Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Bandit or Thief, If You Can’t Beat Them, Steal First

"Damn it, a failure..."

A deafening explosion rocked the strategic warehouse, a blast of high energy blowing a massive corner clean off.

The blast killed Qi Suian instantly. His Tai Sui Divine Armor, now in pieces, was already being reassembled by a swarm of nanite repair bots.

"No wonder the Watchman Morning Company has only managed to create a Plasma Cannon prototype so far."

"This thing is a real pain to get right, let alone integrate with a sniper rifle." Qi Suian slipped back into the battered Tai Sui Divine Armor, his mind already working on the next solution.

He had tried installing a sniper rifle—one of the weapons he’d acquired—as a module on the Tai Sui Divine Armor, but the problem was, he didn’t have compatible ammunition.

That meant he needed to dedicate another module to evolving the ammunition, taking up two module slots in total.

Of course, the resulting power would be immense.

However, the ammunition module was the consumable type, meaning a new one had to be installed for each round fired. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Evolving a standard sniper round into an SSS-rank ammunition module took time and consumed extra resources.

This placed a considerable strain on the Tai Sui Divine Armor.

In that case, it wouldn’t work as the long-range weapon Qi Suian needed.

[Insufficient technology. Energy output is too volatile for effective suppression. More knowledge required.]

Qi Suian’s brow furrowed as he read the data feedback from the AI.

’My energy containment failed. That means it’s not just the weapon module that’s a bust—the Energy Shield module is a write-off, too.’

The Death Potion and his destructive body modifications granted him incredible abilities for thought and learning, but they couldn’t help him create something out of thin air.

His knowledge of energy weapons wasn’t zero, but he was a complete novice at best.

’So, I have to try a different approach.’ Qi Suian was definitely not giving up.

Without enough firepower, there was no way he could fight his way into the Watchman Morning Dawn Headquarters to get what he wanted.

[Recommendation: Attempt to reconfigure using bio-energy as a base.]

Through its calculations, the AI had found a barely viable solution.

Qi Suian looked over the AI’s proposed approach. It involved harnessing the Abyss Virus in his body to generate sufficient power.

But Qi Suian quickly rejected it. For him, it wasn’t a realistic option.

’Wait a minute, I don’t have to force my way in,’ Qi Suian suddenly realized.

He had just found a bug in the vicious cycle he was trapped in: you need technology to gain firepower, but you need firepower to acquire technology.

’I can steal the technology first, and after I’ve made use of it and mastered it, then I can go and wipe out the entire Watchman Morning Company.’

That was right. Qi Suian wasn’t trying to justify his actions. What he was planning was theft, followed by arson, murder, and pillaging.

The Watchman Morning Company was scum, and Qi Suian never claimed to be a good person himself. A dog-eat-dog world? No problem at all.

’Stealth module, flight module, and one to enhance you, my AI. We’ll head straight for the Watchman Morning Dawn Headquarters.’

’Their AI, Dawn, is no match for you. When we get there, you’ll just copy all their data.’

’We won’t even need to sneak into their headquarters. We just need to get within signal range.’

Qi Suian considered it. Switching from a brute-force robber to a nimble cat burglar would not only get him what he wanted, but it would also be far less dangerous.

He would lie low for a while, build up his strength, and then let the Watchman Morning Company find out firsthand what happens when he was truly ready.

[Your logic is sound.]

"Speaking of which, you must have already had this plan. Why didn’t you suggest it?" Qi Suian asked.

The AI had definitely formulated such a plan but hadn’t presented it, which was odd.

[Based on an analysis of your behavioral logic, you prefer to kill, kill, kill.]

[Furthermore, had your original plan proceeded without error, the potential rewards would have far surpassed those of the current plan.]

[Therefore, the AI did not recommend this course of action.]

"Well, no shit. If it worked, the Watchman Morning Company’s entire legacy would have been mine. Of course the rewards would be higher."

"Just think of all the stuff I could have used for modules."

Of course, Qi Suian knew the difference in potential rewards was night and day.

But for Qi Suian, greater rewards came with greater danger and difficulty.

"Alright, then. We’ll proceed with the new plan. As soon as the Tai Sui Divine Armor is repaired, start the evolutions," Qi Suian ordered.

As for the remaining time, having set aside his energy weapon research, he would naturally focus on studying the Immortal Surgery to evolve his own talents once more.

However, without detailed data and with only Chunyu Bao as a test subject, Qi Suian’s attempts to reverse-engineer the Immortal Surgery weren’t going smoothly.

Fortunately, his goal wasn’t the Immortal Surgery itself, but rather understanding the principles behind the Abyss Virus’s mutation and its symbiotic relationship with the host.

In truth, the Abyss Virus in Qi Suian’s own body was also constantly mutating, but he had it under control.

Stimulated by his potent adaptability and the Death Potion, the Abyss Virus in his body far surpassed the conventional strain in both concentration and intensity.

"Mutation" wasn’t quite the right word; it was more like an evolution. It hadn’t gained new abilities, but had instead continued to strengthen its existing ones.

So, if any foreign or mutated strains of the Abyss Virus were to enter his body, they would be consumed by his own.

The Abyss Virus within him was now effectively part of his immune system.

This was all thanks to his D-rank talent: Abyssal Virus Host.

[Rest assured. The Tai Sui Divine Armor will complete its three evolutions before you finish your next round of talent evolution.]

The AI calculated the timeline. Barring any setbacks in Qi Suian’s research, the Tai Sui Divine Armor would definitely be finished before he was.

Of course, it was also possible that Qi Suian could have a sudden burst of inspiration, get lucky, and finish by tomorrow. The AI couldn’t predict that kind of fluke.

"Mm, got it."

"Let’s work separately."

As he spoke, Qi Suian chugged a vial of Death Potion. Mutant adrenaline and destructive dopamine flooded his system, and his heart rate skyrocketed to a terrifying pace.

Then, Qi Suian’s Physique and Spirit attributes began to soar, leaving everything else in the dust.

He stepped out of the Tai Sui Divine Armor. In his current state, he no longer needed it to operate independently.

And as for danger? Please. As if the reconnaissance module on the Tai Sui Divine Armor was just for show.

Besides, danger was a daily meal for Qi Suian. If he didn’t die twenty or thirty times a day, he wouldn’t be doing justice to his SSS-rank talent, Rebirth from Death.

What others might save as a trump card, used only in desperation, Qi Suian treated as a daily convenience.