As the limit and pinnacle of the path of sublimation, the sublimators who have reached this stage are all outstanding individuals achieved by luck, ability, and abundant resources. They can be regarded as the incarnation of miracles in the world.
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No, they themselves have become miracles and beacons, illuminating the direction of the path of sublimation for future generations.
Like a lighthouse.
Regardless of other abilities, as long as they are alive, they are the prototypes and indispensable existence of the lineage. Even if they die, they will be recognized as holy remains and carefully preserved as precious samples and remnants of miracles...
They may even become key elements for the advancement of lineage members, just like the exotic lineage in the Americas. Some sublimators who want to enter the fourth stage of sublimation must drink a drop of the blood of the progenitor.
Some of them may even become extremely powerful border relics, and it is no problem for a drop of their blood to kill hundreds of thousands of people.
In short, when they are alive, they dominate the world. Even if they die, they become weapons of mass destruction or precious border relics. Whether they are alive or dead, they can easily destroy the New Sea...
Now that he heard that he had to collect fragments of the philosopher's stone, Huai Shi felt as if he had heard that he had to join a suicide squad and rush into a leaking nuclear power plant to pour cement. He was not feeling well at all.
"What qualifications and abilities do I have!" Huai Shi widened his eyes. "I'm not being modest..."
"There's no need for you to be modest."
Ai Qing said calmly, "Do you think you really have to fight? Don't be ridiculous. You are going there just to prove that the New Sea Astronomy Society has contributed to this process, so that you can strive for more achievements in the end.
If you only provide information, the credit will be divided among others.
Simply put, I eat meat, you drink soup. If we work together, I will eat more meat and you will drink more soup... So much that the small stain on your record won't be a problem, understand?"
"Will it be dangerous?"
"Even if you stay at home, you will encounter earthquakes, floods, and lightning strikes. Is there any job of a sublimator in this world that is not dangerous?" Ai Qing glanced at him. "Is it so difficult for you to let your allies take care of things while you stay in the back? Aren't you good at slacking off? Or did I remember it wrong?"
"Well, it's not good to do that."
"If you want to return with the glory of the Astronomy Society's flag, you can pretend I didn't say anything."
"...Let's talk about how to slack off."
.
.
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Two hours later, Huai Shi, fully armed, appeared at the Special Affairs Department.
To say fully armed, it was actually just wearing a hard shell combat suit that Crow had casually modified. In addition to the ceramic plates inside that were similar to bulletproof vests, a special layer of iron powder was applied to the lining, allowing Huai Shi to harden it at any time and selectively enhance his defense.
Apart from that, he only had a handgun left.
Originally, he wanted to go to the Special Affairs Department to get a few grenades, but as soon as he walked in, he was stared at by a group of heavily armed men, guarding against him doing anything funny.
He felt embarrassed to ask Warehouse Manager Old Wang for more equipment because of his previous record.
Fortunately, he brought substitutes.
Then he touched the two bags of heavy iron sand on the quick response vest. Huai Shi sighed regretfully and reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the warehouse.
"When are we leaving?"
"When everyone is ready."
Director Fu glanced at him coldly, showing no signs of the animosity from a few days ago. It was as if he was looking at a stranger.
Apparently, his reputation had fallen to the point of indifference, where there was no consideration for personal feelings and face, and everything was done officially.
Huai Shi wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with Director Fu about his daughter, but he couldn't bring himself to bring up the topic.
Okay, okay, it's your family matter after all.
He sat in the chair and started playing with his phone.
When he looked up again and saw the person who came in, he almost couldn't help but curse.
Isn't this... isn't this that person!
As the door opened, a pale-skinned foreigner walked into the office. His palms still bore the scars of burns, and his expression showed neither happiness nor unhappiness, just a hint of melancholy.
It's understandable. After being robbed and locked up for half a month, anyone would probably be like this.
Clement seemed to sense Huai Shi's strange expression and glanced at him, but couldn't remember where he had seen this little devil before. He nodded and withdrew his gaze, sitting in the corner of the room.
