Chapter 49 - 44: Developing into a Killing Maniac

"To be precise, this is the V8.0 Defensive Single-Soldier Armor from the Helandy Alchemy Workshop. It’s a pure Alchemy Creation."

Jiang Che explained, "The Battle Armor is equipped with twelve Alchemy Matrices and can change forms at will according to your control. It’s made of a Lightweight Special Alloy that can withstand direct hits from most conventional firearms. It also utilizes the most advanced cushioning technology, so you wouldn’t feel a thing even if you fell from nearly a hundred meters. Most importantly, it’s exceptionally durable—it can still function even with only half a Matrix left."

"So, can it fly?" Zhou Chen asked.

"No."

"Can it shoot lasers?"

"No."

"Power enhancement? Speed boost? Transformation? An ultimate finishing move?"

"..."

Jiang Che sighed. "It’s just a defensive piece of Armor. It doesn’t have all those functions. At most, it’ll let you tank a rocket explosion."

"Alright then..." ’I thought I was about to transform into a Knight or Iron Man, but it’s just defensive Armor.’ Still, Zhou Chen was more than satisfied. An item like this would go for at least a million on the market, and he had just gotten his hands on it for free.

He fiddled with it for a moment and quickly figured out how the Battle Armor worked. There were only three functions: activate, deactivate, and transform. The initial activation was a factory-set automatic program, but every subsequent operation required Essence—though the amount needed was negligible.

At his command, the dark metal covering his arms began to rapidly transform, shifting into sharp Hand Swords, deadly Arm Blades, a sturdy Iron Shield...

"This is great stuff."

Zhou Chen’s eyes lit up. With this Battle Armor, his combat effectiveness would jump a whole level. Most importantly, it guaranteed his survival.

"The Battle Armor’s metal is finite. Every bit of damage means less material. You’re not an Alchemist, so you can’t repair it yourself. Once it’s beyond repair, it’s scrap," Jiang Che reminded him.

"Is the Helandy Alchemy Workshop that shady? Not even a warranty?"

"This was seized from smugglers two months ago," Jiang Che said. "It wasn’t purchased through official channels, so the Helandy Alchemy Workshop won’t offer any warranty service. You could, of course, pay for the repairs yourself."

"Never mind then. I’ll just be careful with it."

Zhou Chen quickly shook his head. If he had to find those exorbitantly priced Alchemists for repairs, all his current savings—plus the shirt off his back—still wouldn’t be enough to cover the cost.

"Remember this."

Jiang Che tapped on the table, her tone growing serious. "This is your trump card for staying alive. Don’t use it unless it’s a last resort, or you’ll blow your cover."

Zhou Chen nodded. He understood. ’Possessing Alchemy Equipment of this caliber doesn’t fit the ’persona’ I’ve built up in the eyes of Eternal Fire.’

With a thought, the Steel Battle Armor covering his body instantly retracted, shrinking back into a palm-sized metal disc that adhered to his chest.

"Alchemy really is amazing," he marveled, removing the metal disc and tracing the intricate patterns engraved on its surface. ’To think a palm-sized object could contain twelve profound Alchemy Matrices.’

In a way, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Alchemy a form of Magic.

After stowing the metal disc, Zhou Chen remembered he had come to ask Jiang Che about official business.

"Right, how is the intelligence department’s investigation going?"

While he was infiltrating Eternal Fire, Operators from the intelligence department had been secretly investigating Li Xiaoxiao, tracking down Cyan Whale’s true identity, and trying to find that shipment. ’So many days have passed. Surely they’ve found something?’

Jiang Che looked troubled by this. "We’ve identified a few smugglers connected to Eternal Fire, but they’re all small fry. We haven’t caught a single big fish."

"As for Cyan Whale’s whereabouts, the department found a few persons of interest, but by the time our people got to them, they were all dead under suspicious circumstances. Just last night, they learned a dockworker might have seen Cyan Whale. By the time they found him, however, he’d been floating in the ocean for more than thirty hours. His entire family was wiped out."

"As for Li Xiaoxiao, her behavior at school has been flawless. Neither her online chat history nor her daily life shows any connection whatsoever to Eternal Fire."

"I suspect they’re about to launch an operation—a very important one. That’s why they’re laying low on all fronts, to avoid tipping their hand at a critical moment."

"An operation... You mean..."

Zhou Chen chose his words carefully, asking tentatively, "They want to blow up Jinzhu?"

"Of course not... well, it’s possible. The probability is low, but not zero. They are a bunch of madmen, after all."

After a pause, Jiang Che continued, "They’re most likely trying to secretly transport certain items from that shipment out of Jinzhu."

The stolen goods from Xi Feng must have contained something even more valuable than priceless treasures like the Star Mangoes. The appearance of members from Fallen Paradise is the best proof of that.

The Star Association is currently conducting a massive search for Eternal Fire. No matter how stupid they are, they must know they need to move the important items first. This current quiet spell is probably to facilitate that secret transport—the less noise they make, the lower the chance of being discovered.

Zhou Chen scratched his head. Honestly, he didn’t care what Eternal Fire was after, as long as it wasn’t the Star Mangoes. "So, in the end, it all comes down to me getting deeper inside Eternal Fire?"

"At the moment, yes."

