Rewards

Squelch!

Loka showed no mercy to his former nominal leader, yanking the scalpel straight out of Falmu's chest. Falmu's blood surged in a torrent, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless in an instant.

No one would have expected the gang leader who ruled the Black Cave, such a prominent figure, to die in this manner—dying so simply, at the hands of his own subordinate.

But was he really "one of his own"?

No, no, no.

"How dare you use such filthy, ugly bullets to harm such a beautiful body. Die! Just die!! You bastard!! Hahahaha!"

Having finished the deed, Loka threw his head back and laughed wildly.

It was fortunate that Falmu was already dead; if he had known that it was those three shots he fired at Irin that triggered Loka's murderous intent, he likely would have died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

Furthermore, killing Falmu was only the beginning.

Loka then grabbed a heavy machine gun from somewhere and began to fire wildly at the Kalleva members who had previously attacked Irin and Liao Ji.

"Die! Die! Anyone who dares to show disrespect to the Creator and the Saintess, all of you go to hell!!"

Rat-tat-tat!

Only when the gun barrel, glowing red from overheating, could no longer fire a single round, and when not a single gangster remained standing in the vast factory, did Loka seem to have completed his mission.

And what came next was.

Thump, thump, thump!

The man in the grey coat ran toward Irin, unable to contain his impatience. He even tripped on his final step due to his sheer excitement, but to Loka, that didn't matter—or perhaps, it was just right.

He was like a puppy coming to claim a reward, bowing his head so low he practically pressed it against the ground, prostrating himself at Irin's feet in an incredibly humble posture.

"Please forgive me. Forgive the ignorant and foolish me from before. Only after seeing your elegant and beautiful form did I realize that there truly exists a human in this world who can fuse so perfectly with the Corrupted."

"Heavens! What a perfect compatibility with the Corrupted, what an incomparable work of art!" The man in the grey coat was somewhat incoherent, as if no amount of words could express the excitement he felt at this moment.

He began to slam his head against the ground repeatedly, like the most devout believer.

"You must be a god. You must be a goddess. Could you please accept my repentance? Could you please... let me touch you, even if just for a moment!"

"You are the Corrupted I have dreamed of, the Corrupted who can coexist perfectly with the corruption, which only existed in my theories until now. I beg you! Let me... let me experience this perfection too. Just a little. Even your toe would be enough!"

Loka muttered to himself, trembling—not from fear, but from ecstasy. He reached out a hand, wanting to touch Irin's ankle. There were no impure thoughts in his eyes; it was a pure, obsessive pursuit.

Unfortunately, just as his hand reached halfway, Irin, her brows tightly knitted, looked at him as if he were a maggot. She raised her heel high and brought it down hard.

Crack!

That was the sound of metacarpal bones snapping, followed immediately by Loka's pained scream.

"Ah!!"

One could see the entire palm of the man in the grey coat, crushed under the force of Irin's stomp, twisted and deformed. Large, bruised patches rapidly spread across it; it was essentially ruined.

Yet, after the initial instinctive scream, Loka—who was breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain—did not seem to be suffering mentally. On the contrary, he was delighted. He grinned, managing to squeeze out a genuine smile even in this state, his eyes filled with fanaticism and obsession for the shoe that was currently crushing his hand.

"Tha-thank you! Thank you for the... reward, Goddess."

Loka then even extended his other hand toward Irin's feet, looking up at the girl with a yearning gaze.

Irin did indeed raise her foot again.

But this time, it wasn't aimed at his palm, but at the man's head. The disgusted girl finally understood that for a brain-damaged pervert like this, any extra action was just "rewarding" him.

Seeing that the irritable Irin was about to kick Loka's head into a pulp, Liao Ji stepped forward from behind to stop her.

"Cre... Creator!!" At this, the young man in the grey coat was nearly overwhelmed by joy, almost fainting on the spot. He shouted with almost all his might, wanting to express his worship for Liao Ji.

After all, if Irin's existence was a flawless, beautiful work of art to Loka, then Liao Ji's image in his heart was that of the sculptor—the creator of this masterpiece he had dreamed of.

Loka's feelings for the girl were obsession and longing, a desire to touch and admire the art.

