Chapter 149: Super Soldier Serum

The Titan Colonization Armor was kept in Li Yu's personal room. In its normal deployed state, he could pass it off as nano-armor, but its current devouring state was truly difficult to explain.

After all, Kansa was still here, and Li Yu did not want to silence this noble royal descendant of the Amethyst Civilization over such a trivial matter.

Li Yu walked out of the room, his tone casual. "Your Highness Kansa, now we can talk about your situation..."

Kansa was momentarily startled upon hearing this, but he quickly calmed down. Having experienced the Molcasar incident, he had matured considerably. Many thoughts flashed through his mind before he spoke in a deep voice.

"You have no need to kill me. My value is very high."

In the past, he certainly would not have used the word value to measure himself, but he was no longer the person he used to be.

"Who said anything about killing you?" Li Yu looked slightly surprised. "I mean the issue of your ransom. I am not too familiar with your Amethyst Civilization, so I don't know how to set the price. Do you have any ideas?"

"I am a very democratic person..."

Asking a hostage about their own ransom, and calling it democratic... Kansa was speechless for a moment. Still, he frowned in thought for a short while before finally shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" Li Yu narrowed his eyes, waiting quietly for Kansa's explanation.

Kansa sighed. "The Amethyst Civilization most likely will not pay a ransom. They will only issue a kill order against you, along with a massive bounty."

"So arrogant?" Li Yu stroked his chin and had Claptrap connect to the Interstellar Network to search for similar incidents.

They had already left the jamming range of the Pathos Fleet.

"It is not arrogance, but rather that this precedent cannot be set..." Kansa replied, a hint of sorrow in his voice.

Once they compromised even a single time, important figures like them would become prime targets in the eyes of Space Marauders, subjected to countless attacks.

The information Claptrap pulled up was largely identical to what Kansa had said. Massive powers like the Amethyst Civilization almost never paid ransoms for kidnapped VIPs.

At least not openly. It involved far too many political ramifications.

"Then where does your value lie?" Li Yu stared at Kansa.

Kansa maintained his composure. "My value lies within the Amethyst Civilization. I am still an Amethyst imperial scion of noble status, and I even have a chance to compete for the throne of the Amethyst Emperor."

"You are not conning me, are you? From what I see on the Interstellar Network, your eldest brother Morty and your second brother Gudur are the popular candidates."

Li Yu scrolled through the Interstellar Network. This thing really was convenient.

"As for you... I haven't found your name in the Empire Daily or the Alliance Star News. Hmm..."

He paused and enlarged the screen. "Ah, here is some Amethyst gossip. I finally found your name: 'Kansa Saruson was photographed entering and leaving the Martel Interstellar Hotel with the newly crowned Amethyst movie queen...'"

Kansa looked somewhat embarrassed, his gaze shifting erratically. It was indeed true; only his eldest and second brothers were the top contenders for the Amethyst Emperor's throne.

As for the rest of the princes, they were mere foils. If Prince Saster had not used him as a pawn this time, he would never have even entertained the thought.

"Sigh... not worth keeping, but a waste to discard..." Li Yu let out a long sigh.

This was not meant as mockery, but to Kansa's ears, it felt far more insulting than outright ridicule.

Kansa's mood shifted slightly. He lowered his head and spoke in a deep voice. "I believe that with your help, I can definitely become the Amethyst Emperor."

Li Yu glanced at him, his expression noncommittal. Although Kansa was not of much use, he could not just casually let him go either.

Receiving no reply from Li Yu, not even the slightest response, Kansa grew visibly anxious. However, it did not take long for him to calm down again, waiting patiently.

After having Li Ping take Kansa away to be guarded, only Li Yu and the Hunter remained in the cabin.

Only then did the Hunter get a chance to speak. "What do you plan to do with him? Hauling him around forever isn't a solution. We already draw too much attention as it is, and if we drag him along..."

The Hunter stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Li Yu was not listening at all. He felt a surge of frustration. It turned out Li Yu had Li Ping take Kansa away not to have a private conversation with him, but for some other reason entirely.

Li Yu could not be bothered to care about whatever the Hunter was muttering about. He was currently checking his system.

His first clone had finished its cooldown a short while ago, but he had had no time to deal with it back on Molcasar Star. Only now could he finally deploy it.

[Deployable world searching... Data analysis in progress... Men in Black World coordinates locating... World Barrier Smuggling Channel opening... Successfully opened... Please select a clone for Avatar Deployment. Carried talents and titles will affect the Comprehensive Evaluation.]

The Men in Black World. This world was rather standard. Although it featured powerful interstellar civilizations, knowing the system's tendencies, he would undoubtedly end up spending all his time on Earth again.

After briefly recalling the plot of Men in Black, Li Yu chose to activate the [Mission Mode]. If he just messed around on Earth, he likely would not obtain anything truly valuable.

[Acquire the Galaxy]

It was a simple mission objective. The Galaxy actually referred to a massive energy source, which could be considered quite a precious item.

[[Mission Mode] activated. Avatar Deployment in progress... Deployment successful. Host, please wait for mission settlement.]

