Chapter 299: Auto-Loot On, Wild Ingredients Galore
The scorching air seared Li Xiao’s throat, sending waves of stinging pain through his lungs.
Sensing the extreme heat around him, Li Xiao channeled his magic power, temporarily converting it into Ice Magic Power to continuously cool his body.
He pressed on through the hazardous factory district, clearing debris, transporting supplies, constructing temporary fortifications, sealing toxic leaks, and assisting with the repair of spiritual energy pathways and formations.
Despite his utmost caution, an unexpected explosion left him with extensive burns.
Constant exposure to residual toxins in the air caused a dull ache in his internal organs, and his limbs gradually grew numb.
Yet, despite the danger and exhaustion, the thought of five times his usual pay spurred him onward.
“Once I finish this stint, I won’t have to turn down Ying Xin and the others when they invite me to cultivate next time.”
“And I won’t have to worry about this month’s loan interest…”
As Li Xiao hurried to transport a batch of spiritual energy-conducting materials, a peculiar fragrance suddenly reached his nose.
In the next moment, Li Xiao felt the world spin violently around him. He staggered, then collapsed heavily to the ground with a thud.
He struggled to get up, but his once-powerful limbs felt weak and numb. After a few futile twists, he fell back down.
Simultaneously, the sweet fragrance in the air grew stronger, further clouding his consciousness.
“This is bad…”
“There’s a toxic leak…”
Li Xiao bit his tongue sharply, trying to regain some clarity, but the poison was swift and potent. He felt his strength draining away rapidly, until he could barely feel the muscles in his hands and feet.
“I can’t let this continue. The poison will only get worse…”
A flicker of fear appeared in Li Xiao’s eyes as he strained to keep them wide open, fighting against the overwhelming drowsiness creeping into his mind.
He was terrified that if he closed his eyes, he would awaken deep within the Spirit Realm and discover that his body had been pawned to pay for his medical bills, while his soul awaited assignment to repay his debts.
“Damn legs! Stand up!”
A wave of regret washed over Li Xiao. “If only I hadn’t taken such a risk…”
“So what if I earn a little less and spend a little less?”
Just as Li Xiao was gripped by fear and regret, a pair of large hands clamped around his neck, lifting him like a kitten.
A series of whooshing sounds filled the air, and the scenery around Li Xiao blurred into motion.
When he regained his senses, he found himself and several other workers had been unceremoniously dumped onto the open ground at the factory gate with a thud.
Gasping for the fresh air outside, Li Xiao felt a surge of relief. He looked up at Zhang Yu’s retreating figure, his gaze complex and conflicted.
Ying Xin, watching the scene unfold, thought to herself, “He’s risking bankruptcy to make money, yet he still has time to rescue people?”
She shook her head, no longer interested in the situation, and turned to leave.
Just then, several security guards approached Li Xiao and the others. “Please cooperate with us,” they said. “We need to conduct a search to ensure you haven’t accidentally brought any hazardous materials out of the factory.”
Li Xiao knew this was to prevent them from smuggling out factory property.
During the search, several packets of raw pharmaceutical materials were found on one of the workers.
“Captain,” a guard called out, “we’ve found the man who stole two tons of supplies.”
The worker paled in terror. “I only stole these two packets!” he protested. “I didn’t steal two tons!”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had already re-entered the swirling smoke and dust.
Zhang Yu’s physical body had been forged through countless trials, making it far stronger than others at his level.
With the Civil Engineering Sacred Body’s enhancement, his body possessed terrifying resistance to the various dangers within the factory area.
Blazing heat swept across his skin like a warm breeze.
Toxic substances surged into his nose and mouth, carrying a strangely sweet, intoxicating aroma.
Unexpected explosions, shrapnel hurled by the blasts, and rolling waves of toxic smoke and dust — none of these could harm Zhang Yu now.
Even if some injuries occurred, he could activate his body’s regenerative abilities using the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art, accelerating the healing process.
Returning to the spot where Li Xiao had collapsed, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Now the area’s clear.”
He located the source of the toxic leak and began collecting the discarded alloy fragments scattered around.
Wiping saliva from the corner of his mouth, Zhang Yu resisted the urge to devour the alloy immediately.
The environment remained too dangerous; he still needed the Civil Engineering Sacred Body to ensure his safety.
Without switching to his University Sacred Body, Zhang Yu would lose the enhanced digestive power and cultivation art amplification it provided, severely diminishing both the efficiency and effectiveness of his consumption.
Therefore, he decided to gather materials first. Before leaving the factory area after work, he would find a safe spot, switch to his University Sacred Body, and then begin his tasting session.
For now, Zhang Yu tucked the alloy fragments into his pocket and turned his attention to another pile of debris — wild polymer materials from the pharamaceutical factory’s workshop.
Over the next few hours, Zhang Yu worked diligently while casually collecting unclaimed wild ingredients.
He felt like a country bumpkin at his first seafood buffet, overwhelmed by the dazzling array of options. He had no idea which items were more valuable or nutritious, so he grabbed a little of everything, planning to sample them all later.
Aside from the abundant unclaimed materials scattered across the factory floor, what truly caught Zhang Yu’s eye were the pharamaceutical factory’s raw materials.
