In Liuyang City, within the western suburban wilderness forest.
Jiang Yan was resting in his tent, completely unaware that he had been mistaken for a Level Three Awakened.
Two days quickly passed. Jiang Yan stood by a suburban road, dressed in a suit and black sunglasses, quietly waiting for something.
Occasionally, passersby on bicycles rode past, and they couldn't help but take an extra look when they neared Jiang Yan.
After all, a man in a suit, slicked-back hair, and sunglasses standing in a sparsely populated area naturally attracted attention.
Vroom! An engine sound came from afar. Jiang Yan turned his head to look, and a black-and-white luxury car appeared at the end of the road.
Under Jiang Yan's gaze, the luxury car stopped in front of him. Han Qi, dressed in a black suit, got out of the driver's seat.
He looked at Jiang Yan and said respectfully, "Mr. Jiang, Boss An sent me to pick you up. He is already waiting for you at the laboratory."
As he spoke, he opened the back door for Jiang Yan. He had investigated Jiang Yan's identity over the past few days, and after seeing the results, he became even more respectful.
After all, this was someone who dared to kill people casually in the city center, and most importantly, had escaped the pursuit of the Inspectorate and the Riot Squad.
"Let's go. I also want to see what An Conghao managed to accomplish in the past two days." Jiang Yan got into the car.
Han Qi closed the car door, quickly jogged back to the driver's seat, and drove towards a place further away from the city.
Jiang Yan sat in the car, quietly watching the scenery flashing past on both sides.
Giving An Conghao two days was also giving himself two days.
Two days had passed, and the official authorities had not yet come looking for him here, proving that his presence in Liuyang City had not yet been exposed.
'Since I haven't been exposed yet, it's time to speed things up.' Jiang Yan's eyes flashed. He understood clearly that once his actions were discovered, he would face an unprecedented crackdown.
After the car drove out of the suburbs, it continued for another dozen kilometers until a fork in the road leading into a dense forest appeared ahead.
The car took the fork and drove for another two kilometers. Ahead, a somewhat old manor appeared, and the car finally stopped at the manor gate.
Jiang Yan got out of the car and looked up at the manor in front of him. The iron gate was open, and a blue metal plaque hung on the main entrance.
Four large silver characters were embedded on it: Nanfeng Manor. The road leading from the entrance inward was made of white flagstones four or five meters wide, surrounded by large green lawns.
Han Qi came up beside Jiang Yan, pointed to the manor, and introduced it: "This is the highest-spec laboratory Boss An could buy near Liuyang City. It used to be a site for human drug trials, but it was abandoned after the national crackdown."
Jiang Yan walked ahead. Since Ghost Buddha had been following An Conghao, he naturally knew there was a laboratory inside, but he didn't know the specific background: "Keep going."
"Yes!" Han Qi nodded and continued: "The laboratory is located behind the manor. It has one floor above ground and two underground, totaling about 340 square meters.
However, the experimental equipment is a bit outdated. Boss An is spending money to purchase top-tier instruments from other regions. It's just that the situation with the experts you requested is a bit complicated, and Boss An said he needs you to decide personally."
Jiang Yan looked at his surroundings and asked, "Are the medical team and crystals I requested here?"
"The crystals have been placed in the laboratory, awaiting your inspection. The medical team is on their way. They are all teams specializing in private services; they will maintain confidentiality no matter what you intend to do," Han Qi replied. They knew Jiang Yan hadn't hired these teams for medical treatment.
Hearing this, a satisfied expression appeared on Jiang Yan's face: "That's thoughtful. How much did all this cost?"
"The total cost was over 200 million blue star coins, with the equipment accounting for the majority." Han Qi felt a sense of relief when he heard Jiang Yan's words, fearing that if Jiang Yan was dissatisfied, he might kill them all.
After walking for a while, the two arrived in front of a three-story blue-exterior villa.
Over a dozen black-suited Bodyguards stood at the villa entrance. An Conghao, dressed in white casual clothes, stood among them.
