Zhou Yi returned to find the hot pot still steaming.
However, the others had already left, leaving only Lord Sha Hai sitting on a steel-framed chair, sweating profusely as he tackled a chicken bone rack. He had now dared to challenge the spiciest broth, requiring him to slurp water incessantly as he ate.
Zhou Yi sat opposite him, "Is the flavor decent?"
"After enduring the initial pain, it gets quite comfortable," Lord Sha Hai exhaled a breath of hot air, his mouth already reddening.
"Mr. Zhou, there's been an incident at the Big Buddha..."
The Buddha's light disappeared?
Jiong He, after last taking down a Thunder Beast, had continued to search for a suitable unifier. It had been over ten days now. It was the first time it hadn't returned for so long.
If a Condenser wanted to take away a Light Absorption Monster, it would definitely notify him.
There was no reason for the Light Absorption Monster, which had settled nicely on the Big Buddha, to leave.
"Let's go take a look."
Zhou Yi moved the hot pot aside and extinguished the Flame Cup below with sand.
Arriving outside Sand Port City, Zhou Yi saw that the Big Buddha was left with only a faint halo of light, and indeed, many Light Absorption Monsters were missing.
He activated consciousness synchronization and asked, "Big Buddha, what's the deal with the Light Absorption Monsters?"
"Zhou Yi, Big Buddha, I don't know. They flew into the Dead Sea."
"Is there anything else abnormal?"
That made it even stranger.
It seemed he'd have to ask the individuals involved to get to the bottom of it.
Zhou Yi took out a Guangna Box, poured a Light Seed into his hand, and several Light Absorption Monsters swarmed over, beginning to draw power from the Light Seed.
While in contact, Zhou Yi activated consciousness synchronization and questioned these individuals.
"We're being called."
"There's a power over there calling us."
"Some have gone, I didn't go."
There was another Condenser in the Dead Sea, stealthily taking them away.
Zhou Yi was on alert.
Jiong He had just left, and now there was a foreign Condenser here stealing them; it seemed premeditated.
This thief was experienced, never showing itself and taking the Light Absorption Monsters little by little.
Most likely the work of an old hand.
Zhou Yi found it troublesome.
Condensers were Energy State Lives, incredibly fast, and the other party was also cautiously hiding in a distant dark spot, making it impossible to locate its exact position.
Zhou Yi prepared to probe the other party's reality.
He activated the "radio."
The other party kept releasing such a signal.
Zhou Yi immediately switched to channel 5.
The scene before his eyes changed abruptly.
The source was a glowing Triangular Star, concealed in haze, making it difficult to determine the exact location.
There was a large vortex in that area, like the eye of a storm viewed from above, spiraling the surrounding mist and electricity into a slowly expanding spiral.
The Condenser was in its peripheral area.
Zhou Yi immediately understood.
The other party was using the rapids to hide itself, knowing that normal lives would choose to stay away.
But this action also gave Zhou Yi an important reference point.
He had the Red Kestrel call up the satellite map.
Zhou Yi traveled on the Sea God, checking from near to far, and found that area of rapids in the northeast of the Sand Port Region.
The signal picked up by the radio became clearer.
Zhou Yi then activated the Sea God's Light Wheel Well and, by discerning with the Spark, locked onto the precise bearing.
Throughout the approach, he was extremely careful not to startle the other party.
The Condenser paid no attention to the Sea God, apparently considering this Electromechanical Life no threat.
Once within striking distance, Zhou Yi immediately activated the mic master.
The BGM realm unfolded!
The mic master immediately responded, "Got it."
Zhou Yi finally breathed a little easier.
Capturing a Condenser was like trying to grab a beam of light; the slightest mistake could ruin everything, making subsequent capture extremely difficult.
Now came the question of how to deal with the creature.
Zhou Yi decided to first see what the other party was made of, so he delved into the BGM world.
At that moment, the Condenser was on a small Floating Island.
The entire island sparkled, teeming with clusters of Light Absorption Monsters.
The Triangular Star looked around.
"What's happening... I should be in... the rapids area."
"What exactly happened?"
The entire world played a background track.
"Snowflakes are fluttering, north wind is whistling..."
Fei Yuqing's voice was smooth and elegant.
Zhou Yi saw that the Condenser kept trying to leave, but no matter how much it accelerated or turned into a golden flash, it always ended up back on the island.
"No good... this is a mental attack."
It circled above the island, "Who is it? Who's there?"
Zhou Yi watched coldly.
The Condenser began to flicker frantically, but no matter what, it could not break free from the scene; it relentlessly kept trying.
Zhou Yi grew tired of watching.
He snapped his fingers.
"Next song, let's have a combat one."
The BGM instantly switched to "Hero of Chaos."
The entire world began to twist and change.
Another Condenser appeared.
It was Jiong He, in the form of blue fireworks.
Floating above the island, it addressed the Triangular Star, "Sorry, Zhi, you're not the unifier I need. Please seek another."
The Condenser was stunned, "You? Is it you who locked me here?"
Jiong He, as if deaf, replied, "You wish to initiate combat fusion with me? If you insist, I accept the challenge."
It released a blue light beam, piercing through the Triangular Star in an instant.
Jiong He vanished without a trace.
The remaining Condenser began to exhibit rings of flickering and dimming lights.
Seconds later, Jiong He reappeared.
The plot began to loop.
Again and again, Jiong He's light blade pierced the opponent.
No matter what Zhi said or how it tried to escape, it couldn't evade the pursuit and penetration of the attack.
After several rounds, Zhi had become utterly dull, flickering in and out of visibility like a device with a low battery.
"Who are you, who are you?!"
It was starting to freak out.
Through observation, Zhou Yi had roughly understood.
