Modern Cultivation : The Strongest Couple Bonded by Vampire System-Chapter 640: Abyssal Ingot
Alex tracked the container as it passed under a scanner arch.
’It’s using runes? The scanner seems to use lifeforce to detect soulwaves.’ For a moment, the runes on the container’s surface lit up.
A robot stood at a terminal nearby.
The conveyor carried the container into a sealed compartment, and the formation doors closed behind it.
Then the chamber flared.
A low hum rolled through the air, and the plates formed a layered space, one pattern stacked on another, tightening like a net.
Even from where they stood, Mingyue’s brows drew together.
Alex narrowed his eyes. "They’re compressing it."
The soul pressure rose in waves, then got pulled back down by the formation cage.
Over and over, like the system was squeezing a living thing.
Mingyue whispered, "They’re compressing a soul."
Alex watched carefully. "Not a normal soul. That’s something else."
Alex could feel his curiosity growing.
What he saw today challenged his understanding of souls, and from the wavelength alone, he could tell whatever was inside was different from anything he knew.
Swoosh!!!
A thin stream of gray-white dust poured into another container, caught by a suction formation and pulled into a line of glass tubes.
That dust didn’t fall like ash.
It drifted, as if it wanted to cling to the air, and the moment it touched the tubes, the formation on the glass lit up and contained it.
Mingyue’s gaze turned colder. "Spirit Ash."
Alex nodded. "The byproduct."
Inside the compartment, the main core didn’t turn to ash.
It remained as a solid lump, smaller than before, darker, and wrapped in formation seals.
A label flashed on a nearby terminal as the system registered it.
Abyssal Ingot.
Mingyue’s eyes flicked to Alex. "What is that?"
"Never heard of it," Alex replied.
A second conveyor line carried the Abyssal Ingot away.
Alex memorized the lift number and the route code.
Then he saw something else.
Along the chamber walls, small vents opened and shut, and every time they opened, a faint haze leaked out, then got sucked back in by containment plates.
The haze touched the metal for a breath, and the metal darkened slightly before the formation cleansed it.
Mingyue’s hand tightened. "What’s that thing... it feels filthy."
"It seems to spread and corrupt everything it touches," Alex said.
He stared at the shaft, then at the formations.
The so-called Spirit Ash that was rare and precious was nothing more than a byproduct.
The main item seemed to be this Abyssal Ingot, but the process itself was toxic to the surroundings.
Without constant cleansing formations, the station would rot from the inside.
The question now was, what was the source of all this corruption?
They stepped back and followed the cables and pipes toward the inner route.
Somewhere ahead, a door clicked open.
Footsteps came down the metal walkway.
Alex stopped, and Mingyue’s aura vanished like it had never existed.
They pressed flat against the pipe stack, listening as the steps came closer.
A figure rounded the corner.
He wore a loose coat.
His hair was tied up in a sloppy knot, and his face had that pampered look, but his eyes were red and his steps were unsteady.
He carried a flask in one hand.
Alex could smell the alcohol from where he stood.
The man clicked his tongue, leaned on the railing, and spat to the side. "Tch. My uncle really won’t let me go."
He took another swig, then muttered, "Compared to staying here, I could’ve partied all day back home without worry."
Mingyue’s gaze flicked once, then went cold.
She hated people like this the most, a parasite who enjoyed other people’s work while the only thing he had was luck.
If people like this were born into a normal family, they would never act this brazen.
Alex frowned. ’The information I read has been tampered with. There was no mention he had any relationship with the governor.’
Mingyue replied, "Not necessarily. Maybe the relation started after the record was filed."
Alex shook his head slowly. "It’s possible, but I doubt it."
Even on his planet, maintaining the latest information was very important.
He didn’t believe a faction at the level of a human empire that spanned thousands of systems lacked a robust system for this.
Knowing relationships between people wasn’t just gossip.
It was necessary to keep things running smoothly, because it showed the distribution of power, the checks and balances, and made sure certain groups did not become too strong.
For example, if two factions married and their power rose to a level that threatened the royal family, the royal family would intervene.
Feelings and emotions didn’t matter at that stage, since their union could bring instability into the government.
The chief engineer staggered closer, humming to himself.
He stopped near a junction box and fumbled with a rune key, trying twice before it responded.
"Damn thing," he cursed, then laughed like it was funny.
Mingyue, already annoyed, started to move.
With one step, she came out of the shadows.
BAM!!!
A quick chop to the side of his neck.
The chief engineer’s eyes widened, but only for a heartbeat.
His body went limp before he could make a sound.
The flask slipped from his fingers, and Mingyue caught it mid-fall and set it down without a single sound.
Alex moved at the same time, catching the man’s shoulder and guiding him down so his head didn’t hit the floor.
They lowered him behind the pipe stack, hidden from the main walkway.
Mingyue looked at Alex. "You should start."
Alex nodded. He raised his palm, and runes appeared at the tip of his finger.
He grabbed the man’s head.
"As expected, he has protection on his memories."
"You can break it, right?"
"Nothing I can’t handle, but it’ll probably make him a retard if I force it."
"Who cares. Him being a retard is probably better," Mingyue said with a snort.
Alex let out a chuckle. He didn’t care about this man either, so he brute-forced the formation and extracted all the memories he had.
