HBWnovel Chapter 303: Physical Evolution, Strength Skyrockets!
Chapter 303: Physical Evolution, Strength Skyrockets!
Yu Yong's words uncovered a reality so cruel it left no room for doubt.As Flower Province inevitably stepped into the Eternal Night, the remaining humans on this land were destined to spark a large-scale migration.
Fortunately, in recent years, because Flower Province was adjacent to the Black Zone, it was already sparsely populated. Only about two dozen large shelter cities were bitterly holding on. Those small gathering places had already packed up and evacuated a few years ago, scattering to other regions.
Now with clear warnings of the abnormal weather phenomenon, the migration of these large shelter cities wouldn't be easy, but at least they had ample preparation time and wouldn't fall into panic.
However, the core of the problem lay in the loss of an entire province's living space. Once the surviving humans flooded into other regions, it would inevitably and sharply intensify the ferocity of resource scrambles.
Shi Province, which bordered Flower Province, had barren land and lacked resources. It was already difficult for it to support too large a population, so it might not temporarily become the core destination of the migration.
However, Shi Province's geographical location was special. It was the only route leading to the four provinces of Guang, Sha, Hai, and Hu, so it would inevitably intercept a portion of the population.
Among these four provinces, Guang Province and Hu Province were relatively rich in resources, but correspondingly, the competition among factions had long reached a white-hot stage. Various powers were deeply intertwined, and with overlord-level shelter cities holding the fort, resource distribution had long trended toward saturation.
Now, by forcefully squeezing in over twenty large shelter cities and millions upon millions of mouths to feed, the originally fragile balance would definitely collapse completely.
No one could predict what kind of conflict and chaos this unprecedented scale of migration would trigger.
Would it be bloody battles over water sources, or violent clashes to seize safe strongholds?
Or perhaps, for the sake of survival resources, factions that originally did not interfere with each other would completely tear away all pretenses and set off a chaotic war sweeping across several provinces.
After all... winter was coming!
Judging by the accelerating speed of the Eternal Night, this winter in Flower Province would definitely be unimaginably freezing.
The various shelter cities would absolutely not sit still and wait for death. They would definitely set out to migrate before late autumn. Just like his field duty plan, there was a window of less than three months.
During this period, they had to complete the integration and allocation of internal resources, organize large-scale population relocations, rebuild temporary strongholds, and constantly guard against surprise attacks from infection sources... Every single task was a life-and-death test. The slightest carelessness would result in a catastrophic disaster.
"Thank you for the information you provided."
Cheng Ye put away the Defense Terminal. "I will probably head out for field duty around the middle of this month. I'll communicate with the higher-ups.
If permitted, you can come with us to take a look around Guang Province."
"Uh..." Yu Yong was visibly taken aback, his eyes full of surprise.
Even though he had been bound by the Elder using special means, making him no different from a Source-Binder when not using his powers, his essence had never changed. He was an Infected Body, and an Inverse State malignant Mother Source Infected Body at that.
No matter where he broke out, he could potentially bring about a terrifying disaster capable of city destruction!
After being stunned for quite a while, Yu Yong slowly recovered his senses. He opened his mouth, ultimately squeezing out only two words: "Thank you."
"Rest assured, before your issue is classified and the truth is uncovered, I won't treat you as C35. You are still Yu Yong; you are still a human."
Cheng Ye walked out of the room, turning his head to add, "The premise is that you can consistently control your emotions, just like you are doing right now."
Yu Yong did not respond. He simply reassumed his horse stance thoughtfully, continuing to feel that surge of transcendent power around his body.
What was even more astonishing was that a thick book was held up by his ability, slowly floating in front of him, its pages turning automatically.
He was actually able to multitask, cultivating and controlling his power while concurrently focusing on reading and learning, completely undisturbed.
'This learning ability is way too freakish...'
Cheng Ye could not help but feel envious, but it was a pity that Yu Yong's Cooperation Level was still struggling around 35 percent.
