Chapter 63: Chapter 60: Another Step Forward

The night passed uneventfully.

The crimson morning sun slowly ascended, streaking across the gray sky.

In Residential Block Two, apartment buildings stood in dense clusters. The clean asphalt roads gradually filled with the sounds of people. A roadside breakfast shop lifted the lid off a steamer, releasing a great plume of steam.

’The weather’s not bad today.’

He pulled open the bedroom curtains, gazing at the scene from his upstairs window.

Lu Chao, dressed in a casual, thin long-sleeved shirt, watched office workers hurry by, each chewing on a piece of bread.

It was a peaceful and tranquil scene. He could faintly hear a few middle-aged women complaining downstairs, something about the recent price hikes for meat and vegetables.

Listening in silence, he casually stretched his right arm.

The soreness and strain from using Stacked Force Fist yesterday had completely faded, leaving no discomfort.

Everything had returned to normal under the effects of [Beginner Toughness].

’That Ge Tao from yesterday was really something. His Life Energy was four points higher than mine, he was proficient in Beast Form Skills, and his attacks were vicious, cunning, and extremely fast.’

’If I hadn’t intentionally revealed a flaw to bait him, and then finished it with the decisive blow of Stacked Force Fist, I’m not sure I could have taken him down.’ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Subconsciously reviewing yesterday’s battle, Lu Chao gradually grew accustomed to this kind of post-mortem analysis.

He would identify his own shortcomings, discover his enemy’s strengths, and use it all to formulate combat methods better suited for himself.

As the thoughts passed through his mind, he quickly tidied up, left his room, and went to wash up.

The bathroom, of which there was only one, was right next to the living room. Zhao Yuanqing was also up early.

"You’re up?"

"Yeah... You look like you didn’t sleep well last night."

Lu Chao replied, asking with a hint of confusion.

Zhao Yuanqing, who was washing his face, wore a black, crew-neck long-sleeved sweatshirt. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked rather haggard.

"Sigh, what else? I was messing with that prosthetic arm last night and got carried away."

Shaking his head helplessly, Zhao Yuanqing picked up a wet towel to wipe his face, then jutted his chin toward the coffee table in the living room.

Lu Chao looked over and saw a relatively complete prosthetic arm sitting on the table.

Although its metal casing was a bit old and covered in scratches, the hydraulic rods at the joints and the wiring for the bionic tendons were still tightly connected. It looked quite impressive.

"Oh?"

His eyes lit up, and he looked on with some surprise.

"You finished it?"

"Not yet, it’s just a prototype. Still a long way to go," Zhao Yuanqing said modestly, but the corners of his mouth curved up uncontrollably. He was clearly very pleased with his progress.

"The neural interface procedure is especially complex, and I still have to implant the chip. That’s the hardest part..."

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you for introducing me to Old Cheng. You were right, he’s really experienced. If I hadn’t secretly gone to him for some pointers, I’d still be fumbling around in the dark."

Lu Chao smiled at his words, not surprised at all.

After being transferred to the logistics team, Old Cheng had figured out what happened and had come to find Lu Chao, insisting on showing his gratitude.

After thinking it over, Lu Chao decided to introduce him to Zhao Yuanqing. It seemed like a win-win situation.

"That’s for the best."

"Who knows, maybe you’ll become a famous prosthetic augmentation master in Ring City one day."

Lu Chao teased with a smile. Zhao Yuanqing just scratched his head, not daring to get his hopes up too high.

He knew that those masters could at least augment Elite Level experts, and some even worked for Superpower Strongmen with over one hundred points of Life Energy.

Compared to them, he was truly mediocre.

"I hope so..."

Not wanting to contradict his friend, he finally just nodded in agreement.

After some more lighthearted banter, their chat came to an end.

Lu Chao watched him leave the apartment and head to the repair shop.

Pulling his thoughts back, he returned to his bedroom and opened the black briefcase he had brought back yesterday.

Three elementary Life Potions came into view, their sparkling liquid radiating a sense of vitality.

’Time to begin.’

Taking a deep breath, Lu Chao immediately picked them all up and injected them into his arm.

...

[Life Energy: 31→33!]

