Chapter 152: Mission Failed?

This was an absolute cornucopia. The price of just a few of these machines was enough to purchase two entire Life Planets—referring, of course, to planets without any special mineral deposits.

Li Yu shook his head and shifted his attention to the biological materials for B-Tier Lifeforms. Buying things on the Black Hole Network was entirely a game of luck.

Because there were no third-party guarantees, all transactions had to be conducted face-to-face offline. After all, the Black Hole Bank did not have customer service.

Once you transferred the money, it belonged to the other party. If they refused to deliver the goods, you could only stare blankly in frustration.

Face-to-face transactions also brought another problem: everyone swimming in the depths of the Black Hole Network was a criminal. There were no good people here.

Therefore, luck was exceptionally important. If you were stronger than the other party, you could not only seize their goods but also refuse to pay.

If you were weaker than the other party, not only would you fail to get the goods, but you would also lose both your money and your life.

So... luck was everything.

Li Yu had never bought anything on the Black Hole Network before. Now that he had a basic understanding of how it worked, he felt somewhat speechless.

Li Yu sifted through them carefully. At the B-Tier Lifeform stage, individuals could generally control Elemental Power to some extent. There were very few lifeforms that relied entirely on their physical body.

At the same time, lifeforms that controlled mysterious elemental forces also appeared. For example, the Purple-Winged Tiger controlled Amethyst Power.

For a moment, Li Yu really couldn't find a Gene Chain suited for himself.

Seeing his hesitation, Mangu spoke up. "You can go ask that Genetic Modulator. Just say I introduced you. My name carries a bit of weight around here."

Hunter suddenly couldn't hold back anymore. "We agreed earlier. Once the identity issues are sorted out, we leave this place immediately."

Li Yu instantly understood. Mangu was sparing no effort to help him simply to keep Zeth around.

After a moment of thought, Li Yu replied, "You said that yourself. I never agreed to it. Besides, you two haven't seen each other in so long. You must have a lot of catching up to do."

"Moreover, the identity issue hasn't been completely resolved yet, has it?"

Mangu chimed in with a flirtatious laugh. "That's right, Zeth. We really haven't had a good chat in a long time."

Hunter looked absolutely devastated, utterly dejected. Mangu casually tossed Li Yu a Crystal Card.

"This is a temporary pass. It's used for citizens of civilizations that haven't established diplomatic relations with the Amethyst Civilization. It's only valid for 48 hours."

"If anyone checks your identity, just give them this."

"Thanks," Li Yu said with a nod. The two exchanged a glance, conveying a mutual understanding without another word.

The artificial sunlight bathed his body, giving off a faint sense of warmth. Li Yu looked up at the massive crystal hanging in the sky and couldn't help but shake his head.

'Another prismatic crystal. Doesn't the Amethyst Civilization ever get sick of staring at these things all day?' he thought.

Following the address Mangu provided, Li Yu headed straight for his destination. Stepping onto the amethyst tracks, he arrived in no time.

The Inuit Hub was just a transfer station; very few people lived here permanently. Upon reaching the familiar Tyron Tower, he noted that the Genetic Modulator had rented out an entire floor—a true display of immense wealth.

Seeing a familiar-looking elf-like receptionist, Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, something other than a block of prismatic crystal.

Because it was a private residence, the elevator couldn't go straight up. He needed to ask for permission first.

"Do you have an appointment?" a cold voice rang out from the Smart Terminal.

"Mangu sent me."

The person on the other end paused, seemingly going to report this. A moment later, they replied, "Come on up."

The elevator's lockdown was lifted, taking him straight to the 74th floor. This Genetic Modulator was known only as Card Master. As for his real name, no one knew.

The elevator doors slid open. Greeting Li Yu was a tall, attractive woman. However, she wasn't an interstellar human but a member of the Red Fox People, a common sight in the Slave Trade.

In fact, the female creatures of most Humanoid Races were considered quite precious merchandise in the Slave Trade.

Her skin was pristine and white, with only pale red fluff covering her palms, soles, and chest. A red tail swished behind her, and two soft ears twitched atop her head.

Li Yu merely gave her a passing glance before following her into the room.

The so-called Card Master was already waiting. He was an interstellar human who appeared quite elderly. His silver-white hair was neatly slicked back, and his face was etched with deep wrinkles.

He sat on a sofa. The Red Fox woman who had led Li Yu inside submissively knelt by his side. Card Master stroked her head with his large hand, treating her like a pet.

"Please, have a seat," Card Master said smoothly, his eyes profound. Li Yu sat opposite him, his demeanor equally calm.

