abnormal mutation

Chapter 137 Top Secret Operation
"Don't rush. Even if you were to top up your account now, you'd still be far from ready," Roland advised.

"Is recharging life the only way? How much does it cost to awaken a bloodline?" Colin calmed down and began to think about more details.

He knew his ultimate goal might be the middle sequence, but when he saw Bloodline Awakening, his passion ignited instantly. Bloodline Awakening was crucial for Bloodborne Warlocks; with an additional Ring of Life, there was a possibility of advancing even further.

With Roland as a beneficiary, he did not have much doubt about its authenticity.

"Recharging life points is just the regular way. Extraordinary traits, extraordinary materials, gold, magical items, sealed artifacts, intelligence, etc. can all be exchanged for [coins]. Currently, five life points can be exchanged for one coin, and one coin is roughly equivalent to one German Yuan..."

This is Roland's initial pricing for the beehive. Assuming the average lifespan of an ordinary person is 150, and it reaches over 220 after infection, then it can be exchanged for four coins at a time. It takes three days to recover, and one can only "sell one's life" twice a week.

This way, he could earn eight German dollars a week, which was no worse than working in a factory. Of course, Roland had the power to set prices, and he could change the percentage at any time.

“Don’t worry, although there’s only one stock of Bloodline Awakening, new ones will be added every day or two, and the price will be different. The minimum cost is… 20,000 Hive Coins.” He continued to make up stories.

Bloodline awakening is an abnormal mutation. A dozen or twenty portions of slightly contaminated low-sequence extraordinary materials can be exchanged for a basic model. The cost is no more than two or three thousand German dollars, and selling it for twenty or thirty thousand is simply too generous!
"Only 20,000?" Colin's eyes widened, suddenly feeling that happiness had come too unexpectedly. He didn't have much cash, but even if he just scraped together a few, it would be more than 30,000 or 40,000.

"When will my benefits be issued? Will I be considered a formal member after receiving them?" He was very curious about this unknown benefit.

"Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, who knows?" Roland said vaguely.

"Okay." Colin was a little dejected. After getting familiar with the Hive system, he noticed that the network was too deserted. "It's one thing to have little intelligence, but why is there so little information about what I've seen and heard?"

"Who knows?" Roland feigned ignorance. "There have always been very few. I only have a dozen or so close friends. Maybe everyone is just low-key."

Actually, posting valuable insights earns you Hive Coins as a reward, and if you're highly active, you can purchase scarce resources.

This administrator is rather lazy; the news value is mainly determined by the chessboard itself. Anyway, it doesn't matter if he's wrong, he only needs to keep an eye on the transactions.

"I see." Colin touched his nose, his eyes flickering.

He has his own detective agency and many friends in newspapers, law firms, the judiciary, the business world, detective circles, and aristocratic circles. He knows countless secrets.

Roland knew exactly what he was thinking, and that was exactly the effect he wanted.

"Go back now, I need to report to headquarters. If you trust me, we can cooperate directly, through Hive. You'll get your share after it's done."

"Of course I believe you. I wish us success." Colin smiled and extended his hand.

With a snap, Roland took her hand.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you. I'll keep the property deed and convert it into 25,000 coins, which I'll transfer to you through the Hive. Don't think it's too little; non-life recharges always come with a discount."

"I couldn't be happier!" Colin was overjoyed. He simply couldn't refuse and decided to compensate Roland in other ways.

…………

Two hours later, Roland led Charles and his entourage away from the Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

He had just met with Chamber of Commerce member Cassian and Security Consultants executive director Aldo, who are respectively the highest-ranking officials of the Chamber of Commerce and Security Consultants in Almoshid.

That shipment of weapons was indeed unrelated to the Chamber of Commerce. The Northern Union Chamber of Commerce was not exactly a model citizen, but it rarely did anything that touched the nerves of the Empire.

The chamber of commerce will definitely clear itself of any wrongdoing as soon as possible to avoid getting involved in any scandal.

Secondly, Roland planned to assign the six chess pieces to work in the intelligence department, and casually mentioned it to them. Upon hearing that they were Roland's contracted creatures, the two were overjoyed; as long as loyalty was guaranteed, no one complained about having too many extraordinary beings.

Afterwards, they arrived at the small, dilapidated building of the intelligence department. Roland found Wood and asked him to arrange for Charles and others to join the company.

Charles, Drake, Delos, and Violet form a synergy of three Ironblood Conquerors and two Fighters, skilled in combat, and join the Countermeasures Unit. Mandy and Sterburn are law enforcement officers, no strangers to intelligence work, and work with Woody on intelligence missions.

