Early the next morning, after breakfast, Huo Yuanhong paid a visit to the Inspection Bureau to check on the interrogation of the Pickpocket Sect's Third Elder.
This Third Elder knew how to read the times. Knowing there was no escape, he confessed everything the moment he was brought in.
One piece of information caught Huo Yuanhong's attention: the foreigners had an extremely important shipment that needed to be transported along the Pickpocket Sect's routes, and the employer behind it was the Research Institute.
"My lord, I guarantee this shipment is anything but ordinary. It was a task personally assigned by a Research Institute envoy. It might even be enhancement serum developed by their side. Only, the specific route and such are handled by the Seventh Elder, so I don't yet know the details. But if you let me return, I'll definitely be able to find out and redeem my crimes through meritorious service!"
The Third Elder swore earnestly.
"This fellow still isn't being honest. Give him a good beating."
Huo Yuanhong turned and left.
"My lord! My lord, listen to me! The Research Institute's enhancement serum is incredibly potent. It can—"
The Third Elder grew somewhat anxious and shouted after him. He knew perfectly well how tempting Research Institute drugs were to martial artists. It was like traditional medicine and Western medicine: their drugs were ferocious in effect. Unlike Celestial Empire prescriptions, which could gradually strengthen the body while nourishing it, those drugs worked astonishingly fast and truly were effective. They also belonged to a different field, and in some respects could complement one another.
Especially in biochemistry, the Research Institute's mad researchers had delved far too deeply. Their frenzied trial and error had indeed produced a heap of monsters, but it had also yielded some useful biochemical drugs. Even