Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 2269: Kunzuoʼs treasure (3)

The formation process of this thing was similar to that of amber—a combination of a mutated plantʼs secretion and a mutated insect. The difference was that the conditions were far more stringent.

The mutated plant had to be one of a specific few species, all of which shared a common trait: their secretions contained a component that could react with a special enzyme present in the ”Intermediate Silk-Striped Worm” after its tenth molting.

For a secretion from a very rare mutated plant to coincidentally come into contact with this Intermediate Silk-Striped Worm at the moment of molting—the odds were simply astronomically small.

But the universe was full of coincidences, and so things resembling amber came into existence.

As for why it was called a cheating stone, it was because of its great and wide-ranging uses.

You could eat it and directly gain a permanent energy value ranging from two thousand Furelai to ten thousand Furelai. Exactly how much it increased depended on individual talent, the pre-death strength of the tenth-molt Intermediate Silk-Striped Worm inside the cheating stone, and also the age of the cheating stone...

You could use it as a material and incorporate it into weapons and equipment, in which case the equipment would gain spirituality. But the exact nature of the spirituality—whether it was offensive growth potential, defensive growth potential, or some other aspect of energy—depended on the equipmentʼs grade and the materialʼs spirituality, the spiritual level of the tenth-molt Intermediate Silk-Striped Worm inside the cheating stone before it died, and also the age of the cheating stone...

There was another use: the cheating stone could be hatched. By performing a not-too-simple-nor-overly-complicated ”surgery” and creating a not-too-simple-nor-overly-difficult environmental temperature, one could wait for the Intermediate Silk-Striped Worm to see the light of day again, with the encapsulating substance serving as its nourishment.

After hatching, how strong the creature would be also depended on luck. It might only reach the lowest value of the tenth molting—around fifty thousand Furelai—, or it might be incredibly lucky and gain a super lifeform equivalent to a great expert.

Also, you could do nothing at all, just make the cheating stone into a pendant and wear it—kept warm in winter and cool in summer, clearing the mind, invigorating the spirit, resisting illusions, strengthening the mind...
This thing... Ye Zhongming thought it over: should he follow his instinct and incorporate it into weapons and equipment, or follow his instinct and eat it? Or follow his instinct and hatch it, giving Qiuqiu a companion?

Ye Zhongming weighed it carefully and felt that this thing should be considered a wild delicacy, and it was probably better not to eat it.

Putting away the cheating stone, Ye Zhongming picked up the second item.

This was a chip.

After a momentʼs thought, Ye Zhongming disconnected his terminal, cutting off all external connections, then inserted the chip and began browsing its contents.

The more he read, the brighter Ye Zhongmingʼs eyes became.

The content inside was simply too rich, as this was Kunzuoʼs personal notes!

Not only did it contain Kunzuoʼs cultivation experiences and combat insights, but also introductions to various racesʼ cultivation methods and his analyses of them, with their strengths and weaknesses clearly laid out!

It also contained basic information about the cosmic races of the universe, as well as brief introductions to notable figures in various fields.

It included comparisons of strength and changes between the Slave Race and the cosmic races across different periods, as well as Kunzuoʼs own research findings in various areas.

It even recorded many secrets of the Huoʼer Star people. Ye Zhongming only skimmed through them briefly and was already deeply shocked. He felt that even just this portion alone would be enough for him to study for a long time.

Of course, there were also some videos inside—all kinds of them—and without exception, they were extremely real and secretive. Although Ye Zhongming did not recognize most of the people in the videos, through the screen he could still sense that they must be big figures among the myriad races. In the videos, they were a bit...

Ye Zhongming casually browsed a few and was somewhat taken aback.

These people, behind the scenes, were rather dirty, despicable, and shameless.

Not that all big figures of the cosmic races were like that, of course—but the ones Kunzuo had collected were inevitably problematic.

Ye Zhongming felt that every single video here, if released, would probably trend on social media and claim the top spot without even needing to buy it; one a day could stay at number one for over a hundred days.

The Cloud Peak King decided to treasure them well and enjoy watching them from time to time.

He removed the chip, checked his terminal to make sure no traces were left, and then turned to the third item.

This was... a mask.

Compared to the masks of the Star-Eye Clan, this one was actually somewhat minimalist. Its function was essentially just one: to conceal identity and aura. Once worn, it was nearly impossible to probe the wearerʼs true condition.

When a very high-grade item only had one ability, that ability was often powerful enough to inspire awe.

This mask, which incorporated many high-grade materials, was exactly that. As a top-tier craftsman, Ye Zhongming could identify at least three metals among them that were extremely precious and rare across the cosmic races. They were invaluable, and Ye Zhongming himself only had one of them, a meager twelve grams, while the other two he had only seen in pictures and videos.

Why would a peak expert keep such a mask stored in his spatial ring and carry it with him?

Furthermore, why would a peak expert... need to conceal his aura and identity?

What place required someone standing at the very pinnacle of the cosmic races to hide their identity to enter?

The more Ye Zhongming thought about it, the more he felt this mask was special, even mysterious.

He examined it more closely and indeed discovered a secret.

On the inner side of the mask, in the eye area, beneath both the left and right eyes, there were very fine raised bumps. After fiddling with them for a while, Ye Zhongming found that they were actually two rows of mechanisms.

Anyone else might have discovered the mechanisms but been unable to do anything with them. But Ye Zhongming was a craftsman—and one who was absolutely among the top across the cosmic races. After studying them for a bit and inputting varying amounts of energy, he figured them out.

He smiled, lightly tapped those lower mechanisms with his fingers, and after a moment, there was a soft click, and all those small mechanisms popped up.

Ye Zhongming discovered that, with the mechanisms activated, the mask actually began to connect to the network of the cosmic races on its own!

This startled Ye Zhongming greatly. If the Huoʼer Star people ever found out that Kunzuo had been killed by him, even with the Su Clanʼs protection, he would be killed seventy or eighty times over.

Just as he was frantically cutting off the network connection, he found that the mask had only received a very, very small amount of data. Then, through the transparent crystals in the eye area, it projected a passage of text directly in front of the mask.

It was the name of a city in the Fifth Survivor Fortress, followed by a specific time and a specific location within the city, as well as the entry password.

The Cloud Peak King drew in a breath. What the hell was this? Had Kunzuo joined some kind of secret organization?