Overtaking

"He seems like a decent guy."

Watching Xu Hao and his father leave, Su Shijie gave them a fair assessment.

They naturally would not try to dissuade him. No one turned down money. It was enough to clearly explain the pros and cons; the rest was up to him.

Besides, they were heading back to Shelter 320, forty or fifty kilometers away. Old Xu Hao had said that buying new ones outright would be too wasteful.

There were many hunters in Shelter 320. Quite a few people, like the father and son, had Star Crossbow X-6s gathering dust in their hands. They could simply clear out the secondhand stock. It was cheap, and delivery would be fast.

They would try to have someone bring everything over tomorrow.

It was repayment for Su Shijie helping them clear their stock, and also a way to help their old comrades.

Judging by Xu Hao's straightforward remarks, it seemed that his companions had tried several times to bring goods here and try their luck during the Spirit Deer migration.

They just had never managed to sell them, so now they could not even be bothered bringing them over anymore.

In Su Shijie's eyes, the Star Crossbow X-6 was not a failed weapon design, or it would never have been manufactured.

Unfortunately, its applications were relatively limited. Aside from people like him, it was best suited for organized firing squads made up of lower-evolution members with excellent coordination, or for targeting large prey.

Still, having one in an ordinary team would not drag them down. It might even become the decisive killing move.

As for those capable of manually drawing it for rapid fire, there were honestly better firearms available. Even Dad could not manually draw the Star Crossbow X-6 quickly.

It could only be said that its price determined everything. This electromagnetic crossbow cannon was bound to sacrifice something.

Now that he had one, he could go home and practice taking it apart. By the time they delivered the rest tomorrow and completed the set, he should be able to quickly assemble it with telekinesis.

Su Shijie was fairly confident in that regard.

"Still, Dad was right. Machinery controllers really are money-burning warriors. Mine is only a low-end knockoff, and I'm even using cost-effective electromagnetic crossbow cannons. Once I collect them all, it'll still come to around two hundred thousand..."

Su Shijie had earned quite a bit, and his savings might even exceed Dad's. But since he had already used an Awakening Potion, Su Shijie decided he might as well use the remaining bottles himself.

In addition to purchase eligibility, each bottle cost one million Credit Points. Four bottles, plus the cost of the crossbows... money really disappeared fast.

And if he got the chance, he should get two M-7s as well. A high-low combination would be nice. Even with purchase eligibility, each M-7 cost one hundred thousand.

Just then, Su Shijie felt the source of that fanatical emotion abruptly go out. That Evil God Cultist was probably dead!

Su Shijie could even sense that, because he had accepted the other party's faith, he could absorb him before his soul dispersed!

"So they worship while alive, then offer up their souls after death? Even capitalists would shed tears."

Still, Su Shijie hesitated somewhat. He was not sure exactly what was going on with that Evil God Cultist.

At such a distance, if he absorbed the soul, it would probably have mostly dissipated by the time it reached him. And if it was drawn over in a form similar to an evil spirit, would it attract other people's attention?

So Su Shijie chose to play it safe.

He estimated that the amount was roughly equivalent to one evil spirit. Since it was not being directly siphoned by his tentacles, he would be lucky if ten percent remained after it drifted over.

It was not worth taking that risk.

He would have to ask Dad about it later.

There was no internet anyway, and no exams to take. He could test this thing's power, skip class, and head home. He was only attending the Advanced Class now so he would not have to work, while also securing the Awakening Potion purchase eligibility he could obtain...

Meanwhile, after even using the Brain in a Bottle and waiting until its activity faded, they circled the area with the Ghost Mushrooms without getting any response.

Lin Jie's Task Force finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like it really was dealt with. I just wonder who did it. They did not even report it to claim the reward?"

"There are quite a few organizations and teams that deal with Contamination Sources, but the only ones who would not even claim a reward should be those redemption-seeking remnants of the Spirit Wind Knights."

"That sounds about right..."

"The Spirit Wind Knights... what a shame."

With the mission essentially over, the Contamination Source cleared, and no target to be found, the report would be easy to write. The Task Force was visibly much more relaxed.

Lin Jie used the radio to explain the situation to the team formed by the shelter.

"Sergei, the Contamination Source has been cleared by someone else. Wrap it up. Make sure to contact us every day for the next month, and report anything unusual immediately."

Sergei, who had received the news on the other end, agreed.

"Understood. We'll strengthen our vigilance lately."

"By the way, the Spirit Deer migration should be passing through your area soon, right? We'll stay until it is over before leaving. Let us use your intelligence terminal to submit the mission."

"Uh... our antenna happens to be under repair, so the intelligence terminal cannot connect to the satellite. Captain Lin, your Personal Terminals should have permission to use the channel, right?"

Sergei's response made Lin Jie roll his eyes.

"We can, but we cannot submit missions directly. Forget it, we'll head back. Remember to report any intelligence."

He had originally planned to earn some extra money while out on a mission, but since it was inconvenient, he would forget it.

