On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

Loca realized the seriousness of the problem at this moment. It was obvious that the [isolation shield] had collapsed too quickly. In less than half a minute, the turbid red mist released by the "Crimson Star" had seeped into the entire boiler machine through the cracks, contaminating all the equipment's circuit components and causing them to malfunction completely under the influence of the turbid mist.

Damn!

That leaves only one last resort.

"Falm! Quickly get your men to the bottom of the boiler. There's a manual safety device on the right rear side. Pull that switch, and the 'Relic' will be sent underground!!"

The reason Dr. Loka had to repeat all this to Falm under such urgent circumstances was because of a very cruel problem.

Who's going?

Anyone with half a brain should be able to see that the closer we get to the boiler, the more dangerous it becomes. In fact, a considerable amount of murky red mist has already leaked out from near the boiler.

To approach and pull the manual safety device at this moment would be tantamount to suicide. Even if they managed to prevent this major leak, they would have no chance of coming back alive.

Would anyone be willing to sacrifice themselves for Kaleva's factory?

Clearly, Dr. Loka and Falm, as the leader, were unwilling.

The gang members whose gazes were swept over by these two men either turned and ran away or trembled with fear and rejection in their eyes.

Let alone going to get the insurance, they'd probably be scared off halfway there.

Enraged, Farm pulled out his gun and pointed it at his men.

"As the doctor said, everyone get to the boiler right now!"

The leader of the Kaleva roared, for in his heart, no amount of his men's lives could compare to this factory, or the "relic of the Great Emperor" that they hoped for.

No matter how much sacrifice was made, it was all worthwhile to get through this accident safely.

However, before Falm could prepare to shoot one of them as an example, a commotion arose, and several of his men nearby suddenly shouted excitedly:

"Chief! Someone's gone over there! Someone's already heading towards the boiler!"

what!

Both Falm and Dr. Loka were overjoyed and quickly turned their gaze back toward the boiler.

And they spotted the person their men were talking about almost immediately.

after all.

Now, almost all the gangsters inside the factory are running out, except for the two "members" of Kaleva, who are going against the flow of people, heading towards the boiler, making them exceptionally conspicuous.

Moreover, they appeared remarkably calm, especially the young man in the lead, whose composure defied description.

There was no fear or panic on the young man's face. To put it bluntly, it gave Falm an absurd feeling that the young man was strolling around leisurely in an environment where pollution could erupt at any moment.

But no matter what.

Farm breathed a slight sigh of relief. The leader of the Kaleva secretly vowed that if the young man and his companions could successfully reach the boiler and pull the emergency stop, he would definitely give them a large bonus and promote them directly to the position of leader.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the two of them coming back alive.

Unfortunately, what Falm didn't know was...

These two Kaleva members, whom they now see as the factory's hope, are actually the very culprits behind this "Crimson Star" leak disaster.

At least one of the young men is definitely not going to escape.

"Old, old relic, what exactly happened? Where are we now? And I have a really bad feeling about that thing!"

A girl's uneasy voice came from behind.

However, Liao Ji did not turn around to comfort him, but instead said directly:

"If you still want to find your mother and rescue her, then... stick close to me."

As the young man spoke, Irene gazed at the crimson star that they were getting closer and closer to in the distance. A subconscious shiver ran through the girl from the depths of her heart. She didn't even need her scavenger instincts; anyone who wasn't blind could see the murky red mist that had already spread around the boiler, as if it were dancing wildly in the air.

It felt like there was a bottomless abyss of fire ahead, and all she was doing was jumping in with the young man.

Yilin answered Liao Ji with her actions.

The girl gritted her teeth, overcoming the fear that emanated from the depths of her soul. Supported only by a single belief, she chased after the young man's back step by step, staying close behind him.

This wasn't just her obsession with rescuing her mother; there was something deeper, a feeling a young girl couldn't quite articulate—perhaps a stubborn streak. She didn't want to "fall behind" Liao Ji.

20 meters. 10 meters. 5 meters

As Liao Jimei closed the distance to the "Crimson Star" by one step, its tremors became more rapid, and the turbid shock it released became more intense, as if every vibration made the hearts of everyone in the factory clench violently.

一 米

Finally, the tremors of the Crimson Star reached their peak, and in an instant, everyone present, including Irene who was following behind Liao Ji, was enveloped in intense dizziness.

The girl felt as if her heart was about to explode, all the blood rushing to her brain, a buzzing sound in her ears, and a feeling of being choked, so intense that she almost fainted.

