037 Fan Leng 1

The night was hazy.

Li Chengyi didn't choose to go home, but stayed at a budget hotel near the company instead.

Now, organizing his thoughts at home wouldn't be more convenient than at the company or outside.

Sitting in the hotel room, he was surrounded by pale yellow wallpaper, a white single bed, a simple tea-colored wooden table and chairs, and a small window with gray automatic curtains.

That was all there was to the room.

The price was only 150 yuan per night.

Li Chengyi took off his suit jacket, which he had borrowed from Song Ran; it was a bit large, but it looked fine for appearances.

He took a can of soda from the mini-fridge, ready to open it, but then he saw a label on the side of the can.

'This product costs ten yuan.'

Li Chengyi silently put the drink back in its place.

A three yuan can of soda sold for ten, he certainly wasn't unable to afford it, but the sight of that price immediately turned off his desire to drink it.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he went over the clues he'd gathered that day once again.

'Jiajier was last rescued while hiding in a crevice.'

'Before he was rescued, he hummed a song, which just happened to be that of the kind Bourou, also known as the kind big-faced monster.'

'Coincidentally, the one wandering around the blind spot killing people was the big-faced monster. If the big-faced monster is kind, then does that mean the people it killed were unkind?'

'To Jiajier, the big-faced monster was kind. I also saw him as a young boy in the blind spot, peacefully coexisting with the big-faced monster, which perhaps means that the big-faced monster represents goodness to him.'

Li Chengyi took out his phone, fiddling with it unconsciously.

'Forget these things for now. I only need to analyze what he did before he was rescued; good and evil are irrelevant to me.'

He pulled his thoughts back.

'The next time I enter a blind spot, I could try: 1 humming with my eyes closed in a crevice, 2 carving words on the walls of a crevice, 3 falling into sleep or unconsciousness within a crevice.'

'Of course, it would be best to do all three.'

For others, this would be extremely difficult; under the pursuit of the face monster, most people could hardly hold on for a few minutes before being devoured.

But he was different; with the Flower Language Ability, perhaps he really could do it with ease.

Thinking of this, the pressure on Li Chengyi's heart eased slightly.

'Next, I need to work hard on improving my physical fitness, strength, enhancing the Floral Dress, absorbing Evil Thoughts to speed up the progress, and strive to develop the Second Divine Flower Position.'

The prowess of the Floral Dress was fully exhibited during this business trip.

This greatly alleviated the sense of crisis in Li Chengyi's heart.

However, the counterattack and Combat Technique of the man in the white gauze also gave him a strong desire for Combat Technique.

'If the gun in that person's hand had been more powerful... I probably would have died on the spot.'

It was this concern that led him to choose a blitzkrieg when he later stormed into the enemy's lair.

He wanted to fully use his own advantages, attack and kill swiftly, and then turn and leave.

Reality proved that his approach was accurate.

With these thoughts, Li Chengyi felt much more comfortable in his heart.

He lay back on the bed, gazing at the pale yellow lotus-shaped main light above, and suddenly remembered the man in the white gauze he had killed earlier.

The Flower Language Ability Drunken Hand was indeed extremely powerful; as long as he touched the opponent, he could quickly and forcibly control them for a while, making them irrationally adore the person or thing they touched a second time.

'So, what exactly is the specific control time of the Drunken Hand?'

Li Chengyi pondered as his gaze began to wander.

Soon, he found a target.

On the windowsill, there was a black fly the size of a fingernail cap.

He slowly got up, tiptoed closer, and then suddenly swooped his hand down.

Puff.

Caught off guard, the fly was lightly covered by a large hand and then pinched up.

It frantically flapped its wings, trying to break free from the grip, but to no avail.

Li Chengyi pinched it, thought for a moment, then touched it with his right hand to activate the Flower Language.

Then, he opened his hand, allowing the fly to speed away towards the night sky outside the window, vanishing into the darkness in an instant.

'First, test the range of effect.'

Li Chengyi waited silently, feeling his physical and mental strength drain steadily.

The Drunken Hand was a two-step process.

First touch the target, then the thing you want the target to become infatuated with.

In the gap between the two steps, physical and mental energy continues to deplete.

Li Chengyi wanted to know what factors would affect this consumption.

'The rate of exhaustion feels the same as before, no difference.'

After about five minutes, Li Chengyi gradually began to feel dizzy and short of breath; he was tired and wanted to sleep.

He knew he had reached his limit and immediately pressed his right hand against the wall.

Flower Language second step activated.

The consumption stopped suddenly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Sitting down in the chair to rest for a while, soon, a buzzing sound of a fly approached rapidly.

And then, under Li Chengyi's watchful gaze, the fly that had just successfully escaped shot towards the wall in a straight, rocket-like, ruler-sharp, fierce posture, slamming into it like a fighter jet.

Thud.

The fly stuck to the wall and stopped moving.

Li Chengyi took out his phone to start timing.

He simply pulled up a chair to sit on the side, browsing his phone while continuously recording the duration of the Flower Language Ability.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five minutes.

Thirteen minutes.

Finally, the fly vibrated its wings and flew away from the window once more.

