Chapter 178 Pure Blood

“Perfect timing.” Sindera’s face flashed with a hint of surprise. “That martial arts master you asked me to recommend has responded.”

“Oh? You mean that army instructor who created the Dragon Whisker Force?” Li Cheng颐 immediately became interested.

“That’s right. This master’s name is quite unique, Yu Long,” Sindera said. “Yu as in prison, and Long as in dragon.”

“Is Yu even a surname?” Li Cheng颐 asked, surprised.

“Of course not, he has no parents and he changed it himself later,” Sindera replied. “I’ll give you an address later, and you can go try it out yourself. That old man used to be very picky, but he’s not anymore. He’s just happy as long as someone is willing to learn.”

He sighed.

“I thought he was just too old and riddled with injuries and pain to teach you, but now it seems like he still can’t let go of his obsession.”

“We haven’t finished talking about the Pureblood faction, boss,” Li Cheng颐 quickly steered the conversation back on track.

“Oh, right, the Pureblood faction. Pureblood is… it’s hard to explain in a short time, I’ll send you some information, and you’ll understand,” Sindera said again, disconnecting to send Li Cheng颐 a data packet via AR.

He accepted, downloaded, and opened it.

A simple introduction to Pureblood immediately appeared before Li Cheng颐.

‘Among the Mech-artisans, some enlightened individuals, in order to compensate for their disadvantage when facing modified bodies, and also to compensate for the Mech-artisans’ huge consumption when controlling flying instruments and the lack of duration.

They constantly tried, experimented, and finally explored a special route to strengthen themselves through various drugs, and genetically modify themselves.’

‘The Pureblood faction does not completely reject modification, and some people have a small number of parts replaced by machinery, but they absolutely refuse to have artificial intelligence embedded in their bodies.’

‘Some people suspect that the Pureblood faction may have absorbed some of the ideas of the former Solidarity Society.’

“Drug genetic modification… isn’t this still modification?” Li Cheng颐 was speechless.

“Yeah, are you going to do it? The intensity isn’t that great. The Pureblood faction is just a route developed to assist Mech-artisans, and the upper limit is very low. But it doesn’t cost much, and with an exoskeleton power armor, it can have some potential,” Sindera asked.

“Try it?” Li Cheng颐 felt that he had caused enough trouble, and it was time to rest and lie low for a while.

“Then prepare well. In a while, I’ll take you to the drug customization master and customize a Pureblood route for you. Sima Gui is also going in this direction.” Sindera was worthy of being the boss; he had every path available.

“Thank you, boss!” Li Cheng颐 immediately responded.

“Oh, right. Have the money ready. The customization fee starts at one million,” Sindera said.

“…” Li Cheng颐 instantly deflated.

“What if I don’t have the money?” He showed a helpless expression. “Can I get an interest-free loan, boss?”

“…Do you really think I’m a money bag??” Sindera widened his eyes. “Alright, alright, get out of here! I get tired just looking at you.”

Li Cheng颐 smiled and stood up.

“But I really don’t have any money. If you don’t lend me any, boss, then I’ll just have to wait. I’ll go again after I earn some money from you.”

“…You… how come I didn’t realize you were such a rascal before!?” Sindera was speechless.

He used to think that Li Cheng颐 was the most honest and reliable dead-ender he had ever seen.

Now it seemed that this guy wasn’t honest, but pretending too well.

“Forget it, I’ll pay for you first. Your time is almost up, right? Help me with a mission next time to pay me back,” Sindera said helplessly.

“Thank you, boss!” Li Cheng颐 immediately cupped his fist and turned to leave quickly, as if afraid he would change his mind.

Just as he reached the office door, Sindera suddenly said something from behind.

“Cheng颐.”

“Hmm?” Li Cheng颐 turned his head back.

“Rest more when you have time, don’t push yourself too hard,” Sindera said seriously. “You’ll break down.”

He had seen many dead-enders like this. Under the pressure of constant death looming, they could hold on at first, but later, facing the threat of dead ends that could appear anytime, anywhere, most of them gradually turned into different people.

Those people were selfish, only cared about their own pleasure, were crazy, unafraid of death, and sought excitement.

“Got it.” Li Cheng颐 pushed open the door and saw Eyebrow Pencil standing by the door.

He smiled and greeted her.

Eyebrow Pencil shivered inexplicably and took a step back, as if sensing some danger.

The smile on Li Cheng颐’s face faded.

“Is there something wrong with me?”

“No, no, it’s just… I don’t know why.” Eyebrow Pencil had secretly reminded him of Sima Gui’s personality before.

But now… looking at the seemingly gentle smile on Li Cheng颐’s face, she unconsciously associated it with the kind of neurotic smile that Sima Gui often wore.

The two were becoming more and more similar.

From Eyebrow Pencil’s attitude, Li Cheng颐 vaguely sensed something.

He greeted the others in the company as usual, then entered the elevator and put on his AR glasses.

The glasses darkened, covering his eyes, which were becoming increasingly strange.

Walking out of the company, Li Cheng颐 did not immediately take a taxi home. Instead, he walked along the street, past one small shop after another.