Given his decent circumstances, he could not be bothered making a special trip. Hunting gains were too uncertain, and the round trip was over six hundred kilometers.

The mission came first. Aside from Credit Point rewards, these missions also granted internal merit from the Floating City, which made it easier to exchange for purchase permissions that money could not buy. That was far more practical than hunting...

"Whoa, good one. I never even thought of that. Your thinking is pretty clear."

After returning home, Su Ren saw that Su Shijie had bought a Star Crossbow X-6 and quickly understood his intentions.

It had to be said that although Su Ren was now an all-around powerhouse with enough mental processing power, he did not possess any enhancement traits related to telekinesis. His thinking was still somewhat limited in that area.

The Star Crossbow X-6's firing rate was insufficient, but once the numbers increased, it meant Su Shijie theoretically possessed a lethal threat against the Transformation Tier.

"But you'd better equip yourself with two M-7s as well. Forget the assault rifles. Their power is weaker, and they're inconvenient. Also, remember this: if you really encounter danger, don't stupidly face it head-on. This thing is only for saving your life. With your current ability, if you run into a Transformation Tier enemy, you won't even have time to react."

After praising him, Su Ren gave him a stern warning.

"I just thought of your battle last night. If it happened again now, I could use this to threaten that wolf too."

Thinking of the Contaminated Beast that had taken so many M-7 shots without suffering fatal injury, Su Shijie still felt a lingering chill.

Who knew what kinds of opponents they might encounter? What if one had unusual defensive traits and ordinary attacks could not break through its defenses?

"Besides, I tested it earlier. It can shoot nearly two meters into the Giant Brown Iron Trees outside. It's even more powerful than I imagined."

Thinking of that earlier test, Su Shijie felt a little unnerved.

Even when an Electromagnetic Assault Rifle shot into the Brown Iron Tree's iron-like trunk—or rather, bark—the bullets could be dug out with a dagger.

Ordinary Electromagnetic Handguns could only "break the skin."

Although this thing was useless in every regard except power, its power had truly been enhanced to the extreme!

At least for its price range...

"By the way, Dad, did something happen today?"

While practicing dismantling and reassembling the crossbow cannon, Su Shijie voiced the question that had been bothering him all day.

And thanks to his telekinetic Bloodline Trait, Su Shijie could now block sound as well.

Sound was simply produced by vibrations in the air. At Su Shijie's current level of telekinesis, it was only a matter of getting more practice.

At the very least, it was much easier for him than it was for Su Ren...

"Oh, then you really did sense it."

Seeing Su Shijie ask, Su Ren nodded.

The Task Force had suddenly taken out the Brain in a Bottle and decisively performed a test earlier, which had startled him a little.

But then he remembered his son saying that only his soul core had mutated. After examining him repeatedly, there seemed to be no visible problem, so it should not have been a major issue.

And that had indeed been proven true. The Task Force had closed the case that very day and returned aboard the Cleaner aircraft.

Su Ren then explained the matter of the Brain in a Bottle, making even Su Shijie's scalp tingle.

"You don't need to pity them. Evil God Cultists are no longer human. They are inherently anti-human. If you encounter one, use them until they're dead if you can. If you can't, kill them immediately."

Su Ren's tone was extremely cold when he spoke of Evil God Cultists.

It made Su Shijie glance at Dad again.

He had actually vaguely sensed it before. Although Dad tried to present himself as a loving father before his children, Su Ren had fought and killed all the way until he only retired to raise children. He lacked neither ruthlessness nor decisiveness toward enemies.

When he truly needed to kill an enemy, it was probably no different to Dad than slaughtering a Spirit Beast.

Only now that Su Shijie had begun growing up was Dad gradually instilling these ideas in him. Perhaps he had taught Elder Sister and Second Brother before, but he had hardly ever shown this side of himself in front of his other three children, who had taken "civilian" paths.

Ignoring Su Shijie's strange expression, Su Ren truly felt that he needed to gradually teach his son some different ways of handling things.

A son who had been protected so well could easily get into trouble if he walked this other path without sufficient awareness.

But this had to be taken slowly. Seeing that Su Shijie had listened, Su Ren changed the subject.

"The reward should be issued to me soon. And this time, the disappearance of the Contamination Source will probably be credited to the Spirit Wind Knights."

When Su Ren chose to report it, he had already considered various possibilities.

If a Contamination Source was cleared by someone else, yet no one claimed the bounty, it could only be pinned on that group.

"The Spirit Wind Knights..."

Su Shijie knew of the Spirit Wind Knights, though not through his studies. The database actually contained rather little information about them.

He had learned of them through friends in games, supplemented by the information he could look up.

They were a tragic knight order, founded more than three hundred years ago by the Spirit Emperor.

Although it had been established in Northern Europe, the Spirit Emperor used his own Floating City as the knight order's base. Leading the knights across countless battles, he eliminated one Contamination Source after another and won tremendous achievements.