[Potential Progress: 50%]

Later that day, as he walked to the Patrol Department.

Lu Chao stared at his panel, a sharp glint in his eyes.

Because the potion’s effectiveness had been halved again, he had no choice but to spend nearly ten thousand of the cash Brother Hao had given him to order home delivery from the Biotechnology Company.

In total, it took three elementary Life Potions, plus another potion of a new type but the same grade, just to gain two points.

’Next, I can try the Muscle Building Nutrient Liquid or a Nutritional Energy Block... If that doesn’t work, I’ll save up for an intermediate Life Potion. Maybe that’ll give me a pleasant surprise.’

Lu Chao thought to himself before looking at his Potential Progress again.

Although the potions’ effectiveness decreased due to accumulated resistance, the growth of his Potential Progress didn’t slow down.

He was already halfway there.

He couldn’t help but start looking forward to what his next specialized talent would be.

HONK! HONK!

Suddenly, the blare of a car horn interrupted his thoughts.

A black sedan used for stakeouts drove out from the Patrol Department. The driver’s side window rolled down to reveal Chen Xiao, wearing a casual work jacket and sunglasses, waving at him.

"Heh heh, right on time, aren’t I!"

"Oh?"

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Lu Chao opened the passenger door and got in.

"You seem to be in a good mood today."

"You know it."

Chen Xiao grinned, his eyes fixed on the reflection of the Patrol Department in the glass, and said with satisfaction, "Those bastards from Qian Hu’s group were so cocky with us a few days ago."

"Well, guess what happened yesterday?"

"What?"

"They arrested the wrong guy and even beat him up."

Chen Xiao slowly pressed the accelerator and rolled up the window. "The guy’s a tough nut to crack. He’s refusing to leave and is demanding an explanation. Anyway, it’s causing quite a scene."

So that was it. Lu Chao’s confusion cleared, and he shook his head.

Team Two’s reputation in the Patrol Department was complicated—not terrible, but not good either.

The main reason was their penchant for using illicit methods.

There had been similar incidents in the past, but their captain, Ruan Hui, was from the inner circle of the city and had a powerful background, so things were always swept under the rug.

"Hm?"

As they were talking, Lu Chao’s gaze suddenly focused. He looked past the windshield and the nearby crowd to the road on the other side.

A convoy was slowly driving by, led by a patrol car and followed by an armored vehicle from the Mechanical Violence Team.

Looking through the convoy’s rolled-down windows, he could see people whose skin tones varied from white to yellow, but all of them shared a reddish, coarse look, as if scoured by a scorching sun and weathered by sandstorms.

Their clothes were also quite worn, giving them an indescribable, old-era feel.

They even periodically craned their necks to look out at the street, pointing at the tall apartment buildings and neon signs, letting out irrepressible gasps of awe and envy.

"Are those..."

Lu Chao trailed off, feeling that something about the scene was out of place.

Chen Xiao was also taken aback for a moment before he realized what was going on. He frowned and ventured a guess.

"They must be from the wastelands."

"The wastelands?" Lu Chao’s heart tightened. He subconsciously thought of the God-Worshiping Church.

"Haven’t you heard? Warlords are fighting in the Red River Region of the wastelands. It’s not just affecting us; the nearby settlements have been hit by the fallout too."

Shaking his head, Chen Xiao didn’t hide what he knew. "My uncle-in-law mentioned it. If I’m not mistaken, these people are probably here to ask the Political Affairs Department for help, hoping we’ll step in and mediate the warlord conflict..."

Oh?

Lu Chao was a little surprised, but a new doubt quickly arose. "Would the Political Affairs Department agree?"

This was undoubtedly a hornet’s nest.

Those warlords were not to be trifled with. Most had inherited the arms and weaponry of collapsed old-world nations, and even the Alliance Country found it difficult to completely eradicate them.

There were even rumors that before joining the Alliance Country, Ring City itself had nearly been conquered by a warlord.

"Hard to say. After all, it affects us too."

Chen Xiao wasn’t sure either, but his next sentence surprised Lu Chao.

"Besides, the Alliance Country cannot ignore a reasonable request for aid from a wasteland settlement."

"It’s an ironclad rule left behind by the Star-faring Heroes."