158: Chapter 158 Confiscating Ancient Martial Arts Techniques from Across the Land, Creating My Own Shadow Guard
The wind was strong, stinging against the face.
Qin Yuan rubbed his nose and withdrew his gaze.
"A secret?"
He sneered.
"What kind of secrets could those cultivation folks have? It's probably just some rat that hasn't died yet, looking for a handout."
He turned around and walked towards the plane.
"Tell Old Gao to handle it. If it really doesn't work out, just bury it back. Don't let it dirty our place."
"Got it!"
Gu Qianqian pulled her head back and tapped a few keys on the keyboard.
The plane door closed, shutting out the cold wind from outside.
The heating in the cabin was turned on high.
Qin Yuan sat back on the leather sofa and unbuttoned his coat.
"Back to the Capital."
The Capital, western suburbs. A secret base three hundred meters underground.
The air carried the pungent smell of a mixture of disinfectant and machine oil.
Qin Yuan walked in front, his leather shoes making a "clack-clack" sound on the alloy floor.
A-Fu followed behind, carrying a thermos cup filled with goji berries.
"Young Master, everything has been transported back," A-Fu whispered.
Ahead was a huge warehouse with a thirty-centimeter-thick explosion-proof door.
The door opened. Inside, things were piled up like a mountain.
Old bamboo slips, wooden boxes emitting the scent of herbs, and strange-shaped stones and weapons.
Everything had been confiscated from those reclusive sects.
Kunlun's, Wudang Sect's, Shaolin's—all piled together in a mess.
Some bamboo slips were still stained with blood, some were blackened, and they emitted a musty smell.
"Just this junk?"
Qin Yuan stepped forward and casually picked up a roll of bamboo slips. It was inscribed with the "Taishang Wangqing Lu."
He didn't even look at it and threw it back. The bamboo slip hit the stones with a crisp sound.
"These old geezers worship these things like treasures."
He brushed the dust off his hands. "And yet, they couldn't even withstand a single shell from me."
Gu Qianqian pushed a cart full of potato chips over. She was chewing on an original-flavored chip, making a crunching sound.
"Boss, don't look down on this junk," she said, pointing to the pile of bamboo slips.
"I stayed up all night yesterday and scanned all these things into the supercomputer."
She wiped the potato chip crumbs from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. "There is indeed something to them. Some of the energy circulation methods can't even be explained by modern science."
"Something to them?"
Qin Yuan turned his head. "No matter how much there is to them, it depends on who is practicing."
He walked to an open wooden box containing a dried, century-old wild ginseng. A rich, earthy smell wafted up.
"Those old geezers practiced for hundreds of years, but weren't they still slaughtered by me like dogs?"
"That's because they were stupid," Gu Qianqian pouted. "The system has already simulated it for me. If the essence of these techniques is extracted..."
Her eyes lit up. "Remove those pretentious impurities. Then combine it with our current biological genetic technology."
"We can create an accelerated, enhanced version of ancient martial arts techniques."
Qin Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Accelerated?"
"Yes! Ignoring aptitude!" Gu Qianqian excitedly patted the cart, making the potato chip bags sway.
"As long as the body can withstand the genetic modification, and then practice this technique, one month will be equal to a hundred years of practice for those old geezers!"
One month equal to a hundred years. Even a fool could do that math.
Qin Yuan rubbed his chin, which had newly grown blue stubble that felt prickly.
"A-Fu," he turned to look at the old butler. "Go. From orphanages, slums, and war-torn areas across the globe."
"Find me people."
A-Fu took a sip of his goji berry tea; the water was a bit hot, and he made a slurping sound. "How many?"
"The more, the better. Only the fiercest, those who aren't afraid of death." Qin Yuan's gaze turned cold. "Don't exceed fifteen years of age."
"Yes, Young Master." A-Fu put down the thermos and turned to leave.
Qin Yuan looked at the mountain of secret manuals. "Qianqian."
"Yes, Boss."
"I'll give you one month to get that technique out for me." Qin Yuan pointed at the pile of junk. "Money, equipment, people—use whatever you need."
