Chapter 360 - 52: Biological Alchemist, Grudges and Favors

"We’ll get our revenge."

he said in a low voice, patting Wang Dali’s shoulder as if making a promise.

As their team leader, he wouldn’t forget the ambush that day either.

This rest was just a chance to build up their strength for the future.

TAP. TAP.

Then, before the other man could react, Lu Chao turned and strode away.

Wang Dali watched him go, finally snapping out of it.

He glanced back at the other team members, who were also on leave. They exchanged looks, each giving a firm nod and clenching their fists.

Without another word, they all bottled up their feelings and resumed their grueling training.

...

WHOOSH.

The tram surged forward, cutting through the city district.

Glassy skyscrapers receded outside the window. After leaving the Superpower Bureau, Lu Chao had made a trip back to his apartment. He’d changed into a gray hoodie and jeans and was now standing in a corner of the car, carrying a brown leather case.

[Red Maple Daily: The Yao Capital Special Investigation Team has announced its involvement in the Rebel case. In the coming days, they will intensify crackdowns on Al-Qaeda and assist the City Guard Army in their wilderness war.]

[Special Investigation Team representative Yuan Yue and United Committee Commissioner Luo Xuan jointly attended a municipal meeting at the City Lord’s Mansion with the patriarchs of the elder families...]

The sound drew the attention of many passengers, their eyes turning to the news screen mounted inside the car.

"No wonder there have been so many firefights in the city lately. Looks like they’re rounding up Rebels. They’re certainly not being quiet about it."

"And that’s not all. I hear there’s movement in the wilderness, too. My cousin’s a hauler. Yesterday, he delivered a huge shipment to a City Guard Army barracks and saw a ton of people from the Superpower Bureau. Seems like war’s about to break out again."

"At this rate, with the Superpower Bureau and the City Guard Army joining forces, they’ll be unstoppable. Maybe the warlord wars really are coming to an end."

"Heh, I think that’s a long shot. If the warlords were that easy to handle, they’d have been dealt with ages ago. Why would it be their turn to succeed? Besides, when has the Alliance Country ever been anything but all bark and no bite? This is probably just another scare tactic."

The surrounding discussions were a mix of praise and criticism.

Lu Chao was already used to it.

He didn’t join the debate, just silently glanced at the news footage on the screen before looking away.

He used the travel time to access the internal network through his watch.

He specifically pulled up files requiring higher clearance: advanced knowledge about the Life Energy Development Theory beyond the hundred-point threshold.

[Life Energy Development Profession Branches—Alchemist, Hacker, Mechanic, Biological Modifier...]

[Profession Ascension: A Life Energy Development profession can ascend into a Superpower Profession, granting a status in civilized society equivalent to that of a Superpower Level expert.]

His eyes narrowed as Lu Chao swiped across the screen of his watch.

He had already established himself on the path of a Senior Alchemist; naturally, he had to plan his next steps.

He tapped on the [Alchemist] category, and new information appeared.

[Alchemist Profession Ascension Branches: Biological Alchemist, Biological Engineer, Alchemist]

[Biological Alchemist: Focuses on three areas: [Potion Crafting], [Cultivation], and [Biological Evolution]. Potion Crafting is self-explanatory. Cultivation refers to growing herbs and minerals, as well as raising Mutant Beasts, to obtain a stable supply of ingredients. Biological Evolution is research based on biological theory, using special potions to assist various organisms in achieving evolutionary leaps...]

[Biological Engineer: Focuses on [Biological Transformation], [Organ Construction], and [Flesh Engineering]... They view potions as anti-rejection agents, using various materials to reconstruct and reorganize biological structures, forcibly elevating a creature’s level of life and turning it into a new species or a living weapon...]

[Alchemist: None]

He read through each entry. The final one, Alchemist, was completely blank, devoid of any explanation.

The Life Energy Development Theory was, after all, knowledge given to Earth Star by an extraterrestrial civilization. Lu Chao pondered this for a moment, and several possibilities occurred to him.

He didn’t dwell on it for long. His focus was more on the two ascended Superpower Professions: Biological Alchemist and Biological Engineer.

Without a doubt, if he wanted to continue developing his Alchemist profession and eventually achieve its ascension, he had to make a decision soon.

Only then could he choose the corresponding theoretical knowledge to study in advance and complete the so-called profession ascension.

’From the looks of it, Biological Alchemist seems like a better fit for me.’

The more he learned, the clearer Lu Chao’s plan became.

He had chosen to become an Alchemist in the first place to make better use of his resources, create potions to accelerate his Potential Progress, and supply his own training needs.

By comparison, Biological Engineer focused more on modification, which was a bit of a tangent for him.

’After all, for him personally, what kind of transformation could possibly compare to the innate awakening granted by [The Glutton]?’

DING DONG!

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the tram arrived at its stop.

Lu Chao pushed the thoughts aside for now. He picked up his leather case, stepped out of the car, and left the platform.

He looked up to see a wealthy villa district just across the street.

A yellow-and-white wall enclosed a vast area. A guard booth stood at the wide entrance, with two security guards stationed to the side, all in perfect order.

Inside the wall, the grounds were lush with trees and blooming flowers. Security patrols came and went. Detached villas, each with its own courtyard, were spaced hundreds of meters apart and arranged throughout the area.

[Splendid Mountains and Rivers]

This was the name of the villa district, and it was also where You Qiulin lived.

He had come here for one reason.

It wasn’t that there was news about the Beast King Level toxic materials he needed for the [Blood Toxin Mist].

It was because You Qiulin had sent him a call request just as he was finishing his training.

This was the first time she had ever asked for his help, hoping he would lend a hand.

Her past kindnesses and favors surfaced in his mind. There was the financial support when he first arrived in Red Maple, her help gathering potions and purification materials, and selling him energy mineral essence for hundreds of thousands less than its value.

Later, she had warned him at the risk of offending the Tan family and even gifted him a wilderness map...

All these debts of goodwill came to mind, to say nothing of the fact that she and his master were old friends.

His mind was clear. He made his decision.

With a steady gait, Lu Chao followed the sidewalk, crossed the road, and headed toward the villa district.

Figures came and went, brushing past him.

Cars waited at the crosswalks and traffic lights on either side of the intersection.

Everything seemed normal.

But then, Lu Chao quietly activated his Life Sensing.

A three-dimensional map materialized in his mind, and he began to detect green dots of light, each one representing a Life Magnetic Field.

His eyes flickered. Lu Chao discovered that this very street was hiding numerous powerful, yet furtive, individuals.

’More than ten at the Elite Level, and at least three at the Elite Level Peak.’

’There’s even one extremely suppressed aura that feels like it might be Superpower Level.’

’Looks like...’

He tightened his grip on the case containing [Zhenfeng].

Lu Chao let out a slight smile. "Aunt You is in some serious trouble, it seems."