Chapter 134: Search Operation

The price of "Rule-Level Interference" was enormous. The evaporation of fifty million points left Qin Feng wincing in pain, not to mention the weakness brought by the temporary 30% reduction in the 【Life Enhancement】 effect, and the shackles of 【Fortune Dominion】 and abilities being temporarily unusable. Most functions of the System Mall were greyed out, meaning that in the short term he could no longer rely on the system to quickly obtain new techniques or resources.

This state of "weakness" made Qin Feng, who was accustomed to controlling everything, feel extremely uncomfortable, and also gave him a stronger craving for power.

However, crisis often comes with opportunity. The data packet with 87% completeness that the "Voyager" had transmitted at the cost of its life might be worth far more than those fifty million points.

After the system initially decrypted and organized the data packet, what appeared in Qin Feng's mind was a series of detailed records about that "High-Dimensional Energy Interference / Rule-Level Contamination." Its energy spectrum was extremely bizarre, full of chaotic, corrosive, and annihilating properties, forming a stark contrast with the vast, pure Life Energy of the "Heart of the Ocean," confirming that beneath the Deep Sea there indeed existed some opposing force.

What concerned Qin Feng even more was that the data packet also contained some extremely faint Space Coordinate Signals captured by the "Voyager" before and after being invaded. These signals pointed to several specific, uninhabited regions across the globe: a trench somewhere in the South Pacific, deep within the Siberian Ice Plain, the Amazon Rainforest Core, and... some ancient ruins beneath the Sahara Desert.

The system analysis suggested that these coordinate points might contain "nodes" or "sources" related to that chaotic energy, or they might be traces of civilizations left over from ancient times that had fought against this power.

Clues! Precious clues!

Although his own condition was poor and the system was in a "Cooling Period," Qin Feng would absolutely not sit and wait for recovery. Passive waiting was never his style. He needed to take the initiative, use all existing resources, make up for the losses as soon as possible, and prepare for further exploration.

Since the system couldn't be relied on for now, he'd rely on the power of the "Qin Feng System" itself!

"Search Operation!" Qin Feng issued a simple but clear-cut instruction to Chen Ming, who had just finished negotiations with Longteng Group and hurried back travel-worn.

Chen Ming was taken aback: "President Qin, what do you mean?"

"Mobilize all the power of Yaofeng Capital and 'Shield,' and conduct a Search Operation on a global scale!" Qin Feng's gaze was sharp, his tone carrying an unquestionable dominance. "Targets: all ancient cultivation methods, secret medicine formulas, and special training methods that might enhance human potential and strengthen physical fitness! All rare books and ruin clues that record supernatural phenomena, Ancient Civilization, and lost technology! And... any minerals, plants, or even biological samples that have been confirmed or rumored to possess special energy fields!"

He paused, then added: "Regardless of cost, regardless of means! Acquire, trade, or even 'borrow'! I want to see results in the shortest possible time!"

Chen Ming instantly understood the Boss's intention. This was to use secular power during the system's "hibernation" to gather every possible resource that could enhance strength for the Boss! He immediately straightened and replied: "Yes! President Qin! I'll get on it right away!"

The massive "Qin Feng System" machine started up again, but this time the target was no longer commercial expansion or technological R&D, but had shifted to those mysterious and ancient fields.

The unfathomable funds of Yaofeng Capital, like floodwaters from an opened sluice, poured toward antique dealers, private collectors, underground auctions, and even certain isolated tribes and ancient sects around the world.

The intelligence network and action teams of "Shield" were active in those treacherous places pointed to by the coordinates, as well as in every corner where strange tales circulated, searching for any valuable physical objects or information.

For a time, a silent storm swept through the global circles related to "supernatural," "human potential," and "ancient secrets." Countless rare, bizarre, and even hard-to-distinguish-real-from-fake items and information were gathered by unimaginable massive funds and powerful force toward the direction where Qin Feng was.

Within just a few days, the first batch of "spoils" was delivered before Qin Feng.

In a temporarily converted, heavily guarded secret room, various items were displayed:

Several Spirit Refining Charts said to be inherited from a vanished sect, capable of tempering Spirit, with yellowed parchment and inscrutable, profound patterns. Several Ancient Manuscripts written in special codes or lost scripts, their contents suspected to involve energy guidance or body tempering. Several sealed jade boxes containing strange snow lotuses from the peak of Snow Mountain, bizarre rhizomes buried deep underground, emitting faint energy fluctuations. And even a Black Fragment from some ancient ruin, neither metal nor jade, ice-cold to the touch, whose composition even the detectors on the "Voyager" could not fully analyze.

These items were a mix of real and fake, their value hard to discern. Most of them might just be waste products imagined or forged by ancients, but perhaps... hidden among them were one or two true treasures.

Qin Feng looked at these items obtained through the Search Operation at enormous cost of money and manpower, his gaze calm.

He knew this method was inefficient and full of uncertainty. But it was the only way he could currently quickly obtain potential enhancement resources without the system's assistance.

He walked to those Spirit Refining Charts and tried to concentrate his Spirit following the vague guidance above. Perhaps it was the foundation brought by 【Life Enhancement】, or perhaps the charts themselves were truly extraordinary, he faintly sensed a wisp of extremely faint, cool airflow gathering at his brow, but it vanished in an instant.

He picked up that Black Fragment again, and the moment it touched his hand, that chill seemed to seep through his skin, calming slightly the somewhat restless state of mind caused by the weakening of 【Life Enhancement】.

"Interesting..." Qin Feng murmured to himself.

Although the effect was negligible, far from comparable to the system's direct enhancement, it at least proved that this path was not entirely impassable.

He held that Black Fragment in his hand and instructed Chen Ming:

"Continue the Search Operation. Focus on following up on those regions pointed to by the space coordinates, and intensify the exploration efforts. Also, hire the world's top experts in ancient scripts, historians, biologists, and materials scientists to form a special research group to conduct cross-identification and in-depth research on these items. No matter the cost, we must dig out something valuable from them!"

"Yes!"

Qin Feng tightened his grip on the Black Fragment in his hand, feeling that faint chill, his gaze firm.

The system screwing people over?

No problem.

He, Qin Feng, had been able to start from scratch and build the Empire he had today, relying never solely on the system.

Even if he had temporarily lost the system's convenience, he would, by virtue of his own wisdom and the power he controlled, carve out a path toward greater strength!

Search the globe, gather ten thousand methods!

He would use these secular means to pave for himself a... path to heaven that transcended the mundane!