NOVPUBClown hastily responded, "Yes, it’s my inadequacy that requires your personal intervention."
With a disdainful snort, Daniel retorted, "At least you’re aware, useless one!"
"Daniel!"
"Dan!"
"Are you okay? We’re here to back you up!"
A series of shouts echoed from the stairwell.
Daniel recognized them immediately as the voices of Alex, Mike, and Julia.
Clown was quick to pick up on the situation. "Sir, shall we retreat for now?"
Without a hint of emotion, Daniel nodded, "If there’s any matter, I will contact you directly or have Wes inform you."
At this, Clown produced a glass vial from his pocket, cradling it gently in his hand.
"This is our latest successful creation, the Genetic Enhancement Elixir. This is the only one. I originally intended to use this as a token to secure a meeting with the Godfather. But now, I offer it to you, the respected Sir Daniel."
Daniel’s expression remained unreadable, betraying no emotion.
With arms suspended in the air, Clown placed the elixir carefully on a desk next to Daniel, hearing the approaching footsteps growing louder.
"Wes, let’s go."
As Clown and Wes made their exit, Daniel had just pocketed the elixir when a group, led by Alex and including Brooks, stormed in from the stairwell.
"Where are they?"
"Did they escape?"
Brooks, upon reaching Daniel, scanned the area.
Alex, after a quick survey, finally pointed in one direction, "They left from there."
Daniel quickly interjected, "Don’t pursue them. They are from the Rebirth Corporation."
The group halted, looking at Daniel with bewilderment.
Why would someone from the Rebirth Corporation be here?
Without further explanation, Daniel gestured to the fallen monsters on the floor, "The threats here have been dealt with."
With that, he headed toward the stairwell by himself.
Exchanging glances, the group, in silent agreement, refrained from questioning further, following Daniel’s steps.
...
Elsewhere.
Clown and Wes had successfully evacuated the building.
Noticing there were no pursuers, Clown remarked, "That man truly embodies supreme skill and audacity, daring to infiltrate the core team of the Investigation Bureau."
By this point, Clown was 99% convinced of Daniel’s identity.
The remaining 1% revolved around Daniel’s true power.
He had never known anyone capable of concealing their power so expertly.
While posing as an average person might be simple to people who had the immense power, consistently emanating the aura of one was an entirely different feat.
Yet, throughout their brief encounter, Daniel exhibited not a trace of an elite’s aura. Such a masquerade was eerily impeccable.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Clown voiced his doubts, "Wes, did you sense any particular power emanating from Sir Daniel? Why do I feel like he’s unusually weak?"
Wes responded gravely, "I believe, even if Sir Daniel allowed you to strike him thrice, you would likely fail to inflict the slightest harm. Besides, his seeming lack of strength is befitting his status. Have you ever heard of an organization’s top brass personally getting their hands dirty? That would be quite beneath them."
"That’s true..."
Wes’s words effectively dispelled the last of Clown’s uncertainties.
The two soon vanished into the darkness.
...
When Daniel returned to the car, Sophia sat inside, her face etched with worry.
Only when she saw Daniel did her brow relax, and she excitedly rushed into his embrace. "You are finally back!"
Holding Sophia, Daniel could even feel the subtle tremors of her body.
The poor girl was genuinely frightened.
He gently patted her head and soothingly caressed her back, spending some time to comfort her.
The streets were still bustling, but the recent leap from the building had many bystanders holding their breath in shock.
Videos of the event flooded the internet, with many speculating that monsters were now rampant throughout Golden Shores City.
Many feared it wouldn’t be long before the city became a nest for these creatures, with the inhabitants serving as their prey.
The speculation grew more dramatic online, and soon, tales spun of Golden Shores City as a realm where monsters roamed freely.
The narrative grew so wild, some described the city as nothing short of a terrestrial hell.
Many uninformed citizens began packing their belongings, preparing to flee Golden Shores City for safer regions.
In no time, the city’s outbound highways were choked with vehicles.
With the situation escalating to this extent, almost all shops on the commercial street had shut their doors.
Daniel and Sophia’s shopping trip had ended before it even began.
Upon returning to the Investigation Bureau headquarters, Sophia was immersed in her research.
Meanwhile, Daniel took a seat on the living room sofa, extracting the Genetic Enhancement Elixir for closer inspection.
