Chapter 614 - Meeting Ji Zhongyi Again

In a restaurant near the Weeping Mines, Han Wu was eating the specialty dish of the region, called ore biscuit, when a man with a discerning gaze entered the establishment and talked to the owner.

The owner pointed at Han Wu, and the perceptive-looking man approached him. “Excuse me, are you Mr. Han Wu?”

Stiffening, Han Wu eyed the man warily. Having killed Stark and destroyed the mechs from the Machine God Cult just a couple of days ago, Han Wu assumed the man before him was a cult member seeking revenge.

“Wait, I think you’re misunderstanding something,” the man said, sensing the tension in the air. “I’m an informant. I’ve received a request from a customer called Ji Dezhu to come and search for Mr. Han Wu.”

Ji Dezhu’s name put Han Wu at slight ease. The man had a grudge against the Machine God Cult. There was no way he would work with them to harm Han Wu.

“I’m Han Wu.”

“That’s amazing. Ji Dezhu is waiting for you at this address.” The man handed him a piece of folded paper. “You must visit him.”

With that, the man left. Han Wu opened the paper. Written inside was the name of a hotel and a room number.

“Is this a trap from the cult?” Han Wu shook his head. The cult dominated this region. They didn’t need to use such convoluted methods to ambush him. They could easily just bomb the area he was in.

But didn’t Ji Dezhu run away? Why does he want to meet me?

Han Wu wondered.

Despite his uncertainty, he ultimately headed to the address on the paper. As he stood before the room door, he couldn’t help but hesitate, unsure whether this was a trap. In the end, he decided to test his luck. The worst thing that could happen was a fight.

He knocked on the door, and a gravelly voice came from inside. “Who’s there?”

“Han Wu!”

“Enter, quick!” the voice urged, tone betraying the owner’s nerves.

The first thing Han Wu saw when he opened the door was the Mechmouse King’s janky exterior. Glancing around, he then noticed Ji Zhongyi sitting on a chair, with Ji Dezhu nowhere to be found.

Ji Zhongyi looked horrible. His right arm and left leg were gone, and his body was littered with wounds. Blood seeped through his bandages, which looked as though they were about to peel off at any moment. Han Wu gulped, his previous dissatisfaction with Ji Zhongyi lessening at his pitiful state.

“What happened to you? Where’s your father?”

The Ji Zhongyi of before would never have recognized Ji Dezhu as his father, instead calling him the old bastard. This time, however, he no longer rejected the title.

“My father is dead,” he said, pointing at the mechanical leg at the side of the bed. That leg was the only thing that remained of his father at the site of the explosion.

Han Wu's heart sank. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“My father told me to find you, that you can protect me,” Ji Zhongyi said with a sigh.

Han Wu scoffed. “Protect you? Why should I do that?”

In his eyes, Ji Zhongyi was unbefitting of his attention.

Ji Zhongyi smiled plainly. “I’ve never listened to my father. Not even once. And I’m not planning to follow his instructions and run away this time either. But I was hoping that your friendship with him would convince you to help me.”

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

“What kind of help?”

“Can you tell me where the Machine God Cult is?”

Han Wu laughed. “How would I know? You should know better than I. You worked with them once before.”

Ji Zhongyi didn’t refute his words. Though crestfallen, he simply smiled bitterly. “It’s fine if you don’t know. Thank you for meeting me. Goodbye.”

With that, he turned to stare blankly out the window.

Han Wu had nothing more to say either, so he left. Before exiting the hotel premises, he summoned an avatar to stay behind and keep an eye on Ji Zhongyi. This way, he would know if Ji Zhongyi met anyone else and perhaps even figure out his end goal.

The avatar waited patiently, continuously expanding his senses into Ji Zhongyi’s room. He didn’t have to wait long.

A man in white robes soon entered with two large suitcases. This man was a doctor who specialized in attaching mechanical limbs for amputees, and the two suitcases contained a mechanical right arm and a left leg. The doctor swiftly started attaching the mechanical limbs to Ji Zhongyi.

It was an agonizing procedure, but despite the excruciating pain, Ji Zhongyi didn’t let out even a single whimper. He steadfastly endured the operation through sheer willpower.

Han Wu’s displeasure toward him lessened at this show of strength. Silently enduring the pain of the procedure showed that Ji Zhongyi was a true man.

Considering both this and Han Wu’s friendship with Ji Dezhu, Han Wu decided to help Ji Zhongyi. After all, he didn’t exactly want Ji Zhongyi to die either. So, he sent the Life Avatar to infuse Ji Zhongyi with Life Energy, healing his wounds.

By the second day, Ji Zhongyi could move normally and immediately started familiarizing himself with his artificial limbs. He wanted to get used to them as soon as possible. Nevertheless, just having mechanical limbs wasn’t enough for him to get revenge. He would need to become stronger.

Pulling out a small chest from his belongings, he opened it to reveal four level 10 chips: Bullet Time, Explosive Ape King, Weapon Manufacture, and Gaia Hammer. They were each worth a fortune, and equipping them required a suitable mechanical device or vessel.

However, Ji Zhongyi had a much more disturbing plan in mind. He wanted to implant them into his own flesh—a taboo in the Lawless Civilization, as biological matter didn’t have the endurance of machines.

More than 80% of those who attempted this died during the process. Even if they succeeded, their body would be damaged, with the chip continuously leaking deadly toxins into the body forever. Implanting them into one’s body was effectively suicide, but Ji Zhongyi was adamant. This was the only way he could think of to significantly increase his strength in a short time.

His mind was firmly set, and he called upon the doctor again to carry out the forbidden procedure. He was going to implant all four chips at once.

Even the experienced doctor had never done this before. It was risky enough to implant a single chip into the body. Even if it succeeded, the metal and pathogens within a single chip would cause the patient to suffer a long, drawn-out death, much less four of them.

The doctor tried to persuade him against this, but Ji Zhongyi was stubborn. He wanted the doctor to implant all four chips into his body immediately.