This assassin is upright

Chapter 480 Inside the Ruins of an Isolated Island

"Yup!"

The mouse standing nearby nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

"If I remember correctly, the Holy See of Miracles is the most supportive of all the forces of evolution. They even welcome bio-engineered individuals and encourage them to embrace evolution."

"But their gene therapy drugs have always been purchased from deserted, ruined islands."

"When did the Holy See of Miracles acquire the ability to produce gene-based drugs?"

“I don’t know either.” Black Hawk shook his head. “According to the person who sold it to me, the Holy See of Miracles does not want to be controlled by the ruined island, so they have been secretly researching the production of gene drugs. These are the first batch of results.”

He paused slightly at this point, "These gene drugs from the Divine Relic Church are cheaper than those from the ruined island. More importantly, they claim to be safer. Even if you haven't reached the peak of the previous stage, you can use them directly to forcefully break through to the next stage."

"This sounds really unreliable!" the mouse couldn't help but complain.

Wolf Fang and Iron Tower, standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

It can force a breakthrough, and it's even cheaper?
There is no such good thing in the world!

"Looking back now, there were indeed many unreliable aspects." Black Hawk's face showed a hint of embarrassment as he said this, "But perhaps the experience of being captured by the Dark Dragon Team increased my desire for power a lot."

"So... I just bought it without thinking."

"Thankfully, I survived."

"But..." He looked at his still immobile body with some regret, "I don't know if I can ever recover to what I was before."

"Returning to your previous state shouldn't be a problem," Yu Zhun said slowly. "I can roughly sense the progress of your recovery. In two more days at most, you'll be fully recovered, but..."

He paused slightly, then said, "After this experience, it's hard to say whether you'll be able to use fourth-tier gene drugs to achieve a breakthrough in the future."

Upon hearing this, Black Hawk sighed, his eyes dimming.

"It's alright, Captain." Iron Tower patted Black Hawk on the shoulder and comforted him softly. "We'll be arriving at the ruined island soon."

"That place has the best preservation of old-era technology and the most thorough understanding of genetic research. Perhaps there is a way to solve your problem there."

"Woo——"

Almost the instant Black Hawk finished speaking, a melodious whistle rang out, and everyone felt their bodies pause slightly as the cruise ship began to slow down.

"We've arrived." Yu Zhun stood up and looked out the window.

Behind the dock, a solitary island city made entirely of steel comes into view. Its cold metallic luster shines, and countless lights point in all directions, making it like a lighthouse in the darkness, clearly visible from any angle.

Upon seeing it, Yu Zhun even had a strange feeling.

It was as if the old era before the catastrophe had not been destroyed.

"So this is the desolate island of ruins..." The rat stood beside Yu Zhun, looking at the steel island before him, his eyes burning with a fervor that was almost tangible.

For a reformer like him, who was obsessed with technological research, the ruined island was almost a sacred place.

"Cutting-edge technology from the old era!" the mouse exclaimed, raising its arms.

"Hey, your Rat King, here I come!"

Hearing the commotion, many passengers who were packing their bags and preparing to disembark immediately cast disgusted and disdainful glances in their direction.

Perhaps their initial surprise upon arrival was no less than that of the rats, but that didn't stop them from seeing the rats as country bumpkins now.

"Alright, stop shouting." Several black lines appeared on Wolf Fang's forehead. "The boss hasn't fully recovered yet, so it's not appropriate for us to make a big fuss right now."

"Let's keep a low profile and find a place to stay first!"

"...Alright then." The rat, who was ready to go all out as soon as he got off the ship, sighed. Thinking of the Black Hawk who was still unable to move, he decided to hold back for a while longer.

Several people helped Black Hawk slowly walk away from the cruise ship and into the dock.

Before they could leave, a figure walked towards them.

He was a short, stout man with an endearing, smiling face that made it impossible to feel any ill will towards him. His eyes were narrowed to slits, occasionally revealing a shrewd glint.

"These five distinguished guests, is this your first time here?"

The man asked with a smile.

However, he was quite certain of his guess.

After all, he had also witnessed the mouse's screams.

