·
Soon, the Star Association’s suppression unit arrived on the scene.
Looking at the utter ss and the countless mutilated corpses inside the food factory, many of the team mbers glanced at each other. Who the hell was this guy?
Single-handedly took out one of Iron Python’s key strongholds?
Oh, an Ascender. Right, that explains it...
Setting aside the bizarre Extraordinary Abilities that Ascenders possess, their Superman-like physical prowess alone was enough to inspire awe. Even a weak, nerdy bookworm could beco a bonafide Urban Soldier King after so training.
After all, most Ascenders had useless Abilities. The reason they could live so comfortably was entirely due to their superhumanly tough bodies, which allowed them to beco elites no matter where they went.
Three minutes later, the Special Operations Team arrived with researchers in tow. They unloaded various instrunts from their vehicles and began a detailed analysis of the box in the manager’s hands.
"This is a Sealing Matrix."
A researcher in a white lab coat looked at Zhou Chen and said, "You made a wise choice not to let him open the box. This kind of Matrix is usually used to seal Abyssal Cursed Objects. If the contents were released, there would be a seventy percent chance of causing Abyssal Contamination in the surrounding area, a twenty percent chance you’d be afflicted by a Curse, and a ten percent chance you’d be corrupted on the spot."
A wave of fear washed over Zhou Chen as he listened, and cold sweat beaded on his back. That bastard really was trying to take him down with him.
’No way. When I get back, I have to fleece Birdman for all he’s worth. Best case scenario, I can get so Canaan Blue out of him... I need to squeeze Jiang Che for sothing too. For emotional damages...’
·
After that, the Special Operations Team took over the scene, and Zhou Chen was brought back to the Star Association for questioning and investigation.
As expected, he passed without any issues. The only problem was that he still had to write a report several thousand words long, which was enough to make his hair fall out.
Since he wasn’t seriously injured, he was released after a routine physical examination.
Back in his dorm, Zhou Chen took a shower and lay down on his bed to rest.
The good news was that he had perford a great service this ti. First, he had wiped out one of Iron Python’s key strongholds and eliminated several of his trusted subordinates. Although dead n weren’t as valuable as live ones, it was still a heavy blow to Iron Python.
Having lost nurous key mbers and an important base of operations, Iron Python would very likely choose to flee Jinzhu. Even if he didn’t, his various activities would certainly be affected. It all depended on whether the intelligence departnt could seize this opportunity.
Second, the hostages he’d captured held rather high positions under Lady Grey. Once the interrogations were over, the Star Association would surely launch a surprise attack on Lady Grey’s forces. With such a decisive strike, they might even be able to wipe them all out in one go.
Zhou Chen could already picture Birdman roaring with laughter, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He decided he absolutely had to fleece him for sothing substantial this ti.
As for the reward for his service, the T-Type Vibrating Hamr and the Alchemy Shield were both classified as his spoils of war, landing squarely in his pocket.
Of course, there would definitely be other rewards besides these.
He had actually wanted to apply to have the damaged Alchemy Equipnt repaired, but the researchers on site said the items were completely destroyed and beyond repair, so he had to give up the idea.
Finally, the most important gain was still the Wish Value.
’This operation involved so many people that the amount of Wish Value gained was unprecedentedly massive.’
First, he easily condensed a third Star. Then, with power to spare, he condensed a fourth and a fifth before losing montum. The rest turned into scattered Star Dust, but he wasn’t far from the sixth Star—only about a third of the way to go.
This was without a doubt his biggest haul ever.
Birdman alone must have provided a huge amount; that guy had been desperate for him to succeed. Getting revenge on Iron Python’s n and making a show of force was one reason, but another was likely to test his abilities.
It seed Birdman was very satisfied now.
The people who had narrowly escaped the last attack—like Han Laohu, Li Ergou, and the others—had also wanted him to get revenge on Iron Python. It went without saying that their desire for vengeance was incredibly strong.
And it wasn’t just them. The other underlings working for Birdman and Snow White must have also hoped soone would restore their prestige, knock the other side down a peg, and avenge their previous defeat. That way, they wouldn’t have to walk around with their heads down, getting mocked by mbers of other organizations.
Adding Jiang Che and the mbers of the mission team to the mix was why the payoff had been so imnse.
On the bed, Zhou Chen began planning in his mind how he would use the Stars.
’Five Stars, with the sixth one not far off... I’ll keep two in reserve as a life-saving ace in the hole. The remaining three can be used to restore my Soul.’
He looked at the Wish Bottle deep within his Soul. He didn’t rush to make a wish, but instead began to study the bottle. As usual, though, he couldn’t figure anything out. On the surface, it was just a bottle.
Before he knew it, his thoughts began to wander, and looking at the Wish Bottle brought many questions to mind.
’I’m certain now that the Old Era was the World I lived in during my past life, a world ultimately destroyed by the Divine War. But why was my Soul reincarnated, and why did I awaken my past life’s mories? Why did I receive a mysterious Forbidden Object...?’
’And in my mories, there was no such thing as Extraordinary Power in the World back then... or was the truth of its existence concealed by the world’s nations? And what exactly happened later to cause the Gods to go to war...?’
Zhou Chen pondered this for a long, long ti before finally sighing in his heart. He couldn’t co up with any answers. Even soone of Jiang Che’s level didn’t know the reason for the Old Era’s destruction. Even if he wanted to get to the bottom of it, he had no idea where to start.
’I wonder if the Wish Bottle has any other Abilities besides granting wishes...’
Zhou Chen mused to himself. Logically, a high-grade Forbidden Object should have many different kinds of Abilities.
Just then, as if his silent musing had flipped so unknown switch, a single Star floated up without warning. It burst forth with a dazzling radiance, and a tide of blazing light instantly overwheld his consciousness.
It brought with it a brand-new mory.
In his astonishnt, Zhou Chen felt as if his head was about to explode from the sudden influx of mory, a splitting pain tearing through his skull.
Countless chaotic, overlapping sounds echoed in his ears, like tens of millions of flies and mosquitoes buzzing about, throwing his thoughts into utter disarray and making it impossible to form a single coherent idea.
In a daze, he felt like he was ascending, then sinking; floating on the clouds, then subrged in the sea.
After a long while, he felt the sensation of landing on solid ground. The annoying whispers in his ears rapidly faded, and his consciousness returned to normal.
Zhou Chen opened his eyes and was stunned to find himself standing on the surface of a boundless, mirror-smooth sea. A tide of shimring light, like gentle waves, washed over his pant legs, yet he felt nothing at all. Beneath the surface, tens of millions of dense motes of light were layered one upon another, forming the magnificent, illusory ocean before him.
He looked up and saw a sky as brilliant as the Milky Way, dotted with countless bright stars. But unlike the Stars in an Ascender’s Spiritual World, each of these stars represented an independent, individual consciousness...
With Zhou Chen’s arrival, the once-calm, illusory ocean underwent an unprecedented transformation. One by one, dreamlike bubbles began to rise slowly from the ocean, floating in the air. So were large, so were small; so were close at hand, while others hid in the distance.
These phantasmal bubbles were like soap bubbles, shimring with magnificent colors, and faint scenes could be seen erging within them.
"Is this the sea of the collective unconscious?"
Zhou Chen dazedly processed the new mory in his mind, looking at the countless bubbles surrounding him and murmuring to himself, "Are these people’s dreams?"
"No, that’s not right... They’re not dreams..."
"These are their... wishes?"
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