Chapter 234: New Employee
The modification surgery ended, and Yuan Zhu began directing Nie Yin to clean up the crime scene, carefully packing away the experimental instruments.
Without frogs or orcs to torment, the autistic girl lowered her head and remained silent, her temperament gradually turning gloomy again, no longer lively as when she was tormenting the orc earlier.
She was seen lowering her head to wipe clean each bloodstained piece of equipment meticulously, arranging them neatly, with a hint of immersion in reminiscence, giving the illusion of self-satisfaction.
Yuan Zhu stood by, silently giving a thumbs-up to this mentally unstable little girl.
Then he continuously irradiated the hanging orc with [Holy Light], along with the scattered bloodstains splattered on the ground, as well as the residual pollution leaked during the modification process. He destroyed everything cleanly with Holy Light, ensuring the warehouse was sufficiently safe and clean, without contaminating the supplies he had painstakingly collected.
Unfortunately, this half-blood orc was too weak, its near-death health bar unable to withstand the torment of ‘Holy Light Healing’, so it could only hang on with its last breath, recuperating quietly.
After finishing all this, the time was still before 11:30 noon.
Yuan Zhu originally planned to take Nie Yin to the suburban ‘Frog Factory location’ again for inspection and mapping. He would have the girl take the survey data back to [Rain Courtyard] to ask a professional mentor to design a set of [Frog Factory construction blueprints].
But this half-dead ‘orc’ disrupted his plan.
Nie Yin’s talent was not bad; even with zero practical experience, she could complete the modification of the ‘orc’. But her personality flaws were too severe, and she lacked the ability to care for ‘experimental subjects’.
According to Snake Snake’s calculation, if he did not intervene and left the ‘orc’ in Nie Yin’s care, there was an 80% chance she would let this tenaciously vital orc die from neglect.
So after much deliberation, he decided to first bring this [Anti-Law orc] back to the haunted house for recuperation. After all, it was purchased at great expense, and a preliminary fighter with an [Anti-Law] contract signed. Letting it die like this would mean a high sunk cost.
Thus, he canceled the afternoon inspection plan and said to the Frog Killer Girl, who had already packed her luggage: “Today’s inspection ends here. You head back to the academy first and look for any modification records of [Holy Light System Extreme Warriors]. With [Holy Light] being such a widespread (pollution) energy, your [Frog School] should have cases in this area. Tomorrow, I will summon you again and take you to inspect our future corporate headquarters.”
Nie Yin replied upon hearing this: “The academy has research records on this, but I don’t have the right to access the relevant materials.”
“Then go find your senior student and have her help you. I’ll cover the fee.”
The half-elf felt a surge of joy in her heart, and that gloomy vibe dissipated quite a bit: “Understood!”
Soon, Nie Yin, who had personally modified an orc but was still unsatisfied, slung on her backpack, changed into her cloak, and left the warehouse happily. In her heart, she anticipated that tomorrow there would be another chance to sneak into an unoccupied warehouse covertly and perform illegal modifications on ‘minority species’ out of sight.
This sneaky underground experiment, in a crude yet unrestrained environment, was really so stimulating! So exciting! The same modification content was far more thrilling than doing it in a lab.
No mentor supervision, no need to follow standard procedures, following inspiration to play it out however she wanted, without caring if the experimental subject lived or died, freely squandering (wasting) potions, no criticism or suppression, only the boss’s praise and approval… She felt like a caged bird breaking free, soaring with joy.
Seeing the tiny figure bouncing away happily.
Only then did Yuan Zhu feed the orc a pill from Insect City that could repair injuries and nourish vitality, then switched to Tiger Demon Stance and swallowed the unconscious orc into [Universe Within The Belly] for temporary detention and storage.
Then he switched back to human stance, put on his mask, and waved goodbye to the subordinate guarding the door.
“Watch the warehouse. Any news from [Cat House]?”
Zheng Hao quickly replied: “Yes, delivery tomorrow afternoon.”
Yuan Zhu: “Good, add more manpower these two days. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
With this batch of arms, he could consider starting the first trade with [Insect City] and supplement more ‘magic worms’ to refine [Worm Pillars], accelerating the formation of the demon realm.
……
On the way home, Yuan Zhu chatted with Snake Snake: “With Nie Yin, technical difficulties in fields like [frog farming, pharmaceuticals (Body Tempering Fluid), muscle modification] can basically be smoothly overcome. If we continue investing resources to cultivate her, with her abilities, she should be able to develop a ‘magically modified chemical veterinary medicine’ from my previous life, and try turning it into a ‘power magic potion’.”
Through prior exchanges and inquiries, Yuan Zhu gradually figured out the connections between Running City’s numerous pharmaceutical labs, the underground dark fighting scene, and the [Frog School].