But for the young man, he was the supreme existence, someone to be looked up to and revered. He was the goddess-maker, the Creator who stood above the gods!!

"Shh."

Liao Ji crouched down halfway and held a finger to his lips, signaling for Loka, who was sprawled on the ground, to be quiet and not be so impatient.

The man nodded violently at once and clamped his mouth shut, not daring to say another word.

After all, this was the Creator's command.

No, it should be said that receiving a command from the Creator was his honor.

"Tell me, today at noon, or in the afternoon, was a nun sent here?"

"Yes! Yes, there was! She was a subject in an experiment I personally participated in, and one of the few in the last few months who could withstand the high-concentration Corrupted Reagent while remaining conscious! It's truly incredible. The corruption in her body was clearly far beyond the limit, yet she managed to hold on for six years. I suspect it has to do with her nun's blessing. The higher the devotion to the Saintess, the more one can obtain an ability from the unknown to resist the Corrupted. She also..."

To Liao Ji's questions, Loka answered like a student responding to a teacher, racking his brain to report everything related to the matter to Liao Ji.

Little did he know, the expression on Irin's face beside them had changed several times. Especially at the very beginning, when she heard she was being treated as an experimental subject, her heart had nearly shattered, but fortunately...

"Alright, answer my next question. Is she still alive? Where did you put her?"

"Alive!"

The first sentence from Dr. Loka made Irin heave a sigh of relief, but the second sentence that followed immediately left her feeling suffocated once again.

"At least she was still alive when we handed her over to The Church!"

The... The Church?

Irin stood frozen at the mention of that name, though Liao Ji didn't seem particularly surprised. He nodded and continued his interrogation:

"Tell me about The Church. How did they collude with Kalleva, and what other secrets are there between you?"

"Back then, from the [Relic Cave], The Church unearthed two 'Great Emperor's Relics'. That priest gave one of them to us in Kalleva, letting us use that Scarlet Star to constantly provide him with experimental materials, so he could study the other, more advanced and powerful 'Great Emperor's Relic'."

"So... you mean this factory of yours is actually just one link in a production chain? You process ordinary people, select those with the potential to become Corrupted, and then send them as advanced experimental subjects to The Church for higher-level experiments?"

"Ye-yes, Lord Creator!"

"I see... I understand now." Liao Ji nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, if nothing goes wrong, this will be the last question."

"No! No, no, no! I am willing to answer as many questions as you have, Lord Creator! I will give my all for you! This is my honor, this is my—!"

Hearing that Liao Ji was about to end the questioning, Dr. Loka grew anxious, his emotions flaring up again until Liao Ji made a gesture for him to be quiet.

"Tell me, what is the 'Relic' in the hands of that priest from The Church?"

"I-I'm sorry! Damn it! I'm damned! Lord Creator... I, I don't know the specifics. They were extremely secretive about that aspect. It was only after I inquired many times that I managed to catch a hint of wind. I only know the appearance of that 'Relic'; it seemed to be a..."

"A 'Great Emperor's Relic' that looks like an Emblem!" A look of recollection appeared in Dr. Loka's eyes.

As soon as Liao Ji heard this description of its appearance, he knew what it was.

So it was a [Brand].

In the game, [Brand] was part of the Corrupted cultivation system, falling under the broad category of "Equipment." However, unlike common external gear like swords or guns, a Brand was "internal" equipment. It could provide various buffs and special effects to the Corrupted. If one were to compare it to a xianxia game, it would likely be equivalent to an internal cultivation manual.

Falling was extremely meticulous with its details, so the manifestation of [Brand] varied by race. For the Human Race, the [Brand] looked like an emblem, just as Dr. Loka had described. For the Machine Race, it was a microchip; for the Spirit Forest Race, it was a rune; and for the Orc Race, it was a totem.

He just didn't know if the [Brand] unearthed by The Church was a "set" or a "loose piece." If it were a "loose piece," then he wondered which part it was—[Top], [Middle], or [Bottom]—and what its effects might be.

Since Dr. Loka couldn't even grasp the most basic [Corrupted Source Essence], Liao Ji didn't expect him to be able to answer these questions either.

Having obtained the information he wanted, Liao Ji stood up.

