Having finished spinning his tale with a straight face, Ryan knew it was time to bring up the matter of the Zombie Serum antidote.
That was, after all, the single most important reason he'd returned to the base.
Seeing the old man waiting expectantly for him to take the bait, Ryan spoke up first: "Um... Master, about the Zombie Serum antidote, do you have..."
Sure enough, Pisces raised an eyebrow, deliberately projecting an air of difficulty.
"That antidote's a bit of a problem, actually..."
Until the "88 Maple Street" lead had been verified, he had no intention of handing over the antidote so easily.
Even though he'd already decided to silence Ryan permanently, only by maintaining control of the poison could he ensure this rookie wouldn't cause any unexpected trouble in the meantime.
After a pause, he explained further: "The antidote's formulation is quite complex, and it doesn't preserve well. And I happen to be missing a key ingredient right now — it might take a few more days before I can finish brewing a proper batch..."
This delay would also conveniently give him time to verify whether that "88 Maple Street" address really did hold any treasure.
And in a few more days, the Hypnotist requested from headquarters should have arrived too — and then this kid wouldn't be able to keep spinning tall tales!
Ryan asked anxiously: "Huh? What ingredient are you missing?"
This was, more or less, exactly what he'd expected — even if he'd handed over every secret he had, this naturally suspicious old man was unlikely to hand over the antidote immediately regardless.
Pisces answered offhandedly: "Powdered skull of a thousand-year-old mummy."
This was a relatively rare dark-magic material.
Mummies weren't uncommon beneath Frostspine Wasteland, though ones a full thousand years old were admittedly harder to come by — still, Ryan doubted this old man was genuinely short on supply.
This was simply an excuse.
Noticing Ryan's expression darken, Pisces offered a reassuring word: "But don't worry — within ten days at most, I'll have all the ingredients gathered, and I can brew you a batch then. It's a minor issue..."
There was, in fact, nothing technically wrong with that statement — after all, in ten days, this "Weasel Bandit Gang" would be wiped out entirely, and naturally, no survivors would be left behind at that point.
"I see... once you've gathered the ingredients, I'll trouble you then, Master."
Ryan made no attempt to hide his disappointment.
Pisces watched him with a faint, knowing smile, then added, with obvious implication: "Since the toxin in your body hasn't been fully purged yet, rest well over the next few days. And whenever you remember anything more, be sure to tell me..."
"Mm."
Ryan nodded, then, as though a new thought had just struck him, asked: "Master... could I study alongside you these next few days?"
"Mm... that's fine."
Pisces figured that, as his supposed "teacher" now, it would hardly be appropriate to refuse such a request. "You'll assist me over the next few days, and I'll start teaching you the basics of surgery and serum craft..."
A faint flicker of joy crossed Ryan's face. "Great."
...
After Pisces left, Ryan found himself once again "confined" to the medical room.
Still, the one piece of good news was that his range of movement had expanded. The laboratory adjacent to the medical room — where large amounts of basic medical texts and experimental equipment were stored — was now within his permitted range too.
"This old man's clearly stalling on the antidote issue... looks like he's dead set on silencing me for good eventually."
Ryan mulled over their earlier conversation in his mind.
Though he'd never expected Pisces to hand over the antidote readily, something still felt off.
"Serum Masters tend to have extensive networks — it's entirely possible Pisces really does know a few mental-type transcendents. This old man deliberately stalling for time... there's probably some other scheme behind it too."
At this thought, Ryan knew he needed to stay on high alert.
And now that he understood the mastermind behind the assassination would never give up on "Baron Morin's treasure," if he wanted to survive, he needed to escape this bandit den — the Weasel Gang — as quickly as possible.
He absolutely could not sit around waiting, hoping Pisces would suddenly develop a conscience and hand over the antidote out of the goodness of his heart.
He needed to seize control of the situation himself!
Under these circumstances, an ordinary person might feel utterly helpless — but Ryan, with his AI Core, had a plan that no one could possibly anticipate!
Since he couldn't get his hands on a finished antidote, he set his sights on the laboratory instead.
Only by gaining access to lab equipment could he attempt an entirely different plan — one that might let him actively obtain the antidote himself!
...
"The antidote issue will just have to take its course... the priority right now is becoming a transcendent myself, to boost my ability to protect myself!"
With a rough plan taking shape in his mind, Ryan didn't feel the need to rush.
Executing that other plan would take time.
Looking again at the Trickster serum Pisces had just given him, Ryan decided he'd attempt to break through his first Gene Lock tonight, and advance to Awakened One!
