Chapter 383: Mysterious Blueprints?
Hu Tao whipped her head around, her plum-blossom pupils sweeping across the devastated plaza with laser-like precision. It didn't take long for her gaze to lock onto the largest, most radiant supply chests scattered amidst the rubble. A shrewd, highly expectant grin—one practically trademarked by the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—spread across her face.
But a split second later, a thought seemed to strike her. She snapped her attention back to Venti, tilting her petite chin upward as she forced her features into a stern scowl. It was a valiant attempt at looking fierce, though utterly devoid of any actual malice.
"Venti! You still have the nerve to bring up rewards?" she demanded, her tone dripping with exaggerated outrage as she planted her hands on her hips. "Need I remind you that Sarah slipped right through our fingers? Do you have any idea how massive of a 'loss' that is for our bottom line?"
She jabbed an accusatory finger in the bard's direction, a cunning glint dancing in her unique eyes. "You had better start praying to whatever winds will listen that the loot in these chests is precious enough to salvage our 'face'—not to mention our expected profit margins! Otherwise... hehe, you'd best prepare to make good on your promise. I expect you to drag out every single bottle of fine wine you've been hoarding to host a 'post-battle review and compensation banquet' for the team!"
Venti, thoroughly amused by her theatrical threat, didn't miss a beat. He immediately slapped on a mask of pure, pitiful agony, pressing his palms together in a desperate plea.
"Oh dear, Director Hu, have mercy on my soul! Then I shall pray to the highest heavens for your supreme luck. May your chest-opening harvest be bountiful, may your mood soar to the clouds, and may you spare just a drop of 'spiritual comfort' for this poor, destitute bard!"
The dramatic exchange instantly shattered the lingering tension from the fight, washing away the heavy atmosphere. With smiles exchanged, the trio wasted no more time. They fanned out across the scarred concrete, moving to inspect the supply chests that pulsed with an alluring, neon glow.
The majority of the caches radiated a modest blue or green light. Popping the lids revealed a practical assortment of tactical gear: stacks of advanced ammunition, standard energy supplements, and basic medical kits. Nestled among the supplies were handfuls of [Aether Crystal Fragments] and [Mysterious Alloy Parts]—highly sought-after hard currency within the Chat Group's event shop, easily liquidated into precious gear coins.
Zhongli and Venti took charge of sweeping these lesser crates, their movements swift and methodical. Ever the careful consultant, Zhongli even took advantage of the brief lulls between unlocking chests to channel his Geo elemental energy. With subtle waves of his hand, golden geometric constructs flared to life, reinforcing the battered, structurally compromised shipping containers teetering dangerously around the plaza to prevent any accidental cave-ins.
Eventually, their collective attention drifted toward the epicenter of the battlefield. There, resting exactly where the parasitic Hati-tou Hound had dissolved into ash, sat the most conspicuous prize of all: a resplendent golden supply chest.
The container was bathed in a luxurious, soft golden halo. complex, exquisite energy circuits were etched deeply into its metallic surface, pulsing with a rhythmic light that made the heart race just looking at it.
"Director," Zhongli murmured, stepping aside with a graceful sweep of his arm to offer her the floor. A faint, respectful smile touched his lips. "You contributed the most to this battle. It is only fitting that you claim the honor of opening the final prize."
Hu Tao wasn't about to stand on ceremony. Chin held high, she practically skipped forward, her steps light with bubbling anticipation and curiosity. She took a steadying breath, reaching out to press her palm against the glowing energy lock dead center on the lid. A mechanical click echoed, followed by a faint flash of light. The heavy lid slid back silently on its hinges, allowing a cascade of soft, golden illumination to spill into the dim plaza.
The interior wasn't overflowing with loot, but what it lacked in quantity, it more than made up for in sheer quality. Every single item radiated an extraordinary aura. The first things to catch her eye were several sleekly packaged, high-grade ammunition magazines, resting neatly beside two crystalline vials of [Full-Effect Healing Potions] that shimmered with an iridescent, liquid rainbow.
Yet, it was the object tucked away in the far corner of the chest that entirely hijacked Hu Tao's attention. Suspended mid-air within a small, transparent containment unit, the item was locked down by a localized, humming force field. It was a heavy metal syringe, roughly the thickness of a thumb and the length of her palm.
The syringe's casing was forged from an alien, dark-silver material. Subtle, blood-red energy veins tracked across its surface, pulsing slowly as if the metal itself were breathing. Encased within the glass barrel was an unknown liquid, filling only a third of the capacity. It was thick and viscous, resembling coagulated blood, yet it churned violently with tiny, purple-black bubbles. Dead in the center of the fluid hovered a microscopic point of deep, absolute darkness—a singularity that seemed to devour the ambient light around it.
