Starting from Douluo Continent, I've become a god through daily check-ins.

Chapter 305 Awakening!

One of the larkspur's hands was ripped into the air. The golden larkspur, Zhe Helan, and Qingxiang, who were still dealing with the Klaxosaur's corpse, all turned around and looked at the larkspur with concern.

"Delphin!"

"Ah!" Ichigo screamed in agony, the intense pain nearly severing her connection. But Ichigo endured the agony, maintaining control of the Strelitzia, which had transformed into its beast form. Lark used his remaining hand to restrain the out-of-control Strelitzia, shouting to Zero in the cockpit, "Zero, get away from Zero Two! She only approached you to use you! If you stay with her, even Zero will turn into a monster!"

Inside the Strelitzia cockpit, both remained silent after hearing Ichigo's words. Zero, still connected to the ship, propped herself up and said, "That's right, because I am..."

"Picture books..."

At this moment, Zero also spoke. Hearing Zero's words, Zero-Two was shocked and turned his head slightly. Two lines of tears were already streaming down Zero's face.

"You were the girl in the picture book back then, weren't you?" Zero asked.

Ling Er turned around in surprise, and it was clear that tears were also streaming down her cheeks.

Zero Two asked in surprise, "Did you see that?"

Zero said weakly, "I'm sorry, I can't remember... It was like this before... I connected with your consciousness... Back then too... You were always under that tree... waiting for me, weren't you?"

Zero Two disconnected and turned to face Zero. Zero was looking down, and her voice was very weak.

"Why..." Zero Two looked at Zero in disbelief.

Zero seemed to have reached his limit, his body slumping to one side. Zero-Two immediately rushed forward to support him. "Darling!"

Zero leaned against Zero Two's shoulder, and Zero Two asked, "Hey, is Darling the Darling from back then? If so, I've always..."

"Don't touch zero!"

Before Zero-Two could finish speaking, the cockpit door opened, and Ichigo rushed in, pulling Zero-Two out. Goro caught Zero-Two from outside.

"Zero, zero... Cheer up!"

"Hey, are you alright?" Goro asked Zero-Two.

But at this moment, Zero Two was completely devastated. Looking at Zero, who was unconscious in the cockpit, he often said, "I hope you can tell me what you're thinking. I want to understand you better."

Everyone returned to the Great Eco-Fortress, and Zero was placed on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on. Ichigo anxiously called Zero's name by the bedside, hoping to wake him up quickly. Zero-Two returned to the Great Eco-Fortress, and two staff members immediately came to inquire about his condition. In comparison…

In the pitch-black hospital room, Zero lay quietly on the bed, wearing an oxygen mask. A clear mark, resembling a ligature mark, was visible on Zero's neck. It was the mark left when Zero tried to devour Zero.

"It looks like we've reached our limit." In the command room, Seventh Sister looked at the data in her hand and said, "The number of proliferating yellow blood cells has far exceeded the human body's capacity. We estimate that we could begin to transform into dragons at any moment."

Hatch, looking at the screen showing Zero's hospital room, said, "His consciousness is also in a state of confusion, possibly a hallucination caused by the deep connection between the Strelitzia and codename 002. In short, the situation is extremely critical."

Seventh Sister said helplessly, "I thought if it were zero, perhaps... it seems it's about time to give up."

Ling Er stood in front of the Strelitzia, looked at it, and seemed to have made a decision before walking towards the ward.

"I want to say...to Darling...that kind of thing..."

"Stop right there! Hey, did you hear me?"

Suddenly, a hand landed on Zero Two's shoulder, pulling him around forcefully and yelling, "I told you to stop!"

Seeing Ichigo's furious expression, he frowned and said, "Don't get in my way, I have to see Darling!"

It seems that after realizing that Zero was the Darling she had been searching for, she became this dejected person. Adding to this, Zero Two had been plotting to devour Zero, and these two factors combined explain her current state of despair.

"Hey, Ichigo." Goro walked over at this moment.

"Are you kidding me!"

Hearing Ichigo's voice, the others rushed over. Seeing Ichigo's furious state, they could only watch from the sidelines.

"Do you even know who caused Zero to become like that! I will never let you get close to Zero again!" Ichigo shouted.

