Chapter 38 Unexpected Visitors

Kicking the fragments of flesh under his feet and analyzing their biological components, Luther put away his instrument after a brief moment and stood up.

"Mutated humans, though probably not Federation citizens. They might be clones manufactured by the other party specifically for experimentation."

"Federation citizens within Arpeggio City are all under the surveillance of the Tier 2 AI 'April'. If missing persons increased abnormally in a short period, the AI would notify the Federation government."

"The milk factory is truly convenient. Not only does it have underground dairy farming cows, but it also features integrated slaughtering, processing, and handling equipment. Hiding a small humanoid cultivation facility among them makes things much easier."

"Clones lack intelligence. Even if they die, they can be processed into feed for the cows, and their waste can be fed into the combustion furnace as fuel for reuse. In the end, everything turns to ash, so naturally, no one ever finds out."

"The villains of today have lower and lower standards. It really leaves a bad taste in one's mouth," Luther sighed.

"Well, are you really feeling so emotional at such a young age, little Luther? I've been through things far more bizarre and base than this." Pascal put down the black and red case in his hands and began taking out components to assemble them.

"Never mind then, I'd rather not hear about it. I'm afraid it might affect my mood while executing the mission," Luther shook his head.

"Besides, there were plenty of things like this in Fifth Epoch history. Today's villains look like pure white lotus flowers compared to back then."

"That must have been an era full of darkness and completely devoid of bottom lines. No wonder the entire civilization collapsed in the end."

The three of them chatted to relieve their highly strained nerves, then configured their various weapons and equipment before continuing their exploration.

Yang Che not only switched his goggles to night-vision mode but also put on specialized tactical headphones to remain on guard against any situation along the way. Luther held a Bashan disk scanner in one hand and drew a black pistol in the other, equipped with a red-line targeting laser. Pascal slipped specialized ceramic plates into his ballistic lining and then hoisted a rotary machine gun that resembled a metal storm.

Among the three, Yang Che had the strongest overall adaptability, Luther excelled at searching, decryption, and tracking, and Pascal was the heavy firearms specialist.

"Reinforcements will arrive in thirty minutes. Let's make the most of our time scouting the path."

"Understood."

The three proceeded toward the dark cavern.

---

Meanwhile, Heshia returned home. After taking a bath, she put on her pajamas, went back to her bedroom, and sat on the bed to look over the sheet music she had received during the day.

Her personal terminal was placed beside the bed, projecting a virtual keyboard into the air. After inputting the musical score, individual beats and notes scrolled past, while the young girl placed her fingers on the keyboard, playing through the familiar tones as if practicing the piano.

Time slipped away unnoticed, and soon it was 9:00 PM. At that moment, a knock sounded from downstairs.

Shortly after, Grandma He came to the outside of Heshia's bedroom to inquire.

"A young man from nearby is here to see you. He says it's urgent."

"Who?" Heshia put her things away and walked out of the bedroom.

She followed Grandma He downstairs, arrived at the front door, and saw a familiar face.

"Cholon?"

Today, the black-haired young man was wearing a leather jacket and trousers, looking somewhat haggard around the eyes as if he were in poor condition.

"Miss Heshia," he bowed respectfully before speaking.

"I'm sorry for intruding so presumptuously, but this time I truly have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it? I told you before, didn't I?" Heshia frowned. She had previously stated that she never wanted to see this guy again.

"I know, but this really is an extremely important matter, and it won't cause trouble for your life," his words carried a hint of anxiety.

"Heshia," seeing the other's appearance, Grandma He couldn't help asking the young girl.

Taking a deep breath, Heshia opened her eyes. "Let's go outside and talk." She asked Grandma He to stay inside the house.

The two walked to an empty corner of the hallway and came to a halt.

"What is it?" The young girl looked up at the figure much taller than herself, wondering what kind of trouble could possibly make such a person seek her out again.

"It's one of my companions. You should have seen him before—the really fat and tall one."

"What happened to him?"

