OBS Chapter 212: Old Era Secrets, Ability Amplifier!
Chapter 212: Old Era Secrets, Ability Amplifier!
The danger in Dabo Town came abruptly, and the sudden full compatibility caught him completely off guard!Moreover, after the compatibility skyrocketed to one hundred percent at an unprecedented speed, the changes were surprisingly still ongoing.
According to his past search experience, Liu Kun's name should have turned pale gold by now, indicating that a special search could be initiated. This would either increase the hidden success rate or directly grant a guaranteed hit based on the compatibility.
But now, although the color of the name had changed, a direct suffix that he had never seen before appeared behind it.
Fully open.
'What exactly is fully open? Should it not be a guaranteed hit?'
Cheng Ye's gaze instantly focused, his body acting even faster than his mind.
Almost subconsciously, he expanded the search options, terrified that Liu Kun's bizarre state would suddenly vanish.
The entries on the interface began to emerge clearly.
[Liu Kun, 100%, Fully Open]
[Searchable Range:
1. Intelligence (Quality fixed increase to current maximum: 3; can choose any random direction to search)
2. Item (Probability: Guaranteed Hit x1)
3. Lv1 Skill (Probability: Guaranteed Hit x1; Energy Consumption: 20%)
4. Lv2 Skill (Probability: Guaranteed Hit x1; Energy Consumption: 25%)
5. Lv3 Skill (Probability: 6.7%; Energy Consumption: 100%)
6. Lv4 Skill (Probability: 2.237%; Energy Consumption: 100%)
7. Lv5 Skill (Probability: 1.52%; Energy Consumption: 100%)
8. Lv6 Skill (Probability: 0.031%; Energy Consumption: 100%)
9. Lv7 Skill (Probability: 0.00059%; Energy Consumption: 100%)]
'So fully open means... all entries can be searched?'
'It seems to be a higher tier than a guaranteed hit, but these probabilities down below are way too low...'
Cheng Ye glanced at the very bottom of the interface, his pupils suddenly contracting.
'How does Liu Kun have a Lv7 Skill?'
He remembered clearly from the last search that Liu Kun's highest skill was only a Lv6 Skill. The Civilization Collector systematically displayed all entries every single time; it was absolutely impossible for it to miss such crucial information.
But now, the entry for a Lv7 Skill was glaringly hanging right there.
'What does this mean?'
'It is already known that a Lv5 Skill corresponds to Heaven and Man in One, representing the highest tier of abilities right below a Transcendent.'
'Reaching a Lv6 Skill marks the official entry into the ranks of the Transcendents, unlocking a series of unfathomable abilities.'
'But this Lv7 Skill... Could the cage of fire he casually conjured just now, and the ability to instantly fly into the sky, all be the result of a Lv7 Skill?'
Cheng Ye had no time to ponder further. This was not the moment to decipher Liu Kun's state or the true meaning of a Lv7 Skill.
He took a deep breath, throwing all distracting thoughts out of his mind, leaving only his most primal greed to wage war against his rationality.
Looking back up, the search success rates for the Lv3, Lv4, and Lv5 tiers were all in the single digits.
What was even more troublesome was that the energy consumption for all three skills was a staggering one hundred percent. This meant he only had one chance to gamble; if he lost, his energy would be completely drained.
'Should I gamble, or play it safe?'
'Should I try searching for a high-level skill to use as a trump card?'
'Or should I steadily solidify my foundation by supplementing the three earth flames?'
Very soon, he made his decision.
'I have no time to recharge and search again. I cannot waste these precious guaranteed hits!'
Cheng Ye made the most rational choice almost instantly.
His previous searches had already proven that a "guaranteed hit" for different skill levels and items only consumed a single search opportunity.
Even if he used the guaranteed hit for the Lv2 Skill, the one for the Lv1 Skill would still remain.
Choosing the item, Lv1 Skill, and Lv2 Skill meant he could securely obtain two skills and one item. He absolutely would not lose out.
But if he chose to gamble on a Lv3 Skill or higher, and ran into an internalized secondary probability like when he searched for the Body-Killing Fire or Soul-Extinguishing Fire, he would be completely screwed.
'Search for a Lv2 Skill!'
Cheng Ye slightly lowered his head, pretending to contemplate whether to accept the mission in Dabo Town, while his eyes were actually glued to the interface.
