Chapter 25: Bubu Opens the Chest
After riding Bubuteni for half an hour, a small town vaguely appeared in the distance.
Su Xiao didn't enter the town. He jumped down from behind Bubuteni, pulled open his collar, revealing a steel rod stuck in his chest.
The steel rod wasn't long, and the wound wasn't deep. He hadn't dared to treat the wound earlier, as the smell of blood would have attracted the attention of that black gorilla.
Gripping the steel rod, Su Xiao expressionlessly pulled it out slowly. Blood spurted from the wound, staining his clothes.
Getting injured was already routine for Su Xiao. He skillfully cleaned the wound and drank a bottle of [Basic Alchemy Potion].
There was no doubt that killing that black gorilla would yield massive rewards, but that was clearly impossible, at least not something Su Xiao could accomplish now.
Although Su Xiao had a fearless spirit, he wouldn't throw his life away.
At least before advancing to a Second Rank Contractor, he was no match for that black gorilla.
Su Xiao's level had risen too quickly. Excluding the Trial World, War World, and Promotion World, he had only experienced four derivative worlds in total.
Multiple high ratings had caused his level to keep climbing.
Before advancing to Second Rank, there was a restriction: attributes could only be raised to a maximum of 49 points.
Su Xiao was currently developing all four attributes evenly, with none reaching 49 points.
Low attributes didn't mean low combat power. Su Xiao believed that among those contractors lying on the ground earlier, some must have had attributes above 40 points.
For example, that cross-dressing big shot—their intelligence attribute was definitely above 40 points.
But they had a fundamental difference from Su Xiao. Those contractors developed single attributes, which might have some early advantages but would become increasingly weak later on.
Su Xiao, on the other hand, improved steadily. Although his highest attribute was only 38 points, his Blade Grandmaster level was very high, reaching level 18—something unimaginable for a First Rank Contractor.
Most of the strong opponents Su Xiao had faced developed evenly. Crazy Nurse developed two main attributes, with main attributes being Strength and Stamina, and a secondary attribute of Intelligence. The Revolver Guy was the same, with main attributes of Strength and Agility, and a secondary attribute of Stamina.
Su Xiao's four-attribute development was very rare. Either he would be eliminated in the early stages, or he would soar after advancement.
But for now, Su Xiao couldn't soar yet. He was too scarce on attribute points. When he did soar, all his enemies would fall.
Su Xiao took out a walkie-talkie and tried to contact someone.
The signal was very poor. Su Xiao could barely make out what the other person was saying.
"Outside the city... eight o'clock... the usual place... meet."
Catching these key words, Su Xiao knew where the usual place was.
...
At eight o'clock that morning, Su Xiao waited in a forest. Before long, a figure in a hooded cloak walked into the deep woods.
"Over here."
Hearing Su Xiao's call, the person removed their hood. It was Colonel Mustang, also known as the Flame Alchemist. The two were now allies, at least with the same goal.
"You really stirred things up last night. What was that gorilla thing? The military mobilized tens of thousands of troops and it still got away."
Mustang no longer had his previous hostility. Su Xiao had provided him with a lot of intelligence, and now Mustang understood the secrets of this country.
Mustang's status as a sacrifice undoubtedly strengthened his resolve to rebel. A general who didn't want to be President wasn't a good general.
"That was a chimera. I almost died at its hands. It's best that it escaped Central City."
The black gorilla leaving Central City was undoubtedly good news. The Homunculus was already hard to deal with; if the black gorilla were added, it would be hopeless.
Mustang nodded and began recounting his situation.
"I've mostly set things up on my end, but a large-scale battle still needs some time. I investigated last night—that place does indeed have an 'Immortal Army.'"
The so-called Immortal Army was a type of soldier created by the Homunculus. They used Philosopher's Stones to forge bodies, then forcibly inserted souls into those bodies. The principle was somewhat similar to Alphonse, except the armor was replaced with flesh.
The Immortal Army wasn't truly immortal; they just had no vital points. Even if their heads were cut off, they could still fight. Fortunately, they didn't have the regenerative abilities of the Homunculi.
"How many are there?"
"At least tens of thousands. From the looks of it, none have had souls added yet."
