Modification and Reinforcement

Modification and Enhancement

"As for how to buy those expensive medicinal ingredients..."

Mu Xiao decided to try contacting that terrifying entity and see whether it was possible to produce the Miracle Formula. But first, he had to solve another problem: he needed a huge sum of money. Or rather, he needed to obtain a huge sum in a short period of time to buy large quantities of rare medicinal herbs.

There was no way to obtain such a huge amount of money quickly through normal means, so he could only resort to abnormal means.

After all, once today passed, the world would lose all order. Who would care about rules and restrictions then? So Mu Xiao intended to exploit this loophole and play the role of a bandit to solve his funding problem. Fortunately, the former Mu Xiao's job provided the current Mu Xiao with some convenience.

He worked as a management employee at the Bauhinia Group, a famous corporate giant within the Earth Federation.

The Bauhinia Group was an extremely renowned company in the City of Magic. Even its ordinary employees enjoyed benefits, educational backgrounds, professional abilities, bearing, and overall qualities far surpassing those of employees at corporations elsewhere. Otherwise, the former Mu Xiao could not have amassed nearly three hundred thousand in savings within three years.

Therefore, everyone who worked at Bauhinia possessed a humble yet confident kind of pride—an air of superiority.

But Mu Xiao did not care about any sense of superiority. Once today was over, everyone would be reduced to primitive humans anyway. Only continuous evolution would earn respect.

Once he had formed a rough plan, he began preparing the other things he needed.

First, he modified a blade. It had originally been an ordinary Microwave Blade used for cutting metal, a tool capable of slicing through metal with ease.

It was a blade that emitted electromagnetic radiation. Many households owned such work tools. In the technologically advanced Earth Federation, they were as commonplace as screwdrivers had once been. But after Mu Xiao modified it into an Overclocked Microwave Blade, it was no longer an ordinary tool—it had become a weapon specifically used by special police.

Among ordinary people, only he could turn such a common tool into a dangerous weapon.

"I never expected the mechanical knowledge in my memories to become one of my abilities. It's a pity I didn't inherit my supernatural powers as well." Mu Xiao knew that all he possessed was instinctive knowledge. When it came to excessively advanced mechanical modifications, he simply lacked the means.

Still, he could relearn this mechanical knowledge, and with the foundational knowledge embedded in his memories, he would certainly improve faster than others. But that was something for after the apocalypse.

Next, Mu Xiao modified another defensive weapon: a Paralysis Gun.

This was a weapon that could electrocute someone and render them unable to move. Since electrocution was not lethal, it was relatively safe, so many people kept one for self-defense. But Mu Xiao directly modified the Paralysis Gun into an Electromagnetic Gun. Its paralysis effect was much stronger, and it could even electrocute someone to death.

Just as he finished the modification, the home AI issued a notification: someone was contacting him from outside.

"The things should be here."

Mu Xiao checked the three-dimensional image of the environment outside his door generated by the AI. Sure enough, it was an employee from an online retailer delivering his order.

After signing for the delivery, he carried a case made of neither metal nor wood back to his room. He entered the password he had set online into the case, then opened it to find the vials of medicine he had ordered, along with several small pharmaceutical tools. He then began producing an S-Class Constitution Enhancement Serum.

This was a serum capable of raising the body's attributes to an S-Class constitution.

The Earth Federation had clear classifications for physical constitutions: SSS-Class Constitution (masters who cultivated profound inner strength, known as beings akin to "earthly immortals"); SS-Class Constitution (beyond ordinary human physiques); S-Class Constitution (the elite among elite special forces soldiers all possessed this constitution); A-Class Constitution (the basic standard for special police and soldiers); B-Class Constitution (the standard physical quality for police officers and people who exercised regularly); C-Class Constitution (the level of ordinary people).

"An S-Class constitution will give me a stronger foundation. If I want to become truly powerful, it seems I'll still need the abilities of the apocalyptic age of evolution." Mu Xiao knew that, before long, everyone would possess tremendous potential to break through the SSS-Class constitution. By the late stages of the apocalypse, New Humans would all surpass SSS-Class constitutions, and the Earth Federation's classification system would become a thing of the past.

After refining multiple medicinal ingredients and blending their properties, Mu Xiao successfully produced a bottle of colorless, odorless serum.

"This serum itself proves just how much of an advantage the information in my memories gives me in this world." Mu Xiao smiled faintly and, without hesitation, poured the colorless serum in his hand into his mouth. A rich, bittersweet vegetal flavor instantly filled his mouth, only to quickly fade into tastelessness, as though he had drunk nothing at all.

"The taste is right, at least. Too bad it's only a simplified enhancement serum." Mu Xiao murmured as he put everything away, preparing to wait for the first stage of the medicine's effects before heading to the company to carry out the next step of his plan.

