RNP Page 106
Page 106
This is the abyss.
Chapter 122 Peeking into the Abyss: A Paradise for Foreign Evils
The air in the black market was thick and oppressive, like congealed blood.
Zhao Fangxu forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, trying his best to maintain the greed and curiosity that a businessman should have on his disguised face.
He knew that here, any excessive sympathy or pity could lead to his death.
He led Zhang Yunyuan and Feng Baobao, slowly walking among the "stalls".
While seemingly selecting goods, they were actually using the corner of their eyes to quickly memorize the terrain, the composition of the people, and the deployment of defensive forces.
From the moment Zhang Yunyuan stepped into this place, he keenly sensed an exceptionally powerful evil aura.
That energy was cold and viscous, yet it carried a sense of order that was as precise as a machine, devoid of any emotion.
It's like an invisible giant net, covering the entire black market and monitoring every move here.
The source of this aura was in the very center of the black market, on a makeshift platform.
Zhang Yunyuan followed the scent and looked in that direction.
On the high platform stood a blond middle-aged man dressed in a black tailcoat, whose demeanor was as elegant as someone attending a court ball.
He wore white gloves, held a walking stick inlaid with rubies, and wore a gentle smile, like a well-mannered nobleman.
But when his gaze occasionally sweeps over the "products" and "customers" below the stage, a hint of icy coldness and indifference, like that of a venomous snake, inadvertently appears in his icy blue eyes.
It's an absolute, overarching view that treats everything as straw dogs and life as data.
[Name: Claude von Hohenheim]
[Superhuman Level: Hero (Peak)]
[Techniques: Philosopher's Stone (Mastery), Dark Magic (Proficiency), Human Transmutation (Mastery)]
[Note: A core member of the mysterious overseas organization "Ouroboros," a genius in alchemy and black magic.]
Its core technique involves plundering the life force and soul of others to create the "Philosopher's Stone," and its methods are cruel and inhumane.
This person is extremely cunning and possesses strength reaching the pinnacle of heroism; he is extremely dangerous.
A barely perceptible hint of seriousness flashed in Zhang Yunyuan's eyes.
He understood instantly.
This so-called "Pandora" black market is far more complex than a simple smuggling ring.
Behind it is a massive, evil overseas organization dedicated to researching and modifying superhumans.
They treated China as their unbridled testing ground and source of raw materials!
Unfortunately, the peak cultivation level of a hero, which could stir up a storm in the world of supernatural beings, is now no different from an ant in Zhang Yunyuan's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, it can be killed instantly!
Just then, a copper bell rang.
The noisy bargaining in the black market gradually subsided, and everyone's attention turned to the high platform in the center.
The auction is about to begin.
Claude, a blond middle-aged man, walked to the center of the platform with a smile. He picked up the microphone and slowly began to speak in fluent Chinese, even with a slight Beijing accent.
"Welcome everyone to tonight's 'Pandora'."
His voice was gentle yet magnetic, full of captivating power.
"Here, you will see the world's rarest treasures, touch forbidden knowledge, and realize your wildest dreams."
"Of course, that is, on the condition that you can afford the price."
As soon as he finished speaking, a suppressed, excited chuckle rippled through the audience.
Several appetizers were served one after another.
There are evil magical artifacts unearthed from ancient tombs, imbued with powerful vengeful spirits;
There are mutated giant dogs that have undergone genetic modification and possess the ability to spew strong acid;
There was even a second-rate superhuman who had his mind washed away and was trained into an absolutely loyal killing machine.
Each "item" caused a stir among the audience and was auctioned off to buyers at high prices.
Finally, the final item was carefully carried onto the platform by two burly guards in a specially made, chilling briefcase.
Claude opened the briefcase himself.
Inside the box was not any actual object, but a uniquely shaped rhomboid crystal composed of pale blue light.
Inside the crystal, countless tiny, code-like data streams are flashing and flowing rapidly.
