Chapter 410 - 77: Astonishing Harvest, Complete Formula

That night.

Red and blue lights cut through the night sky.

Several floating cars flew over the high walls, parking along the riverbank below.

The sounds of gunfire that had echoed for most of the day gradually died down. Reinforced City Guard Army patrol teams continuously rotated, standing guard.

Even late into the night, thick searchlight beams swept across the city’s encircling river, relentlessly hunting for any surviving aquatic Mutant Beasts.

"I heard there was a Beast Tide at the harbor today. A bunch of aquatic Mutant Beasts snuck into the city."

"Holy shit, that’s terrifying. I’m definitely staying away from the harbor for a while."

"Yeah, no kidding. Best to avoid the riverbanks and sewers, that’s for sure."

Passersby on the street whispered among themselves, discussing the day’s Beast Tide in hushed tones.

Colorful neon lights flashed alternately in the bustling district. The Five Major Enterprises and numerous large corporations stood like unshakable titans, their corporate emblems shining brightly even late at night.

Witnessing this scene, Lu Chao, who had returned to his apartment, felt his gaze flicker. He glanced from afar at the brightly lit Biotechnology Company building.

Only now, having finished with all the follow-up matters from the Beast Tide and being temporarily relieved of his duties patrolling the riverbank and reporting the incident’s details, did he finally have some free time to review the day’s events.

’Biotechnology Company...’

There was no doubt.

The black-robed man from today was one of the two Mages who had been hunted by the Biotechnology Company.

Both the familiar Life Magnetic Field and the severe injuries were enough to confirm this suspicion.

However, he drew the curtains and locked the door to his apartment.

He looked at the two items placed on his desk.

The first was a blood-colored crystal the size of a fist. It looked remarkably similar to a magic crystal, also emitting an eerie red glow and an inexplicable allure.

[Magic Blood Crystal]

[Quality: Basic (Excellence)]

[Effect: A special crystal refined by a Mage using their own Magic Essence and sublimated by a Demon God’s blessing. Consumption by a magic user can strengthen their Magic Power and increase the chance of breaking through to the Mage level by ten percent. Consumption by a non-magic user can enhance Life Energy and increase the chance of life transformation by five percent for those below the Superpower Level...]

[Note 1: This Magic Blood Crystal contains a trace of corrupting taint. Consuming it will plant a Seed of Corruption, attracting the attention of a Demon God.]

[Note 2: This item can be purified with the following high-grade materials to remove the taint: Purple Jade Ore, Ming and Qing Spring Water...]

The information from his intuition appeared before his eyes, and Lu Chao’s gaze brightened, growing slightly feverish.

This was a basic-grade resource of excellent quality, far more precious than energy mineral essence and the Essence of Qi.

Just based on the energy levels he could sense, it was more than double that of a magic crystal or Basic Nutritional Potions.

He had no doubt that if he consumed and refined it, his Life Energy would increase by a huge margin, allowing him to break through to the Exploration Level much sooner.

However... BUZZ!

The Crimson Fire sun in his mind suddenly pulsed. The fervor in Lu Chao’s eyes quickly dissipated, replaced by clarity.

His mind now cool, he saw a black thread within the blood-red crystal and realized that his emotions just now had been abnormal.

He had almost swallowed the Blood Crystal on the spot.

’No wonder those Mutant Beasts were so frenzied back then.’

’Besides the influence of the Magic, the allure of this Blood Crystal itself must have been a factor.’

Lu Chao’s eyes showed apprehension. He was once again reminded of how troublesome these Demon God-blessed items were.

No wonder a faction like the God-Worshiping Church could persist, impossible to completely eradicate. This kind of mental manipulation was truly difficult to guard against.

Thinking of this, his gaze swept over the last line of the intuitive information.

Purple Jade Ore, Ming and Qing Spring Water... Most of these purification materials were high-grade resources, rare and hard to find. Purple Jade Ore, in particular, was rumored to be a type of Superpower Ore—an essential material for refining energy mineral essence, which spoke volumes about its value.

’Looks like I’ll have to trouble Aunt You again.’

Lu Chao thought to himself. These items were extremely scarce on the Superpower Bureau’s internal network.

For one, not everyone was an Alchemist who would trade for such things.

And for another, the Superpower Bureau itself needed these materials to produce energy mineral essence. With such huge demand, how could they possibly release them to the public?

