The Almighty Ring

After lightning, a powerful wind came in like a storm. After that, the earth or rather, the ice around her began to shake violently. Everything around her was turbulent and it did not stop there. The area of the devastation was expanding by the second and Jiang Fei was only able to escape with 0541 directing him. The catastrophic event lasted for 2 hours and Jiang Fei had to move 5 kilometers away.

After the storm had ended, Jiang Fei returned to the origin, where Phoenix’s body laid motionless. Even though she had caused all the destruction, she was lying on a block of ice, floating in the frigid cold sea. She looked calm and peaceful, like a sleeping beauty.

“0541, can you explain her death?” said Jiang Fei. It was only then when he realized that everything that happened to her was unexplainable. How could she, a Level 5 ultimate Metahuman could die by her own hands?

“Her death was already determined,” said 0541 with a heavy sigh.

“Determined? By who? Who caused that?” asked Jiang Fei without expecting an answer.

It was said that Level 5 Metahumans were so powerful that they could find ways to extend their lifespans by up to a thousand years! However, that only applies to a natural Level 5. Phoenix was originally just Jenny, a normal Level 3 Metahuman. If there was someone to blame, it was the Japanese. They had toyed with things that they did not fully understand. They had only touched the surface of Planet Namek’s technology and made an imperfect Level 5 Bio-Human.

Phoenix may appear powerful, but the energy that was injected into her was killing her slowly. It was only due to her powerful determination, that she was kept alive, till now. That was why she sometimes lost her powers and Jenny’s memories came surging back into her mind.

0541 explained that Phoenix had died by her own hands. There were so many things that were happening at the same time and it proved too much for Phoenix to handle. First, she had conflicting personalities inside her mind. Just as she could hold onto her own conscience, she was barely able to hold the false power that was inside her. As soon as both consciousnesses were gone, there was nothing holding back the power that did not belong to her. At that moment, everything went out of control. Right now, she was dead. Both Jenny and Phoenix.

“I shall give her a proper burial,” said Jiang Fei as he picked up Phoenix’s cold body.

“Captain. If I may. You must not waste such a precious specimen!” said 0541. He wanted to make use of Phoenix’s body since she had offered herself to Jiang Fei.

The truth was that 0541 could have saved Phoenix before she gave up the will to live. However, 0541’s thinking was different from regular humans. It was without emotions. 0541 had only prioritized the survivability of its captain. At that critical moment, 0541 decided to allow Phoenix to die since it could make good use of her dead body.

However, if 0541 did not stop Jiang Fei from burying Phoenix, 0541 would have lost the body of a Level 5 Metahuman! Not only did Jiang Fei lose a powerful trump card, but 0541 would also lose that body of hers to make a Level 5 Bio-Human!

“I will NOT allow you to use her as an ingredient!” Jiang Fei roared from the top of his lungs.

“Captain, I never said anything about using her to make anything!”

“Whatever, I’m sure you are going to use her to make something else,” Jiang Fei snarled.

“Captain, did you forget the main purpose of finding the Main Engine of Braveheart?”

“To make a Level 5 body for Isabella to live again!” cried Jiang Fei instantly.

“That is correct. So, what are you holding so dearly in your hands? Why are you hesitating to revive Isabella?” said 0541.

“No… But…” Jiang Fei fumbled with his words. He wanted to revive Isabella, but he did not want to use his friend’s body.

“Captain. If I recall correctly, Phoenix herself gave you her consent to use her body as you see fit. It is not that I want to use her body for something else but… Think of it this way, we are trying to give her a chance to live again. Only differently. Humans could save other humans even after death. It is called organ donation. Phoenix did the best she could. She donated her entire body!” said 0541. It was his plan all along. Lying about helping Phoenix was the first move of his chessboard and this was the final decisive step. If Jiang Fei did not give his permission, 0541 would lose the huge opportunity to best support Jiang Fei! It went against its protocol as a Captain’s supporting system!

“Saving someone else…” Jiang Fei muttered.

Jiang Fei thought that 0541 advice was right. 0541 was not going to destroy her body to make potion, it was trying to save Isabella’s by transplanting her soul into the body of Phoenix! It was indeed a means of saving… Perhaps, by doing so, he was doing a favor for the late Phoenix.

“Very well, what is the next step to revive Isabella?” said Jiang Fei after he had given enough thought. In the end, Isabella was too important for Jiang Fei to lose.

“Captain. I suggest we revive Ariel first instead of Isabella!” said 0541. It was intentional. 0541 only used Isabella as a means to persuade Jiang Fei to use the body of Phoenix. Now that he had come to terms in using her body, 0541 then changed the direction of his plan.

“Huh? Why is that?” Jiang Fei was genuinely confused. Given the circumstances, he would want to revive Isabella first!

“Captain, Phoenix had only just reborn into a Level 5 body. In fact, she was reborn into a body with many defects and flaws. Given that I have the Medical Bay, I can fix the defects, but I cannot further enhance her potential. She will forever be stuck in a body that would never progress further than the Beginner stage of Level 5,” 0541 explained.

“Make sense,” said Jiang Fei as he nodded. The Japanese had not perfected that technology and anything that they made was faulty from the start!

“Captain, the reason I have suggested we revive Ariel first is to find a perfect body for Isabella. Since Phoenix’s main attribute was lightning and psychic attacks, this body of hers would fit Ariel perfectly. Phoenix’s body was not suitable for close quarter combat, which is Isabella’s forte. It would be a waste to let Isabella take Phoenix’s body!”

“Ah… I see.”

0541’s plan was a success. Jiang Fei was fully convinced to use Phoenix’s body to revive Ariel. It was far easier to convince Jiang Fei step by step instead of jumping straight to the point. If he had initially persuaded Jiang Fei to revive Ariel, he might reject that notion and even the idea of using Phoenix’s body!

“Captain, do not forget that we still have a Level 5 Alien Beast in our hands! If you revive Ariel first, we would have a Level 5 supporter! With her and the Zhanlu Sword, she would easily slice off a huge chunk of flesh from the Level 5 Alien Beast! With the super regeneration, the Alien Beast is an unending source of Level 5 material! When we find the Main Engine room, we could technically create the true, perfected Level 5 body for Isabell!”

“That’s… True…! Very well, I’ll heed your advice,” said Jiang Fei. Even though he was not doing a favor for Ariel, she was still able to survive with Phoenix’s body! It was all because Jiang Fei had prioritized Isabella above anyone else!