"I hope this genetic medicine won't let me down."
Lin Xinghai lifted his head and poured the pale green liquid down his throat.
The cool touch vanished the instant it hit his mouth—heat flared, as if fire crawled into his stomach.
Ding!
Special energy detected in the host. Convert to blood power?
Startled, Lin Xinghai blinked. Then joy spread across his face.
"Yes!"
The burning vanished instantly. He pulled up the system panel.
Blood Power: 0 → 5
His grin widened. He knew the system was extraordinary, but he hadn't expected it to be this overwhelming.
One bottle of genetic medicine, fully absorbed, transformed into five points of blood power. Perfect conversion.
According to the intel Roger had shared, absorption efficiency varied with genetic evaluation. An A-rank individual gained 5% optimization from a single bottle, B-rank 4%, C-rank 3%, D-rank 2%, E-rank 1%, and F-rank a meager 0.5%. And that was only the first dose—subsequent absorption rates dropped sharply.
Lin Xinghai's natural rating was B. Yet with the system's conversion, he could achieve A-level results.
Even more frightening was the speed. An A-ranker needed an entire day to digest one bottle. Lin Xinghai did it in seconds.
He tapped the system panel. Four points of blood energy spent, his genetic optimization climbed from 26% → 28%.
"This is basically cheating."
Chuckling, he uncorked the remaining three bottles and downed them without hesitation. All converted smoothly—blood energy now at 16.
He licked his lips. "So this is what it feels like to be a genetic optimizer…"
Another two points pushed his optimization to 29%.
Then the panel shifted. Instead of an automatic boost, a prompt appeared:
Direct Promotion
Awaken Ability
Lin Xinghai's pulse quickened. As if there's even a choice. He clicked Awaken Ability.
Another window appeared. Four new options:
Consume 30 blood energy to awaken.
Consume 60 blood energy to awaken.
Consume 90 blood energy to awaken.
Consume 100 blood energy to awaken.
The greater the cost, the stronger the ability.
In his eyes, there was only one path. With a system backing him, how could he settle for mediocrity?
But with just 14 points left, 100 might as well be the moon.
Host: Lin XinghaiConstitution: 24Strength: 20Speed: 29Blood Power: 14Genetic Optimization: 29%+
He exhaled slowly. "Looks like I'll need the mercenary mission to stock up."
Tucking the empty vials away, he left his room.
Outside, Wang Damao and his crew were just exiting the medical center.
"Brother Wang, this primary cabin's trash. An hour inside and my chest still aches," Meng Qing grumbled.
Wang Damao shot him a glare. "You think I don't want the intermediate cabin? A single session costs a hundred points. You paying for it?"
Silence. They'd had to borrow to cover even this treatment.
"What's our move now?" Meng Qing muttered.
Wang Damao's eyes narrowed, a cold glint surfacing. "We're not letting this go. His genetic optimization is maybe twenty-five percent. Strong in the Lower City, sure, but not untouchable. The Axe Gang has men on par with him."
That fired the gangsters up—until Meng Qing raised the real issue.
"But Brother Wang… he's a mercenary. Will our people risk crossing one?"
"I checked his badge," Wang Damao sneered. "First-tier mercenary group. Nothing special. And the Axe Gang isn't without backing. Whether the gang leader lifts a finger depends on what leverage we bring him."
His gaze darkened. Liu Miaomiao and the other beauties—perfect bargaining chips.
The thugs exchanged glances, then smirked, fawning over his cunning. They couldn't touch the women themselves, but they could still exact revenge.
"Let's go. Find Black Rat. We'll prepare first."
Half an hour later, in a crumbling East District factory, men moved in and out, every one of them marked with an axe tattoo.
Deep inside, a lavishly furnished room stood in stark contrast to the decay. There, Wang Damao reported to a middle-aged man.
The man was thin, not tall, expression mild—but his half-squinted eyes radiated chill.
Huai Fei Axe. Current leader of the Axe Gang. A man who'd seized his throne by killing both the former leader and deputy with his own hands.
"So," Huai Fei Axe said calmly, "you went to collect protection fees, and got driven off by a 'white pig'?"
The tone was soft, yet Wang Damao's back was soaked in cold sweat.
"Gang leader, the other party wore a mercenary badge. He can't be treated as an ordinary 'white pig'," Wang Damao explained carefully.
Huai Fei Axe stared long enough to make his knees weak. Then he nodded slightly and shifted topics.
"You mentioned Room 301… five beauties. What do they look like? Any photos? Videos?"
Wang Damao's heart leapt. Finally—the hook's set.