Chapter 36: Waking Up in the Ice

Summer was really serious when she spoke those words. The shadow of the Ancient Chaos could feel the sheer, unwavering weight of her resolve pressing against his spirit.

’Damn it,’ the shadow cursed inwardly, feeling a sudden wave of panic. ’Whoever or whatever is lurking inside this little girl’s soul is far from simple. If I push her any further right now, she is going to genuinely hate me. If that happens, this ancient bloodline might remain trapped in a deep slumber for who knows how many decades.’

The ancient shadow felt increasingly anxious, but more than anything, he felt completely helpless. In his countless millennia of existence, he had never once encountered a scenario as absurd as this.

After all, who in their right mind would ever be foolish or crazy enough to reject the supreme power of the Ancient Chaos?

While the shadow was drowning in his own panic, the system continued to throw fuel onto the fire within Summer’s mind.

[If my Corruption energy is completely removed from your body, you will naturally regain your fragile human consciousness...]

That single sentence served as the absolute final nail in the coffin for Summer’s choice.

Who on earth wanted to be a weak, pathetic human again? Summer immensely preferred being an intelligent, immortal zombie.

Although her mind still struggled to understand most of her scattered memories from when she was still a living human girl, one fundamental truth stood crystal clear in her heart.

The human Summer was weak, helpless, and thoroughly pathetic.

’I only want you!’ Summer shouted inwardly toward the system, her tiny chick wings flapping with absolute determination.

[Good,] the system replied, its mental voice oozing with smug victory.

’Let us kill this fat chicken together right now!’ she declared savagely.

[Ahem...] The system choked on its own words for a brief second.

The fat chicken suddenly felt a sharp, razorlike killing intent directed straight at his head. Looking down at the little chick’s ruby eyes, even a blind fool could see the unadulterated murderous intent burning within her gaze.

"What the fu... ahem... fungus!" the fat chicken roared in utter despair, big fat tears streaming down his feathered cheeks.

"Listen to me, you mysterious entity! I know you are manipulating her from behind the scenes! I admit defeat, okay? You win! But why the hell are you making her hate me so much that she literally wants to grill me into a midnight snack?!"

The poor system could only let out an internal sigh. It had honestly not intended to push things quite this far.

However, it had clearly underestimated just how deep and terrifying Summer’s revulsion toward becoming a normal human truly was.

[Technically speaking, you cannot kill him,] the system clarified to Summer in a calm, measured tone.

[He is the literal shadow of your bloodline. Whether your bloodline remains in a deep slumber or fully awakens, his fundamental existence is bound directly to your soul.]

Summer blinked her large ruby eyes, tilting her small feathered head in annoyance. ’Then what should I do with him?’

[Actually, there is another possible path,] the system noted thoughtfully.

[Though I am certain a proud entity like him would never agree to it. The Ancient Chaos is the absolute epitome of creation. However, that does not mean it can only create things out of absolute nothingness.]

’Make it much simpler for me to understand,’ Summer gritted her beak, her patience wearing dangerously thin.

[Ahem,] the system cleared its voice.

[Simply put, you must ask him to use Corruption energy as the core foundation to fuel his creation. By doing so, he will temporarily degrade his overall power level for the time being. However, in the long term, his ultimate limit will break past the boundaries of this single universe.]

’Does this option have any actual use for me?’ Summer asked straightforwardly.

From the system’s elaborate explanation, she understood that by choosing Corruption to create, the fat chicken’s ultimate potential would no longer be restricted by this universe.

But she was not a benevolent or generous person. She cared only about what directly benefited her own survival and strength.

[You will awaken a completely unprecedented bloodline: the Ancient Chaos Corruption,] the system revealed, its voice dropping into a solemn, reverent tone.

[It will be a terrifying abomination born from the perfect fusion of absolute creation and supreme corruption. No entity with this kind of combination has ever appeared in history, so even I cannot accurately measure the full extent of your future power.

But one thing is absolutely certain... your abilities will become monstrously terrifying. However, the chances of a proud being like the shadow of the Ancient Chaos accepting such a disgraceful proposal are virtually zero...]

Before the system could even finish its cautionary words, Summer opened her beak and blurted out the proposition directly to the fat chicken.

The shadow of the Ancient Chaos froze in place, his wide beak agape as he listened to her blunt demand.

Then, before Summer could even gauge his reaction or process what was happening next, the vibrant island, the sea of light, and the giant chicken all vanished in an instant.

SPLASH!

Summer’s eyes snapped open as a sudden, brutal shock of freezing coldness overwhelmed her physical senses.

She was no longer floating as a tiny chick in a sea of colorful light. Instead, her physical body was lying completely submerged inside a massive, stainless-steel medical tub filled to the brim with freezing water and thousands of floating ice cubes.

Thick clouds of white steam were still rising aggressively off her pale skin, hissing loudly as the intense thermal energy inside her blood fought against the freezing temperature of the ice water.

"Boss Chubby is awake!"

The Professor’s voice echoed loudly through the concrete room as his face suddenly popped into her vision, his thick glasses fogged over from the rising steam.

Right beside the tub, Dereck stood like a towering iron sentinel, his heavy hands resting on his weapons.

A few steps behind him, Salma was leaning weakly against a metal counter, her bloodshot green eyes locking onto Summer with an overwhelming mixture of intense relief and guilt.

Summer sat silently in the freezing ice water, her ruby eyes blinking as she stared directly at the woman standing across the room.

A quiet bewilderment settled over her simple mind. She vividly recalled the frantic moment right before she lost consciousness, when the searing heat had forced her basic survival instincts to take over.

She remembered swinging her arm forward with all her might, delivering a devastating, full-strength strike directly into the center of the woman’s chest.

At the time, the explosive force had sent the woman flying across the room like a broken doll, slamming violently into the reinforced concrete wall with a deafening crash.

Yet, as Summer looked closely at the woman now, her mind struggled to make sense of what she saw.

Aside from a heavily tattered and scorched tactical vest, Salma was completely unharmed. There were no crushed ribs, no gaping wounds, and no lingering traces of blood.

Her skin was smooth and intact, as though she had never been struck by an Elite Zombie with superhuman strength at all.

Summer tilted her head to the side, her pale cheeks puffing out in pure wonder.

How could she survive a blow like that without turning into paste?