Seeing Liao Ji about to leave, Dr. Loka scrambled over on all fours, desperate to follow him. He begged Liao Ji bitterly:

"Are... are you leaving? Please, take me with you! Let me stay by your side, let me serve you! I... I can be your assistant, I am willing to do anything for you! I only ask that you, Lord Creator, allow me to learn knowledge from you, even if... even if it's just for a year. A month... no, no, even a week would be enough!!"

As the chief doctor of Kalleva, having developed [Corrupted Reagent]—a form of Corrupted technology that could be considered quite formidable for the world five hundred years later—Loka's capabilities were not to be underestimated.

One could not dismiss his potential simply because of his current groveling posture.

If Loka were to join him, if nothing else, seizing control of Kalleva would be effortless, which would indirectly mean controlling a large portion of the Black Cave Settlement.

Behind the young man, Irin wanted to speak several times, but in the end, she said nothing, pressing her lips together and keeping her gaze lowered to the ground.

After all, she had no right to interfere with Liao Ji's decisions.

To this.

Liao Ji did not refuse Loka; instead, he seemed to ponder for a moment before opening his palm toward the mad doctor.

He wasn't offering to pull the doctor up.

Instead.

A spiral vortex of red mist rapidly rose from Liao Ji's palm. The mist spun faster and faster, condensing until, in the blink of an eye, it completed the transformation from "gaseous" to "solid."

Under Dr. Loka's stunned expression, out of thin air, a brand-new, dark red crystal floated above Liao Ji's palm.

[Corrupted Crystal (Small)]

Yes, after Irin finished clearing out the Kalleva factory, the massive amount of experience points had allowed Liao Ji to successfully leap to level seven.

Not only did this increase his "Contract" quota for an additional Corrupted, but it also unlocked a new power for the protagonist—"Crystallization."

Liao Ji could now use his own experience points to actively produce [Corrupted Crystal], though it was currently limited to small ones.

"Lord Creator... This... this is!!"

"A gift for you."

"Hm... consider it a reward."

Liao Ji wasn't lying; he did as he said, tossing the newly created [Corrupted Crystal (Small)] to Dr. Loka on the ground.

The man in the gray coat scrambled to catch it, overwhelmed with extreme flattery.

He didn't notice at all that once the dark red crystal left Liao Ji's side, it began to violently radiate Corrupted pollution into its surroundings. All his attention was now completely immersed in this beautiful crystal.

In just a few seconds, the Corrupted red mist emitted by the crystal had already seeped into the man's entire body through Dr. Loka's nose, ears, mouth, and even his eyes. Although he was highly accomplished in academia, he was merely an ordinary human; the consequences of being exposed to such a concentration of Corrupted infection were predictable.

"Ugh... ahhhhhhh!"

Finally, Dr. Loka, who had personally forced countless innocent people to turn into Corrupted corpses, transformed into a Corrupted corpse himself while clutching his most beloved and dreamlike treasure.

Liao Ji thought this ending suited him quite well.

"What are you still standing there for?" Liao Ji's urging voice snapped Irin, who hadn't yet recovered from how quickly everything had happened, back to reality.

The girl raised her blade and brought it down, cleanly and efficiently ending the life of Doctor Loka, who had transformed into a Corrupted Corpse.

[Ding, your Corrupted "Irin" has successfully killed [Fallen Mad Doctor Loka], and you have gained 329 experience points.]

[Current Level: Lv7]

[Experience to next level: 412/1200]

"Hmm, looks like I've found another decent shortcut for leveling up. Turning those high-ranking, powerful people into monsters via crystal infection and then killing them—it's like a zero-cost investment, a real 'free-to-play' way to farm a ton of experience."

"Ugh, though that does sound a bit like something a villain would do. Never mind, I'll avoid using this trick unless it's absolutely necessary, yeah."

Liao Ji was quite a petty person. While the experiment was one thing, Doctor Loka had stolen the experience points from Falmu and many of the gang members, so Liao Ji felt he had to make him cough them back up.

On the other side, listening to the young man start muttering to himself again in a way she couldn't understand, Irin couldn't hold back anymore and finally asked the question she had been suppressing in her heart for a long time.

"I... I thought you would..."