"I want an invincible army that is loyal only to me."
One month later. Underground base, Training Ground No. 7.
The space was huge, as big as ten football fields. The air was thick with the smell of blood and sweat.
The floor was covered in dark red bloodstains that couldn't be washed away.
There was no day or night here, only glaring incandescent lights.
"Bang!" A dull thud. A twelve or thirteen-year-old boy was sent flying, slamming heavily into the reinforced concrete wall.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, which contained two broken teeth. But he didn't scream.
His eyes, like a wolf, stared fixedly at the instructor in front, and he struggled to stand up.
He was wearing a tight black combat suit. The suit was already tattered, and the exposed skin was covered in blue and purple bruises and needle marks.
Those needle marks were left by the injection of genetic agents.
"Too slow!" The instructor was a bald man with a scar across the bridge of his nose.
He held a high-voltage electric baton in his hand, which still had dried blood on it.
"Are you pigs?! You can't even learn such a simple energy circulation route?!"
"Zzzzt—" The electric baton jabbed the back of a girl who had fallen to the ground, emitting a burnt smell.
The girl's body convulsed, but she bit her lip tightly, not making a sound.
This is called training? This is called raising Gu.
Qin Yuan stood in the glass observation room on the second floor. The glass was one-way; those outside couldn't see inside.
He held a glass of ice water in his hand, and water droplets slid down the side of the glass, dripping onto the carpet.
He watched the children below tearing at each other like wild beasts.
"What is the elimination rate?" He took a sip of ice water, which stimulated his esophagus.
"Eighty percent," Gu Qianqian said, standing next to him, holding a tablet, her eyes slightly red.
She hadn't been sleeping much lately, and her dark circles were heavy.
"Those who couldn't withstand the genetic modification, those who suffered qi deviation while practicing, and those beaten to death by the instructors."
Her voice was a bit low. "There are still thirty thousand left now."
Thirty thousand. That was enough. Qin Yuan put down the water glass.
"Issue them equipment."
Three days later. Assembly Square No. 1. This place was even larger than the training ground.
Thirty thousand Shadow Guards stood neatly in square formations.
There was not a sound. One couldn't even hear breathing.
They wore uniform black high-tech power armor. A ghostly blue light flowed over the surface of the armor.
These were the indicator lights for the micro anti-gravity devices and energy shields.
They carried Gauss rifles on their backs and special titanium alloy combat knives at their waists.
The masks were fully enclosed black glass, making it impossible to see their faces.
But that terrifying killing intent, a mixture of ancient martial qi and modern technology, hovered over the entire square, almost solidifying. It was so oppressive that it made people unable to breathe.
Qin Yuan, wearing a black trench coat, walked up to the high platform. The hem of his trench coat swayed slightly in the wind from the artificial ventilation system.
He didn't take a microphone. But he channeled his newly upgraded Qi-Luck True Power. His voice exploded over the square.
"From today on," Qin Yuan looked down at those thirty thousand humanoid killing machines.
"You have no names. Only serial numbers."
"You have no past. Only obedience."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over each formation.
"Tell me, who is your master?!"
Thirty thousand people. Not a single person hesitated.
"Swish!" Thirty thousand Shadow Guards knelt on one knee in perfect unison.
The armor on their knees slammed into the alloy floor, producing a deafening metallic collision sound.
"Boom!" The ground even shook.
They raised their heads, looking up at Qin Yuan on the high platform through their black masks.
"Fight for the Master!"
"Fight for the Master!"
"Fight for the Master!"
The roar of thirty thousand people converged. Like a tsunami, like thunder. It echoed back and forth in the huge underground space, shaking the lights at the top until they hummed.
Qin Yuan looked at this invincible army that belonged to him, completely formed. A satisfied sneer curled the corners of his mouth.
He turned around and said to A-Fu behind him.
"Prepare."
Qin Yuan tugged at his tie, feeling it was a bit tight.
"Didn't that old beggar say there was a heaven-shaking secret?"
"Bring him to see me."