Chapter 222: Chapter 142: Devouring the Beast Egg, Breakthrough
A mist of sweat erupted from Lu Chao’s body, hovering over his head like steam. At some point, his clothes had become completely soaked.
The bulging veins on the surface of his muscles slowly receded, and the blood that had been racing through his body gradually returned to its normal pace.
For a moment, the unfinished building was unusually quiet.
Lu Chao stood motionless, silently taking in the changes within his body.
Taking the opportunity, he glanced at his panel. His eyes focused, a hint of surprise in them.
[Life Energy: 75→83!]
An increase of a full eight points of Life Energy. He had even leaped past the threshold of a veteran Elite Level.
’So this is what a primary resource can do...’
His surprise was fleeting, as he recalled the description in the Exotic Beast Atlas.
An Exotic Beast Egg was the condensed essence of an adult Mutant Beast’s life, to say nothing of a Beast King Egg.
The thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Chao turned his senses inward.
His Martial Arts Power had grown stronger by at least half, enough for him to use multiple Martial Skills in a short period without fear of exhaustion.
His base strength now exceeded one and a half tons. His explosive speed, reflexes, stamina, and more had all improved by at least thirty percent.
’The maximum duration of my Frenzy State should have increased by at least a minute.’
Slowly clenching his fist, Lu Chao made a careful comparison. His frenzy time should be close to eight minutes now.
Moreover.
’If I go all out, using all my Martial Skills...’
’Even if I run into that Superpower Armor User who intercepted me during the chase, I won’t have to back down.’
A powerful confidence welled up inside him. Lu Chao now had a clear, updated assessment of his own strength.
He then spent a few moments adjusting his senses, gradually growing accustomed to his breakthrough.
He quickly looked at his panel again, at the last entry.
[Potential Progress: 51%]
It had nearly doubled, soaring past the halfway mark.
Lu Chao was somewhat astonished.
’Even though they’re both primary resources, the energy levels between an Excellence grade and a Defective grade differ by a factor of at least eight or nine.’
He knew full well how difficult it was to increase his Potential Progress.
Unlike upgrading a talent like [Resilient Body], which evolves an existing ability from its foundation and has a lower cost.
Awakening an entirely new talent was creating something from nothing. The cost was naturally immense, and the two processes were worlds apart.
That was why he was so pleasantly surprised by the results from a higher-tier resource.
’It seems the higher the resource tier, the wider the quality gap between its internal grades.’
’If only... I could get my hands on two more Beast King Eggs.’
Lu Chao licked his lips, his eyes bright with a flicker of desire.
But he knew it was just wishful thinking.
Beast King Eggs were usually protected by a Beast King, which was equivalent to having a Superpower Level expert providing personal, round-the-clock security.
He had no idea how someone like Ruan Hui had managed to get his hands on the Beast Egg.
The thought passed, and Lu Chao eventually pushed his stray thoughts aside.
He glanced at the dark night sky outside the building, at the lights of flying cars still streaking past even late at night.
A sense of security settled in his heart.
After cleaning up all traces at the scene, he quickly altered his physique and slipped away unnoticed.
...
「Several days later.」
Ring Daily: The Patrol Department has released a rainy-night photo of the assailant. The suspect is dressed in black and preliminarily believed to be male... A special task force has been assigned to the murder investigation!
Wilderness Daily: Warlord Lu Shan has recently mobilized his forces, sweeping through several wilderness settlements. The city’s expeditionary force has announced it will be recruiting a third wave of personnel and supplies...
The Biotechnology Company has publicly announced a one-million-dollar reward for any leads on the killer!
One headline after another flashed across the tram’s overhead screen.
The passengers in the car buzzed with discussion. Some were worried about the warlord and the expeditionary force, while others stared excitedly at the million-dollar bounty, hoping to cash in on the chaos.
Silently observing it all, Lu Chao remained calm. Dressed in a blue athletic jacket, he rose from his seat and stepped off the tram.
The platform was bustling with people coming and going. Amidst the crowd, he felt that familiar sensation of being watched.
He wasn’t surprised. It was almost certainly the Biotechnology Company’s people, perhaps hidden inside one of the parked cars on the roadside, watching his every move.
It was all just as he had expected.
With Legos still at large, the suspicion on him had not been lifted.
These people were relentless, tailing him in shifts twenty-four hours a day. They never stopped, following him wherever he went.
He had also made some inquiries on the side.
It wasn’t just him. Yang Wangtao and the other suspects were all receiving similar treatment.
Saying nothing, Lu Chao crossed the street with a neutral expression. In his peripheral vision, a black sedan seemed to be following him quietly.
Feigning ignorance, he finally walked into the nearby Jinshi Boxing Hall.
THUD! THUD!
"Hah!"
"Faster with your strikes!"
The sounds of training were incessant, with sharp cries echoing from the concrete yard and the training hall.
He walked through the open iron gate, strolling toward the training hall.
The number of people training had doubled, or even tripled, compared to before. This was true for both regular students and official disciples.
Clearly, after the last dojo challenge, the boxing hall’s fame had grown once more. It had demonstrated its deep foundations, encouraging more people to continue their training and attracting new recruits to sign up.
Lu Chao paused at the sight.
Ring City was currently in turmoil, with treacherous undercurrents stirring just beneath the surface.
Whether it was the defeat of the expeditionary force or the rumors of Lu Shan’s impending attack on the city.
Or even the fallout from Ruan Hui’s death.
All these chaotic events were interwoven, creating an oppressive atmosphere. Even he felt an inexplicable sense of urgency.
But upon walking in here...
...seeing these familiar sights and the diligent, upward struggle of everyone training, he felt an unexpected sense of calm settle over him.
"Senior Brother Lu."
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