Setting aside his identity as an infection source, Yu Yong was undoubtedly a rational and brilliant scientific genius. But to gain his complete trust, even waiting until the end of his life, it would probably be difficult to push that metric to 100 percent.
'I hope my sincerity can be exchanged for a sliver of his.'
Thinking like this, Cheng Ye suddenly felt that he was being ridiculously naive.
To actually want to talk about sincerity with a malignant Mother Source infected individual.
But on second thought, his mindset returned to tranquility. No one knew whether tomorrow or an accident would arrive first, just like the sudden Eternal Night in Flower Province.
Right now, although he had failed to finalize the cooperation with the Heavy Machinery Faction before his field duty, a blessing in disguise might be hidden within. Judging by the attitudes of Wang Rui and Lu Zheng, it might just bring unexpected pleasant surprises later on.
"The trivial matters are settled. Next is to integrate the construction plan for the next phase and perfect the emergency protocols."
Cheng Ye returned to the Hydroelectric Station and once again took out the fully charged Collector, his mindset growing ever more steady. "Whenever the skill fusion is completely finished, I can set out for Guang Province."
Having finally secured the Hydroelectric Station and gained the opportunity to freely replenish his Recharge Value, he would not force himself to rush off to Guang Province and waste time just for the sake of the winter window.
As long as his strength could still be enhanced, as long as the surplus Recharge Value could still bring benefits.
He would stay in Dabo Town. Even waiting until next spring to go on field duty wouldn't be too late.
It was just that, having the search experience of the Heaven-Man Martial Domain and having tried dismantling skills to obtain Runes, he had a vague premonition:
The fusion of information was absolutely not a disorderly superposition; there must be a restricted endpoint.
This endpoint might be a Rune, or it might form some kind of special substance.
But one thing was certain: the first node where quantitative change led to qualitative change might arrive very quickly, but the second node would definitely be terrifyingly long.
'Then... what will the first node of the Lv1 Skills be?'
In the blink of an eye, ten days quietly passed.
On Diversion Island, the wind howled fiercely.
After Shi Province entered October, the temperature began to drop noticeably, falling by about half a degree Celsius almost every day.
By today, it had already plummeted to around 13 degrees Celsius.
At the center of the island, Cheng Ye was draped in only a thin undershirt, focusing his mind and calming his breath while holding a standard horse stance.
His eyes were half-closed, his mouth continuously inhaling pillars of air that were almost tangible.
Whoosh.
Whoosh!
As the air pillars surged, they actually produced clear vibrating sounds in the air, like rushing water currents being swallowed whole into his stomach bite by bite.
Looking down, the sight was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
His abdomen was abnormally swollen, like someone ten months pregnant and about to give birth. It bulged into a massive round ball, making him look almost like a monster.
'Not enough!'
'Still not enough!'
Cheng Ye roared in his heart. Even though the air inside his body was compressed to the extreme, it was still nearly twenty percent short of his expected critical state!
And when he clearly sensed that this slight deficiency was absolutely not something he could break through at the present moment.
In an instant, Cheng Ye abruptly straightened his body. His mouth clamped shut and then flew open as he explosively exhaled!
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
The compressed air in his abdomen instantly gushed out, transforming into a pale white air cannon that violently smashed into the ground three meters in front of him.
Amidst the pervasive dust and smoke, a deep crater about two meters wide and twenty centimeters deep starkly appeared.
What was even more astonishing was that after the crater formed, the residual cyclone continued to impact downward. Like an invisible spiral drill, it continuously tore at the soil.
After about five or six seconds, the cyclone gradually dissipated, and the crater had been widened to a depth of forty centimeters.
"My lungs... it seems that in my current state, I can at most compress... around 1.2 cubic meters of air!"
Cheng Ye stood up straight and rubbed his still somewhat bloated abdomen. "If I want to break past 1.5 cubic meters, I'm afraid my entire body will be blown apart by the internal air pressure first."
With this thought, the regret in his heart gradually faded.
Especially when looking at that ferocious deep crater on the ground, a trace of satisfaction inevitably surfaced on Cheng Ye's face.
