Killer Rat Navigation

Cheng Qi had already worked out a plan.

First, lure out that enormous Rat Tide.

Then use the muon catalyzer to mow them down!

Get a whole groundful of amorphous alloy, keep synthesizing it into increasingly valuable materials, and then sell them off!

"Haha."

Cheng Qi grinned from ear to ear, but then his smile suddenly froze. "There's a very important step in all this. Hiss... Boss Mo!"

"You absolutely cannot die!"

"How else am I supposed to cash out?"

Cheng Qi's expression changed, taking on a look of heartfelt loyalty. "Your survival matters deeply to me, because I absolutely cannot let my source of income dry up!"

He temporarily gave up tangling with the Killer Rats.

With a thunderous roar,

Cheng Qi's turbine-powered shoes activated, lifting him into the air and carrying him toward the former site of the Muon Research Center.

Song Dayi's Gene Research Institute was in Area 53, while the Muon Research Center was in Area 52.

So to find the Gene Research Institute, he would have to use the Muon Research Center as his starting point and search the surrounding area.

Ten minutes later.

Cheng Qi hovered directly above the Muon Research Center.

During the flight, Cheng Qi was pleasantly surprised to discover that his control over the turbine-powered shoes had also improved severalfold.

After all, the turbine shoes could only be worn on his feet. Although they had built-in gyroscopes, controlling them perfectly was still difficult. Whenever he flew, Cheng Qi always felt bottom-heavy.

But now, after Cheng Qi's body had undergone C-gene enhancement, his overall muscular coordination and balance had improved dramatically.

Cheng Qi also realized something.

All wearable equipment relied on the body as its foundation.

The stronger the body, the better the control, and the more fully the wearable equipment could perform.

That was true of the jet-powered shoes, and even more so of the Extreme Warrior Armor.

But all technology had an upper limit.

Take the Extreme Warrior Armor, for example.

When he had first evolved to C-Level, the armor had issued an "energy overflow" warning.

The Extreme Warrior Armor's upper limit could no longer accommodate his peak physical capabilities.

This mainly concerned speed: it could not support his maximum speed.

But the armor's other features were extremely useful.

For instance, the Life Support System and the memory metal that could transform into weapons at any time.

It made sense. The Extreme Warrior Armor had been designed for ordinary people, after all. Its developers certainly would not have accounted for an exception like Cheng Qi.

It was like a bucket with a notch that could not be repaired. To hold more water, the only option was to increase its volume.

So upgrading the Extreme Warrior Armor through synthesis was the best way to get the benefits of both.

But finding another suit of Extreme Warrior Armor on Garbage Earth was about as likely as an ordinary person winning the lottery's first prize and successfully collecting it.

The corpses of the Extreme Warrior squad he had encountered before were not a normal occurrence. That had clearly been a case of murder and concealed bodies.

Still, his suit of Extreme Warrior Armor was hardly the only one in existence. Cheng Qi believed there would definitely be other opportunities in the future!

As for his silicon-based body,

Cheng Qi needed to use it sensibly, because one unknown remained.

If he switched fully to the DNA sequence of a silicon-based lifeform, his body would have to operate under its complete biological system.

Since it was a living organism, it would inevitably require an appropriate energy intake.

Cheng Qi did not yet know how to replenish a silicon-based lifeform's energy.

A silicon-based lifeform did not need to eat as carbon-based life understood it. It did not even have a digestive or circulatory system.

Obtaining it had been an incredible stroke of luck, but damaging it through improper use would be far too reckless.

He pulled his scattered thoughts back together.

Cheng Qi gazed at the ground beneath his feet.

The former site of the Muon Research Center lay directly below.

But where was Song Dayi's Gene Research Institute?

Digging blindly might yield no results even after a year or more.

By then, Mo's entire family might have died out.

As before, large numbers of Killer Rats crawled out of the garbage heaps. Packed densely together, they reared up on their hind legs, their faces savage as they growled at Cheng Qi in the sky.

This could be considered the Killer Rats' core territory.

The moment Cheng Qi landed, the Killer Rats would fight him without regard for their lives.

Cheng Qi's mind began working.

The Muon Research Center's designation was Area 52, and its main entrance faced east.

Following the old-era Huaxia convention that higher numbers went to the right, Area 53 should have been to the right of Area 52.

Just like street numbers: when facing the entrance, the numbers on the right would be higher.

"The right..."

"Would be south from here."

Cheng Qi narrowed his eyes and turned slightly in the air. "In terms of direction, Area 53 is very likely south of Area 52."

"I walked around the Muon Research Center last time."

"The Muon Research Center occupied a roughly square area of about 6,000 square meters."

"In other words, if I move 300 to 500 meters south, I might reach the Gene Research Institute's premises."

Cheng Qi's eyes flickered. His jet-powered shoes vibrated faintly, and he began moving south.

Garbage stretched as far as he could see.

Kyoto had been abandoned for a hundred years. The Gene Research Institute had to be buried deep underground, with no visible clues on the surface.

Roar!

Roar!

As Cheng Qi slowly moved, he suddenly noticed something unusual about the Killer Rats on the ground.

These Killer Rats abruptly grew incredibly agitated, letting out louder, angrier roars than before.

"What's going on?"

Cheng Qi frowned.

Then he realized that the farther south he moved, the more frenzied the Killer Rats became.

They gathered into an enormous swarm, moving slowly along with Cheng Qi, their scarlet eyes fixed on him in midair. But they could not fly, so all they could do was rage.

"They don't want me going south."

Cheng Qi's eyes gleamed. "Why?"

A moment later.

Cheng Qi had moved 400 meters south and stopped in midair.

According to his calculations, the former site of the Gene Research Institute was very likely directly beneath him.

But Cheng Qi did not land yet.

He had noticed something rather strange.

Once the enormous swarm beneath him was certain he had stopped moving, it grew much quieter, as though some danger had passed.

"Hmm?"

Cheng Qi narrowed his eyes, activated his turbine shoes, and moved another ten meters south.

Roar!

Roar!

The thousands upon thousands of Killer Rats beneath him went berserk again.

"Oh?"

Cheng Qi seemed to realize something and moved another twenty meters south.

Roar!

Roar!

The Killer Rats grew even more frantic. Some spun around anxiously, while several powerful, red-furred Killer Rats tore apart nearby metal trash with their forepaws.

"They're protecting something."

"And I'm getting closer and closer to whatever they're protecting."

With an answer in mind, Cheng Qi continued another thirty meters south.

The swarm grew even more restless. Even the strategist rat lurking behind the scenes emerged, screeching nonstop at the sky as though cursing him out.

Cheng Qi moved another hundred meters south!

Unexpectedly, the swarm below began to settle down again, as though the threat had passed once more.

"Oh!"

"I must have overshot!"

Cheng Qi gave a wicked grin. "You're practically a living navigation system!"

Then,

Cheng Qi backtracked fifty meters.

The swarm grew agitated again!

He moved back another twenty-five meters, and the swarm's agitation more than doubled.

He moved back another ten meters, and the swarm descended into utter chaos, screeching and growling, clustering together and scattering, savagely tearing at the garbage. Some rats were even trampled.

"Looks like this is the spot."

An intensely curious expression crossed Cheng Qi's face. "Let's see what exactly you're protecting, and whether it has anything to do with the Gene Research Institute!"