Chapter 478 - 413: Chu Bamboo: I’m Laying My Cards on the Table, I Am the Crown Prince of the Human Empire

Chu Bamboo: "..."

He roughly estimated Guan Fei’s height to be a little over six meters... which made him look like a true giant!

Guan Fei was now looking down on him... This was getting a bit ridiculous! He was even taller than Li Kang... Chu Bamboo subtly glanced at the other two. They seemed normal.

’Is this also caused by pollution? Why is it different from what he showed before?’ Chu Bamboo fell into thought. ’Could it be a special reaction caused by the Genetic Modification Skill combined with the pollution inherent to a Body Cultivator?’

"Ah Zhu, I happen to have a spare protective suit, but..." Ning Linglong said with a grin, pulling an outfit from behind her back. It was, of all things, a Gothic Lolita dress.

"..." Chu Bamboo shot a cold glare at Li Kang.

Li Kang’s smile stiffened, but he didn’t drop to his knees in fright as might be expected. Clearly, Chu Bamboo had given him instructions about this in the past. He cleared his throat. "Vice-captain, must you make your mischievous intentions so obvious?"

"...We’re about the same size! Wear mine." At Li Kang’s silent urging, Wall Announcements breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward, put down the handbag he was carrying, and took out... a suit?

Chu Bamboo’s gaze was dark. He calmly took it, but his movement paused for a fraction of a second as he read its information.

Divine Technique: Protection

Status: ??? / Differentiated / Incomplete / Faint

Effect: Resists a certain degree of pollution

’An Artifact!’ Chu Bamboo felt his heart stop. Only then did he process the status bar and realize what it meant. ’This must be a Clone of an Artifact? I see... so that makes it acceptable... like hell it does!’

’My God, a protective suit. Apparently, these can just be bought anywhere—after all, seeing how quickly Li Kang found one shows this thing isn’t as unimaginably precious as I thought. In my last life, I wouldn’t have dreamed of seeing an Artifact so easily...’

Chu Bamboo put it on with a neutral expression and stretched a bit. It was slightly baggy, but that was to be expected. After all, even though Wall Announcements looked like a fresh-faced college student... he was indeed much older than the sixteen-year-old Chu Bamboo.

"...Uncle Li!" Chu Bamboo said casually. "I want to undergo the Fourth Realm Genetic Modification! What’s the procedure for that?"

"...That!" Li Kang’s voice cut off abruptly. He stared blankly at Chu Bamboo, then shuddered.

"?! Are you insane!" Ning Linglong shrieked, her face turning green. For some reason, her expression reminded Chu Bamboo of when Lin Xia, as a college freshman, had confessed to a senior. The marriage proposal she countered with was: "Go to Yanjing and buy a palace in the Forbidden City! Then I’ll accept your confession."

That move from the senior had nearly scared the piss out of Lin Xia! All he wanted was to date her... and she pulled something like that on him... To this day, he still couldn’t figure out if she was just politely rejecting him or if she was serious. It sounded like a rejection, but her expression had seemed dead serious—especially since she kept messaging him every day afterward, scaring him so badly he eventually deleted her on WeChat!

"Uncle Li?" Chu Bamboo’s tone was calm.

Li Kang was trembling. He was even wondering if Chu Bamboo was about to drop the act. But then he realized Chu Bamboo still called him Uncle Li, so...

"Hahaha, let’s not even talk about how we could never afford that kind of modification!" Li Kang regained his composure and gave a wry laugh, hinting cryptically, "Even if you were the Crown Prince of this dynasty... it still wouldn’t work! After all, aside from heavily polluted people like us who don’t care... generally speaking, Genetic Modification can’t exceed your current level of strength! Otherwise, it will trigger genetic collapse, leading to fertility issues... Ahem."

"You’re only in the Second Realm right now. At most, you can only undergo the Second Realm modification..."

"Is that so? Then book me for the Third Realm Genetic Modification!" Chu Bamboo’s expression was serene. No longer holding back, he gave a slight tremor, and the Blessing Power of the Third Realm erupted from him.

Li Kang: "..."

"This feeling... It’s the Third Realm!" Ning Linglong’s face was slack with shock. "When did you break through? You... I... What!"

Ning Linglong rushed forward and grabbed Chu Bamboo’s shoulders.

In response...

Chu Bamboo calmly took hold of Ning Linglong’s wrist. Then, on a whim, he initiated a scan. And he found... Ning Linglong was now actually a... Fourth Realm Cultivator???

’Not the Third Realm?!!’

Chu Bamboo was so stunned he thought his senses had failed him. Her Divine Technique was still Flowing Body... and her first two Divine Techniques were naturally the same as well!

But...

Third Divine Power: Ideal Fluid

Brief Introduction: The ultimate spear and shield

On top of that... there was a fourth Divine Power that he couldn’t perceive!