He raised his hand and opened his interface, lines of information rapidly flowing past:
[Collector: Cheng Ye]
[Current Rank: Lv.3 Sharp Scout (62.5/100)]
[Life Tier]: 4
[Skills: Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse (Bound), Heart-Protecting Fire, Minor Nature Physique, Vortex Lungs, Rosy Cloud Concealment Method, Heart Tendon Gate, Black Jade Fir Tree's Undying Blessing]
[Abilities]: Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse Symbiotic State* (Balanced), Blazing Eagle Symbiotic State (Shaping)
[Body Evolution Degree]: 2.7% (Lungs, Bones have completed initial evolution)
[Not Yet Unlocked...]
[Evaluation: You have begun attempting to fuse the source information of the native civilization. During the process, you rarely discovered that the upper limits of native creatures had been unlocked by an inexplicable power, but these limits must be activated in a special manner. You have successfully activated part of the potential, completing the initial evolution of the lungs and bones. However, the burden this evolution places on the body is growing increasingly severe, making you realize that you must find a special method, a template where the endpoint can be glimpsed, in order to construct a balance between evolution and survival!]
"It seems the evaluation is correct. Simply fusing human information is not enough to drive a deeper level of evolution!"
With a thought, Cheng Ye temporarily unequipped Vortex Lungs and immediately chose to equip a new skill. "Equip, Floating Sand Bones!"
Crack.
Dense sounds of shifting bones suddenly rang out from within his body, as if countless bones were being forcefully compressed and reshaped. A tearing agony transmitted from every inch of his muscles.
Cheng Ye let out a muffled groan and dropped to one knee. His teeth bit fiercely into his lower lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading across his tongue, but he stubbornly refused to make any extraneous noise. Veins bulged on his forehead, and sweat instantly soaked his back.
About half a minute later, the bone-corroding agony gradually receded, replaced by a bizarre sensation of weightlessness. It was as if the heavy burden on his entire body had been instantly siphoned away, and even his breathing became much smoother.
"Light!"
He slowly stood up straight, the word he spat out carrying a trace of hoarseness.
In the next second, his bones once again let out a series of crisp pops, like spring rain beating against cyan tiles.
Another brief wave of throbbing pain struck, but his eyes lit up, his mouth repeatedly chanting: "Lighter, lighter, lighter, lighter, lighter—"
The sounds of his bones deforming were incessant, like strings of firecrackers. Immediately following that, he lightly tapped his feet against the ground.
Even though he had clearly not exerted much force, his body acted as if it had broken free from the shackles of gravity. He shot straight upward as if stepping on springs, leaping up to over three meters in the air.
What was even more startling was that after lifting off, he did not drop in a straight line. Instead, borrowing the faint air currents, he drifted gently for three or four seconds. He landed slowly like a piece of lightweight foam board, his soles barely making a sound upon touching the earth.
"The limit has gone up again, but it seems to be nearing its end..."
Experiencing the power surging within his body, Cheng Ye's eyes narrowed slightly. He then changed his tune and rapidly chanted, "Heavier, heavier, heavier, heavier, heavier..."
As his voice fell.
His body, which had just been light and airy, suddenly sank. The popping sounds of his bones became muffled and heavy.
Even though he stood in place without moving, the earth beneath his feet began to groan under the unbearable weight. Fine cracks spread outward from his soles, gradually sinking into a deep footprint.
He lifted his leg, then brought it down.
Boom!
A muffled thud rang out. Dragging his heavy body, Cheng Ye shuffled step by step to the large scale nearby.
With a loud clatter, the counterweight was instantly pushed to the max, and the needle swayed crazily.
He laboriously adjusted the weights, and only then did the counterweight slowly drop bit by bit, ultimately stopping at an astonishing figure.
427 kilograms.
This was the absolute limit his body could withstand at present. Any higher, and his bones and internal organs would completely collapse due to their inability to bear the weight.
