Chapter 226

In Schultz's office, Moritz had once advised Wu Chang that doing business shouldn't come with overly high moral standards, using Farrell as an example.

If all arms dealers in the world collectively lacked eight stones of decency, Farrell alone would lack eight dou.

In Song Sheng Company, virtually every dirty job too vile even for their own people was handled by Farrell.

To subordinates, Farrell was a rags-to-riches idol who climbed from the bottom, courteous and unpretentious; many employees from other departments even voluntarily asked him for autographs.

Yet among level-seven or -eight employees, even level-nine ones, many would rather face Schultz than Farrell.

Associating with this man usually meant disaster.

The visions within the resentment further confirmed Farrell's true worth.

After the victory banquet, Farrell arranged a brief handover between Zou Bo and Zou Yuan, then at two a. m., while time was still early, he took the two to their new workplace to acclimate in advance.

The operation was shrouded in secrecy: Farrell led them into a completely sealed vehicle, where they couldn't see outside, and the chassis was specially treated so they felt no direction of movement.

Farrell told them that due to their exceptional talent, they had been transferred to the highest-classified special department; its location was top secret, and daily commutes required exclusive vehicles—even Farrell himself had to ride one to enter.

Zou Bo and Zou Yuan didn't doubt it; after all, Song Sheng Company had countless black technologies, and dozens of corporate spies were caught every year, so extreme secrecy was reasonable.

After a journey with no jolts, as if they'd never moved from their seats, the door opened and the three stepped out.

Passing through the parking lot and an elevator, they entered a bizarre laboratory.

The lab was bustling, yet not a single researcher was visible; the entire facility was hyper-automated, all instruments operating autonomously.

The entire laboratory was unnervingly silent.

"Manager Farrell, do we need to do anything here?" Zou Bo asked uncertainly.

Farrell smiled and said, "Of course. Even the most precise instruments require human operation. Our weapons at Song Sheng Company are human-centric—human beings are the core. Of course we need you."

"To be precise, we can't do without you."

Though Zou Bo and Zou Yuan didn't know what they were to do, receiving such high praise from Farrell filled them with joy.

Zou Yuan, who idolized Farrell, couldn't wait: "Manager Farrell, when do we start work?"

"Young men are always impatient," Farrell chuckled, gesturing for the brothers to follow him. He swiped his access card to unlock the central lab area and led them to two special mechanical pods.

"Before you can control this lab, you must be injected with a Manager Crystal. It's just a minor procedure—will be over in minutes."

The mechanical pods resembled medical chambers used for Spirit Energy activation surgery; the two had no suspicion and stepped inside.

As Farrell activated the procedure, they saw countless mechanical arms extend from the chamber walls, slicing open their arms and inserting micro-crystals inside.

Once the crystals entered their bodies, they felt no control over the lab—instead, they lost control of their own bodies.

Soon after, more and more mechanical arms emerged, each equipped with strange devices, continuously injecting substances into their bodies.

Zou Bo sensed something was wrong. He tried to struggle, but couldn't feel his limbs; he tried to roar, but his throat lacked even a whisper of strength, producing only ragged gasps.

He stared wide-eyed at Farrell, trying to catch his attention, to warn him the machines had malfunctioned.

Farrell met Zou Bo's gaze, sensed his thoughts, and stepped closer to the pod, speaking through the glass door:

"There will be some discomfort at first. Endure it—it'll pass soon."

Minutes later, the mechanical arms retracted into the walls, and pale blue liquid began pouring from the pod's base.

A cool sensation rose from their numb lower limbs, easing the tense expressions on Zou Bo and Zou Yuan's faces—but when they glanced downward, they froze.

They saw their own bodies slowly dissolving in the pale blue liquid.

At that moment, Farrell dropped the act, speaking slowly to them:

"By the way, I seem to have forgotten to tell you—the name of the top-secret department you're joining is Primordial Armament Development Division."

Inside the pod, the Zou brothers realized something was wrong—they tried to struggle, but it was too late.

The liquid had risen past their waists; their torsos below the abdomen had already merged into the blue fluid. What was vanishing wasn't just flesh, but their spirits and consciousness too.