"What kind of Gene Chain do you want?" Card Master didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"I haven't decided yet. Could you give me some advice?"

Card Master clearly frowned but didn't refuse. "Since Mangu recommended you, a little consultation won't hurt."

"What sort of Gene Chains have you assimilated previously?"

Li Yu replied, "The Iron Armor Bear Gene Chain, the Violet Lightning Mouse Gene Chain, and the Rock Lion Gene Chain."

"All top-tier Gene Chains within their respective grades," Card Master noted, looking slightly surprised. He pondered for a moment before continuing. "However, you lack a proper system. The compatibility between electricity and magma is far too low."

"For a B-grade Gene Chain, you can completely rule out the water element and higher-order elements, as well as earth... Your best option would be an extension of the electricity element or the fire element."

In just a few words, Card Master had pointed out a clear path. Li Yu thought it over and nodded. "Electricity and fire... I understand."

"But doing so will result in the other Gene Chain being suppressed because of the poor compatibility," Card Master added.

According to him, whether the B-grade Gene Chain was electricity or fire-based, it would inevitably suppress the conflicting Gene Chain, significantly limiting the overall Amplification.

Gene Chains were supposed to complement each other. It wasn't as simple as just cramming them into a body and hoping for the best.

"Isn't it possible to replace a Gene Chain?" Li Yu asked, his expression shifting slightly.

Card Master gave him a strange look and shook his head. "That is something only considered for A-Class Gene Chains. You don't need to worry about that for now."

He was bluntly telling Li Yu not to bite off more than he could chew. The kid wasn't even a B-Tier Lifeform yet, and he was already thinking about A-Tier Lifeform issues.

"Then... are there any Gene Chains with both electricity and fire attributes?" Li Yu asked again.

Card Master's expression turned odd once more. After a brief pause, he answered, "They do exist, but they are far too precious. You should probably table that idea as well."

His tone had grown a bit chilly. Why was this guy constantly daydreaming about impossible things? Did he have no idea just how rare lifeforms with dual elemental mastery were?

"Alright then," Li Yu said as he stood up. "Thank you for the guidance. I will return once I have gathered the materials."

Card Master nodded, not offended in the slightest. After all, they were discussing an investment worth billions of Star Coins. It was impossible to finalize everything after just a few sentences.

Stepping out of Card Master's domain, Li Yu paused, his expression somewhat dazed. It wasn't until the Red Fox woman beside him urged him a few times that he finally stepped onto the elevator.

"Failed?" he muttered, opening the System. He had just received an alert indicating that Clone One's mission had somehow failed.

This surprised him greatly. Clone One was a C-Tier Lifeform. Although the background of the Men in Black World was quite formidable, Clone One had been sent to Earth. How could he have failed?

He opened the Task Log.

[Men in Black World - Mission Failed: You arrived in New York. You were well aware of what kind of world this was—nothing more than a bunch of aliens and high-tech gadgets.

You didn't care, believing you could handle anything. Through coercion and bribery, you acquired a massive sum of money and, relying on your own strength, began to live an indulgent lifestyle.

You founded an organization—the Fatherland Society. Its members worshiped your power. You traded favors and ran rampant across the surface world.

This drew the attention of the Men in Black Organization. Convinced that you were an alien disguised as a human, they issued a warrant for your arrest.

You went on a killing spree, causing the Men in Black to suffer heavy casualties. Left with no other choice, K requested the assistance of Princess Zartha. Due to the relationship between the two, Planet Zartha sent operatives to help.

You were annihilated by the combined firepower of Planet Zartha.

Avatar destroyed. Mission deemed a failure...]

[Recycling in Progress. Cooldown time: 72 hours.]

Li Yu stared blankly. At this point, he was entirely numb to it.

Ding— The elevator doors opened, revealing a squad of Tyron Tower guards already waiting outside.

"Sir, because you have damaged the elevator equipment, we require compensation equal to its value. Otherwise, we will be forced to take coercive measures," the leader announced coldly, his gun raised.

Li Yu quickly paid the fine, leaving behind an elevator interior now sporting several deep, fist-sized dents.

Li Yu felt immensely unsettled by the whole Fatherland Society ordeal. He had a bad feeling that this Fatherland Society was going to haunt him for a very long time.

"Clone One really isn't suited for mission mode..." Li Yu muttered, his expression moody.

Clone One was wildly unpredictable, while Second Clone was steady and calm. It seemed their roles should be swapped.

As he pondered this, Claptrap's voice rang in his ear. "Master, I have detected someone you've interacted with before."

Li Yu paused and followed Claptrap's indicator. Instantly, a chill shot straight to his brain.

