Pretending To Be A Boss

Tang Xian was certain that the people in the Evolution Zone were aware of Akasi's arrival at Fortress 51, and they might already be taking action.

Subsequently, he also had to consider the possibility that they would publicly reveal Akasi's appearance.

Fortunately, the surgery to disrupt the tracking device with an electromagnetic interference field wasn't difficult to perform; the tricky part was that the locator and detonator were in the spine, necessitating extreme precision during surgery.

In a makeshift lab, Akasi and Tang Suoye were both present—one unconscious, the other watching nonchalantly as the scalpel cut into the back of their neck.

Ke Ye wasn't responsible for performing the surgery; Tang Xian personally took up the scalpel.

Ke Ye, watching from the side, winced at the sight, but the two undergoing the operation seemed long accustomed to the pain.

He couldn't help but wonder what the background of the man and woman was. It was his first time seeing anyone waiting for the end of a surgery without anesthesia so calmly.

Even the doctors performing the surgery with Tang Xian were amazed.

While people vary in their resilience to pain, most still show subtle facial expressions when in discomfort.

The comatose girl might be one thing, but Akasi, wide awake, seemed genuinely impervious to pain.

Tang Xian wasn't surprised; from a young age, they had been used as test subjects, their bodies subjected to countless more horrific assaults, with serums from cataclysmic creatures infused into their very being. For such flesh wounds, unless they chose to actively feel pain, it was essentially negligible.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

During the surgery, Tang Xian received a prompt in his mind.

An unexpected harvest.

[Achievement Unlocked: Precision Strike]

[Precision Strike: When attacking a target that has reached the unparalleled achievement, you can adjust the additional damage with willpower, fluctuating between 0.03% to 10% of the maximum health value.]

Tang Xian remained nonchalant, having witnessed even more astounding events before, he quickly adapted.

"Not particularly meaningful, but better than nothing," he thought.

He had already tested and found that normal physical contact didn't trigger the additional damage from the unparalleled achievement. It would only take effect when facing human units that he had the desire to attack.

Now, he simply had an extra switch to adjust the intensity of the force.

It seemed that achieving the accomplishment was somehow related to his careful control during Akasi's surgery, although he didn't know exactly what triggered it.

The ability was undeniably considerate.

The surgery went smoothly; the electromagnetic separation equipment swiftly rendered the little gadgets attached to Akasi's spine ineffective.

The devices weren't worried about battery life, as the human body naturally contains a very low level of bioelectricity, and the devices maintained an activated state by harnessing that bioelectricity continuously.

Fortress 51, on the other hand, possessed equipment that could block electromagnetic induction, creating the effect of a pseudo-mining area environment, albeit only within a single room.

Midway through, Tang Xian even had a casual chat with Ke Ye, who was watching.

Their conversation was mostly about weapons; through the current demand analysis, Tang Xian could discern some of Ke Ye's careful considerations.

What should have been a tremendously dangerous surgery ended quite effortlessly.

Tang Xian said,

"Starting today, you and Tang Suoye are free."

Akasi nodded. Finally, having truly broken free from the shackles of the Evolution Zone, he seemed a bit at a loss for a moment.

The pressure of survival that had burdened him for so many years suddenly dissipated, making the once unattainable aspects of life seem not so distant anymore.

All of this... probably began with the tampering of that bottle of sesame oil.

After a while, he smiled, unable to say anything particularly memorable, he simply stated,

"Tang Xian, thank you."

Tang Xian remained his usual self, so calm it made one wonder if he was missing some emotions:

"Once I finish with the busywork tomorrow, I'll take you to the mining area. Things have been a bit hectic lately. But for tonight, you and Tang Suoye should get some rest."

...

...

The next morning, Ke Ye came to the villa early on.

Inside the Pyramid, the sky wasn't visible, but the exhaust systems were clearly overloaded, indicating a smog distinctive of the Industrial Revolution. This was the case from the second layer up to the fifth layer.

Tang Xian woke up early. After Ke Ye arrived, he didn't rush off and instead had a bowl of noodles with him.

He had heard Ke Ye complain about this when they previously made contact.

"The old scholars in the courtyard are overly conservative. Humanity is on the verge of a massive invasion of the Yuepela Plains, yet they're still fussing over minute calculations."

"People need to have a bit of selfishness, which is not entirely wrongful."

"No, whose side are you on? I remember you weren't this conservative."

Tang Xian shook his head and said,

"Of course, I'm on your side. I'm just telling you, you need to keep some tricks up your sleeve."

Ke Ye was startled.

"The era of personalized weaponry is coming. The effects of Soul Crystals from different creatures on weapons are yet to be seen. The future will see a plethora of weapons with bizarre and varied capabilities.

You only need to advance the weapon-making concept to this era; however, keep some ace skills to yourself."

"Whether you wish to pass down the lineage or establish a new school, either way, it's good for you."

Having finished his noodles, Tang Xian left while Ke Ye pondered for a moment before saying,

"Doesn't that mean that in the future, I may end up just like them?"

"It's different."

"How is it different?"

"Because you will be the biggest proponent of the weapons revolution. Just that alone sets you apart from those who have achieved nothing."