Exploration

The entire Lawyer Building had fallen into deathly silence. Only inhuman hoarse sounds remained, sharp as needles and enough to raise goosebumps all over the body. Not a trace of living vitality remained on any floor. The air was thick with the stench of blood, like a blackened, rotting corpse, draping layer upon layer of shadows over the dim, blood-red surroundings. It was sinister, terrifying, and suffocating.

Mu Xiao had barely managed to blend the power of his Innate Ability with the might of "Mind Force." Although he had not truly cultivated it, its properties heightened the sharpness of his Mental Power. Even without releasing his Mental Power, he could sense whether there was danger within ten meters. If he released it, he could obtain precise information about everything within that range. Yet releasing his Mental Power felt like draining his physical strength dry. The more he expanded his Mind Force, the stronger his hunger became, until he felt a desire to devour even his own flesh and blood. It was an intensely strange sensation.

"Zombies seem to have that same boundless hunger. Could there be something wrong with my body too?" Mu Xiao tried out the effects of Mind Force several times, and a chill ran through his heart.

After all, he had never cultivated Mind Force himself. He only knew the cultivation process, so he naturally had no confidence in it.

However, Mu Xiao discovered that his consciousness did not seem to be affected by negative emotions, so he temporarily put aside his worries. At most, he believed his realm was too low to withstand the normal release of Mind Force. Besides, he had not eaten anything for three days, and his body had undergone a series of enhancements. The consumption was considerable.

"I can't use Mind Force excessively. Otherwise, it really might drain my body dry." Mu Xiao remained vigilant.

He knew that the greater the power, the greater the restrictions. Once a limit was exceeded, the vessel carrying that power might collapse.

Mu Xiao straightened his clothes, put away his Optical Brain chip, and checked the Thunderbolt Cannon. He found that it could no longer be used, so he could only strap it to his back. He would have to wait until he obtained Mechanical Control or Weapon Mastery before he could reactivate it.

The air was already filled with mutated free ions and electromagnetic fields. They did not merely alter human bodies; they also invaded energy-containing machinery and gradually changed plants, causing various transformations. Mechanical Mastery could repair machines and speed up the absorption of mechanical knowledge, while Weapon Mastery allowed one to understand a weapon's properties completely the moment it was picked up.

After Mechanical Mastery and Weapon Mastery came Mechanical Specialization and Weapon Specialization, as well as Mechanical Control and Weapon Control... Each advancement brought different knowledge and power. These were abilities of the Intelligence System. If one cultivated a "Soul Secret Art," then with a single thought, one could control any machine to reassemble and combine. Weapons would become like part of one's own body, as easy to wield as an arm or finger.

However, these two abilities, mechanical and weapon-related, were common in Mu Xiao's later Evolution Era. They were like appraisal skills in games, capable of activating old antique weapons and fully bringing out their power. This was how New Humans assisted themselves in battle during the future Age of Evolution.

Yet now, machines and weapons around the world were gradually failing, rendering many weapons unusable. Naturally, large-scale weapons of destruction could not be activated either, unless the moon sent armed forces. But Earth was already covered in strange electromagnetic fields. Those foreign weapons from the moon would also lose their effectiveness shortly after entering Earth.

Thus, before long, Earth would become a sealed land of despair. Only by mastering the power of knowledge, modifying weapons so they could function normally and even become more powerful, could one gain the basic ability to survive.

Therefore, Mechanical Mastery and Weapon Mastery were life-saving abilities for people in the early stages. If they could not even use weapons, their ability to survive would undoubtedly plummet.

"Too many weapons were buried away in the later era. Perhaps weapons were restricted by abilities. After all, weapons should last longer than people, and only New Humans could use them. Unless a New Human was willing to put effort into modifying weapons so anyone could use them, but that would at least require mechanical knowledge at the specialization level..." As Mu Xiao pondered, he moved aside the clutter he had piled in front of the room earlier.

