CHAPTER 95: CHAPTER 95 INVESTIGATION_1

When fighting Lin Zhiquin and Qin Feng, at least he could scratch the surface of True Skill.

Engaging Zhou Ling... was purely an experience of high technology’s might.

I wonder who is stronger, Zhou Ling or Lin Zhiquin and Qin Feng?

Lu Yuan had naturally tried to inhabit Zhou Ling’s body with his consciousness. The experience was—an explosive force filled his entire body. Stepping on the ground, he felt as if he could float away at any moment.

This was an even more powerful physique than that of Lin Zhiquin or Qin Feng. A body modified with metal was simply incomparable to one of flesh and blood.

The only shortcoming was that Zhou Ling’s body lacked the harmonious and natural sense of integrated smoothness that Lin Zhiquin’s and Qin Feng’s possessed. It felt rougher, less refined.

There was also a definite gap in skill between them. So, Lu Yuan couldn’t judge who would win if they truly fought.

These are two different paths, each with its own strengths and weaknesses... But in terms of upper limits, the Modified Humans are likely stronger.

Lu Yuan quietly exited the Consciousness Space.

Opening his eyes, he saw a clear night sky overhead, a crescent moon hanging high. He sat cross-legged on the building’s rooftop; it was now nighttime.

It’s time to consider increasing my strength, Lu Yuan thought, stretching out his hand and squeezing his sturdy arm.

His biggest trump card was now the two-fold power amplification from Special Burst. It could instantly boost his Basic Punch Strength from over 400 kilograms to 800, or even to the 900 or 1,000-kilogram level.

Previously, due to his physique, the instantaneous burst of Fist Strength would have overwhelmed him. Now, with a significant improvement in his physique, his basic strength could also be increased a bit.

I also need to keep practicing the Crane-shaped Pile intensively. My agility is too low; no matter how strong I become, it’s useless if I can’t hit my target...

Lu Yuan got up from the ground and casually practiced some fighting techniques for a while.

Under his Fighter profession, three basic fighting skills remained unmastered: Basic Capture, Basic Palm Skill, and Basic Finger Skill. If he mastered them all, that would mean another three attribute points, something Lu Yuan naturally wouldn’t pass up.

However, these three skills were more suited to actual combat, and without a sparring partner, the practice effect was terrible. At this stage, he couldn’t ask Lin Zhiquin for help; he could only pull a few random opponents into the Consciousness Space to train with each day. After returning to reality, he would digest what he’d practiced by replaying the battles in his mind. Although the Experience Points increase wasn’t much, it was better than nothing.

Time flowed like water.

During this period, a crow landed on the rooftop, lingered for a short while, then flapped its wings and flew off, melting into the night sky and disappearing from sight.

「Early morning, in the bedroom.」

A well-proportioned, muscular young man, wearing only shorts, stood on one foot on a mat, his arms extended as if about to take flight. His muscles rippled faintly, like wind skimming over water, and as his form shifted, there was an elusive beauty in its harmonious and agile rhythm. He resembled a great bird, performing movements akin to resting, running, foraging, and preening its feathers...

After an unknown period, the young man’s movements slowly ceased, and he settled calmly.

"Whoosh—" Lu Yuan exhaled gently, and a fine sheen of sweat visibly surfaced on his fair, smooth skin. Just then, sunlight streamed in, casting a faint golden glow over him, making him appear even more serene and handsome.

[Your skill Crane-shaped Pile is enhanced, Experience Points +4]

[Your skill Crane-shaped Pile is enhanced, Experience Points +6]

[You practiced for ten minutes, job experience +5]

...

Looking at the series of prompts on the panel, Lu Yuan’s face showed a hint of surprise.

After the Crane-shaped Pile leveled up to Lv. 3, the growth of Experience Points had been as slow as a tortoise. Lu Yuan had originally thought he’d reached a bottleneck and would need to rely on the secret martial arts elixir of the Heaven Water Sect’s Crane Sect.

Unexpectedly, now that he practiced it again, the growth rate of Experience Points was even faster than when it was at Lv. 2.

My improved physique makes many movements more effortless. The muscle control from Special Burst, my intelligence increasing to 14 points, a deeper understanding of the Crane Cry Punch... All these factors combined have deepened my understanding of the eighteen movements of the Crane-shaped Pile by another level, so the effects have naturally improved.

This was definitely a pleasant surprise for Lu Yuan.

When his morning practice ended, Lu Yuan went into the bathroom for a quick wash and changed into dry, fresh clothes.

He walked to the balcony, where two pitch-black Crows were already waiting. As usual, Lu Yuan scattered some food for his two Crows, then used the Crow Language skill to receive the information they had brought. A moment later, Lu Yuan waved his hand to dismiss them.

He then returned to his room and noted down two addresses in a notebook. Several similar addresses were already written on this page of the notebook.

It’s about time to check them out one by one, Lu Yuan thought, tearing the page of notes from the notebook.

Over the past few days, he had trained and released over 700 Crows. He received a large amount of feedback from them daily, thousands of reports in total. After repeated screening, only seven or eight of the most suspicious locations remained.

Without a personal on-site inspection of these locations, it was impossible to make an accurate judgment. Lu Yuan’s next plan was to search these addresses one by one until he found the rat man, killed it, and completely eliminated this threat.

I’m only a paper-thin barrier away from fully comprehending the Crane Cry Punch. The reason this barrier can’t be pierced must be due to the worries and burdens in my heart, some pent-up frustration I haven’t released...

This feeling was very strong in Lu Yuan’s heart. The deeper Lu Yuan delved into the Crane Cry Punch, the more he could feel the profundity and mystery of this technique. The cry of a crane and the image of its flight that spontaneously arose in his mind whenever he executed the Crane Cry Punch were the best proof of this.

Advanced Martial Arts perhaps involves many aspects on the spiritual level...

Images of Lin Zhiquin and Qin Feng constantly flickered through Lu Yuan’s mind.

「Half an hour later.」

A tall, sturdy young man appeared at the entrance of a residential complex. He wore a simple white T-shirt and casual denim pants, carrying a small shoulder bag. The bag was bulging, as if packed with many items.

Xinqiao Street, Ziming Community... This is it, Lu Yuan thought, stopping his steps and squinting slightly. He hadn’t had a haircut in a long time, and his hair was getting long, sometimes poking into his eyes.

He stood at the entrance of an old residential complex, not far from his home; he had walked there in about 10 minutes.

Lu Yuan didn’t enter through the main gate of the residential complex. Instead, he skirted around it, making his way to an old alley on the side of the community. At first glance, it looked somewhat similar to the alley where he had previously found the rat man.

The alley was cluttered with all sorts of miscellaneous items, scrap, and garbage. Even from a distance, one could detect a faint, sour, decaying stench. Now that his physique had improved, Lu Yuan’s sense of smell had become extremely acute. Consequently, the stench assaulted his nostrils with even greater intensity.

Lu Yuan lightly covered his nose with his hand and took a couple of steps inside.