Cheng Ye stared at the scale face, his eyes holding pleasant surprise. He hadn't expected the weight this time to increase by a full 12 kilograms compared to the last.
He stepped off the large scale and restored his normal body weight.
As all the physical burden vanished, an indescribable sense of completeness accumulated within his chest.
After resting in place for a while, Cheng Ye walked over to the side and pulled out a small Notebook from his Backpack.
Flipping open the cover, the pages were densely packed with lines of experimental records, the handwriting neat and clear:
[October 3: Searched a total of 20 different types of Lv1 Skills. Officially initiated fusion experiments.]
[Core Search Direction for this session: Physical talent skills that cannot be trained post-birth; taking the elevation of Life Tier as the primary goal. Abandoned fusing various basic skills that humans can master through learning.]
[Fusion Rules: Direction is completely determined autonomously by the Collector. Unless special emergencies arise, no extra intervention will be applied.]
[October 3: After 17 fusions, the results stabilized with no further mutations. Fixed as: Iron Lungs (Lung tissue strengthened; lung capacity increased; failed to trigger changes in Life Tier).]
[October 4: Began targeted searches for lung-related Lv1 Skills to perform fusion enhancement.]
[October 4: Searched 20 times. Only 4 skills were lung-related. After fusion, Iron Lungs still failed to trigger changes in Life Tier.]
[October 5...]
[October 6: Searched 20 times. 7 skills were lung-related. After fusion, Iron Lungs evolved, and Life Tier was elevated. The result this time is: Vortex Lungs (Special spiral tissue derived on the inner walls of the lungs; can precisely control the airflow form of compressed air; when equipped, can release an air cannon attack; initial maximum storage capacity: 0.5 cubic meters).]
[October 7: Searched 17 times. Initiated Lv2 Skill fusion experiments.]
[Core Search Direction for this session: Physical talent skills that cannot be trained post-birth; taking the elevation of Life Tier as the core goal, continuing the previous screening standards. Abandoned fusing basic skills that can be mastered through learning.]
[Fusion direction completely determined by the Collector. Unless special circumstances arise, all extra intervention is abandoned.]
[...]
[October 9: After 9 fusions, the results stabilized with no further mutations. Fixed as: Floating Dust Bones (Bone density regulation factor awakened; failed to trigger changes in Life Tier).]
[October 10: Searched 17 times. Screened 7 bone-related skills. After fusion, Floating Dust Bones successfully evolved, and Life Tier was synchronously elevated. Final Skill: Floating Sand Bones (Effect: Honeycomb-like hollow structures form inside the bones, significantly enhancing strike resistance. When equipped, weight can be actively adjusted. In light weight state, hovering ability is increased. In heavy weight state, defense and impact force are strengthened. Initial limit values: minimum 52 kilograms, maximum 315 kilograms).]
[...]
Facts proved that his initial theories lacked any deviation.
Considering that equipping skills would alter the original form of the physical body, skill fusion definitely had a distinct endpoint.
After leaving the entire process to the Collector's autonomous control, the Lv1 Skills gathered from Humans ultimately all pointed toward lung evolution.
Even when he attempted to fuse information unrelated to the lungs, the Collector would only screen and extract lung-related information streams.
The fusion logic for Lv2 Skills was exactly the same. The body part undergoing evolution shifted from the lungs to the bones. Regardless of the initially searched skill types, it would all ultimately focus step by step on bone enhancement.
According to common logic, breathing was the primary element of a human body's life activities. All physiological activities relied on oxygen for energy. The lungs, serving as the core of gas exchange, rightfully served as the basic starting point of evolution.
However, the evolutionary direction of Lv2 should have been the heart.
The heart was the power source of blood circulation, responsible for delivering oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. As various parts of the body evolved, energy consumption would inevitably spike. Only by strengthening the heart could the energy supply for the whole body be guaranteed, avoiding blood deficiency under high-load activities.
But the reality was, the Lv2 evolution was for the bones.
"Looking at it now, the evolutionary route the Collector has mapped out for me follows the principle of physical structure taking precedence over functional enhancement."
