Deep in the Wilderness, among weathered hills strewn with jagged rocks, Lin Ming moved through boulders and brush like a leopard.
He was fast but silent, placing each foot with precision to avoid loose stones and dry branches that might snap. The Silver Frost Spear was strapped to his back in a specially made leather sheath so it would not hinder him.
A dozen or so meters behind him, Xia He gritted her teeth and struggled to keep up.
She was already gasping for breath, her face flushed. Sweat had soaked the loose hair across her forehead and fogged her glasses. Her white research coat was covered in dust and bits of grass, leaving her looking thoroughly disheveled.
She clearly could not match Lin Ming's stamina. She was keeping going through sheer stubbornness.
"Haah... haah... Lin Ming... could you... slow down a little...?"
Xia He finally stopped. Bracing both hands against a weathered rock, she bent over and gulped down air, her chest heaving.
Lin Ming stopped atop a relatively flat boulder ahead and turned to look down at her. Sunlight slipped through a gap in the clouds and fell across his expressionless face, sharpening its hard lines.
He did not urge her on or go back to help her. He simply watched, as though assessing the value of an object.
Only when Xia He had caught her breath did Lin Ming speak, his voice calm and even. "What exactly is that Water of Life you're carrying?"
Xia He froze and looked up into his dark, steady eyes.
She hesitated. But he might be the only person she could rely on now, and he had heard the conversation at the camp. There seemed little point in hiding it.
She straightened, wiped the sweat from her forehead and glasses, and took a deep breath. Her expression grew serious and conflicted.
"The Water of Life... is the Life Technology Research Institute's latest breakthrough. It took seven years and an enormous amount of resources to develop. Its core ingredient is heart essence from Mutated Beasts of the Seventh Tier or above with powerful regenerative abilities. That's combined with several rare catalysts and refined through more than a hundred complex procedures."
"Seventh Tier Mutated Beasts?!" Lin Ming's eyes shifted. Those were terrifying creatures on par with human masters of the seventh realm! Their heart essence was priceless.
"Yes. That's why production is so limited. So far, we've only succeeded in making ten drops."
Xia He nodded, a fervent light flashing in her eyes—the look of a researcher speaking of her life's work.
"But those ten drops are the spark! They prove this approach works! With the original solution as samples and a starting point, we may eventually be able to use materials from lower-tier Mutated Beasts, or synthetic substitutes, to mass-produce Basic Water of Life. It would be less potent, but still far more effective than any existing healing or gene drug!"
She grew more excited as she spoke.
"Think about it. If every soldier on the front line had a dose of Basic Water of Life and could recover instantly from severe injuries, how many fewer would die? If we applied it to gene drugs, we might break through the limits of natural talent and give more ordinary people the chance to become Warriors! It could truly change humanity's struggle against the Mutated Beasts. It's a hope that could benefit all humankind!"
Lin Ming listened quietly, his expression unchanged. Only after she finished, when the fervent fire in her eyes faded beneath exhaustion and the weight of reality, did he slowly speak.
"So you're carrying this hope that could 'benefit all humankind,' while people hunt you down and you're about to die in the Wilderness. Meanwhile, the institute you work for—or certain people behind it—want you and that hope to disappear together."
Xia He shuddered. The light in her eyes dimmed, and her face grew paler. She lowered her head, bitterness and suppressed anger in her voice.
"Yes... I was too naive. The Water of Life is too valuable. It threatens too many people's interests. The existing gene-drug giants, the tycoons who profit from monopolizing high-tier resources, even... certain senior figures inside the institute who want to control the results and sell them to the highest bidder. None of them want it made public or widely available. They'd rather turn it into a luxury for a select few, or a bargaining chip for greater power."
"So you became an 'unstable element' they had to eliminate," Lin Ming concluded, as casually as if he were commenting on the weather.
Xia He nodded in silence, clutching the hem of her coat so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Looking at her, Lin Ming suddenly felt that this was troublesome.