This is the pollution and defilement of turbidity.

Grade B pollution.

And all of this until

Bang!

Whoosh!

First came a sound like a heavy object being struck, followed by a series of shattering sounds. After these two sounds, all the discomfort vanished, and even the spreading red mist disappeared without a trace, as if it were an illusion.

That's why, when everyone came to their senses, they were like drowning people surfacing, panting heavily.

No one could believe what they were seeing.

Kaleva's leader, Farm, stood frozen in place, while Dr. Loka next to him was even more exaggerated, rubbing his eyes incessantly and even slapping himself hard across the face.

Snapped!

But the pain in his cheek told him that this was not a hallucination.

What you see before you is real, it's reality!

All I saw was...

At the core of the boiler, the protective shield used to isolate the "Scarlet Star" had been completely shattered, with a large hole in it. The culprit behind this shattering...

It turned out to be the same young man they had placed their hopes on just half a minute ago!

Of course, these are not the real points.

The focus is

The young man reached out a hand and grasped the Crimson Star inside the [isolation shield].

Clenches. Holds tightly.

They had this terrifying Class B pollution source firmly in their grasp, and they had seized the "Emperor's Relic" that they had studied for decades and had to be extremely careful about, even building an entire secret factory to preserve and store it.

And judging from the young man's expression, it seemed as simple as eating and drinking? Just an ordinary, everyday action?

thump

Dr. Loca reacted the most. He went limp and knelt on the ground. He seemed to be possessed, his eyes fixed on Liao Ji, on the Crimson Star in the young man's hands. It was no longer trembling violently, and it was completely different from when it was about to leak and explode with pollution. It was now as docile as a kitten.

As Roca witnessed this scene, he felt as if something was shattering in his mind.

That was his worldview after living for decades.

Just. Just

So simple?

Yes.

It's that simple.

Holding the "Crimson Star" in my hand... Oh no, I'm sorry, now I should use its more professional name, its real name.

[Damaged Occult Source Material]

[Quality: ★★★★☆ (Disaster Level)]

Rarity: Epic

[Effect: When used on a 4-star or lower quality Evil One, it increases their rank by one star.]

[Turbidity Deviation: When used on a four-star Calamity user, there is a 60% chance of failure and the user's rank will be reduced by one star. When used on a three-star or lower Calamity user, there is a 40% chance of awakening an "Exclusive" skill.]

(Those ants that imprison it. Those filthy rats that have stripped it of its power. It longs to make them pay a terrible price.)

(Cut off their limbs! Tear their souls apart! Cut these filthy bodies apart! Chop them up! Let them feel the anger that has been dormant for five hundred years!!)

The Occult Essence is a rare and valuable item in The Fall, and as it is described, it is a precious "star-up" item.

It's important to know that no Evil One is ever born with a six-star rating. Even Liao Ji, who perfectly completed the first playthrough, only had a five-and-a-half-star rating for his five wives, the most talented succubus with supernatural abilities, "Rena."

Among them, the one with the lowest talent, who was also the first to follow Liao Ji, "Shutia," only had an initial four-star rating.

The reason they were able to become top-tier six-star "Calamity-level" Calamity-transformers was because Liao Ji continuously fed them [Calamity Source Essence] to enhance their potential, break free of their shackles, and gradually ascend to higher star levels.

Of course, as for [Evil Source Material], there are different qualities. The higher the star level, the higher the quality of the source material required, and the more quantity is needed.

Since this source material was dug out from the [Ruins Cave], and this area, in the first playthrough of the world map, belongs to the early stage of Liao Ji's exploration, the things stored and stored here would naturally not be too extravagant.

The source essence he currently possesses belongs to the lowest grade, capable of only upgrading four-star and below Evil Transformers.

And judging from the looks

Liao Ji read through the additional content of "Turbidity and Distortion" again, and the reason for this was immediately clear.

After the word "damaged" appeared, Liao Ji, who was holding it in his hand, could also feel that a lot of the power within the source substance had been lost, perhaps less than 40% remained? This explained the reason for the additional "instability" probability.

There is

Liao Ji glanced at the notes in parentheses at the bottom of the panel. These were usually in-game additions explaining the background story and history of the equipment/item, but now...

Ok.

Not only from these words, but he could also vaguely sense the anger and grievance that the source energy in his hand was constantly conveying to him.

All of this seemed to outline for Liao Ji what this source material had gone through during the five hundred years he disappeared.

And now, it has finally returned to its true owner.

Finally, someone can unleash its true power.

It only wants to do one thing right now.