With the help of the Shaping Skill, the artisans’ workload was greatly reduced; they now only needed to apply their exquisite craftsmanship to the final polishing.
Some armor components could even be directly press-molded.
’Magic really has changed every aspect of life.’ Su Chen couldn’t help but notice how Runes had gradually and efficiently replaced so many things.
Chemical fertilizers were no match for the Growth and Fertility Skills.
The Water Creation and Purification Skills could replace water treatment plants to a degree, providing a stable source of clean water.
The Separation Refining Skill was enough to render the energy-intensive smelting industry obsolete.
Even if the power was restored, that industry couldn’t be restarted—especially since Dongfu City was crippled from the start, having been transported without its industrial district.
’If everything goes smoothly, we’ll create a new magical civilization, and humanity will continue on in a different form.’ The thought suddenly occurred to Su Chen. Unbeknownst to them, they were already caught in the currents of a great transformation.
The massive city wall project he’d seen on his way here was a testament to this, relying entirely on Runes like the Earth Wall and Strengthening Skills.
Just then, Xing Lie finished with his guests and walked over.
After an introduction from his older brother, he shook his head and chuckled, remarking, "My brother hasn’t been here long, but he’s mentioned your name more than a few times. Now that we’ve met, I see you’re every bit as impressive and heroic as he said. And your girlfriend is so beautifully refined as well."
Beside him, Yan Ruoruo remained silent.
"You flatter me," Su Chen replied, his expression impassive. He had long been desensitized to such praise and paid no mind to empty pleasantries.
In truth, Xing Lie’s tone was just as flat, purely perfunctory. He dealt with far too many powerful Rune experts all day. He was on nodding terms with over thirty percent of the powerful independent groups in the Qixia District.
What was the Qingye Collection, a small settlement in some remote corner, compared to all that?
Just moments ago, he’d been hosting the captain of Strike Team 33 from the eastern garrison. Before that, it was the leader of the Watcher squad, who had made a huge name for themselves just yesterday. That squad had distinguished themselves defending the border, killing who knows how many Parasite Bodies.
The current schedule of pre-orders was so packed, he couldn’t get through it all even if he worked around the clock for five days straight—and that was after he’d raised his processing fees. It had even forced him to subcontract some orders to his peers in the trade.
Still, out of respect and courtesy for his older brother, Xing Lie naturally had to host them.
"Boss, the captain of the Ash Squad is here," an employee called out, rushing over.
Xing Lie gave a wry, apologetic smile. "Sorry, I have to go. But look, if you need anything, just let my brother know."
"Go on, don’t worry about us." Su Chen didn’t mind at all.
Besides, Xiaoye had already detected the presence of an augmented human.
’Time to go.’
"Oh, right, thanks for the intel on the supplies. That mutual aid organization really did have a stash of frozen meat." Before leaving, Su Chen handed the other man a Lv. 2 Rune.
Xing Jingsong watched the two disappear through the doorway, feeling a bit awkward. More than the Rune, he had wanted to establish a connection between his brother’s forge and Su Chen. That would be a true "iron rice bowl," a guarantee of long-term profit.
The night was hazy.
Outside a public restroom on the east side of the industrial park.
The atmosphere was tense.
Perched on a rusted drainpipe, the Soul-devouring Dog remained hidden in the shadows. It stared intently at the restroom entrance, having sent a message to its master just seconds before.
Defecation is, arguably, when a person is at their most vulnerable.
A Two-Star Storm Priest lay dead on the toilet. Deeper inside the stall, an augmented human held the still-twitching corpse with both hands.
It pried open the skull. Its mouthparts bloomed like petals, completely enveloping the warm brain matter. After forming a translucent, gelatinous sac around it, the augmented human slowly raised it to its mouth.
The process was almost tender in its meticulous care.
Outside, however, Xiaoye didn’t make a move.
Its senses on high alert, it had detected a malevolent presence locking onto it.
The hunter had become the hunted.
Thirty meters away, in the shadows, another augmented human had arrived in utter silence. Its body melted into the darkness, its heartbeat, body heat, and even the rhythm of its breathing completely suppressed. But its gaze was enough to set the Soul-devouring Dog on high alert.
Empowered by its Shadow Warlock class, Xiaoye’s eyes faintly glowed purple, allowing it to perceive the enemy’s form.
Whether because it sensed its opponent’s considerable strength, or simply to provide cover, the cloaked augmented human did nothing more than maintain the standoff.
To create a more favorable environment...
Wisps of nearly invisible spore-mist seeped from its skin. Acting as extensions of itself—its eyes and ears—they connected in real time to the vast, distributed consciousness network of the Bloodthirsty Fungus.
A few seconds later, a familiar danger signal suddenly pulsed through the network. The alarm spread instantly to every spore in the vicinity, and to the two augmented bodies themselves.
Flee!
There was no need for communication. At this point, instinct overrode all else.
There was only one directive: protect the Rune within its body and the brain in its stomach, and flee with every fiber of its being.
The pupils of the Dark Element augmented human lurking in the shadows constricted. It instantly activated the Shadow Jumping Skill, leaving behind only an afterimage that was torn to shreds by the night wind.
Inside the stall, the Earth Element augmented human’s throat constricted. It didn’t care about potential damage; it forcefully swallowed the still-pulsing brain whole. Activating its Earth Escape Skill at full Power, its entire body sank into the ground like a stone into mud, rapidly descending.
Clearly...
Su Chen had arrived!
To get there faster, he had woven together the Flying, Shadow Jumping, and Gravity Skills into a triple-composite Technique: Void Wanderer.
His silent and sudden appearance startled several strangers nearby.
"What the hell? Dude!" one person exclaimed, completely stunned. He thought it was an augmented human coming to kill them.
The funny thing was, these people had no idea about the hidden threats lurking nearby. They were completely oblivious to the horrific murder that had just taken place in the public restroom.
Su Chen, however, ignored them.
Unable to split himself in two, he immediately followed the invisible ripples in space left by one of them, giving chase in an instant.
The fluctuations were imperceptible to ordinary people, but to his Perception, which resonated with the night, they flickered like fireflies. Not only that, a lingering trace of Dark Energy also pointed in the direction of escape.
’It was all too familiar.’
Besides...
"Too slow."
Just as his quarry was about to merge with the Shadow for a final escape...
BOOM!
A vast wave of Telekinesis erupted from the void. It seized the creature’s waist like an invisible giant’s hand, and with a sudden, violent yank, ripped it out of its Shadow Leap, dragging it back to reality.
"Why are you running? Are you the monster, or am I?"

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