Generally, those who evolved into New Humans would not bother modifying weapons for Old Humans. Old Humans had no status in this era, and modifying machinery for ordinary use would only lower its inherent quality. No one would do such a thankless task.

Still, surviving in this era had its benefits. Earth's air would gradually change, no longer remaining turbid, and energy would exist within it. As long as people survived, their bodies would become better and better. Perhaps one day, they would naturally become New Humans, and there would no longer be any distinction between New and Old Humans.

Of course, in the early stages, the healthier an Old Human's body was, the more it merely meant a fate worse than death. Only by evolving into a New Human would one qualify to live.

But power was a drug that corrupted human nature. The Evolution Realm of early New Humans would certainly be several times higher than that of New Humans in the middle and later stages. Thus, powerful New Humans in the early period loved to place themselves above others. After years of slaughter, their hearts became filled with complicated emotions, with the desire for power and ambition being the most common.

Therefore, powerful New Humans liked to treat Old Humans as slaves. They even developed drugs that suppressed Old Humans' ability to evolve, or forced New Humans back into Old Human physiques. From then on, Old Humans remained Old Humans, unable to escape their lowly status for generations, becoming weak groups at the mercy of others.

Having gone through a long and arduous evolutionary path, Mu Xiao understood better than anyone the cruelty of human nature in the future era. He also knew that such things would inevitably happen. But he did not want to be a savior, nor did he want to believe in anyone or be saved by anyone. He believed only in his own strength, in becoming a powerhouse no one could control, standing at the summit.

Mu Xiao did not plan to rush home. Although Mu Xuanyin was alone at home and might be in great danger, he had considered that few people lived near their home. As long as his little sister saw the message he had left behind, she would definitely survive.

If Mu Xiao had known that dozens of beauties had already moved into his home, he would certainly have rushed back immediately—not for those women, but to "protect" the rare supplies vital to future evolution and keep them from wasting them. Moreover, his supplies were more than a hundred times more valuable than Shangguan Yuanxin's supplies in No. 9 Warehouse. After all, resources would become scarcer over time until they eventually disappeared and became impossible to find. This was especially true of his rare medicines. The supplies he had ordered for Shangguan Yuanxin were merely mid- to low-grade goods and naturally could not compare with his own.

Of course, some resources from the later era did not exist in the current early stage, so half of Mu Xiao's knowledge and methods could not be put to use. It was both an advantage and a disadvantage.

There was actually a reason he was not rushing back, because this place was a secret agent organization. There were things here that he wanted to obtain and could not afford to miss.

Mu Xiao did not head out into the third-floor corridor. Instead, he wanted to return to the secret room from before and search for other hidden places throughout the Lawyer Building. Since this was a covert Federation agent facility, it surely stored plenty of useful things such as weapons and drugs.

He considered turning the entire Lawyer Building into his secret base.

"There seems to be a basement here too... Hmm, I'll clear out the upper floors first, then explore below. But first, I need a weapon that suits me."

Mu Xiao's physical strength had already reached an SSS-Class Physique. His explosive power surpassed that of any ordinary person. He could tear metal and shatter stone with his bare hands, and no ordinary person could withstand even a casual punch from him. That was why he had damaged the metal door leading into the secret room earlier, to prevent monsters from attacking. Now, he could almost pry it open by brute force alone.

Crack! Snap!

The metal split apart with a sharp, piercing screech.

Through a damaged gap in the metal door, Mu Xiao forcibly pulled open an entrance large enough for half his body. He did not want to make too much noise through excessive violence and attract unknown creatures inside the secret room. Zombies would be manageable, but if he encountered a Mutant Human, he could only use Mind Force to fight. Otherwise, it would be difficult to gain any advantage against one.

The silent stairwell contained neither human figures nor bloodstains. Mu Xiao concluded that no one had passed through here.

"This staircase leads directly underground and also connects to the first through fifth floors. Perhaps some of the monsters have already left through other rooms." Mu Xiao went straight to the secret room on the fifth floor where Water Bailan and he had once been trapped. There had once been an evolved Mutant Human there, which Mu Xiao had seen with his own eyes. If he encountered it, it would be better to kill it as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the Mutant Human evolved an Innate Ability, it would become a major problem.