Cheng Ye picked up his pen and added his insights at the end of the experimental notes. "In other words, in the underlying priorities of human genetics, the importance of the skeleton outweighs the heart, rather than simply being ordered by functional needs."
The skeleton was the supporting framework of the human body. It bore weight, protected internal organs, and functioned as the conduction medium for movement. Strengthening it could directly elevate the baseline capabilities for survival and movement.
Just like when he used Vortex Lungs at Lv1: after compressing air for the first time, he nearly suffered bone fractures and internal organ displacement due to the shockwave of air pressure.
Yet after the bone evolution, the first air cannon he fired today was exceptionally smooth, and the extreme compression limit had also increased from 0.5 cubic meters to 1.2 cubic meters.
This discovery spawned many wondrous ideas in his mind.
Having finished recording the latest data, Cheng Ye stood up and simultaneously equipped both Vortex Lungs and Floating Sand Bones.
With a thought, he adjusted his body weight to its lightest state and immediately began compressing air.
Perhaps because the bone's bearing capacity was somewhat reduced under the light weight state, this time he only compressed it to 0.8 cubic meters before hitting his body's limit.
Cheng Ye hunched his body slightly. The instant his feet kicked off the ground to jump, he violently unleashed the air cannon from his mouth, aiming directly at the ground below!
Boom!
A blast of air explosively surged toward the ground. The powerful recoil shoved Cheng Ye's body shooting high up into the sky.
His original jumping limit was no more than three meters, but at this moment, borrowing the recoil of the air current, he rocketed straight up to a height of nearly eight meters.
He glanced sideways. The full view of the floodwall by the docks was already visible, and the outline of Dabo Town could be seen clearly.
"I'm not done yet!"
Taking advantage of the brief window while his body floated in midair, Cheng Ye compressed the air again and fiercely blasted it out.
His body, which had just fallen two meters, acted like a reignited rocket and surged upward by another five meters.
It was as if he were defying the laws of physics, continuously inhaling and exhaling like his left foot was stepping on his right. Borrowing the recoil of the air cannons, he constantly climbed higher. Every burst pushed his altitude up another level.
It had to be said, humanity's yearning for the sky had always been carved into their bones.
It wasn't until he released six consecutive air cannons, his lungs transmitting a distinct ache, and his body hitting its limit, that Cheng Ye stopped his movements and looked down.
At this moment, he had ascended to over twenty meters in the air. The panoramic view of Dabo Town behind the floodwall was entirely captured by his gaze:
The scattered houses, the bustling figures, the winding riverways, and he could even see the situation over by the Hydroelectric Station.
Right at this moment, a flame-shaped pattern suddenly lit up between his brows, and a blazing, glorious aura diffused outward.
Cheng Ye only felt a lightness on his back, as if an invisible hang glider had been added. His body began to drift forward unhurriedly. It wasn't until he reached the end of Diversion Island that he slowly touched down, his soles landing as lightly as a feather.
"Haha, I can fly!"
Even though his lungs burned fiercely from the frequent bursts of the air cannons, Cheng Ye couldn't suppress his loud laughter. An indescribable sense of exhilaration welled up in his heart.
The usage of a single skill versus the effects of combining multiple skills was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Being able to glide two or three kilometers in a single trip meant that even if sudden danger arose in the Wilderness, he could evacuate calmly. He could even switch to using the Flying Wings in midair and directly escape the danger zone.
Realizing that skill combinations might hold even more possibilities, Cheng Ye willed his body weight back to normal and turned to run back to his Backpack.
Truth be told, having such an independent experimental area really made things much more convenient.
He opened his Notebook and rapidly jotted down his new insights. But before he had the chance to open his interface to check his status, Little Flame lazily floated out of the Spiritual Body Space.
Ever since Tan Ming had manually reset its growth degree to zero, the little fellow's development speed was simply astonishing.
A little over a month had passed, yet the down feathers on its wings had grown back. Moreover, they were no longer the previous fiery red. Instead, they had turned into a dazzling, resplendent gold. As the light flowed across them, one couldn't look away.
