The first time Lin Xinghai touched an Elemental Crystal, the system had displayed the exact same prompt.
âThis so-called Primordial Qi must be some kind of energy inside the Elemental Crystals,â Lin Xinghai estimated, âand a high-level one at that.â
âBut I didnât dare to absorb it before!â
âWhen I absorb Blood Qi Power, the blood inside the Zombies vanishes. If I absorb this Primordial Qi, the Elemental Crystal in my hand will probably be destroyed. How could I turn it in then?â
âBut things are different now. Iâm the strongest in this hunting squad. Even if I do something weird, I donât have to explain it to anyone. This feels great.â
âBesides, these guys donât know my background. Thereâs no way they could know I was just a clueless White Pig three days ago. Even if I act strangely, theyâll probably just chalk it up to the "eccentricities of an expert."â
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xinghai looked at the system prompt and, without a second thought, chose: Yes!
He was then stunned to discover that the Elemental Crystal couldnât be absorbed instantly. Instead, a progress bar appeared, representing the time required to absorb the Primordial Qi.
Fortunately, the progress bar moved quickly, finishing in just 10 seconds.
âThe time is acceptable. Of course, the most important thing is how much my Blood Qi Power increased.â
His gaze immediately shot to the system panel.
After absorbing the Blood Qi Power from those five Zombies, his total had risen to 112 points.
And now, the system panel displayed 122 points.
A full 10-point increase in Blood Qi Power!!!
Lin Xinghai felt his heart pounding. If the situation were different, he would have thrown his head back and roared with laughter.
âI was so worried before. The system was becoming more and more of a grind. How was I going to solve my Blood Qi Power problem?â
âBut now, a single Elemental Crystal can give me 10 points of Blood Qi Power.â
âWith just ten Elemental Crystals, Iâll have saved up the 220 points of Blood Qi Power I need to break the second Genetic Lock.â
âAnd itâs not just about getting stronger. I wonât have to worry about getting enough Blood Qi Power to improve my Gun Technique and Martial Arts anymore either.â
Just then, the others returned to the vehicle.
"Brother Lin, should we head to Qingtang Town now? Or should we look around the area?" Huang Nuo asked from the front passenger seat.
"Letâs go to Qingtang Town," Lin Xinghai said. He had been eager to confirm his theory; otherwise, there was no way he would have gone to all this trouble for five Zombies.
However, he noticed that Huang Nuo hadnât started the vehicle immediately. Instead, he was staring, stunned, at Lin Xinghaiâs right hand.
Lin Xinghai glanced down and discovered that the Elemental Crystal he had been holding had, at some point, turned into fine powder.
âSeeing this, Iâm really glad I didnât absorb the Primordial Qi from the Elemental Crystal back with the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps. That would have been impossible to explain.â
As for now, he simply tossed the white powder out the window and said calmly, "Letâs go."
"Right! Right!" Huang Nuo snapped out of it and hurriedly complied.
As the vehicle started, a new, faint hint of fear flickered in his eyes as he looked at Lin Xinghai.
It was the fear of the unknown.
The vehicle started up and got back on the road. It was worth noting that Ling Xiu no longer dared to stay on the car roof; he silently slipped back into the rear seats.
As Lin Xinghaiâs group got back on the road toward Qingtang Town, back at the Shelter, news that a newcomer had stormed the shooting leaderboard had already spread completely in just half an hour.
And more and more people were coming to remember the name Lin Xinghai.
As for Lin Xinghaiâs background information, it had already been dug up by the Third Level Mercenary Corps, and a wave of even greater shock washed over their major players.
They were completely floored to learn that Lin Xinghai had only entered Star Shield Shelter three days ago. In other words, he was still just a White Pig.
For Third Level Mercenary Corps like them, a complete newcomer like this, even one with a decent Genetic Assessment, was someone they couldnât be bothered to train.
But it was exactly this kind of newcomer, whom they had looked down on, who had stormed his way to 2nd place on the shooting leaderboard in just three days.
Although they didnât know how Lin Xinghai had done it, it didnât stop them from recognizing his enormous potential. The value of recruiting him had undoubtedly shot up.
So they began to search for Lin Xinghai, both openly and covertly. When they couldnât find him, they turned their attention to the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps.
...
Fang Tianhe and Roger walked out of an elevator, their faces wreathed in smiles.
After Lin Xinghai told Roger about Liu Miaomiao, Roger had immediately found Fang Tianhe to relay the news.
Frankly, the news of an A Level Genetic Assessment had stunned even Fang Tianhe. After confirming Roger wasnât joking, the two rushed nonstop to the Lower Level District.
Even during the journey, they were constantly discussing what kind of offer they should make to entice her to join.
However, things went more smoothly than either of them had expected. Liu Miaomiao only needed to glance at the terms they laid out before agreeing.
Of course, she had one condition: she would only report to the Mercenary Corps after becoming one of the Optimized in a weekâs time.
Although the two were a bit worried that Liu Miaomiao would be poached by other factions, since she insisted, their hands were tied. Fortunately, she was willing to sign a contract with them.
Now, that contract was in Fang Tianheâs hands. As long as they registered it at the Mercenary Guild, Liu Miaomiao would be considered an official member of their Mercenary Corps.
After entering the Mercenary Guild, they didnât have time to pay attention to anything else. They went straight to a clerk who was familiar with their Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps and completed the process at light speed.
Only after receiving a brand-new Mercenary Badge did they finally feel at ease.
The badge was registered to Liu Miaomiao, and its design signified that her affiliated Mercenary Corps was none other than their own Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps.
With everything settled, the two then headed toward their recruitment point.
"Remind Ah Xing again to keep this under wraps. For as long as he can," Fang Tianhe instructed as they walked.
"Okay, Iâll nag him about it again later," Roger nodded, then couldnât help but remark, "But speaking of which, that kid really is a lucky charm for our Mercenary Corps!"
"Thatâs true. First, he got us out of a tight spot, and now heâs brought us an A Level Genetic Assessor." Fang Tianhe also sighed with emotion. The Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps had undergone immense changes in the past two days, and all of them were, directly or indirectly, related to Lin Xinghai.
"So, about my previous suggestion to make that kid the vice-captain, what do you think?" Roger asked, seizing the opportunity.
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Sorry, everyone! I fell asleep while writing yesterdayâs third Chapter. My alarm woke me up around 4 AM to feed my daughter. I wrote a few hundred words after that and, umm... fell asleep again.
All in all, I got about 7 hours of sleep in total, so Iâm feeling pretty good. I should be able to get three Chapters out today.
As for making up yesterdayâs Chapter, I just canât do it. Iâm afraid Iâd work myself to death.