Of course, before it left, Li Chengyi touched it again.

After all, he had rested for a while and his energy had also recovered somewhat.

'Thirteen minutes, it seems this ability is related to the strength of the biological subject. But which specific factor determines the duration, and what influences it, needs further testing.'

After waiting a while and letting the fly get far away, Li Chengyi stretched out his hand and pressed it against the wall, activating the Flower Language Technique.

Buzz....

Soon, a severely diminished sound, like the roar of a jet, approached from outside and drew near.

The fly once again slammed into the wall with the same resignation to death.

Thud.

It stuck to the wall motionless, its body pressed flat against the surface, like a painting.

Li Chengyi took out his phone to start timing again.

This time, the duration was much shorter, lasting only five minutes.

'Is there a decline?' He frowned slightly, feeling that there should be no difference between the two uses of the Flower Language Ability...

'Wait a minute!' Suddenly he thought of something, 'Could it be that the interval time between my two steps determines the duration?'

Immediately, he reached out and touched the fly again as it tried to fly away.

After the Flower Language Ability lost its effect, the black fly scurried out of the window, flying towards the freedom of the night sky.

But soon, Li Chengyi touched the wall again.... The fly madly dashed back and crashed into the wall with abandon, leaving a speck of blood.

Time passed by slowly.

With continuous testing, by the thirteenth trial, Li Chengyi had nearly deciphered the rules of Drunken Hand's Flower Language Ability.

'The strength of the ability is fixed; the time is determined by the strength and weakness of the subject, and the rate of energy expenditure during the gaps is set.'

'Using it repeatedly on one target leads to resistance. The second duration halves, or even more drastically. Afterwards, it continues to decrease progressively, until by the thirteenth use, the ability completely fails.'

Li Chengyi didn't rely solely on a single test as his standard but spent the subsequent time repeatedly testing this Flower Language Ability from all angles.

Beyond flies, he also experimented with various other sizes of animals and insects, but the results were not much different.

Apart from the experimental testing of the ability, the only other thing he did was to continuously strengthen his physical capabilities and train in combat techniques at the Hongjin Company's gym.

The combat skills of the man in the white veil from the last encounter had left a deep impression on him, so to avoid a similar situation, he decided to intensify his training in that aspect.

At the same time, he did not forget to scour for unfortunate Evil Thoughts.

It was just unfortunate that luring thugs to initiate fights and fishing for beatings to absorb Evil Thoughts amounted to just one or two points each time, making the accumulation process incredibly slow.

To concentrate his efforts, Li Chengyi informed his family he was still on a business trip out of town and didn't return home, then he devoted himself fully to preparing for the next entrance into the Blind Spot.

Time ticked away, days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, over a month had gone by.

Li Chengyi often fished in the vicinity, causing the nearby thugs to not come around much anymore.

The progress on Evil Thoughts was stuck at 89%, not budging.

"To enhance your combat abilities, the fastest way is through modification," Song Ran stated with her arms crossed in front of her, speaking to Li Chengyi in the training layer underneath Hongjin Company.

"It's not actually important which combat technique you use, what's important is to find a modification that suits you, then play to your strengths and cover your weaknesses, outperforming others in your unique way."

"I understand, but I'm still resistant to the idea of body modification," Li Chengyi shook his head slightly, rejecting her suggestion.

"Indeed, if you want to build up your strength through body modification, you need frequent maintenance, and the price isn't cheap," Song Ran nodded in agreement.

"How about the Flying Yi?" Li Chengyi asked softly.

"Flying Yi... they require a lot of talent and brainpower. It's a system kind of like that of an assassin," Song Ran frowned, "I actually wouldn't recommend Flying Yi to you; they're too extreme."

"All I know is that Flying Yi is about using drones to fight and kill, can you please provide more details?" Li Chengyi was highly interested and pressed for more information.

Compared to a Reinforced Human, Flying Yi has many drawbacks, but one major advantage is that it doesn't involve modifying the body.

"Even the most basic model of Flying Yi requires robust logistical support. Though not as bothersome as a Reinforced Human, it also demands high requirements for brain wave computational power. If you're interested, you could look for civilian Flying Yi on the market to give it a try first," Song Ran replied with a frown.

"Flying Yi controls from a distance with strong offensive capabilities, but their self-protection is extremely weak."

"I'm not afraid of weakness; as long as I deal with the opponent first, being vulnerable is also absolutely safe for me," Li Chengyi responded.

"Alright then, but whether it's Flying Yi or Modification Modules, you'll have to earn the money and buy it yourself. The company isn't going to fund such a substantial purchase of purely personal equipment," Song Ran reminded, "I bought my prosthetics with my own money."

"A substantial amount... where should I go to buy a Flying Yi?" Li Chengyi began to worry, concerned whether the modest savings he had just accumulated would be enough even for the cheapest model.

"First, go to the Brain Power Calculation Center. If there's no problem with your brainpower, you will get a certificate proving your brainpower meets the standards, as well as verifying a clean background and origin.

Choosing a brand for Flying Yi is another hassle, you would be better off starting with amateur practice," Song Ran advised further.