Housed within a glass vial the width of a thumb, the elixir exhibited a pale green hue, seemingly unremarkable at a glance.
Presumably, Rebirth Corporation had invested substantial time in its development, explaining why Clown hadn’t bothered detailing its functionality to him.
Left with no other options, Daniel resorted to the system to appraise the elixir.
Soon, the assessment results appeared.
[Item]: Genetic Enhancement Elixir (Type VI)
[Detail]: Grants a 5% chance to enhance the fusion between the human body and its special abilities, elevating the degree of power development and unlocking a Gene Lock, thereby boosting strength.
[Appraisal]: A scientifically crafted potion, devoid of adverse side effects. Its outstanding efficacy can only be described as a stroke of genius.
[Market Value]: 100 million StellarCoins.
[Resale Value]: 80 million StellarCoins.
...
The system’s assessment was highly favorable.
A mere 5% success rate garnered an evaluation as high as a hundred million.
After some contemplation, Daniel felt the familiar sensation of the silk thread emerging from the palm of his right hand.
The Enchanted Eyes, silk thread, and Skeletal Armor!
Though he had mastered the silk thread and Skeletal Armor, he hadn’t yet touched upon their core power.
It’s like one’s own limbs, always intuitively responsive.
It shouldn’t be that when you wish to lift a cup, the brain has to relay a command, saying, "Hey, tell the right hand to bring the cup to the mouth."
If that were the case, humanity could never have achieved its current technological prowess.
However, the silk thread, Skeletal Armor, and Enchanted Eyes require explicit commands to function.
This introduces a delay in reaction time, sometimes even up to a second.
In confrontations between mighty beings, a millisecond’s delay could be fatal.
The appearance of the Genetic Enhancement Elixir promised a significant improvement to this situation.
A 5% chance to heighten the fusion between the body and its special abilities, even potentially unlocking a Gene Lock. Progressing straight from a level 1 Evolver to a level 2 Evolver!
Daniel stared intently at the elixir in hand, unhesitatingly administering it into his arm.
The pale green substance coursed into his system via the automatic needle atop the vial.
The pain was excruciating, as if a drill tore through his skin and burrowed deeper.
A harrowing, unbearable stinging sensation enveloped him, as though countless insects were gnawing away at every inch of his flesh and cell.
Of course, compared to the anguish of dying countless times at Atelarxus’s hands, this pain was trifling.
His expression remained placid, even leisurely sipping coffee from the table and savoring its taste.
After an enduring three hours, the abnormal sensation within began to ebb.
Daniel instantly felt the difference.
His mastery over his abilities seemed to have elevated by more than just a notch.
They felt like innate appendages, responding instantly to the slightest thought.
The resulting power they yielded also vastly exceeded previous limits.
With his current prowess, he could now maximize the strength of all three abilities.
But... Was that all?
Daniel furrowed his brows, meticulously examining his own body.
Within that mysterious place inside him, the miniaturized, soul version of Daniel had a Gene Lock wrapped around it. Yet, not a second one had been unlocked.
"A five percent chance, did I lose the bet?"
It seemed that way.
While his three abilities had indeed merged more with his body, no new Gene Lock had been unlocked.
Thus, with a stoic expression, Daniel pulled out his Desert Eagle, pressing the barrel to his temple.
Boom!
A gunshot echoed.
Inside, Sophia jumped, standing immediately, about to investigate the noise.
In that instant, the world faded into oblivion.
...
Revived once more, Daniel administered the Genetic Enhancement Elixir again.
To enhance the odds, he changed his injection posture, lying face-down on the sofa and injecting the elixir into his buttocks.
Three hours later, another failure!
... 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
This time, Daniel targeted his thigh, only to fail again!
...
He tried an area two finger-widths from his navel, piercing the skin. Yet again, disappointment.
...
And so it went, once, twice, thrice... all the way to the eighteenth attempt.
It was beyond Daniel’s comprehension how his luck could be so abysmal.
Despite the five percent probability, it took a staggering eighteen attempts to find success.
Yes, he was now a level 2 Evolver!
A spark of excitement gleamed in Daniel’s eyes.
He could distinctly feel his strength multiplying.
His quest for vengeance against Atelarxus had taken another significant step forward!