The moment his thought landed, the interface began to flash wildly.
It seemed that using twenty-five percent energy to search for a Transcendent's Lv2 Skill was a massive strain.
After a slight tremor across the interface, specks of flames began to surge from the pitch-black background.
Then, in merely the blink of an eye, the scattering flames converged into a crimson wave of fire, wildly splashing outwards while carrying sparks that resembled crushed gold.
Within the narrow confines of the interface, every collision sparked transient, special runes, as if they were going to break out and materialize into reality in the very next second.
However, just as the turbulent flames reached their peak, a faint golden-red light suddenly flared in the center, looking exactly like the tuft of golden feathers on top of Little Flame's head.
'Huh?'
Cheng Ye was taken aback, only to see the speck of light instantly expand, genuinely transforming into the chubby phantom of the Blazing Eagle.
The little fellow gently twirled around, causing the flames inside the interface to abruptly stall.
Immediately after, all the splashing sparks seemed to be pulled by invisible strings, scrambling over each other to converge toward the center.
In just a split second, the violent flames were completely absorbed by Little Flame. Then, the phantom gradually faded, morphing into lines of clear text cloaked in a faint fiery glow, hovering steadily in the center of the interface.
[Liu Kun (Transcendent Symbiotic State)]
[Lv1 Skill]: Locked [Lv2 Skill]:
Transcendent Talent: Body-Burning Fire++ (Transcendent, gain the power to manipulate external flames; Probability: 0.5%)
Transcendent Talent: Heart-Guarding Fire+ (Transcendent, condense a ball of flame to protect oneself; Probability: 0.005%)
Transcendent Talent: Soul-Melting Fire++ (Transcendent, gain the power to attack another plane; Probability: 0.25%)
Skill: Spreading Fire+ (Perfect, gain a short-term enhancement in fire manipulation)
Skill: Heart Fire Shield+ (Perfect, gain a short-term mental shield condensed from flames)
Skill: Blazing Eagle's Calamity Fire+ (Perfect, attacks carry a trace of special power)
Skill: ... (9 Normal Skills hidden)
[Lv3 Skill]: Locked [Lv4 Skill]: Locked [Lv5 Skill]: Locked [Lv6 Skill]: Locked [Note]: Detected that the search target is influenced by a special power, causing skills to mutate. The Collector has issued a warning via the '+' symbol and will follow these rules:
1. For skills marked with a single '+', if the Collector does not possess the corresponding special power, the skill's rating will experience a significant downgrade (Perfect -> Rare).
2. For skills marked with a double '++', if the Collector does not possess the corresponding special power, they will automatically obtain that special power (this special power will only be in its nascent form, just enough to sustain the skill's normal operation, and will not correspond to the target's current level).
'My god, Liu Kun actually has higher-level Transcendent Talents?'
Cheng Ye stared at the interface, his heart filled with uncontrollable astonishment.
He was already mentally prepared for the guaranteed hit options to hide secondary probabilities, but those first three Transcendent Talents completely exceeded his expectations!
He had originally thought that the Lv2 Skills would derive from the "three basic flames", such as enhancing the power of the Body-Killing Fire or optimizing the effects of the Soul-Extinguishing Fire. He never expected brand-new talents to pop up directly.
Body-Burning Fire, Heart-Guarding Fire, and Soul-Melting Fire.
These three names were exceptionally similar to the previous skills, clearly originating from the exact same lineage.
What moved him even more was that the Heart-Guarding Fire, which appeared to be the advanced version of his Heart-Protecting Fire, did not have the double '+'
prompt next to it.
This meant that he already possessed the corresponding seed for this Transcendent Skill!
'Could Liu Kun's Transcendent Skills have advanced during this period?'
Cheng Ye's gaze fell on the locked Lv7 Skill at the very bottom of the interface, instantly figuring out the key.
Liu Kun leaving the city previously was precisely to enhance his strength. Now it seemed he had not only succeeded, but he had also broken through to a much higher realm.
'According to the interface, if I search for the Heart-Guarding Fire, would I directly obtain a complete Transcendent Talent?'
Cheng Ye guessed secretly.
He had previously suspected that the Collector's mechanism operated by using pure energy to simulate and convert abilities. Now, looking at the data, this theory had undoubtedly received its preliminary confirmation.
