This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 216 - 123: Multiple Layouts

Chapter 216: Chapter 123: Multiple Layouts

"Trouble!" he cursed, "Who the hell interfered and killed Fu Zongchen?"

If Fu Zongchen hadn’t died, the difficulty of smuggling would not have been so great.

"Right, about the Firework Apostle matter," the man with the goatee suddenly said again, "I have an idea."

The Fire Source Master looked over, "Let’s hear it."

"Why not let Li Ming take action to help us solve this problem," he suggested:

"Most of the officials who were trapped in Fu Zongchen’s villa now form a small group, about ten days ago there was a gathering organized, and Li Ming seemed to have attended. If he takes action, he should be able to solve this problem."

"No," the Fire Source Master flatly refused, "It’s not time to bring him into the fray yet."

The man with the goatee added, "We don’t necessarily have to reveal our identities, perhaps we can induce him to take action from another angle, it’s worth a try."

The Fire Source Master hesitated, but downfall was a step-by-step process. Li Ming was linked to their major plans, and sooner or later they had to let him know.

"Now is not the time," the Fire Source Master still refused, "Think of other ways, if it really doesn’t work, then try to make him take action."

The others agreed, nodding one after another.

...

In Xia Yuanlun’s laboratory, the old professor’s face was ashen, he cursed through clenched teeth: "Chen Jinglong, you bastard, you’re really no good!"

He cursed for a good while until a knock on the door interrupted him. He calmed himself down. After Ding Hui entered, he said with a low head and cautious tone, "News has come from the Dwarf Civilizations, Lord Castelon will soon come to visit."

"Castelon!?" Xia Yuanlun’s recently calmed face turned even uglier, "Damn, his son just got admitted to Yitelan’s Yellow Bell Mechanical College. This is yet another humiliation, damn copper-skinned dwarf!"

Ding Hui felt helpless. He had seen Lord Castelon more than once and was depressed for a long time after each scolding.

...

Three days later, in the training room, Li Ming was bent over with rapid breathing, his arms trembling.

You could clearly see the tight veins pulsing.

Beneath his skin, a faint glow of red light flowed through his veins, while blue electric sparks burst across the surface of his skin.

"Yaaah—" a suppressed roar came from his throat, his body seeming to reach some sort of limit, fierce arcs exploding from his arms.

Then, his arm muscles inflated like balloons, stretching nearly two meters long, his palms enormous, containing explosive strength.

The closer to the shoulders, the more slender they appeared, creating a mismatched look, but the strength was genuine.

Li Ming panted heavily, quickly adjusting, contemplating in his mind—

"As the gene seed’s level gets higher, the changes become larger, when I fused with an F-level gene seed, even the core ability only sparked some electric arcs, the change wasn’t so significant."

"But now, with just 30% of the battle techniques, the change is already significant."

At C-level, it is even possible to undergo Genetic Release, almost akin to Genetic Mutation. What about higher levels? The strain on the body would probably be even greater.

He had last seen a report that in the Silver Star Cluster, no fewer than fifty thousand evolvers die each year due to genetic mutations.

"Evolution Theory?" he suddenly thought.

"Perhaps the gene sequence is not only to enhance overall strength but also to protect one’s body from mutations through such combinations." Li Ming had this insight.

Taking a deep breath, his arms reduced in size adapting again. Feeling his arms swollen and painful, he decided not to continue training.

Instead, he opened his smart terminal, where there was a document—about the qualifications and requirements for applying for a small laboratory.

He read through it line by line, lingering over the research funding review scope every six months.

...

"Teacher, oh teacher, in such a complex situation, where have you gone?"

In the office, Luo Chuan massaged his temples. On the smart terminal’s chat box, only his side showed a string of messages, with no response from Wu Yanqing.

He was already vaguely sensing an impending storm converging around him, smelling the scent of upheaval.

If something really happened, he alone might be hard-pressed to ensure Li Ming’s safety.

Sighing, feeling unsettled, he got up and went outside the laboratory building.

It had just rained two days ago, and the air was very fresh. Taking two deep breaths, Luo Chuan felt a sense of relief wash over him.

But then he immediately spotted a sneaky-looking guy, glancing around nervously with a mix of nervousness and apprehension on his face, carrying a large box on his back.

Feeling instantly alert, Luo Chuan moved swiftly to confront him, catching the man off guard. Grasping the man’s throat with one hand, he hoisted him up and said coldly, "Ten seconds, tell me your origin and purpose."

"My name is Liu Zeng, the 8th squad leader of the Kuta Security Company, and I’m here to find Li Ming to make a weapon for me," Liu Zeng initially panicked but quickly composed himself, and didn’t resist, promptly divulging his origin.

"Finding Li Ming to make a weapon?" Luo Chuan frowned, one hand accessing his smart terminal to check with the security guard, indeed there was such a person, and it was Li Ming who allowed him in.

Getting the correct response, Luo Chuan put the man down with no apology on his face but continued to question, "Why so timid?"

"It’s said this is Professor Wu Yanqing’s laboratory, I’ve never been here before, so I was nervous," Liu Zeng offered a helpless bitter smile.

"Huh, sounds like a reasonable explanation," Luo Chuan sneered, "But your excuse is too flimsy; I remember the Kuta Security Company supposedly has a contract with Professor Xia’s laboratory."