After a moment of thought, Lu Chao retrieved an explosion-proof glass furnace used for alchemy and placed the Magic Blood Crystal inside.

This was a lesson learned from storing magic crystals many times. Only by using this kind of specially made glassware could he somewhat reduce the mental contamination and interference.

After doing so, he hid it away in a storage cabinet.

Only then did Lu Chao turn his attention to the second item on the desk.

It was a gray crystal ball.

This was also something the black-robed man had left behind. When Lu Chao had launched his sneak attack, it had been knocked away by the shockwave and fallen to the bottom of the riverbed, thus avoiding being consumed by the eerie green flames.

At the time, distracted by the presence of the Magic Blood Crystal and its subtle mental interference, he had subconsciously overlooked its purpose and existence.

But now...

’A Memory Ball.’

A thought stirred in Lu Chao’s mind as he recognized what it was.

The Holy Scripture of Magic had broadened his horizons, and he had memorized most of its knowledge, especially the magical techniques.

The so-called Memory Ball was a special artifact created and refined through magical means.

A Mage could channel their Magic Power to activate it and imprint desired images within.

In essence, its function was identical to a technological product like a video recorder, but it was far more secure, as the corresponding "switch" was controlled only by the Mage.

However, Lu Chao recalled another record from the Holy Scripture of Magic.

If the owner of a Memory Ball died, the corresponding magical seals and interference measures would also dissipate.

At the same time, the Qi Flame of a Martial Artist was fundamentally the same type of power as Magic Power; they just had different forms of expression and focus.

Therefore, when a Memory Ball was infused with Qi Flame, it was possible for it to display its images.

The only problem was that this would usually cause the Memory Ball to shatter and become useless after the images were shown.

’Let’s try it.’

Putting his thoughts into action, Lu Chao didn’t feel the item was valuable enough to be worth preserving.

To him, its recording function was no different from a video recorder’s. All that mattered was knowing what images were imprinted inside.

BUZZ!

Instantly, he infused it with his Qi Flame.

The dense, brown Qi Flame flowed like a liquid into the gray crystal ball.

Gradually, his eyes focused. Lu Chao saw the surface of the crystal ball shift as an imprinted image appeared.

It was a bustling district and, at its center, a glass skyscraper dozens of stories tall.

The large characters for [Biotechnology Subsidiary] were particularly eye-catching, stretching across the building beneath a blue sky and white clouds, drawing the gazes of countless passersby.

The Memory Ball’s owner seemed to be sizing up the tall building from bottom to top.

With a cold snort, he quickly infiltrated it. As if invisible, he moved through the building like it was deserted, easily bypassing numerous security lines to enter the core floors of the Biotechnology Company.

He even used a mental illusion to control a high-level executive of the subsidiary, using the opportunity to break into a top-secret room and glimpse many of the Biotechnology Company’s classified files.

[Senior-Level Life Potion: Primary material is the life essence of an Advanced Mutant Beast, combined with twelve types of mineral elements...]

[High-Level Muscle-Building Potion: Primary material is the blood and flesh essence of Advanced Mutant Beasts like the Red-striped Python and Iron-Horned Ox, combined with Earth Rock Grass, Vermilion Fruit...]

’This is...’

Lu Chao’s eyes narrowed, slightly surprised.

’Are these some of the Biotechnology Company’s Senior-Level Potion formulas?’

’Wait a minute.’

Suddenly, his gaze shook as he looked at the next image.

[Life Essence: Third-Generation Superpower Potion]

[Formula: Refine nutritional factors from a large quantity of Beast King Level flesh and blood, combine with thirteen types of mineral elements and nine types of superpower medicinal plants...]

[Experiment Results: When consumed by a Superpower Level individual, the effects are equivalent to energy mineral essence...]

’A Basic Nutritional Potion!’

Lu Chao’s eyes burned with excitement. He hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise.

As one of the Five Major Enterprises, the Biotechnology Company naturally possessed formulas for basic-tier potions, just like the ones for energy mineral essence and the Essence of Qi.

These corresponding Nutritional Potions were resources not available to the public, under extremely strict control, and circulated only within their respective factions. Even on the black market and the Dark Web, they were exceptionally rare.

And now, he had obtained the corresponding potion formula directly!

This was something that could no longer be measured in money. On Earth Star, at least, it could be considered a priceless treasure.