Using only twenty-five percent of the Recharge Value, which equaled one hundred kilowatt-hours of electrical energy, was far from enough to convert a complete Heart-Guarding Fire. The search probability was even lower than a Lv
5 Skill.
He could not help but shake his head inwardly, shifting his gaze to the other two talents.
During the last search, there was a one hundred percent guaranteed hit for the Heart-Protecting Fire. But this time, all three new talents required a gamble, and their probabilities were terrifyingly low.
'Should I give up on the talents and pick a safer skill?'
Cheng Ye's gaze darted around, scanning the interface repeatedly before finally bypassing the three talents and locking onto the "Heart Fire Shield" in the skill column.
Setting aside the pitifully low probabilities, he already had the seed for the Transcendent Talent. From here on out, he only needed to systematically nurture Little Flame; there was no rush to add new seeds.
Furthermore, a Lv2 Talent would occupy an already tight skill slot and could not fuse with the Heart-Protecting Fire. With his current capabilities, he absolutely could not afford to sustain it.
More importantly, heading back into Dabo Town, what he lacked was not lethal means, but life-saving defensive capabilities.
A defensive skill capable of manipulating the Heart-Protecting Fire was exactly what he needed most right now.
'Search, Heart Fire Shield!' Making up his mind, Cheng Ye stopped hesitating and softly confirmed his choice.
As soon as the words left his mouth, an unexpected scene unfolded.
The Blazing Eagle phantom formed by Little Flame unexpectedly surfaced on the interface again, lightly inhaling toward the words 'Heart Fire Shield'.
A condensed beam of fire instantly shot into the air, landing accurately into the golden mark on Little Flame's forehead. Its brilliance grew several shades brighter, and at the same time:
A series of prompts flashed across the interface in rapid succession.
[Search Successful]
[The Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Heart Fire Shield+ (Lv. 2; Perfect)]
[Detected a similar skill (Heart-Protecting Fire), initiating automatic absorption and fusion...]
[Heart-Protecting Fire and Heart Fire Shield have successfully fused! Heart Fire Shield entry has vanished. The growth progress of Heart-Protecting Fire has moderately increased!]
'Eh? Something this good?'
Cheng Ye's eyes instantly lit up.
Although the Heart Fire Shield was clearly a defensive skill derived from the Heart-Guarding Fire, it could now fuse with and strengthen the Heart-Protecting Fire while saving a precious skill slot. It was simply hitting two birds with one stone!
He did not rush to check the changes in the Heart-Protecting Fire. Instead, he immediately retreated to the main interface and pressed the search button for a Lv1 Skill.
Sure enough, after a burst of flickering firelight, the three Transcendent Talents disappeared from the interface. This completely confirmed that Liu Kun's strength had surged massively, and all his talents had advanced!
'It seems that Transcendent Talents, much like the embryonic form of Dragon Power from before, can continuously advance upward...'
Cheng Ye nodded slightly.
Without the three Transcendent Talents, only the three perfect skills of Fire Driving, Fire Hooking, and Fire Devouring remained.
He hesitated for a moment before following his previous line of thought, selecting the Heart-Protecting Fire derivative, Blazing Eagle Devours Fire, to continue reinforcing Little Flame.
The Blazing Eagle phantom emerged once again, taking a gentle breath toward 'Blazing Eagle Devours Fire', and the interface immediately popped up a new prompt:
[Search Successful]
[The Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Blazing Eagle Devours Fire+ (Lv. 1; Perfect)]
[Detected a similar skill (Heart-Protecting Fire), initiating automatic absorption and fusion...]
[Heart-Protecting Fire and Blazing Eagle Devours Fire have successfully fused! Blazing Eagle Devours Fire entry has vanished. The growth progress of Heart-Protecting Fire has slightly increased!]
Despite the increase dropping from "moderate" to "slight," Cheng Ye could not help but rejoice inwardly.
So it turned out that besides feeding Little Flame by letting it swallow fire, he could also stack its growth progress by searching for similar skills!
Once the growth progress rose, Little Flame would definitely grow stronger across the board. The buffs from his Transcendent Symbiotic State might even experience another massive leap!
'The previous Transcendent Symbiotic State already had significant enhancements. What will it look like now?'