Groups of middle school girls on weekend vacation were going in and out of small jewelry stores. Boys occasionally appeared in e-sports internet cafes and snack bars.

The innocent and pure young voices echoed in his ears, slowly calming down some strange impulse in Li Cheng颐’s heart.

He carefully recalled his previous behavior.

‘The continuous high-risk tension of the dead end should be making me instinctively look for ways to release pressure…’

He suddenly understood what Sindera meant just now.

“It’s time to find a way to dispel the pressure.”

That being said, the unrestrained killing spree before had indeed relaxed his originally tense emotions a lot.

‘Take a walk and then find a Wisteria variant to absorb flower energy,’ Li Cheng颐 thought to himself.

Next, he had many things to do: go to the Dragon Whisker Gate to learn actual combat, absorb the flower energy of the Wisteria variant, go to customize a drug enhancement route tomorrow, and find time to learn how to use cold weapons from the Blood Point, instead of just slashing and stabbing randomly.

In addition, forming a team must also be put on the agenda, but the prerequisite for this is to have money. The team has no profit, so it can only be maintained by relying on external forces to provide blood.

The prerequisite for forming a team inevitably returned to the starting point – making money.

In the afternoon.

Li Cheng颐 unknowingly walked to a small river.

There were two snack stalls by the river.

A simple yellow wooden table covered with a white tablecloth, paired with two folding chairs, was a set of dining tables and chairs.

He glanced at the signs put out by the snack stalls, which had menus and drinks written in slightly sloppy handwriting.

‘Red Date Ginger Milk - 13 yuan’

‘Kumquat Lemon - 12 yuan’

‘Orange Mood - 15 yuan’

‘Black Mood - 15 yuan’

‘Peach Mood - 16 yuan’

‘Other Moods - Depends on whether the boss is in the mood to make them.’

“…” Li Cheng颐 thought that this boss had a lot of personality, and it was obvious that he didn’t care about money.

The stall was a mobile food cart, and behind it stood two young men and women, dressed fashionably, with faint animal tattoos showing on their arms, but all in a cute style, wearing white aprons, very cute.

“Boss, give me a cup of Orange Mood.” Li Cheng颐 looked at the ingredients and decided to have some carrot, tomato, and orange juice.

“It depends on your luck,” the bearded male boss winked at him.

What does that mean?

Li Cheng颐 was puzzled.

He found an empty seat to sit down, the tables and chairs were all placed in the riverside forest, the cool breeze was blowing, it was very comfortable in the afternoon.

Soon, a cup of orange juice was delivered to him.

Picking up the cup, Li Cheng颐 slowly took a few sips, the taste was good. Sour and sweet, very fragrant.

After sitting down and resting quietly, he leaned back in the soft cloth folding chair, watching the sparkling river in the distance, listening to the quiet voices or low laughter of the surrounding customers, and suddenly felt like he wanted to sleep.

Time slowly passed, and in a blink of an eye, more than an hour had passed.

“Li Cheng颐?” Suddenly, a somewhat uncertain female voice pulled him back from his drowsy state.

The voice came from the left.

Li Cheng颐 looked over and saw three coolly dressed girls with heavy makeup entering the snack stall with two men, sitting right at a place two tables away from him.

The one who spoke was one of the girls.

The girl was wearing a black silk lotus leaf-edged dress, and the style of the dress was a bit revealing.

Two fish-shaped black cloth pieces covered the key parts of her chest, and her shoulders and arms were completely exposed.

The hem of the dress was also raised to the point of revealing most of her thighs, with a pair of black leggings underneath.

From a distance, it looked like she wasn’t wearing anything on her lower body.

The girl had long hair draped over her shoulders and wore a pair of sunglasses, and she didn’t look much different from many girls who hung out in nightclubs on the street.

“Lin Sang?”

Although the other party was wearing sunglasses and makeup, after all, she was the girl whom the original owner of this body had a crush on for many years, and Li Cheng颐 recognized her at a glance.

The current Lin Sang was different from before. She was dressed revealingly, with a dark gold sapphire necklace hanging on her chest. After carefully dressing up and putting on makeup, her appearance improved a lot, and she was also much more confident.

“What’s wrong, Lin Sang? Is this your friend?” A blue-haired man with a silver skull necklace put his arm around Lin Sang’s waist and asked with a smile.

“Today happens to be your birthday, why don’t we invite him over to get together? Let everyone get to know each other?”

He didn’t recognize Li Cheng颐, but Li Cheng颐 recognized him.

This blue-haired man was the baseball cap who helped carry the drinks when he first saw Lin Sang in the small park.

It was just that the baseball cap had dyed his hair and changed his clothes, but his facial features and temperament were still the same.

“Forget it… no need.” Lin Sang smiled. Recalling her last meeting with Li Cheng颐, she felt a faint sense of loss in her heart.

In fact, she knew that Li Cheng颐 liked her, but compared to finding an honest person like him, she longed for a better and higher life.

She had always agreed with a theory.

