the Gateway Shard.

He arrives at a place he hasn't been to in decades.

He finds the grave of his wife and child, a place he hasn't visited in years.

...

In a cemetery of a small northern city in Zone 1, Zhang Chen stands with excitement.

"It's been decades, and I've finally returned.

Wife, son, you've waited a long time, haven't you? I'll bring you back to my side right now."

Zhang Chen speaks with trembling hands as he takes out the Gateway Shard.

The refined shard emits a captivating light.

Holding it, Zhang Chen's expression shifts from solemnity to determination, and he pushes the shard outward, saying, "Gateway, I wish for you to revive my wife and child!"

As Zhang Chen's wish is spoken, the Gateway Shard in his hand glows.

A mystical light radiates, and an indescribable power erupts during this process.

In a small cemetery, the two graves in front of Zhang Chen begin to tremble.

Below, something seems to struggle, yearning to break free.

Zhang Chen quickly approaches, carefully opening the graves and removing the headstones.

As Zhang Chen removes all the remaining restraints, two figures emerge from the large and small graves.

At first, they are just two vague shadows, their faces indiscernible.

But soon, under the influence of the mystical power, the shadows solidify into ash.

In less than a few minutes, two skeletons appear.

After the skeletons take form, an indescribable power erupts once more, and Zhang Chen's face lights up with joy as he senses the life force of his wife and child within the power.

They are about to come back to life.

Indeed, what follows is even more astonishing—a scene of flesh returning to bones.

The two skeletons quickly regain their flesh.

Soon, a man and a child stand before Zhang Chen.

This is the scene Zhang Chen has yearned for over the past decades.

As he witnesses this, his face glows with joy, and he reaches out to embrace his wife and child.

This should have been a beautiful moment.

The people he has longed for over decades have returned, and a broken family is reunited.

It's like a fairy tale.

But the more beautiful something is, the more some people want to shatter it.

Action: Just as it is now.

As Zhang Chen was about to embrace his wife and child, a figure suddenly appeared, grabbing a fragment and striking Zhang Chen with a palm strike.

The attacker's appearance and action were so sudden that Zhang Chen had no time to react.

Faced with this situation, Zhang Chen had only one choice: to protect the fragment or his family.

He hesitated for a moment, and in that instant, he watched as his recently resurrected wife and child died before his eyes once again.

"No!" he screamed hysterically.

Zhang Chen's eyes turned crimson, fixated on the figure that had appeared and disappeared so swiftly.

Despite the attacker's fleeting presence and the chanting, Zhang Chen still sensed a familiar aura.

"Is it him? Tetsuya, I'll make you pay!" he roared, leaping in pursuit of the figure.

Not long after Zhang Chen gave chase, a person appeared where he had been standing, holding a fragment.

Upon closer inspection, Zhang Chen realized it was Lu Wu.}

Clearly, Lu Wu was the mastermind behind all of this.

In fact, from the moment Zhang Chen met Lu Wu, he had fallen under Lu Wu's control.

Although Zhang Chen was a powerful Epic 3-Star Ranker, his strength was of a different nature than Zhao Xue'en's. Zhang Chen's power was fueled by malevolent energy, and his body and mind had long been under its corrosive influence.

This Epic 3-Star Rank posed no threat to Lu Wu.

If Lu Wu wished, he could manipulate the malevolent energy within Zhang Chen and easily kill him.

But Lu Wu didn't do that.

Instead, he played along with Zhang Chen's plan.

Lu Wu's intention was singular: to guide Zhang Chen step by step, drive him to a mental breakdown, and direct his hatred towards Tetsuya.

Everything was going smoothly.

Since Zhang Chen obtained the fragment, his mind had been under Lu Wu's control, and the fragment was the medium through which Lu Wu exerted his influence.

Zhang Chen believed he had truly removed Lu Wu's energy from the fragment, truly mastered the fragment, and even used it to resurrect his family, but it was all an illusion.

With Lu Wu's current strength and the power of the fragment, controlling Zhang Chen, who had been corrupted by malevolent energy for so long, was effortless.

"With this, the tool is almost ready. Next, I won't need to find Tetsuya myself; he will exhaust all efforts to help me locate him!"

As Zhang Chen ran off into the distance, Lu Wu nodded in satisfaction.

Overall, Lu Wu was pleased with his manipulation.

But while Lu Wu was content, his grandfather, who had followed him, was not.

Although Lu Wu had proven his abilities exceeded his grandfather's imagination, the old man was still displeased by Lu Wu's methods.

The old man couldn't accept Lu Wu's manipulation of others' hopes, destruction of families, and treatment of people as mere tools.

After all, he didn't come from a world where people grew up through scheming and intrigue.

He lived in a relatively closed-off, idyllic world.

Therefore, he couldn't approve of Lu Wu's actions, nor could he accept that his precious granddaughter, Illya, would follow someone like Lu Wu.

In his eyes, such a person was terrible.

"Let's go home. Tell your wife not to let Illya go out!"

As he spoke, the old man started to leave, but Lu Wu made a move.

Lu Wu walked to the two graves that Zhang Chen had opened and resealed them, standing there for a moment before speaking: "My apologies for snatching away your chance at resurrection.

However, resurrection may not be the best outcome for you.

Zhang Chen only used you as a means to resist the malevolent energy's corrosion, influenced by me. Even if he had resurrected you, he wouldn't have been at peace living with you.

He would only blame himself and resent you for making him lose an opportunity to be free of this burden.

Besides, death and loss are inevitable parts of life; one must learn to accept them!"

Hearing these words, the old man's opinion of Lu Wu improved slightly, thinking there was something to this young man.

Then, as Lu Wu finished speaking, he turned to look at the fragment in his hand, a smile forming on his face: "With this, Dudu's resurrection is one step closer!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end