Cheng Ye's heart pounded wildly. He had not been this nervous during his interrogation just now, but he currently could not suppress his excitement.
It really was true: there were always supplies right before a major battle.
The arrival of danger was equally accompanied by symbiotic opportunities.
Just like the Ruin-level Infection Source affecting Dabo Town right now. If he could contain it, would he be able to gather enough traits to exchange for a Transcendent Edict?
'Fantastic! This is absolutely fantastic!'
It was precisely because he had previously searched for the Heart-Protecting Fire, gaining immunity to area-of-effect Mental Pollution, that he now had the qualifications to walk out of Dabo Town.
Thinking about how he now had even more life-saving means to directly face the inexplicable threats ahead, Cheng Ye suppressed all his complicated emotions and gently pressed the final item search button.
Several strings of obscure characters flashed across the interface before instantly condensing into clear text:
[Search Successful!]
[Liu Kun (Transcendent Symbiotic State)]
[Searchable Item Range Verification: ...]
[Search successful. You have obtained a special item: Blazing Eagle's Brazier]
'?'
'Why is there another brazier?!'
'Is Chief Liu... running a wholesale business for feeding bowls?'
Cheng Ye was somewhat dumbfounded, but the changes on the interface had not stopped. To his surprise, it triggered a fusion just like the skills:
[Detected a similar item in the storage space (Original Blazing Eagle's Brazier), initiating stacking and fusion...]
[Blazing Eagle's Brazier fusion complete! You have obtained a new item: Blazing Eagle's Perching Cauldron]
'Huh?'
Cheng Ye was completely stunned. 'Items can fuse too?'
If skill fusion could be understood as a merging of homologous data streams, then this item fusion was just too bizarre.
'What on earth is the judgment criteria for this?'
'Moreover, Little Flame had not even absorbed ten percent of the three flames in the previous brazier. Are they all gone now after the fusion?'
Countless thoughts bubbled up, but despite the surprise, there was no way to take it out and verify it right now.
Furthermore, after three searches, the item had consumed fifty percent of his energy, and the two skills used forty-five percent. The value in the upper right corner was now a pitiful five percent.
'I need to find a way to recharge...'
Cheng Ye pondered, his eyes falling back onto the interface where Liu Kun's state remained completely unchanged.
It could be said that this entire search process was conducted amidst a sea of questions.
The process was unprecedentedly smooth, and the boost in his strength was undeniable, but this very "smoothness" carried an indescribable sense of eeriness.
'Thinking back to those two bizarrely low compatibilities... could it be that the Elders of Happiness City have arrived?'
"Cheng Ye, you have three minutes left to prepare," Halin's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I should also remind you, dawn is breaking soon."
Ding Yishan had not returned since leaving, as if he had already cemented his choice.
Only Deputy Station Chief Halin was left in the area to wrap things up. He walked over with a stack of documents and sat down, his tone softer than before. "My opinion aligns with Chief Liu's. A Ruin-level Infection Source is not something a Trainee Inspector like you can handle. Or rather, at this level, even if I went in, or any senior Inspector for that matter, the success rate would not be much higher than yours."
He paused, then added, "But I know what you are thinking right now, so I will not directly persuade you to give up."
"First, regarding the classification of Infection Sources!"
Halin's tone suddenly turned serious. It was as if he had reverted to his instructor persona from the trainee boot camp when Cheng Ye first met him, his voice clear and powerful. "Just like disaster levels and Infection Tide levels, Infection Sources are also divided into Swarm, Wave, Plague, Disaster,"
"Ruin, and Annihilation. These six tiers represent the fact that if an Infection Source fully erupts, its maximum destructive power can reach the level of an Infection Tide of the same tier."
"What you are about to face is a Ruin-level Infection Source. Since the beginning of the New Era, there have been four recorded outbreaks of Ruin-level Infection Tides."
"On average, each one caused 1.72 million casualties and devastated 170,000 square kilometers of land."
"But you must note that a 'Ruin-level' Infection Source is different from a 'Ruin-level' Infection Tide. The former only represents its maximum lethal potential after an outbreak. If it can be found and contained before it erupts, its threat level can drop to Disaster-level or even lower. Since the New Era began, the Kindling Alliance has recorded 2,927 successful containments of Ruin-level Infection Sources. However, there are 130,585 cases where containment failed, resulting in the entire region being sealed off and turned into 'wasteland'. Based on this ratio, the success rate for containment is about two percent. So your gamble is not entirely without a chance."