Jiong had once wanted to combine with this Zhi, but was rejected. After Jiong's strength surged from combining with He, Zhi came back, seeking to join forces. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by noⅴelfire.net
But it was rejected again.
Then it came to steal.
Finally, Zhou Yi spoke up, "Why steal the Light Absorption Monster?"
Zhi darted around, seemingly trying to locate the source of the voice, but it was futile.
Ultimately, it realized that it was at a massive disadvantage.
"Light Absorption Monster... 'steal' is not the right word. Leaving them with Jiong He is a waste; he will never realize their value. In my company, they would have had a better chance of transforming into Condensers."
Zhou Yi asked again, "Then why didn't you wait for Jiong He to be present to summon the Light Absorption Monsters?"
The opponent was momentarily at a loss for words, deflecting, "Who are you?"
"Jiong He is an employee of our corporation. You're trespassing and stealing our employee's property. What do you think I should do with you?"
Zhi panicked momentarily, "Aren't Light Absorption Monsters everywhere? If you want, I'll return them to you, even double."
What Zhou Yi cared about wasn't that, "Answer me, what have you done to Jiong He. Lie, and you die."
He suspected this creature might have tricked Jiong He somehow.
"What have I done to it?"
Zhi said, startled and hastily insisting, "What could I possibly do to it? It's far stronger than me; I'm no match for it! This has nothing to do with me! It just went to find that guy... if anything happened, it's that guy's fault... it has nothing to do with me!"
"Another Condenser, it's called 'Cang'."
Zhi added, "Although Cang doesn't have much combat ability, its defense is incredibly strong, even Jiong He cannot breach it."
Zhou Yi's eyes lit up.
This ability complemented Jiong He, filling in the gaps where he was most deficient. It was no wonder that Jiong He sought out Cang.
"But Jiong He will never combine with it."
Zhi was certain, "Because Cang is an absolute individualist. It refuses to converse with others of its kind and detests combining. And the only combative unifier, Jiong He, cannot break through its defenses."
Zhou Yi asked, "Why is that?"
"Let me go first, and then I'll tell you."
Zhou Yi couldn't be bothered to waste words with it and played BGM, letting Jiong He subject it to several more rounds of light blade piercings.
As Zhi's brightness continued to decrease, it became more compliant.
"Cang is too cautious to venture into the Outer Sea, so it lacks the incentive to combine."
Zhou Yi was relieved.
The unification was Jiong He's own initiative; as long as there was no danger to himself, that was enough.
Next was dealing with this Light Absorption Monster thief.
"How many times have you stolen?"
"It's not theft; let's say 'taken'... just a few hundred times in total."
"I've stolen 2711 times..."
Upon hearing this number, Zhou Yi's first thought was to just eliminate the troublemaker.
It was clear that letting Zhi go was out of the question. Capturing a Condenser was difficult, and if this habitual thief were freed, the corporation would face constant vigilance against theft.
To put an end to it once and for all.
To finish it with a Life Strike.
Zhou Yi clenched his fist but cooled down a moment later.
He summoned Unit No. 2 instead.
Wondering whether he could recycle the Condenser for other uses.
"Energy State Life forms are rare, indeed it would be a pity to just destroy it."
Xiao Fu suggested, "Why not transform it into a Fire Seed Life and then further utilize its properties..."
Zhou Yi frowned, "I have to nurture it?"
As the saying goes, old habits die hard.
Zhi's penchant for theft left Zhou Yi with little interest.
"Don't rush; hear me out."
The Reverse Flow explained, "We can connect it to the Big Buddha."
"The Big Buddha inherently affects the consciousness of other lives, making those near it friendly and inclined towards stability rather than destruction. This is also a kind of transformation and experiment for the Condenser."
"It's easy for a solus entity to become stagnant. It requires multiple conscious entities constantly interacting and colliding to keep the consciousness of life vibrant, resulting in more changes."
"The Fire Seed Life, I believe, complements Architectural Life well."
Xiao Fu grew serious, "Da Zhou, you've been nurturing and developing Architectural Life, so I've also been considering how to further unlock their potential."
"Architectural Life can withstand a great deal of consciousness, adding Fire Seed Life will act as an activator and a catalyst."
"Furthermore, only we can restore the Fire Seed Life; they cannot leave the bodies of Architectural Life."
"I think we can start experimenting from this case."
Zhou Yi saw the light.
Xiao Fu was truly invested this time.
If the Leshan Buddha wasn't suitable, Jade City could also be used for the experiment.
He immediately transformed Zhi into a silver triangle, resembling the frameless Mercedes-Benz emblem.
Zhou Yi returned to Sand Port City and recounted the situation to the Leshan Buddha.
Leshan Buddha said, "Zhou Yi Big Buddha, this presents an entirely new spiritual practice for me. I am eager to try coexisting with other lives."
Thus, Zhou Yi fixed the Triangular Star in the ear of the Leshan Buddha, which was inconspicuous enough.
Electric lights periodically surrounded the Big Buddha, appearing like a rebel demon under restraint.
Xiao Fu reassured, "Don't worry, it won't break free."
The Big Buddha also stated, "This Zhi Big Buddha is quite aggressive towards me, an excellent fit for my practice. This is wonderful."
Zhou Yi smiled and asked, "Is it this fellow that has been covertly observing you?"
"No, it's not this one."
Buddha said, "The life from the Dead Sea is still staring at me."
Zhou Yi was taken aback.
It was not Zhi after all.
However, it seemed that the entity had been patient, observing from the shadows, making it difficult to discern its exact identity.
All they could do was wait for it to emerge.
Zhou Yi was especially attentive to the Leshan Buddha since this was the first case of Fire Seed Life and Architectural Life living together, vital for future development directions.