R-Robbery

Selina set the still somewhat dazed He Ao down at the entrance of the Hot Dog Shop, then went to queue up for hot dogs.

He Ao's attention, meanwhile, was entirely focused on the energy that had suddenly appeared in his chest.

That energy was extremely faint, far less than what He Ao had inhaled in the Main World, but as he continued breathing, it could be replenished continuously.

The supernatural energy in the Copy World seemed far more stable and abundant than that of the Main World. In the Main World, aside from that tide-like fluctuation at dawn, deep breaths like these could not gather any energy in He Ao's chest.

As He Ao adjusted his breathing, he guided the energy in his chest along the route he had previously tested.

But he quickly encountered an obstacle. If the pathways in He Ao's original body were broad, smooth highways to the heavens, then the pathways in Ander's body were winding goat trails. The guided energy dissipated completely before it could even leave his chest.

The energy efficiency was far lower than in He Ao's original body.

So, was this the Vermillion Fruit's effect?

He Ao guessed that the pathways in his original body had probably been similar to Ander's, perhaps even worse. When he had consumed the Vermillion Fruit, he had clearly felt it clear certain blockages in his body. Perhaps that was some kind of "aptitude"?

And the Vermillion Fruit's purpose was to improve aptitude?

Suppressing his speculation, He Ao began increasing his breathing rate.

Although Ander's body had far inferior aptitude compared to He Ao's original body after consuming the Vermillion Fruit, the energy concentration in the Copy World was much higher than in the Main World. As He Ao breathed faster, more and more energy formed in his chest, and he kept guiding it through those "goat trails."

As the saying went, brute force could solve anything. As He Ao absorbed more and more energy, it finally left his chest. Though the paths beyond his chest were even narrower goat trails, the rate of energy dissipation also decreased.

In this way, He Ao moved the energy through his atrium and, with great difficulty, all the way to the tip of his left middle finger.

Then he was stunned, because when he tried to bring the energy back, he found that the return path was completely blocked.

He tried using the energy to force through the blockage, but after quite a while, he had only worn away an imperceptible amount.

By then, he was gradually becoming unable to sustain such rapid breathing. High-frequency breathing was extremely distracting, physically exhausting, and put great strain on the lungs. Even with Ander's Physical Fitness of 13, he could not keep it up for long.

Just as He Ao was about to give up, he suddenly noticed the energy accumulated at his fingertip. If he stopped now, that energy would slowly dissipate. Given his body's current absorption efficiency, most of it would be lost.

It seemed a little wasteful to let it dissipate like that.

Could he guide this energy without following the pathways? For example, could he guide it outside his body and use it as a weapon?

He Ao considered it, then tried to guide the energy out through his middle finger.

Guiding energy outside his body was much easier than moving it through the "pathways." Before long, an invisible, sesame seed-sized "ball of energy" appeared on He Ao's middle finger.

The energy ball had no physical form, but He Ao could clearly sense its existence. He carefully controlled it and moved it away from his body.

The instant it left He Ao's body, it began to fluctuate. It lasted only one or two short seconds before abruptly bursting apart.

He Ao only felt a light breeze brush over his fingertip, followed by a slight tingling sensation.

This "Small Energy Bomb" dealt very little damage. It could not even break through his own defenses.

He Ao sighed and slowly returned to a normal breathing rhythm. He had originally thought he had gained a long-range attack method.

After thinking for a moment, he opened the Personal Attribute Panel.

He Ao (Ander)

Permission Level: Normal Player

Physical Fitness: 15 (13) (The average person in the Copy World is 10; the average person in the Main World is 5)

Skill: Talent Sequence 272: Super Memory (Soul-bound) (Rank F)

Mechanical Modification: None

Martial Arts: Qi Induction (Rank F) (Unavailable)

Character Abilities: Basic Firearms Proficiency, Qi Induction (No Rank)

Everything else remained unchanged, but "Qi Induction" had been added under Character Abilities.

It had no rank. That single attempt at guiding energy had almost done nothing to improve Ander's Physical Fitness; it could only be said that he had barely gotten started.

However, since Qi Induction was classified as a Character Ability, it likely meant that this ability could not be brought back to the Main World. Still, He Ao could use the Copy World to verify whether some of the circulation routes in that little book were correct.

After all, while the results of cultivation in the Copy World could not be taken away, the experience could.

Once He Ao's breathing had steadied, he leaned against the wall and looked across the street.

The dazzling neon lights illuminated nearly half the street. That was the entrance to the Crown Casino. He Ao watched the endless stream of people coming and going before it.

He sighed softly. This world really was chaotic.

Just then, a thought stirred in his mind, and his gaze locked onto a woman in a red bodycon dress amid the crowd.

She had long brown hair with a golden sheen and a pair of long, straight legs. Her burgundy one-piece bodycon dress outlined her graceful back, while its short hem barely covered her full, rounded buttocks. As she swayed forward, glimpses of the scenery beneath her skirt appeared and vanished.

The woman seemed to notice someone watching her. She stopped and turned around.

"You're already on the job?" Selina's laughter came from beside him. She held two large hot dogs and handed one to He Ao. "This place is especially good, but the line takes forever."

"Not really. I was just seeing if there were any suspicious people."

He Ao took the hot dog. When he looked back toward the casino entrance, the woman in the red dress was already gone.

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but He Ao felt that there was something unusual about that woman. He looked at Selina. "Does Mu Xiu have any disguise abilities or ways to alter his appearance? Like disguising himself as a woman?"

"No?" Selina thought for a moment. Standing there, she seemed to be checking some information.

"Mu Xiu's disguise skills are not particularly sophisticated. He usually skins people and uses their biological information as a disguise, but that can only fool detection machines and less stringent cameras. He only disguises himself when entering the city, and according to current intelligence—"

Selina paused. "He especially hates women. During his previous crimes, he killed all the Dancers in the casinos or the workers in the red-light district."

He hated women?

He Ao fell into thought.

"R-Robbery."

Just then, a childish voice came from behind He Ao.

He Ao turned around and saw only a black pistol, along with a little boy trembling as he held it up.

The boy stared at the hot dog in He Ao's hand and swallowed.