'There are actually over a hundred thousand Ruin-level Infection Sources that have not been contained to this day?'
Cheng Ye was secretly shocked, but he remained calm on the surface, giving a slight nod to motion for Halin to continue.
"Second, regarding the state of the Infection Source you will be facing."
Halin's tone remained steady. "The activity level of wild Infection Sources is divided into four stages: Slumber, Awakening, Outbreak, and Full Outbreak."
"Currently, most high-risk Infection Sources in the wasteland are still in the Slumber stage. At this phase, they are completely harmless. As long as they are discovered and contained in time, they will not cause any adverse effects."
"A small number of high-risk Infection Sources are in the Awakening stage. In this phase, they passively release their abilities, affecting the surrounding environment. For example, the Abyssal Water Cave Crab you discovered; its behavior of releasing Poisonous Water Crystals was a trigger of its passive abilities."
"Only an extremely small number of high-risk Infection Sources will enter the Outbreak Stage. Under this condition... take the Starfish Epidemic for example."
Halin's eyes darkened slightly. "Once the Starfish Epidemic enters the Outbreak Stage, it will leave its original slumbering ground and actively seek out targets to 'detonate' itself. Ultimately, it enters a Full Outbreak state, causing widespread pollution."
"So the Infection Source in Dabo Town is currently still in the Awakening stage?" Cheng Ye followed up with a question, rapidly sorting through the known information.
Unexpectedly, Halin gave a surprising answer. "Strictly speaking, what is affecting Dabo Town can only be considered half an Infection Source."
"Half?" Cheng Ye frowned, not understanding this phrasing.
"Yes. Its complete scientific name is a 'Multi-Transcendent Hybrid Construct'."
Halin explained, "It was born during Transcendent Year 5, the most active period for Transcendents in the old era. The principle is similar to fruit tree grafting or biological gene mixing. It involves forcibly fusing multiple Transcendent Objects together so that their abilities complement and catalyze each other, birthing an unfathomable, epoch-making power. This kind of construct already possessed incredibly complex abilities. After being infected by the S4 Virus, all its powers underwent mutation and reorganization, eventually combining to produce a polluting ability beyond human comprehension."
"After the New Era began, humanity gave this type of special Infection Source a name..." Halin paused, emphasizing his tone, "Immortal Object!"
"Why call it that?" Cheng Ye asked, though he already had a faint guess in his heart.
"Because..." Halin struggled for a moment before finally admitting, "Do you know what the core of the Source-Guiding Technology is?"
"Could it be..." Cheng Ye was startled, raising his head in astonishment.
"That's right. The core of the Source-Guiding Technology is the Immortal Object," Halin nodded, his voice carrying an inevitable trace of complexity. Containing a Ruin-level Infection Source was hard enough, but an Immortal Object was even more troublesome than anything of the same tier.
Even he felt his scalp tingle with dread when he first heard those two words earlier.
"Only by utilizing an Immortal Object do we have a chance to replicate the abilities of the 'Immortals' from the previous era. That is why it was given this special name."
Phew.
Slammed by this massive amount of information, Cheng Ye stood frozen for several seconds before regaining his senses.
He took a deep breath, shooting a complicated glance upward before suddenly shifting the topic. "Then... what if I refuse to execute the mission?"
As soon as the words fell, before Halin could even react, Cheng Ye suddenly felt his body become extremely light.
An irresistible pulling force surged from beneath his feet. He looked down, only to find that his feet had actually left the ground, and he was uncontrollably floating high into the air!
'Holy shit?'
'Since when can I fly?'
Before he could wrap his head around it, his body felt as though it had passed through an invisible barrier, exactly like the sensation he had when he saw the camp squad earlier.
When he ascended to about twenty meters in the air, a pale blue water ripple suddenly spread outward.
In the sky above the night-shrouded wilderness, not far away sat two elderly men cross-legged, along with... a person frozen into an ice block. Wait a minute, was that not Liu Kun?
Cheng Ye's heart sank, but he had no time to ponder Liu Kun's sudden transformation. He could only let the invisible traction drag him in front of the two old men.
The distance closed.
