Translator: CinderTL
Bang!
With a deafening crash, Feng Qi kicked open the iron door of Room 004.
After his physical strength was enhanced, the iron door that would have previously required multiple forceful kicks to breach now yielded to a single blow.
Brushing aside the swirling dust, he stepped into the room and casually pressed the light switch on the right wall.
After a brief flicker, the room flooded with light.
The chamber housed several interconnected assembly line machines. Overhead, a transport rail system ran the length of the room, though every surface was now coated in rust.
Reaching the end of the assembly line, he climbed a ladder to a metal box over three meters tall and pried open its lid.
A foul stench wafted out. Peering inside, he saw a thick layer of brownish-transparent solid had congealed at the bottom of the box.
"What the hell is this stuff?"
This is clearly a food processing room. The overhead rail system connects to the residential quarters, delivering daily rations. Compared to your era, residents in the post-apocalyptic world are fortunate just to be fed. There's no possibility of eating well, except on special holidays. Normally, they subsist on this kind of formulated nutrient paste.
Hearing the Narrator's explanation, Feng Qi felt a pang of bitterness.
He suddenly recalled the letters his classmates had placed in the time capsule at graduation. While they yearned for a glorious future, they also envied those who would live in it, believing they would surely be happy.
Perhaps they would never see that day come, yet they chose to strive tirelessly for its arrival.
But if they knew the future they were fighting for would turn out like this, how utterly despairing it would be.
Seeing the truth reveals the world's imperfections, the many regrets that need mending. But you can rewrite it all, mend those regrets, and make it perfect.
"Narrator, you're so cheesy! You're giving me goosebumps."
Nyah-nyah!
Feng Qi: ...
Climbing down the metal ladder, he strode out of the room.
Despite his teasing, Feng Qi deeply resonated with the Narrator's words. He would always cherish hope for the future, believing that one day, true wonders would come to pass.
Standing before Room 005, he took two steps back, then lunged forward with a powerful kick.
With a deafening crash, the iron door buckled and fell.
He stepped inside, flipped the light switch, and froze in astonishment at the sight before him.
The room was filled with cold weapons of every kind: swords, blades, spears, clubs, halberds... a complete arsenal arranged neatly against the walls.
Remarkably, none of the weapons showed signs of rust from the passage of time; they gleamed with a chilling sharpness under the light.
This didn't surprise Feng Qi.
In the modern world, many domain warriors' weapons were also impervious to oxidation.
Forged from special minerals harvested from the Domain Field, these weapons possessed exceptional corrosion resistance and resilience.
He stopped before a battle axe, gripped its handle, and lifted it. A faint crimson glow immediately enveloped the axe's surface.
Seeing this crimson aura, he knew the spirit mineral used to forge the weapon was of exceptionally high quality.
Only a handful of rare spirit minerals could automatically absorb spiritual energy from the environment.
In battle, cultivators expend spiritual energy stored within their bodies. With weapons like this, they essentially gain an additional "mana bar" that automatically replenishes itself by absorbing spiritual energy.
After swinging the battle axe twice, a sharp, wind-splitting sound echoed through the air, yet Feng Qi still found the weapon unwieldy.
The Bone Leg Club is your true weapon. If you ever forge weapons in the real world, make them like the Bone Leg Club. You'll never feel comfortable using anything else.
Feng Qi: ...
He wanted to argue, but realized the Narrator might actually be right.
Having grown accustomed to the Bone Leg Club, other weapons did feel awkward in his hands.
The Suction Cup was an exception. As a fully automated, adhesive combat weapon, it only needed to be thrown; he didn't need to control it directly in battle.
After pacing the room, he tried using other weapons, but each swing felt lacking, lacking the natural ease of the Bone Leg Club.
Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a scroll tucked away in the corner of the room.
Reaching the corner, he picked up the scroll.
The scroll's material remained remarkably preserved despite its age. It felt soft and supple to the touch, like animal hide, with a fine layer of white down on its surface.
He moved to the center of the room, knelt down, and slowly unrolled the scroll.
The scroll was approximately 2.5 meters long and half a meter wide. It depicted a landscape of mountains and rivers, with three large gilded characters in seal script at its center: "Heaven-Reaching Painting."
Upon closer inspection, he noticed numerous bizarre figures hidden within the landscape.
Above a mountain peak on the left side of the scroll, lightning crackled and thunder roared. But a careful look revealed a green-faced, fanged face flickering amidst the storm.
In the lower left corner, a massive lake churned with waves as a colossal black shadow swam beneath its surface.
Many other hidden figures lurked within the scroll. Though seemingly a landscape painting, it concealed a multitude of eerie secrets.
The three large characters at the scroll's center reminded him of Liu Yue's mention of the "Heaven-Reaching Road."
"Narrator, explain yourself."
I think... that big fish in the lake should keep Mu Qing fed for days.