"I’ll do my best."

Zhou Chen said no more. He didn’t linger, simply getting up to leave.

After he left, Jiang Che gently tapped the desk, lost in thought.

After a long moment, she accessed her computer and pulled up a manifest of smuggled goods.

This was a manifest she had received after using her private connections to find Xi Feng’s head of the Asian Region and having a "friendly chat" with him. The document was exhaustive in its detail.

Buyers, order dates, channels, item details, acquisition methods, the person in charge of each stage...

The list implicated an incredibly vast smuggling network. If she were to submit this report, she wouldn’t need to wait out her year-long evaluation; she could be promoted to the executive level immediately... And then, within a few short days, she’d be framed and thrown in prison.

You can’t push your luck when you have this kind of leverage.

After spending a long time poring over the list one more time, Jiang Che leaned back in her office chair and wearily pinched the bridge of her nose.

Interestingly, the manifest showed that the most precious items in that shipment were the Star Mangoes and two other treasures of equivalent value. Apart from them, the rest of the cargo was negligible.

She just couldn’t fathom why these items would attract the attention of a secretive organization like Fallen Paradise.

’Then again, there is one other possibility.’

’—A mysterious item, one that not even Xi Feng knew about, was mixed in with that shipment...’

·

·

「Ten p.m.」

Wearing his Killing Maniac mask, Zhou Chen arrived at the nightclub under Birdman’s control.

The mask, having been through the crucible of battle, was covered in soot and stained with dark, brownish blood, making it look even more terrifying. The goons leading the way were all trembling, barely daring to breathe, terrified this lord and master would slaughter them on a whim.

"Ohoho, look who it is! Our very own Mr. Killing Maniac!"

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, Zhou Chen heard Birdman’s delighted laughter.

Birdman, smoking a cigar on the sofa, blew a smoke ring. "It’s so good to see you’re safe and sound. Mmm, I’ve heard all about it. A lot of people in the Star Association are talking about your awakening. I have to say, awakening because you popped a hemorrhoid from being constipated? That excuse is pure genius!"

...’If I ever get the chance,’ Zhou Chen swore, ’I’m definitely twisting Birdman’s head off.’

’And who was the first one to spread that rumor? They’d better hope I never find out...’

He maintained his persona, merely glaring at Birdman with a cold gaze to show his displeasure.

"Getting angry? Or is the other rumor true? The one where you went to a nightclub to have some fun, but ended up awakening out of shame because you finished too early?"

"—Just between us, I sell certain forbidden pills here. You could pop a few and give them a try. I guarantee they’ll cure what ails you and bring back your masculine pride. Just give me the word, and I’ll have a dozen top-tier women here for you to choose from."

Zhou Chen’s gaze grew even colder.

"Alright, alright." Birdman raised his hands in surrender. "Just a joke. Don’t be so uptight."

He snapped his fingers and ordered his goons, "Bring out the items."

Two goons in suits stepped forward, each carrying a large metal case. They carefully placed the cases on the ground and, after undoing several locks, opened them.

The left case held a high-tech hammer; the right, an Alloy Shield engraved with an Alchemy Matrix.

"This hammer is a T-Type Vibrating Hammer. Its power is quite impressive; you’re gonna love it." Birdman gestured invitingly. "Give it a try."

Just then, two of the goons worked together to wheel out a half-torso dummy forged from alloy.

Without a word, Zhou Chen stepped forward and picked up the Vibrating Hammer. He pressed the switch, and the head of the hammer began to HUM, emitting a powerful resonating sound. But if you looked closely, the hammerhead itself wasn’t moving at all.

He walked up to the alloy dummy and, using only about thirty percent of his strength, swung the hammer down hard.

BANG!

A deafening ROAR erupted. The solid alloy shattered like paper, completely disintegrating. A whirlwind of force sent shrapnel whistling and exploding in all directions.

Zhou Chen stared at the hammer in his hand, stunned. The concussive force that had erupted from it had completely obliterated the alloy dummy. ’Resonance?’ he wondered.

"So? How’s it feel? A real good fit, right? This thing is a top-tier item on the black market. You have no idea how many people are green with envy," Birdman chuckled.

"Not bad at all."

Zhou Chen studied the Vibrating Hammer, feeling like he was heading further and further down the path of a deranged killer. ’First a chainsaw, now a Vibrating Hammer...’

"There’s not much to say about that Shield. It’s a standard Alchemy Shield. Wear it on your wrist, and you can activate it anytime. It’ll block bullets and grenades."

Birdman stubbed out his nearly-finished cigar and crossed his legs. "The items are right here. But how are you going to take them in a way that makes sense?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Zhou Chen turned to face him. "Are you trying to back out of our deal?"

"Of course not. I honor my agreements."

Birdman asked curiously, "What I mean is, how are you going to explain the origin of these two pieces of equipment to the Star Association?"

"Isn’t that simple?"

Zhou Chen sneered. "You want revenge, don’t you? Just give me a target. I’ll take care of them, and these items will naturally become my spoils of war."

"Ooh! A brilliant idea! And you’d be earning some credit with the Star Association at the same time, wouldn’t you?"

Birdman smiled and pondered for a moment, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

"In that case, I’d like you to go kill a few people for me..."