Bathed in a blood-red glow, Feng Qi walked alone across a desolate wilderness strewn with countless corpses.
Through the oppressive dark clouds overhead, an enormous shadow loomed, blotting out the sky.
Looking up, he was astonished.
It was the first time he had seen such a massive creature in the future dreamscape. Judging from its outline, this beast was several times larger than the sky behemoth he had encountered before.
Curious, he asked, "Narrator, do you think this thing could take on Little Black?"
[This domain creature's life force is undoubtedly strong, but compared to Little Black, it's still far weaker. If Little Black couldn't defeat something like this, it might as well work in a factory twisting screws.]
Feng Qi: …
"Well, I'd rather it twist screws than come after me."
[It might not be good at twisting screws, but it's certainly skilled at twisting necks.]
Rolling his eyes, Feng Qi continued heading east.
Moments later, he left the bone-filled wasteland and entered the ruins of a city.
Following the route etched in his memory, he darted through the crumbling buildings, heading straight for the abandoned hospital where Suction Cup resided.
On his way, he once again encountered a fire elemental.
Despite his vastly improved strength and the added advantage of his bloodline abilities, he still wasn't confident in defeating the fire elemental. Opting for caution, he took a detour.
Several hours later, he arrived outside the abandoned hospital.
Entering the decrepit building, he followed the narrator's guidance to locate Suction Cup.
Climbing to the second floor, he found her crouched by the hallway, looking dazed and pitiful.
At that moment, Suction Cup turned her head and looked at him.
Their eyes met, and a glimmer of light sparkled in hers. She lunged at Feng Qi with excitement.
Catching her mid-air, Feng Qi instinctively patted her head, a smile spreading across his face.
"I brought you something delicious. Eat up." As he spoke, he handed her a spiritual plant.
Seeing this, Suction Cup opened her mouth wide and devoured it in just a few bites, chewing and swallowing eagerly.
Afterward, Feng Qi carried Suction Cup back to the first floor of the hospital.
Under the narrator's instructions, he lifted the floorboards and uncovered a hidden entrance to the Crimson Research Institute's secret base.
Switching to his human form, he let a drop of his blood fall onto the mechanism. Wei Wei's voice instantly echoed:
"Please state the password to enter the secret base. Hint: The password is, 'Wei Wei is a gorgeous beauty!'"
Feng Qi: …
Realizing this was a personalized entry setup by Wei Wei, he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
"Wei Wei is a gorgeous beauty!"
As soon as he spoke, the mechanism's lights shifted colors, and the metallic door slowly slid to the side, revealing a descending passage.
Carrying Suction Cup, Feng Qi stepped into the passage without hesitation.
As he expected, the door automatically closed behind him once he entered.
This defense wouldn't stop Little Black, of course. The Crimson Research Institute likely set it up just to buy him a little time—even if only for a moment.
Reaching the base's main hall, Feng Qi walked to the elevator and pressed the button.
After his identity was verified, he stepped into the elevator.
The sensation of weightlessness lasted only briefly.
When the doors opened again, he was greeted by rows of neatly arranged research equipment, a central control panel, and two large divided screens.
Approaching the control panel, he skillfully pressed the activation button.
After a few seconds, the two screens lit up, displaying a list of options.
He selected the topmost item: "Must-See for Feng Qi" and began reviewing the information left by the Crimson Research Institute.
At the very top of the list was Wei Wei's personal box.
Opening it, he began reading through her notes.
1. Since moving to the Crimson secret base, the hard days have officially begun. Although the base has a complete internal recycling system, we still need to source research materials externally. Resources are tight, and even our meals have suffered.
It's tough—I'm already missing the days on the surface.
2. We've recently lost contact with Jia Yi. Since there's no external network connection in the secret base, we've decided to have our external combatants periodically contact him to gather intelligence.
Our investigation into the Future Research Institute will continue.
Meanwhile, my colleagues and I are focused on cracking the "Knowledge Implantation Technology" to help you complete the virtual game project.
Honestly, I'm really looking forward to the super virtual game myself.
If everything in the game can perfectly simulate reality, we can maximize resource efficiency. After all, simulations in the game would eliminate unnecessary waste.
I can't wait for that day to come.
6. The second team reported that the current public narrative is condemning the Crimson Research Institute, accusing us of fleeing out of guilt and confirming us as a domain faction.
I'm furious!
If we had internet access, I'd definitely be arguing with them online for three hundred rounds.