She was carrying something explosive enough to shake the world, yet still had the naive outlook of an idealist. Staying with her would only make his troubles multiply.
"The people after you want the Water of Life. The people after me want the bounty."
Lin Ming thought for a moment, then spoke to Xia He with complete seriousness. "But I'd guess the people who want you dead have deeper connections, greater strength, and subtler methods. A hundred-million bounty is a lot, but a group that can obtain a Seventh Tier Mutated Beast's heart for research probably wields far more power than the Chen Household of South River."
He met Xia He's eyes and delivered his conclusion in the calmest possible voice.
"So I think having you with me might be more dangerous than my going with you. How about... you go on your own? Don't drag me down."
"You!"
Xia He jerked her head up and stared at him. Anger made her chest heave and her face turn red.
She had not expected this man to be so coldly practical! One moment he was asking about the Water of Life, and the next he was calling her a burden and telling her to leave?
"Lin Ming! You bastard!" Xia He burst out, her voice thick with hurt and anger.
"I told you my biggest secret! And this is how you treat me?!"
"You chose to tell me," Lin Ming said without expression. "Besides, knowing your secret makes you even more trouble."
"You!" Xia He had no answer. Her eyes reddened at once. But she knew he was telling the truth. Right now, she was a walking source of trouble.
Seeing that nothing seemed to move him, and that he might genuinely leave her behind at any moment, Xia He panicked. She could not die here!
The Water of Life samples and the key data were still on her! They were the product of countless colleagues' hard work, and the hope she firmly believed could change humanity's fate!
She could not let those parasites destroy it!
She gritted her teeth. Resolve flashed in her eyes as she made a momentous decision.
"Lin Ming!" Xia He raised her head sharply and looked him straight in the eye, her voice trembling with emotion. "What if... what if I offered you the Water of Life as payment?"
Lin Ming raised an eyebrow and looked at her without speaking.
Xia He took a deep breath and spoke faster. "Of the ten drops of the original Water of Life, I... I can give you nine! I'll keep only one for further research!
"All you have to do is protect me until we reach somewhere... safe! Any official force or neutral organization willing to take me in and strong enough to safeguard the Water of Life! Peak Martial Arts Hall or an institute under China's Supreme Council would do!"
She watched Lin Ming intently, afraid to miss the slightest change in his expression.
"Nine drops of Water of Life! Do you know what that means? Nine chances to recover instantly from severe injuries! A chance to break through your training bottlenecks! It might even improve your martial talent! It's worth far more than the Chen Household's hundred-million bounty!"
"With it, you could become stronger! Strong enough that no one hunting you could frighten you! Strong enough to go back and do whatever you want!"
Xia He had offered the greatest bargaining chip she possessed. She was certain no Warrior could resist the temptation of the Water of Life, least of all one in Lin Ming's position, facing danger and needing strength.
Lin Ming was tempted.
Not by the prospect of becoming stronger—he had the system—but by nine chances to recover instantly from severe injuries, and the possibility of improving his talent.
The Indestructible Asura Body was formidable, but Boiling War Blood required him to be injured. That came with no small risk.
If he had the Water of Life as a last resort, his chances of survival and his margin for error in battle would increase considerably. As for improving his talent... even with the SSS Grade Indestructible Asura Body, who would turn down more talent?
Besides, the value of nine drops of Water of Life was truly hard to measure. Escorting her to a "safe place" sounded like a better deal than keeping this source of trouble with him indefinitely.
He was silent for several seconds, seemingly weighing the offer.
Xia He watched him nervously, her palms sweating.
At last, Lin Ming spoke. "What place counts as 'safe'?"
Joy rose in Xia He's heart, and she answered at once. "The next large human base city—East Forest Base City! The institute has a secret safe house there that only I know about! Once we arrive, I can contact someone I trust and hand over the Water of Life. Then you can take your payment and leave whenever you want!"
Before you continue