Half a Miracle

Half a Miracle

Not long after, Mu Xiao took control of the floor's weapons system, blocking all outgoing communication signals. He then activated the high-density laser grid. Black gun barrels emerged from the walls, aimed in every direction. Only after putting these security measures in place did he stroll outside. He looked at the squad of valiant female bodyguards. Every one of them wore a mix of anger and fear on her face. Clearly, seeing the weapons system activated and Mu Xiao emerge unharmed had told them what had happened inside.

Mu Xiao amiably invited all the female bodyguards into the office. The moment they saw Shangguan Yuanxin lying unconscious, their faces went pale with fright. One petite bodyguard pounced at Mu Xiao like an enraged leopardess, drawing a high-vibration electromagnetic combat knife. She charged with such ferocity that she seemed ready to die with him.

But before she could reach him, Mu Xiao controlled the room's concealed gunports and shot her to the ground.

Mu Xiao had not killed her. He had used an electric beam, so she had merely been shocked unconscious.

The other female bodyguards did not dare act rashly. The calmest among them was the one with an S-rank physique.

"Don't worry. Your CEO isn't dead. She's only unconscious." Mu Xiao pointed at the bodyguard who had been shocked unconscious on the floor. "She isn't dead either. She only fainted."

"Who are you?! What are you trying to accomplish?!"

Dangerous light flashed in several bodyguards' eyes, as though they might deliver a fatal strike to Mu Xiao at any moment.

"I called you in here because I wanted to give you all a beautiful dream."

Mu Xiao did not waste words on them. He activated the weapons system's stun guns and shocked every one of them unconscious. Only the bodyguard with the S-rank physique managed to hold on, remaining awake for the moment.

"It was my mistake not to kill you in the lobby, but you won't be able to run for much longer. If I don't die, I'll smash every bone in your body to pieces." Her eyes were icy, their sharp gleam like knife blades.

With his extortion plan succeeding, Mu Xiao was in a good mood. He did not mind lingering for a while to exchange a few words with this bodyguard who still had "a breath" left, if only to savor his sense of accomplishment.

Mu Xiao walked up to her and crouched down. Looking at this wild beauty with delicate, refined features, neat short hair, smooth wheat-colored skin, and feline eyes that were both alluring and fierce, he said, "What would you do if I told you that I did all this to protect your lives?"

"Bullshit!" she cursed crudely, clearly not believing him.

"I said, if," Mu Xiao repeated seriously.

"If you did this to protect our lives, then from now on, I'm yours!" Her expression was disdainful, but her words were scorching.

"Wouldn't that mean I'm getting the short end of the stick?"

Mu Xiao put on an unwilling expression, directly angering the wild and bold beauty into unconsciousness.

The squad of twelve female bodyguards lay scattered across the floor. Mu Xiao did not take their weapons, because they were all specialized equipment that others could not use without first cracking their systems. Thus, he did nothing unnecessary. He had come clean and left clean, while secretly swallowing all of Bauhinia's liquid capital. Before leaving, he released the weapons system's sleeping gas in the office, letting them sleep soundly so they would not cause him trouble over the next few hours. Once the virus erupted, no trouble would matter anymore, because the whole world would become one enormous problem.

Mu Xiao also changed the office door's password. Even if someone outside discovered something was wrong, they would not be able to crack it and get inside anytime soon. After all, Shangguan Yuanxin's office was an important area of the company. Its door was exceptionally sturdy, and its optical computer system was highly advanced. If Mu Xiao had not possessed the ring authorization Shangguan Yuanxin had given him, it might have taken him a day or two to crack it successfully.

Mu Xiao did not return the ring to the unconscious Shangguan Yuanxin either. He was worried it might come in handy if he encountered trouble outside the company. Besides, he believed Shangguan Yuanxin surely had a spare ring that could restore the room's permissions to her own hands.

After that, Mu Xiao returned to the lobby without encountering any melodramatic scene of several armed guards suddenly jumping out at him.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard the clean, soft female voice from earlier again. This time, though, it sounded much weaker and carried a trace of fear.

"Mu Xiao, can you come over for a moment?" Lü Xiaoman's timid voice called out.

Mu Xiao had not intended to linger here, but he remembered that this little girl had spoken up for him earlier. He might as well give her a hand, so she would not die in the viral riot a few hours later.

"Is something wrong?" Mu Xiao walked over with a warm smile, ignoring the other person.

Seeing that he would not even look at her, Xia Qian looked awkward and troubled, her eyes filled with deep regret.

"Xia Qian and I are about to get off work. How about we have lunch together?" Seeing Mu Xiao's warm smile, Lü Xiaoman felt the unease in her heart settle.

"Xiao, I hope you can give me a chance to explain." Xia Qian spoke softly, her lovely, radiant face pitiful and vulnerable.