Farrell spoke with a touch of self-mockery:

"Your Spirit Energy activation surgery worked excellently—you both reached A-rank talent, unlike me, a waste with only C-rank talent. Only field duty suits you. You should keep fighting, not waste your talent by rising to management."

Watching the Zou brothers' bodies fully dissolved, leaving only their heads floating in the liquid, Farrell pressed a remote control. The instrument opposite the pod lit up, revealing two molds with sword-shaped recesses.

The liquid that had dissolved the Zou brothers was now flowing into the two molds.

Screens above the molds displayed the Primordial Armament's completion progress and a preview of its final form.

Farrell said, "This is what you'll become. Very handsome, right? The moment I saw you, I knew you were perfect for Primordial Armaments. I specifically invested heavily in your training—you didn't disappoint me. After I submitted my report, you passed the Spirit Energy assessment."

"Believe me, the Primordial Armaments forged from you will be far stronger than those made from your 'seniors.'"

The next moment, the Zou brothers fully dissolved into the pale blue liquid—their resentment ended here.

After the resentment faded, a joint blood-red final message from the Zou brothers appeared. Its content was simple.

【Kill Farrell.】

Wu Chang shook his head, pulling his attention away from the resentment.

Of Song Sheng Company's three core secrets, the first—the method of manufacturing Primordial Armaments—he now knew.

The method of manufacturing Primordial Armaments was to use the company's most talented Gold-Rank employees as raw material.

The traits exhibited by Primordial Armaments were precisely the Spirit Energy talent traits of the employees used as raw material.

Discovering the secret of Primordial Armaments, Wu Chang suddenly conceived an idea.

If Primordial Armaments' traits come from their creators, could the powerful Disqualified Monsters—those with the Disqualified Domain trait—also have been made from Song Sheng Company employees?

The manufacturing of Primordial Armaments and Disqualified Monsters differed only in minor process steps; fundamentally, both used Spirit Energy-activated humans to forge weapons.

This perfectly matched Farrell's words: Song Sheng Company's weapons are human-centric—humans are the core.

If these guesses held true, another question arose: if humans are the core of Primordial Armaments and Disqualified Monsters, where does the divinity within them come from?

In the Zou brothers' resentment, he saw no sign of divinity—at least not before they fully melted into liquid.

Wu Chang took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. To uncover the origin of divinity, he'd likely need to find the laboratory in the Zou brothers' resentment—and ideally witness a Primordial Armament's creation firsthand.

He suppressed his doubts for now; two Gold-Rank employees had confirmed the Disqualified Monster was truly dead, and the ant swarms would not revive.

Fei Guang whispered quietly:

"Boss, those guys are coming out."

Wu Chang saw this and pulled Feiguang and the others toward the villa district.

Once safety was confirmed, the wealthy residents gradually stepped out of their homes, surveying the ruined Ornes Estate.

The entire estate, especially the clustered villa residential zone, was now in utter chaos.

The once meticulously maintained, picturesque natural park now resembled a locust swarm's passage—trees, flower fields, ornamental hedges, even the lawns—all gnawed into pitted, patchy wastelands, like alopecia.

Had the gluttonous ants been picky eaters, every trace of green within the Ornes Estate would have been devoured clean.

!

The estate's original automated defense weapons, fully activated during the battle against the gluttonous ants, were now almost entirely consumed; even the few remaining were mere scrap metal, useless for defense.

Littered across the chaotic ground were human remains and leftover mechanical parts.

Gazing at the devastation before them, the residents could hardly link this place to the Ornes Estate from just an hour ago.

Without doubt, the most severely affected was Moretz—his house had drawn the gluttonous ant's main body, with a quarter of it devoured. Had the Saint Song Emergency Mobile Team arrived even slightly later, he and his family might have been swallowed whole.

Standing in the villa district's common area, Moretz stared at the ruins of his home, silent for a long time.

Just as Wu Chang wondered if he'd gone too far and scared the old man into some kind of breakdown, he saw Moretz begin clapping loudly—and even stranger, the other Ornes Estate residents joined in.

Their faces glowed with excitement; Moretz even had tears in his eyes, as if what they saw wasn't rubble, but some deeply moving work of art.

Wu Chang sucked in a sharp breath—dammit, could the Gluttonous Ant's Degradation Domain have a mental attack effect? Had it driven these people insane?

