Chapter 1820 Play a Role <TOC> Chapter 1822 Character
Translator: SumTLMan
When Ham discovered that his mental strength score was a mere six points, he came to terms with reality; the world doesn’t revolve around him. He’s just an ordinary person.
Yet, even as an ordinary individual, Ham always felt that he was a ‘fortunate’ one.
Over the past three decades, he had never faced significant adversity. Although he wasn’t exceptionally wealthy, he had never experienced destitution either. He never battled serious illnesses, and his parents were in good health. While he remained single, it was merely because he relished the freedom that singledom provided.
Ham’s belief in his good fortune wasn’t just rooted in the smooth sailing of his life but also… during the shocking transformation of Shadow Demon Castle, when the entire city succumbed to invasion, Ham just so happened to be away, narrowly avoiding the disaster. Wasn’t that also a testament to his luck?
Ham felt that his string of luck might persist, allowing him to live a mundane yet peaceful life.
However, the turn of events came surprisingly swiftly.
When Iva leaned his head against his own shoulder, flashing a bloodthirsty and eerie smile at Ham, he knew it was all over.
As darkness threatened to envelope Ham, he saw a man dressed in a black suit approaching him. With just a cane, the man effortlessly fended off Iva, who was lunging at Ham’s neck.
Undoubtedly, this was a wizard!
Hope flashed in Ham’s eyes. Struggling, he stretched out his hand and, with all his might, uttered: “Help…”
However, before he could finish the word ‘me’, he was swallowed by a dark vortex, plunging him into a state of chaos.
In the seemingly interminable time that followed, Ham felt as though he was ceaselessly traversing a long, narrow tunnel. He was clueless about why he was moving forward or when this journey would end. Lost, with no sense of his destination or its end.
His thoughts felt as if they were being weighed down by a mountain, making any logical reasoning incredibly challenging. All he could do was keep moving forward, trudging along endlessly.
Just when Ham thought he’d continue this ceaseless march, eventually merging with the darkness, a glimmer of light suddenly caught his eye.
The metaphorical “mountain” pressing down on his thoughts seemed to lighten a bit.
Following this, he saw vague silhouettes before him. He wasn’t sure who these figures were, but he harbored an immense longing for them to pull him out of this dark tunnel.
He tried with all his might to scream, to call for help, but he couldn’t utter a word.
However, hope was not entirely extinguished. The weight of the “mountain” on his mind continued to decrease. Perhaps, with just a little more relief, he’d be able to convey a message.
Ham waited in anticipation for that moment to arrive.
As time gradually passed, the blurred figures in front of Ham became clearer, and he could faintly discern some outlines… It was him! The wizard he saw before losing consciousness!
Is he trying to save me?
Yes, Ham felt it, he was indeed trying to save him.
Upon realizing this, Ham’s will to survive surged uncontrollably. He even felt he could now resist the metaphorical “mountain”.
Just a little more! Once he overcomes this, he wouldn’t suffer anymore, and he would once again become… The Lucky Ham.
Ham continually spurred himself on. Maybe his self-encouragement genuinely worked because at a certain threshold, a brilliant light suddenly flashed before Ham’s eyes. The previously blurred vision became crystal clear, and he saw his savior.
He was eager to say something in his excitement. But just at that moment, his head began to throb painfully, as if someone was forcefully shoving icy bricks into his head.
A pain he had never felt before.
However, Ham wasn’t saddened, but rather felt joy. The fact that he could feel pain meant he was gaining consciousness. Was there a chance he could recover?
When the pain peaked, with every ounce of strength left in him, Ham pleaded to the person before him, “Save… me…”
…
When Ham awoke again, darkness enveloped the world outside the window. The luminous plants that absorbed light during the day seemed to have exhausted their energy in this subterranean world.
Yet, the room was well-lit.
“Do you remember who you are?” A deep, hoarse voice echoed in his ears.
Lifting his head, Ham saw a familiar figure: a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit.
“You are…” Ham felt he knew the man before him, and instinctively tried to recall who he was. But the moment he attempted to think, his head throbbed painfully.
“You don’t need to worry about who I am. Do you know who you are?”
Almost reflexively, Ham replied, “I am Ham.”
The man nodded without uttering another word and turned to leave the room. Ham wanted to stop him but was unsure of what to say or do next. He could only watch helplessly as the man departed.
Beyond the door was the hall of that floor.
Sitting on the hall’s sofa, Gloria looked up and asked Sanders, “How did it go?”
“He has regained consciousness, but there seem to be some lingering effects. When pondering slightly intricate matters, his mind enters a self-preservation mode,” Sanders sat across from Gloria.
“How long will this self-preservation mode last?”
“I’m not sure. It could be temporary, or it might be permanent.”
Gloria sighed, “I had hoped to ask if he had any self-awareness during the time he was infected. It seems that it’s impossible now.”
At this moment, Tree Spirit leisurely sitting in a recliner remarked with a smiling demeanor, “Regardless, the fact that he’s awake now is a good thing.”
“Moreover, most importantly, after facing a stalemate for so long, the research on the Live Wire has finally seen a glimmer of hope.”
Tree Spirit turned to Sanders, recognizing that it was Sanders who had paved the way for this breakthrough. After Ham sent a distress signal to Sanders, Sanders continuously released the aura of the Nightmare Plane. Upon reaching a certain point, Sanders, by some unknown method, extracted the Live Wire from Ham’s body.
If this approach could be widely applied, the Live Wire would no longer pose a threat.
Tree Spirit was about to inquire about the specifics from Sanders, but Sanders then directed his attention elsewhere, “Angel, did you discover anything?”
When Sanders went to check on Ham, he entrusted the Live Wire extracted from Ham’s body to Angel for observation.
Upon his return, Sanders noticed a gleam in Angel’s eyes, clearly indicating a discovery, prompting his question.
“On this Live Wire, there’s an aura of the Nightmare Plane,” Angel said. “It’s different from the Live Wire that Tree Spirit showed us before.”
The reason for the difference is clear: this Live Wire has absorbed the aura of the Nightmare Plane that Sanders previously released using the Nightmare Stone.
“What’s the significance of imbuing this Live Wire with the aura of the Nightmare Plane?” Gloria asked in confusion.
“The significance is immense,” Sanders responded, not addressing Gloria alone but looking at everyone present. “Why was the Live Wire able to be extracted from Ham’s body? That’s the significance.”