At the same time...
Bai Ye had just left the Wish Mission area, dreaming of a bright future, and then...
Bai Ye was headshotted!
A crate suddenly fell from the sky, smashing Bai Ye to the ground.
"Damn it!"
Bai Ye cursed and looked up at the sky. It was indeed the Big Mouth Gull Express again.
Bai Ye opened the crate and saw that it was indeed a Gene Cell Modification Fluid.
Bai Ye should have received this item earlier. At that time, Bai Ye had already received the Mechanical Reconstruction and Undying Flame, and the Gene Cell Modification Fluid was part of the remaining payment.
Gao Ming should have already opened the restricted zone, but the Big Mouth Gull Express couldn't deliver items into the Wish Mission area, so he could only wait until Bai Ye came out.
Intermediate Gene Cell Modification Fluid (Item) (Black) x3: A gene potion that can strengthen the body by altering gene sequencing. After consumption, all physical attributes will randomly increase by 10-50 points, with a 100% chance to unlock the first gene gate, a 70% chance to unlock the second gene gate, and a 35% chance to unlock the third gene gate. If the gene gate unlock fails, there will be a side effect of gene sequencing recombination.
Bai Ye had actually received Gene Cell Modification Fluid before, but it was the initial, blue-quality version, which could only unlock the first gene gate.
The intermediate version given by Gao Ming could unlock up to three gene gates, and the random attribute increase range was also improved from "5-30" to "10-50."
The rather tragic part was that the side effects still existed; failing to unlock a gene gate would incur side effects.
However, Gao Ming also gave Bai Ye a bottle of Gene Modification Restoration Fluid, which could negate one side effect.
Strengthening the body was, of course, nothing to complain about. For anyone, it was a highly desired way to increase strength.
But using this item was quite painful. The last time, Bai Ye had directly passed out on the roadside and was picked up by Mulan.
This time, Bai Ye naturally learned his lesson and needed to find a neutral area to hide in before using it.
As Bai Ye was thinking, his Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
Bai Ye smiled and answered, "Gao Ming, are you that idle? Staring at whether I'm back all day and then calling me?"
"No, I've been trying to call you for two or three days, but I couldn't get through," Gao Ming said with some anxiety. "Something's happened."
"Hm?" Bai Ye frowned. "Is there a problem with the restricted zone intel I gave you?"
"No, there isn't, otherwise I wouldn't have sent the items," Gao Ming replied.
"Then why are you looking for me?" Bai Ye pouted. "I only provide intel. If you guys can't handle it, that's a problem with your own abilities, it has nothing to do with me."
Bai Ye only took responsibility for providing the information, and his reasoning was sound.
Bai Ye sold intel, and as long as the intel was correct, it was fine. It was like buying a movie online; even if you wanted one with beautiful women and received one with cross-dressing men, you couldn't deny it was still a movie.
"Bai Ye, I'm not trying to blame anyone. And if it were just about not being able to handle the restricted zone, I wouldn't have the nerve to call you. The current situation is a bit complicated."
Bai Ye asked, "How complicated?"
"We've had a collision," Gao Ming said.
"What do you mean?"
"We've clashed with people from the Hidden Dragon Society."
"Huh?" Bai Ye was stunned for a moment, then asked, "The Primal Domain?"
"No, the Primal Domain is going smoothly, and we should be able to take it in about half a month," Gao Ming explained. "Something's happened with the virtual game restricted zone. The Hidden Dragon Society has also found that place and entered the virtual game. There have already been two conflicts, and we... we... haven't gained any advantage."
Gao Ming's thick skin still needed practice. His words made his face flush with embarrassment.
Because it wasn't that they hadn't gained any advantage; they had been completely crushed by the Hidden Dragon Society.
Bai Ye wasn't stupid and naturally understood the implication, but he wasn't surprised.
The Evil Spirit Gang was a type that accumulated strength over time. In his previous life, it took nearly two years from its inception to reach parity with the Hidden Dragon Society. They had progressed from the early to the mid-late stages of the World Battlefield, which gave them the qualification to contend with the Hidden Dragon Society.
Moreover, at that time, internal conflicts within the Hidden Dragon Society had created an opportunity for the Evil Spirit Gang.
With Bai Ye's intervention in this life, the Evil Spirit Gang had lost much of its time for original accumulation, and the number of its members was increasing at a high speed.
However, in terms of hard power, they were still no match for the Hidden Dragon Society.
Especially in terms of the number of experts; the two sides were not on the same level. To put it bluntly, the only two types of people willing to join the Evil Spirit Gang now were:
The first type were those with insufficient strength who wanted a backing.
The second type were those who had been bullied by the Hidden Dragon Society and were therefore attracted to the Evil Spirit Gang's concept of banding together to resist the Hidden Dragon Society.
The commonality between these two types was: weak!
The Evil Spirit Gang was in a period of rapid development, and its main objective was to recruit more members, so it accepted everyone.
Therefore, although the Evil Spirit Gang seemed very glorious recently, with its member numbers even rivaling the Hidden Dragon Society.
But it was like two tall towers; even if they were the same height, one was made of wood, and the other was made of paper. Could their nature be the same?
Harvey Stenson, as the leader of the Evil Spirit Gang, indeed had some caliber.
The performance of this "castle in the air" did not deceive Stenson, which was why the deal for the Primal Domain came about.
On one hand, it was the old rules: rewards from restricted zones had to be collected, and fragments of God Stones from other chosen ones also had to be collected. But on the other hand, there was also a hidden meaning: to discard the dross and retain the essence.
Cruel as it was, Stenson was well aware that his foundation was not solid, and he was using this method to screen elites. Otherwise, with their current overall strength, the Evil Spirit Gang would not have the qualification to contend for the Primal Domain.
But even with Stenson moving in this direction, they were still far from being able to confront the Hidden Dragon Society directly.
Therefore, it was normal for the Evil Spirit Gang to clash with the Hidden Dragon Society and be beaten. It would be strange if they weren't.
"This matter is very serious. We have already raised our flag and gained some reputation, but if we are defeated by the Hidden Dragon Society this time, it will be a huge blow," Gao Ming said.
"Although we have gained some initial fame, we are far from having the capital to recruit experts. After this battle, even fewer experts will be willing to join us. They will think we don't have the qualifications to compete with the Hidden Dragon Society."
"There's another more important matter: our main force is in the Primal Domain. Those sent to climb the towers in the virtual game are the experts within the gang. If they are trapped and die in the virtual game, it will undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the Evil Spirit Gang."
Gao Ming had actually wondered if Bai Ye was setting them up, crippling the Evil Spirit Gang's experts, or even if Bai Ye was actually a member of the Hidden Dragon Society.
But the leader, Stenson, had not made any pronouncements, only instructing Gao Ming to seek help from Bai Ye.
The logic was simple.
If Bai Ye were to help, it would indicate that Bai Ye was not a member of the Hidden Dragon Society, and future cooperation could be deeper.
If Bai Ye refused, then whether Bai Ye was a member of the Hidden Dragon Society would not matter anymore. The Evil Spirit Gang would have suffered a heavy blow this time and would inevitably need a long period of recovery before it could regain its strength.