“Indeed, this is our first time here.” Black Hawk glanced up at the short, stout man and said in a deep voice, “Is there something you need?”

Upon hearing this, the short, stout man immediately showed a look of surprise.

He originally thought that Black Hawk, who looked sickly, wouldn't have much of a position in the team, and that there was someone else in charge among these people.

But judging from the fact that no one else showed any unusual reaction after Black Hawk took over the conversation, his guess seemed to be very wrong.

In an instant, he flashed a bright smile at Black Hawk. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Brand, and I'm a local who grew up on a deserted island in ruins."

“Since you’re new here, if you need a guide or any other assistance, feel free to contact me.” With that, Brand took out a business card and handed it over.

Yu Zhun accepted the business card on behalf of Black Hawk; it only contained Brand's name and contact address.

“We do have one thing we need help with,” Black Hawk said calmly. “We need a safe and quiet place to stay right now.”

“Oh! No problem!” Brand looked like he had expected everything. “There’s no need to worry about security. On this deserted island in ruins, any troublemakers will be caught by the island’s war machine immediately.”

"Wait a minute..." the mouse couldn't help but interrupt him, his face showing a hint of disbelief. "You just said, war machine?"

“That’s right.” Brand smiled slightly. “War Machine A4-27, you may have heard of its name.”

The members of Black Hawk Team exchanged glances.

Ever heard of it?

They've done more than just hear about it.

Before they arrived here, they had just sold one hundred of the same model of war machines.

"Are there many war machines on the desolate island?" Yu Zhun asked.

“Of course.” Brand chuckled. “You know, the ruined island is the place in the world where the old-era technology is most comprehensively preserved.”

"War Machine A4-27 may no longer be seen elsewhere, but here, it can be mass-produced."

"Mass production?!" The mouse's pupils contracted, and it couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Mass production means that the isolated island in ruins possesses the entire technological chain needed to manufacture war machines, and the other things associated with these technological chains are far more complex than just war machines.

The desolate island was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

"In short, on this desolate island, you don't need to worry about safety. The only thing to consider is peace and quiet." At this point, Brand looked troubled. "Finding a completely quiet place on this desolate island is not easy, after all, violent earthquakes occur here every day." "That's the only downside of this desolate island."

"An earthquake?" Yu Zhun's eyes flashed slightly. "Could you explain in detail?"

“Of course.” Brand smiled slightly. “You should be able to experience that for yourselves very soon.”

“On this desolate island, the ground shakes every day, just like an earthquake. But fortunately, all the structures here were designed with earthquakes in mind, so they won’t collapse because of such a small problem.”

"Earthquakes usually occur once a day, but occasionally they can occur multiple times a day. Sometimes, at the same time as the earthquake, a huge and strange roar can be heard coming from underground."

"A roar?" Upon hearing this, not only Yu Zhun, but everyone in the Black Hawk Squad showed a strange expression.

“Yes.” Brand nodded, then said mysteriously, “It is said that a sixth-tier mutated beast is imprisoned at the bottom of the sea on the ruined island!”

"Whether it's an earthquake or that beastly roar, it's all an effect of its attempt to break free from its confinement."

"However, even a sixth-tier mutated beast would not be able to escape from the powerful, desolate island."

Yu Zhun's expression turned strange.

He knew better than anyone that there were no mutated beasts in the sea beneath the ruined island, let alone the unheard-of sixth-order mutated beasts.

The only living creature he encountered was that silver mermaid.

However, the opponent was not trapped, and their strength was far from reaching the sixth rank.

Otherwise, the other party wouldn't have been deliberately avoiding contact with him.

"Is this what everyone else on the deserted island in the ruins is saying?" Yu Zhun suddenly asked.

“That’s right,” Flander said matter-of-factly. “There are so many mutated and polluted beasts in the ocean, quite a few of them are at the fifth rank, so the sixth rank is naturally possible as well.”

"Then..." Yu Zhun hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Have you ever seen mutated beasts and polluting beasts in the ocean?"

“Uh…” Frande paused for a moment.

"It's alright now, take us somewhere to stay." Yu Zhun quickly changed the subject. "Don't worry, you'll get your share of the benefits."