No, if you're all crazy, who the hell am I supposed to get my performance metrics from?

Wu Chang fastened his department manager badge to his chest, pushed through the surrounding special police and Saint Song patrol units, and walked toward Moretz.

He lowered his head, steeled his emotions, then raised it again—his face now filled with sorrow and regret.

He reached Moretz and said: "Mr. Moretz, I deeply regret what has happened, but thankfully, no one was injured."

"You are Saint Song Company's most premium client, our closest friend. Seeing you and your family safe fills me with genuine joy."

Moretz's face still carried traces of excitement, showing no hint of panic. He accepted Wu Chang's condolences calmly and said:

"Xiao En, don't worry about this minor incident. Though things were a bit dangerous just now, I've always trusted Saint Song Company."

Seeing Moretz's mental state was stable, Wu Chang launched straight into his pitch:

"Mr. Moretz, though it may be slightly inappropriate to say this now, for your and your family's safety, I must inform you: our company's newly developed automated defense system, compared to the outdated model used in the Ornes Estate, has upgraded its automated weapons by at least two generations, and now includes an Overlimit Mode."

"Overlimit Mode was designed specifically to counter Degradation Monsters—it effectively resists their abilities and is armed with firepower sufficient to repel them."

"If the Ornes Estate had been equipped with the latest model today instead of the old one, I can guarantee that even without the Emergency Mobile Team, the Degradation Monster could not have endangered your lives."

Everyone survived safely this time, but if you don't upgrade to the latest automated defense system, next time may not be so lucky.

It was unclear whether Moretz understood Wu Chang's implication—or whether he'd simply been awed by Saint Song's technology after seeing the Primordial Weaponry.

Moretz felt no offense at Wu Chang's opportunistic sales pitch; instead, he said:

"That's wonderful. I've always wanted to upgrade to the latest automated defense system, but others thought it unnecessary, so we put it on hold."

"Now that everyone sees how vital the system is, I'm sure no one will object to the expense."

Moretz looked at the other residents, who immediately agreed, saying they had no objections and all wanted the latest automated defense system.

Moretz signaled a young man over and said to Wu Chang:

"He's Lei Mengde, my assistant. He'll handle all matters regarding the purchase of the automated defense system. Xiao En, since you're the department manager, he'll speak directly with you."

"Buy the highest-spec configuration possible. Don't worry about cost—Saint Song's technology is worth every penny."

Moretz's cooperation left Wu Chang speechless.

Before their conversation, Wu Chang had imagined countless possible outcomes: Moretz raging, brooding, reluctantly refusing, or immediately contacting Schulz—all within his expectations.

But he never expected Moretz to be this cooperative.

Moretz was Schulz's business partner; their relationship was close. Anyone who could be Schulz's friend certainly had his wits about him.

Even if Moretz didn't know the Degradation Monster was created by Saint Song, he must have sensed Wu Chang's involvement. Even if forced by Saint Song's power to buy the system to avoid further disaster, he shouldn't be this eager.

Both Moretz's behavior after the Degradation Monster's attack and his sudden cooperation felt deeply odd—but Wu Chang couldn't ask outright.

He couldn't just say: "You know I unleashed the Degradation Monster to tear down your house, and it almost ate your whole family—why aren't you angry? Why are you handing me money so willingly? Did your M-attribute just explode?"

But it was too late now—he couldn't refuse money if Moretz was offering it.

Whatever else, first secure the performance metrics. Later, he'd ask Schulz—see if his cheap cousin knew something.

Wu Chang turned to Lei Mengde. They exchanged a few words, and Lei Mengde had his driver ready the car to take Wu Chang back to Saint Song Company to sign the contract.

Wu Chang glanced at the time: 4:30 a. m.

This was Saint Song Company's dungeon-clearing efficiency.

As they left, Wu Chang worried the commotion had been too loud and checked his status panel.

What he saw nearly made him burst out laughing.

The Ornes Estate had been attacked, causing massive chaos—yet Weildu City's Peace Value didn't drop. It rose—from 51 to 57.

Holy shit, attacking the rich district was like ridding the people of evil, wasn't it?

If during the dungeon raid the Peace Value dropped below 30, maybe after settlement, if he just gunned down all the property owners, the Peace Value might bounce back.

(End of Chapter)