Ashley bent her knees and lowered her body, feeling the fluid’s assistance at her knees and ankles. With a gentle push, she leaped lightly like a diver from a three-meter springboard, her form flowing gracefully in the air as she twisted elegantly.
Upon landing, it even helped her joints absorb the impact.
“Those are all properties of the Undying Potion, right? What about the black fluid itself?”
Ashley extended her arms, and the silky, dim liquid metal spread to her fingertips, forming sharp claws.
“That’s the best part. I call it ‘Gray Impatiens.'”
Little Black Feet’s eyes lit up like a cat’s as she guided Ashley in manipulating the Metal Lifeform to form spikes resembling triangular blades. She explained:
“Once it pierces a living body, it explodes like an impatiens seed pod. The blades curl and twist, while black ‘seeds’ burst out—these are clusters of cells like Flesh-Eating Fungus that rapidly devour nearby flesh and blood. I tested it on a live pig, and in just a few minutes, it hollowed out all its internal organs…”
Little Black Feet led Ashley to view the pig’s remains. The once plump belly had vanished entirely, leaving blackened, jagged ribs like decayed teeth, with sticky, foul-smelling asphalt-like substances scattered on the ground.
“It’s indeed an impressive weapon,” Ashley praised.
She glanced at Veronica, thinking that this woman was absolutely a cold-blooded scientist. Back when she’d recruited her to pilot the Demon Flower Mantis for their act, the criminal gang had shown up unexpectedly with no contingency plan. Yet Veronica hadn’t hesitated, slaughtering the pigs mercilessly without leaving a single survivor. This time, with the Metal Lifeform, the destructive power was brutally vicious—any wound it inflicted would either kill or maim.
Next, Ashley began mass-producing GPUs. However, the Insect House belonged to Amber’s family, so it was polite to ask before borrowing it.
“You still need to ask me to borrow something?” Amber had meant it sarcastically, but Ashley twisted it into an innuendo right away.
“Yay! So Amber’s things are mine, and Amber is mine too! You’ve finally admitted it!” the Blue-Haired Loli said happily.
“She’s not yours!” Amber’s little face flushed as she pouted and glared at her.
After churning out a bunch of GPUs, Ashley realized that simply stacking them in quantity was pointless. Without a qualitative change, the computing power wouldn’t increase exponentially.
Moreover, the Insect House’s ‘cycle’ program consumed spirituality—it wasn’t a way to boost computing power but the opposite path.
“You know exactly what you need, but you’ve been avoiding it, refusing to bring it up. Why?” Little Black Feet asked curiously.
“Because that’s the gateway to the abyss. Even glancing at it warps my perception,” Ashley said, looking away.
“You should approach this with scientific rigor. This is reality—humans have the most powerful brains, far superior to those of monkeys, rats, or dolphins!” Little Black Feet declared forcefully.
“Stop… just stop… Using human brains to make processors is an absolute taboo, one of the capital crimes strictly forbidden in Union City.”
“What if it’s done outside Union City’s jurisdiction, using enemy corpses?”
“You’re testing my bottom line, aren’t you?” Ashley touched her nose.
“Hee hee, I need to understand my partner’s tolerance for research ethics and morals. How else can we align on our goals?” Little Black Feet laughed lightly, but her eyes held no mirth as she waited tensely for Ashley’s answer.
“I have no taboos when it comes to enemies.”
“You’re a straightforward one—I like partners like you.” Little Black Feet patted her shoulder.
–
Fountain City had more outsiders than usual.
Ashley keenly sensed that with the Tribunal’s elites fully deployed to investigate near Rift City, some people were starting to get restless.
At the community entrance, a sheep-headed man with straight spiral horns blocked her path.
Mr. Goat wore a impeccably tailored suit and solemnly held a black gift box with gold embossing.
Then, in a rich voice seasoned by years of tannin from fine red wine and smoke from premium cigars, he spoke:
“Mr. Promush was involved in an unfortunate accident. On behalf of the McIntosh Family, I offer you our apologies, Detective Ashley.”
Seeing his refined demeanor, Ashley’s mind flashed to the dark, bloody scenes in Bull Town. She recalled a line from her previous life: “Outwardly scholarly, inwardly debauched—like a pig in scholar’s robes.”
Ashley accepted the gift box without a change in expression and lifted the lid. Inside were four spiral finger bones and a short, thick bone inlaid with gold.
“What is this? Promush’s remains? Appropriate to send to his killer?” Ashley sneered.
“Not at all…” Screw Horn clearly held back his anger.
Ashley pulled out a small Polpo magnifying glass and examined it closely. “It’s a matching extraordinary item, right?”
“Let me demonstrate for you.”
With that, Screw Horn pinched a finger bone and squeezed his fingers. It shot out with a whoosh, embedding straight into the brick wall across the street.
Then, he gripped the bone, twisted his body, and the space seemed to contract. In one step, he crossed to the other side and retrieved the finger bone.
Ashley’s heart stirred—this ability with its complex activation couldn’t be copied by Time Bird.
After returning from across the street, Screw Horn explained:
“The finger bone is the ‘anchor.’ Holding the sheep leg bone activates space distortion, pulling the body to the anchor. Maximum radius of four hundred meters. If there’s an obstacle midway, it stops just before it.”
Ashley rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
The fight had been in cramped underground fortifications, where Promush never got a chance to use it. In an open area, it would have been extremely troublesome—large-range teleports, assassinations from off-angle, retreat if the strike missed.
She weighed the box and asked: “The Tribunal’s officials, Linden’s family as the victim’s kin, and me—our visit order couldn’t possibly start with me. Speak, what’s the reason?”
“Your instincts are frighteningly sharp, Miss Ashley.”
Screw Horn adjusted his nonexistent glasses and said:
“The situation is complicated—hard to explain. In short, you’ve become a valued guest of both the McIntosh and Scripps families. There’s something that must be done by you… Mr. Lasoto Scripps gave you an invitation. Will you attend?”
“We’ll see.” Ashley brushed it off, thinking that the Mr. Crow in Danzhu Manor was named Lasoto Scripps.
“Please do honor us with your presence. It was meant to be a routine family gathering, but with my nephew Promush’s sudden death, we must preemptively remove the ‘Holy Grail’ from his fiancée, Miss Yinsu Helin. The living and dead can’t unite, but flesh can. We need to create a pure ‘Container’ for the family’s propagation and prosperity.” Screw Horn pressed his hand to his chest and bowed slightly.
“Why must it be me?” Ashley still didn’t understand.
Screw Horn straightened and explained: “A cat resents the one who neuters her, but if her best friend does it, Yinsu Helin will accept her fate peacefully without hating the family. For internal harmony, we’ve decided you’ll perform the ritual… A dear friend’s warm, gentle little hands stirring inside her organs, grasping and lifting out the ‘Holy Grail’—the pure friendship between girls will soothe any heartbreak.”
Ashley frowned deeply. Yinsu Helin was whose friend? She’d made that up on the spot, and they’d taken it seriously?
“You creeps are disgusting, forcing me to remove my good friend’s Little Flower!” Ashley glared furiously. “That’s my sister-in-arms through life and death! That’ll cost extra!”
Screw Horn stared at her in stunned silence.
Ashley knew she couldn’t oppose two Blood Noble families outright. The Little Doctor’s Little Flower was as good as gone, but she could leverage this for some profit. She hoped the Little Doctor wouldn’t hold it against her.
Seeing her agree, Screw Horn handed her a small vial of vivid red liquid like mercury or thick paste.
“This is your reward: 40 milliliters of Primordial Blood.”
