Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Enemies on a Narrow Road

The base was massive. Aside from over a thousand incubation pods, it contained living quarters, recreation areas, and dining halls—all heavily guarded.

"Could these people have been kidnapped?" The sudden thought startled Yang Bo.

Furthermore, there were no surveillance cameras. Yang Bo wasn’t sure if it was due to the planet’s environmental interference or a deliberate choice to leave no evidence. There were also very few Intelligent Systems; even the doors used old-fashioned handles. Naturally, guards were stationed at the entrances. They didn’t look like Mutants, though it was impossible to tell just from their outward appearance.

Yang Bo originally intended to mind his own business. Any organization capable of pulling off an operation of this scale in such a place was definitely not simple. It might even have the tacit approval of the Alliance Military, major consortiums, or the official Alliance government. After all, this planet was outside the Alliance’s jurisdiction, making it the perfect place to bend the rules.

However, when he accidentally caught sight of a logo on someone’s Protective Suit, he decided it was time to meddle.

"It better not be what I think it is," he thought. The logo belonged to the Genetic Potion company that had tried to assassinate him previously.

He recalled that the Genetic Potion company didn’t have a manufacturing division for Protective Suits. Of course, it was possible these suits were bought secondhand, but that was highly unlikely. Protective Suits were typically destroyed immediately after use; no one dared risk recycling them.

"Then again, the information I found online might not be accurate," Yang Bo muttered to himself. "Given my restricted identity, the data I accessed could have been altered."

He was growing increasingly disappointed with the Alliance. God only knew what dirty deeds the various families and consortiums were orchestrating in the shadows. Then again, as long as a society was made up of humans, there would always be a dark side.

Yang Bo used Invisibility to slip into a conference room while the researchers were holding a meeting, hiding to the side to eavesdrop.

"This nutrient solution formula isn’t working," someone complained. "The incubation progress is too slow, and the finished products are subpar. The Energy utilization rate is far too low."

"The Mutants are getting smarter, too. They’re bringing out fewer and fewer rare materials."

"It can’t be helped. We aren’t the only ones making Biological Mechas. Several other factions are in the market, and they’ve driven the prices into the ground."

"It seems we need to push the Mutants a bit harder. It would be best to stir up their internal conflicts so they have no choice but to buy our equipment."

"With communications cut off, we have no way to contact headquarters. I don’t know what happened this time; it feels like the signal has been down ever since we got here."

"Alright, let’s stay on topic," a leading voice interrupted. "Continue refining the nutrient solution formula. We must increase the individual Energy utilization rate..."

What followed was a string of technical jargon that Yang Bo couldn’t understand. Just as he was getting disappointed, a middle-aged man spoke up.

"According to the latest tests, our next step should be purchasing Mutated Beast bones. We can use them to Forge Energy Weapons for the Mutants."

"Doesn’t this project require approval from the head office? We don’t have the authority for that here."

"We can manufacture test samples and distribute them to the Mutant Tribes. After all, the Energy Weapons used by most Mutant Tribes are of terrible quality."

"This way, we can flood the Mutants’ Energy Weapon market, ensuring that they eventually lose the ability to Forge Energy Weapons themselves."

"That’s a great idea. We can crash the Metal Energy Weapon market with cheap, low-cost bone weapons. Once we monopolize their market, the Mutants will forget how to Forge their own Energy Weapons. Then, they’ll have to hand over their Energy Metal in exchange for our bone variants."

"This will also help us gauge the true strength of the Mutant Tribes, and we can even sell that intel to other organizations."

Listening from the shadows, Yang Bo grasped the gist of it: this company had developed a new technology that could shape the bones of Mutated Beasts and turn them into functional Energy Weapons.

He knew the Mutants could Forge their own Energy Weapons; he had discovered this recently when he acquired the Forging ability after killing a few Mutants.

"Capitalists are truly ruthless," Yang Bo concluded internally. But he had to admit, if their plan succeeded, the Mutants’ Energy Weapon market would inevitably be overrun by these bone-crafted alternatives.

What truly piqued his interest was the massive bone he still had stashed in his Mecha Space. He wondered if these people could shape it for him.

With that thought in mind, Yang Bo slipped out of the base. He retreated to a secluded location far away and retrieved a biological sample—the sample from the Black Blade Leader.

He assumed his Disguise, perfectly replicating everything down to the Battle Armor. Hoisting the giant Bone Hammer over his shoulder, he marched back toward the base.

If they were willing to do business, great. If not, he would smash the place up and force them to do it.

"Who’s there?" two Mutant sentries shouted before he even reached the passage.

"It’s me!" Yang Bo barked irritably, revealing his figure.

In truth, he was feeling a bit apprehensive. What if the people here didn’t recognize his Disguise?

"Oh, it’s the General," one of the sentries realized upon seeing his face.

Yang Bo breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the man he was impersonating had been here before.

"Where is your person in charge? Tell him to come out. I have something good to show him." Yang Bo didn’t step into the passage, opting to shout from the outside instead. He didn’t know the proper protocols and guessed they wouldn’t just let a Mutant leader stroll right in.

A sentry quickly replied, "Please wait, General. We will notify him immediately."

The two sentries barely seemed to move, but a moment later, a figure clad in Battle Armor emerged from the base. His face was obscured, but upon seeing Yang Bo, he let out a hearty laugh. "What brings the General here today?"

"This thing is a bit of an eyesore. Do you guys have a way to modify it for me?" Yang Bo asked, hefting the Bone Hammer in his hand.

The middle-aged man stared at the Bone Hammer in shock. Wasn’t that the weapon of that other Mutant leader? How did it end up in this guy’s hands?

"How would the General like it modified?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Change its appearance so no one can recognize it. It’d be great if you could change the color, too."

"That is absolutely no problem. There is nothing we cannot do." The middle-aged man roughly understood the situation—he was trying to hide the weapon’s origins. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder: the Black Blade General couldn’t even use this Bone Hammer properly, so why go through the trouble?

"How long will it take? I’ll come pick it up then." Hearing the affirmative, Yang Bo nonchalantly tossed the Bone Hammer over.

As for the risk of the Bone Hammer’s secrets being leaked? Impossible. Yang Bo planned to use Invisibility to sneak right back inside in a few minutes. If these guys tried to secretly extract data from his Bone Hammer, he would simply kill them all.

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