**Chapter 8: The Bullet Curves!**
After a cultivation session, Zhou Ming retrieved the Water Jade Gu into his aperture and stepped out of the bathtub.
The Water Jade Gu had one use left. In three days, this Gu worm would complete its purpose and completely dissipate.
This meant that even if Zhou Ming survived this ordeal, the only Gu worm he might have left on him would be the Grass Root Gu.
If he was lucky, the Water Armor Gu and Sword Qi Gu might not starve to death, but that possibility was very small.
Zhou Ming could only sigh silently in his heart, but his expression remained as calm as ever, betraying no emotion.
In truth, he wasn't particularly disheartened or frustrated.
Now that Zhou Ming had entered the Main God Space, countless opportunities awaited him. What were one or two mere Gu worms?
As long as he returned to the Gu World, he could break free from his current predicament, and his future would be broad and bright.
The premise was that he had to survive first.
Complete the current mission. And survive.
The night passed without incident.
On the fourth day since entering this world, Zhou Ming enjoyed a rare period of leisure.
Yang Zhisheng was at the factory, supervising the manufacturing of ammonium nitrate. Zhou Ming was at the villa, enjoying gourmet food and fine wine. Yu Man had almost secured the plastic explosives and was expected to fly over to join them tomorrow.
No accidents occurred. Everything was proceeding on track.
This day passed peacefully.
On the fifth day, the amount of ammonium nitrate produced had reached half of the required quantity, and Yu Man finally obtained the plastic explosives she needed from the arms dealer and boarded a plane to Sao Country.
At this moment, Zhou Ming was sitting on Andreas's living room sofa, sighing softly.
The Straw Sandal Gu had, after all, starved to death.
Compared to the Leaf Blade Gu, Zhou Ming had activated the Straw Sandal Gu more than once over the past few days, so it starved first.
The Leaf Blade Gu was also not far from its fate of starvation. Even worse, the Leaf Blade Gu was Zhou Ming's natal Gu. Once the Leaf Blade Gu starved to death, Zhou Ming himself would suffer a backlash.
A natal Gu is usually the first Gu worm a Gu Master refines and is the Gu worm most closely connected to the Gu Master.
The destruction of other Gu worms would not cause too much harm to a Gu Master.
But if a natal Gu is destroyed, it will inevitably implicate the Gu Master. While it may not lead to death, injury is unavoidable.
However, the problem was that they were about to move against the Cronus Organization, and getting injured at this critical juncture would inevitably weaken Zhou Ming's strength and greatly increase his risk.
Yet, he had no way to solve this problem.
"I just hope that the Grass Root Gu can help me recover somewhat before we act."
Although the Grass Root Gu was a healing Gu worm, it was only Rank One after all, and its healing effect was not very significant. Zhou Ming himself didn't know how much it could help him recover in such a short time.
"If push comes to shove, I'll deliberately destroy the Leaf Blade Gu, suffer the damage early, and heal early."
Zhou Ming gritted his teeth, thinking fiercely.
In necessary moments, one could only resort to extraordinary measures. This was a last resort.
Just then, Zhou Ming's eyelids suddenly twitched, and a feeling of palpitation spread through him.
He was all too familiar with this feeling. It was his overly sensitive danger perception acting up again.
"Danger!"
Before Zhou Ming's mind could even react, his body instinctively lunged to the side, simultaneously hooking the sofa with his foot, actually flipping the entire sofa over.
The Jin Strength Gu, a unique strength Gu worm from the Northern Plains, was a consumable Gu. After use, it could permanently increase a Gu Master's strength.
Most Northern Plains Gu Masters would use the Jin Strength Gu to increase their own strength, and Zhou Ming was naturally no exception.
Don't be fooled by his muscles not appearing particularly robust or developed—the strength they contained was absolutely comparable to strongmen who could pull cars and airplanes.
*Bang bang bang!*
Several gunshots, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass, sent several bullets *thud thud thud* into the overturned sofa.
Zhou Ming's instinctive reaction was too powerful. The action he took in a hurry happened to be exactly the right measure to deal with the attack.
Dodging those few bullets, Zhou Ming had already slipped into the corridor next to the living room, concealing his body in the blind spot where the bullets couldn't reach him.
At the same time, he had drawn his pistol, rapidly recalling the scene from just now in his mind.
How would the opponent continue the attack? Would they charge in directly or continue shooting from outside the villa?
Just then, that terrifying sense of crisis struck again. Without thinking, Zhou Ming ducked down, and a bullet grazed his scalp, embedding itself in the wall behind him.
"The bullet curved."
Zhou Ming gasped.
He was in the opponent's attack dead angle. Unless the opponent moved around, they couldn't even see him.
But the opponent hadn't moved. The bullet itself had curved.
"This is an expert. A true expert of the Cronus Organization."
This was Zhou Ming's first thought.
"How did the Cronus Organization know I was here?"
This was Zhou Ming's second thought.
But he had no time to think further. The intense sense of crisis engulfed him like a tide from all directions. Death seemed to materialize, swirling around him like dense black mist.
The situation forced him to act immediately and make the most correct choice. One wrong step would lead to eternal damnation.
Fight fire with fire.
This thought flashed through Zhou Ming's mind.
