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Star Association, in the dorms.
Zhou Chen was looking through the list of Forbidden Objects.
[D-003 · Drink More Hot Water: A seemingly ordinary water cup. No matter what liquid is placed inside, after covering the opening for three seconds, the liquid will transform into clean, drinkable waterâand it will be hot.
Note: Drink more hot water, my dear friend.]
[D-012 · Stainless Steel Lighter: Windproof and waterproof, it can be lit even underwater. In one experiment, it burned continuously for thirty-five days before going out. It can be relit twenty-four hours after being extinguished.
Note: An essential item for home and travel.]
[D-074 · The Unbreakable Rope: As the name suggests, it is difficult to untie once bound. The more one struggles, the tighter it becomes. Suitable for those skilled in special rope-tying techniques. Perhaps it could even enhance certain pleasures?
Note: Why canât it automatically tie a Turtle Shell Binding?]
[D-145 · Fishermanâs Fishing Rod: When fishing with this rod, you can catch anything except for fish. Note: The Forbidden Objectâs effect is nullified if the hook is visible.
Note 1: I often suspect this isnât a Forbidden Object. As everyone knows, fishermen can catch anything but fish.
Note 2: Okay, it definitely is a Forbidden Object. Even the most skilled fishermen will come up empty-handed with it.]
[D-416 · Sleepyhead Pillow: After resting on this pillow, one will only want to get up after a full eight hours of sleep. If the rest time is insufficient, even someone with superhuman willpower will want to keep sleeping. The pillow has the ability to quickly restore Physical Strength and energy.
Note: A healthy eight hours of sleep!]
[D-417 · Sleepyhead Comforter: Same effect as D-416. Lying under it provides the most comfortable sleeping environment, rapidly restoring Physical Strength and energy. The effect is more significant when used in conjunction with D-416.
Note: The comforter has sealed me away!]
[...]
Zhou Chen couldnât help but scratch his head. He had scrolled through the entire document, but out of nearly a hundred D-Level Forbidden Objects, not a single one was suitable for him.
Most Forbidden Objects classified as D-Level lacked any real offensive power. They were generally auxiliary artifacts with strange abilities. He, however, needed a Forbidden Object that could provide a significant advantage in combat, so none of these met his requirements.
Fortunately, the list also contained a small number of C-Level Forbidden Objects. After spending a long time searching, comparing, and agonizing over his choices, Zhou Chen finally selected two C-Level Forbidden Objects with consecutive serial numbers, preparing for the classic choice between two appealing options.
[C-093·Soul-Shocking Copper Whistle: A brass whistle. When blown, it emits a sharp sound that shocks the Soul. All living beings who hear it, except for the blower, will experience a certain degree of dizziness.
Note: Itâs best not to blow it.]
[C-094 · Screaming Chicken: A classic stress-relief toy. After fusing with Extraordinary Essence, its scream became a weapon of mass destruction. Once squeezed, the scream attacks friend and foe alike.
Note: Dammit, this thing ruptured my eardrums! Iâm going to eat ten family buckets to get my revenge!]
Zhou Chen looked at the descriptions of the two Forbidden Objects and quickly made his decision.
He chose C-093·Soul-Shocking Copper Whistle.
Comparatively, the Soul-Shocking Copper Whistle was easy to carry, and the user wouldnât be affected by it. Unlike the Screaming Chicken, which could be accidentally triggered in his pocketâits scream was, after all, indiscriminate.
ăAn hour later.ă
Zhou Chen was summoned to Jiang Cheâs office. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw a small metal box on the desk. If he wasnât mistaken, the C-093 Soul-Shocking Copper Whistle was inside.
He opened the box, and sure enough, a brass-colored whistle lay inside, reeking of disinfectant. The Soul-Shocking Copper Whistle was a Forbidden Object that could be used without containment and had no side effects.
After contentedly putting away the Copper Whistle, Zhou Chen asked, "Howâs the investigation going?"
"Weâve caught a lot of smugglers. A few of them have secret ties to the Eternal Fire, but we havenât been able to interrogate anything useful out of them."
Jiang Che took a sip of coffee and said, "The Eternal Fire deliberately exposed the smugglersâ movements. They probably want to use us to get rid of Fu Qing first. Then, when everyone is too busy to notice, theyâll fish in troubled waters.
"Honestly, if we were to make a move now, the intelligence we have is enough to deal a severe blow to the Eternal Fire in the Jinzhu Region, maybe even root them out completely. But I think itâs safer to wait until their festival. âCyan Whaleâ and a group of other Deacon Level cultists will be participating then. We can catch them all in one fell swoop."
Zhou Chen thought for a moment. "Do we have enough manpower to move against both the Eternal Fire and Fu Qing at the same time?"
"Donât worry. A single operation order will solve that," Jiang Che said calmly.
The Jinzhu Star Association has limited manpower, so a large-scale operation like this would definitely require support from above. As the behemoth organization that controls the workings of the World, the Star Association has five elite legions. Sending just a few elite squads to cooperate with the Jinzhu Star Association would be enough to complete the mission easily.
The only thing they lacked was the opportunity to wipe them all out at once.
Thatâs why it was so crucial for Zhou Chen to infiltrate the Eternal Fireâs festival.
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ăThe next morning.ă
Zhou Chen left the Library and went to the Alchemy Laboratory.
He used the Alchemy Equipment to try and fuse "Alloy No. 3." After several failures, he successfully fused it. Once he could skillfully fuse the metal using the equipment, he began to try crafting it by hand.
Failure, failure, failure, failure, failure...
After failing more than twenty times and using up over twenty Trial Version Conversion Arrays, Zhou Chen, his heart aching at the cost, crafted Alloy No. 3 by hand for the "first" time. Then came more failure, failure, failure...
Amidst constant failure, his success rate grew higher and higher. By evening, he could already skillfully fuse Alloy No. 3.
He then excitedly told Jiang Che about this and applied to have the Official Conversion Array implanted.
Through a series of flawless performances and preparations, he successfully convinced Jiang Che that he had managed to craft Alloy No. 3 by hand thanks to a sudden flash of inspiration.
Then, as expected, he was approved for the implantation of the Official Conversion Array. As a Star Association Operator, he didnât need to go to the Alchemy Association; the Star Associationâs own Alchemy Department could perform the minor surgery to implant the Transformation Array.
Painless, convenient, and done in twenty minutes.
When Zhou Chen came out of the Alchemy Department, he felt a Matrix inside his Soul, one he could use as freely as an Essence Materialized Forbidden Object.
Before he could continue to bask in his joy, a message came from Birdman on the dark web.
[Tomorrow night at ten, Blue Diamond Manor. Remember to be discreet. Donât leave any traces.]
âItâs finally time... Blue Diamond Manor. So thatâs where the festival will be held...â Zhou Chen let out a breath. After replying with an "Okay," he rushed to Jiang Cheâs office.
"Blue Diamond Manor... Found it. The owner of the manor is a long-retired entrepreneur. He lives in North America year-round, and the manor was left to his son to live in and manage."
Jiang Che looked through the information in the database. "His son is a notorious Playboy who probably joined the Eternal Fire a long time ago... Here are the blueprints for the manor. Take a look. There will definitely be a Folding Space inside, but you should at least familiarize yourself with the layout."
Zhou Chen nodded, memorizing every detail of the manorâs layout.
The time that followed was spent drafting an operation plan and making intense preparations.
Because something big was coming.