"Would what? Actually take him on as a subordinate, or give him a contract like yours? Do you think he's worthy?" Liao Ji countered.

"He..."

He certainly wasn't worthy; Irin knew that deep down.

It was precisely because of this that another question arose in the girl's mind.

Was she... worthy?

From the moment she and the old antique entered the Kalleva factory until now, Irin recalled the self-introduction Liao Ji had made back in the [Relic Cave].

That simple, seven-character introduction—"I am the Ash Emperor."

Looking at it now, even if Irin were blind, she would be certain that Liao Ji was truly some incredible figure five hundred years ago. After all, the crystals, the relics, and that miraculous contract all proved it.

Could there even be a possibility—just a possibility—that what the old antique said was true?

That he... he really is...

Irin didn't dare to think any further.

And what was she? A grave robber? A small-time Scavenger? Someone who had even... once pointed a sword at Liao Ji? Looking at the miserable death of the Kalleva leader and the doctor turned monster, Irin felt it was a miracle she was still alive. It was truly...

"Hey, Miss Irin, stop overthinking it. It's too late to back out now. You've consumed so many of my resources that I won't let you leave. At the very least, I have to squeeze out all your remaining value."

Liao Ji said this to the girl with a fierce, sour, and stingy landlord-like expression. Irin was rendered speechless for a moment, then lowered her head in silence for a while before finally whispering two words.

"Tha... thank you."

"Hey! You're making me want to start a class on how to be a 'CPU'." Liao Ji shook his head.

"Let's go. Although I have a hunch that the aunt is still alive and perfectly fine, we should still hurry."

Irin really wanted to say that this was the Church, which was completely different from a gang like Kalleva. She didn't want to drag the young man down because of herself.

But looking at the indifferent expression on Liao Ji's face, Irin realized that perhaps in her eyes, it was a behemoth—the Church, the largest and only official power of the Holy Kingdom—but in the eyes of this young man...

Was it really just...

Indifferent?

It's so nice. This feeling of being at ease.

Irin nodded and was about to follow closely behind Liao Ji, but before she could take another step, she felt lightheaded. Her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Fortunately, Liao Ji reacted quickly and hurriedly caught the girl.

After a quick check, Liao Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

It was nothing serious. She had likely just broken through to "Danger Rank," and after going through a fierce battle while keeping her nerves taut the entire time, her exhausted body had finally rebelled the moment she relaxed, causing her to pass out.

When he thought about it, it was actually quite terrifying. So many things had happened in just half a day, starting from the girl "digging a grave" to his own arrival. It was no wonder Irin couldn't hold on. So, did this count as some kind of... grave-robbing curse?

Liao Ji shook his head.

Fine.

I told you to lie back and win, and you really did "lie" down.

However...

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

As it happened, having Irin with him for what was coming next would be more of a nuisance. It was better to act alone. Ever since he investigated and found the shadow of the "Church" behind the scenes, the nature of this matter had changed for Liao Ji; it was no longer as simple as just "saving someone."

"The Church, huh..."

Muttering to himself, Liao Ji carried the unconscious Irin and walked out of the factory. However, halfway there, he stopped, because he had almost forgotten.

"Mmph! Mmph-mmph-mmph!"

In a hidden corner, a gang member tied up like a zongzi was looking at the young man approaching him with a face full of terror.

This was none other than the old-timer gangster who had brought Liao Ji and the girl into the factory to "get a taste of the soup" at the very beginning: Artur.

"That, Artur-what's-his-name? Sorry, I forgot what you were called, but thanks. Thanks to you leading the way and telling me there was a 'Relic' inside, as a reward, I've also wiped out this factory for you. How about that? Pretty decent of me, right? Now you don't have to earn dirty money against your conscience anymore!"

"Woooooo-wooooooo!" With a rag stuffed into his mouth, Artur was shaking his head frantically, tears and snot streaming down his face.

It was clear that he didn't seem to like this reward of his very much.

Liao Ji sighed with deep regret.

"Hey, don't be so nervous. Everyone here is dead now, and you're the only one who can testify that I acted heroically. I'm not the type of person who likes to do good deeds without leaving a name, so I'm still counting on you to claim credit for me at the Knights Order later!"

"By the way."

"Can I borrow your phone to make a call?"