"Calm down, Ichigo. Zero-two is just as worried about Zero as you are," Goro said, trying to calm Ichigo down.

Upon hearing Ichigo's words, Zero Two bit her nails, seemingly suppressing her anger.

Mirai also said, "Yeah, Ichigo, why are you so angry at Zero Two?"

Ichigo was completely deaf to what her companions were saying and continued, "You've been deceiving Zero all this time just to use him! You even tried to turn him into something other than human!"

Everyone was shocked by Ichigo's words. They had no idea what the final outcome would be. Too hesitantly asked, "Something other than humans...?"

Ichigo continued, "I heard that you discard each partner after you devour them. So far, one partner after another has sacrificed their lives like that."

Goro asked, somewhat surprised, "Who told you that?"

"Seventh Sister and Hachi told me," Berry said.

Zero Two remained silent, biting her nails, as I heard what I said. The force with which she bit her nails showed that she was enduring it all.

"If this continues, Zero will cease to be human," Ichigo said.

"Is this true? Zero Two?" Yu Nai asked.

With a forced smile, she asked, "That's a lie, isn't it?"

Goro forced a smile and asked, "It's all a misunderstanding, isn't it? Aren't they always partners...?"

Before Goro could finish speaking, Zero Two abruptly pulled out his bitten nails, suppressing his anger, and said, "Shut up. What you do with my Darling is none of your business!" Zero Two glared fiercely at Ichigo. Hearing Zero Two's words, Ichigo's hands clenched tightly together.

……

Zero slowly opened his eyes in the hospital room. He found himself not somewhere else, but in a place shrouded in smoke. The place was filled with smoke, and the only thing he could see was a pavilion not far in front of him. Although the visibility was poor, Zero could still clearly see a young man with long, silver-white hair sitting in the pavilion. This young man was sitting directly opposite Zero, holding a cup of tea and sipping it slowly.

Entering the pavilion, Zero saw a cup of tea placed in his direction. Clearly, this tea wasn't for anyone else, but for him. And the person inside the pavilion was, of course, Jing Chen.

Jing Chen extended a hand, gesturing for Ling to sit down. Ling didn't stand on ceremony and sat down, picking up the tea in front of her and taking a sip. Jing Chen waited quietly. After finishing the tea and savoring it, Ling nodded, "Not bad, a good cup of tea."

Jing Chen asked, "Do you know why you came here?"

Zero nodded, seemingly understanding. Jing Chen stopped teasing and said, "After connecting with Zero Two's consciousness on a deeper level, your body has been completely eroded. It won't be long before you die. That's the first reason. The second reason is... something I hadn't come to collect before, I've come back to collect now."

Ling seemed to have anticipated this, showing neither surprise nor delight, her expression remaining calm. Jing Chen didn't say anything more either; the two of them sipped their tea in silence.

As Zero finished his last sip of tea, Jing Chen also finished his. The two sat facing each other in silence. Finally, an hour later, Zero spoke first: "Do you remember the terms of our first deal?"

Jing Chen nodded. "Of course I remember."

"You... please don't cause trouble for Zero Two; after all, she doesn't know the truth," Zero said.

"Okay, I promise you." Jing Chen nodded.

Zero stood up, turned, and slowly walked away. Just as Zero was about to leave, Jing Chen suddenly called out to him. Zero turned back to look at Jing Chen, who said, "Since you're leaving, I'll tell you something. The memories you saw when you connected with Zero Two were all fake. The real memories are here."

Jing Chen brought his index and middle fingers together and pointed at Zero. A flash of white light entered Zero's brow with lightning speed, and Zero's mind was instantly flooded with many things. After reviewing those memories, Zero looked at Jing Chen without saying a word. Jing Chen said, "My memories involve too many things, so I have to disguise them a lot. You... don't blame me."

Zero nodded. "I know. I'm leaving now. Take good care of my companions."

After Zero finished speaking, Jing Chen didn't say anything. Zero turned and left, gradually disappearing into the smoke. Jing Chen stood up, stretched, and looked at the thick smoke above him, saying, "I'm back. Ready to face your punishment?"

(End of this chapter)