The Legendary Miracle Formula

Chapter 2. The Legendary Miracle Formula

Those who believe they can control their own destiny are, from the very beginning, nothing more than prey to their own desires.

Mu Xiao did not want to burden his consciousness with the advantageous yet inertial thinking of his past life. That would undoubtedly make him too complacent, leading him to overlook the importance of life itself. Even with his rebirth, this remained a cruel, real world; once dead, it was the end.

Only by truly mastering immense combat power could one truly master their own destiny.

However, no one understood the current state of the world better than he did, nor the whirlpool of chaos the entire human race was caught in. Therefore, he had to integrate into this reborn world as quickly as possible to secure a sliver of survival.

He calmed down quickly, corrected his mindset, and decided to start by strengthening his own body.

Mu Xiao roughly organized the memories in his mind that were applicable to the present and muttered to himself, "Most of the precious potions in the late-stage world must be made personally, and some raw materials are extremely difficult to obtain. Since this world hasn't reached the late stages of the apocalypse yet, perhaps I can find finished potions..."

With this thought in mind, he immediately issued a series of commands to his smart computer, Xixi.

Mu Xiao had fought in the new era of the apocalypse for too long that he had forgotten the concept of time, even feeling as if he had been reborn into the body of a stranger. But because the memories of 'Mu Xiao' from both timelines had merged, the feeling of being both familiar and strange was peculiar. He was well-acquainted with the smart computer, and since he understood the general landscape of this world and knew which online merchant was the most famous in the Earth Federation, he quickly found what he needed.

The light screens surrounding him were filled with data and diagrams of various potions. If anyone had been nearby, they would have heard him muttering nonsense about "raw materials for double-S grade antibody serum" or "one of the main raw materials for S-grade mental potions."

"Sigh..." Mu Xiao lamented, "If I had predicted the world's upheaval back then and bought the raw materials for finished strengthening potions directly, I might have entered the depths of the 'Divine Domain' hidden on the moon long ago."

Time was pressing. With less than nine hours until the apocalypse broke out, he pushed those thoughts aside and carefully selected the appropriate medicinal materials.

Although Mu Xiao remembered many recipes for high-level strengthening potions, the materials were prohibitively expensive—far beyond what he, or rather, the savings of the 'Mu Xiao' from this timeline, could afford.

"Selling the property here probably won't be fast enough... this really is the only money available." Mu Xiao looked at the credit balance displayed by the bank. About three hundred thousand was a considerable fortune for someone living in this world.

Mu Xiao also knew clearly that his former self had been a real "nice guy," and this money had been saved for marriage. As for the bride-to-be, she was the real-life prototype of that three-dimensional beauty on his smart computer—his girlfriend, whom he had happened to break up with the day before.

As the reborn Mu Xiao, he was very clear about this. As for the affairs of his former self, he didn't intend to get too involved; after all, time diluted everything. Besides, the two had never met after the apocalypse; she might have died long ago. Having lived two lifetimes, his state of mind was different—not extreme, not weak, but calm and rational.

Before his rebirth, Mu Xiao had experienced long, bloody slaughter, during which he had used countless women to vent his desires. The memory of that so-called girlfriend had completely vanished into the river of history. Since he felt no affection, the relationship was naturally "unfamiliar."

"Since we've already broken up, it doesn't matter if I use this money. What matters most is that it's me now, not the me from before..."

Mu Xiao chattered to himself, his fingers moving nimbly across the screens to select a series of medicinal ingredients. A moment later, he had spent all his savings to purchase the materials needed for a simplified version of the "S-grade physical strengthening potion."

In such an era of cutting-edge high technology, every industry operated with high efficiency, especially large, well-known corporate conglomerates. Therefore, the medicinal ingredients and tools Mu Xiao ordered would all be delivered in just half an hour.

"They should arrive around nine o'clock. Next, I need to prepare a few more escape routes."

While waiting for the delivery, Mu Xiao used his smart computer to download the urban topography of his current region and a world map of the entire Earth Federation. He marked important areas that could potentially be compared with locations in the late-stage apocalypse to search for treasures later.

Being at the very beginning of this world, Mu Xiao didn't necessarily know every location, as he had grown strong during the late-stage evolution of the world. The environment in the early stages differed drastically from the late stages, so he looked for maps to have a point of reference.

He gathered all the data, stored it all in his micro-computer, and then disconnected from the network, keeping it with him. The micro-computer was a communication tool, only the size of two fingers, but it was also a smart computer. Simply put, it was a piece of high-tech equipment that combined a phone and a computer without sacrificing any functionality.

As for why Mu Xiao disconnected the computer from the network?

It was because shortly after the apocalypse began, a terrifying and massive electromagnetic wave would be emitted from the moon, blanketing the Earth. This would paralyze the network system and spawn a virus that would spread to all connected computers, causing every networked machine to crash.

Mu Xiao unfolded the micro-computer, and a half-meter-wide light screen popped out, looking like a materialized monitor. He expanded the data, and light screens resembling sheets of paper floated around him...

"That should be fine." Mu Xiao checked the computer once more, confirmed there were no errors, and prepared to shut it down to begin modifying his tools. But just then, he noticed a city map that happened to be the place where he was currently located, and the name of the city felt quite familiar to him...

A memory surfaced, impossible to suppress.

"City of Magic, known in later ages as the Devil's City..." Beads of cold sweat broke out on Mu Xiao's forehead, his expression filled with fear. "Isn't this 'her' territory? Forget about my current self; even if a thousand versions of my old, highly-evolved self came back, we wouldn't be 'her' match..."