If he were to hand it over to the Superpower Bureau, he would immediately receive a massive amount of contribution points, but the price would likely be a full-scale manhunt and assassination attempt by the Biotechnology Company.

’As expected of an Exploration Level Mage. Their Magic is truly unpredictable.’

’To think he even managed to imprint something like this.’

A broad smile spread across Lu Chao’s face. He felt that this item’s value was no less than that of the biological serum—it might even be greater.

After all, he still hadn’t managed to complete the latter, whereas this formula was perfectly intact, with nothing missing.

Whether he kept it to make the Superpower Potion himself or traded it with the Superpower Bureau, it was a trump card and a bargaining chip sufficient to make Exploration Level, and even Transcendence Level, experts fight and kill for it.

Thinking of this, Lu Chao suddenly grew curious.

Did the people at the Biotechnology Company know that their formulas had been imprinted and stolen by the black-robed man?

After all, while the chase that day had caused a huge commotion, it didn’t seem like a reaction to having their core interests threatened. It felt like something was lacking.

’Perhaps the black-robed man intended to get his revenge on them this way.’

’He mistakenly believed the Biotechnology Company had destroyed his Holy Scripture, so he wanted to destroy their patented potion formulas in return...’

The more Lu Chao thought about it, the more he felt he had grasped the truth. But the images in the Memory Ball hadn’t ended yet.

Suppressing his many speculations, he focused his gaze once more.

There were sections on forbidden experiments, small-scale bases, and a great deal of research data on non-human organisms.

[Probability of mutation from potion consumption, effects of potion side effects...]

[Causes of genetic collapse... Research directions for new types of lifeforms...]

The string of taboo terms made Lu Chao’s brow furrow in discomfort.

It reminded him of the biological research facility at Nanyun Mountain. This was already a violation of the Alliance Country’s laws.

And soon, the scene shifted to the final piece of information.

[Investigation Status of Ruan Hui’s Death, Analysis Data from AI [Living Being]: Suspect Sequence One, Legos...]

[Suspect Sequence Two: Lu Chao. Estimated Life Energy: 120-140 points. Had enmity with Ruan Hui, Mei Ning, and others. Suspected to have obtained a special amplification Secret Technique while in Ring City. Possessed Superpower Level combat strength while at the Elite Level (25% probability). Motive for murder: 70%...]

[Suspected of appearing in disguise at Jinshi Boxing Hall and killing three Elite Level members of the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall (40% probability). Participated in the killing of Lei Wanjun and the destruction of the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall (25% probability). Further investigation required to determine when the Secret Technique was mastered...]

’This is...’

Lu Chao was slightly stunned. He hadn’t realized the investigation into Ruan Hui’s death was still secretly ongoing.

And somehow, his own suspicion level had grown, making him the second most likely suspect after Legos.

’That’s right. Back when I dealt with Tan Yue, Mr. Ji noticed something was off because of the boost from my Frenzy State.’

’The Biotechnology Company isn’t stupid. They could naturally guess the key points and become suspicious.’

Lu Chao’s expression turned serious as he continued to read.

[Third Suspect: Green Demon. A Superpower Level expert from the God-Worshiping Church. Appeared near the apartment building in District Two after the warlord conflict in Ring City. Acted suspiciously and clashed with company security. Colluded with Luo Qianshan or Lu Chao (5% probability). Suspected of attacking a target chosen for a blood sacrifice (65% probability)...]

’Just as I thought.’

He had thought the Green Demon incident would buy him more time and divert attention from himself.

But now it seemed that the Biotechnology Company, being one of the major enterprises, had plenty of capable people who were gradually closing in on the truth.

However, with a profound look in his eyes, Lu Chao was surprised to find that he wasn’t particularly worried.

He was not far from the Exploration Level.

If he used all his abilities, he could even go toe-to-toe with a Transcendence Level expert.

Unconsciously, he had already developed the strength and confidence to contend with the Biotechnology Company. He was no longer the insignificant patrol captain and martial arts hall disciple he once was.

For a moment, Lu Chao’s thoughts drifted.

With a CRACK, the Memory Ball in his hand shattered, its images vanishing completely.

And with that, he had also learned more of the Biotechnology Company’s secrets.

"I’ll deal with whatever comes my way."

His expression calm, he finally walked into the Cultivation Chamber.

’As long as I can break through to the Exploration Level, or even the Transcendence Level...’

’Then...’

None of this would be a threat anymore.