NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Young People Really Know How to Play
The next day, early morning.
Han Zhen woke up from his sleep.
His left arm was being used as a pillow by Xia Youwei, who curled up in his embrace like a sleepy kitten, lazily stretching her body.
His right arm was locked tightly in Li Lingzhen's embrace.
Seeing this scene, Han Zhen suddenly felt a fleeting illusion of being a winner in life.
He quickly managed to pull his hand out of Li Lingzhen's grasp, feeling a bit guilty as he glanced at Xia Youwei.
After a while, the other two also woke up.
"Let's go; it's getting late. Starting today, we'll officially investigate the Devouring Bug incident," Han Zhen said, quickening his steps out of the room.
As soon as he stepped out, he ran into Li Shutong, who was eating breakfast.
Li Shutong gave him a meaningful look and said, "Young people really know how to play."
"Master... What are you talking about?" Han Zhen was utterly confused.
"Don't play dumb. I came back last night. The noises from your room were so loud; I'm not deaf, you know."
"You brat, treat Lingzhen well!"
Hearing this, Han Zhen finally understood that Li Shutong must have misunderstood what happened last night. Just as he was about to explain, Xia Youwei and Li Lingzhen came out of the room yawning.
"Ah, so tired. I've never been so exhausted before. My waist feels like it's about to break."
"Yeah, last night was really something else."
The two spoke one after another, making things sound even worse. Han Zhen could feel Li Shutong's gaze on him shift even further.
In the end, Li Shutong patted Han Zhen 's shoulder and sighed.
"Young man, take care of your body. Be moderate."
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
"This…" Han Zhen was left speechless.
Last night, they conducted tests and finally concluded that the Shennong Cauldron's daily refining limit was 30 pills.
After refining 30 pills, the Shennong Cauldron temporarily lost its "Refining Essence" ability until the next day, when it fully recovered.
Out of the 30 pills, Han Zhen allocated 10 to himself. He tried consuming one and found that each pill increased his spirit energy by 1%.
This meant that just by consuming 100 pills, Han Zhen could attempt to break through to the third tier.
How long would it take to get 100 pills? Only three days.
This was an unimaginable speed—whether for material energy refining or breakthrough advancements, it was unprecedented.
If the Longevity Corporation discovered Li Lingzhen's contracted spirit ability, they would likely take two actions.
First, deploy their entire company to recruit Li Lingzhen.
Or, second, use all their resources to kill her.
Therefore, the fewer people who knew about Li Lingzhen's contracted spirit ability, the better.
"What should we do now? Where do we investigate?" Li Lingzhen asked eagerly.
"We don't know yet. All the information we have about the Devouring Bug comes from our missing Team 0527 members."
Li Lingzhen leaned over and looked at a photo of Bai Shuang.
She suddenly made a sound of surprise.
"I think I've seen this person before. Doesn't she often go dancing at nightclubs?"
"How do you know that?"
"Because I go there often too?" Li Lingzhen said, noticing Han Zhen and Xia Youwei's confusion. She explained further, "The Breeze Nightclub, the largest nightclub in Deep Blue City—don't you know it?"
"Every City Guardian's go-to nightlife spot. The girls there, oh my, just amazing."
Li Lingzhen clicked her tongue a few times as she spoke, her demeanor like that of a seasoned lecher.
It was an eerily convincing performance.
"What do you do in a place like that?" Han Zhen asked, puzzled.
"Gather material, of course. Novels are based on real life. Don't you understand? I'm a writer dedicated to realism. If I don't gather life experiences, how can I write immersive stories?"
Li Lingzhen spoke with confidence, completely forgetting that her bestselling books had been banned across the internet.
Girl, collecting material isn't wrong, but could you focus on more positive things?
"Why do you know Bai Shuang?"
"Ah? Her name is Bai Shuang? I only know her stage name, Red Iris. Is that her alias?"
Li Lingzhen shook her head. "It was by chance. Back in March, I went to the Breeze Nightclub for inspiration and happened to see her on her first day at work. She was scolded terribly by the manager for refusing to wear revealing clothes."
"A beautiful young woman working as a dancer to make a living—such great material."
"I remembered her and even made her the protagonist in one of my books. That's why I remember her so well."
After hearing Li Lingzhen's story, Han Zhen and Xia Youwei exchanged glances.
So they finally had a lead?
"Let's go. We're heading to the Breeze Nightclub immediately." Xia Youwei stood up first.
Just as she was about to leave, Han Zhen stopped her.
"Wait a moment."
"Before we go to the Breeze Nightclub, we need to prepare."
Han Zhen mysteriously led Xia Youwei upstairs.
When they came back down, Li Lingzhen wrinkled her nose as if she had caught a strange scent.
"No way. You two… even in broad daylight? That's intense!"
"You can smell it?" Han Zhen asked.
"Of course I can. Ugh, don't come near me." Li Lingzhen recoiled in disgust. "After doing that, can't you at least shower first? The smell is overwhelming."
"Also, according to my research, guava, maca root, dark chocolate, avocado, blueberries increase quantity; walnuts, beer, wine, honey, ginger, cucumber, bell peppers can improve its taste; leafy greens like kale, coriander, and spinach enhance health and vitality."
"Avoid garlic, onions, broccoli, cabbage, alcohol, asparagus, meat, dairy, coffee, and other caffeinated drinks—they make it bitter."
Li Lingzhen rattled off a list all at once.
Where did this terrifying knowledge even come from?
"We didn't," Xia Youwei quickly explained. "It's not that—it's the smell of crape myrtle flowers."
"Crape myrtle?" Li Lingzhen froze.
"It's really not what you think?"
"What are you imagining? Do you think we're like you, with your mind full of dirty thoughts?" Han Zhen knocked on her head.
What he and Xia Youwei had sprayed on themselves was indeed crape myrtle flower extract, giving off a distinct scent.
The reason for this was simple:
Devouring Bugs had a particular sensitivity to crape myrtle flowers. The scent made them highly irritable and even aggressive.
Since the Breeze Nightclub was Bai Shuang's workplace, who knew if other people there were hosts for Devouring Bugs? This precautionary method came from Lin Jingxuan's notes.
After spraying Li Lingzhen with the extract too, the three of them prepared thoroughly.
Destination: Breeze Nightclub
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