Intelligence is a combination of overt and covert methods, and there are many ways to do it. Spies and undercover agents are just one of them. You have to be flexible and adaptable.

The manpower and money have been provided, and the goal is clear: starting with the law enforcement officer's charges, if Wood still doesn't achieve much, then Roland will have to find someone else to take over.

No matter how you seek revenge, you must first know the enemy's intelligence, especially the Relic Light Society and the Seventh Authority. How can you strike them if you don't even know where they are?

There's also the Thistle Flower Merchant Guild; the influence of the Sid Empire still lingers, so a direct attack is definitely not an option.

On the way back by car, a message notification came through the Hive terminal. Colin had created a new group called Top Secret Operation and sent a long message.

Roland smiled faintly. Colin was having too much fun; it seemed he would be organizing intelligence as soon as he got back.

The car bumped along the coastal road, so he leaned to the side to let the sunlight shine on his sunburst cloak, closed his eyes slightly, and carefully studied the intelligence.

The Thistle Flower Merchant Guild's cargo is on a steam freighter called the Sunflower. It has already departed from Flying Flower Island in the north of the Duchy of Seraphim on the Seraphim continent, and its destination should be Olmeda, the capital of the Sid Empire.

The two continents are very close, with the closest point being the Silent Strait outside the North Bay, less than five hundred Delhi wide, which could be reached in about three days by steam freighter.

After passing through the Silent Strait, the cargo ship will likely travel along the east coast into the South China Sea, where the capital is located. The area is bustling with ships, making it difficult to make a move.

Colin wanted to act before then; he could charter a cruise ship quickly. The Silent Sea was calm and calm, and the cruise ship could reach the designated location within a day.

Honeycomb network.

Mysterious man: "The Silent Sea is too risky. Try to determine the exact location and route, and take action on the east coast."

Singer: "???"

The mysterious man said, "I have my own way of doing things. You don't need to participate in the battle. Your task is to keep a close eye on this ship and report its situation in as much detail as possible."

Roland hesitated to inquire about the source of the intelligence, but assumed there was an inside man. The vast ocean offered no landmarks, making navigation difficult; sailing towards the east coast should make things easier.

Singer: "Okay."

Colin felt that Roland might be going to use his organizational connections, but without requiring him to take any risks, so he was naturally happy to see it happen.

…………

Nighttime, Cascaspunas, train station.

Caius woke up groggily to a dark surrounding. A foul odor, a mixture of sour, wheaty, and fecal smells filled his nostrils. His body ached and felt exhausted; even the slightest movement took a long time to recover.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered that he was on a long-distance train to the capital.

"Which station is this?" He forcefully woke up the subordinate next to him.

"Huh? Ah, brother, this seems to be Cascasbuenas. I was too tired and accidentally fell asleep." The subordinate rubbed his stiff neck in pain, and even trying to bow his head to admit his mistake seemed very stiff.

"It's alright, have something to eat." Caius couldn't bear to scold him.

After receiving that mysterious gift, his physical condition improved greatly, but he was still exhausted both physically and mentally; the long-distance train journey in a hard seat was too torturous.

This train travels from Almosid to the imperial capital Olmeda, a journey of over 1,200 kilometers that takes three days and three nights, passing through multiple stations along the way.

The train doesn't run at night; it stops at designated stations for rest, and passengers aren't allowed to leave the station at will. Aside from passengers at the station's own location, everyone else eats, drinks, and relieves themselves inside the carriages—you can imagine the conditions.

But there was no other way; it was good enough that we could even buy a ticket.

After leaving Glacier Town, Caius traveled without delay, occasionally staying in a run-down inn. He dared not spend his money even when he had it. Upon learning that he had left the three counties of the North, he felt inexplicably excited.

After eating a quick bite, he stood up and stretched a little, then hugged the package to his chest and went back to sleep.

On the platform, Roland stood in the dim light, seemingly unaware as the station police walked past him.

'Cascasbuenas? That's a long name. Wouldn't it be better to simplify it?' He glanced at the name on the bus stop sign, not understanding but only able to respect it.

As he walked through the messy aisle into the carriage, a sliver of gold occasionally landed in a passenger's pocket or bag.

This action will not break invisibility, but picking up an item will. Only after becoming visible and picking up the item will the "mysterious" cover become invisible again.

Caius is the one who has traveled the farthest among the many medium holders or infected. Now there are infected or mediums distributed in major cities in the North, but the South is a blank. This train will take his spark south.

Finally, he came to Caius's side, raised his hand and pushed, and a divine mind lock quietly merged into his soul.

(End of this chapter)