His first impression was that they looked somewhat like those old grandpas who loved to exercise in modern parks.
The elder on the left had a rather thin figure, but his back was ramrod straight without the slightest hint of a hunched, senile posture.
His facial features were sharp and defined. Even though he was wearing a casual gray tracksuit with the sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms, he still exuded an intimidating, serious aura without needing to show anger.
The elder on the right, meanwhile, radiated a sense of capable efficiency. His build was slightly stout but not bloated, and his shoulders were broad and level.
His short hair was cut neatly, and although there was frost at his temples, it was well-groomed. Also wearing a tracksuit, he rested his hands on his crossed legs, his eyes bright and piercing.
Before Cheng Ye could speak, the elder on the left spoke up first without even opening his eyes. His voice was unusually cold. "Cheng Ye, you are an Inspector of Happiness City. For the inspection station, there are nearly a thousand people inside waiting for rescue; you are the sole survivor and the only variable. Containing the Immortal Object is your responsibility. For Happiness City, the fragment of the Immortal Object is the core of researching the Source-Guiding Technology; since you are unpolluted, you must immediately go in and find the fragment to aid in Happiness City's development."
"You have no right to negotiate," the old man's tone carried an unquestionable toughness. "Take the initiative to go back and find the fragment. Whatever you want, I will make the call, and you will be given what you are due. But before that, you do not have the right to choose."
As he spoke, the invisible pulling force suddenly tightened, faintly locking onto Cheng Ye's vital points in a silent threat.
Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze falling once again on the thin elder's face.
'Heh, what an overbearing display of authority!'
Ever since he transmigrated and became an Inspector, no one had ever spoken to him like this.
'It seems these two must be at the very pinnacle of power in Happiness City, the so-called... Elders?'
However, before he could give a response, the old man on the right jumped in with a smile, "Old Zeng, treating Little Liu with that attitude is one thing, but back in the day, you followed Old Cheng around and called him 'Brother Cheng' more diligently than anyone else. What's wrong? Are you trying to reclaim your prestige in front of his grandson today?"
'Hm?'
'What a familiar voice.'
Cheng Ye froze for a moment, turning his head to look at the capable elder, and his mind instantly flashed back to the night he killed Zhang Can.
The voice that had come through the Defense Terminal back then instantly connected with the voice he was hearing right now.
'Is this... that Elder from the Idealist Faction?'
"Old Cheng..."
The thin elder muttered softly, his tone easing slightly. "Cheng Wu doesn't even care about his own children and grandchildren. Do you expect me to fulfill the duties of a grandfather on his behalf?"
"You can't put it that way." The capable elder shook his head. "The contributions Cheng Wu made to Happiness City, even if he squandered some of them himself, the remaining weight is more than enough to allow his grandson to drop this mission right now."
After saying that, he looked over, his gaze much gentler. "Cheng Ye, Old Zeng is abrasive with his words, but his logic isn't wrong. You've been to the Kindling Alliance; you must have seen their Kindling Rail Mountain, right? That is merely the tip of the iceberg of their Source-Guiding Technology. Even though the Immortal Object this time is only a fragment, it represents a massive opportunity for Happiness City."
"I can make the call and give you a chance to truly choose."
Noticing Cheng Ye's hesitant expression, he chuckled lightly. "Come on, if you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"Elder?" Cheng Ye probed tentatively.
"My surname is Qian. I was comrades with your grandfather back in the day, so there's no need to be so formal." Elder Qian waved his hand, his smile widening.
However, seeing this smile made Cheng Ye's heart skip a beat. It felt inexplicably familiar.
'Crap.'
'Why does this feel so much like the look I have every time I'm plotting and calculating something?'
'Could it be that these two are playing good cop, bad cop?'
"Alright, Elder Qian," Cheng Ye steadied himself, cutting straight to the point. "I want to ask: since you two are so strong, why don't you go in yourselves to save people and find the fragment?"
"Good question."
Elder Qian nodded candidly, not hiding anything at all. "Because we old fogeys are rather afraid of death."
Seeing the sheer bafflement on Cheng Ye's face, he gently shook his head and explained, "The biggest difference between an Immortal Object and a standard Infection Source lies in the degree and direction of influence from the S3 and S4 Viruses. The Infection Sources you've encountered so far can only be considered 'ordinary models.' Their predecessors were not true Transcendent Objects; they were just partially mutated by the S3 Virus. Humanity in the old era called them 'Treasures.' They could provide some buffs, but they couldn't help a person transcend."