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"Who... is he?"
Suppressing the urge to ask how he ended up here, Huai Shi looked at Ai Qing.
"He's a sublimator from the Wanli Group. It's normal that you 'don't know' him."
Ai Qing lowered her head and looked at the newspaper, not lifting her head as she said, "To show sincerity, the local manager of Wanli 'voluntarily assisted' the New Sea headquarters in their operation and provided us with valuable manpower. You should show more respect to your 'senior', Huai Shi."
Whether Huai Shi knew him or not and whether Wanli volunteered or not were another matter, but Huai Shi understood the two words 'senior' clearly.Huai Shi couldn't help but feel a sense of pity.
After being betrayed by himself, this guy still had to bring himself along for the ride. How much karma did he accumulate in his past life... Well, let's be a little nicer to him.
"Hey, buddy, want some melon seeds?"
He took out a handful of melon seeds, trying to strike up a conversation with Clement before they set off. Clement, being a Russian, wasn't interested in this kind of thing, but he politely accepted the offer and fell back into silence.
There was no more time for Huai Shi to form any bonds. They had arrived.
Three hours later, they were already on the open sea.
"Although this operation was initiated by Xin Hai, it is actually led by the Jinling branch. The other six inspectors and operatives from different locations will join us soon."
On the way, Ai Qing took the opportunity to advise Huai Shi, "Speak and act less, try to keep a low profile. Don't interfere in matters that have nothing to do with you. Your task is to stand there and complete your mission."
Huai Shi sighed, "Do you really not trust me?"
"What do you think?"
Ai Qing retorted, leaving Huai Shi speechless.
"In any case, I'm just here as a decoration, right?"
He shrugged, giving up on arguing about this issue... After all, with so many past incidents, someone would believe that he was involved in causing trouble even if he didn't want to.
In silence, he sat back in his chair and continued to awkwardly bond with his "senior".
He didn't know why, but he felt that Ai Qing wasn't in a good mood.
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Although she had a blank expression from beginning to end, Huai Shi, who knew her a little better than others, keenly sensed a hint of low pressure and hidden gloom behind her calmness.
Soon, he realized the source of this gloom.
They had arrived.
The speedboat docked next to a huge cargo ship. The workers at the bow of the ship held up lights to illuminate the people below, then quickly waved their hands behind them, and a rope was lowered.
"Come up." The person above shouted, "We've been waiting for you."
Huai Shi stood up first, but then hesitated. He looked at the rope, then at Ai Qing sitting in the wheelchair next to him. Ai Qing had no expression on her face and didn't move.
She just silently stared at the person above.
It wasn't until the person's gaze started to wander and he took a few steps back, waving his hand again, that a movable ladder slowly descended from the side.
A smiling face appeared at the end of the ladder and said to Ai Qing, "Sorry, the people below are ignorant and clumsy."
"It's okay, the world is never short of people with brain problems."
Ai Qing stood up with her crutches, holding onto the ladder, slowly ascending step by step, walking up the iron ladder. However, when she passed by the smiling face, she slightly turned her head and whispered in his ear:
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
"What the world lacks is brainless idiots like you."
The smiling face stiffened for a moment, took two steps back, and shrugged, "Just a joke, why take it so seriously..."
"Excuse me."
Before he could finish his sentence, a voice came from the diagonal, followed by a dark object sweeping past him, almost causing him to stumble.
It was Huai Shi.
He carried a wheelchair and swaggered up the ladder, like a country bumpkin entering the city, looking around as if he had never seen anything before, clicking his tongue in amazement.
Ai Qing looked at the wheelchair in front of her, then glanced at Huai Shi, unable to help but sigh, "Do you remember what I said?"
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"Sorry, I can't remember." Huai Shi shrugged.
Ai Qing didn't say anything more, just sat down and gestured for him to do his promising job as a cart pusher. Guided by the staff, they entered the cabin.