"Alright!" Flander perked up, no longer bothering with the question Yu Zhun had just mentioned, and led them with a smile toward their lodgings.

Throughout the journey, Yu Zhun pondered what Flander had just said.

His sudden change of topic wasn't because he wasn't interested in Flander's answer, but because he had already gotten the answer from Flander's momentary confusion and didn't want Flander to make any connections, so he changed the subject.

Flander's bewilderment clearly indicated that he had never actually seen the mutated and polluted beasts in the ocean.

Even he, a native of this desolate island, had never seen such a thing, so it is very likely that the vast majority, or even all, of the people on this desolate island were the same.

So, where do the large number of mutated and polluted beasts in the ocean come from?

Yu Zhun couldn't help but look at the rat.

The first time I heard something like that was from a mouse.

Before the cataclysm, the oceans contained far more creatures than the land, but after the cataclysm, almost all the land creatures became mutated or polluted beasts.

For this reason, almost everyone assumed that there would be more and more powerful mutated and polluting beasts in the ocean.

Areas above 100 meters in the ocean are filled with highly corrosive seawater, making it difficult even for fourth-tier evolvers to break through. In addition, they are worried about encountering powerful mutated or polluting beasts in the ocean, so they dare not explore easily.

However, thanks to his own abilities and the mutation inducer, Yu Zhun successfully entered the area and even dived down to the seabed.

He saw the truth about this sea area, and a bold idea popped into his mind.

Is there a possibility...

Did all the marine animals die during the cataclysm?

Is it possible that this ocean has never contained any unknown mutated or polluted beasts?
If everything is as he suspects, then another question becomes interesting.

Yu Zhun raised his head and looked at the tallest building in the very center of the ruined island, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

It is said that gene drugs require the core of a mutated beast of the same level as a material to be made. If there are really no mutated beasts or polluted beasts in the ocean, then where do the gene drugs flowing out of the ruined island come from?

In that instant, he even thought of Black Hawk's recent accident.

Black Hawk nearly died after using a gene drug from another major power, and that power must have referenced the gene drug found on the ruined island when researching gene drugs.

Is it possible that it wasn't someone trying to harm Black Hawk, but rather that the gene drug itself was problematic, and that genuine gene drugs never needed to use mutated beast cores?

Since arriving on the desolate island, more and more mysteries seem to be surging towards him, even the door corresponding to the key is also located at the bottom of the sea beneath the island.

The key to unraveling these mysteries…

It could very well be the kind of earthquake that happens every day on this desolate, isolated island!
If this earthquake was not caused by what Brand said, then its true cause, as well as the sound that resembled a roar, are highly questionable.

"We've arrived." Brand's voice interrupted Yu Zhun's thoughts.

What comes into view is a suite that is not large but very clean.

"This suite is designed for five people. Because it is on a high floor, the structure has good shock absorption, so the earthquake was barely felt."

Brand shrugged. "This is the best room I could find. You haven't experienced an earthquake, so you don't know how wide its impact can be."

"It's impossible to find a house where you don't feel any earthquakes at all."

"This will do." Yu Zhun casually tossed a small bottle to Brand. "This is for our accommodation during this period. Any extra is your bonus."

“This…” Brand glanced at the almost transparent liquid in the small bottle, his blank expression gradually turning into ecstasy, “β-Lithium Battery Fluid?!”

Such battery fluid can cost tens of thousands of dollars per milliliter outside.

And this small bottle contains about ten milliliters.

This is far more than the price of renting this apartment!

In an instant, Brand felt even greater awe towards the people before him.

"Please get some rest, everyone. I live nearby, so feel free to come find me if you need anything." Brand smiled brightly at the five members of the Black Hawk team and then turned to leave.

"Wait!" Yu Zhun called out to the other party, and spoke after a moment of hesitation.

Did the earthquake happen today?

“Not yet.” Brand shook his head. “So everyone, please be prepared. If nothing unexpected happens, the earthquake will probably…”

Before he could finish speaking, a deep, earth-shaking roar suddenly resounded.

"...They're here."

(End of this chapter)