Side Effects

Lu Yuan led the two thugs into a deserted alley.

Black garbage bags were piled in every corner of the alley, while even deeper inside, trash had been dumped all over the ground. Flies hovered above it, and a foul stench filled the air.

Several stray cats and dogs were scavenging through the garbage. When they saw Lu Yuan and the others approach, they turned to look at them, arched their backs, and let out a few low growls.

They had probably mistaken the three of them for enemies coming to steal their food.

Lu Yuan glanced at the cats and dogs but paid them no mind.

The smell inside was too overwhelming, so Lu Yuan did not dare take the two thugs any farther in, afraid he would throw up.

He stopped near the mouth of the alley and turned to face the two thugs.

The two thugs were clutching their broken arms, their faces pale and drenched in sweat.

Lu Yuan smiled.

"Does it hurt?"

The Red-Haired Thug started crying as he spoke.

"Boss, please, just let us go! Our arms are going to be ruined!"

Lu Yuan had hit him harder. His arm was already purple-black, the pooled blood unable to drain away.

Lu Yuan smiled.

"You dared to pull a knife just now, so why are you scared now? If your arms are broken, just get mechanical prosthetics. Don't worry."

The two thugs: "..."

Lu Yuan smiled.

"I'm rather interested in that haunted business you mentioned earlier. If you tell me the details, I can let you go."

The two thugs perked up at Lu Yuan's words.

"Haunted... Boss, are you talking about that Old Dao we mentioned earlier..."

"That's right. Him."

"Ask away, Boss! Please, ask!"

The Red-Haired Thug eagerly spoke up.

Lu Yuan smiled. "Did you see how Old Dao died? Think carefully before answering. If I find out you're lying to me... think about the consequences yourselves."

The two exchanged glances. The Green-Haired Thug spoke with a tremble in his voice.

"W-we didn't see it ourselves... B-but! We heard about it! We heard it from someone! What they said must be true. They had no reason to lie to us!"

"Hm? What did they say?"

"They said Old Dao had gone out with a few people to shake people down. When they passed through an alley, a strange shadow rushed out of the darkness. It charged right into Old Dao's chest. Then Old Dao clutched his chest, his face turned blue, and he died."

As he said this, the Red-Haired Thug's face turned slightly blue as well.

Partly from fear, and partly because his hand had gone completely numb. He felt as though he was about to lose it.

As Lu Yuan listened to the Red-Haired Thug, his eyes gradually narrowed.

That confirmed it.

It was almost exactly the same as the ghostly thing he had encountered before.

Thinking of something, he asked.

"What time was it?"

The Green-Haired Thug answered, "I-it seemed to be around midnight."

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly.

When he had been attacked yesterday, he had checked the time too. It had also been midnight.

Same time, two attacks. There was more than one of those ghostly things?

Or did it have clones?

Lu Yuan could not quite make sense of it either.

Either way, it was not a good thing.

"After Old Dao died, was there anything unusual?"

"After Old Dao died, the others ran away in fear and notified their boss. By the time their boss got there, Old Dao's body was still there. Nothing unusual happened."

Lu Yuan nodded.

"Did this Old Dao have any enemies? Had he encountered anything like a Mutation Event before?"

"Enemies... B-Boss, that question... People in our line of work have no idea how many people we've offended... Our heads are always hanging by a thread. As for mutations... probably not? If he had, could he have survived?"

Lu Yuan frowned slightly.

True enough. That had been a careless question.

What gangster did not make enemies?

It was perfectly normal for them to die at any time.

There was no point in asking that question.

Then this man seemed to have no reference value for Lu Yuan.

His head was starting to ache.

At that moment, Lu Yuan heard the two thugs' low groans.

He looked over and saw that both their faces had turned somewhat blue. He waved a hand.

"Get lost. Don't let me see you again."

The two thugs froze at his words, taking a moment to process them.

Then they repeatedly nodded and bowed, shouting through tears.

"Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss! We'll get lost right away!"

They hurried out of the alley at a jog.

Watching the two thugs leave, Lu Yuan considered what had been said earlier.

There was probably more than one of those shadows, and Old Dao was likely not the only one who had died.

At the very least, the original owner of his body had died.

In a place like the slums, some people could die without anyone even knowing they were dead.

Nobody cared about such things.

But what exactly was that ghostly thing trying to do?

Lu Yuan thought about it for a long time but could not figure out the reason.

He shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.

Only after leaving the alley did Lu Yuan take out the buns from earlier and start eating them.

Mm, they tasted decent.

Nine Lakes Business District, North District, West Li City.