New Humans had Innate Abilities, and Mutant Humans possessed abilities as well.

However, New Humans could obtain Ability Sources from Mutant Humans or Zombies, increasing their bloodline evolution rate—that was, genetic optimization. There was even a certain chance of gaining the opportunity to acquire other abilities: Physique System, Mental System, Transformation System, Source Force System, Intelligence System, Spatial System, and Mystical System abilities. These abilities formed the greatest foundation for future cultivation.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, Mu Xiao finally saw blackened bloodstains all over the ground. He briefly surveyed the area as Mind Force enveloped the three-meter radius around him. Any foreign object entering that range would certainly be detected by him, and he could even kill it with Telekinesis.

This was how he used Mind Force at the lowest possible cost. He did not dare sweep the entire building with it directly, or the expenditure alone would kill him.

Returning to the floor where the secret room had been, Mu Xiao slowed his steps and contracted his Mind Force, masking the fresh scent of human flesh emanating from his body. Both Telekinesis and Mental Power generally possessed concealment abilities. Mind Force was a combination of the two, making its concealment effect even more outstanding.

It could only be used as a minor trick in the early stages, though. If he encountered an Evolver with powerful Mental Power detection, he might not be able to fool them. Moreover, once he attacked, this concealment ability would disappear. Like camouflage, attacking would expose his body. Unless his Mental Power and Telekinesis evolved to a higher level.

At present, Mu Xiao could only perform simple manipulations with Mind Force. The power of his Mind Source Force was roughly on the same level as his physical body, but Telekinesis possessed silent, invisible, and formless properties. Furthermore, if Mental Power and Telekinesis were combined into a Mind Force attack, the result would be extraordinary—though the cost was enormous.

Mu Xiao had never stopped exploring methods to cultivate Mind Force. As long as he used Mental Power or Telekinesis separately, the consumption would be relatively lower. Once he used the incompletely cultivated Mind Force, it would greatly intensify his expenditure. Therefore, unless he faced a dangerous moment, he did not intend to use complete Mind Force as an offensive method, lest he kill the enemy only for his own body to collapse and die.

There were only three dull-witted Zombies inside the secret room. From their torn clothes, Mu Xiao could tell that they had been part of the group of guards before they failed to evolve and became Zombies.

"Three Zombies won't be difficult to handle. It seems that Mutant Human, along with most of the other Zombies, has already left this room." Mu Xiao openly walked into the secret room. The three Zombies quickly noticed the moving object. Finding that it did not carry the scent of their own kind, they hesitated for a moment before still approaching step by step, probing like wild beasts.

Mu Xiao had concealed his scent, so the Zombies naturally regarded him as an object.

Zombies were not withered, ruined corpses, but genuine living dead with intact bodies. They were stronger than ordinary people, possessing at least a B-Class Physique. Yet their whole bodies were blackened and foul-smelling, their faces hideous, their pupils inhuman, their claws sharp as beasts', and their bared teeth vicious. They were living dead that looked exactly like starving beasts.

An ordinary Old Human without a weapon would basically find it difficult to contend with even one Zombie.

But Mu Xiao casually picked up a disabled electric baton from the secret room. Three streaks of baton shadows whipped up gusts of wind and brutally smashed apart the heads of the three probing Zombies without any technique whatsoever. Black-red blood spilled across the floor.

The black blood that splashed toward him was directly blocked by Mu Xiao's Telekinesis.

When the three Zombies died, three streams of invisible essence automatically merged into Mu Xiao's body. This was an "Evolutionary Power Source"—simply put, a dense force of life, pure energy that existed only after evolution.

Suddenly, a mass of energy swirled within his Consciousness Sea. It did not merge into his soul, merely drifting through the Consciousness Sea outside it, but it quickly dispersed and vanished without a trace.

That fleeting sensation left Mu Xiao stunned.