Chapter 44 - 41: One Punch

Chapter 44: Chapter 41: One Punch

[167:58:30]

The return time was still seven days away. It was highly likely that future cycles would be fixed at a seven-day interval.

This time, Yin Zhen didn’t pretend to resist. She obediently followed Victor to the laboratory, merely muttering a few words of displeasure behind his back.

Ian was still in charge of the examination. He brought along several researchers from the Dracula family. The testing procedures remained the same: drawing blood, lying inside various machines, and answering a few questions. During the process, Yin Zhen spotted exactly what she wanted in the laboratory’s refrigerator—Miss Lucia’s blood sample!

Lucia’s White Bone Thorn was a formidable Extraordinary Ability. It could be casually shaped into a Weapon, boasting powerful area-of-effect attack and defense capabilities. The hardness of the white bones was several times stronger than that of blood silk and shadows. Yin Zhen wanted it, but she had to remain patient.

As the examination drew to a close, Yin Zhen had various wires connected to her head. Victor and Ian were chatting in the outer room, and she silently eavesdropped on their conversation.

"How is it? Are there any anomalies?" Victor asked Ian.

Ian pushed up his glasses, pausing for a moment as Victor waited patiently for him to finish his thought. "Miss Lucia’s consciousness transfer is the first of its kind. We have no prior samples for reference, so it’s hard to say for sure. If we only look at it from a data perspective, there are no issues with the consciousness transfer. Not to mention...

"Not to mention that S717 is an experimental subject produced merely ten days ago. Although she has been implanted with knowledge, she lacks the Wisdom and shrewdness to impersonate someone else. Even if memories could be stolen, everyone’s spiritual power curve is unique.

"The spiritual power curve of the current Lucia has a 96% similarity to the previous one. The damaged portion will cause her to lose a small fraction of her memories, and her control over this new body won’t reach her original standard. She will need a lot more practice in combat."

Victor glanced back at Yin Zhen inside the lab. The guarded look in his eyes diminished significantly after hearing Ian’s words, gradually replaced by the concerned gaze of an elder looking at a junior.

"Most of the children in the Dracula family are useless trash. Only Lucia possesses Iron Blood willpower and is capable of inheriting the ’Dracula’ name. I don’t want anything else to happen to her."

Ian nodded. "I understand. Then what about her tracking chip..."

Victor furrowed his brows. "Keep it for now, but transfer the clearance to me. Arrogance is Lucia’s greatest weakness. This time, we must let her suffer enough so she can grow. If she had even half of Adeline’s shrewdness, I would be much more relieved. By the way, can she use the Extraordinary Catalyst one more time?"

Ian shook his head. "My advice is no. As you know, the Extraordinary Catalyst is extracted from a Deep Sea Mutant, which inherently carries huge risks. The mutation rate for the first injection is 22%, but for a second injection, it skyrockets to 89%."

Victor sighed. Lucia’s current Transformation into a Raven was indeed a useless Extraordinary Ability. This would affect her future standing in the Guard Team. In this world, nobles reigned supreme, but the foundation of the nobility was a Strength that surpassed other members of the Blood Clan! What Lucia lacked most right now was the Strength to crush everything in her path.

Seeing this, Ian patted his old friend on the shoulder. "Don’t worry too much. You made it to where you are today relying solely on your body and willpower. I believe Miss Lucia can do the same."

Victor clenched his fists, his knuckles popping with a sharp CRACK. "It seems I have to be more ruthless and make her walk the same path as me."

The moment Yin Zhen stepped out of the laboratory, she raised her chin at Victor and declared, "I want cybernetic modifications!"

It was like a sudden blow to the head! Victor was so exasperated by his rebellious niece that he actually laughed. Subsequently, Yin Zhen was tossed straight into the training arena by Victor.

Victor stood in the center of the arena. He took off his jacket, wearing only a black tank top. His physique wasn’t as exaggerated as Lighthouse’s, but every muscle was like a coiled steel wire, ready to snap and tear someone to shreds at a moment’s notice.

"I’ll stand perfectly still and even fight you with one hand behind my back. If you can force me to take half a step back, I’ll remove your tracking chip and have the company give you the best cybernetic modifications."

Yin Zhen’s eyes lit up. Victor was actually going to train her personally.

Cybernetic modifications could only enhance this S717 body. For a Player’s main body, they had to equip the Character Card to benefit from it. Moreover, the threat of the Assimilation Degree hung over her head; any intense battle couldn’t exceed ten minutes before she had to unequip the Character Card. But if she learned Victor’s combat and training techniques, she could absolutely have her main body learn them too, attempting to improve its own Basic Attributes. This was exactly what she needed most right now!

Yin Zhen constantly reminded herself that her true body was the foundation of everything. Therefore, all the attribute points she had gained so far had been allocated to her main body.