After dealing with the first clone, he immediately moved on to the Second Clone. It had been undergoing Brainwashing Work for quite some time, with nothing notable happening. However, the brainwashing process seemed to have finally reached its concluding phase.

[Marvel World - Day 10: The Brainwashing Work has come to an end. You have once again been brought before Captain America.

He has also awakened, but he does not recognize you, nor does he know why you were frozen in ice alongside him.

Suddenly, you come to blows with Captain Bubble Butt. This takes everyone by surprise, but in reality, you know this is an order from S.H.I.E.L.D.

They want to test your strength, Captain Bubble Butt's strength, and the results of the brainwashing.

Under your deliberate control, you lose by a narrow margin. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s public explanation is that you are mentally unclear, but secretly, they are highly satisfied.]

[Obtained Special Item: Super Soldier Serum. Would you like to extract it?]

Li Yu's gaze focused slightly. The Super Soldier Serum. This was actually a pretty good item. He had not expected to receive something like this just by fighting Captain Bubble Butt once.

It was a vial of blue liquid that did not look particularly special.

[Super Soldier Serum: A special potion that strengthens the physical body, allowing the physique to reach the D-rank standard. The side effects have been removed.

Note: The side effect was the amplification of certain inherent traits within the organism's mind.]

Only D-rank? This description left Li Yu somewhat surprised. Captain Bubble Butt could go toe-to-toe with the purple grape, and yet the Super Soldier Serum was only rated D-rank?

Oh... right, he forgot. That temporary Even Split ability was an innate talent of Captain Bubble Butt himself and had nothing to do with the Super Soldier Serum.

"What did you pull out this time?!" the Hunter asked, his face filled with terror as he hastily took a few steps back, various horrifying scenarios churning in his mind.

"It is good stuff that can enhance your strength. Do you want it..." Li Yu opened his palm and asked sincerely.

"I..." The Hunter was about to refuse, but then he recalled that blue pill and immediately hesitated. However, thinking back to those Zombies...

His expression shifted repeatedly as he struggled internally for a long time before firmly rejecting it. "For now, it is better to enhance your strength first. I am in no rush..."

Li Yu shrugged, uncorked the vial, tilted his head back, and swallowed it all. The liquid slid down his throat, bringing a cold, icy sensation.

The moment Li Yu swallowed it, the Hunter regretted his decision. It seemed like this was genuinely a good item, but unfortunately, it was too late now.

A surge of heat rose within Li Yu's body, spreading to his limbs and bones. A tingling, numb sensation coursed through his muscles, though he did not feel any intense pain.

His skin gradually turned crimson, radiating a terrifyingly high temperature. Drops of Magma fell at his feet, but fortunately, the cabin's metal floor was highly heat-resistant and was not burned through.

Perhaps it was because the strengthening effect this time was not overly astonishing. After all, Li Yu himself was already at the C- rank, so acquiring D-rank physical enhancements was merely a minor evolutionary leap.

'First, I need to buy some potions to develop my genes to the C+ class, and then I can consider acquiring a B-grade Gene Chain... Now that I have money, I don't have to be so strapped for cash.'

Li Yu pondered his next steps. He did not know how long it would be before he encountered another body-strengthening item like this; he could not rely solely on his clones.

"Hunter, have you contacted your friend yet?" Li Yu asked. He was referring to that major snakehead; they needed legitimate identities to freely enter and exit the Star Glory Empire.

"Uh..." The Hunter's gaze darted around evasively. "Don't we have Kansa right here? Can't we just have him arrange something? He is a prince of the Amethyst Civilization, after all."

"I do not trust him..." Li Yu shook his head and then stared silently at the Hunter.

The Hunter let out a mournful sigh. Reluctantly, he turned on his worn and grimy Smart Terminal, dragging a contact out of his blacklist.

He did not have to wait long. A shrill, piercing laugh echoed from the Smart Terminal. "Oh ho ho ho... what a rare surprise. If it isn't Boss Zeth. What made you suddenly think to call me?"

"I thought you were never going to take me off your blacklist. Today truly is a joyous day."

The voice was high-pitched and sharp, making it difficult to discern whether the speaker was male or female.

The Hunter's face darkened, and he spoke in a muffled, sullen tone, "I need your help with something..."

"Oh my..." Another burst of shrill laughter came from the other end. "I distinctly remember someone swearing up and down that they would never ask for my help again."

The Hunter took a deep breath and began cursing loudly, "Can you fucking help or not?! If you can't, just say it! I must have been blind to save your life back then!"

"Help... how could I not help? Given our relationship, it's just a few identities, right? Mole already told me about it..." The other party did not make things difficult; instead, they were exceedingly cooperative.

"I am currently at the Inuit Hub. Come find me. I will need to collect your genetic signatures..."

"Got it..." Although the Hunter softened his tone, he hung up the call with lightning speed.

"Who is that?" Li Yu asked, a bit curious.

It would have been fine if he had not asked. But the moment Li Yu posed the question, the Hunter's expression became as foul as if he had just swallowed something unspeakable. His face shifted colors several times before he finally gritted his teeth and said,

"Don't ask. When the time comes, we get our genetic signatures collected, turn around, and leave. Do not stay a single second longer than necessary!"