13. Today, I worked late into the night before finding the time to leave you a message. I'm physically and mentally exhausted. Knowledge implantation technology is proving to be incredibly difficult; we haven't even reached the threshold yet. Still, we'll keep trying.
On a brighter note, here's some good news:
The latest intelligence indicates that the Breaking Dawn organization has been developing exceptionally well. One of their domain combat squads has already earned a B-level evaluation, though their members' overall strength is closer to A-level.
Of course, Lü Yue is there.
Lü Yue, despite being as stubborn as a mule, is among the top-tier fighters even within elite combat squads.
At the same time, Yang Xiaoxin has established contact with our external operatives.
She informed us that Breaking Dawn is continuing their investigation into the Future Research Institute. Once they uncover anything, they'll contact me.
38. The knowledge implantation technology has shown slight progress, but it is still far from reaching a foundational level.
However, I've completed drafting two rune enhancement plans designed specifically for you, as mentioned in my previous proposal.
Here's a detailed introduction to the two plans:
The first rune enhancement plan involves the "Demon Dragon" rune crystal. This is an incredibly powerful domain creature, and our Crimson Research Institute has only one rune crystal in stock.
This crystal will provide you with unparalleled physical prowess, aligning with the narrator's vision of the "big muscle warrior" path. However, this modification requires long-term physical training and regular injections of genetic enhancement serum to strengthen your body. Without these, the you in the sacrifice timeline would be unable to withstand the erosion of the Demon Dragon rune crystal's power.
The second rune enhancement plan uses the "Shadow Fiend" rune crystal.
The Shadow Fiend is a specialized rune creature adept in stealth and mimicry. While not as powerful as the Demon Dragon, it is highly suited for covert operations, which I feel aligns well with the future version of you.
However, the Shadow Fiend rune crystal contains over half of its power as mental energy.
This makes its modification process more difficult than that of the Demon Dragon. Besides strong physical fitness, it also requires immense mental fortitude.
But I believe you can handle it.
I won't comment on your talent, but I'll give your willpower full marks.
The choice is yours. I've organized the detailed content of both rune enhancement plans, so remember to bring it back to reality when you have the chance.
73. Bad news arrived today.
The Breaking Dawn organization has encountered trouble and is currently undergoing a series of investigations. It seems their decisions have crossed certain boundaries, leading them to touch upon forbidden areas.
This could be similar to what happened to you before, where covert investigations drew the attention of domain factions.
Their current situation looks dire. I've decided to have our external operatives contact Yang Xiaoxin and have her lead Breaking Dawn into the Crimson base.
But before that, for safety reasons, I must conduct a thorough investigation into the members of Breaking Dawn.
If a werewolf infiltrates the Crimson base, all previous efforts will be in vain.
I trust your students, but the people they trust might not necessarily be trustworthy. There's always the possibility of a werewolf being planted among them.
113. Today, Yang Xiaoxin led a portion of Breaking Dawn's members to the base.
For safety reasons, she disbanded Breaking Dawn outright and only brought the core members with her, eliminating the risk of infiltration.
This was undoubtedly the right choice.
Hesitation at this time would only lead Breaking Dawn and those around her to irreversible disaster. A clean break was the better option.
The only regret is that Lü Yue didn't come.
That stubborn mule, just as you described, refused to find refuge in the base and chose to leave on his own.
I sighed—unsure whether to call him foolish or commend him for his bravery.
Today, a high-level meeting was convened, integrating Yang Xiaoxin and her members into a newly established team, with her continuing as the team leader to carry out external missions.
132. (Flagged in red) Jia Yi recently contacted our external operatives and relayed critical intelligence.
Having lost contact with you, he has been unable to generate further value within the Future Research Institute. Recently, he was reassigned to inspecting and managing their resource warehouse.
But through this, he discovered something important: the Future Research Institute does indeed cooperate with the Institute of Technological Research.
There are four resource warehouses within Future City, all officially owned by the Institute of Technological Research but managed by personnel from the Future Research Institute. Additionally, the Future Research Institute often delivers its resources to these warehouses.
This effectively supports the development of the Institute of Technological Research.
Yet, the lingering question remains unanswered: why did the Future Research Institute once side with the Crimson Research Institute during a resource transport incident, even to the point of opposing the Institute of Technological Research?
Regardless, the intelligence Jia Yi provided is incredibly useful.