Yin Zhen took a deep breath. She lowered her center of gravity, her feet grinding against the floor as she gathered her strength.

"You said it yourself!"

Yin Zhen’s fist flew straight toward Victor’s face. When her fist was just ten centimeters away from him, Victor’s body swayed slightly. Suddenly, Yin Zhen suffered a heavy blow to her abdomen. It felt like she had been hit by a high-speed armored vehicle. She hadn’t even seen the trajectory of Victor’s punch.

Yin Zhen was sent flying backward like a cannonball, crashing into the alloy wall over a dozen meters away with a dull THUD. She crumpled to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

She didn’t know how many ribs were broken. Her spine felt like it had been twisted in half, and her internal organs felt as if they were going to explode. Her limbs spasmed, and the pain was so agonizing that she couldn’t even straighten her fingers.

Yin Zhen lay on the ground, coughing up blood and groaning, stealing a glance at her interface.

[Life Value: 28%]

One punch! Victor had knocked off 72% of her Life Value with a single punch, and she felt like he might have even pulled his punches. No wonder the system had mocked her earlier, saying she could only withstand one hit from him. It wasn’t a joke; it was the truth!

Yin Zhen struggled to look up at Victor, who was still standing in the center of the arena, not having shifted his position in the slightest. A stat monster! He was definitely a stat monster—someone with no Extraordinary Ability, but whose Basic Attributes were absurdly high.

Victor signaled for the staff on the sidelines to bring over the blood source element. The medic froze for a second before frantically scrambling to grab the pre-prepared blood source element from the medical kit to inject into Yin Zhen. Every training ground in the company had a designated medic on standby, responsible for injecting Healing Potions into those severely injured during practice.

He crouched beside Yin Zhen. His hands were shaking, his eyes were panicked, and his injection technique was entirely wrong. Yin Zhen suspected he had been body-snatched and was a new Player.

"Get lost, I’ll do it myself!"

Yin Zhen snatched the blood source element away and stabbed it directly into her own neck. As the icy liquid surged in, her broken bones began to itch, and her torn muscles started to reconstruct. Her Life Value ticked upward rapidly as she healed.

Yin Zhen sat on the ground, gasping heavily. The medic hastily backed away, his eyes darting around evasively.

"Cybernetic modifications can indeed bring you immense Strength quickly..." Victor’s voice pulled Yin Zhen’s attention back. "...But it has a ceiling. It depends on the materials, the programming, and the person performing your surgery. The day it leaves the factory, a cybernetic implant’s limits are permanently locked in."

Victor walked over and extended a hand to Yin Zhen. She looked at his hand. The fingertips were rough, marred by old scars and calluses. It lacked the enhancement of an Extraordinary Ability and possessed no technological power.

"But our flesh-and-blood bodies have no limits! Willpower can break through boundaries, and the body can surpass its initial settings. As long as you don’t want to die, no one can kill you.

"Again!"

Yin Zhen stubbornly climbed to her feet on her own, like an unyielding little beast. The corner of Victor’s mouth twitched. He wanted to smile but held it back. He took two steps back and returned to the center of the arena.

Yin Zhen charged at him. This time, she saw it clearly. The moment her foot planted to launch her forward, Victor’s body was already fully prepared. If she went left, his fist was waiting on the left. If she went right, his fist was waiting on the right. If she defended, his fist was already aimed at her most vulnerable spot.

BAM!

Yin Zhen was sent flying once more. She spat out another large mouthful of blood, unable to even crawl to her feet.

[Life Value: 21%]

"Your reactions are fast, but your body can’t keep up with your brain. By the time you think about dodging, your legs haven’t even moved."

The blood source element inside her body was still taking effect, and her Life Value was continuously recovering. Yin Zhen spat out the blood in her mouth and gritted her teeth, propping herself up.

"Again!"

The third time, she feinted and circled to his side, managing to last three seconds before being sent flying. The fourth time, she lasted five seconds. The fifth time, eight seconds...

When the power of a single vial of blood source element was completely depleted, Victor’s fist stopped abruptly right in front of her face, the wind from the punch blowing back the loose hair on her forehead.

"That’s enough for today. We continue tomorrow."

Yin Zhen stood in the middle of the training arena, her legs still trembling. She looked down at her hands—ordinary hands, just like Victor’s. But Victor could wipe out 70% of her Life Value with a single punch. Why couldn’t she? Yin Zhen suddenly felt a bit envious of Lucia. She had someone like this, willing to teach her like this.

Yin Zhen clenched her fists. She thought, "Again!"

Outside the arena, Victor watched Lucia, who was now training on her own, as the corners of his lips curled up slightly. "At least she’s finally showing some backbone!"

His smile fading, Victor’s gaze suddenly locked onto the spot where the medic had just been standing. At this moment, the man was nowhere to be found. Victor raised his wrist and issued a capture order to the security personnel.