Just then, Yuuto Kagami noticed several armed vehicles speeding toward the beach in the distance.
He immediately realized what was going on:
These were likely personnel from the Supernatural Security Bureau, dispatched to recover the corpse and remains of the demonic serpent.
"That's pretty fast…"
But Yuuto Kagami wasn't too keen on coming into contact with official personnel just yet. So he activated Heavenly Hand Power and vanished on the spot.
"Yuuto Kagami disappeared!"
Moments later, one of the vehicles came to a screeching halt.
Li Yayun jumped out, quickly scanning the area—but Yuuto Kagami was nowhere to be seen.
Her expression immediately showed a hint of disappointment.
Zhou Hongwei, who had arrived right behind her, also looked slightly regretful. Still, he recovered quickly.
"Let's focus on processing the demonic serpent's remains," Zhou Hongwei said, patting Li Yayun on the shoulder.
"Understood!"
Li Yayun pulled herself together and moved forward with Zhou Hongwei and the others.
But when they arrived in front of the serpent's massive corpse, they couldn't help showing signs of awe.
And it wasn't just them.
The soldiers nearby, busy setting up equipment and containment gear, were all visibly dazed—stunned by what they were seeing.
A demonic serpent over 100 meters long, grotesque and terrifying.
Now frozen solid, it looked like a prehistoric beast preserved from the Ice Age.
"This… This thing is enormous!"
"Seeing it live is totally different from watching the livestream!"
"Seriously. After seeing this up close, I've gained a whole new respect for Yuuto Kagami's power… It's terrifying."
"Good lord, this monster was not only sliced clean in half with a single strike—it's also completely frozen…"
Even while voicing their astonishment, Zhou Hongwei, Li Yayun, and the others quickly got to work.
On Zhou Hongwei's orders, specialists wielding precision cutting tools approached the corpse and began extracting chunks of its flesh.
Inside the Supernatural Security Bureau.
"So this is a piece of the demonic serpent's meat?"
"It definitely looks out of the ordinary…"
The cooked portion of meat had already been prepared.
To preserve its energy signature, the chef had deliberately used no seasoning at all.
The meat was crystal-clear, glowing with a faint red shimmer—like translucent jelly infused with power.
Even from several meters away, it emitted a mouthwatering aroma that captivated everyone in the room.
Staring at it, everyone unconsciously gulped.
"Yayun," Zhou Hongwei turned to Li Yayun.
"You try it first."
The room immediately went silent, all eyes on her.
"Huh? M-Me?"
Li Yayun was stunned.
After all, her rank and seniority were the lowest among everyone present.
It didn't feel right for her to be the first to taste such a precious material.
However, none of the high-ranking officials present objected. In fact, they all smiled encouragingly at her.
"T-Then I'll give it a try!"
Li Yayun didn't refuse any longer—she was too curious herself.
She picked up a chunk of the still-steaming, crystal-clear meat and, under everyone's envious gaze, popped it into her mouth.
"Mmm…"
She chewed for a few seconds.
Then her eyes lit up.
After swallowing it, she let out a genuine gasp of amazement.
"It's delicious!"
"And?"
"Any changes in your body?" Zhou Hongwei asked eagerly.
Li Yayun tilted her head for a second, confused—
Then suddenly!
A surge of warmth exploded inside her, racing through her body.
"I feel it!"
"My strength—it's increasing!"
She looked elated.
Though she worked in an administrative position, Li Yayun trained regularly, so she could easily tell that her physical power had grown—significantly!
She clenched her fist—
A tangible sense of power surged through her arm!
"Incredible…"
"She only ate one bite!"
The others were equally stunned.
Unable to resist, Zhou Hongwei stepped forward and tried a piece himself.
The next second—
His eyes widened. His body trembled slightly. His previously hunched posture straightened like a steel beam.
His entire presence had transformed in an instant!
"Haaah…"
Zhou Hongwei exhaled deeply.
He felt energetic and rejuvenated, like he'd just turned back the clock twenty years.
"This deal was so worth it…"
He couldn't hide his excitement.
One by one, the others followed suit.
Before long, the room was filled with exclamations of shock and amazement.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Yuuto Kagami, having teleported away from the beach with Heavenly Hand Power, quickly returned home.
He had, of course, kept some serpent meat for himself.
"Tastes just as good as it looks."
After cooking it properly, he took a bite and nodded in satisfaction.
Then he opened the backend of his livestream dashboard.
A quick glance—and his brows rose in surprise.
"Over 500,000 in gift income today?"
He was momentarily stunned.
But only momentarily.
Compared to the massive revenue from the Supernatural Security Bureau's acquisition of the serpent's flesh, 500K was just pocket change.
Besides, for Yuuto Kagami right now, money wasn't really that important anymore.
At that moment, a system prompt appeared in his mind.
[Ding—]
[Daily Science Points Settlement In Progress…]
[Congratulations! You have earned 62,131 Science Points today!]
"Hm? Science Points?"
"System, what can I use these for?"
He looked at the interface with a hint of curiosity.
[Science Points]
[System Shop Currency.]
[Can be used to enhance existing abilities (e.g. upgrading the Ice-Ice Fruit to the awakened stage), or spent on lotteries for random abilities and items.]
"Enhancing abilities and rolling for new ones? Now that's useful!"
Yuuto Kagami's eyes sparkled.
He hadn't expected the system to have such a powerful utility function.
And enhancement was crucial.
Take the Ice-Ice Fruit, for example—
Right now, he could freeze a small lake instantly.
But that was mainly thanks to Whitebeard's physique giving him insane base stats.
His actual mastery of the fruit itself was still at the beginner level.
He was nowhere near someone like Aokiji, who could create entire ice continents.
Now, with this new feature…
He could close the gap—instantly.
"Let's see how much it costs to enhance the Ice-Ice Fruit."
He focused his thoughts.
In front of him, a detailed price list popped up.
Ice-Ice Fruit: Intermediate Mastery – 30,000 Science Points
Ice-Ice Fruit: Advanced Mastery – 50,000 Science Points
Ice-Ice Fruit: Awakening Stage – 100,000 Science Points
"Awakening costs 100K, huh…"
Yuuto Kagami's expression turned serious.
He was getting closer to the big leagues.
And with his current pace of point generation, even something as wild as a multi-fruit physique… might not be impossible.
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