Chapter 57: Treacherous Ambition

It was unclear how much time had passed.

Until Zhen Naihe could no longer hold the scalpel, and the entire metal bed was soaked through with fresh blood.

Only then did Ishii Sankenu clap his hands, letting out a satisfied sigh like a toad that had just eaten its fill of insects.

"Well done, Lord Zhen Naihe. Your exceptional dissection skills have allowed you to complete your task ahead of schedule."

Zhen Naihe’s legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed to the floor like a heap of mud.

He knew the old man was still alive, but he did not dare to look.

He didn't even dare to look at his own right hand.

He refused to recall what he had just done!

Ishii Sankenu returned to the desk and greedily picked up the clay figurine.

At this moment, the surface of the figurine was covered in intricate patterns, glowing with a steady light.

"The item is fully charged. You may bring in that member of the Zhao family now."

"Understood!"

A response came from inside the white lab coat.

The Sakura person whom Ishii called Master Toki swaggered out through the metal door.

When he returned, a wretched-looking old man was trailing behind him.

Had Lu Li been present at this moment, seeing this old man would have undoubtedly shocked him to the core.

Because he was none other than—

Zhao Erwu, the Frost Lord who possessed the [Heart of Frost] in his previous life!

"Lord Ishii, I heard the item is fully charged?"

Zhao Erwu wore a flattering expression, his aging back bent almost ninety degrees.

"Yes, thanks to the assistance of Lord Zhen Naihe, the charging was completed in such a timely manner!"

"That is simply wonderful!"

Zhao Erwu cast a quick glance at the fallen Zhen Naihe on the ground, a smile of contempt flashing across the corner of his mouth.

"Then let us begin without delay!"

"I believe that once this is successful, the friendship between the Morioka Domain and the Zhao family will grow even stronger!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Ishii smiled as well, handing the clay figurine over to Zhao Erwu.

"Do not be afraid. It will strip away your talent, but it will not cause you any harm."

Although he knew Ishii had no reason to deceive him, Zhao Erwu's heart still skipped a beat the moment his hands touched the clay figurine.

If something went wrong,

he, Zhao Erwu, would become the very first player in the entire world without a talent.

Fortunately, no accidents occurred.

The clay figurine silently extracted Zhao Erwu's talent, and simultaneously, the patterns on its surface dimmed.

To use it again, it would have to be recharged.

"It seems the 'extraction' phase was successful. Next, as long as the 'bestowment' phase succeeds, the 'God-Creation Project' can proceed smoothly!"

Zhao Erwu handed the clay figurine back with both hands, the obsequious look on his face intensifying.

Ishii nodded, yet purposely put on a worried expression.

"It is only a pity that the charging method for this item is somewhat unique. I fear it cannot undergo capability transfers many times..."

"Is Lord Ishii concerned about the consumption per charge?" Zhao Erwu’s eyes rolled, and he instantly guessed what Ishii was thinking.

"Indeed. Conducting a single 'extraction' requires the suffering of ten people to charge the item!"

"If the 'bestowment' requires the same amount of suffering, completing a full capability transfer would cost twenty human lives!"

Ishii stroked the clay figurine:

"The remaining 'human resources' in the laboratory are running low..."

Zhao Erwu let out two dry laughs and sycophantically said:

"If that is what is troubling Lord Ishii, you can rest easy!"

"What is most abundant in Huaxia? People! If 'human resources' are insufficient, they can be replenished anytime, anywhere!"

"Yet we do not have that much manpower. His Majesty the Emperor sent us here, and 'God-Creation' is not our only task."

Ishii placed the clay figurine back on the desk and put his hands behind his back.

"There is no need to worry about manpower. My good nephew already has a countermeasure in place."

"Oh? Zhao Jin has a way?"

Zhao Erwu chuckled slyly:

"Right now, the entire Yongcheng City is gripped by panic because of the 'Awakening'!"

"We have already spread the word that a sanctuary has been established in the center of Yongcheng, offering three meals a day and safe refuge."

"It will not be long before those survivors gather here in a continuous stream."

"When that time comes, won't there be as many 'human resources' as we could possibly want?"

A smile finally appeared on Ishii’s face:

"Yoshi! It seems cooperating with the Zhao family was a wise move by the Morioka Domain!"

"However, I heard that Zhao Jin recently seemed to run into some trouble. I wonder if it has been resolved."

Zhao Erwu waved his hand dismissively:

"What trouble could there be? Just a clown putting on a show!"

"Yet, not long ago, I saw the announcement of Lu Li claiming the first kill on a lord-class creature..."

Ishii’s tone was playful.

"He probably just struck some blind luck. Do not worry, Zhao Jin knows how to find and eliminate Lu Li."

"If you don't believe me, we can check the level leaderboard. Perhaps that clown has already vanished..."

As he spoke, Zhao Erwu opened up his data interface.

However, the moment the level leaderboard appeared, the expression on his face froze.

The number one spot remained unchanged, still occupied by Lu Li at Lv.15.

Conversely, Zhao Jin, who had been on the leaderboard, was gone.

"What is the meaning of this? Zhao Jin hasn't gotten rid of that brat yet?"

A thin layer of sweat seeped onto Zhao Erwu's forehead.

He quickly opened his friend interface, attempting to send a message to Zhao Jin.

Yet Zhao Jin's name was gone from the friend interface as well.

Ruling out the possibility that Zhao Jin had lost his mind and blocked him, only one other possibility remained—

Zhao Jin was dead!

Zhao Erwu’s eyes widened in horror, making him feel like a complete fool.

At that moment, Ishii by his side suddenly spoke:

"Erwu-san, I just received word from Wakaken that Zhao Jin is with her and they are heading toward the laboratory..."

Hearing this, Zhao Erwu could not help but breathe a sigh of relief:

"Ah, good, as long as he's fine. I thought something unexpected had happened to him..."

Unexpectedly, Ishii’s expression turned grim:

"Something unexpected has indeed happened. Not only Zhao Jin, but even Wakaken has been heavily wounded!"

"That person named Lu Li is not as easy to deal with as you claimed."

Looking at Ishii’s unfriendly expression, Zhao Erwu felt his aged face burning with heat, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Being slapped in the face by reality right after showing off felt utterly humiliating!

Yet this was hardly the time to be embarrassed.

What baffled Zhao Erwu the most was how Zhao Jin, having made thorough and foolproof preparations, could fail to take down a mere solo player?

Granted, Lu Li had already reached level 15 and ranked first on the leaderboard.

Yet Zhao Jin had the assistance of Komatsu Wakaken!

Especially that woman's item, the [Magic Crystal Pendant], which could disable the talents of any player who got close.

That was equivalent to holding an assault rifle and mowing down cavemen!

How on earth could they lose?!

Could Zhao Jin possibly have been swinging the assault rifle around like a fire poker?

The more Zhao Erwu thought about it, the more his scalp tingled.

Ishii let out a cold snort:

"Erwu-san, I have fully felt the sincerity of the Zhao family's desire to cooperate, but their competence leaves much to be desired."

"Therefore, let us temporarily shelve the 'God-Creation' project and question them properly once they arrive!"

Zhao Erwu wore a bitter expression, but could only nod in compliance.

Time drifted slowly by while they waited.

When Komatsu Wakaken finally returned to the laboratory, a full hour had already passed.