This business district was near the Gene Warrior Association branch. High-rises stood everywhere, and Hover Cars took off and landed on the buildings' platforms. It was exceptionally prosperous.

Walking down the street, Lu Yuan watched the sharply dressed elites and richly dressed ladies. He felt as if he had entered another world.

The difference between this place and the slums was like heaven and hell.

Yet the two districts were separated by only a few streets.

Naturally, Lu Yuan had come here to sell the Gray Stone Armor he had collected earlier.

He quickly found a modest storefront along the street.

The neon sign above it read Mad Wolf Materials Shop, and the signboard also featured a howling wolf's head.

Lu Yuan pushed open the door and walked in.

The interior was not large. Counters lined the walls, displaying all kinds of materials, most of which Lu Yuan did not recognize.

But they were clearly products of the Origin Land.

Inside the shop, a thin young man with a mohawk, wearing a floral shirt and beach shorts, sat in a chair with his head lowered as he played on his phone.

Hearing the door open, he looked up and glanced at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan noticed that despite the dim lighting inside, the man was wearing sunglasses.

Can he even see anything?

Lu Yuan could not help mocking him internally.

The young man looked at Lu Yuan, then quickly lowered his head and continued playing his game.

"What's a little brat doing here? Go play somewhere else if you've got nothing to do!"

Lu Yuan: "..."

He walked to the counter and tapped the surface with a finger.

"I'm here to sell materials."

The young man paused, raised his head again, gave Lu Yuan a more serious look, and put away his phone.

"You're a Gene Warrior?"

Lu Yuan nodded. "Yeah. Do you buy materials?"

"Whoa, not bad. Tell me, what are you selling?"

Lu Yuan took out a pile of Gray Stone Armor.

Clatter...

The Gray Stone Armor landed on the counter with a loud clatter, making the counter creak under its weight.

"Fuck... Can't you put that on the floor?! This counter of mine is flimsy!"

The young man hurriedly stood up and swept all the Gray Stone Armor onto the floor.

Then he examined it. "Gray Stone Armor? Material from Graystone Beetles. Low-grade ordinary quality material, one hundred and fifty each. That's an absolutely fair price. No haggling!"

Before coming here, Lu Yuan had already checked the prices on Battle Net.

One hundred and fifty was indeed quite fair.

He nodded. "Not bad. Count them. I'm selling all of them."

"Awoo, awoo~ Woof woof woof~!!"

Lu Yuan: "?"

He stared at the young man, who had suddenly made a sound that was neither quite a wolf howl nor a dog bark, his mind full of question marks.

Is something seriously wrong with this guy?

The young man froze as well.

Lu Yuan and the young man stared at each other through the sunglasses, and the atmosphere suddenly became rather awkward.

After a moment of silence, the young man coughed, pretending nothing had happened.

"Ahem, let me count them. Woof woof~!!"

Lu Yuan: "..."

He carefully chose his words and gently reminded him, "...Brother, should you maybe go see a doctor?"

The young man fell silent for a moment before answering, "It's a side effect of engraving genes. An old problem. It's fine, it's fine."

Hearing the bitterness in the young man's tone, Lu Yuan fell silent.

He suddenly understood.

So that was it. If a gene was not fully engraved, side effects could indeed appear, carrying traits of the extraordinary creature.

When Lu Yuan imagined this young man suddenly barking like a dog while talking to people, he felt embarrassed on the man's behalf.

He even started to sympathize with him a little.

He was very curious what quality of Extraordinary Gene this man had engraved.

When he made noises, he sounded like both a dog and a wolf.

But Lu Yuan did not ask.

Gene Warriors who were not familiar with each other generally would not reveal what genes they had engraved.

Keeping others from knowing one's combat skills was one of the trump cards.

The two did not continue discussing the matter. The young man quickly finished counting.

"There are 102 pieces in total. I'll give you a discount and count it as 100. That comes to fifteen thousand."

Lu Yuan: "...You call that a discount? Round it up, twenty thousand."

The young man adjusted his sunglasses and smiled warmly. "Ahem... It's just the odd amount. Let's write it off. You can always keep hunting anyway."

Lu Yuan returned an equally warm smile. "Fuck off."

Could this guy being such a dog also be related to his Extraordinary Gene?

The young man sighed. "Fine, then. Fifteen thousand three hundred."

"Pay up."

The young man transferred the money to Lu Yuan.

Looking at the 15,300 that had arrived in his account, Lu Yuan suddenly felt a little emotional again.

Mom, Dad, your son has made something of himself. He finally has money!