Mustang sighed. Although he now knew who the enemy was, the enemy was simply too strong.
"The Immortal Army is only a minor problem. When the battle starts, those high-ranking military officers must be dealt with immediately."
"No problem. Don't forget we have 'Hawkeye.'"
Su Xiao nodded. Riza Hawkeye's sniping ability was unquestionable. She was a female sniper born with a built-in scope.
"Good. I'll be contacting another ally soon. I've already dealt with Envy. By the way, Maes Hughes was killed by Envy."
"What!"
Mustang's pupils constricted, and his gaze turned dark.
Maes Hughes was Mustang's close friend and comrade-in-arms. The two were sworn brothers.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?"
Mustang was dissatisfied that he hadn't been able to personally avenge his enemy.
In terms of strength comparison, Mustang indeed had the ability to kill Envy. Mustang's flame ability could be called the bane of the Homunculi.
"You wouldn't have been able to find him. If the Homunculi could be found so easily, do you think I'd still be in Central City?"
Su Xiao and Mustang were only allies. This relationship could be dissolved at any time, but the two had a common enemy: the Homunculus.
"I need a safe place to stay and a ticket heading northwest."
Mustang nodded. "A safe place is no problem. As for the ticket heading northwest, where are you going?"
"Briggs."
"That big snowy mountain? Are you trying to ally with..."
"Yes, exactly her."
"That woman won't get involved in this. Although she's only a Major General, the northern border is her kingdom. It's already semi-autonomous. The military doesn't even need to provide funds anymore—she collects her own taxes."
Mustang wasn't optimistic about the ally Su Xiao wanted to recruit. It wasn't that she was weak, but that woman was very hard to convince.
"No, she will definitely ally with us. Don't forget, the northwest is a corner of the National Transmutation Circle. According to the Homunculus's plan, war will inevitably break out there."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Mustang shook his head.
"I thought of that long ago, but with her style, hah~, that woman has always thought I got my position through nepotism."
Su Xiao lit a cigarette. That woman was indeed troublesome to deal with.
"I'll figure something out. The day after tomorrow, you start cleaning up the unstable elements in Central, Mustang."
"No, I'll start tomorrow."
It seemed Mustang was even more anxious than Su Xiao.
"It's raining tomorrow."
Mustang was speechless. On rainy days, he was useless. Forget flames—in the rain, he couldn't even produce a spark.
"Then the day after tomorrow. As for the safe point you need, go to my hometown. The Central Army can't interfere there."
"Alright."
Su Xiao stood up and left. Mustang leaned against a tree.
"Flame Alchemist, what exactly do you want? What's your goal in defeating the Homunculus?"
Su Xiao's goal had always been unclear to Mustang. If it weren't for the solid evidence placed before him, Mustang wouldn't have cooperated with Su Xiao.
"Maybe he wants to save the world."
Riza Hawkeye's voice came from nearby. She had been in the vicinity all along.
"If it were someone else, I might believe it. But the Flame Alchemist wanting to save the world? That's nothing short of a fantasy."
...
Two days later, in a small town to the northwest.
Su Xiao sat in front of a heater. He couldn't return to Central City for a while, having killed too many Homunculi.
Previously, the Führer and Pride hadn't appeared, likely because of the black gorilla. Otherwise, the two would have definitely ganged up on Su Xiao.
Sitting by the heater, Su Xiao took out several Philosopher's Stones and a purple treasure chest. After opening the chest, he would mass-produce alchemy potions.
He now had plenty of Paradise Coins. To improve his "Alchemy Potion Proficiency," he only lacked practice.
There would be no battles in the near future. Su Xiao's task was to keep making alchemy potions.
Su Xiao looked at the purple treasure chest before him. The chest was exquisitely beautiful, felt heavy in his hands, and emitted a purple glow.
He hesitated. The cooldown for Destiny Redemption +7 hadn't ended yet. Should he open it directly?
Opening a chest "naked" was common for other contractors, but for Su Xiao, it was a huge challenge.
Su Xiao glanced at Bubu Wang beside him. This was a good choice.
PS: (Weakly asking for monthly tickets, trembling in fear.)