The sound of running water in the bathroom stopped.
Jiang Lijin slipped into an oversized cotton pajama shirt, shuffled back to the bedroom in her slippers, and threw herself onto the bed.
The pungent smell of disinfectant from the underground Academy of Sciences still clung stubbornly to her nasal passages, refusing to fade. The dark green, arthropod-infested lump of rotting flesh in the glass pod, along with the shocking live data on Chiron's console, flashed before her eyes like a carousel.
Jiang Lijin mentally sorted through everything that had happened over the past few days from start to finish.
Graven was an immensely ambitious man. He wanted the only perfect 3S-grade experimental mother body in the entire galaxy, which was why he had targeted her.
Holman was a madman, obsessed with purifying the Zerg neurotoxin in an attempt to break the beastmen's hierarchy barrier.
Wait. Jiang Lijin snapped her eyes open and sat up in bed.
Zerg neurotoxin.
Baal's bloodshot golden eyes suddenly surfaced in her mind, along with the terrifying, bulging veins on his body when he went berserk. That devastating, irrational urge to destroy shared a strikingly similar underlying logic with the defective specimen she had seen in the glass pod today.
Baal's poison also came from the Zerg.
The Supreme Commander of the Federal Military, the absolute pinnacle of combat power in the galaxy, just happened to be afflicted with an incurable Zerg poison at this critical juncture, his mental energy on the verge of collapse. If he hadn't coincidentally matched with a 3S-grade female like her, Baal would probably be in an urn by now.
Working backwards—if Baal died on the front lines or at military headquarters due to his berserk state, who would benefit?
The Federal Military would be left leaderless and inevitably plunge into civil war. Meanwhile, on the Empire's side, the old emperor was gravely ill, the Third Prince was still a toddler who couldn't even read, and Graven held absolute power. The moment the Federation fell into chaos, Graven could seize the opportunity to strike, perhaps even annexing the Federation entirely.
He didn't just want to play god; he wanted to dominate the entire galaxy!
The person behind Kieran was Graven! And Graven had countless ties to the Zerg!
What a sinister game of chess. He was already the sole heir to the Empire, yet he was still unsatisfied.
"Xiao Yi."
[Here, Host! What are your orders?]
"Do you have a way to cure the poison in Baal?"
[Let me check. There's something called the Universal Antidote. It's not from this world and can neutralize any toxin, but... it's a little pricey.]
Jiang Lijin laughed in exasperation. "How pricey?"
[Two thousand points.]
A dead silence fell over the bedroom.
Jiang Lijin pulled up the system panel and glanced at the pitiful account balance in the top right corner. The balance read: 221.
"Profiteer," Jiang Lijin cursed through gritted teeth.
[This is an Advanced Purification Potion! It cures all ailments and eradicates sickness instantly. System products are always top tier!] Xiao Yi pitched enthusiastically, its tone so hyped it was practically banging gongs and hanging banners in her head.
Jiang Lijin said nothing.
Baal was currently her strongest martial guarantee. If his poison remained uncured, his berserk meter was a ticking time bomb. Facing a ruthless madman like Graven, who would even stitch live humans together, she had to ensure her side's combat power was at its absolute peak.
No matter how much of a rip-off this deal was, she had to make it.
"Can't I issue an IOU?" Jiang Lijin rubbed her temples.
[You can take out a loan.] Xiao Yi's tone immediately turned sycophantic. [Should I redeem it for you now?]
"Hold on." Jiang Lijin stopped Xiao Yi.
The royal banquet was the day after tomorrow. Since Graven dared to send out invitations so openly, he must have already laid an inescapable trap in the palace. She was currently a highly coveted prize walking along the edge of a cliff. Relying solely on Baal and Chiron for protection meant there would eventually be a slip-up.
To strike iron, one must be strong.
"Open the system shop." Jiang Lijin sat up straight, crossing her legs. "Let me see if there's anything to save my life. The situation is too dangerous; I need some self-defense gear."
[Alrighty! The shop is now open for you.]
A pale blue virtual screen popped up before her eyes, displaying a dazzling array of goods.
Jiang Lijin stared at the shop screen, her blood pressure rising the more she looked.
The first row of recommendations was simply absurd.
[Queen's Aura Perfume: Within ten minutes of spraying, surrounding males will experience the psychological fluctuation of "She's so cool, she's so arrogant, why isn't she looking at me?" Price: 88 points.]
Jiang Lijin rolled her eyes. Was an aura what she lacked right now? What she lacked was a physical salvation tool to twist Graven's head off and kick it like a ball.
She swiped her finger down.
[Anti-Pervert Stun Ring: Effective against those below A-rank. For A-rank and above, effectiveness depends on how thick the opponent's skin is. Price: 120 points.]
Trash. Any random royal guard pulled from the palace would be A-rank at minimum. This thing was only good for shocking mosquitoes.
Continuing to scroll down, she finally spotted a line of text in the corner of the weapons category.
[Micro Particle Cutting Wire: Can be hidden on the outer wrist bone. Performs high-speed cutting within a three-meter radius. Indestructible. Price: 1500 points.]
[Advanced Purification Potion: Clears all pollution and toxins. Price: 2000 points.]
Jiang Lijin's hand paused.
The two items combined cost three thousand five hundred points.
"Xiao Yi," Jiang Lijin looked at the screen expressionlessly. "Does your shop have a Pinduoduo 'slash the price' feature?"
Xiao Yi choked: [...No.]
"What about a first-time buyer discount?"
[Host, you are no longer a newcomer.]
"Loyal customer rewards?"
[Also no.]
"With this business model, you're going to be investigated by the Consumer Association sooner or later."
Xiao Yi played dead for two seconds before speaking up weakly: [The Host can take out a loan of five thousand points. No interest, no time limit. It's all built on trust.]
Jiang Lijin closed her eyes, forcefully suppressing the urge to drag the system out and beat it up.
"Particle Cutting Wire, Advanced Purification Potion. Redeem."
A faint light glowed on the screen, and the two items transformed into data streams, landing directly in the palm of her hand.
The Particle Cutting Wire was a thin silver ring. Following the instructions, she slipped it onto her right wrist. The ring instantly shrank, fitting perfectly against her skin, turning into an extremely narrow silver line that looked like a tattoo.
Jiang Lijin walked over to the desk, picked up the metal water cup, and placed it on a cabinet three meters away.
She raised her right hand and flicked her wrist slightly.
There was no sound, nor were there any light or shadow special effects.
With a soft clack, the top half of the metal cup slid off smoothly and fell to the floor. The water inside finally reacted, splashing all over the ground.
The cut was so clean and neat that it could be used as a mirror.
Jiang Lijin stared at the halved cup on the floor, very satisfied. If this thing were used on certain people's necks, it should be quite convenient. The blood probably wouldn't even splatter too high.
She turned her head and looked at the remaining transparent tubular bottle in her hand.
This was the Advanced Purification Potion. The liquid inside gave off a very pale silver-blue hue, like some kind of glowing deep-sea algae. The bottle had no labels, and holding it in her hand provided a strange sense of warmth.
Jiang Lijin stored the potion in the nightstand drawer equipped with a gene lock.
She couldn't give this medicine to Baal right now; there was simply no way to explain its origin.
Furthermore, the poison in Baal's system had vanished completely overnight. If Graven were to find out... alerting the enemy prematurely would be a fatal mistake.
She needed to choose the perfect moment. Ideally, before the royal banquet, she would find a justifiable excuse for Baal's recovery while simultaneously coming up with a plausible explanation for where the medicine came from.