The cabin was unexpectedly spacious, with several old sofas already occupied. Some were old, some were young, and a few of them emitted low source material fluctuations, clearly operatives from different places.
Compared to the guy who had just shown ill intentions, the other inspectors were quite friendly. After exchanging greetings, everyone sat down and looked towards the front.
"Detailed information has been sent to everyone's phones. I believe everyone has already read it." A middle-aged man from Jinling said straightforwardly, "There are about sixteen armed personnel and two sublimators on the smuggling ship. It involves fragments of the philosopher's stone, so our predictions may not be accurate, but the overall situation should be close.
Everyone should have read the plan for handling dangerous items, just follow it. Lao Xiao will lead the team this time, and the rest of you will follow orders. Any other opinions?"
"No fourth stage?"
Before anyone else could speak, Ai Qing asked first, "Only two third stages. Isn't it a bit reckless considering the involvement of the philosopher's stone?"
"No need."
The guy who had been smiling mischievously just now said nonchalantly, "It's just a fragment. Is it necessary to be so cautious?"
"Yinyin, the Astronomical Society's actions are not child's play." Ai Qing looked at him coldly, "Think before you speak."
"Just a smuggling ship and two Sublimators, do you tell me there's a need to deploy a fourth-order?"
Yinyin sneered, glancing at Huai Shi, "Or are you afraid that your little friend will have an accident? If you're so scared, you might as well stay at home and have children."
Ai Qing didn't say a word, her expression indifferent, as if she was looking at an idiot.
"Cough, cough, if there's a problem, I'll assist everyone."
Next to the male host, a rather thin young man adjusted his glasses, revealing a reassuring smile.
After a moment of silence, the host introduced with a somewhat complex expression, "This is the external support for this operation. If necessary, he will take action."
"Ahaha, no need to be so serious."
The thin man waved his hand and laughed, putting away the stack of forms filled with writing and a few oddly shaped dice in front of him.
"If possible, I'd like to be everyone's good friend."
He introduced himself, "Just call me KP."
As the limit and pinnacle of the path of sublimation, the sublimators who have reached this stage are all outstanding individuals achieved by luck, ability, and abundant resources. They can be regarded as the incarnation of miracles in the world.
Sponsored Content
No, they themselves have become miracles and beacons, illuminating the direction of the path of sublimation for future generations.
Like a lighthouse.
Regardless of other abilities, as long as they are alive, they are the prototypes and indispensable existence of the lineage. Even if they die, they will be recognized as holy remains and carefully preserved as precious samples and remnants of miracles...
They may even become key elements for the advancement of lineage members, just like the exotic lineage in the Americas. Some sublimators who want to enter the fourth stage of sublimation must drink a drop of the blood of the progenitor.
Some of them may even become extremely powerful border relics, and it is no problem for a drop of their blood to kill hundreds of thousands of people.
In short, when they are alive, they dominate the world. Even if they die, they become weapons of mass destruction or precious border relics. Whether they are alive or dead, they can easily destroy the New Sea...
Now that he heard that he had to collect fragments of the philosopher's stone, Huai Shi felt as if he had heard that he had to join a suicide squad and rush into a leaking nuclear power plant to pour cement. He was not feeling well at all.
"What qualifications and abilities do I have!" Huai Shi widened his eyes. "I'm not being modest..."
"There's no need for you to be modest."
Ai Qing said calmly, "Do you think you really have to fight? Don't be ridiculous. You are going there just to prove that the New Sea Astronomy Society has contributed to this process, so that you can strive for more achievements in the end.
If you only provide information, the credit will be divided among others.
Simply put, I eat meat, you drink soup. If we work together, I will eat more meat and you will drink more soup... So much that the small stain on your record won't be a problem, understand?"
"Will it be dangerous?"
"Even if you stay at home, you will encounter earthquakes, floods, and lightning strikes. Is there any job of a sublimator in this world that is not dangerous?" Ai Qing glanced at him. "Is it so difficult for you to let your allies take care of things while you stay in the back? Aren't you good at slacking off? Or did I remember it wrong?"