Upon seeing Jiang Yan, he immediately scurried forward, forcing a smile: "Boss Jiang, everything is ready. We're just waiting for you to inspect it."
The moment the title Boss Jiang was uttered, Jiang Yan couldn't help but look at him twice, causing An Conghao's heart to tremble, thinking he had done something wrong.
"Lead the way. I want to see my things." After a moment, Jiang Yan looked at An Conghao.
"Yes, yes, Boss Jiang, please follow me." An Conghao quickly led the way.
Jiang Yan, Han Qi, and the Bodyguards followed behind, walking towards a single-story, cement-poured building dozens of meters away.
The building showed signs of recent renovation. The large metal door was open, revealing dozens of small blue metal boxes placed inside.
An Conghao pointed to the boxes: "Boss Jiang, these are all the various crystals you need."
He then looked at the Bodyguards behind him: "Open all the boxes."
"Yes!" The Bodyguards stepped forward and opened all the boxes, revealing crystals of various colors inside.
A small card was placed on each crystal, labeling its type, such as Diamond, Adamantite, Ruby, and so on.
Jiang Yan merely glanced at them. With a shift of his mind, a two-meter-tall black Buddha suddenly appeared before everyone.
The Buddha had a benevolent expression and its hands were clasped, but its pitch-black eyes were devoid of emotion, causing the hearts of all who saw it to tremble.
An indescribable, eerie sense of crisis appeared in their minds. Although it was summer, the surroundings began to feel slightly cold.
"A ghost!" An Conghao's face instantly turned pale upon seeing the black Buddha suddenly appear in front of him. His legs went weak, and he hurriedly tried to distance himself.
The surrounding Bodyguards all changed expression and quickly retreated backward.
Had they not seen Jiang Yan standing calmly in place, they would have run away immediately.
"Don't panic. As long as you remain my people, he won't attack you." Jiang Yan said casually, ignoring the reactions of the others.
He walked up to the treasure boxes and looked at Ghost Buddha: "Which crystal is suitable for carrying your ability? Pick it out for me."
After receiving Jiang Yan's command, Ghost Buddha walked towards the treasure boxes, pausing briefly at each one before moving to the next.
An Conghao, Han Qi, and the others watched the Ghost Buddha being controlled by Jiang Yan, becoming less afraid and instead observing it.
"Is this his ability? He looks more like a Taoist controlling ghosts," Han Qi observed curiously, looking at Ghost Buddha.
Under everyone's gaze, Ghost Buddha quickly stopped in front of a box of crystals and remained motionless.
Jiang Yan's eyes moved, and he quickly stepped forward, arriving at the crystals where Ghost Buddha had stopped.
The crystals in the box were all transparent and sharply faceted. The small card on them read "White Crystal."
Jiang Yan picked up a thumb-sized crystal and handed it to Ghost Buddha: 'Create an Erosion Buddha Seed.'
Ghost Buddha extended a hand and took the crystal. Under everyone's gaze, a wisp of black energy surged from its palm into the crystal.
Having completed this, Ghost Buddha handed the crystal back to Jiang Yan and then vanished on the spot. Information regarding the use of the Erosion Buddha Seed also appeared in Jiang Yan's mind.
Jiang Yan reached out and took it, then turned to look at the people present, his expression calm: "This is a buddha crystal. Using it can grant you powerful strength for a short time, and it has no side effects. Who wants to be the first to try?"
His words caused everyone present to stare wide-eyed, their breathing quickening.
If Ghost Buddha hadn't appeared, they would have only thought Jiang Yan was deceiving them.
Although Jiang Yan's words tempted them, no one stepped forward immediately. After all, Ghost Buddha looked too eerie and didn't seem like a good thing.
"Does no one want to volunteer?" Jiang Yan's gaze swept over the Bodyguards present. Those Bodyguards all lowered their heads, waiting for someone else to try first.
Even An Conghao lowered his head, until Jiang Yan's gaze swept over Han Qi.
He met Han Qi's eager gaze, those eyes filled with longing for the supernatural.