Even though we still cannot determine whether the Future Research Institute stands with humanity or domain factions, we now know the locations of four critical resource warehouses crucial to the Institute of Technological Research.
I've attached the coordinates (Coordinate Information Attachment).
If you want to delve deeper into the secrets of the Technological and Future Research Institutes, these four resource warehouses might be the starting point.
If you choose a future path where you confront the Institute of Technological Research and interact with Future Research Institute personnel, it is imperative to first destroy these warehouses.
This would undoubtedly deal a significant blow to the Institute of Technological Research.
For a research institution, resources are its lifeblood.
Without resources, even the best ideas are meaningless. Deprive the Institute of Technological Research of its resources, and their research will come to a complete standstill.
287. Recently, Jia Yi's contact with us has dwindled.
Having been relegated to a minor role, he can no longer provide valuable intelligence.
Today, I saw photos of Jia Yi taken by the captain of the third team. In the pictures, his hair has turned completely white.
Time spares no one. Calculating his age, he's already 68 years old.
So, I contacted the third team captain and asked him to tell Jia Yi to stop. He doesn't need to continue with the investigation anymore.
At 68 years old, he's still alone, relentlessly carrying out the tasks you assigned long ago. I think it's time for him to rest and take a well-deserved break.
From here on, we—the younger generation—will carry the burden forward.
As for him, it's time he enjoyed his twilight years.
338. This morning, our warrior Yang Xiaoxin passed away.
It feels as though we met just yesterday.
I still vividly remember the moment she clung to my arm, calling me "Wei Wei-jie" and asking how to preserve her youthful appearance forever.
Perhaps one day, I too will face this moment. After all, you've already told me that my lifespan is also limited.
Feng Qi, little brother, it's painful!
Next time, please don't reveal such harsh truths to me.
423. The knowledge implantation plan has finally made some progress.
We've developed a type of information storage liquid, which can be injected into your brain to implant knowledge.
However, this "memory liquid" still has many flaws.
Currently, we are working to resolve these issues to ensure a one-time success.
487. The memory implantation plan has essentially reached its final stage. The success rate of the memory liquid has already reached 90%. To be extra cautious, we've decided to refine it further, ensuring a perfect success rate.
For the remaining 10%, everyone at the Crimson Research Institute will continue working diligently for several more years, even decades if necessary.
Keep pushing forward—the future is full of possibilities!
523. Not in the best mood today. I used to be able to work for days on end, but now I feel drowsy every day. My body feels like it's rusting and no longer functions as it once did.
During today's meeting, I found myself frequently zoning out, lost in thought.
It seems that this beautiful lady's time is running out.
After the meeting, I gave myself three injections of genetic serum right away.
Wow, instant rejuvenation.
But the genetic serum's effects on me have significantly weakened; it won't sustain me much longer. However, I vow not to collapse before the memory implantation project is completed.
My fate lies in my own hands, not the heavens. Genetic serum, let's go!
What side effects? They're mere trifles in my eyes.
586. The knowledge implantation plan has officially concluded. The success rate of the memory liquid is now close to 99%. All related data has been stored in the database under "Feng Qi Must Read." You can retrieve it when needed.
Next, we'll take a three-day break. Let's all get some well-deserved rest.
594. I've stepped down. From now on, I will no longer manage anything at the Crimson Research Institute.
Lately, I find myself sitting for entire days, lost in thought, replaying old memories.
The longer one lives, the more memories overlap. The brain begins compressing identical experiences, making time seem accelerated.
Perhaps this is why elderly people sit in their yards all day.
I've now come to understand that feeling.
When I close my eyes, all I see are memories, like a long movie playing slowly.
Ah, there's no denying it anymore—I am getting old.
603. My apprentice says I've injected too many genetic serums and now have symptoms of dementia.
I think his choice of words is off. This isn't "old-age dementia"; it's "beauty dementia." What does age have to do with it?
Am I old?
I will always be young!
624. Feng Qi, little brother, this is your beautiful and wise Wei Wei-jie leaving you her final message.
I'm about to leave the base to see the outside world.
Why do I long for the outside so much? Of course, it's because I want to enjoy a proper meal before I die. Do you know how painful it is to eat nothing but nutrient paste every day?
This place is a foodie's hell.
I've endured this for so many years, and before I die, I deserve to indulge.
Just thinking about tasting delicious food has me drooling.
I'm finally free~.
As for you, keep working hard. I've left all the data in the database for you.
We'll meet again in the next timeline.