But after the Spirit Emperor's death more than a hundred years ago, over half of the Spirit Wind Knights went mad. Including their two Transcendent Tier vice commanders, they became Evil God Cultists, instantly greatly strengthening the Evil God Cultist faction.

They had committed many massacres.

The remaining sane members of the Spirit Wind Knights embarked on a path of redemption, clearing Contamination Sources and hunting Evil God Cultists.

But it was precisely because the Spirit Wind Knights existed that no one found it particularly strange when a Contamination Source suddenly disappeared.

After all, other organizations and groups would claim the reward, but the Spirit Wind Knights would not.

"You did the right thing this time. With your circumstances, there's no need to be greedy for that little bit. No one can sense a soul core, but once it loses the support of the brain, part of the lingering human rationality and thoughts drifting toward you with it would be very conspicuous."

Su Shijie and Su Ren were in complete agreement on this point.

Evil God Cultists could be exploited, but no possibility of exposure could be left behind.

"Also, some Evil Gods that project onto Earth more frequently and clearly have their own 'codenames.' If powerful Evil God Cultists offer targeted prayers to one of them, I don't know whether you can intercept them.

"You should find a chance to test it properly. See whether you can receive prayers from all believers or only the more fanatical ones. Make clear distinctions, so you aren't misled by assumptions."

"We'll have to see when we run into one."

They stopped the discussion about Evil God Cultists there. Even with the sound barrier in place, the topic was far too sensitive.

Su Ren then sized up Su Shijie and changed the subject.

"The network is under maintenance these next few days, so I'll take you to the Floating City. We'll get the rest of your Awakening Potions first, then buy two M-7s. The reward should be issued by then too."

Su Ren took the initiative to have Su Shijie skip class and enter the city with him.

Naturally, Su Shijie gladly agreed.

Although Prosperous Sky City was only three hundred kilometers from Shelter P-314, Su Shijie had never been there in his life.

Those three hundred kilometers were like an insurmountable chasm, firmly locking down the movement of the vast majority of people.

More than ninety percent of the people in the shelter had never been to a Floating City!

The jungle's complex terrain, along with the more frequently appearing Spirit Beasts in the middle stretch, made even a lone Awakened Rank individual face great risk.

Just then, Bai Congcong and Bai Xinxin came home from class.

The moment she entered, Bai Xinxin shot Su Shijie a sidelong look.

"When we came back, Aunt Chen waited for you forever. Later, she only heard from people at the market that you had already come home, so she had to bring us back alone.

"Hehe, the instructor's foolish son."

Hearing Bai Xinxin say that, Su Shijie remembered that he was supposed to lead the group today. Uh, he had skipped class and completely skipped that responsibility too.

Although that safe route was basically just like a teacher leading little children across the street, and one person missing would not be a problem, he still felt rather embarrassed.

And Bai Xinxin's latter jab probably meant some blabbermouth had also spread the news that he had paid a high price for an impractical crossbow cannon.

"Isn't it because I'm going to the Floating City tomorrow, so I'm getting prepared in advance?"

Su Shijie quickly changed the subject and showed off to his little sister.

The change of topic indeed earned him her wide-eyed, astonished look.

Other than Second Brother and Elder Sister, none of the three younger children had reached the Awakened Rank before, so none of them had ever been to a Floating City.

Bai Xinxin naturally wanted to see one too.

"Hmph, I should be close too. Once I break through to the Awakened Rank myself, I can go as well."

Bai Xinxin spoke in a somewhat sullen tone.

Sometimes, the gap in talent was truly discouraging. Third Brother had wasted so much time, but once he decided to follow his own path, Dad had only given him a few days of special training and he had successfully broken through.

Bai Xinxin did not blame Dad for favoritism. After working so hard the previous night, then having to study the next day, she simply did not possess that kind of energy or talent.

Though she did not want to admit it, Bai Congcong had been right a few days ago. Third Brother, who could achieve results through several different paths, really was a genius—a true genius...

Seeing that faint envy appear in Bai Xinxin's eyes, Su Shijie suddenly found his showing off rather meaningless.

His little sister was not even arguing with him anymore...

"Haha, want Dad and me to take you out at night to level up?"

Su Shijie suddenly reached out and messed up Bai Xinxin's silver hair. Her pretty right-side bangs were turned completely into a bird's nest, and he even pinched it into a little ponytail sticking straight upward.

In return, Bai Xinxin threw a flurry of punches and kicks with her short arms, unable to reach him.

"No! Maybe by the time you come back, I'll already be Awakened Rank! Hmph!"

After saying that, she struggled free from Su Shijie's clutches. She glared at him, then stomped angrily back to her room.

Bai Congcong, standing nearby, stuck out his tongue before slipping into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Whenever Third Brother and Elder Sister fought, he never knew whom to help.

Still, thinking about how Third Brother and Elder Sister had not been this close in a long time since Third Brother could no longer beat Elder Sister, Bai Congcong realized that Third Brother had overtaken her again...