Chapter 416 - 80: Martial Skill Advancement (Part 2)

A limit of 99 points, just one step shy of the Superpower Level.

He wasn’t surprised by this. After all, she was the City Lord’s daughter and enjoyed access to limitless resources.

He even suspected that if not for the bottleneck of life-form transformation, she might have already broken through to the Superpower Level.

As for the second half of her statement...

"Heh, Miss Su’s talent is extraordinary."

"Now that you’ve sorted things out and gotten back on track, breaking through to the Superpower Level is just a matter of time."

Lu Chao said with a congratulatory smile, having naturally guessed a few things about her situation.

With the support of the Superpower Bureau and the United Committee, her situation had clearly improved.

Furthermore, he glanced at the unfailingly loyal Wei Cangming standing behind the sofa and considered that she might have already begun taking over the affairs of the City Guard Army.

He had a vague feeling that the internal strife in the City Lord’s Mansion might be different from what the rumors claimed.

"I’ll hold you to that, Leader Lu."

Unaware of his thoughts, Su Muqing replied with a smile.

Then, during a bit of small talk, the two began reminiscing about their time in Ring City.

"If I’m counting right, it’s been a year and a half since we left Ring City."

"I heard the expeditionary force over there was disbanded long ago. The warlord Lu Shan was also overthrown, and his territory, including Fortress Mountain City, has been annexed and taken over by factions like the Red Flame Army and the White Bone Army..."

She sighed, her expression turning complicated as if she was reminded of some of the Red Maple City Circle’s own experiences.

Lu Chao mostly remained silent as he listened, occasionally giving a slight nod in acknowledgment.

In truth, he had already learned of these developments.

Some of it came from letters from his master, Luo Qianshan, and some from discreet inquiries he’d made about Brother Hao’s whereabouts.

Only now could he be completely certain.

Brother Hao was the leader of the Red Flame Army. He had likely long since awakened and transformed his Flame Superpower, reached the Superpower Level, and made a great name for himself around Fortress Mountain City, upriver on the Red River.

The two continued to chat about related topics.

After more than ten minutes,

Su Muqing finally steered the conversation to the purpose of her visit, signaling for Wei Cangming to bring over a silver briefcase.

"If not for your warning, Leader Lu, which prevented the Beast Tide from spreading, the residents of Satellite City No. 4 would have likely suffered greatly."

"Please accept this as a token of our gratitude."

As she spoke, the case was opened.

Inside was a disc-shaped storage device from the Golden Defense Group.

Already having a few suspicions, Lu Chao paused for a moment before thanking her and accepting it.

"Well then, we should be going."

Su Muqing rose to her feet, her eyes meeting his for a moment.

Her party walked to the door. She waved with a smile, signaling for him not to see them out. "Leader Lu... until next time."

She blinked, her words holding a hidden meaning that left Lu Chao slightly puzzled.

’Until next time?’

CLICK.

Before he could process it, the elevator doors closed, and the group was gone.

Watching the numbers on the elevator display descend, Lu Chao mulled it over for a moment and dismissed it as a polite pleasantry.

Then he shook his head.

He returned to the living room and looked at the disc-shaped device inside the silver briefcase.

With the press of a button, a blue magnetic light projected from it, forming a light screen.

Soon, two titles floated on the light screen: "Advanced Biological Factor Synthesis" and "Advanced Spirit Plant Cultivation Methods."

Seeing the specific contents, Lu Chao’s gaze hardened. He felt the weight of this favor once again.

’It really is Superpower Potion knowledge...’

He’d had his suspicions the moment he saw the storage device, but the reality was even better than he’d imagined.

Two complete sets of theoretical knowledge for a Biological Alchemist. At the Superpower Bureau, this would cost at least fifty to sixty thousand contribution points to redeem.

’This gift is a little too valuable.’

He shook his head to himself, making a mental note of this debt.

At the same time, he knew he was another step closer to becoming a Biological Alchemist.

He just needed to master one more set of theoretical knowledge in the field of Biological Evolution, and he would have a chance to attain this Superpower Profession, complete the biological serum formula, and create a truly complete Basic Potion.

At this thought,

Lu Chao suppressed his anticipation and excitement, then downloaded the data to his communicator.

He still had patrol duty today.

However, he could use his free time to look it over.

....

[Herb Cultivation: Different Spirit Plants have different requirements for soil and environment; cultivation methods vary accordingly.]

[Water Spirit Fruit: A high-grade Spirit Plant. Consuming it below the Superpower Level can dispel heat toxins and enhance Life Energy. For those at the Superpower Level, long-term consumption has some effect in increasing Life Energy. It must be planted in aquatic regions and fertilized with the dung of Mutant Beasts. To accelerate growth, it also requires periodic watering with Superpower Growth Liquid...]