"Chirp chirp!" Little Flame flapped its wings, spinning on the ground and emitting crisp calls.
"Hungry?"
Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow and took the Perching Cauldron out from his storage space.
After two rounds of Fire Brazier fusions, the color of the small cauldron had become increasingly profound, and its storage limit had expanded by one slot, capable of holding up to four flames at most.
Perhaps it was a buff brought about by the fusion, but the previously consumed flames had already been automatically replenished, and there was even an extra Dry Firewood flame.
Watching Little Flame hop up, spread its wings, and slide into the small cauldron, swallowing nearly 5 percent of the Dry Firewood flame's reserves in a single gulp, Cheng Ye's heart instantly jumped in surprise.
Good heavens, its appetite has spiked this much?
It should be known that he had just fed it once this morning, and it had eaten about 5 percent of the reserves then. Only a few hours had passed, and it was actually hungry again?
He hurriedly opened his interface to check the Perching Cauldron's specific reserves.
[Blazing Eagle's Perching Cauldron (Transcendent Item)]
[Description]:...
[...]
[Fire Brazier Current Reserves: Dry Firewood Flame 1 (37.5%); Dry Firewood Flame 2 (58%); Peat Flame (67.5%);]
[Earth Core Fire (78%)]
"Hiss, according to a daily consumption of 10 percent, wouldn't a Dry Firewood flame barely last ten days?"
After performing some rapid mental math, Cheng Ye could not help but get a headache, yet he also found it hard to conceal a hint of pleasant surprise.
Little Flame's sudden surge in appetite proved precisely that its Shaping Period was drawing to a close, and it was about to enter a true explosive growth phase.
As expected, after finishing the flame, the little guy tilted its head and burrowed back into the Spiritual Body Space.
In the next second, a notification immediately popped up on the interface:
[Detected a change in the attributes of the Transcendent Creature bound to Heart-Protecting Fire. The interface has been correspondingly updated. Please enter the corresponding category to view details.]
"It changed again?"
The update speed of practically changing day by day made Cheng Ye click his tongue in awe.
He instantly tapped open his interface and jumped to the symbiotic state description page. To his pleasant surprise, he discovered that the gliding ability he had just used had actually been upgraded:
[Blazing Eagle Symbiotic State (Shaping)]
[Description]: Upon activating the ability...
[Current State]: Shaping [Currently Shareable Skills]:
Blazing Eagle Devours Fire (Lv2, Rare, can devour a small amount of flames to heal injuries on oneself or the symbiote host)
Blazing Eagle's Heart Fire (Lv2, Excellent, when the symbiote host's mental energy is overdrawn, the Blazing Eagle can devour flames to replenish a small amount of mental energy)
Blazing Eagle's Killing Fire (Lv2, Excellent, the symbiote host's contact attacks carry a minor amount of Fire Damage, capable of inflicting dual lethal damage on both the Physical Body and Spirit Body Level)
Wind Control (Lv1, Perfect, gain the ability to briefly manipulate air currents)
Ring of Life Force (Lv1, Excellent, the symbiote host gains the ability to extract Vitality from surrounding plants to heal their own injuries)
Ring of Death (Lv1, Excellent, the symbiote host can transform the extracted Vitality into special humanoid creatures. Their forms and abilities vary according to the types and quantities of the plants extracted)
[Currently Shareable Attributes]:
Health +27% (Based on the symbiote host's current state)
Strength +11% (Based...)
Speed +19% (Based...
Defense +25% (Based...)
[Currently Shareable Abilities]:
Charcoal Fire Power (Lv2, Excellent, moderate increase in resistance to low temperatures)
Earth Fire Power (Lv1, Excellent, the symbiote host's contact attacks carry a minor amount of earth fire damage)
Firewood Power (Lv1, Perfect, minor increase in resistance to high temperatures)
With Little Flame's second growth, the prior hovering ability was officially renamed "Wind Control".