A person’s circle determines a person’s pattern. Contacting bigger and higher circles will invisibly broaden everything about oneself, whether it’s knowledge or ways of thinking.

And when the pattern is high, the way of looking at things is also completely different, so it is easier to obtain what one wants.

For example, money.

So she vaguely felt that Li Cheng颐 liked her, but there was no way, for so many years, she could only pretend not to know.

Just like now, she looked at the Orange Mood she had ordered, and then looked at the Orange Mood in front of Li Cheng颐. She guessed that Li Cheng颐 might not be so-called randomly meeting her.

But secretly waiting here, at this special time, he… might be waiting for her.

The blue-haired man saw a bit of a clue from her expression.

“Your ex-boyfriend?”

“No, just… a person who wants to chase me.” Lin Sang originally wanted to say just an old friend, but she changed her mind and said something else.

She knew a truth very well. A woman’s love value often comes from the number of people pursuing her.

So, the more people pursue her, the happier the blue-haired man will be because he owns her. After all, this shows that she is valuable, and so many people like her.

At the same time, it will create a sense of crisis.

Because she has many suitors, she may be snatched away if she is not careful, so she needs more care and attention.

Coming back to her senses, Lin Sang looked at Li Cheng颐 again.

She happened to see him beckoning the boss and adding another cup of juice and a heart-shaped food plate.

“He’s ordering you food? And he ordered a flower, how romantic~” One of the girls next to her also saw this scene and couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Sang Sang seems to be quite popular.”

Lin Sang watched Li Cheng颐 gently smell a bouquet of flowers and then put it down.

Originally, she wasn’t sure if the other party was preparing it for her, but as she watched Li Cheng颐 stand up from his seat, turn around, and look towards her side.

Her heart tightened. Fearing that the blue-haired man, Brother Kun, would be unhappy, she immediately stood up and took the initiative to walk towards Li Cheng颐.

Walking closer, to the side of the table and chairs, she said seriously.

“Cheng颐, I appreciate your feelings, but I already have someone I like, so… I’m sorry.”

“???” Li Cheng颐’s face was slightly stunned. He looked at Lin Sang who was approaching and didn’t know what to say for a moment.

He added the meal, but it wasn’t for Lin Sang at all.

As for the heart-shaped food plate, it was purely because he won a prize by drinking Orange Mood and got an upgraded set meal.

“Can you please leave? I’m afraid you’ll affect my boyfriend’s mood,” Lin Sang said seriously again.

She finally got together with Brother Kun and integrated into that circle. Now, she didn’t want any mishaps.

Li Cheng颐 looked at her and didn’t know what she was talking about for a moment. He couldn’t say what his mood was, but it was… a little funny.

Yes, a little inexplicably funny.

He didn’t know how Lin Sang could associate it to that extent, but… really, he felt a little embarrassed for her.

Suddenly, a subtle footstep approached.

Li Cheng颐 quickly came back to his senses, looked up at Lin Sang’s back, and showed a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to meet you here. Please sit down, I added some food. It’s a little simple, please forgive me.”

“You’re too kind.”

Behind Lin Sang, a gentle female voice suddenly approached and sounded.

Two strong bodyguards in black sportswear quickly separated to the sides, blocking out a path.

A tall woman with silver-gray fur shawl, golden hair draped over her shoulders, and cherry-red lips slowly walked to Li Cheng颐’s table.

The woman wore silver-rimmed women’s glasses, and the blue pupils under the lenses were as deep as a vortex, causing people to feel inexplicably depressed.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Miss Marianne.” Li Cheng颐 stretched out his hand, suspended in the air.

“I’m also very happy to meet the lovely little Cheng颐 here.” Marianne narrowed her eyes.

Completely different from the last time they met, this time, her temperament was gentle but with obvious sharpness, like a snow-white moon wolf on a frozen tundra plain.

The shawl was her mane. The ten fingers covered with silver nail polish were her claws.

And the fangs would only be hidden at the moment she was about to tear her prey apart.www.

At this moment, Marianne’s dangerous and powerful pressure caused Lin Sang, who was standing aside, to shake violently.

She looked at Marianne, and then looked at the detailed direction that Li Cheng颐 was standing and facing.

She immediately guessed that Li Cheng颐 was simply welcoming this woman named Marianne!

He wasn’t welcoming her at all!

“!!??!!”

At this moment, a strong sense of embarrassment and shame instantly flooded Lin Sang’s mind.

She seemed to be able to imagine the expressions of Brother Kun and the others behind her, looking at her like she was a clown.

The two girls were already a little displeased with her, and this time they seized the opportunity. She really didn’t know what kind of tone they would use to humiliate her, belittle her, and suppress her.

Lin Sang’s face was flushed and congested. She froze in place for a moment.

She opened her mouth and subconsciously turned to the side, but was pulled away by a bodyguard by hand.

From beginning to end, neither Marianne, nor Li Cheng颐, whom she was once familiar with,

looked at her directly.

Marianne had a smile on her face, and Li Cheng颐 also had a smile on his face.

Although they were in the same place, the smiles of the two people inexplicably gave people a strange sense of similarity and distance.