[Red Leaf Grass: A high-grade Spirit Plant. Must be planted in hot regions, such as near hot springs or volcanoes...]

Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, another week had passed.

A black jeep sped through the street, kicking up a whistling wake of air. Lu Chao sat in the back, repeatedly checking his wrist-communicator.

The Superpower Knowledge within "Advanced Spirit Plant Cultivation Methods" had opened a new door for him into the world of superpowers.

It detailed the cultivation methods for over a hundred types of Spirit Plants, ranging from basic to high-grade quality.

This inevitably gave him an idea.

’If I had a place to cultivate Spirit Plants, with subordinates to tend to them regularly, I could definitely cut costs when producing biological serums and Life Essence later on. It would also save a lot of time on gathering materials.’

VMMMM!!

As he was lost in thought, the engine’s roar echoed continuously.

The black jeep sped through the streets, followed by several other vehicles from the Superpower Bureau.

The procession was large and imposing, creating quite a stir.

And the reason for all this...

"We finally have a major mission!"

"They actually found a trace of Ink Green Rattan! We can finally get revenge for what happened back then!"

Chen Xiao said excitedly from the driver’s seat. On the comms channel, Gao Hu and the others could be heard responding with grins.

Every one of them was dressed in black combat gear, carrying live ammunition, and fully armed—some were even equipped with grenade launchers.

Sitting in the back seat, Lu Chao smiled faintly. He could understand their excitement.

Because of Li Xiyuan’s interference, the missions they’d been assigned lately had all been routine with mediocre rewards.

Just moments ago, they had been on patrol in a different sector. Now, they had received a last-minute notice: the operation to capture Ink Green Rattan was commencing, and they were ordered to blockade the streets in the Plaza No. 3 area.

"Everyone, be careful."

"Ink Green Rattan is a Superpower Level expert, after all, and also possesses psionic abilities..."

Lu Chao reminded them to follow orders and not act rashly or impulsively.

He knew the attack on the Hive District was a sore spot that had never healed. Many of them, himself included, wanted to settle the score.

But this time, the higher-ups wanted the target captured alive, hoping to interrogate them for intelligence on the Rebels and warlord organizations.

"Don’t worry, Leader, we’ll follow your orders!"

Gao Hu and Yang Heng replied in succession. They were in the SUVs following behind.

Lu Chao nodded.

An unspoken, solemn atmosphere settled over the team. In the convoy, the members checked their weapons, their nerves growing taut.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Just then, Lu Chao’s wrist-communicator vibrated. He had an incoming voice call.

’Yao Jin?’

’Isn’t she also heading to the plaza? Why is she calling all of a sudden?’

Slightly puzzled, Lu Chao accepted the call.

"Li Xiyuan is messing with us!"

Yao Jin’s voice, filled with frustration, came through the communicator.

"What do you mean?"

Lu Chao frowned, a sense of foreboding rising within him.

In the front, Chen Xiao and Fang Xu exchanged a look, both listening intently.

"Li Xiyuan started the operation half an hour ago with the Special Investigation Team! They’re exchanging fire with Ink Green Rattan on Fourth Street right now."

"He deliberately sent us to Plaza No. 3 to cut us out and take all the credit for himself."

Lu Chao’s eyes narrowed. He never expected things to turn out like this.

’No wonder the notification came so abruptly.’

"Where are you?"

"I’m at Plaza No. 3 right now. There’s absolutely nothing going on here."

Yao Jin said angrily. Lu Chao’s heart sank.

He had been counting on completing this mission to earn contribution points. He needed them to either acquire the last piece of Superpower Potion knowledge or exchange for Essence of Qi to break through to the Exploration Level.

’That damn Li Xiyuan.’

At this thought, Lu Chao’s gaze grew increasingly cold.

’To think he’d resort to such a petty trick.’

What’s more, it would be useless to question him about it later. Not only did Li Xiyuan have higher authority, but he could also just cook up some excuse.

As long as he captured Ink Green Rattan, any arrangements he made would be considered correct.

As he was thinking, Yao Jin hung up. She was clearly heading to the Fourth Street district to demand an explanation and see if she could still snatch some of the credit.

The convoy of black SUVs had come to a silent stop at some point. Hearing the call, Chen Xiao and the others all turned to look back at him.

Anger, pleading, anticipation...

Seeing all these emotions reflected in their eyes, Lu Chao was about to nod.

The next instant.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

His communicator vibrated again. He glanced down.

[Wei Cangming: Mr. Lu, this is Ink Green Rattan’s location.]