Unfortunately, his magic was still quite immature; the basilisk's tough skin meant that unless he struck its vital points, the damage inflicted would be minimal. His actions only served to anger the already wounded basilisk further.
The basilisk had surpassed the historical record of fifty feet, reaching nearly twenty meters in length. Its dull green scales looked more like metal, becoming even more forceful in its movements, disregarding the steel spikes and simply trampling forward.
*Boom! Bang! Crash!* The colossal creature easily overpowered anything in its path, flattening everything, rendering the previous traps as mere jokes.
With a thunderous roar, the sounds behind him indicated that Potter was aware that if he were caught, there would be no good outcome. Realizing he had gone too far this time, he got scared and didn't dare cast any spells, desperately ducking down to escape.
The chamber was large, but not so for the enormous snake; having previously prepared, it was clear that it was far from enough when the basilisk charged recklessly. Next, Potter's escape became increasingly desperate, narrowly dodging danger several times, making Zhao Lun and Ron sweat for him.
After running for a while, they had circled the entire chamber and were nearing the exit, with no other escape routes available.
At this point, Lockhart was gagged and tied up in a corner; if the basilisk saw him, it might very well swallow him whole.
"Alan!" Ron shouted urgently at Zhao Lun.
Most of the traps had been destroyed; if Zhao Lun didn't intervene, Potter might be in serious trouble.
"Don't worry! I'm coming!" Zhao Lun called out, then emerged from his hiding spot, waiting for Potter to lure the basilisk toward him.
As Potter led the basilisk around, Zhao Lun had already prepared for a second ambush. While they spoke, Potter dashed toward them, and the giant snake, its scales still appearing intact except for its eyes, seemed to be bleeding only slightly.
"This guy has really thick skin!" As it got closer, Ron nervously swallowed, trying to talk to Zhao Lun to calm his own nerves.
Zhao Lun had no time to respond; he had already drawn his wand and charged up. "Stupefy!" A silent stunning spell shot toward the basilisk's remaining good eye.
*Puff!* The basilisk's large eye burst like a water balloon, blood spraying out in an instant.
"Got it!" Ron excitedly pumped his fist, but his expression quickly changed. He turned to run, feeling the violent destruction approaching from behind.
Without needing to look, he knew the basilisk had abandoned Potter and was now after them. The basilisk was coming! Realizing this, Ron's head buzzed, and he almost lost his composure, nearly collapsing to the ground.
"Run to the side! I'll draw its attention!" The divine voice filled him with strength, and without thinking, he dashed to the side.
"Disarm!" A spell rang out, and the commotion behind him quieted. When he turned back, he saw that the basilisk had been drawn away by Zhao Lun.
Zhao Lun moved faster than Potter had, casting spells that struck the basilisk repeatedly, targeting the same spot, and in that brief moment when he turned to look back, Zhao Lun managed to break through a patch of scales near its heart.
The basilisk quickly realized the danger, coiling rapidly before shooting toward Zhao Lun like an arrow. Faced with such an attack, Zhao Lun immediately took off running again.
Ron watched in disbelief, astonished at how quickly Zhao Lun ran, even faster than the giant snake! He hadn't expected that, even with one of its eyes blind, the basilisk could still sense Zhao Lun through its tongue and react with remarkable agility; it didn't seem affected at all. If this continued, even if Zhao Lun ran quickly, he would eventually be cornered!
Things had taken an unexpected turn! Realizing this, Ron's eyes widened as he looked desperately at his friend holding a wand beside him.
"Harry!"
"Let's go! We'll help him!"
Potter's expression changed; without a moment's thought, he grabbed his wand and chased after Zhao Lun.
Meanwhile, seeing the situation escalate, Zhao Lun increased his speed, holding his breath and distancing himself from the basilisk. The basilisk, a magical creature with serpentine traits, relied not only on its eyes for tracking but also on its ears and tongue. Unlike ordinary snakes, which couldn't hear sounds, the basilisk could, and quite well.
Zhao Lun held his breath and distanced himself, understanding the basilisk's weaknesses. His speed was quick, and by holding his breath, he soon created a significant gap, successfully shaking off the pursuing creature.
"Is it time to use the cheat?" With distance between him and the basilisk, Zhao Lun contemplated whether to utilize the divine realm to suppress it.
"Ah! The basilisk is coming! Run!" Ron's panicked voice echoed from afar.
"Not good!" Without thinking, Zhao Lun bolted forward.
As Potter and Ron fled, they were spotted by the rampaging basilisk, quickly getting themselves into danger. Things were dire, and the two immediately dashed away, but no matter how fast they ran, they couldn't outrun the basilisk, and soon they found themselves cornered.
"Help! Help!" Potter shouted in fear.
"Please don't let this be the end!" Zhao Lun rushed over but was still too far away to intervene.
Just then, a melodious sound descended upon them, like a heavenly chorus, causing the basilisk to halt its attack immediately.
Dumbledore's pet—Fawkes—had arrived! He came bearing the Sorting Hat and tossed it at Potter's feet with a thud, revealing something heavy inside. Potter instinctively grabbed the hat, feeling something within.
The Sword of Gryffindor! Potter instinctively drew the sword, thrusting it toward the basilisk's head. True to its heritage, the Sword of Gryffindor easily pierced the basilisk's skull.
"Hiss!" The basilisk screeched, collapsing to the ground like a small mountain with a resounding crash.
"Huh? Is that it?" Ron stared at the basilisk's corpse, feeling as if he were dreaming, unable to believe it was real.
"Yes, that's it." Potter dropped onto the ground, and he realized his arm was changing color, seemingly in distress, as he began to convulse.
"Harry!" Ron cried out. "Alan! Harry's hurt!" Tears nearly brimmed in his eyes as he called out to Zhao Lun.
"He's been poisoned! Fawkes!"
Fawkes came to his aid, restoring morale among the group.
"This is our prize; we should take it."
"Can we really take it?"
"Yes, we can. We can use the basilisk's body to create some nifty gadgets; I think the results will be impressive."
The group left, and since they all shared in the spoils, they didn't mention it again, quietly exiting the chamber.
Lockhart was still sent to the hospital; according to his life's trajectory, he had arrived there early.
At this time, another batch of Mandrakes matured, and the petrified individuals were revived. Hagrid was also released, and Dumbledore returned to his position, officially announcing that the crisis was over. The school felt as if the clouds had been dispersed, and nearly all the students cheered. In fact, Zhao Lun had seen him observing things from the sidelines the day they dealt with the basilisk.
Dumbledore won the support of all the students, and Zhao Lun's deeds were also publicized.
During this time, Zhao Lun received seeds from that plant, and the spoils from the Chamber of Secrets were allowed to be kept. Overall, the harvest from this adventure was quite substantial.
In the hospital wing, all the students were saved.
That day, Zhao Lun accepted Hagrid's invitation.
"Hey! Hagrid, it's been a while!"
"Alan! Thank you, thank you for your help!"
The giant Hagrid's eyes welled with tears, and he repeatedly thanked Zhao Lun, his beard dampened by his tears.
He was overjoyed, expressing that he now had another trustworthy friend.
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