"Only those 'Transcendent Objects' that existed during the S3 period and were never discovered or used by humans can be called 'Mother Sources' after being mutated by the S4 Virus. And the mutation direction of these Mother Sources is fundamentally the pursuit of 'ultimate evolution'."
"Evolution..." Cheng Ye silently repeated the word in his mind, not rushing to ask further.
"An Immortal Object is already formed from the hybrid fusion of multiple Transcendent Objects. After being mutated by the S4 Virus, these hybridized parts mutate in different directions. Some pursue ultimate evolution like a Mother Source, some continue to strengthen their original abilities, and there are others..."
Elder Qian raised his hand, pointing toward the White Water River not far away. A burst of water vapor suddenly exploded in the air, gradually coalescing into the phantom of a slowly spinning conch. "For example, the fragment of the Immortal Object in the White Water River. It chose a special direction. You can understand it as an 'Ability Amplifier'."
"Ability Amplifier?"
Cheng Ye pondered it for a moment, suddenly recalling the traits he had gathered in his interface.
'A Transcendent Edict?'
'An Ability Amplifier?'
"Correct. Only this type of Immortal Object is qualified to become the core of the Source-Guiding Technology, and even then, it's only 'probable'."
Elder Qian explained, "Not all amplification directions are useful. If it amplifies an ability like 'Earthquake,' then it's at best a standard weapon, which isn't of much value to us. After all, the price of utilizing the Source-Guiding Technology even once far exceeds your imagination."
"As for the Kindling Rail Mountains you saw in the Kindling Shelter City, its core ability is: Mountain Sculpting!"
"Every time it's used, it can melt down scattered materials and reforge them into a mountain, even altering its form at will. That's why they can build a mountain in a single day, or forge a Happiness Great Wall in a day."
"Do we not have one?" Cheng Ye asked instinctively.
What he got in return was Elder Qian shaking his head with a silent smile. Clearly, Happiness City did have one, but it was nowhere near as practical.
However, Elder Qian didn't completely hide the truth. He changed the subject, "You must remember, the rules of this world have no fundamental difference from the old era. If a technology holds immensely high value and won't destroy the world, the best approach is to open-source it so everyone can research it, rather than hiding it and fumbling in the dark alone."
"Therefore, the Source-Guiding Technology itself isn't the focal point. In Year 21 of the New Era, the Kindling Alliance already made this technology open-source. What's truly difficult is, first, how to reduce the cost of usage. We can only claim to have knocked open the door of the Source-Guiding Technology if the cost is controllable and acceptable to us. We can't just sacrifice a million people for a single use, right? And second, how to find a more suitable Ability Amplifier."
"Then what ability do you think the fragment down there amplifies?" Cheng Ye followed up, though he already had the answer in his heart.
Combining the "Transcendent Edict" and "Area-of-Effect Mental Pollution" deduced from the interface, the answer was already obvious.
'If nothing unexpected happens...'
Elder Qian raised his hand and pointed at his own head, his tone turning serious. "The ability of this fragment might be extremely terrifying. Whether for the future of humanity or our research, it must be contained as quickly as possible. Once it falls into the hands of a lunatic, this already shattered land will only end up worse."
"Then earlier, when you said... you're afraid of death?" Cheng Ye circled back to his initial question.
"I truly am afraid, but not of dying myself," Elder Qian admitted candidly. "People at the level of Old Zeng and me absolutely cannot block the single-target directional pollution of this fragment. We would instantly lose control, go mad, and ultimately self-destruct."
He exhaled a breath, though the smile on his face didn't fade. "It is precisely because we are too strong that the Immortal Object fragment would target us first. You, on the other hand, are just weak enough that it won't lock onto you as easily, making your success rate higher."
"Besides, we old fossils have enjoyed far more privileges than you Inspectors. Even if we must sacrifice ourselves, it shouldn't be wasted in a place like this."
After Elder Qian finished speaking, he actually couldn't help but laugh out loud. "This winter, the fifth Ruin-level Infection Tide in the history of humanity's New Era is coming. And this time, their target is..."
He paused for a second before saying word by word: "Happiness City!"