Chu Bamboo: "?!"

Huh? Ning Linglong sensed something was off and frowned slightly, but after giving Chu Bamboo a deep look, she didn’t dwell on it.

However, the words she spoke next...

"????"

"!!!"

Guan Fei and Wall Announcements felt like their brains had just crashed. They stared intently at Chu Bamboo, both crying out in unison...

"...I remember you haven’t even been a Transcendent for a month!"

"?? No way, Vice-captain, you must have seen it wrong!"

The two of them paused, then looked at each other.

"...So?" Chu Bamboo looked calmly at Li Kang.

"...I had previously booked, uh, you for the Second Realm Genetic Modification!" Li Kang’s voice faltered, and he gave a bitter smile. "I just didn’t expect it to be so soon... I’ll go and rearrange things!"

"Can you make it fast? I want it done today!" A strange glint flashed in Chu Bamboo’s eyes.

"I’m afraid that would require... Hmm, are you serious, sir?" Li Kang’s expression changed.

Ning Linglong’s brow furrowed, her eyes darting back and forth between Li Kang and Chu Bamboo.

"Yes."

"...Alright! Today it is." Li Kang took a deep breath, nodded without hesitation, and rushed out. ’To fulfill such a forceful request, I’ll have to use his status as the Crown Prince to cut the line. He hadn’t thought of it before because Chu Bamboo had always stressed that his identity must be kept secret. It was not to be revealed no matter what!’

"What’s going on?" Ning Linglong zipped over to Chu Bamboo’s side, casually slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Why does the Captain seem a little afraid of you?"

"Since it’s come to this, I won’t hide it from you any longer!" Chu Bamboo sighed, his face taking on a profound expression. "I am the Crown Prince of the Human Empire!"

"..."

"?"

"Are you trying to get yourself killed!" Ning Linglong clamped a hand over Chu Bamboo’s mouth in terror. Her expression seemed familiar... Oh, it was a bit like Su Po’s when he’d heard him ask, "Are you God?"

"...I’m telling the truth!" Chu Bamboo shrugged, his voice muffled by her hand.

"Alright, alright, I’m begging you!" Wall Announcements’ face turned green. He pressed his palms together and bowed to Chu Bamboo several times, on the verge of tears. "I don’t want to be dragged down with you when they execute your entire clan!"

「Soon.」

Li Kang returned and said softly, "What a coincidence... At one in the afternoon! There happens to be a doctor from the Life Divine Teachings... who happens to be performing a cryo-thawing surgery, and who also happens to have all the divine materials for Genetic Modification! The initial modification should be complete in about three hours."

"...I see." Chu Bamboo thought about the timing for a moment, then said directly, "Li Kang, book an appointment with the Pope for me. I need to meet with him... I know he’s not in Shanghai right now. I’ll go to whatever city he’s in to see him! After that, I hope to be back this afternoon for the Genetic Modification."

"?!" Wall Announcements was completely lost.

But Ning Linglong was slowly starting to understand, a dazed, incredulous look appearing in her eyes.

"...Alright!" Li Kang gave Chu Bamboo a deep look and nodded. He went out to make another call...

"So can someone tell me..." Wall Announcements, sensing the atmosphere in the room had turned strange, scratched his head and asked cautiously, "This Pope, is he...?"

"The one from the God Worship Sect, I imagine," Guan Fei said suddenly with a wry smile.

"Oh, so the God Worship—" Wall Announcements’s words caught in his throat. He felt a wave of dizziness. In a world where God’s death had never been confirmed, the status of the God Worship Sect was higher than any ordinary person could possibly imagine. "??? No way... *That* one!"

Unlike the still-reeling Wall Announcements, Guan Fei looked directly into Chu Bamboo’s dark eyes and asked in a complicated tone, "How should I address you in the future?"

"Just call me what you’ve always called me," Chu Bamboo said with a raised eyebrow. A certain phrase inexplicably popped into his head—’a thick barrier has already formed between us.’ Even Ning Linglong, still draped over him, had gone stiff.

Chu Bamboo calmly took Ning Linglong’s hand, casually used a Divine Technique on her, and began the Reproduction process.

Ning Linglong trembled slightly, a blush creeping onto her face as confusion filled her eyes. ’Why does my body feel strange all of a sudden just from him holding my hand... Is it... because I like him that much, so...’ Ning Linglong’s mind unconsciously started to wander.

"...Y-You’re really the Crown Prince?" Wall Announcements stammered, his mind a complete blank. Especially when he recalled all his past interactions with Chu Bamboo—how was he supposed to remain rational?!

To this, Chu Bamboo just gave a silent smile.

Reproduction successful!

Chu Bamboo was now in a good mood. He had another Divine Technique for his collection—and "Ideal Fluid"... the ultimate spear and shield. Just from the name, it sounded incredibly badass.