Chapter 211: Green Silk Jadeite Crystal

After Kemp arrived with reinforcements, the mutant camp’s development accelerated.

During this time, they also gathered a large number of mutants, causing the entire camp to expand rapidly.

They seemed to have a real knack for assimilating mutants. Even formerly defiant ones quickly became part of the fold under their guidance.

As for their methods, it was really just a mix of carrot and stick, followed by giving them what they deserved.

This gave the mutants, who had previously lived harsh lives, an instant sense of belonging.

However, it was a given that some were just ungrateful wolves who could not be tamed.

Additionally, with the help of battle armor, the camp’s overall strength gradually increased.

This made every operation more efficient, and Qi Suian’s harvest of Level 4 and Level 5 Fire Seeds increased further.

It had only been a few days since he had last installed the "new player starter pack," and with such an abundance of resources piled up, the Tai Sui God’s armor value smoothly reached 53 points, unlocking a module slot.

Qi Suian didn’t hesitate to install a module used for absorption and conversion.

[SSS · Azure-Jade Crystal]

With this crystal, while the Tai Sui God couldn’t completely ignore radiation, as long as they stayed out of forbidden zones, they basically no longer had to worry about radiation posing a threat to the Tai Sui God or Qi Suian.

But bad news soon followed. After this evolution, the effectiveness of Level 4 and Level 5 Fire Seeds dropped drastically, clearly no longer able to meet the Tai Sui God’s needs.

Therefore, to level up quickly, he needed to switch to higher-level Fire Seeds.

However, getting his hands on Level 3 Fire Seeds was not so easy.

Even with the help of Kemp, a Sixth Elder of the Steel Brotherhood, he had only managed to obtain a single Level 3 Fire Seed for Qi Suian so far.

That one operation had left the mutant camp quiet for a considerable time.

So they launched no further operations against Level 3 Sanctuaries afterward. The main reason was that the losses were too great; they couldn’t withstand another attack like that.

To be honest, Qi Suian was quite surprised that they had managed to get a Level 3 Fire Seed.

But surprise was surprise; he still had to take what was offered.

Currently, Qi Suian was already studying the Level 2 Fire Seed, Thorn Guard.

As for the two Level 3 Fire Seeds, they had already been tossed into the Melting Furnace. Once they were burned into evolutionary energy and combined with the miscellaneous Level 4 and Level 5 Fire Seeds, it should be enough for the Tai Sui God to evolve again.

’These Fire Seeds feel so strange.’

’They seem like they’re both living and dead...’

Qi Suian also felt a sense of unease, a kind of bizarre beauty.

’But I have a basic idea of how to manufacture Fire Seeds artificially now.’

’If I can get my hands on a Level 1 Fire Seed and unlock the final restriction, I can start production.’

He hadn’t even considered the Fire Seed Source.

The reason was simple: the Victory Clan’s Fire Seed Source was at least S-rank, and it might have a special origin.

He was worried that if he collected all the pieces of the Fire Seed Source and restored it to its complete form, its quality might reach SSS-rank or even X-rank.

In that case, it couldn’t become a module for the Tai Sui God.

As a module, its quality should preferably not exceed SS-rank before installation.

After all, the Tai Sui God itself was only SSS-rank. If an item of the same rank was used as a module, the Tai Sui God wouldn’t be able to control it.

It might even suffer a backlash.

Coupled with the Fire Seed Source’s mysterious origin, he was even more inclined to keep his distance.

So he would rather manufacture one himself than choose something that seemed grander.

Unless it was an S-rank item that, unlike the Sun in a Bottle, wouldn’t change just by being observed.

It shouldn’t exceed SS-rank, so S-rank was naturally the best.

’So I need to pick a decent Level 1 Fire Seed to use as a material,’ Qi Suian mused.

As for whether the quality would be inferior to the Fire Seed Source? That was certainly true.

But there were no hidden dangers. After all, it would be something he made himself—he’d know it inside and out, which made it very useful.

Besides, quality wasn’t an issue. Once it became a module and was installed, it would be an SSS-rank module.

Its functionality might differ, and it could even be underwhelming at first, but as long as he had enough modules, even a lackluster one could grow into something more.

Qi Suian wasn’t the type of person to be fickle. Any module he chose and installed would never be removed.

Even if they were no longer needed, like the Sand Jiao Scale Pattern Shell and Northern Overlord Han Rong—one for fire resistance and one for ice resistance—they had barely been used since leaving the Midnight Sun and Cold Winter Doomsday Worlds.

Yet Qi Suian had kept them. They could enhance related modules like the Nirvana Insect Cocoon and the artificial crystalline-vein alloy, and more importantly, they could be useful in an emergency.

When a real fight breaks out, you can’t just swap modules on the fly. The enemy isn’t going to give you a heads-up before hitting you with a specific damage type.

Modules like these might not be used every day, but you have to have them for critical moments. You don’t just uninstall them because they’re not immediately useful.

Even when you discard someone after they’ve outlived their usefulness, you have to be methodical about it, not just act recklessly.

’Something tiger-related would be best, and a Wasteland King at that. That way, the Tai Sui God can complete the missing Baleful Tiger.’