However, without activating his University Sacred Body, he refrained from indiscriminate consumption. Instead, he gathered a stockpile, intending to switch to his University Sacred Body later and then, with its enhanced medicinal absorption capabilities, systematically taste-test each one.
At the factory gate, Li Xiao felt himself recovering significantly. His limbs were no longer numb, his head had stopped spinning, and the burning pain from his injuries had become excruciatingly clear.
During his rest, Li Xiao watched Zhang Yu repeatedly carry injured workers out of the factory and dump them onto the ground nearby.
This made Li Xiao’s gaze toward Zhang Yu increasingly complex.
In his view, wasting work time to help others was utterly foolish.
“Hiss…”
As the burning pain intensified, Li Xiao knew that if he didn’t treat his injuries, his subsequent studies and cultivation would be severely hampered.
Fortunately, the Spirit Realm Network remained accessible outside the factory.
With a mental command, he summoned remote medical services.
Moments later, a doctor’s holographic image materialized in his Bionic Eye, conducting a thorough examination.
Five minutes later, a Medical Department student arrived at Li Xiao’s side.
With several blasts of magic power, the fall of silver needles, and the final gulp of potion, Li Xiao felt significantly better.
But minutes later, when the medical bill appeared in his Bionic Eye, he felt as if he had been critically injured all over again.
“0.78 Spirit Coins?! How could it be so expensive?!”
Even with medical insurance covering part of the cost, Li Xiao knew this would still be a massive burden. His insurance premiums would undoubtedly skyrocket next year.
Before he could even calm down, he discovered that his insurance claim had been denied.
“Why won’t they cover it?!”
Just as Li Xiao was arguing with the insurance company, today’s debt reminder arrived.
His loan interest was now three days overdue.
After hesitating, Li Xiao reached out to his uncle.
Uncle: “Send me your credit report and spending history first.”
Uncle: “30 Spirit Coins?! You’ve spent that much in just five months?”
Li Xiao: “My classmates invited me to practice cultivation. I couldn’t refuse, or how would I keep up with my grades?”
Li Xiao: “I also needed a better Bionic Eye, or my learning efficiency would fall behind.”
Seeing that his uncle had stopped replying, Li Xiao sighed deeply.
Just then, Tu Lishan sent out a notice announcing another wage increase for the pharamaceutical factory’s rescue and repair work, raising it to eight times the regular pay.
Gazing at the billowing smoke nearby, Li Xiao gritted his teeth.
“I’ll risk it all! If I can earn this money, if I get this eightfold pay, if I’m just careful enough, I can definitely make it through…”
He thought of the Immortal Dao services and products he had enjoyed with Ying Xin and the others, the Bionic Eye he had sold, and his current ranking…
Li Xiao couldn’t bear the thought of losing all of it.
He knew all too well that in Kunxu, you could lack anything but money.
So he stood up again and plunged back into the rolling smoke and dust.
Li Xiao wasn’t alone. As the wages rose, workers who had previously quit, been injured, or left gradually began returning, once again rushing into the smoke-filled factory grounds.
Inside the factory district, Zhang Yu frowned slightly as he noticed the increasing number of workers around him. “Too many eyes,” he thought. “It’s getting harder to scavenge.”
“Especially those Qi Refinement Kids,” he muttered. “Even with their wages doubled or tripled, is it really worth risking their lives like this?”
Zhang Yu shook his head. Fortunately, the toxic smoke and dust remained his best cover, allowing him to continue his activities.
As his collection grew, Zhang Yu began hiding his finds in deeper sections of the ruins. That’s when he discovered… someone had taken some of the items from one of his hiding spots.
“Damn it… I knew I wasn’t the only one scavenging.”
Before clocking out, Zhang Yu retrieved the remaining items and moved to a relatively safe location.
After confirming there were no surveillance cameras nearby using the Detection Ritual, he opened his Feather Book, navigated to the Chain Formation Diagram chapter, and dragged the cultivation arts to switch his Civil Engineering Sacred Body to the University Sacred Body.
Unlike cultivation art specializations, which required a 24-hour cooldown to switch, the Chain Formation Diagram could be changed at any time, though it took a few seconds to complete the process.
Then, he grabbed several metal shards and swallowed them whole.
Zhang Yu’s Foundation Establishment Peak digestive power suddenly activated, enhanced by the Earth Devouring Divine Art, pulverizing the alloys into fine powder and fusing them into his bones.
Zhang Yu thought, “Hmm… this alloy is incredibly hard. It should be perfect for reinforcing my bones.”
“This polymer material is both flexible and strong. Could it be refined into my skin?”
“What is this gelatinous substance?”
“Sigh, my knowledge is lacking. I need to go back and research this…”
So, as Zhang Yu ate, he meticulously recorded the properties, appearance, and taste of each material.
“Wild ones always taste better.”
But Zhang Yu soon discovered that not everything could be digested.
At least three extraordinary materials, even with his digestive power boosted by the Level 20 Earth Devouring Divine Art, remained indigestible and had to be spat out.
This experience made Zhang Yu even more cautious about the raw materials leaked from the pharamaceutical factory. He feared consuming something even he couldn’t handle.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “I need to ask Elder Sister to identify these materials properly.”
Zhang Yu increasingly felt the importance of knowledge and information. Otherwise, he’d be in a buffet without knowing which dishes were actually worth eating.