This ability was rather similar to the goshawk Cheng Ye had seen in his illusions; it could actively manipulate changes in air currents.
Clearly, after being bestowed with power by Tan Ming, Little Flame had experienced an atavistic phenomenon, which was why it had awakened such a core ability.
This was vastly more practical than simple Hover.
Cheng Ye had briefly tested it earlier. If relying solely on Wind Control to maintain an aerial suspension, he could "tread the wind" for at most 12 steps, which nearly doubled his previous Hover duration.
When combined with Wind Control propulsion in a light weight state, the gliding distance was increased substantially. His mobility moved straight up another tier.
Setting aside these newly added skills, Little Flame's attribute bonuses were also steadily returning.
His physical quality had already been fortified by quite a margin, yet he could still receive an all-attribute amplification of roughly twenty percent. This was enough to show that Little Flame's upper limit would likely far surpass the Blazing Eagle belonging to Director Liu.
"Speaking of Director Liu, it seems I really haven't seen him in a long time?"
Cheng Ye's thoughts shifted, and he suddenly remembered Liu Kun, who had turned into a Big Ice Block back then.
At the time, an Elder was present on the scene. Even if Liu Kun's form was eerie, his life shouldn't have been in danger.
If he was still in Happiness City, he might be able to search him a few more times and "wholesale" a few more Fire Braziers back.
But since their last parting, almost two months had passed, yet he hadn't heard any news regarding Liu Kun.
Was he taken away by the Elder for secret research, or had he already recovered to normal and was simply lying low temporarily?
A question mark arose in Cheng Ye's mind, but he didn't dwell on it.
As for that mysterious industrial zone manager, the previous Station Master of the Inspection Station, Reagan Karl...
Ever since meeting him once in Dabo Town, if he didn't actively head to the industrial zone, trying to see him again would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
"Putting it that way, in less than half a month, the search materials I can mine within Happiness City at my current stage seem to have reached a dead end."
Cheng Ye sat on the ground, pulling his knees up. Mimicking Yu Yong's usual spacing-out posture, he cast his gaze over the slowly flowing Huangshui River.
Over ten days, he had cumulatively completed hundreds of skill fusions.
Vortex Lungs had long hit its current limit. Even if he fused more related skills, though there would still be slight buffs, the returns had vastly diminished. It was absolutely impossible to generate a second qualitative change.
Just as the interface evaluation stated, if he wanted to continue evolving, he had to find a template that could balance the energy consumption and the physical burden.
And this template definitely did not exist on Humans. He could only go into the Wilderness to search mutated beasts and infection sources, extracting their unique Traits to make it a reality.
Although the enhancement of Floating Sand Bones hadn't completely slowed down, Lv2 bone-related skills were inherently extremely rare, making them incredibly difficult to search for.
Even if he luckily collected more, fusing them would only raise the numerical cap, unable to achieve an essential breakthrough.
As for trying to fuse Lv3 Skills, even with the Hydroelectric Station providing ample energy, Cheng Ye didn't care about the consumption. However, the search conditions had a rigid limitation: a 50 percent Cooperation Level was required to activate.
This was too difficult.
If it were ordinary Residents, reaching this Cooperation Level only required saying a few nice words and giving them some things.
But the experts who possessed Lv3 Skills were often mentally resolute and extremely wary. Only through deep interaction and building sufficient trust could this requirement be met.
Rather than spending massive amounts of time slowly cultivating relationships, it was better to go out on field duty and advance his Rank.
Once his Rank Advancement brought him to Lv.4, the search conditions for Lv3 Skills would be relaxed to 1 percent, which would drastically save time costs.
Pondering in his heart for a moment, Cheng Ye gradually set his mind and slowly stood up.
At this moment, though he still stood on Diversion Island, his gaze had already drifted toward the distant horizon. It was as if he could pierce through hundreds of miles of Wilderness and see the silhouette of his destination, Guang Province.
"Mhm... my Rank is only missing the final 40 percent of Information Degree before I can advance."
"Now, it's time to prepare to head out for field duty!"