With two serums in hand now, even if one attempt failed, he'd still have a second chance.
Ryan had been upfront about his intention to advance to transcendence, and Pisces showed no surprise at all.
After all, as far as the old man was concerned, anyone who obtained a serum of that quality would surely be eager to advance without delay.
In fact, to make sure his new "disciple" could advance in peace, the old man even set aside a sealed chamber within the laboratory specifically for Ryan, so he wouldn't be disturbed by outsiders during the process.
...
After nightfall, filled with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation, Ryan consumed the Corpse-Stitcher gene serum.
Fortunately, thanks to the serum's high purity, its power flowed smoothly into his body.
Like downing a shot of strong liquor, the liquid poured into him and the effects gradually began to burn... as though a warm current surged violently through his meridians, tearing apart everything that had come before.
Ryan felt as though his body were a dam, and the fissure that had just cracked open unleashed a raging flood, crashing violently through what had once been a gentle trickling stream of a meridian, widening it into a great river...
It was an agonizing process — and yet one filled with anticipation all the same.
...
After enduring a grueling seven or eight hours, most of the serum's power had finally been absorbed into his body.
Ryan had crossed the threshold into transcendence — he had finally broken through his first Gene Lock, becoming an Awakened One!
In this moment, he felt every muscle in his body swelling with newfound power.
The serum had nearly tripled his strength overnight; he suddenly felt as though a single leap could carry him scaling walls, and a single blow could tear apart a tiger or a leopard!
It wasn't just strength — Corpse-Stitcher had dramatically enhanced all five of his senses as well.
His eyesight sharpened, his field of vision far clearer than before; his hearing sharpened too, catching even the sound of a cockroach scuttling through the ventilation ducts; his sense of smell sharpened, easily distinguishing the laboratory's air — no longer a single smell, but a complex mixture of scents from countless different serum materials; his sense of touch sharpened as well...
His muscles and skin gained remarkable resilience, his instincts sharpened like a fox's...
The sensation was extraordinary, revealing an entirely new world before him.
"So this is what it feels like to be transcendent..."
At last, Ryan understood — this was the difference between a transcendent and an ordinary person.
Those at the foot of the mountain were nothing but ants; only from the peak could one see the scenery above the clouds — and beyond that, an even vaster, untouched sky!
Transcendent power — this was humanity's greatest reliance for surviving in this misty world, amid its brutal environment and savage beasts!
...
That very same night, as Ryan advanced to transcendence, a black bat quietly landed on the windowsill of Boss Quinn's bedroom.
Hearing the sound, the sharp and vigilant Quinn woke instantly.
But the moment he laid eyes on this palm-sized bat, his whole body shuddered violently, like a mouse spotting a cat.
Then, this formidable third-stage Demon Hunter, leader of the entire bandit gang, hurriedly rose to his feet and, astonishingly, bowed respectfully toward the bat, greeting it with visible unease: "Lord William, you... why have you come here?!"
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The bat's eyes glowed an eerie red, radiating a cold, bloodthirsty malice. And astonishingly, it spoke in a human voice, its tone frigid: "Heh heh... you still dare ask why I've come, do you?"
Pinned beneath that gaze, Quinn quickly lowered his head, cold sweat breaking out across his back.
Clearly, he understood exactly why this lord had come, and hastened to explain: "Lord William, I... I did carry out the task you assigned, exactly as planned. But... that Morin was no ordinary second-stage Adept, and even I nearly fell prey to that poison gas bomb..."
"Oh?"
The red-eyed bat's tone grew colder still. "Are you trying to say it's my fault for not providing sufficiently detailed intelligence, since you failed to retrieve the goods?"
Hearing this, Quinn felt as though some demon from the abyss were staring straight through him — as if one more step forward would send him plunging into an endless void.
He hastily swallowed. "I wouldn't dare! This is entirely my own failing — I was too careless and let the target slip from sight, which is why we failed to find the 'item' he was carrying..."
"Hmph!"
The red-eyed bat, apparently uninterested in dwelling further on the details, gave a cold snort. "I've already confirmed with my contacts in Steelburn Fort — the item hasn't fallen into their hands. I've come on a confidential matter this time; I can't reveal myself openly just yet. If the item has gone missing, someone must have secretly taken it. Keep a close watch on everyone who took part in the operation. I'll be sending someone to conduct a soul search before long..."
Hearing this, Quinn wiped the cold sweat from his brow, as though granted a reprieve. "Understood! Lord William!"