Chapter 44: Because You Run Fast
A light flashed in his hand, and a high-grade alchemy bomb appeared in his grasp.
Over a dozen alchemy bombs were already placed on the experimental table. After the Navy tested the performance of the high-grade alchemy bombs, they were captivated by them.
Vegapunk had visited once before. After learning about the performance of the high-grade alchemy bombs, Vegapunk was intrigued, but after considering for a long time, he left, his intentions unclear.
Su Xiao leaned back in the leather seat. Now that his alchemy bomb level had maxed out, crafting more alchemy bombs wouldn't increase his proficiency. He decided to slow down his production pace—he wasn't here to be a laborer.
Yawning, Su Xiao began contemplating the usage methods of the high-grade alchemy bombs.
This type of alchemy bomb was more flexible and could be shaped into any form. After some initial experimentation, Su Xiao found two forms to be practical.
The first was a snake shape. This form moved slowly but was stealthy, making it hard for enemies to detect.
The second was a frog shape that could hop. This form moved quickly but was easily noticeable.
Su Xiao also tried shaping the alchemy bomb into a four-legged animal for running, but ultimately failed. Simulating joints and other intricate structures required for running was beyond his current ability.
He also attempted to shape the alchemy bomb into a bird, but unfortunately, it couldn't fly at all—it could only flap its wings in place, a pitiful sight.
There were certainly other ways to use the alchemy bombs, but with limited time, Su Xiao had only come up with these two methods.
He split an alchemy bomb into dozens of small frogs.
Su Xiao placed these frogs on the ground. The small white frogs hopped quickly, and while their hopping looked somewhat comical, their speed wasn't slow.
Su Xiao reverted the alchemy bomb to its original shape. He wondered how many Paradise Coins it would cost to craft a high-grade alchemy bomb in Reincarnation Paradise—the price was likely steep.
Thump, thump, thump.
A knock sounded, and Tina entered the lab, carrying a wooden box in her arms.
"Found the materials?"
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. He wanted to see the attributes of the Sun God Apollo.
"Barely gathered them, but only three portions."
Tina placed the wooden box on the experimental table. Inside were three items.
One piece of fiery red metal, one fragment of black ore, and three Soul Crystals (Small).
Seeing these three Soul Crystals (Small), Su Xiao's eyes gleamed with curiosity. How exactly had the Navy collected these things?
"Where did you get this?"
Su Xiao picked up a Soul Crystal (Small).
"I'm not sure. This was provided by Holy Land Mary Geoise."
"Mary Geoise..."
Su Xiao fell silent. As the residence of the Celestial Dragons, if he could ransack that place, he would become incredibly wealthy.
The Celestial Dragons, as the world's nobility, were surely surrounded by many guards. To plunder Mary Geoise, he would first have to destroy the World Government—a task far too difficult.
Putting down the Soul Crystal, Su Xiao looked at the other two materials. The fiery red metal was a substitute for Fire Gold, and the black ore fragments were quite interesting.
The Sun God Apollo required three materials: Soul Crystals, Fire Gold, and Sun Remnants.
This black ore was the Sun Remnant, specifically a type of meteorite.
Picking up the black meteorite, Su Xiao could faintly feel its warmth.
"Tina, go find Kizaru."
Confusion appeared in Tina's eyes.
"Admiral Borsalino is assisting Dr. Vegapunk with an experiment right now, so..."
"Tell him I need him here to prevent me from getting blown up."
The blast radius of the Sun God Apollo was half a kilometer. If an error occurred during crafting and the bomb detonated prematurely, Su Xiao would be reduced to ashes. He needed to be cautious on his first attempt.
Tina's heart tightened. After hesitating for a moment, she left the lab.
Before long, Kizaru hurried over, with Vegapunk following behind.
"You're going to make that bomb? The one like a falling sun?"
Su Xiao had described Apollo's power to Vegapunk before, and now Vegapunk was brimming with excitement.
"Yes, but crafting it is somewhat difficult. I asked Mr. Kizaru to come so he can take us and flee at a moment's notice."
Everyone's gaze focused on Kizaru. His eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, narrowed slightly.
"If something goes wrong, how much time do we have to escape the blast range?"
"Between 0.8 and 1 second."
Kizaru's eye twitched.
"We absolutely cannot make it here. This laboratory cost over 5 billion Berries to build."
If this lab were destroyed, it would be like cutting flesh from the Navy. Moreover, the lab housed numerous scientific researchers—if they were killed, the loss would be incalculable.
"Even if it's not in the lab, we need a room with no wind and stable temperature. Any temperature change during the crafting process could trigger an explosion."
Kizaru looked troubled. Aside from the lab, he couldn't think of any place with such conditions.
"Why not go to the emergency shelter? The environment there is good," Vegapunk suggested.
"The shelter... that works."
Kizaru made the decision, and the group headed underground. The emergency shelter was located diagonally below the lab, so even if the shelter were destroyed, the lab wouldn't be affected.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the emergency shelter.
"Dr. Vegapunk, you don't need to come. If something happens..."
Looking at the following Vegapunk, Kizaru felt helpless.
"Ahem~, I'll just watch. If something goes wrong, you can take me and White Night and run."
Kizaru sighed and glanced at Tina.
Tina turned and left, even starting to jog. She had no interest in the bomb-making process—her life was more important.
Su Xiao placed the three materials on an iron table and flexed his fingers.
"Alright, I'm starting."
Su Xiao first picked up the fiery red metal. Light flickered in his hand as he probed the metal's texture.
"A bit too much."
Su Xiao gripped the fiery red metal with both hands and, as if snapping a biscuit, broke off a small piece with a crisp crack.
The fiery red metal instantly turned bright red, as if it might explode at any moment.
Kizaru's pupils contracted. He immediately grabbed Su Xiao and Vegapunk's arms, ready to flee with both of them.
"Don't worry, that's just a thermal reaction. If something goes wrong, I'll yell immediately."
Su Xiao put down the fiery red metal, and Kizaru's tense body relaxed.
"Truly terrifying."
Ignoring Kizaru, Su Xiao continued processing the three materials.
The strongest reaction came when handling the Sun Remnants. As Su Xiao infused his mana into the Sun Remnants, the black fragments turned scorching red, and a wave of heat rushed toward him.
The three materials were soon processed. Su Xiao began crafting the Sun God Apollo.
White light flickered in his hands. As the three materials merged, a massive reaction immediately occurred.
Whoosh!
A wave of heat surged forward. A fireball appeared between Su Xiao's hands, like a miniature sun. Some crystalline fragments floated beside the fireball—these were Soul Crystal shards. The Soul Crystals served as a stabilizer; otherwise, the other two materials would have exploded upon contact.