Quicksand

Time was cruelly short. In the blink of an eye, another ten days had passed. The undercurrents within Golden Sand Valley grew ever more turbulent, while only the South Slope remained as tranquil as ever.

Inside Mouse Garden, Jiang Chen carefully observed one experimental mouse after another. During this period, he had fed these mice three different kinds of blood qi, using their reactions to confirm the effects of each. The blood qi purified solely with killing intent had produced the worst results and was the first to be discarded.

"From the looks of it, the blood qi tempered through the Eye Killing method works best. It should be the most thorough at erasing a living creature's will."

After recording the data and comparing it carefully, Jiang Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Based on the current experimental results, the blood qi tempered through the Eye Killing method had shown no obvious side effects even after the experimental mice used it repeatedly. However, through this process, Jiang Chen had once again confirmed that living beings truly had limits.

Even after refining blood qi many times, none of the several hundred experimental mice in Mouse Garden had undergone a transformation like Rat Prodigy's. They could only absorb blood qi until they reached a certain threshold. Once that limit was reached, absorbing more blood qi became useless. If they forcibly absorbed large amounts, there was only one possible outcome: their bodies would explode and they would die.

"What a pity!"

His gaze swept over the plump, well-fed rats, and Jiang Chen could not help shaking his head. Though these rats were all sizable, they were utterly incomparable to Rat Prodigy. They were nothing more than fat rats covered in flesh, of no great use.

Just then, in a corner, a rat that had absorbed a large amount of blood qi suddenly went mad. Its body swelled slightly, growing as large as a hunting dog. It broke free from its restraints and charged straight at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen's eyes brightened slightly at the sight. This was a sign of transformation.

At the same time, as though sensing Jiang Chen's danger, Rat Prodigy, who had been following at his side, took a deep breath. Its body abruptly enlarged as it charged head-on toward the crazed rat.

Buzz! Rat Prodigy swung its claws, power bursting forth. Relying on its formidable body, it sent the crazed rat flying with speed too swift to cover one's ears, displaying speed, ruthlessness, and precision.

Hah! Seeing the rat still trying to struggle, a vicious glint flashed through Rat Prodigy's eyes. It stomped down, pinning the creature firmly beneath its foot. Blood streamed from the rat's mouth, and it no longer had the strength to fight back.

Roar! With one foot on the mutated rat, Rat Prodigy let out a low growl and swept its icy gaze across the experimental mice. In that instant, the rat colony, which had been somewhat restless due to the mutated rat's rampage, immediately quieted down. Each lowered its gaze, not daring to meet Rat Prodigy's eyes.

Seeing the rats behave this way, Rat Prodigy became even more arrogant. It looked down upon all around it, utterly full of itself.

Jiang Chen's eyes flashed with surprise as he watched the scene.

"I never expected you to have some potential to become a rat king."

His gaze fell on Rat Prodigy. Jiang Chen had to admit that Rat Prodigy had given him another pleasant surprise. No matter what kind of species it was, a king beast was exceedingly rare. During the apocalypse, he had once seen king beasts commanding their clans and carving out territories. When facing such beings, survivors could basically only take a detour.

Moreover, through his experiments over this period, he had already confirmed that blood qi had its limits. He could only help someone reach the limits of their body, but could not break through those limits. Rat Prodigy's transformation had more to do with the extraordinary power that had long been lying dormant within its body.

"Another ability to grow giant. It seems that whether they are rats from Wooden Fish Island or rats from Golden Sand Valley, the source of their bloodlines should be the same."

Jiang Chen shifted his gaze from Rat Prodigy to the mutated rat, deep in thought.

So far, he had seen three rats undergo transformation—or rather, mutation—and the arts they displayed had all enlarged their bodies. This was absolutely no mere coincidence. The only reasonable explanation was that the same extraordinary bloodline flowed within all of them, and it had awakened after blood qi flooded their bodies.

"Lock it up for now. It may be mad, but it still has some research value."

After pondering briefly, Jiang Chen made his decision.

Hearing this, Rat Prodigy shook its head. After hesitating for a moment, it tentatively picked up the mutated rat in its mouth. Only after seeing that Jiang Chen did not stop it did it toss the creature into an iron cage and use its tail to lock it.

Jiang Chen was not surprised by this. After spending these days together, he had gained a fairly clear understanding of Rat Prodigy's intelligence. It was highly perceptive, much like a human child, except that it could not speak.

"Now that I've selected the most suitable blood qi, it's time for the final experiment."

With that thought in mind, Jiang Chen walked into the deepest part of Mouse Garden. There was the most special experimental subject in Mouse Garden.

While Jiang Chen was immersed in his research, an unexpected guest quietly arrived at Golden Sand Valley. It was Iron Sand Palm Zhao Hui, another major leader under the Third Boss.

"Zhao Er has disappeared."

Standing before Qian Wen, Zhao Hui spoke words that made him turn pale with shock.

"How is that possible..."

Upon hearing that Zhao Er had disappeared, Qian Wen's first reaction was disbelief, and he was about to refute it.

Seeing Qian Wen like this, a trace of coldness appeared on Zhao Hui's pancake-like face.

"Zhao Er's wife and children are still on Wooden Fish Island, and several businesses under his name have not been touched. The chance that he left on his own is minuscule. Now that he has vanished, the most likely possibility is that he was captured—or killed."

Zhao Hui stared coldly at Qian Wen, as though trying to read something from his face.

"Killed? Zhao Er is a second-rate expert and skilled in movement techniques. Who could kill him? Could it be that the First Boss discovered something?"

Thinking of a certain possibility, Qian Wen shuddered from head to toe. The First Boss, Ironman Tu, was a true fiend.

"The First Boss left the island some days ago, so the possibility of it being him is not high. But no matter what, this is a hidden danger. Therefore, the Third Boss has ordered you to intercept all the gold dust, then erase every trace."

In a cold voice, Zhao Hui relayed Third Boss Zhao Meng's decision.

Hearing this, Qian Wen was startled once more. He did not answer immediately, instead pacing back and forth through the room, his heart filled with anxiety.

"What does the Third Boss intend to do?"

After a moment, Qian Wen forced himself to calm down and turned his gaze toward Zhao Hui. This was Third Boss Zhao Meng's command. He had no right to refuse. All he could do now was cooperate fully and erase every trace.

Zhao Hui silently nodded inwardly at this. Before sending him here, Zhao Meng had specifically instructed him to watch Qian Wen's behavior. If Qian Wen showed any hesitation or evasion, he could kill him on the spot. Zhao Er's disappearance had truly provoked Zhao Meng, making him like a vicious wolf baring its fangs at everyone it saw. Yet Qian Wen had no idea that he had just walked past the gates of hell.

"Quicksand Bandits."

Zhao Hui was sparing with words, giving Qian Wen only a hint.

At those words, Qian Wen immediately understood what Zhao Meng intended to do.

"The Third Boss wants everyone dead. Of course—once everyone is dead, all traces will naturally be gone. Even all the gold dust can vanish without a trace."

A chill rose within him. After seeing through everything, Qian Wen could not help breaking out in a cold sweat.