Running City was also called [Frog City] besides [Rain City]. This was because the local climate was humid, with no four seasons, constant year-round temperature, and 2/3 rainy weather, leading to a frog population explosion.
Therefore, this land was particularly favored by the [Frog God], giving birth to the renowned [Frog School]. On this land, the success rate of frog system modifications ([Power Path]) was 400% higher than in other regions!
This was an extremely exaggerated figure; once leaving the ‘Running City area’, other areas in the [Misty Mountains] at the same latitude could only reach 120%-200%.
Once leaving this unique humid rainy environment, the success rate of frog system pollution modification instantly dropped back to normal levels.
Therefore, the pharmaceutical companies and private labs based in Running City, adapting to local conditions, habitually invested part of their efforts into researching [enchanted frog medicine].
They fancifully magically modified and upgraded traditional [Extreme Warriors], not only trying to develop more ‘types’, but also continuously adjusting higher-tier [synthetic magic potions] to help muscle synthesis break through 2, 2, 2…… Then through bloody and brutal underground fighting, verify the effects of each company’s products while earning money from the audience.
Of course, the pharmaceutical companies in Running City didn’t solely research [frog medicine] as one category. Each had core technologies, but how to prove they were better than others?
Naturally, by competing on the same track with [frog system magic potions]. At the same time, the super stability of [Extreme Warriors] also made them premium test subjects. The practical value of [frog system magic potions] was also very high, and finished ‘Extreme Warriors’ could fetch high prices on the black market.
So investing funds in this field was not a loss; rather, it was a form of healthy competition.
Therefore, Yuan Zhu’s [frog farming, pharmaceuticals, underground fighting] approach accidentally hit upon a recognized ‘right path’; hiring Nie Yin was also professionally fitting.
“Unfortunately… in areas like underground fighter combat training, enterprise (Frog Factory) management, supervising [Frog Raising Farm] construction progress… we’re still short on usable people. This Nie Yin is really lacking; zero social skills, too one-dimensional!”
How Yuan Zhu longed for a genius college girl who had top-tier research abilities, super management talents, was proficient in combat and could mass-train fighters, had an optimistic, outgoing, generous personality, high appearance, great figure, sweet voice, was loyally devoted to him single-mindedly, great in bed but not clingy, willing to proactively sign a soul-selling [Anti-Law Contract], didn’t fight or envy, accepted low salary yet was enthusiastic about 007 unpaid overtime!
Compared to the perfect working girl in his heart, this Nie Yin fell short explosively, inferior in every way. She couldn’t meet even one criterion; was this the cruel reality gap?
Snake Snake: “So boss, what do you plan to do? Interview another management-type talent and force-hire with [Anti-Law]? Or pick an outstanding mortal from the [White Feather Association] and forcibly control with [Anti-Law]?”
After a moment’s thought, Yuan Zhu shook his head: “Neither is good! The natives of Du Ling Star are too cunning; I’m still young, less than three months since transmigrating, and don’t fully understand the local ‘tricks’. If I get outplayed, it won’t be pretty. Even a socially anxious autistic like Nie Yin could haggle and draw up an [Anti-Law Contract] with full protections for her interests; I’m afraid of being pitted by the local slickers if not careful.”
After becoming [Anti-Law Master], he had gradually acquired many ‘predecessors” messages, including plenty of cases where people tried to use [Anti-Law] to harm or control others but ended up playing the pig to eat the tiger, suffering blood losses.
It made him only dare to target honest and dull orcs, or sign relatively fair contracts like with Nie Yin, taking it slow.
Snake Snake thought for a moment and agreed: “True, talents truly skilled in ‘management fields’ must be shrewd and quick-witted. Controlling them solely with [Anti-Law] makes it easy to get loopholes exploited.”
Yuan Zhu continued: “Not just that; besides lacking a management-type talent skilled in communication and networking, I also lack a martial arts fighting expert to train my orcs as an instructor. Such talents are even rarer. Doesn’t it feel… somewhat familiar?”
Yuan Zhu’s own combat power wasn’t high; his fighting style relied entirely on [Tiger Demon]’s powerful stats and talents, plus his understanding of [Holy Light] + tricky maneuvers.
For true close-quarters fierce combat, he was only amateur level and couldn’t shoulder the responsibility of training orc fighters. Even if he could nurse the orcs back to health and deeply modify them, he still lacked top martial artists to instill the soul.
Fortunately, the moment he fell into distress, he suddenly found a solution.
Hearing this, Snake Snake immediately searched the database and quickly found the answer: “Oh? Boss, you mean that pair of siblings sheltered in [Cicada City]?”