"No time." Mu Xiao calmly glanced at her and refused outright. Then he looked at Lü Xiaoman, who was about to speak, and said, "Xiaoman, give me your communication optical computer."

Xiaoman was Lü Xiaoman's nickname. She did not mind Mu Xiao calling her that. Instead, it made her feel the same warmth as before. She readily handed him a round piece of pink metal—her miniature optical computer.

Mu Xiao opened her optical computer and set a timed reminder with a message attached. Once the time came, the optical computer would automatically display the notification. After thinking for a moment, he wrote an encrypted message as well.

"All right." Mu Xiao returned her optical computer and explained, "I set some things in there. When the time comes, it'll notify you automatically. Follow what it says immediately. Understand?"

Mu Xiao had not let her see the contents just now, so she had no idea what he had written.

"And I encrypted the contents, so don't let your curiosity get the better of you and peek early." Mu Xiao joked, while also hinting that Xia Qian should not try anything. Whether Xia Qian could seize the opportunity to hide with Lü Xiaoman in Shangguan Yuanxin's office would depend on her own luck.

"What is it, exactly?" Lü Xiaoman was still curious.

"I put in a few good words for you in front of Shangguan Yuanxin. When the time comes, go upstairs for an interview and promotion." Mu Xiao casually made up an excuse. Then, without waiting for Lü Xiaoman to speak, he bid her farewell. Lü Xiaoman had received such a wonderful opportunity, while Xia Qian was filled with envy, jealousy, and regret. As she watched Mu Xiao's departing back, her expression became incomparably complicated.

"So this is what it feels like when someone is heartless toward you." Xia Qian let out a faint sigh.

"Xia Qian, don't be upset." Loyal and sincere, Lü Xiaoman said, "We'll go upstairs together later. I'll say some good things for you too, Xia Qian. Maybe CEO Shangguan can promote both of us."

No one else would do such a thing, because work was not child's play. Making excessive demands often led to even oneself failing. This girl was simply far too innocent.

"It's the thought that counts. Don't force it." Xia Qian's hidden gloom lifted slightly.

After leaving the Bauhinia building, Mu Xiao rode his little magnetic levitation scooter back to his residence. When he found that his younger sister had not returned yet, he called her again in worry.

This time, Mu Xuanyin answered quickly. Understanding her brother's concern, she immediately explained, "Today is the big day for the New Human Plan. Many routes have been closed off, so I can't get back that quickly."

She studied quite far away. Mu Xiao had always known that his little sister was highly independent, and in the past he had never worried about her. But the great distance between them had meant that when the New Human Plan began, he had been unable to save her in time, resulting in an irreparable disaster.

"Xuanyin, you must get back before five o'clock, no matter what method you use. Understand?" Mu Xiao said gravely.

"Okay." Mu Xuanyin did not say much, only answered heavily.

In truth, Mu Xiao wanted to go find his sister, but he was afraid of wasting time. He was caught in a dilemma.

As though she had sensed his anxiety, Mu Xuanyin said sweetly, "If time is really too tight, I'll hire a small plane to get back. It may cost more, but I'll definitely be home before five."

"Then go apply for a small aircraft directly." If he had not been so worried about Mu Xuanyin's situation, he should have thought of this solution much earlier. Besides, money would be useless by then, so he might as well spend it now.

"Then... all right." Mu Xuanyin hesitated for a moment. She was a virtuous, frugal girl by nature and naturally did not want to waste money.

"Good." Only after hearing her agree did Mu Xiao finally feel the weight lift from his heart.

He took another refreshing shower, cooked a hearty meal, and after eating his fill, rested with his eyes closed for about half an hour before the deliverymen arrived.

The man was extraordinary, clad in metallic soft armor. Mu Xiao could tell at a glance that his outfit possessed powerful impact resistance and could ward off most energy attacks—a high-tech "bulletproof vest." Several fully armed guards stood behind him, clearly because this shipment was extremely valuable.

The man in charge had not expected the buyer to live in an ordinary district. However, customer privacy was not his concern, so he did not ask any questions. He simply had Mu Xiao verify his identity, then verified it again himself. Once everything checked out, they completed the receipt process.

Right there in Mu Xiao's living room, the man in charge took out seven or eight metal spheres. He controlled them until they floated in midair and formed a circle of moderate size. After a ripple distorted the air, crate after crate of goods appeared out of thin air within the circle.

This was technology for short-distance spatial transfer of cargo. The goods were first stored in a secure location not too far from the delivery point. Once the person in charge arrived at the destination, they activated the transfer procedure. This short-range transfer technology invisibly reduced energy consumption while ensuring cargo safety. Moreover, the shorter the distance, the more stable the spatial transfer.

