Chapter 270: Underground Black Market

Between the black market and saving the Chief, Ye Bai naturally chose to save the Chief.

After all, it was for the reputation of Imperial Capital University that the Chief chose to enter the border battle between countries, avoiding the outbreak of a Beast Tide and sparing vast territories from being occupied by Exotic Beasts.

"Everyone, please return. You are hindering me from treating the Chief."

Ye Bai raised an eyebrow and said to everyone in a grave and earnest tone.

Most of the students lowered their heads, while a small number rolled their eyes.

Putting on an act, are you? You can actually treat the Chief? This group had inquired quite a bit about Ye Bai's background, but due to confidentiality reasons, most only knew that Ye Bai was a prospective freshman at Imperial Capital University.

"No, we are staying right here to watch the Chief undergo treatment."

These people said very firmly.

"According to the regulations of Imperial Capital University, breaking into a Laboratory where an experiment is in progress warrants a major demerit."

"And one year of academic probation."

"If any of you are willing to be placed on academic probation, I naturally have no problem with that."

Upon hearing Ye Bai's subtext, everyone was stunned for a moment.

"What are you afraid of? The law doesn't punish the masses."

Suddenly, someone clamored.

"What are you all shouting about here? People on the entire floor can hear the commotion you're making."

Zhang Lingxue and Su Qingxian walked out from a nearby Laboratory.

"Principal Su, Professor Zhang."

After seeing Zhang Lingxue and Su Qingxian, these people lowered their heads one after another, just like mice seeing a cat.

"Go back. Ye Bai is a genius Breeder; I can personally guarantee it, please trust him."

Su Qingxian said in a gentle tone; she usually didn't stand on ceremony, so she was very popular with the students.

With Su Qingxian's guarantee, the students left the area one after another.

"Ye Bai, what happened here?"

Only then did Su Qingxian ask Ye Bai.

She and Zhang Lingxue both arrived at Ye Bai's Laboratory.

Ye Bai pointed at the Chief, whose entire body was covered in tentacles, and said: "This guy is infected with a very special type of Parasite Spore."

"When this Parasite Spore matures, it will fuse with the human body."

"The person with the Parasite Spore will also be controlled by the spore and turn into a walking corpse."

"The principle is somewhat like cordyceps."

Su Qingxian's expression suddenly became very ugly; she seemed to have remembered something.

"Ye Bai, your grand-teacher has one question for you."

"Can you cure this?"

"The Chief of Imperial Capital University holds great significance; he cannot die."

"Even if he turns into a living dead, he cannot."

Su Qingxian knew that Ye Bai had taken Jiang Dashi as his master.

Jiang Dashi was a world-renowned Great National Physician; even if Ye Bai couldn't solve the Chief's problem, wasn't there still Jiang Dashi? Su Qingxian felt greatly reassured.

"Ye Bai, I have a Five Elements Butterfly project here that I want to entrust to you."

"I hope you can replicate the evolution of the Five Elements Butterfly."

"This has a profound impact on the research cause of our Yan Country."

"It has comprehensive strategic value."

Ye Bai shook his head: "Grand-teacher, it's not that I don't want to agree to you, but the Five Elements Butterfly requires opportunity to evolve."

"Moreover, the Five Elements Butterfly can only evolve successfully in the Five Elements Butterfly Secret Realm."

"However, if you want the Thousand-Change Silkworm to evolve into guards of the Five Elements Butterfly—Heavy Water Butterfly, Li Fire Butterfly, and so on—I do think there is a chance."

Su Qingxian thought about it and felt this was also a research direction.

The guards of the Five Elements Butterfly are at least Fifth-tier Exotic Beasts.

Although not as powerful as the Five Elements Butterfly, it is still a decent choice.

"That's fine, but what is this Thousand-Change Silkworm you mentioned?"

Su Qingxian seemed to have found a blind spot.

"The Baibian Can can evolve into the Thousand-Change Silkworm, and the Thousand-Change Silkworm can evolve into the Ten-Thousand-Change Silkworm."

"The one I contracted at the beginning was the Thousand-Change Silkworm."

"In the end, due to a stroke of luck, it evolved into the Ten-Thousand-Change Silkworm."

"The difference between the Baibian Can and the Thousand-Change Silkworm lies in a jade-white mark on the center of the brow."

Su Qingxian examined it carefully and accepted Ye Bai's explanation.

"What virtue or ability does Xiao Xue have to be able to take you as a disciple?"

"The world says that Xiao Xue is the first person to study the Baibian Can, but I think that is an exaggeration."

"Ye Bai, your research talent is no less than Xiao Xue's, and you have even more advantages than Xiao Xue."

"With your Photographic Memory talent, if used well, there will be nothing in the world that you don't know."

"Alright, I still have matters to attend to with Xiao Xue."

"Wait until you return from this trip to conduct your research."

Su Qingxian seemed to have known about Ye Bai going to the Western Research Institute for a long time.

"Alright, Grand-teacher, then I won't disturb you any further."

After Ye Bai sent both his master and grandmaster out the door, he let out a long sigh.

"The activity of the Spore has not yet been fully triggered. I must wait until this form is fully activated before I can better clear the Spore from his body."

"Otherwise, every time I perform surgery, this guy will grow another tentacle. By the end, the tentacles will be gone, and the person will be gone too. It's getting late; let's head to the Underground Black Market first."

