Chapter 26: Premonition
Upon seeing the mission information, Su Xiao knew things were troublesome. As he had guessed, the mission indeed involved the World Core.
However, the World Core of this world was somewhat special. It had been contaminated by some kind of supernatural plant, but one thing was certain: the World Core must bear the brand of the Apocalypse Paradise.
The Apocalypse Paradise hadn't stripped the World Core from the supernatural plant·Dibamu, most likely because Dibamu had already merged with the World Core, or they had formed a symbiotic relationship that couldn't be easily separated.
The Reincarnation Paradise's mission also proved this point: to find the contaminated World Core, not to obtain it. The goal was simple—to change the brand on it.
To find the contaminated World Core, one first needed to determine the location of Dibamu's main body. That plant had likely become similar in nature to the World Core, making it undetectable or imperceptible.
But that didn't mean there was no way at all. Dibamu's seedlings were connected to the main body. By burning the seedlings, one could use their ashes to locate the main body.
As for where the seedlings were, that was the real problem. Due to their undetectable nature, the Reincarnation Paradise only gave vague information: inside some shelter.
Heaven knows how many shelters there were. Fortunately, the mission's penalty wasn't forced execution.
Searching for shelters one by one was clearly impractical. Although Bubu Wang was very good at finding things, a month wouldn't be nearly enough to search all the shelters.
Fortunately, Su Xiao had another method: make those shelters come to him.
His train of thought ended there. Su Xiao leaned back on the sofa to rest. What he needed to do next was mass-produce an ultra-simplified version of the Stigmata Potion.
The Stigmata Potion was a low-tier potion. Su Xiao didn't need its permanent enhancement effects; he would stop the process at one-third completion.
The main problem for the 'Hunters' was energy erosion of their internal organs. A Stigmata Potion brewed to one-third completion could solve that.
A Vitality·Force Potion brewed to one-fifth completion had a similar effect, but Vitality·Force was expensive, its materials hard to find, and the brewing process was tedious.
While waiting, Ironclad Bear·Naga left first. Broken Fang, however, kept waiting. Whether he would get the treatment potion depended on his subsequent choices.
About three hours later, Yahada's people delivered the equipment and materials. Six of the materials were unusable, and it took nearly ten more hours to gather the complete set.
Su Xiao stood before a one-meter-tall metal tank filled with boiling water. He casually grabbed a few handfuls of materials and tossed them in, then tapped his fingertip on the tank's wall, sending a surge of mana into the boiling water.
After waiting a few minutes, Su Xiao tossed in a few more materials. Repeating this process several times, he pressed the pneumatic button beside him, and the flame went out.
"Th-That's it?"
Broken Fang was dumbfounded. In his mind, a potion that could cure Blood Burn should be something grand and impressive.
In reality, for Su Xiao, brewing this kind of potion was simple. It was like a scholar doing elementary school math problems. He didn't need to brew them bottle by bottle; he could do them tank by tank.
What Su Xiao needed to do next was make the treatment potions in Shelter No. 9 exceed demand—meaning after curing all the Hunters, there would still be surplus.
If Yahada had this kind of treatment potion, what would he do? Store it? Perhaps, but only if he wasn't greedy.
Even if Yahada wasn't greedy, Su Xiao had ways to spread the news. Shelter No. 9 had a cure for Blood Burn. That would drive many people crazy.
In just half an hour, the room was filled with eight large tanks of treatment potion. Broken Fang was completely stunned.
"How much does each person need to drink?"
Broken Fang asked with a dazed expression.
"Less than 50 grams per person."
"50 grams, 50..."
Broken Fang looked at his severed arm, raised his hand, and slapped himself hard across the face. Then he sat on the ground, laughing wildly.
With the amount of treatment potion now available, not only his brother but even some unpopular Hunters could get a share.
"Rashness always comes at a cost. Don't you agree, Broken Fang?"
Su Xiao looked at Broken Fang with a smile. At that moment, Broken Fang suddenly felt fear—a deep, visceral fear.
"R-Right."
Broken Fang now only wanted one thing: to escape this room.
"Do you want your brother to live?"
"Yes!"
This time, Broken Fang's answer was decisive.
"Is that so? Take this, bring your brother, and escape to a nearby shelter. Tell them..."
Su Xiao's voice grew softer, while Broken Fang's eyes widened, his scalp tingling as if about to explode, his remaining arm trembling uncontrollably.
"Are... are you a demon?"
Broken Fang swallowed hard. He recalled the scene at his home earlier, and suddenly felt like laughing. Back then, they were scheming against a terrifyingly powerful being.
Broken Fang vaguely remembered the expression on that person's face at the time. He had been watching from the sidelines, like someone appreciating something novel but not worth caring about.
"A demon? Of course not. That's an ally. The choice of what to do is yours."
Su Xiao filled a test tube with treatment potion and tossed it to Broken Fang.
"Broken Fang, you wouldn't want... me to kill everyone here, would you? Like I said before, I'm not a demon."
If the female demon·Lilim heard Su Xiao's words, she would definitely object, because even among the demon race, there was no one with blood energy like Su Xiao's.
The reason Su Xiao chose Broken Fang was simple: after learning about the treatment potion, Broken Fang didn't immediately inform the leader of Shelter No. 9. Secondly, this guy had just lost an arm.
"I... understand."
Broken Fang quickly left the two-story building, was searched by several Hunters, and then departed.
More than ten minutes later, at Broken Fang's doorstep, he pounded on the door. When his brother opened it, the two brothers almost simultaneously let out a cold snort.
"The potion. Drink it."
Broken Fang tossed the test tube to his brother. The gloomy young man caught it, uncorked it, and downed it in one gulp.
"Wait!"
Broken Fang raised his hand, but it was too late.
Gulp~
The gloomy young man finished the potion and looked at Broken Fang in confusion.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Broken Fang snatched the test tube from his brother's hand and tossed it into the trash pile outside the door.
"Pfft, this potion... has a weird taste. Ugh~"
"Normal. I just swallowed it down."
Broken Fang patted his brother's back. The gloomy young man started coughing, hacking up several large mouthfuls of black phlegm. His chest felt lighter, and his breathing became smoother.
"We're leaving Shelter No. 9. Going to... Fire Skull Gang!"
Broken Fang lightly jumped up and retrieved a metal box from the ceiling.
"Mm."
The gloomy young man didn't ask questions. To him, it didn't matter where they were. Having family was enough—whether it was Shelter No. 19 in his childhood or Shelter No. 14 eight years ago.
Just as they were blending into the environment, Bubu Wang, who was beside them, yawned and contacted Su Xiao through the team channel. The plan was a success. He would help the Broken Fang brothers escape.
...
Shelter Zone A, Leader·Yahada's Bedroom.
Yahada was still sitting on the carpet, staring at the eight large tanks of treatment potion before him. His expression didn't change for at least ten seconds. He had people test it—the effect of this treatment potion was even stronger than expected.
"Lock down the shelter. Not even a fly is allowed to escape."
Yahada spoke in a deep voice.
"Yes."
The attendant beside him quickly left. Yahada, his fingers covered in rings, touched his bald head. He sensed danger.