Chapter 104: Chapter 88: Changes at the Gym, Veteran Professional-grade (Part 2)
Watching his back as he left, Zheng Wu opened his mouth, a bitter, self-reproachful look on his face.
Lu Chao stood to one side in silence, finally patting the other man on the shoulder.
A profound silence fell over the martial arts hall’s backyard.
The lights in the training hall stayed on all night, as countless people sighed in the dark.
...
「One week later.」
GULP... GULP...
Lu Chao sat at the living room table, eating breakfast at home with Zhao Yuanqing.
Amidst sounds of swallowing, he slurped down three large bowls of hot noodles. In less than ten minutes, he had also devoured the two pounds of cooked Exotic Beast Meat on the plate before him.
Zhao Yuanqing, sitting beside him and eating his own meal, wore a blue cotton jacket. He was long accustomed to his friend’s astonishing appetite.
Unsurprised, he simply held his bowl of beef noodles, his attention focused more on the living room TV as he ate.
[Ring Daily: The Political Affairs Department has issued a public statement strongly condemning the wilderness attack launched by the Red River Region warlord, Lu Shan. The Department announced it will be assembling an elite task force to sweep the area within one hundred kilometers of the city of all rogue warlords and construct a new line of defensive fortresses!]
[The Biotechnology Company, Lianwei Heavy Industry, Jinfang Security, and other mega-corporations have taken the lead, announcing that they will answer the call and provide supplies and personnel to support the task force!]
[Lei Wanjun, Master of the Thunder Extreme Martial Arts Hall, has publicly declared that he will seek justice for the members of the various martial arts halls who were lost in the hunting parties!]
The news reports appeared one after another, all of them inextricably linked to the wilderness attack from a few days prior.
"It looks like things are getting more serious."
"I heard that city security has been tightened again. A lot of transport convoys aren’t allowed to travel into the wilderness anymore."
he said, watching the TV, his voice tinged with gloom.
Over the past week, news of the incident in the wilderness had spread everywhere, and Lu Chao had briefly told him about the support team’s situation.
By now, the whole city was buzzing with the news, and all sorts of rumors were spreading like wildfire.
"You should be careful too."
"I hear the unrest from the recent layoffs is getting pretty bad. You should probably get a ride to and from work."
Lu Chao reminded him quietly, only putting down his chopsticks after finishing the last piece of Exotic Beast Meat.
A week after the wilderness attack, only a few convoys were permitted to use the routes leading in and out of the city’s perimeter. The same restrictions applied to the cargo channels on the river that encircled the city.
Prices had quietly begun to climb again, and the earlier protests were showing signs of flaring up once more, growing more intense.
"Don’t worry. The Prosthetic Clinic where I work now is pretty reliable. They have several security guards on duty every day."
"Besides, it’s not too far from our place."
Zhao Yuanqing nodded in reply. He had changed jobs after successfully building a prosthetic arm.
He was now working as a Prosthetic Repairer at a place called the New Era Prosthetic Clinic.
"Okay. If you really run into trouble, contact me right away."
Lu Chao nodded. ’Something about the way this situation is developing feels off.’
This new task force, in particular, had somehow become a hot topic, and it seemed like all the major powers were getting involved.
Pondering it further yielded no answers. He offered a few last words of caution and watched Zhao Yuanqing leave.
The news was still on, but he wasn’t watching anymore.
Instead, he turned and walked into the bedroom.
On a table against the wall sat a silver briefcase.
He opened it, revealing two glass vials, each as thick as a forearm.
The liquid inside was pale green, seeming to pulse with a unique vitality.
Intermediate Life Potion
Quality: Inferior (Excellence)
Effect: Contains ample Biological Energy, sufficient for the training needs of a professional-level fighter. Has a chance to increase Life Energy upon consumption. The effect is greatest upon first use and is halved with each subsequent dose...
The information from his intuitive sense appeared in his mind’s eye.
Lu Chao’s eyes brightened, and he nodded to himself.
’The payout for this mission really is generous.’
He had expected as much, but he was still surprised by the Patrol Department’s generosity.
The Patrol Department had been remarkably efficient over the past week. In just a few days, they had increased the compensation for the squads that had participated in the supply escort mission.
First, everyone was given a week of temporary leave to rest and recover. They were also issued two intermediate potions, which would be worth at least fifty or sixty thousand yuan on the open market.