With goods suddenly appearing in the living room, Mu Xiao was unfazed. He had once even possessed spatial devices, let alone this low-level "spatial transfer" technology. Besides, this technology was only suitable for transferring "non-living objects" and could not teleport living beings.

Of course, it was only low-level spatial technology in Mu Xiao's eyes.

In the end, the man in charge offered the customary, "We look forward to your future business," before leaving Mu Xiao's residence.

Not long afterward, several more batches of delivery personnel arrived one after another. Nearly all of them used this kind of "spatial transfer" technology to ensure the goods arrived safely.

By one o'clock in the afternoon, all the goods had finally arrived, but only four hours remained.

Soon after, a pure and lovely young girl returned to Mu Xiao's residence. She had a delicate, jade-like face, bright, shimmering eyes, and a petite, slender figure.

"Brother." Mu Xuanyin called out softly and sweetly.

Looking at this girl who seemed to always wear such a clean, gentle smile, Mu Xiao's heart softened. The thought of her death in the past brought a sharp stab of pain. After countless killings, even his will of steel had softened completely. His eyes reddened, and without saying much, he simply gently embraced the petite, delicate girl.

Mu Xuanyin sensed that her brother was different from usual. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his solid waist and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Brother?"

"It's nothing." Mu Xiao let her go and gently rubbed her hair, just as he always had.

Next, Mu Xiao did not have much time to explain the disaster of the New Human Plan to Mu Xuanyin in detail. He only told her that the world was about to descend into chaos and that they had to prepare their defenses.

Perhaps because Mu Xiao was by her side, she did not show too much fear. Or perhaps she had never seen the so-called true cruelty of the world.

Mu Xiao prepared a dose of medicine using one of the medicinal ingredients he had ordered. He made it into a serum that strengthened the body, then had Mu Xuanyin take it to bolster her physique and vitality so that she would not become a genetic monster when the virus erupted.

After she fell asleep, Mu Xiao used his optical computer to record the important events that would occur in the apocalypse and printed them onto paper. Once Mu Xuanyin woke up, she could use them to understand the situation instead of running around blindly. She only needed to stay home and wait for his return. To protect Mu Xuanyin's safety, he had also ordered a large amount of food when purchasing the medicinal ingredients, along with some reinforcement materials to strengthen the door and windowsills.

Once the home's defenses were in place, Mu Xiao began producing the most important bloodline serum.

His entire residence was piled high with crate after crate of goods. If anyone knew that wealth worth a fortune was stored here, he might be robbed even before the apocalypse arrived. However, he believed that no one would target him in the short term. Even if someone at the online merchant platform harbored ill intentions, they would not make a move anytime soon. Therefore, Mu Xiao was at ease as he went about his work.

"This time, in making the BUG Bloodline Serum from the miracle formula, aside from her blood, I only have enough other materials for five attempts. If all of them fail, then it will prove that this miracle serum cannot be made—or that it simply isn't meant for me."

Mu Xiao prepared himself mentally and calmed his mind for a while. A moment later, he began taking out the rare medicinal materials and placing them into a metal vat, then set the vat onto a pharmaceutical machine and began operating it. Each medicine was blended in sequence, with its properties fused according to the proper temperature...

After successfully fusing the properties of ten medicines, black matter appeared when he added the eleventh ingredient. The machine detected toxicity.

"I didn't expect to succeed on the first try anyway."

Mu Xiao calmly proceeded to the next batch. He also stored away the toxic waste medicine. Once he had mastered medicinal knowledge in the future, he could extract the refined raw materials from the waste and turn trash into treasure. It would have many uses.

He was even more focused during the second attempt, but it failed while fusing the properties of the eighteenth medicine...

During the third attempt, his state of mind remained calm as he concentrated completely on making the serum, but he failed on the final medicine...

The fourth attempt also failed on the final medicinal ingredient, something called "Golden Fruit." Its properties could not be fused. Although he had only one last chance, Mu Xiao was neither irritated nor anxious, because he had already grasped the key and was confident he could successfully fuse the final medicine.

On the fifth attempt, Mu Xiao was no longer as cautious as before. Instead, he was thoroughly familiar with the steps, adding the ingredients with practiced ease and controlling the temperature...

Finally, the last medicine fused successfully. The medicinal liquid shone with a violet-gold luster, and its faint fragrance was incomparably enticing, making one want to swallow it immediately.

"I've touched half of a miracle..."

Mu Xiao carefully sealed the medicinal liquid inside a tube. Just as he let out a breath of relief, his heart filled with immense joy. Yet his joy did not last long before he saw that the clock was nearly at four-thirty. In other words, only half an hour remained before the world erupted into the beginning of the apocalypse, and humanity across the globe entered the bloody age of evolution known as the "New Human Plan"!