The simplified version absorbed a little more slowly, but the results were the same. It could still raise the human body to an S-Class constitution. A normal enhancement serum would be absorbed two or three times faster, while an advanced version could directly achieve the purpose of strengthening the body.

The first stage of the medicine's effects would not take long, so it would not waste much of Mu Xiao's time.

His entire body began alternating between chills and heat, and his muscles twitched from time to time. Mu Xiao remained calm, knowing that the information in his memories truly worked in this world. Taking advantage of the onset, he dragged his strengthening body into the bathroom and prepared to wash up before returning to the company. After all, once the enhancement was complete, his body would produce far too much oil and sweat. Washing now would save some time.

With time passing rather tediously, Mu Xiao summoned the household robot and had it trim his hair.

"Now I look a little more like my former self..." Mu Xiao looked at the unfamiliar yet familiar reflection in the mirror. His formerly neat, conservative hairstyle had been changed into a tousled cut, lending him a faintly unruly and casual air.

The medicine had reached its final stage. Mu Xiao's consciousness gradually became a little hazy. Although he knew these were only minor effects, memories and thoughts kept surfacing...

"This is the beginning of my new life..."

Mu Xiao closed his eyes and soaked in the bathtub, his thoughts slowly descending into chaos.

In a certain year before the twenty-second century, multiple unknown spatial disturbances occurred across Earth. A great number of objects beyond contemporary technology spilled out, along with powerful, vicious unknown creatures and strange plants never before seen on Earth. Yet the spatial disturbances lasted only half a year before all space settled back into stability.

The disturbances alarmed the entire world. Countless people obtained technological items that had fallen out of them, but those were soon forcibly confiscated by their governments. As for the powerful and vicious unknown creatures, they caused only brief chaos before vanishing entirely.

Some said the unknown creatures had been taken by the government for research. Others said they could not adapt to Earth's environment and died out. Still others claimed they had already gone into hiding somewhere on Earth. There were countless theories, but most people leaned toward the first explanation.

Soon afterward, the entire world entered a period of rapid technological growth, which was undoubtedly the best proof.

At the beginning of the twenty-third century, a super alliance formed by multiple powerful nations was established on Earth—the Earth Federation!

The first thing the Earth Federation did was enact a policy to "improve human genes." Thus, something called the Life Gene Elixir was introduced to the world. The Life Gene Elixir successfully altered human genes, strengthening the immune system and completely eliminating many minor ailments. Gradually, the Life Gene Elixir replaced medicines such as vaccines, and it became essential for every newborn to receive one.

The Life Gene Elixir allowed the human body to advance further, naturally extending lifespans. It could be said that this was humanity's first step toward evolution.

Having tasted the benefits of gene elixirs, people placed increasing importance on life science research. Within five years, multiple grades of gene elixirs were developed. Different grades offered different benefits, and some could even enhance the body's potential and awaken special abilities. But naturally, the more advanced the gene elixir, the more expensive it was.

The Earth Federation constantly absorbed and digested the advanced technology obtained from the spatial disturbances. After more than a decade of rapid progress across various technological fields, the Earth Federation gained the ability to mine resources unavailable on Earth from nearby planets. At the peak of this unprecedented technological age, a project called the New Human Plan was launched!

It was also the beginning of the world's catastrophe...

The New Human Plan was happening today.

As Mu Xiao gradually regained consciousness, the memories of Earth's past beginnings gave him an even clearer sense of the world he inhabited. He had become one of the New Human Plan's "lab rats," yet he had also become a variable in the future.

"At last, I can feel the strength I once had. It's still a little weak, but it's enough to give me the ability to make a good start." Mu Xiao rose from the bathtub, full of energy. His body was tall and lean, his muscles brimming with resilience. As he clenched his fist, a sense of abundant vitality and powerful flesh and blood surged forth from within.

Mu Xiao changed into a set of sportswear, took the Overclocked Microwave Blade and his miniature optical computer, then headed for the company.

By the time he left, it was already around ten in the morning, and the time he had left was steadily dwindling.

The azure sky was as pure as an ocean, free of any impurities or pollution. The sunlight was brilliant yet gentle, while the breeze carried a soft, fresh scent. Surrounded by buildings like steel behemoths, one could feel both their majestic power and one's own insignificance. Magnetic levitation vehicles flew through the air in orderly streams, while pedestrians had replaced ordinary transportation with all sorts of high-tech devices...

If there had been no so-called New Human Plan, no blood feud from that time, then after being reborn into this world, there would surely have been many wonderful and interesting things waiting for me... Mu Xiao smiled wistfully. Though everything before him felt unremarkable in his memories, when he looked back and experienced a time of peace firsthand, the people and sights around him filled him with nostalgia.

Mu Xiao had his own means of transportation: a magnetic levitation scooter used by most office workers, one of the "inheritances" his former self had left to his present self.

Riding the sheep-like maglev scooter, Mu Xiao traveled toward Bauhinia Group as though he were merely an observer, taking in the sights of this technological world along the way.