“Exactly! The little girl is clever and wise, eloquent, has a big-picture view, skilled in networking; Younger Brother is honest and taciturn, a martial arts prodigy, abnormally strong body, learns at once. Most importantly, they’re young, orphaned, living in poverty in the upper city district, lacking educational resources yet striving upward, their hearts untainted by the city’s tricks. And they’ve received my favor, so high loyalty and great malleability.”
“If I return to the [Underground World], sign them up, and bring them back to Running City, saving them from hardship. Two otherworld orphans with no one to rely on can only cling tightly to me as their lifeline. Then, Younger Brother can train orcs by beating them, teaching Insect City martial arts; the sister can act as broker, and by the way manage the [Frog Factory] for me, monitoring Nie Yin while serving as my mouthpiece. Mutual checks and balances, the emperor’s art.”
Snake Snake thought for a moment and agreed: “Boss is wise; kids are the easiest to PUA!”
…
Upon returning to the [haunted house] again, Yuan Zhu quickly took out the ‘unconscious orc’ and placed it in the attic, then fell into confusion.
“How to care for it, help him adapt to the ‘pollution modification’, recover quickly, and return to peak condition?”
[Holy Light] was temporarily ruled out. This guy had shadow pollution as base; now accepting [frog system pollution] modification, adding Holy Light wouldn’t heal but would instead clean and destroy the pollution, worsening the injuries.
Injecting [Shadow] wasn’t right either; the opponent’s muscles were being eroded by [frog system pollution]. Continuing to add [Shadow] would hinder the frog system erosion spread, causing the [Shadow System] to regain dominance and losing the [Power Path].
Snake Snake: “We need a way to boost its ‘vitality’, injecting ample drive and fuel for the ‘frog system erosion’ while keeping the physical body from collapsing. Our current methods are all too ‘shadowy’. How about trying [disease pollution] to fight poison with poison, digging out pathological deformed vitality?”
“Even more underworld! Let me think… Right, do you still have any [Blood Tomatoes]?”
Yuan Zhu suddenly recalled that Blood Tomatoes from the [Little Xihong Realm] were ‘heavenly materials and earthly treasures’ that could replenish vitality and repair flesh wounds; the side effect was mental pollution, growing close to and worshiping [Buddha Tomato].
“Used up, all exchanged clean by the [White Feather Association] followers.”
Yuan Zhu said: “Would [Insect Pills] work?”
“Pretty effective, successfully keeping it alive without worsening. But the Insect Pill’s potency is strong, and its body is weak with limited digestion capacity; eating more would be useless.”
“Then we have to go to [Happy Home] and look for ‘life’ replenishment methods with no side effects.”
Yuan Zhu took out a coin from his [Soul Space], flicked it up with his thumb, and in the instant it fell, a spatial fluctuation swept over his body. After a brief weightless drop, his feet hit the ground; opening his eyes, he was already in [Happy Home].
The captain had somehow dragged over a chair and was sitting reading a newspaper. Hearing the sound, he turned to look at Yuan Zhu: “Yo, you’re here? Waiting for Lu Rang and the others to return?”
??
Yuan Zhu looked baffled: “Waiting for what?”
The captain returned his gaze to the newspaper: “You don’t know? Lu Rang and Mai Lili were sent to the [Underground World] for a trial mission. I thought you were here waiting for news.”
“They’re on a mission? The [Underground World]’s space tunnel is already built?”
The captain nodded: “Correct, it’s complete. Now the [Underground World]’s spatiotemporal coordinates have been captured and anchored by [Happy Home]. The time flow rate is also synced and locked; no issue of entering once to find a century passed next time, or time rewinding 20 years the time after.”
Yuan Zhu: “Then how is the current time flow rate calculated?”
The captain: “This [Bubble World]’s scale is relatively large, so the flow rate is relatively slow, adjustable between 3-20 times. But each adjustment of the [time speed difference] consumes [Mao Mao King]’s divine power, at great cost. I’ve anchored the [time speed difference] at [10 times], meaning [Happy Home] passes one day while [Underground World] passes ten days. Every three days, [Underground World] experiences a [Moon Worship Ceremony], allowing Insect City’s residents to go to the surface for a pollution incubation of the ‘silkworm seeds’.”
Yuan Zhu: “What is Lu Rang and their mission? How long? Dangerous?”
“Some difficulty, but no death risk. I picked a few bodyguards from your [domain] to follow them secretly, enough to ensure safety. If unexpected changes occur, they can return to [Happy Home] in time. As for the mission, naturally going to the surface for a [Moon Worship]. At most three days, and we’ll know the outcome.”
Yuan Zhu: “Can I enter the [Underground World] now?”
“No, the tunnel is occupied. It can only open for a second descent after they return.”
