In the Grand Hotel, Kaizer finally awoke from a short rest and stretched his muscles.
He went to the bathroom to take a bath and got dry. Then, put on some clean clothes.
After that, he emptied the backpack.
On the floor, raw minerals, documents, machinery parts, clothes, and various miscellaneous items were spread across the floor. When his eye passed from these items, it settled on a small rectangular wooden box, slightly larger than his palm.
He picked it up.
The surface was smooth, its edges worn from frequent handling. Slowly, Kaizer opened the box. Inside lay five injections, neatly arranged. Each transparent vial bore the same engraved words: Energon Serum.
These Energon Serums consisted of refined Energon, the ideal energy source for evolved humans to perform battle techniques. A beginner-level human evolver cannot produce energon in their body, so with the help of energon serums, it pressured the heart to give birth to a special genome, also called the genome parent.
Kaizer did not wait at all. He took one and injected it into his chest near the heart.
The moment the serum got into his heart, he felt a strong surge go through his body. He closed his eyes. Sat down on the floor with his legs crossed.
He began to practice the pulse breathing technique. This technique was nothing special; even the public had free access to it.
The room became very quiet.
His breathing slowed down. Got deeper.
Kaizer focused intensely, using a breathing technique to compress the serum into the parent genome. Currently, he was at the Energon Channel stage. There were six levels publicly known about human evolution:
Genome Awaken
Energon Channel
Solar Imprint
Solar Vein
Solar Genome Formation
Star Convergence
Kaizer's genome parent could produce energon, but consumption was higher. So, he needed to use energon serums for support.
His true objective was to produce genome children, who were imperfect clones of the genome parent. In general, genome children matched the parent genome by 10 to 99 percent, with higher compatibility granting power and properties.
Right now, Kaizer was applying external pressure through controlled breathing. He stimulated the parent genome with energon, forcing it to produce genome children and form a complete network of energon channels throughout his body by fusing genome children in each body joint.
After two hours.
Kaizer opened his eyes and clenched his fist. His expression darkened.
"I failed again, but I was able to store some energon."
He exhaled slowly.
"I need a stronger dose of energon to stimulate and produce genome children."
After a brief pause, Kaizer turned his gaze toward the documents he had previously taken from his backpack.
They were invitation letters from Astral Federal Academy, a military academy renowned for providing resources, knowledge, and nurturing evolvers. In exchange, graduates were required to serve the Earth Federation military for at least ten years.
Kaizer's name appeared repeatedly across different documents, each offering varied major programs.
After a glance, he packed everything back except the machine parts.
With swift, precise movements, Kaizer assembled a palm-sized disk and embedded a glowing mineral at its center. He fixed it to the ceiling. The device pulsed softly.
Satisfied, Kaizer slung his backpack and left the room.
Downstairs, the hotel lobby was quiet. Behind the reception desk, Kolin was sitting in his old chair.
Kaizer approached with a polite smile.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Kolin."
Kolin nodded. "Good afternoon, Sir Kaizer."
Kaizer leaned on the desk. "Mr. Kolin, I didn't see anybody except you. Do you not have any staff?"
Kolin smiled while hiding his nervousness and replied, "Some of the staff are currently on leave. The business is not doing well, so I do not have a lot of staff. But do not worry, you will get the best service."
Kaizer chuckled a little. "Your staff must be really great, leaving you to do all the work by yourself. Maybe I should talk to them for a bit."
The moment the words left Kaizer's mouth, Kolin's expression hardened. Without warning, he launched a powerful punch. His whole hand was covered with thunderbolt shock; the electric shock wave affected the surrounding furniture, turning it into charcoal.
The strike was deadly, but it hit only air.
Kaizer sidestepped effortlessly, his calm face completely unchanged. He was even carrying the backpack. It didn't affect his movement.
However, there was a faint burn mark on his cheek where the shockwave grazed him, yet it healed within a single breath. He had just used the Pulse Breathing Technique, flooding his body with faint energon. Through this technique, an evolver could circulate faint energon throughout the body, even if they didn't have an energon channel, temporarily amplifying physical strength, and healing surface injuries was not so difficult.
Kaizer touched his cheek with a finger, his eyes narrowed, and killing intent gushed out. It lasted only a moment before he forced it back down. His expression smoothed instantly, and he spoke in a calm, even voice.
"Mr. Kolin, is attacking your customers your idea of good service? I merely wished to talk with you, yet you've forced me to waste my precious energon."
Kolin's heart trembled; he had never seen someone change expression within a second. It looked like an actor's performance. Also, he couldn't understand why this young man was angry over something like service or wasting energon.
Kolin's heart shook.
"Who sent you?" He snapped.
"I'm the one asking the questions," Kaizer replied. "How many human traitors are hiding in Earth Sector 20?"
Kolin's eyes widened. He threw a thunderbolt punch at the wall, hoping to create an escape route because he had a bad feeling whenever he saw this young man's calm expression, as if this young man had everything under control here.
The expected impact never came. His first shockwave rebounded off an invisible barrier, forcing him back a few steps.
Kaizer observed calmly. "Interesting. A human traitor is usually incapable of evolution. Yet here you are, at the Energon channel phase."
"This is a military barrier; there might be others nearby. " Korin's face twisted in horror, as if he suffered a great deal from this.
"Turn this off, and I might spare you." Kolin threatened, sensing a lower evolution phase of the other party, which also gave him a sense of assurance.
Kaizer gestured with his finger to come at him with all he had.
Korin sneered. "Arrogant brat, it might take some time to dissolve the barrier. I might be able to escape, but you are dead."
Thunder began to engulf Kolin's body. Shockwaves tore through the lobby, reducing everything to ash. The building trembled, barely holding together.