Run away?

Since 'she' hadn't fully awakened her evolution yet, this was undoubtedly the best chance to escape. But if he ran for now, what about the future? Unless he lived entirely outside this world, he would eventually run into 'her'...

"Living a cautious, pathetic life is not my personality." Mu Xiao steadied himself, realizing that 'she' hadn't yet awakened into the terrifying final boss; there should be opportunities to act.

Mu Xiao's fear of 'her' stemmed from his knowledge of the reborn world, and being in the same place as 'her' made that fear even more visceral.

'She' was a terrifying, hidden anomaly. New human powerhouses had once tried to capture, kill, and study her evolutionary genes, but she had ended up killing all of them in return. Eventually, the famous powerhouses on the moon united, intending to pool their strength to kill her.

This sparked the greatest classic battle in history. Mu Xiao had participated in it, and before the battle, no one in the world knew what kind of evolutionary existence 'she' was.

In the end, more than half of the powerhouses who joined the battle were wiped out, and Mu Xiao himself was left severely wounded and nearly dead.

'She' was a mysterious existence, and it wasn't until Mu Xiao entered the moon that he learned her true identity.

"She is the protagonist of this world; I probably couldn't kill her early even if I wanted to..." Mu Xiao pondered for a while, feeling it was better not to provoke 'her'—after all, 'she' was an existence that stood above all 'Kings.'

Yet, the very next second, he dismissed his own thought as he subconsciously recalled the data regarding 'her.'

"It seems someone once published a 'bug-like' bloodline formula, and one of the ingredients was her blood..." Mu Xiao's eyes shimmered like stars. "Moreover, the world hasn't fallen yet. Many materials that became extinct in the early stages can be bought directly now; it's not impossible to create it like before. If I successfully craft this 'Miracle Formula' that countless people researched, it will undoubtedly be the best guarantee of strength for me to survive in this world!"

This was a genetic bloodline formula deduced by a group of geniuses on the moon, but no one ever succeeded. The formula was treated as useless and was leaked intentionally or unintentionally. If successfully crafted, the person who consumed it would possess the power of a god, though no one knew exactly what that power was. The time and effort required to craft this formula were simply more than an average person could expend in a short period.

For one thing, some of the required materials had already gone extinct in the early stages of the apocalypse, and even with the advanced technology on the moon, they couldn't be cultivated in large quantities. It required multiple pathways to produce just one precious material, and the success rate of synthesis was extremely low. For another, the precious materials couldn't withstand the consumption, making the formula nearly impossible to complete.

Most frustratingly, one of the ingredients required 'her' blood. By the time it was needed, 'she' was already a fully matured, world-class powerhouse. Major forces across the globe couldn't kill her, so for an individual to attempt to kill her was a fantasy.

Even if one didn't try to kill her but only attacked her to collect blood, one had to be prepared to be killed instantly. Even if one successfully collected her blood, it had to be refined into her "primitive" blood; because her fully matured blood contained genes that were already settled, it might not be suitable for others...

The blood had to be used to trigger the formula's effects, but her blood before and after mutation was different. After mutating, her body was no longer composed of human blood, but another type of high-level energy substance. How many times could one successfully collect her blood? How much time would it take? Not to mention that her whereabouts were ethereal and unpredictable; finding her was hard enough.

Therefore, trying to obtain this bloodline formula was undoubtedly a massive project, almost impossible to succeed.

If one spent that much time, it would be faster to simply train to improve one's strength. Consequently, many new humans called it the "Bug Bloodline." Furthermore, after humanity experienced the great catastrophe and evolution, they held deep resentment toward the people on the moon, feeling that the moon had released this formula just to lead everyone to their deaths—a move that was extremely sinister and vicious.

Although many thought this way, the formula did have a certain evolutionary logic; it wasn't entirely a lie. It was just that no one had succeeded in collecting all the materials.

However, Mu Xiao was standing at the very beginning of the new world's history—a period no one else had experienced. After all, not everyone could encounter the miracle of rebirth. Thus, standing at the dawn of it all, Mu Xiao held an unparalleled advantage. He could directly purchase the finished materials, bypassing the complex and tedious processes of cultivation, blood collection, and refining... turning what was once impossible into a distinct possibility.

"I don't even know if this bloodline exists. If it doesn't, wouldn't I be throwing my life away?" Mu Xiao calmed down quickly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

However, Mu Xiao considered that 'she' was not yet that terrifying existence, making the odds of obtaining 'her' blood quite high. But he soon faced two more problems: the first was the issue of the required medicinal herbs. Since most of these herbs remained prohibitively expensive in this era, they were simply beyond what Mu Xiao could afford right now.

The second problem was that 'her' current location was unknown, making it impossible to collect 'her' blood.

"If my memory serves me correctly, 'she' awakened in a law firm in the Magic City. That means if I find that law firm, I can find 'her' location." After a series of careful deductions, Mu Xiao roughly guessed the place where she would appear just before the apocalypse broke out.

"I'll leave it all to fate! If she really appears in that law firm as my memory indicates, then there's no doubt that this unknown formula exists. If she doesn't appear at the destination, then it proves the formula might not be correct..." Mu Xiao did not deny his thirst for the Miracle Formula; he didn't want this massive opportunity to slip right under his nose and leave him filled with regret.

In truth, letting fate decide was a move born of helplessness. After all, if 'she' didn't show up, he couldn't possibly track down 'her' exact location in just one day. Moreover, 'her' current identity was that of an ace agent, and an ordinary person would have no way of coming into contact with 'her' true self.