"Well, it's not good to do that."
"If you want to return with the glory of the Astronomy Society's flag, you can pretend I didn't say anything."
"...Let's talk about how to slack off."
.
.
Sponsored Content
Two hours later, Huai Shi, fully armed, appeared at the Special Affairs Department.
To say fully armed, it was actually just wearing a hard shell combat suit that Crow had casually modified. In addition to the ceramic plates inside that were similar to bulletproof vests, a special layer of iron powder was applied to the lining, allowing Huai Shi to harden it at any time and selectively enhance his defense.
Apart from that, he only had a handgun left.
Originally, he wanted to go to the Special Affairs Department to get a few grenades, but as soon as he walked in, he was stared at by a group of heavily armed men, guarding against him doing anything funny.
He felt embarrassed to ask Warehouse Manager Old Wang for more equipment because of his previous record.
Fortunately, he brought substitutes.
Then he touched the two bags of heavy iron sand on the quick response vest. Huai Shi sighed regretfully and reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the warehouse.
"When are we leaving?"
"When everyone is ready."
Director Fu glanced at him coldly, showing no signs of the animosity from a few days ago. It was as if he was looking at a stranger.
Apparently, his reputation had fallen to the point of indifference, where there was no consideration for personal feelings and face, and everything was done officially.
Huai Shi wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with Director Fu about his daughter, but he couldn't bring himself to bring up the topic.
Okay, okay, it's your family matter after all.
He sat in the chair and started playing with his phone.
When he looked up again and saw the person who came in, he almost couldn't help but curse.
Isn't this... isn't this that person!
As the door opened, a pale-skinned foreigner walked into the office. His palms still bore the scars of burns, and his expression showed neither happiness nor unhappiness, just a hint of melancholy.
It's understandable. After being robbed and locked up for half a month, anyone would probably be like this.
Clement seemed to sense Huai Shi's strange expression and glanced at him, but couldn't remember where he had seen this little devil before. He nodded and withdrew his gaze, sitting in the corner of the room.
Sponsored Content
"Who... is he?"
Suppressing the urge to ask how he ended up here, Huai Shi looked at Ai Qing.
"He's a sublimator from the Wanli Group. It's normal that you 'don't know' him."
Ai Qing lowered her head and looked at the newspaper, not lifting her head as she said, "To show sincerity, the local manager of Wanli 'voluntarily assisted' the New Sea headquarters in their operation and provided us with valuable manpower. You should show more respect to your 'senior', Huai Shi."
Whether Huai Shi knew him or not and whether Wanli volunteered or not were another matter, but Huai Shi understood the two words 'senior' clearly.Huai Shi couldn't help but feel a sense of pity.
After being betrayed by himself, this guy still had to bring himself along for the ride. How much karma did he accumulate in his past life... Well, let's be a little nicer to him.
"Hey, buddy, want some melon seeds?"
He took out a handful of melon seeds, trying to strike up a conversation with Clement before they set off. Clement, being a Russian, wasn't interested in this kind of thing, but he politely accepted the offer and fell back into silence.
There was no more time for Huai Shi to form any bonds. They had arrived.
Three hours later, they were already on the open sea.
"Although this operation was initiated by Xin Hai, it is actually led by the Jinling branch. The other six inspectors and operatives from different locations will join us soon."
On the way, Ai Qing took the opportunity to advise Huai Shi, "Speak and act less, try to keep a low profile. Don't interfere in matters that have nothing to do with you. Your task is to stand there and complete your mission."
Huai Shi sighed, "Do you really not trust me?"
"What do you think?"
Ai Qing retorted, leaving Huai Shi speechless.
"In any case, I'm just here as a decoration, right?"
He shrugged, giving up on arguing about this issue... After all, with so many past incidents, someone would believe that he was involved in causing trouble even if he didn't want to.
In silence, he sat back in his chair and continued to awkwardly bond with his "senior".
He didn't know why, but he felt that Ai Qing wasn't in a good mood.