Claude's voice carried a hint of fanaticism.
"The grand finale of the evening—"
Incomplete research data on the 'genetic map of innate gifted individuals'!
"Although it is incomplete, I think everyone here understands its value better than I do."
"What does it mean? It means that we can use it to glimpse the secrets of the 'Chosen One'!"
This means we have the opportunity to artificially and mass-produce powerful, acquired superhumans!
"This is an authority that only God can possess!"
And tonight, it will belong to one of you!
Claude's words were like a bomb that exploded, instantly igniting the fire of greed in everyone present.
The breathing from the audience instantly became heavy.
In everyone's eyes burned a fierce determination to win.
Currently, the known superhumans in the superhuman world are basically all born with superhuman abilities.
The Lü family imprisoned Duanmu Ying for decades, and used her blood to awaken the Lü family's descendants, which was during her pregnancy.
If someone awakens the Bright Soul Technique after birth, they are considered an innate extraordinary person.
Decades later, Ma Xianhong, the successor of Ma Benzai, the master of the Divine Strategist, created the Body Refining Furnace in Biyou Village, and only then could he be considered an acquired extraordinary person.
However, these acquired superhumans have flaws. Not only do they heavily rely on magical artifacts for combat power, but their cultivation also has an upper limit.
Throughout history, the stable creation of extraordinary individuals has always been a challenging issue.
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley can indeed create extraordinary individuals, but they cannot dissipate their power; if they go outside, they will explode and die.
Now Westerners are actually saying they can create superhuman beings born after birth.
If they really succeed, wouldn't the world be in chaos?
If you create a group of superhumans from prison and release them, their destructive power will be more terrifying than a small army!
Zhao Fangxu and Zhang Yunyuan beside him exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.
They knew better than anyone else what kind of devastating disaster this data would bring to the entire world of superhumans, and even the whole world, if it fell into the hands of some ambitious people.
Must get it!
"Starting bid: one hundred large yellow croakers!" Claude announced loudly.
"One hundred and fifty!"
"I'll put up two hundred!"
"Three hundred of them! I'll take them all!"
Prices skyrocketed at an alarming rate.
A resolute glint flashed in Zhao Fangxu's eyes.
He spoke to Zhang Yunyuan in an almost inaudible voice:
"Master, please buy me ten breaths."
After saying that, he suddenly raised his hand and shouted loudly in a vulgar and boastful tone typical of nouveau riche.
"Five hundred of them! I, Master Huang, find them pleasing to the eye and will buy them to keep as decorations!"
His earth-shattering shout instantly drew everyone's attention.
And at that very moment, when everyone's attention was drawn to this sudden, astronomical price.
Zhang Yunyuan moved.
A glint of shrewdness flashed in his seemingly cloudy old accountant eyes.
He did not use any talismans or magical artifacts, but simply used his own pure Primordial Qi as "ink" and the void as "paper" to quietly draw on the "concept" of that data crystal.
A wisp of barely perceptible chaotic energy, under his mental control, rapidly outlined and imitated the structure and energy fluctuations of that data.
In just a few breaths.
A "data copy" that was exactly the same as the original on the stage, even mimicking the faint energy fluctuations, quietly took shape in the void in front of him.
Immediately afterwards, he flicked out an extremely faint wisp of Primordial Qi from his fingertip.
That wisp of Dao Qi was not aggressive, but it carried a faint spatial fluctuation simulated by the Cloud Ladder Leap and Wudang Tai Chi Force.
On the high platform, the data crystal coveted by countless people was secretly swapped with the counterfeit created by Zhang Yunyuan without anyone noticing.
The whole process was smooth and swift.
When everyone turned their attention back to the platform, everything had already been settled.
Zhang Yunyuan slowly withdrew his hand, and his cloudy eyes returned to their usual calm state.
His achievements and fame remain hidden.
Chapter 123 Successfully Retiring, Tianjin Guards Assemble in Thunderous Force
"Six hundred!"