"I hope this Genetic Potion won't disappoint me."
With that, he tilted his head back and poured the entire bottle of light-green liquid into his mouth.
The light-green liquid felt cool to the touch, but the moment it entered his mouth, it was incredibly fiery, as if a ball of fire was traveling down his throat and into his stomach.
"DING! Special Energy detected within the body. Convert to Blood Qi Power?"
Lin Xinghai was startled at first by the system notification that popped up, but his expression quickly turned to one of joy.
He confirmed without a moment's hesitation.
The fiery sensation vanished in an instant, and Lin Xinghai immediately opened his system panel to check.
His Blood Qi Power had gone from 0 points to 5.
This made the smile on Lin Xinghai's face grow even wider. He knew his system was incredible, but he hadn't expected it to be *this* incredible.
'One bottle of Genetic Potion converting into 5 points of Blood Qi Power... That's perfect absorption!'
According to the information he'd gotten from Roger, the effectiveness of a Genetic Potion varied depending on one's Genetic Assessment Level.
Someone with an A Level Genetic Assessment could increase their Genetic Optimization Level by 5% with a single Genetic Potion. For B Level, it was only 4%; C Level, 3%; D Level, 2%; E Level, 1%; and for F Level, a mere 0.5%.
Of course, these percentages applied to the first time someone took a Genetic Potion.
The higher one's Genetic Optimization Level, the less effective the Genetic Potion would become.
Although Lin Xinghai's own Genetic Assessment was B Level, with the system, his utilization of the Genetic Potion could completely match that of an A Level.
Of course, the most important thing wasn't the utilization rate but the speed of absorption. Even someone with an A Level Genetic Assessment would need a full day to absorb a single Genetic Potion.
But he was different...
Lin Xinghai tapped twice on the system panel. After consuming 4 points of Blood Qi Power, his Genetic Optimization Level increased from 26% to 28%.
"This is basically cheating," Lin Xinghai grinned. He unhesitatingly took out the remaining three Genetic Potions and drank them one after another.
Soon, all the Genetic Potions had been converted into Blood Qi Power.
Looking at the 16 points of Blood Qi Power on his system panel, Lin Xinghai licked his lips. "I wonder what it feels like to become one of the Optimized."
He spent another 2 points of Blood Qi Power, and his Genetic Optimization Level reached 29%.
However, when he clicked the "+" sign again, the system didn't directly increase his power. Instead, a prompt box popped up with two options.
One was "Promote Directly," and the other was "Awaken Superpower and Promote."
It was a no-brainer. He unhesitatingly clicked "Awaken Superpower and Promote," his heart filled with anticipation for what kind of Superpower he would get.
To his disappointment, however, another new prompt box popped up after he made his selection. This one still presented choices—four of them, in fact.
Consume 30 points of Blood Qi Power to awaken a Superpower!
Consume 60 points of Blood Qi Power to awaken a Superpower!
Consume 90 points of Blood Qi Power to awaken a Superpower!
Consume 100 points of Blood Qi Power to awaken a Superpower!
Note: The more Blood Qi Power consumed, the stronger the awakened Superpower.
Although there were four options, as far as Lin Xinghai was concerned, there was only one.
'As a Transmigrator with a system, if I can't even walk the path of invincibility, then I'll have truly wasted this life.'
But 100 points of Blood Qi Power... Just thinking about it was a headache.
He glanced at his system panel.
Host: Lin Xinghai
Physique: 24
Power: 20
Speed: 29
Blood Qi Power: 14
Genetic Optimization Level: 29%+
"Looks like I'll have to wait until I'm on a Mercenary Corps mission to figure something out," Lin Xinghai sighed, looking at his remaining 14 points of Blood Qi Power.
With all four vials of Genetic Medicine Liquid "digested," there was no reason for Lin Xinghai to stay inside any longer, so he headed out.
After all, as an "Ancient Person," it was one thing not to know the principles behind advanced future technology, or even how to use it.
But he should at least know... what the damn things were.
...
Just as Lin Xinghai was heading out, Wang Damao and his men were just leaving the medical center.
"Brother Wang, these Basic Level medical pods are useless. I slept in there for an hour, and my chest is still throbbing," a young thug named Meng Qing said with a grimace.
Wang Damao shot him a look and snapped, "You think I didn't want to choose an Intermediate medical pod? Damn it, the teeth I got knocked out haven't even grown back yet! But it's 100 Points a session. Are you gonna pay for it?"
Meng Qing immediately shut up. They had borrowed the money to pay for this treatment.
"So, Brother Wang, what do we do now?" Meng Qing asked after a moment of silence.
Wang Damao's eyes narrowed, a vicious glint within them. "We can't just let this go. That guy's Genetic Optimization Level is probably only around 25%."
"That kind of power might be impressive here in the Lower City District, but our Axe Gang has masters like that too."
The thugs' eyes lit up at his words, but they soon thought of another important problem.
"Brother Wang, besides being powerful, he's also a Mercenary. Would the gang leader really be willing to pick a fight with a Mercenary for us?" Meng Qing asked.
"I was just thinking back carefully. The design on his Mercenary Badge was for a First Level Mercenary Corps. And it's not like our Axe Gang doesn't have connections."
"Of course, you're right. Whether the leader is willing to stick his neck out for us is another question. That's why we need some 'leverage'," Wang Damao said with a sinister smirk.
'Liu Miaomiao and those beautiful women... they are the best leverage I have.'
'The concept of a femme fatale isn't just an old saying. Used correctly, a beautiful woman can lead a man to his doom.'
Once the thugs caught on, they immediately began to suck up to him, praising what a great idea it was.
Even if it meant they couldn't get their hands on those beautiful women anymore, at least they would get their revenge.
"Let's go. We'll find Black Rat and make some preparations."
...
Half an hour later, inside a seemingly dilapidated factory in the East District, many people were coming and going. Without exception, all of them had an axe tattoo on their arm.
Clearly, this was the Axe Gang's nest.
Deep inside the factory was a lavishly decorated room, where Wang Damao was respectfully giving a report to a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man wasn't tall; he even looked a bit frail. His expression was placid, but his constantly narrowed eyes gave off a sinister aura.
This was the current leader of the Axe Gang, Huai Feifu. After Wang Damao finished his report, Huai Feifu asked lightly, "So, you went to collect protection fees and got beaten back by a 'White Pig'?"
Although Huai Feifu's tone was calm, beads of sweat began to form on Wang Damao's forehead.
He knew very well that the man before him not only possessed power approaching that of the Optimized, but more importantly, he had schemed his way into power by killing the previous leader and deputy leader. It was his ruthless methods that were truly terrifying.
"To answer, Leader, the guy has a Mercenary Badge. He can't really be considered a 'White Pig' in the usual sense," Wang Damao replied nervously.
Huai Feifu stared at Wang Damao for a long time, until the man felt his legs start to go weak. Only then did he nod and change the subject. "You were just hyping up Apartment 301 and its five beautiful women. What exactly do they look like? Do you have any photos or videos?"
Wang Damao's face lit up. 'Here we go! The main event is starting!'