Chapter 1053: Chapter 62: New Clues

“These past few days have truly been unsettling…” Jin’s tone was filled with worry as he connected again.

The location for this meeting was the virtual chat room provided by the chamber of commerce, the kind that wouldn’t leave access records. Speaking here was extremely safe.

This time, Jin heard some troubling rumors.

“This incident has affected the drug market,” Jin said. “Several small factions raided two medicine merchants, and one of them suddenly revealed an expert who wasn’t on record and turned the tables, killing at least two people.”

The “small factions” mentioned by Jin included the intelligence agency Jeanne had previously baited. That agency counted as a faction but was quite unique. Essentially, it was a “similar Inner Strength interest research group,” a gathering of people with similar non-mainstream Inner Strength cultivation tendencies to cause a stir. They came together simply because they liked researching the application direction of Inner Strength, but with such a large force, they thought of “doing something.” So, they took up “intelligence peddler” work part-time.

Inner Strength specialized in understanding humans has a natural advantage in reconnaissance.

Jeanne handed them the intelligence, but even they didn’t plan to consume it all at once. They intended to bring in two similar organizations, then collaborate to gather more intelligence to earn more.

Then, they encountered strong counterattacks from the Six Dragons Sect.

The intensity of the Six Dragons Sect’s response exceeded their expectations.

Asgard nodded: “Yes, that’s indeed what happened. It has a lot to do with the Six Dragons Sect.”

“Turns out you guys stirred up quite a situation.” Jin shook his head, “Be extremely careful. I’ve acquired several pieces of footage. You can study them yourself; the Martial Arts are so advanced that I can’t grasp them.”

Asgard was stunned: “Really? Way beyond your level? At least surpassing a major threshold? Unless they’re solely practicing external strength and neglecting everything else…”

At this moment, she received several files, in visual memory format.

“See for yourself.”

Asgard mumbled: “This doesn’t make sense… Aren’t there usually very few One Layer Heaven Martial Artists who use weak bodies?”

This was an “instinctual” thing. After adapting to powerful Prosthetic Bodies, using weak ones, people inevitably feel psychological discrepancies. Losing a strong Prosthetic Body makes one feel they lost control over surroundings and themselves, missing some mental support. It’s like people accustomed to non-natural senses suddenly shutting off radar-like detection equipment, feeling the world is quite “bizarre.”

The Prosthetic Body supporting a Martial Artist surpassing a major threshold integrates the most cutting-edge technology of the era, possessing detection capabilities far beyond Innate senses and providing limitless nuclear power.

When Asgard was still in training camp, she’d seen several high-ranking officers. Those high-ranking officers typically had several Prosthetic Bodies before promotion, usable for different situations, even ones specifically for fulfilling Sacred reproduction duties. But after promotion, their Biological Brain nearly never leaves their most powerful Prosthetic Body. Other bodies are often remotely controlled via signals.

Or perhaps they simulate material pleasures only in Virtual Spaces.

Most One Layer Heaven Martial Artists are unwilling to leave their Prosthetic Bodies.

However, the two One Layer Heaven Martial Artists from the Six Dragons Sect she currently encountered didn’t mind such matters.

This is quite strange.

It seems that for them, the anxiety of “leaving a powerful body” can be directly ignored.

“But speaking of the departing shadow, the mysterious expert who left couldn’t fit a Prosthetic Body into the Reactor,” Jin said. “Either they didn’t use their Prosthetic Body, or they’re solely practicing external strength and neglecting everything else.”

“Then I’d rather believe they didn’t use their primary Prosthetic Body,” Asgard said. “Solely practicing one technique to such a level is even rarer than a major threshold itself.”

“So, it’s a puzzle then,” Jin said. “Why are they willing to do this?”

“Are you very worried?”

“They… might unexpectedly have ideals.” Jin looked up, “Those with ideals can conquer their fears. I don’t know how to describe it, but… I’m beginning to feel that the Six Dragons Sect might be genuinely terrifying.”

Asgard replied, “They have ideals? Is that remarkable?”

“I don’t know; I’ve never seen such people.” Jin shook his head. “In this damned era and place, ideals can’t be sold for money. I don’t know what kind of people count as having ideals. My mother’s crazy elders might be such idealistic people… I don’t know how to describe it.”

His mother’s elders wanted to cultivate his mother into a generation of Martial Gods, but later abandoned that idea.

Asgard laughed: “In this case, I must consider running away… I really don’t want to face lunatics.”

Jin sighed: “Do they have a grudge against you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“From my observation, if you say such things with that expression, it indicates you’re planning to not retreat an inch, never leave even in death,” Jin said. “I understand that much.”

Asgard sighed: “They killed my friends, many friends. A two-hundred-year-old… Some ancient figure of two hundred years told me I now have severe post-traumatic stress disorder—regarding that matter. For me, if I don’t confront those Six Dragons Sect bastards, I’m afraid I’ll have nightmares for life. Before killing the ones directly harming my past friends, I will not back down.”

Jin was pensive: “You were once a Ranger in the Anti-Martial God Squad… I’ve pondered carefully. Aside from the Tenth Martial God annihilating the Anti-Martial God Squad, the most famous collective destruction of that unit should be on the Moon, suffering under King Aqini’s clarity…”

Asgard stared at him: “I heard this behavior of yours would be considered offensive to me in the old days?”

“As expected.” Jin said, “Does this matter also have the involvement of the Six Dragons Sect?”

Asgard sighed. She didn’t want to discuss this.

“I don’t know much about the internal details, but this matter shows the Six Dragons Sect’s capacity for causing trouble, even able to impact Moon’s forces… Before that incident, that king wanted to rebuild his hold over the Martial God Squad, right? Because of this, the Martial God Squad was never reconstructed, until he heard the rumors about the Twelfth Martial God…”

Asgard stood up: “Does this concern you, Jin? Talking about this is pointless, logging off now.”

“Wait.” Jin shook his head: “The Hermo Association also deals in the drug business, so we’ve heard some additional intelligence that might be useful to you.”

So, Asgard sat back down.

“The two medicine merchants that were taken out both provided drugs for Inner Strength cultivation,” Jin tapped his fingers on the table. “Then, after their incidents, we received calls for help. It seems those two medicine merchants, under the guise of ‘clinical trial volunteers,’ provided some clients with newly developed drugs for free and left them contact information for periodic follow-ups to verify the actual effects of their drugs… I suspect those people may have ‘Gu’ on them.”