No matter how powerful the opponent was, even if adrenaline surged through their veins, they were still flesh and blood. One shot to a vital spot and they would die.
But Zhou Ming was different. The Water Armor Gu could block a crucial bullet for him.
As long as he could avoid vital spots, he wouldn't die.
With this thought, Zhou Ming's eyes flickered, and he rushed directly toward the room at the other end of the corridor—the kitchen on the first floor.
Fighting with bullets didn't mean just rushing out and emptying a clip. If he could shoot the enemy in the back, Zhou Ming would never choose to face them head-on.
Just as he approached the kitchen door, Zhou Ming's figure suddenly stopped. He raised his pistol, took a deep breath, and leaped across the corridor opposite him.
The moment his body flew past the kitchen door, what greeted his eyes was a black-haired man with slicked-back hair, his face cold, holding a gun and pulling the trigger at him.
*Bang! Bang!*
Bullets shot out from the muzzles, bringing with them brief but dazzling flashes of fire. Two bullets crossed in mid-air, each heading toward its respective target.
Zhou Ming's body cleared the kitchen and fell heavily onto the corridor.
"Damn it. Didn't hit a vital spot," Zhou Ming cursed silently.
The moment the slicked-back man's bullet left the barrel, Zhou Ming had also pulled the trigger of his pistol.
The result was that while the slicked-back man's bullet only hit his lower abdomen and was blocked by the Water Armor Gu, his own bullet also failed to kill the slicked-back man—because he didn't hear the voice of the Main God.
The time of that leap was, after all, too short.
But Zhou Ming was sure the slicked-back man had been hit. This was his confidence in his marksmanship.
As long as the opponent was injured, it would definitely affect his actions. He himself still preserved his strength intact. The advantage would shift toward him as time passed, and then—
*Crash!*
A crisp sound of breaking glass interrupted Zhou Ming's thoughts.
He froze slightly, then suddenly turned pale with fright. His body was half-lying on the ground and hadn't had time to get up, but the gun in his hand was already raised again.
"This bastard. He's already been shot and still dares to attack so aggressively."
The next moment, a figure, like black lightning, rushed out of the kitchen.
*Bang bang bang bang!*
At a distance of less than three meters, both sides continuously shot at each other. Muzzles erupted with flashes of fire, bullets flew, then collided in mid-air, and stray bullets splattered everywhere in the narrow corridor.
*Click click click!*
Zhou Ming's gun ran out of bullets. He unhesitatingly threw away the pistol, slapped a wall with his left hand, and simultaneously exerted force from his waist, back, legs, and abdomen. His entire body sprang up from the ground like a spring, charging directly at the slicked-back man.
Another bullet hit him, again blocked by the Water Armor Gu.
The true essence sea within his aperture suddenly dropped by a large margin. Although not completely depleted, the remaining true essence was no longer enough for Zhou Ming to activate the Water Armor Gu again.
The distance between the two was already extremely close. With Zhou Ming's burst of speed, he almost instantly rushed in front of the slicked-back man, raising his hand to push aside the man's pistol, causing his next shot to go astray—the bullet rushing into the depths of the corridor.
*Close-quarters combat?*
A cold, bloody glint flashed in the slicked-back man's eyes, and he sneered inwardly.
He himself possessed extremely skilled close-quarters combat techniques, and now, in an adrenaline-fueled state, his physical qualities far surpassed ordinary people. There were only a handful of people in the world who could defeat him, and he didn't believe this excessively young man in front of him had that ability.
However, the next moment, his pupils suddenly constricted to pinprick size, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Then, a verdant blade light engulfed everything in his vision.
A blade as green as a willow leaf grew from Zhou Ming's palm, piercing into the slicked-back man's eye socket, embedding itself deep in his brain. With a gentle stir, it minced the fragile brain matter.
Afterward, that verdant blade seemed to have completed its historical mission, rapidly withering and turning to dust.
The slicked-back man and Zhou Ming fell simultaneously. The difference was that the slicked-back man had already lost his life, while Zhou Ming spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, swaying as he leaned against the wall.
"You dare to contend with me?" Though blood spilled from the corner of his mouth and he was in excruciating pain, Zhou Ming still let out a cold laugh at the slicked-back man's corpse.
If it weren't for close combat, Zhou Ming wouldn't have killed the slicked-back man so easily. If the slicked-back man had been more cautious, acting as a lurking sniper from beginning to end, Zhou Ming would have been more likely to die.
It was just that the slicked-back man had underestimated Zhou Ming. Perhaps, from the slicked-back man's perspective, unaware that Zhou Ming had blocked the bullet, both sides were hit and injured, and his own strength was definitely greater. Even if he was reckless and charged in directly, he could kill Zhou Ming. Dragging it out might even lead to unexpected variables.
Unfortunately, he neither knew that Zhou Ming was not injured, nor did he know that Zhou Ming was actually more powerful in close combat.
Fighting Zhou Ming head-on at such close range was simply seeking death.
But Zhou Ming also paid a price. At that time, his true essence was heavily depleted, and he could no longer activate the Sword Qi Gu. He could only forcibly activate the Leaf Blade Gu, causing it to exhaust its last bit of life. Zhou Ming was also injured by the backlash from his natal Gu's death.
Fortunately, in the end, he survived.