“Kid…” Chen Junnan asked with concern, “How long can your ‘Echo’ last?”
“A long time…” Jiang Shi replied. “If my conviction is strong enough… it could even last a whole day.”
At this point, Chen Junnan felt slightly relieved. At least they didn’t have to worry about time. The next thing was to see if the Earth Rabbit would voluntarily give up on this killing spree.
Jiang Shi held his own head as he faced the Earth Rabbit, leaving the towering beast momentarily at a loss.
If this kid didn’t die even after losing his head… what other methods could possibly work?
“Kill me,” Jiang Shi’s head in his hands slightly opened its mouth. “Monster, why’d you stop?”
Hearing this, the Earth Rabbit steadied itself and swung its pillar-like leg straight at Jiang Shi’s abdomen. Without proper vision, Jiang Shi misjudged the kick and was sent flying, still clutching his head, crashing into the wall beside Chen Junnan.
The scrawny Jiang Shi hung on the wall like a poster for a moment before slowly sliding to the ground. The sound this time was far worse—cracks of bone echoed from his body, an injury that would’ve instantly killed anyone else.
*Is there really someone in this world who can endure endless beatings from an Earth-level Zodiac and still not die?*
“Ah, damn…” Jiang Shi’s head rolled away as his body trembled a few times. His head coughed violently, spitting out shapeless, bloody lumps. “Cough… that *hurts*…”
Chen Junnan frowned at the Earth Rabbit and shouted from afar, “Hey, Rabbit Bro, how about we set a time limit? Thirty more seconds—if you can’t kill him by then, you forfeit.”
“Forfeit? If I were merciful to ‘participants,’ why would I even host this ‘Penglai’?” The Earth Rabbit sneered. “The Eight Immortals had to show their powers to cross the sea. You lot will awaken your ‘Echoes’ to survive. It makes no difference to me—I’m just the cold ocean here to drown you all.”
“Damn, you’ve got a whole speech prepared…” Chen Junnan knew the Earth Rabbit had no reason to give up. But when would this beating end?
*Does Jiang Shi have to be completely immobilized before it stops?*
“You… close the door…” Jiang Shi propped himself up with one hand, barely lifting his upper body, while his head on the side added, “I look way too pathetic right now. No need to watch this.”
“You…” Chen Junnan pressed his lips together, crouching down to peer at Jiang Shi’s head through the door. “Kid, why don’t you just forfeit? Let that old bastard chase Xiao Song for a while.”
“No…” Jiang Shi picked up his head and said, “The Zodiac’s attacks are way fiercer than I thought… Seventh Brother wouldn’t last… Out of everyone here, only I can…”
Before he could finish, his head coughed violently again, spraying blood mixed with shattered organs.
“Shit, shit, shit…” Jiang Shi’s body wiped his mouth before setting his head aside, poking at the spilled organs. “Keep track of what I’m losing… You gotta tell Fifth Brother later… If I lose too much, I’m dead.”
“Kid…” Chen Junnan massaged his temples. “How about this—toss your head over here first? No matter how badly your body gets wrecked, at least we can keep your head safe. I’ll get Qian Dou to rebuild you a new body later.”
“Absolutely not!!” Jiang Shi’s eyes widened. “Our bodies are gifts from our parents—how could I just abandon mine?”
“Huh?” Chen Junnan was out of ideas. “You’re really stubborn, huh?”
“Enough. Just close the door.” Jiang Shi tried to stand but froze—his right leg was in excruciating pain, completely numb.
Chen Junnan noticed instantly. “Kid, what’s wrong?”
“Got hit a bit too hard…” Jiang Shi forced a laugh, placing his head on the ground as makeshift eyes while his body rolled over to inspect his leg. A moment later, he gasped. “Shit! My right leg’s broken! Damn it… This is a real headache! Wait… where’s my head?”
He flailed blindly for a few seconds before remembering it had already been knocked off.
“……”
Chen Junnan didn’t even know how to respond. He’d met plenty of people in the Endgame, but never had he felt this *speechless*.
“Your… your leg’s broken…” He finally managed after a long pause. “Maybe… maybe just lie down for a bit? I *did* say this game required aggression, but you’re taking it way too far…”
“No, no, no…” Jiang Shi’s hands fumbled around his back. “I’m not being aggressive—I think my leg’s just dislocated… I can pop it back in… Just… gimme a sec…”
In an absurdly awkward pose, Jiang Shi’s body groped at his right leg, fingers pressing around the broken area while his distant head winced in pain. The sheer absurdity of the scene left even the Earth Rabbit dumbfounded.
After a moment, Jiang Shi’s head took a deep breath—then, with a bloodcurdling scream, his hands yanked the fractured bone back into place with a brutal twist.
And the leg went completely numb.
Chen Junnan had seen people reset their own bones on TV before, but never with screams *that* horrifying.
“Uh… was that supposed to sound like a slaughterhouse? You *sure* you’re okay?”
“Shit…” Jiang Shi’s head blinked in shock. “Oh no… I twisted it the *wrong way*…”
Chen Junnan covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight.
“What… the hell…” He stammered. “Do you even *know* how joints work?! What do you mean ‘wrong way’?!”
“I *would’ve* gotten it right!” Jiang Shi argued. “But it’s my first time getting my head knocked off! My body looks *backwards* now! What do I do?!”
“How should *I* know?!”
“Maybe I’ll just twist it again… Hold on…” Jiang Shi’s hands groped for the misaligned bone.
“*Absolutely not!*”
Chen Junnan, still behind the door, was on the verge of a full-blown argument with Jiang Shi. He couldn’t believe this supposedly awe-inspiring “Undying” ability was even *less* reliable than “Scapegoat.”
“Wait—a crutch!” Jiang Shi, unable to turn his head, tilted his eyes from the ground toward Chen Junnan. “Isn’t this ‘Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea’? Got a crutch like Iron-Crutch Li? If I can stand, I can keep fighting…”
Chen Junnan rummaged through his pockets before pulling out a tiny, pitch-black hairpin—no longer than a chopstick—its tip smeared with dark grime.
“Kid… will a mini version work?”
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