Amidst the crowd, Peyton, wearing his signature world-weary poker face, was slowly walking into the Tyron Tower.

'Isn't that Peyton... Why is he here?' Li Yu thought frantically. 'If he's here, doesn't that mean Dark Star is here too?'

Li Yu scanned his surroundings but found no trace of Dark Star. This made him breathe a small sigh of relief. Having just screwed over Dark Star, he couldn't help but feel a guilty conscience.

'I need to figure out if Dark Star is with him...' Li Yu discreetly changed his appearance and slowly approached Peyton.

"Hey... Pass!" Li Yu slapped Peyton on the back, only to accidentally shove the man into a stumble. He was momentarily speechless.

Peyton slowly turned around. He still wore that same world-weary poker face, devoid of any emotion.

"...Sorry," Li Yu immediately apologized. "Got the wrong person. I thought you were a friend of mine."

"It's you?" Peyton's gaze sharpened slightly, finally showing a sliver of life.

'Huh?' Li Yu froze. What the hell? Where did this "It's you" come from?

"My name is Peyton, not Pass," Peyton corrected him.

"You know who I am?" Li Yu furrowed his brow, sensing that something was off.

"Aren't you the guy who betrayed Dark Star?" Peyton asked matter-of-factly.

'He doesn't know my true identity...' Li Yu narrowed his eyes and scanned his surroundings before saying calmly, "That's me, alright. I really did think your name was Pass."

"By the way, how did you recognize me?"

"It's nothing," Peyton replied, seemingly indifferent to the world. "You touched me before, so my physical body can recognize yours."

'A Superpower?' Li Yu's eyes narrowed into slits. This guy didn't know he was Li Yu, only that he had betrayed Dark Star.

Dark Star hadn't elaborated on the details, likely because it was too embarrassing.

However, if Peyton ever came into contact with the various leftover items the Star Glory Empire had collected from him, he would easily figure out Li Yu's true identity.

"No, it's the Mozambique genes inside me..." Peyton answered honestly, or perhaps he just truly didn't care about anything.

'Mozambique genes...' Li Yu had almost forgotten. This guy was a great Noble from the Mozambique Family, one of the Big Bosses of the Tyron Chamber of Commerce.

'He's also an expert in researching Gene Chains, so much so that even Dark Star sought his help.'

Li Yu pulled him into a secluded corner to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

"Why are you here? Is Lord Dark Star around too?" Li Yu asked bluntly. Since this guy didn't care about anything, he would answer whatever was asked.

"No. He vanished out of nowhere. Before I could even figure out how he disappeared, Papaka shut down the Laboratory, so I just left."

Peyton sounded somewhat regretful.

Li Yu stared at Peyton. "Are you planning on heading home then?"

Peyton gave a faint nod. "Yeah. Going home to extract my Gene Chain, then I'll find a nice spot to commit suicide."

Li Yu was speechless. "..."

"Suicide?"

A faint sense of weariness surfaced on Peyton's face, the kind that came after every conceivable desire had been satisfied. "Living is meaningless. But the genes inside me prevent me from killing myself. So, I have to go back, extract the Gene Chain, and then kill myself."

Peyton spoke casually. "I'll be going now. None of the other Tyron Chamber of Commerce branches would take me in. The manager here seems to belong to a subordinate family of the Mozambiques, so it shouldn't be an issue..."

Thud!

Peyton fell straight backward. Li Yu caught him and, acting as if nothing had happened, supported him and walked out of the building.

"Such a talented person. How could you commit suicide? This world still needs your light and warmth," Li Yu muttered under his breath.

By the time Li Yu dragged him back to Mangu's base, Peyton slowly groggily woke up. There was no anger, no outrage, just a heavy sigh. "Why am I still alive..."

Kansa, who had hurried over, was dumbfounded upon hearing this. What kind of bizarre character was this?

"You still have to radiate light and warmth! How can you just die..." Li Yu delivered an impassioned speech, rambling on for quite a while, but Peyton showed zero reaction.

'He's actually not lost at all...' Li Yu deactivated his Life Mentor title, finally confirming that this guy truly wanted to die. He viewed death as his ultimate goal, utterly unwavering.

"Why were you helping Dark Star?" Li Yu asked.

"Because Dark Star promised to kill me once it was done..." Peyton said wistfully. "But then... he disappeared."

Li Yu was speechless. "..."

"How about this: you help me out for a while, and once everything is done, I'll kill you too."

Peyton cast a glance at Li Yu and sighed again. "Although I don't believe a word you're saying, the temptation of death is immense. I hope you keep your promise and don't just disappear like Dark Star did."