Chapter 170: Bloodline Modification
“My lord, Qiu Tieyi and the others have returned.”
The meeting room door was carefully knocked by Lu Tao, who then reported the news about Qiu Tieyi and the others.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ming casually put away the Source Crystals and other items back into his spatial ring.
“Call them in.”
“Yes.”
A moment later, Qiu Tieyi, whose build was like an iron tower, entered the meeting room with the Li Brothers and another twelve people.
“Paying respects to my lord.”
Qiu Tieyi and the others returned to the camp, put down their weapons, and came to meet Zhou Ming while still wearing bloodstained protective suits. The aura of slaughter lingering on their bodies had yet to dissipate.
“Quite a change.”
With a brief glance, Zhou Ming could sense that the muscles and bones of those before him were strong, their qi and blood vigorous, and their eyes noticeably sharper.
According to the requirements he had set, they were already qualified to begin practicing the Snake King Body martial path he had created.
As for why they could reach his standards so quickly, aside from the Han Family providing a large amount of martial resources, Qiu Tieyi and the others themselves had already been tempered by life among the Wildfolk.
“All thanks to my lord’s help that we had the chance to achieve what we have today.”
“How were the results of this outing?”
Facing Qiu Tieyi’s flattery, Zhou Ming remained unmoved and simply asked about the concrete results.
“Reporting to my lord, this time we left the camp and stayed in the wilderness for three days. In total, we hunted and killed five low-tier Ferocious Beasts. The strongest among them was a Giant Strength Gorilla.”
“During the hunting process, there were no casualties.”
Hearing Qiu Tieyi’s account of their gains, Zhou Ming was very satisfied with their performance.
Although they had originally been elites within the Wildfolk camp, after practicing the Mad Python Martial Way and re-equipping their weapons and gear, being able to hunt five low-tier Ferocious Beasts without any casualties was enough to qualify them for promotion to Black Iron Hunter within the Hunter Guild.
“Additionally, we had an unexpected gain. About ten kilometers east of our camp, we discovered a newly migrated Wildfolk camp.”
“Since we didn’t know how my lord wished to handle it, we temporarily did not make a move.”
“Oh? I didn’t expect you to have such an unexpected harvest.”
Hearing Qiu Tieyi’s report, Zhou Ming’s eyes lit up.
After all, aside from women and children, the current camp before him had barely close to two hundred usable people.
“How large is that camp?”
“Based on the intelligence we gathered, it should not exceed one hundred people at most.”
After learning the approximate situation, Zhou Ming immediately instructed Lu Tao to call Lin Hai over and briefly informed him of what Qiu Tieyi had reported.
“You will personally lead the field squads that are currently resting in the camp and forcibly absorb that newly discovered Wildfolk camp. Eliminate the leader and all of his trusted aides.”
“Yes. I guarantee the mission will be completed.”
Seeing an opportunity to earn merit, the usually expressionless Lin Hai revealed a trace of joy, then followed Zhou Ming’s orders and led his men out of the camp.
“You will wash up and change into plain clothes. Later, come to my small courtyard. I have new arrangements for you.”
“Yes.”
Although curious about Zhou Ming’s unusual orders, Qiu Tieyi and the others did not dare hesitate in the slightest and immediately accepted the command.
Ten minutes later, Qiu Tieyi and the others arrived at Zhou Ming’s quiet and deserted small courtyard.
Inside the living room, Zhou Ming sensed their arrival and put down the honey water in his hand.
Walking into the courtyard, Zhou Ming looked at the uneasy crowd before him and directly stated his purpose.
“Under the current circumstances, it will be very difficult for your strength to continue improving. Even if you spend a great deal of time, the increase will be limited.”
“Therefore, I intend to carry out bloodline modification on you, allowing you to gain the qualifications to practice the Snake King Body martial path.”
Upon hearing that Zhou Ming intended to perform bloodline modification on them, everyone immediately became nervous, exchanging glances and unsure of what to do.
Zhou Ming did not scold them for their behavior. Instead, he coldly observed their decision.
“We are willing to follow my lord’s arrangements.”
Just as everyone was hesitating, Li Hu unexpectedly made a decisive choice.
“Then follow me. The rest of you can think about it slowly. If you’re unwilling, you may withdraw.”
After that, Zhou Ming no longer paid attention to the others and led Li Hu to the entrance of the experimental area.
“Enter the adjacent compartment, remove your clothes, leave only your underwear, then enter the laboratory passage to undergo dust removal.”
“Yes.”
As Li Hu followed Zhou Ming’s instructions, Zhou Ming himself began changing into specialized experimental clothing.
Moments later, the well-built Li Hu entered the laboratory, which was predominantly white and emitted a cold atmosphere. He subconsciously swallowed.
“Don’t worry. Just lie down and sleep.”
“Once your bloodline modification succeeds, and you practice the Snake King Body martial path I created, combined with a Thunder Type-2 Revolver, most low-tier Ferocious Beasts will not be your match.”
Watching Zhou Ming in his lab attire, holding a syringe that was drawing an unknown liquid, Li Hu began to regret whether his decision had been too hasty.
However, having already reached this point, he feared that if he uttered the word “regret,” he might truly never walk out of this laboratory.
With no other choice, he obediently lay down on the experimental platform.
“I hope my lord hasn’t deceived me.”
At this moment, Li Hu could only silently pray in his heart.
Zhou Ming prepared the anesthetic. Looking at Li Hu trembling all over, a trace of inexplicable smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
It was his first time performing a human bloodline modification experiment, and he felt a strange sense of excitement. Scenes of his experiments in Snake Valley immediately surfaced in his mind.
Just as Li Hu’s thoughts ran wild and he began imagining himself turning into a monster, the cold needle tip pierced into his body.
As the medicine took effect, his consciousness gradually sank into darkness.
Seeing Li Hu fall into deep sleep, Zhou Ming immediately activated the mechanisms of the experimental platform. Extremely sturdy alloy restraints emerged, fixing his limbs and torso in place.
“Snake Spirit, activate the lifeform state detector and the genetic structure change monitor.”
“Beep.”
Following Zhou Ming’s command, the intelligent assistant Snake Spirit began activating the instruments. Red and green data and various changing dynamic diagrams appeared on the smooth, bright walls.
The laboratory’s intelligent assistant and all kinds of high-end machinery had been riskily delivered by the Han Family using Qi Kaiyuan’s Phantasmal Beast Crystal Cores.
This laboratory had only been fully completed last month.
In order to transport these machines, the passage leading into the underground dark river cavern had been expanded so that even combat vehicles could freely pass through.
As the machines began operating, Zhou Ming inserted several infusion tubes into Li Hu’s body.
At the same time, Zhou Ming took out a test tube containing crimson liquid. This had been concocted by mixing his own blood with Ironthread Snake blood, prepared specifically to modify the genetic bloodlines of his subordinates.
Placing the test tube into a specialized instrument, the mechanical arm of the device began to move. Its end positioned itself above Li Hu’s heart, and a silver needle tube extended from the arm.
As the needle slowly approached Li Hu’s heart, Zhou Ming also began to mobilize his Spiritual Power, preparing to use the Snake Swarm Will to cooperate with this bloodline modification.