In addition, they each received another two thousand five hundred contribution points.
Thanks to this, combined with the points he had accumulated from regular duties and other small missions, his contribution point total now stood at five thousand—enough to redeem a Martial Skill or Secret Technique.
He didn’t delay any longer.
Lu Chao walked over, twisted the caps off both Intermediate Life Potions, and downed them completely.
GULP! GULP!
He gulped it down. The cool liquid slid into his stomach, its taste faintly sweet.
A moment later, he felt his body grow warm, his skin becoming fever-hot.
’Plunder Growth’ activated instantly. Like a roaring engine, it began to greedily absorb the nutrients.
Strands of warmth rose from his lower abdomen, surging through his entire body to the very tips of his limbs.
’What potent medicine.’
Lu Chao’s eyes narrowed. He immediately assumed a training stance and regulated his breathing.
He focused on channeling the potion’s energy using the breathing techniques of the Golden Stone Fighting Skill, pushing the absorption effect of ’Plunder Growth’ to its absolute limit.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Several minutes later, the potion’s energy had been completely absorbed.
HUM!
It felt as if another bottleneck on his life’s potential had shattered. Lu Chao’s eyes snapped open, a sharp light flashing within them.
**Glutton: Lu Chao**
**Life Energy: 49 → 51!**
’Not bad.’
Exhaling a turbid breath, Lu Chao slowly relaxed his stance. He raised his arms, looking from one to the other, then slowly clenched his fists.
At last, he had broken through to the level of a veteran professional.
His strength was now at least 650 kilograms, and his speed and neural response time had both seen a significant boost.
Within the Patrol Department, he was now qualified to compete for a squad leader position in one of the ’weaker’ teams.
’The stronger my physique, the longer the Frenzy State will last.’
’By my calculations, the boost from ’Adrenaline’ should last another thirty seconds.’
Nodding to himself, Lu Chao took a moment to fully assess the changes in his body before turning his attention to his wrist device, lighting up the screen.
’I have five thousand contribution points now... I should pick out a new Martial Skill or Secret Technique as soon as possible.’
After a moment of thought, he quickly accessed the Patrol Department’s internal resource network.
He habitually checked the biological materials section first. The quantity of Cyan Spirit Grass was still zero.
’Still none, huh.’
His gaze swept over the entry, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
He glanced toward his desk drawer. The metal box containing the Magic Power crystal was still inside. He was just this one material short of being able to begin cleansing the contamination.
He had considered asking around in the wilderness while on the supply escort mission to see if he could acquire it, but unfortunately, the attack had occurred.
’I’ll have to find another way to get this material.’
Shaking his head, Lu Chao decided to keep an eye on the black market and check other open markets around the city.
After some deliberation, he tapped the appropriate category on his wrist device and entered the section for Martial Skills and Secret Techniques.
**Bursting Fist:** Condenses Martial Arts Power into the fist, allowing the user to unleash a strike with anywhere from a fractional increase to double their normal power!
**Iron Spear Finger:** Gathers Martial Arts Power into a single finger. At the Minor Achievement stage, the finger becomes as hard as steel, capable of piercing enemy defenses!
**Blazing Flame Palm:** Coats the palm in Martial Arts Power, imbuing it with searing heat that can burn opponents on contact...
Descriptions for one Martial Skill and Secret Technique after another flashed by. Lu Chao’s eyes gleamed with intensity as he scrolled through them, his understanding of them gradually expanding.
’Martial Skills and Secret Techniques have different specializations. Some are for offense with fists and feet, some are for ’hard style’ defense, others boost speed, and then there are skills for blades and hidden weapons...’
The more Martial Skills and Secret Techniques he saw, the more his horizons broadened.
Lu Chao considered his own abilities and quickly formed a plan.
’Stacked Force Fist already gives me powerful striking force, and I can continue training it to stack even more power. The Needle Throwing Skill is a versatile hidden weapon technique, so it’s good enough for now. I don’t need another offensive Martial Skill.’
’’Adrenaline’ is my best trump card for survival, allowing me to briefly hold my own even against an Elite Level opponent. Golden Stone Fighting Skill focuses my combat style on my fists and feet. If I tried to learn a weapon skill, I’d probably just get distracted...’
Thinking it over, Lu Chao’s gaze swept across several Martial Skills that boosted speed or provided ’hard style’ defenses.
But soon, his gaze froze, drawn to one particular Martial Skill.