The Evil Dragon comes from cold energy, and the Baleful Tiger comes from a Fire Seed. It makes perfect sense.

Qi Suian suspected that such a perfect coincidence had to be the work of "protagonist halo" luck. How else could it be such a coincidence?

’Alright then, the rest is up to you, protagonist halo!’

Since it was a matter of luck, Qi Suian would naturally rely on his protagonist halo. Who else could he turn to? He couldn’t rely on raw strength, could he?

That wasn’t very realistic.

"Jack, are you busy?" Kemp’s voice came from outside Qi Suian’s tent.

Qi Suian had known of his arrival for some time; his reconnaissance network had a considerable range, after all.

He just had to pretend he didn’t know.

"I am, come in." Qi Suian couldn’t very well say he wasn’t busy or had just stopped, could he? That would make it look like he was slacking off.

Kemp walked in, a hint of fatigue on his face, and sat down across from Qi Suian.

"Prince Storm of the Level 2 Sanctuary has mobilized his forces, including the splinter Level 3, 4, and 5 Sanctuaries. They’re preparing to annihilate our camp."

"It’s no longer safe here. We need to retreat together, head south to the Steel Brotherhood."

"You’ll find everything you want there," Kemp said as soon as he sat down.

A thought flashed through Qi Suian’s mind. ’Could it be that the things I want are in the south?’

Otherwise, how could Kemp have shown up just two minutes after he had made a request to his protagonist halo?

It was precisely because of the coincidence that he thought this.

After all, when you’re relying on luck, coincidences are to be expected.

"This is a Level 2 Sanctuary we’re talking about. Are you sure we can even get away?" Qi Suian asked.

His knowledge of Level 2 Sanctuaries was limited. After all, he’d never massacred one, so he didn’t know much about them.

He was, however, very familiar with Level 3 Sanctuaries. He had a clear understanding of their structure from top to bottom, having personally slaughtered his way through one.

"By the time this news reached you, it has already passed through who knows how many hands."

"They’ve probably already formed a complete encirclement. Even if we wanted to leave now, we couldn’t."

Qi Suian briefly analyzed the situation. That was indeed the case.

The only reason they hadn’t acted yet was because the encirclement hadn’t closed in, or the timing wasn’t right.

"I’ve considered that, which is why we must leave immediately."

"We’ll break out together before the situation becomes critical!" Kemp didn’t suggest taking only Qi Suian, fearing it would displease him.

After all, in his eyes, Qi Suian was a true believer in the mutant cause.

In reality, of course, he was willing to sacrifice everyone, including himself, to ensure Qi Suian made it safely to the Steel Brotherhood.

"It’s too late. A camp this large can’t possibly leave without alerting the enemy." Qi Suian shook his head. "We can’t escape. Fighting to the death is our only chance of survival."

Qi Suian weighed the pros and cons. As long as he wasn’t fighting against Level 3 or higher Fire Seed Armor inside a Sanctuary, he truly wasn’t afraid of these pure-bloods.

He would capture as many as came to use as fuel. They were practically snacks delivering themselves to his door.

What? They’re coming in Fire Seed Armor?

If they really dared to come to the mutant camp, they’d just be throwing their lives away.

After all, this far from a Sanctuary, even a top-tier Level 1 Fire Seed Armor would be downgraded to the lowest-tier Level 5 Fire Seed Armor—and the basic, unawakened form at that.

They stood no chance of winning against Qi Suian.

However, there was one more thing to consider: bionic armor.

The Level 2 Sanctuary certainly didn’t have any, but this time Kemp and his group had caused such a huge disturbance, slaughtering numerous Sanctuaries along the way while wearing battle armor. It was possible a Level 1 Sanctuary might provide support for this operation.

"Alternatively, we could escort you, Jack, to the Steel Brotherhood. After all, the Steel Armor technology you possess is incredibly significant to us mutants," Kemp said, choosing his words carefully.

His words were tentative, a test.

Qi Suian saw through his idea. It was nothing more than leaving the majority of the mutants behind as decoys to escort him away.

"Then I have even more reason not to leave. If we go, we go together!" Qi Suian refused outright.

’It’s a rare fuel-gathering party. Wouldn’t I be at a huge loss if I just left?’

As for the mutant camp? Frankly, he couldn’t care less if they lived or died.

After he cashed in on this opportunity, even if everyone else died, he could continue to maintain his persona, head to the Steel Brotherhood, and keep using them as his personal ATM.

As long as he held the technology, he’d never have to worry about making a fortune, no matter where he went.

Plus, given the earlier "protagonist halo" coincidence, Qi Suian guessed that the Level 1 Fire Seed and Wasteland King he wanted were probably in the south.

But he didn’t necessarily have to bring this burdensome group with him.

Since he would be leaving eventually, he might as well cash this group in for resources.

What? These mutants were genuinely loyal to him? In the end, they just wanted his technology.

If Qi Suian didn’t have enough value, they wouldn’t have given him the time of day.

Everyone was just using each other. There was no need to bring genuine feelings into it.

"Alright! Since you’ve said so, Jack, I’ll see this through to the end with you!" Kemp could only say that.

He wanted to use force, but he had heard of Qi Suian’s battle record from Cummings. He had no way of forcibly taking Qi Suian away.

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