Chapter 319: Solid Rock

After a series of complex tests, Li Cheng discovered that the 【Ape Degeneration Gun】 had several hidden attributes.

First, its range of application is broad.

Targets that can be degenerated include, but are not limited to: weapons, books, natural phenomena, electronic products, TV shows, medicines, living organisms, and even physiological phenomena.

Yes, even physiological phenomena can be degenerated!

Hitting a diseased kidney will instantly fast-forward it to uremia.

Hitting a liver infected with hepatitis B virus will instantly fast-forward it to late-stage liver cancer.

Hitting a normally shaped skull will make the head become pointed.

Second, there is some randomness.

Firing at an 8K LCD TV might turn it into a 4K 144Hz screen, or it might turn it into a 2K 240Hz screen.

Each result is slightly different.

Third, continuous firing shortens the recovery time.

Firing at a canine will degenerate it into a cat, restoring after 14 minutes.

Firing again will degenerate it into a rat, restoring to its original dog form after 7 minutes.

If fired at more resilient living beings, such as tigers or elephants, the duration of degeneration becomes even shorter.

Fourth, the bullet's flight speed is 370 meters per second—only slightly faster than the speed of sound.

When fighting high-level targets with supernatural power, you must close the distance to have any chance of hitting.

Finally, the fifth point: though useless, Li Cheng still tested whether the 【Ape Degeneration Gun】 could affect itself.

The result? It actually worked!

After firing the gun into the sky and waiting for the bullet to fall and precisely strike the gun's body, the gun's system description increased its effect consumption and added a cooldown timer,

and even the final note changed to the utterly bland description: 【This is a degeneration gun.】

"I degenerated myself—how honest of me."

Li Cheng scratched his head and put away the degeneration gun—it was an extremely rare weapon involving conceptual-level power,

and even without considering its gimmicks, firing a single surprise shot at an enemy to make them dazed for one or two seconds was already valuable enough.

The equipment unboxing was done; it was time for the next reward.

【Task Reward 3: Random Skill Scroll ×1, Quality Determined by Mission Rating】

"Turn the tide of fate—open!"

Li Cheng shouted loudly and opened the chest.

Another flash of white light passed; when the glow faded, a parchment scroll lay quietly in the last slot of his inventory.

【Skill Scroll Name: Solid Rock Rooting Art】

【Attribute: Learning Type (One-Time Only)】

【Type: Universal】

【Usage: Active】

【Quality: Perfect】

【Effect: Roots firmly planted amid shattered rock. Must be used with both feet touching the ground; rapidly hardens the body, greatly increasing defense and accelerating injury recovery. Cannot move, attack, or use skills during this process. Lasts up to 30 seconds; can be ended early by will. Early termination also occurs if feet are forcibly lifted from the ground.】

【Cost: 200 Qi Points】

【Cooldown: 5 hours】

【Requirement: Level ≥ 18, Constitution ≥ 12】

【Note: Mother Earth watches over you.】 "Hmm."

Li Cheng stared at the skill description and suddenly remembered his teammate Little Red Riding Hood from the 【Oops! I'm Surrounded by Beauties】 mission.

At that time, Little Red Riding Hood's title skill was called 【Hug Head and Crouch】.

After crouching and hugging her head, her entire body was treated as a single unit, with damage calculated based on the part with the highest defense, lasting five seconds.

Used well, it could completely ignore machine-gun fire or the blast of grenades and artillery at close range.

The 【Solid Rock Rooting Art】 was essentially a strengthened, upgraded plus version of 【Hug Head and Crouch】—longer duration, stronger effect, and with self-healing ability—partially replacing healing potions.

This skill was simple yet powerful. Li Cheng glanced at it a few times, then spent all his free attribute points from leveling up twice on Constitution and immediately learned and mastered it.

【Task Reward 4: Free Attribute Point ×1】

For this final free attribute point, Li Cheng did not rush to assign it, but instead examined the other—and most important—reward from this mission.

The remaining corpse of Dr. Noah.

As the object deceived by a supernatural entity, the super-scientist in the eyes of the world, the true culprit who better embodied the title "World Destroyer" than Oppenheimer,

Dr. Noah's remains were grotesquely distorted; apart from the skull, which remained relatively intact, there was no trace left of his former human appearance.

"Causing the collapse of human civilization and bringing Earth to the brink of destruction—this achievement, even across the boundless multiverse, qualifies as hardcore brutal." "I'll burn some incense before I leave."

One line, one word, one character, one meaning, one look!

Li Cheng burned incense for Dr. Noah, then tossed the remaining distorted remains into the toy factory's shredder for refinement.

The factory chimney spewed thick white smoke; the machinery clanged and clattered loudly.

Li Cheng sat at the shredder's entrance, sipping hot coffee, watching through the glass as the giant rollers turned slowly inside—somehow, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

When he finished his pot of coffee, the refinement process was complete, yielding a total of fifty thousand Special Points and ten Concepts.

They were: S+ Tier Sin, S Tier Wisdom, A Tier Repentance, S Tier Science, A Tier Technology, A Tier Destruction, C Tier Distortion, C Tier Infamous, B Tier Deception, A Tier Advanced.

"I got an S+ tier Concept."

Li Cheng nearly scalded himself with his coffee—he had assumed S tier was the upper limit, but apparently there were still higher tiers.

He needed to plan carefully. After a moment's thought, he called over the spherical factory AI core: "Can an S+ tier Concept be used to craft an Epic-quality item?"

"If 'Epic-quality item' refers to an object of the same tier as the blade-like item you carry, then yes, it is possible."

The intelligent core said: "However, I do not recommend you begin production now."

Li Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"

"The current Reforging Chamber is at Level Zero. Producing high-level items carries a certain probability of failure or downgrade, resulting in waste."

The intelligent core said: "Since S+ class concepts are exceedingly rare, I recommend you spend ten thousand Special Points to upgrade the Reforging Chamber to Level One before proceeding."

"If you wish to further increase the success rate of production, you may spend additional Special Points to upgrade the entire factory to Level One, thereby unlocking access to Level Two Reforging Chamber."

"Alright."

Li Cheng did a quick calculation: upgrading the entire factory to Level One would require raising the Analysis Room, Design Room, Reforging Chamber, and Defense System—all except the Refining Chamber and Collection Room—from Level Zero to Level One.

He did not have enough Special Points on hand—only fifty thousand.

Since that was the case, Li Cheng simply stored all the S+ class Sin, along with several other A and C class concepts, into the factory's Collection Room.

He then spent ten thousand points to upgrade the Reforging Chamber, and went to Lous Street to splurge wildly, buying many precious objects with historical significance.

Such as the original parts of the Wright brothers' airplane, the vacuum tubes and crystal diodes of ENIAC, the world's first general-purpose computer, and some components from Project 816.

He combined the concepts embedded in these objects with the extracts from Dr. Noah.

Seven concepts total—S class Intelligence, S class Science, A class Technology, A class Advanced, A class Engineering, B class Miniaturization, and A class Assembly—were all fed into the Reforging Chamber for production.

(End of Chapter)