Chapter 273: Semi-finished Product

At the moment the Core Coin was inserted, a pale gold Electric Arc suddenly flashed across Meizi'er's body.

Countless sapphire streams with a hint of transparency rose from nowhere, wrapping Meizi'er, who resembled a high school student.

Jiang Xia stroked his chin, looking at her with a hint of anticipation.

In Jiang Xia's view, the eight Aquatic Core Coins belonging to Meizi'er were churning inside her body.

They formed a blue-glowing halo, with the very center of the halo being the Core Coin Jiang Xia had just newly fabricated.

The intricate pattern on it began to appear, countless lines twisting, until finally only one pattern broke free and emerged.

It was a whale pattern.

The coin bearing such a complex pattern actually became, at that very moment, the final missing Core Coin Meizi'er needed.

Meizi'er's figure, wrapped at the center of the water flow, vanished completely, leaving only a pool of water that seemed to possess vitality.

Like a transparent long snake, it slowly coiled around Jiang Xia's body.

"What's wrong, you want to eat me?" Jiang Xia stroked her skull and laughed.

"No, I want to experience true love, that genuine, non-false love—not through devouring humans, but through feeling it myself."

A clear voice rang out through the water, gently addressing Jiang Xia.

Immediately, the water gathered in midair into a humanoid shape, lightly standing before Jiang Xia and gazing at him.

After the final missing Core Coin was filled in, Meizi'er's current appearance had changed.

Her outer body wore a leather cloak reminiscent of an octopus, her whole body covered in silver, black, and blue armor, and her legs also had leather garments with octopus-like suckers.

On her waist belt were embedded gold gemstones.

She had become the perfect form of an Aquatic Greed.

However, this perfect form lasted only a moment.

Suddenly, a shattering sound came from Meizi'er's body.

Golden electricity spread from her waist to her whole body; Meizi'er let out an anguished cry as the gemstone embedded in her waist exploded suddenly.

Meizi'er clutched her chest with her hands and couldn't help but kneel to the ground.

The Core Coins on her body slid off like human blood, continuously falling from her body.

Finally, she grew so weak she could barely stand.

However, this time before Meizi'er could fall, Jiang Xia supported her body, preventing her from truly collapsing.

"What exactly did you give me?" Meizi'er, her injured body leaning on Jiang Xia, lifted her head and asked.

"It's an unfinished Core Coin; if it could be completed, a Greed's body would no longer need to replenish cell Core Coins."

"Simply put, this coin will let you evolve—from an object into a true human possessing the five senses."

Jiang Xia pulled his right hand away from Meizi'er's body.

Then, ignoring her resentful expression, he said: "If you want to complete it, you need a massive surge of desire at the same time—it's up to you whether you're willing to risk this possible berserk outcome."

At the very moment Meizi'er just became a perfect form, the fused-and-manufactured Core Coin did work, but it was showy and insubstantial, amounting to only half.

Moreover, because it was unfinished and incompatible, it ended up hurting Meizi'er a little, but that's trivial—just endure it and it'll be fine.

"I'm willing."

Meizi'er agreed without a second thought; compared to evolving into a true living being, the mere risk of going berserk is negligible.

"All right, you'll have that chance soon."

Jiang Xia took all the Core Coins he held except the bird-type ones and dumped them all into Meizi'er's body.

Hongsheng Bio Research Institute.

In a sealed small room, an incandescent lamp faintly lit from above.

Though the light is supposed to be soft, here it turns somewhat gloomy.

On the white desk leaning against the wall lay a heap of chaotic items: a computer, boxes, various mechanical cans, and even some tiny, scale-reduced garments, like someone's toys.

Zhenmu Qingren's eyes were lifeless, his expression blank, staring at the computer where flashing data and green lines formed an armored figure.

He silently opened the black leather case in front of him; a green-and-white striped belt lay quietly inside, waiting for someone to pick it up.

"I've basically finished here; only the final check remains. But before that, I want to confirm the true power of the Core Coin no matter what."

Zhenmu Qingren picked up the doll placed to one side and spoke to it.

"It's not about scattering the Core Coins through unions like Oz does, but gathering all Core Coins into a single container—even if you only see a bit."

Zhenmu Qingren rose from his seat, walked to the wall, reached out to touch the red cloth hanging above, and gave it a hard pull.

The red cloth slid down, revealing the concealed pattern.

Full of beauty, like an artwork, the huge oil painting was exposed under the light.

Zhenmu Qingren stared intently at the painting, feeling his spirit undergo some kind of evolution.

In the picture, the sky is a color of twisted lines mixed red and black; giant trilobites and birds with wings soaring through the sky together occupy the heavens.

Yet at the center of this huge oil painting, the most conspicuous position is occupied by humans.

Although they are merely a few naked infants, they stand at the very center of this world.

And beneath the humans lies a wasteland.

On the wasteland lie skeletons everywhere; the only thing existing there is a single upright-walking Tyrannosaurus rex.

It opens its mouth full of sharp teeth, gazing at those human infants.

"Then let's give it a try—I also want to witness this scene."

Kazali came out with a smile from the side stairwell, sat on the floor, and watched Zhenmu Qingren.

"Adding the Core Coins Oz holds and those your humans possess should be enough to complete this experiment, as long as Anku isn't causing trouble."

Kazali stood up, looked at Zhenmu Qingren, and said.

"Mr. Huo Ye? You also work here part-time?"

Quan Binnai looked at Huo Ye Yingsi, who had a full white beard and wore a Santa hat, and asked doubtfully.

"Yes, because Anku has been eating too many ice pops lately; if he doesn't work part-time, he can't even afford tomorrow's underwear." Huo Ye Yingsi said.

He is currently playing the role of Santa Claus, who delivers gifts to children, equivalent to a background prop in the store.

"Then is big brother here too?"

Quan Binnai heard the name Anku and spoke urgently.

"I don't know; Anku should be staying in some tree, he doesn't like crowded places."

"This won't do; he's using big brother's body, we can't let Anku ruin big brother like this." Quan Binnai's face showed a hint of worry.

After her previous chat with Jiang Xia, she used the information he gave to finally find Huo Ye Yingsi and confirm the truth of the information he'd said.

Before she could even digest this news, she ran into Huo Ye Yingsi again at her part-time workplace.

"Take me to find him, find Anku."

Quan Binnai stared at Huo Ye Yingsi's appearance and said seriously.

"This."

Huo Ye Yingsi had a slight headache; although Anku had been behaving better lately, he is ultimately Greed, so it's still better not to get too deep with ordinary people.

But he is also using someone else's older brother's body.

Seeing Quan Binnai's gaze, Huo Ye Yingsi took a deep breath, nodded, and agreed.

"If anything unexpected happens later, you must leave immediately; Anku is very dangerous." Huo Ye Yingsi said.

(End of chapter)