Chapter 70: The Headquarters Foundations Are Terrifying Indeed
On Saturday, a memorial service commenced at a military base located just outside Silver City. Since many of the people Deimos killed had left no bodies behind, they had to bury empty coffins with just the clothes and personal belongings of the deceased.
Vice Director Xiao Cheng, who had traveled from headquarters, presided over the ceremony. When Gong Qian heard the names of her former teammates read aloud, she broke down in tears. Bluebird stayed by her side, doing her best to comfort her, but in the end, even she was overwhelmed by the grief and began quietly crying.
When Yu Bo's name was announced, Zhang Shou couldn't hold back his tears either. Unfortunately, the harder he cried, the louder he became. Before long, his sobs drowned out everyone else's. Watching Zhang Shou bawl his eyes out, Gong Qian found herself strangely unable to keep crying.
After the memorial service ended, Xiao Cheng specifically requested a meeting with Yu Xian. Besides asking questions about the Perfect Lifeform, he also inquired whether Yu Xian was facing any difficulties or needed any resources.
Qilin's headquarters was genuinely at a loss. They still hadn't figured out how to reward Yu Xian for his previous accomplishments when he had gone out and earned another major contribution. Fortunately, they didn't operate on archaic notions like an official's merit overshadowing the crown. Otherwise, their only remaining option would be to award Yu Xian an imperial pardon.
In ancient times, receiving such a pardon was often a sign that a minister's achievements had become so extraordinary that even the emperor felt uneasy. Titles and wealth were no longer sufficient rewards, so the emperor could only grant them immunity from execution as the ultimate expression of gratitude.
Of course, Yu Xian was still far from reaching that point. The reason Qilin's headquarters had a headache was much simpler. They valued him, wanted to nurture him, and genuinely hoped to find the reward that would benefit him the most.
After Xiao Cheng asked what resources he needed, Yu Xian's eyes immediately lit up. There was, in fact, a weapon he had wanted for some time. By sheer coincidence, it was currently being held in Qilin's headquarters' Supernatural Containment Facility, designation No. 33—codename Grand Blazing Inferno Heaven-Incinerating Blade.
It was a mysterious weapon originating from the Abyss. The moment its wielder drew it from its sheath, the blade would begin consuming their lifespan in exchange for a terrifying increase in power.
Burning only a small amount of lifespan was enough to generate temperatures so extreme that even Dragon-rank opponents would struggle to withstand them. If the wielder was willing to sacrifice their lifespan without reservation, the blade could unleash power surpassing even Dragon rank.
However, Xiao Cheng rejected the request outright. "No. The Grand Blazing Inferno Heaven-Incinerating Blade. You can't use it."
Yu Xian frowned. "Deputy Director, that doesn't make sense. I'm a vampire. I have an unlimited lifespan. Why can't I use it?"
"Who told you vampires have unlimited lifespans?"
Yu Xian froze. He was in disbelief. "Don't tell me vampires can die of old age too?"
Xiao Cheng patiently explained, "Vampires don't die of old age, but that doesn't mean their lifespan is unlimited. You may not know this, but lifespan is actually a conceptual attribute. If you possessed an ability such as Data Eye or Eye of the Truth, you would discover that vampires also have a finite lifespan."
Yu Xian's frown deepened. "Then, Deputy Director... what happens when a vampire's lifespan reaches zero?"
Xiao Cheng answered, "Generally, when the lifespan of an immortal being reaches zero, it means the death destined for them arrives. They might die at the hands of an enemy. Or perhaps a bolt of lightning just happens to strike them dead."
Simply put, even a long-lived being could be struck down by a runaway vehicle. Looking backward from the future, that person's lifespan would simply be the period between birth and the moment they were struck by the car. Even if they lived a very long time, that wasn't the same thing as having an infinite lifespan.
For example, the progenitor of the Blood Race was already more than five hundred years old. If someone killed him today, then his lifespan would be a little over five hundred years, not infinity.
After listening to the explanation, Yu Xian couldn't help asking, "Deputy Director, are you saying the Grand Blazing Inferno Heaven-Incinerating Blade burns something as intangible as fate itself?"
Xiao Cheng nodded. "That's one way to think about it. After all, it does bring you closer and closer to death."
Yu Xian immediately abandoned the idea of obtaining the Grand Blazing Inferno Heaven-Incinerating Blade. Even if headquarters handed it to him right now, he wouldn't dare use it.
Instead, his attention shifted to something else. "Director, does headquarters have any special bloodline abilities such as the Data Eye or Eye of the Truth?"
If he could see his lifespan, perhaps he could find a way to extend it. After all, he was very, very afraid of dying. He had originally assumed that becoming a vampire meant he would never die. Now that he had learned vampires weren't truly immortal, the realization stung.
Xiao Cheng replied, "We don't have Data Eye or Eye of the Truth, but we do have a Dragon-rank Appraisal skill book. It can also display lifespan. If you want it, I can submit a request on your behalf."
Yu Xian's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Director. That's exactly what I want."
Xiao Cheng smiled. "Consider it done. The skill book will arrive from headquarters on Monday."
Afterward, Yu Xian asked more questions about skill books. He was mainly curious about where they came from and whether there were others available.
As it turned out, headquarters possessed quite a few of them. All of those skill books originated from an artifact designated No. 23, codenamed Death Game Console. It was born from the ability awakened by a hardcore gaming enthusiast after he consumed a Forbidden Fruit.
The gamer had gained the power to create a permanent game console through which players could earn skill books, weapons, equipment, and even money by playing games. What he didn't know, however, was that every character inside the console had a single life. If the character died, the player died as well. The outcome was that while fighting a boss, the gamer made a mistake and died.
Furthermore, the monsters within the game would respawn indefinitely. If the console was left abandoned for a certain period and the monster population exceeded the console's capacity, those monsters would begin manifesting in the real world.
It was precisely because of one such outbreak that the authorities eventually discovered the console. Initially, in an attempt to test the artifact's capabilities, several dozen death-row inmates lost their lives. Once the authorities fully grasped the console's mechanics, it was placed into secure storage. Now, whenever the monster population inside it reached critical levels, the authorities would simply eliminate the creatures that spilled over into the real world.
These manifested monsters dropped equipment and items just like their in-game counterparts, ranging from Insect rank all the way to Dragon rank. At present, only nine Dragon-rank skill books existed, and every one of them was priceless. Only individuals who had earned a First-Class Merit were eligible to apply for one. Coincidentally, Yu Xian met that requirement.
Under Xiao Cheng's introduction, Yu Xian learned about the remaining eight Dragon-rank skill books: Equipment Enhancement, Weapon Forging, Monster Immobilization, Spatial Teleportation, Sluggishness Field, Dragon-rank Creation, Dragon-rank Contract, and Dragon-rank Suppression.
The only one among these that didn't interest him very much was Spatial Teleportation, since it overlapped with the abilities of his spatial bubbles. As for the other seven, he wanted every single one of them.
With Equipment Enhancement, he could create top-tier armor and strengthen even the most ordinary weapon into a divine artifact. With Weapon Forging, he could mass-produce supernatural weapons. By that point, he could confidently declare, "I've never liked money. I'm not interested in money at all."
As for the remaining skills, although they were primarily combat-oriented, each one was terrifyingly powerful. Dragon-rank Suppression was especially outrageous. It could seal away a Dragon-rank being. Without outside assistance to break the seal, the target could remain imprisoned for tens of thousands of years.