"Paper Doll Puppet, help me."

Ye Bai said to the air.

"Coming."

A paper doll crawled out from Ye Bai's clothes; she expanded in mid-air, finally taking the form of the Paper Doll Puppet.

"Ye Bai."

The Paper Doll Puppet's voice was very gentle.

At this moment, Ye Bai could feel that the Paper Doll Puppet was a person of flesh and blood.

"Paper Doll Puppet, I need you to help me make a paper doll Clone."

"This paper doll Clone must stay here to help me monitor this person's condition."

"You and I will enter the Underground Black Market to search for information."

The entire Underground Black Market is extremely large, so if Ye Bai wants to find the information, he will have to turn the whole Underground Black Market upside down; this is no less than finding a needle in a haystack.

But Ye Bai has a system, and his system will tell him everything.

"Alright, let's go."

Ye Bai left with the Paper Doll Puppet, leaving only one paper doll in the Laboratory playing on a phone.

However, this paper doll did not realize that the Chief's body had begun to emit green powder.

The tentacles on his body were also becoming thicker and thicker.

A few Iron Armor ant eggs were placed on the table; these eggs were left behind because Ye Bai had left in too much of a hurry.

The moment the green powder touched the eggs, a pale green fluorescence appeared on the surface of the eggs.

The fluorescence vanished instantly, and on the surface, the eggs seemed to have returned to tranquility.

In reality, these eggs had all been infected by the Spore.

These Spores would invade the brains of the Iron Armor ants and turn them into their own puppets.

Underground Black Market.

Ye Bai had come to the Underground Black Market once again.

However, this time, he did not enter the Laifu Inn.

He had left without saying goodbye last time, which had infuriated the little paper doll at the Laifu Inn.

Ye Bai reckoned he was already on the Laifu Inn's blacklist.

He arrived earlier this time, so browsing the stalls was fine too.

The vendors in the Underground Black Market sat quietly in their seats, not promoting their wares at all.

Quite a few people were holding books, reading them carefully by the dim green light.

Through the Insight Eye, Ye Bai saw a lot of gray mist entwined around the stalls.

Just at this moment, Ye Bai saw a stall owner whose stall had only one stone on it.

Written on it was: one stone for 100,000 Yan Kingdom Coins, no bargaining.

"Damn, is this stone gambling?"

"The kind of stone gambling where one cut leads to bankruptcy or wealth?"

However, judging from the gray mist emanating from this stone, it was at least a fifth-tier treasure.

"I'll buy it."

Ye Bai bought the stone on the stall.

As it turned out, the vendor pulled another stone out from under his butt.

This maneuver left Ye Bai speechless.

However, just as Ye Bai was about to leave, he suddenly discovered that the stone the vendor had just brought out actually had a glass fragment with patterns on it.

The patterns on this glass were very, very similar to the mirror Ye Bai had obtained.

Ye Bai hesitated for a moment before making another move to take the stone.

It wasn't until the vendor set out a stone for the third time that Ye Bai finally left.

Once it passed twelve midnight, the intelligence surfaced.

【1. The data on the Western Research Institute was pawned at the Heaven-Grade Pawnshop in the Underground Black Market. If interested, you can go to the Heaven-Grade Pawnshop to redeem it, but the Heaven-Grade Pawnshop is notoriously greedy.】

【2. After the Spore parasitizes the insect eggs, the Spore will devour the insect's brain and control its thoughts.】

【3. The Thick Earth Bead has appeared in a bamboo forest in Yanxi Sheng; a Purple Jade Bamboo Heart is brewing there, which has the effect of cleansing the soul.】

【4. Three months from now, a spatial Secret Realm will appear in Yanxi Sheng. Spatial turbulence has already appeared inside, and the Exotic Beasts in the Secret Realm are acting like they've gone mad, attacking each other.】

【5. A cub of the Ice Glass Dragon was captured and imprisoned in a place in the Imperial Capital's sewers. Three days later, when the Chen Dragon Pillar discovers the Ice Glass Dragon cub is missing, it will be too late; the Ice Glass Dragon cub has gone mad.】

Phew, this intelligence is about the whereabouts of the data.

But what is the second piece of intelligence trying to say? Take Paras as an example; is the mushroom that controls Parasect actually its true body? The real Paras had already had its consciousness eroded during the process of evolution.

By the same logic, once an insect egg is parasitized by a Spore, it will become a puppet for the rest of its life.

This is actually a good research direction; I can verify it myself once I return to the Laboratory.

The pawnshop was located in a corner of a bustling street in the Underground Black Market, its storefront quite inconspicuous.

The lintel was engraved with the five golden, shimmering characters "Heaven-Grade Pawnshop"; the calligraphy was vigorous and powerful, exuding a quiet luxury.

The interior of the shop was tastefully furnished, with rows of rosewood counters neatly arranged, displaying all sorts of items, from antique calligraphy and paintings to gold and silver jewelry, from precious silk to rare and exotic treasures, all exuding the luster of accumulated time.

The pawnshop owner was dressed in a cyan long gown, a faint smile on his face, his eyes sharp and profound, as if he could see through the human heart.

Through the dim lamplight, the clinking of copper coins was crisp and pleasant, forming a sharp contrast with the noisy market outside. Customers either carefully examined certain items or whispered in negotiation with the shopkeeper, and the air was permeated with the tense atmosphere of trade.

(End of this chapter)