Sponsored Content
Although she had a blank expression from beginning to end, Huai Shi, who knew her a little better than others, keenly sensed a hint of low pressure and hidden gloom behind her calmness.
Soon, he realized the source of this gloom.
They had arrived.
The speedboat docked next to a huge cargo ship. The workers at the bow of the ship held up lights to illuminate the people below, then quickly waved their hands behind them, and a rope was lowered.
"Come up." The person above shouted, "We've been waiting for you."
Huai Shi stood up first, but then hesitated. He looked at the rope, then at Ai Qing sitting in the wheelchair next to him. Ai Qing had no expression on her face and didn't move.
She just silently stared at the person above.
It wasn't until the person's gaze started to wander and he took a few steps back, waving his hand again, that a movable ladder slowly descended from the side.
A smiling face appeared at the end of the ladder and said to Ai Qing, "Sorry, the people below are ignorant and clumsy."
"It's okay, the world is never short of people with brain problems."
Ai Qing stood up with her crutches, holding onto the ladder, slowly ascending step by step, walking up the iron ladder. However, when she passed by the smiling face, she slightly turned her head and whispered in his ear:
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
"What the world lacks is brainless idiots like you."
The smiling face stiffened for a moment, took two steps back, and shrugged, "Just a joke, why take it so seriously..."
"Excuse me."
Before he could finish his sentence, a voice came from the diagonal, followed by a dark object sweeping past him, almost causing him to stumble.
It was Huai Shi.
He carried a wheelchair and swaggered up the ladder, like a country bumpkin entering the city, looking around as if he had never seen anything before, clicking his tongue in amazement.
Ai Qing looked at the wheelchair in front of her, then glanced at Huai Shi, unable to help but sigh, "Do you remember what I said?"
Sponsored Content
"Sorry, I can't remember." Huai Shi shrugged.
Ai Qing didn't say anything more, just sat down and gestured for him to do his promising job as a cart pusher. Guided by the staff, they entered the cabin.
The cabin was unexpectedly spacious, with several old sofas already occupied. Some were old, some were young, and a few of them emitted low source material fluctuations, clearly operatives from different places.
Compared to the guy who had just shown ill intentions, the other inspectors were quite friendly. After exchanging greetings, everyone sat down and looked towards the front.
"Detailed information has been sent to everyone's phones. I believe everyone has already read it." A middle-aged man from Jinling said straightforwardly, "There are about sixteen armed personnel and two sublimators on the smuggling ship. It involves fragments of the philosopher's stone, so our predictions may not be accurate, but the overall situation should be close.
Everyone should have read the plan for handling dangerous items, just follow it. Lao Xiao will lead the team this time, and the rest of you will follow orders. Any other opinions?"
"No fourth stage?"
Before anyone else could speak, Ai Qing asked first, "Only two third stages. Isn't it a bit reckless considering the involvement of the philosopher's stone?"
"No need."
The guy who had been smiling mischievously just now said nonchalantly, "It's just a fragment. Is it necessary to be so cautious?"
"Yinyin, the Astronomical Society's actions are not child's play." Ai Qing looked at him coldly, "Think before you speak."
"Just a smuggling ship and two Sublimators, do you tell me there's a need to deploy a fourth-order?"
Yinyin sneered, glancing at Huai Shi, "Or are you afraid that your little friend will have an accident? If you're so scared, you might as well stay at home and have children."
Ai Qing didn't say a word, her expression indifferent, as if she was looking at an idiot.
"Cough, cough, if there's a problem, I'll assist everyone."
Next to the male host, a rather thin young man adjusted his glasses, revealing a reassuring smile.
After a moment of silence, the host introduced with a somewhat complex expression, "This is the external support for this operation. If necessary, he will take action."
"Ahaha, no need to be so serious."
The thin man waved his hand and laughed, putting away the stack of forms filled with writing and a few oddly shaped dice in front of him.
"If possible, I'd like to be everyone's good friend."
He introduced himself, "Just call me KP."