A holographic label projected from the base of the container, displaying a block of crisp text:
[Sacrificial Ghost Serum (Failed Product)]
[Type: Special Task Item]
[Description: A forbidden technological creation originating from the 'Eulogy Society.' This serum was engineered to forcibly trigger the transformation of living organisms into Sacrificial Ghosts. As a severely failed product, it possesses extremely poor stability, containing out-of-control transformation energy and highly dangerous soul pollution. However, the base materials and the residual high-purity transformation matrix within are considered very useful.]
[System Assessed Recovery Price: 4,000,000 Gear Coins]
"Four... four million?!" Hu Tao blinked rapidly, leaning in to carefully count the string of zeros floating in the hologram. One, two, three, four, five, six. She hadn't misread it. Her jaw went slack. She jerked her head up to stare at Zhongli and Venti, her plum-blossom pupils blown wide with sheer shock. "All this... for one failed serum?"
Venti leaned over her shoulder, peering at the glowing digits before letting out a long, impressed whistle. "Wow... I'd say a price tag like that is more than enough to cover our little 'loss', wouldn't you agree?"
Zhongli, however, was far more focused on the grim implications of the item's description. His amber eyes narrowed as he stared at the ominous, bubbling liquid. "If a mere failed prototype holds such staggering value," he noted, his voice dropping to a serious, resonant timbre, "then the finalized serum—and the dark technology it represents—poses a threat and a benefit far beyond our current imagination. This item must be handled with the utmost caution."
Shaking off her initial stupor, Hu Tao carefully reached into the chest and extracted the containment unit. She weighed the heavy cylinder in her palm. Even through the protective barrier of the force field, a phantom, bone-deep chill seeped into her skin, making the fine hairs on her arms stand on end.
The cold sensation didn't dampen her spirits for long. Recalling Venti's earlier dramatic pleas, a sharp, cunning smirk curved the corners of her mouth. "Well, Venti, it looks like your precious wine cellar is safe for today. This single item alone has recovered more than half the bounty we supposedly 'lost'by letting Sarah slip away! I have to admit, this whole'cleaning up the battlefield' business boasts a terrifyingly high cost-performance ratio!"
Venti immediately beamed, his previous mock-sorrow vanishing like mist in the wind. "Right, right! See? I told you the rewards wouldn't disappoint! Director Hu is truly blessed by the heavens!"
Digging deeper into the golden chest, Hu Tao uncovered several rolled-up parchment scrolls. They shimmered with an ethereal light, designated by the system as [Mysterious Blueprints (Fragment)].
She unfurled one of the scrolls. The parchment was covered in hyper-precise, structural decomposition diagrams of advanced firearms, interwoven with complex energy circuits that looked like absolute gibberish to her. It was glaringly obvious that the schematics were incomplete, with glowing holographic watermarks in the corners reading "1/?" and "3/?".
A brief system prompt hovered beside the scrolls:
[Notice: Complete blueprints can be synthesized to unlock exclusive Legendary Firearm Skins and unique attribute bonuses. Blueprint fragments can only be obtained through high-difficulty Hollow battles or special events.]
"Legendary firearm skins? And attribute bonuses?" Hu Tao's eyes lit up like fireworks. The prospect of decking out her arsenal was far too tempting to ignore. "Okay, so collecting a full set won't be a walk in the park, but it's definitely something to look forward to! Consultant, Venti, hand over any blueprint fragments you guys found in the other chests. I'll take charge of the collection!"
Neither Zhongli nor Venti had any objections to her hoarding the schematics. They casually tossed over the [Mysterious Blueprints (Fragment)] they had scavenged from the lesser crates, each bearing different sequence numbers.
Humming a cheerful, off-key funeral dirge, Hu Tao happily stuffed the ominous serum, the glowing blueprints, and the rest of the high-tier loot into her tactical backpack. The canvas bag bulged dangerously against the strain, but considering the millions of gear coins sitting inside, she absolutely refused to "lighten the load" this time around.
While Hu Tao's trio gleefully tallied their hard-won spoils, the atmosphere in the other sectors of the Epis Port Hollow remained thick with tension and frantic activity.
Thanks to the precise intelligence and real-time coordinates broadcasted by the Proxy, Wise, the various multiversal factions that had intercepted the distress signals were already mobilizing with ruthless efficiency.
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