"He was attacked underground. His condition is currently very serious; he's barely holding on."

"Didn't you take him to the hospital?" Heshia's tone softened slightly.

"It's useless. I know the current medical standards in Arpeggio City. They can't handle injuries this severe. Besides, ambulances can't reach that place."

"Oh?"

"It's in a cavern on the 72nd underground level, an area not marked on the Federation maps."

"Can't he be moved?" the young girl asked curiously.

"Because we used a special method to temporarily freeze him in place, any movement would worsen his injuries and potentially kill him on the spot," Cholon shook his head, punching the wall with a dull thud.

"That's a gray zone, right? You want me to go to a dangerous place like that?" Although Heshia was only sixteen, she still possessed the necessary caution.

"I will clear the path and protect you. The road will be completely safe," Cholon bent forward abruptly, his body bending nearly ninety degrees.

"Saying things like that now... you should remember what you did before," Heshia shook her head. She was the one whose bones had been crushed by this guy that day. She still remembered that pain vividly. If it weren't for the fact that she had never killed anyone, couldn't bring herself to be ruthless, and didn't want to bring trouble to her future life, Cholon would have already been a corpse.

"I am truly sorry for offending Miss Heshia that day, but please, no matter what, help me this time." His voice grew increasingly urgent until he finally pulled a specially crafted secret-lock box from his back waistband and handed it to Heshia.

"This is something I prepared for my future advancement. I can leave it in Miss Heshia's custody as collateral."

"This is..." The young girl took the long black box, lightly swiped the button on the side, and the lid sprang open, revealing liquid shimmering with a bright red glow inside.

As she gently shook it, the liquid rippled with shattered scales of light, radiating a wave of warmth, and a faint roar of a dragon could even be vaguely heard.

[Dragon Blood Elixir (Crimson-Scaled Spiked Dragon)] [Superior Gold-tier]: A precious dragon blood potion that allows Transcendents of the Dragon Sequence to acquire the bloodline ability of the "Crimson-Scaled Spiked Dragon" upon advancement, and gain dragon-transformation abilities after Sequence 6. (Because the Crimson-Scaled Spiked Dragon itself is not particularly strong, the evaluation is lowered to Superior Gold-tier.)

Carefully feeling the magical rhythm within the crimson liquid, Heshia slowly opened her eyes and looked at Cholon with slight surprise.

This potion was real, and its price was extremely exorbitant. Even with an official website listing of 2.6 million Federation dollars, it was constantly out of stock, and obtaining it through special channels would cost even more.

"How much did you spend to buy this potion?"

"I found an intermediary in the black market, had it shipped to Arpeggio City through special channels, and finally acquired it. It cost about 4 million Federation dollars. Because of this, I also incurred a debt of about 800,000 Federation dollars."

"I see." Heshia carefully sensed the other's expression and emotions, ultimately confirming that Cholon was not lying.

There were very few people in the entire Federation who could lie in front of a diva with the Soul Attunement talent, let alone in front of a young girl with chromatic-tier potential.

Sighing inwardly, Heshia lowered her arm, knowing that Cholon was indeed in serious trouble this time.

Should she go to save him, or simply ignore it? After all, Cholon currently wouldn't dare do anything to her. The scene lapsed into a brief silence and quiet.

A minute later, the young girl turned around holding the potion, stepping in her slippers toward the house.

"I'm going to change clothes." She couldn't very well go on a long journey in her pajamas.

"Yes." Hearing those words, Cholon replied with gratitude and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Returning to her room and exchanging a few words with Grandma He, Heshia went back to her bedroom, stored the potion in a spatial rift, and changed into an outfit suitable for going out. Before leaving, she also grabbed a black coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Let's go."

Fully prepared, Heshia appeared in front of Cholon once again. This time, she wore sneakers and socks, with the hood of her coat pulled over her head and a mask covering her face, leaving only a few strands of soft black hair and pale blue eyes visible beneath the hood.

"Yes!"