Feng Qi: ...
A vein throbbed on his forehead as he couldn't help but ask again, "I'm asking if you know the origin of this scroll? Or can you glean any information from it?"
Then you've come to the wrong person. I'm just as clueless as you are.
Hearing the Narrator's response, Feng Qi turned his gaze back to the scroll. Upon closer inspection, he noticed an inconspicuous pattern in the upper right corner, blending seamlessly with the scroll's background.
The pattern resembled a snake coiled into a circle, its head meeting its tail.
As for the pattern's significance, he couldn't decipher it.
Ever seen those martial arts movies? When all else fails, they just burn the scroll. Who knows, maybe it contains a peerless cultivation technique that could make you invincible!
Feng Qi: ...
He couldn't tell if the Narrator was offering a genuine clue or just messing with him.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the scroll and left the room, heading next door to the food processing assembly line.
His gaze swept across the room until he reached the Database Control Console, where he pressed the red button.
With a shudder, the entire food processing assembly line sprang to life. The robotic arm at the center of the line began to move, initiating the food processing sequence.
Inside one of the incinerator machines, a roaring fire ignited.
Feng Qi immediately approached the machine and tossed the scroll into the flames.
After a moment, he stared blankly at the scroll, which remained completely unscathed by the inferno.
Why not try a different approach? Try watering it. Give it a good soak—maybe some crucial information will surface.
Feng Qi: ...
My bad, I forgot you didn't bring a gun. My fault, definitely not trying to stir things up.
"I'd believe you when hell freezes over."
He shut down the machine and retrieved the scroll.
This scroll, made of some unknown material, had not only withstood the flames but remained completely cold to the touch.
He tried to tear it with all his might, but even with his strength, he couldn't even make a dent in it.
After another forceful attempt, he tossed the scroll aside and left the room.
Since he couldn't decipher it, he had no choice but to give up.
Continuing to persist would not only be pointless but also waste precious time.
Each time he entered the Dream Realm, his plan was to explore three rooms, searching for useful information.
Leaving this room, he proceeded to the third room, Room 006.
He kicked the door open violently, stepped inside, and flipped on the light switch.
The scene that greeted him startled him.
Upon closer inspection, he realized the room was filled with specimens of domain creatures, arranged in lifelike poses. Each specimen was accompanied by a corroded metal plaque, the inscriptions illegible.
After a quick scan, he retreated from the room.
In this round of opening "room blind boxes," only the Heaven-Reaching Painting scroll might contain hidden information. The other two rooms yielded nothing of significance.
Exiting the domain creature specimen room, he headed straight for the Database Control Console.
Dull thuds and crashes echoed from above, indicating that Suction Cup and little black had moved their battle above the shelter.
But by the time he reached the Database Control Console, the fighting had ceased.
He could only cheer Suction Cup on in his mind.
Helping was out of the question. With his current strength, he wouldn't last a single round against little black. Charging in wouldn't be helping; it would be "feeding kills."
Correction: dog kills.
"You talk too much."
Opening the Cultivation Technique Library in the database, he began selecting the cultivation technique he needed to memorize this time.
After reviewing the descriptions of over a dozen techniques, he settled on a body cultivation-oriented Two-Star Cultivation Technique called Utmost Strength and Ferocity.
Upon confirming his selection, a dignified man in instructor's robes appeared in the video.
He immediately entered a focused learning state, completely oblivious to the outside world, his mind solely focused on the sacred texts.
Always driven to learn, he began swimming through the ocean of knowledge, freestyle, backstroke, butterfly stroke, breaststroke...
And doggy paddle!
"Shut up!"
After what felt like an eternity, Feng Qi finally snapped out of his daze, having watched the videos twice and meticulously noted down the teaching content.
The battle between Suction Cup and little black was clearly still raging, so he clicked on the video explaining the research methodology for cultivation techniques and resumed his studies.
However, even after watching the video twice more, little black still hadn't arrived.
This was clearly due to Suction Cup's enhanced strength.
Feng Qi began to wonder if Suction Cup might actually defeat little black this time, finally freeing him from the relentless pursuit.
Even though the odds were slim, he couldn't help but cling to this hope.
After pondering for a moment about what to do next, he decided to search for and study content related to biological sciences.
If he chose the Future Line where he infiltrated the Scarlet Research Institute during his next Dream Realm visit, knowledge of biological sciences would be crucial.
It would determine whether he could secure promotions and pay raises within the institute, allowing him to access its core secrets.
He began searching the database for groundbreaking research in the field of biological sciences.
During his search, a title caught his eye:
Rune Augments: Are They a Blessing or a Curse? A Deep Dive.
The title immediately reminded him of Mu Qing and the rune augment project she had revived when establishing "Dawn."
Knowing little about rune augments, he clicked on the title to read the detailed article.
(End of the Chapter)
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