Chapter 137: Eliminating the Aftermath

Late at night, the darkness was absolute.

Lin Wei sat before his desk, a transparent container the size of a fingernail resting before him. The container was diamond-shaped, its edges emitting a faint, iridescent glimmer. Inside lay a flat, crystalline object that glowed with a soft, verdant light: a Lotus Grass Ice Crystal.

After leaving Lorna’s office, Lin Wei had received word that his military merit points were ready for redemption. Since the war had ended ahead of schedule, there was no need to wait for the original annual date. From his previous missions and the night raid, Lin Wei had accumulated over two hundred and thirty points. He had spent two hundred without hesitation on the Lotus Grass Ice Crystal, using the remaining thirty to acquire some rare, advanced biological mutation research materials.

"Core, design a surgical procedure to eliminate the aftereffects of the Deep Blue Flesh graft."

Lin Wei rubbed the container holding the Lotus Grass Ice Crystal between his palms before retrieving a complete set of surgical instruments from his spatial ring.

"Designing surgical procedure to resolve Deep Blue Flesh graft aftereffects... Design complete."

Instantly, a series of precise experimental steps flashed across Lin Wei’s retina. Superimposed over these were diagrams of his own internal body structure, highlighting the specific intersection points where his magical power fluctuations had become erratic.

"Excellent. Once these aftereffects are gone, I can finally resume my experiments in biological mutation..."

Lin Wei pinched the base of the container with his left thumb and forefinger and opened the lid. The moment the Lotus Grass Ice Crystal was exposed to the air, the room’s temperature plummeted; within a dozen seconds, it had dropped five or six degrees.

"A peculiar sensation..."

The temperature soon stabilized. Though the air had grown cold, it carried a refreshing vitality, as if signaling the first growth of spring. Lin Wei felt his skin breathing, and his mind grew exceptionally sharp. The primary purpose of the Lotus Grass Ice Crystal was to clarify the mind and enhance cellular activity, making it a crucial tool for high-precision experiments.

"Let’s begin."

Without hesitation, Lin Wei gripped a sharp, curved scalpel and drew it across his left wrist. Fresh blood welled up and trickled down. He quickly pressed the tiny ice crystal directly into the wound. He had to be fast; otherwise, his current rate of physical regeneration would close the incision in the blink of an eye.

"The energy of the Lotus Grass Ice Crystal is beginning to disperse through my body..."

Lin Wei felt his limbs stiffen, and his blood circulation slowed.

"The cells integrated with the Deep Blue Flesh are rejecting the ice crystal..."

A subtle force surged toward the crystal, attempting to purge it from his system. Lin Wei reached out and downed a test tube filled with a blue-orange liquid.

The internal rejection reaction began to wane, and the energy from the Lotus Grass Ice Crystal began to dissipate much more rapidly.

"Next... Core, highlight the intersection points of the erratic magical power fluctuations!"

Under his command, the glowing markers, already visible, were magnified.

"Perfect!"

Lin Wei drew seven fine needles from a leather case—they resembled the acupuncture needles from his previous life. The aftereffect of the Deep Blue Flesh graft was that his magical power transmission and fluctuation were no longer under his control at these seven specific intersection points. While a wizard possessed thousands of such points, and seven erratic ones wouldn't hinder daily cultivation or spellcasting, they were catastrophic for high-precision biological mutation experiments. A single micro-fluctuation could cause an entire experiment to fail. To Lin Wei, this was a shackle on his potential.

*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!*

Lin Wei inserted the ten-centimeter-long needles into the points identified by the Core, infusing them with his own magical power.

The moment the needles pierced the intersection points, the Lotus Grass Ice Crystal—like a shark catching the scent of blood in the deep sea—began to melt into a crystalline, translucent liquid, surging toward the seven points. Within his blood vessels, a thin layer of pale green frost formed on the inner walls as the substance moved.

"The frequency of the erratic fluctuations is dropping!"

Lin Wei clearly felt the ice crystal suppressing the anomalies. He closed his eyes, calmed his heart, and focused on his steady pulse, guiding the dissolution and distribution of the ice crystal's energy. Time slipped away second by second.

"The dissolution rate is slowing..."

Lin Wei monitored the changes within his body through the Core. Suddenly, a sharp pain flared at the seven erratic points. It lasted only a second.

*Pop! Pop! Pop!*

The seven needles were suddenly ejected from his body. Strands of black blood seeped from the wounds, coated in a fine layer of frost. The healing rate at these seven points was significantly slower than his normal state, and it was only when the blood turned from black back to red that the wounds finally knit together.

"Aftereffects of the Deep Blue Flesh graft have been eliminated."

The Core’s voice rang in his ears.

"Finally, it's resolved!"

A great weight lifted from Lin Wei’s heart.

*Pfft!*

Lin Wei sliced his wrist once more with the scalpel. Without deliberate control, the remaining, partially dissolved Lotus Grass Ice Crystal slid out from his flesh. It was smaller now, only a third of its original volume.

"What a massive consumption..."

Lin Wei placed the remaining crystal back into its container, wiped the desk with his sleeve, and swept the crystal and surgical tools into his spatial ring.

"Tomorrow, after I pick up the spell models and the essential knowledge on mental magic from Lorna’s office, I’ll head straight to the laboratory."

He had made up his mind. He felt no anxiety about the long hiatus from his biological mutation experiments; unlike other researchers, with the aid of the Core, his experimental proficiency would not decline from lack of practice.

...

The next morning.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Lin Wei, who had spent the night in meditation, opened his eyes.

"Who is it?"

As he walked toward the door, he suddenly felt a jolt of alarm.

*The person outside is a formal wizard!* A flicker of vigilance rose in his heart. *It’s not Lorna... Who could it be?*

After a moment of hesitation, he opened the door. If they had intended to harm him, they wouldn't have bothered with the courtesy of knocking.

"You are..."

As the door opened, a young, ordinary face appeared before him. Though the man looked young, his eyes lacked the vibrant life force one would expect of a youth.

"Lin Wei Nolan-Mountain?" The formal wizard’s face was like a mask, utterly devoid of expression. "Ceres's student?"

"Mentor Ceres?!" Lin Wei’s pupils contracted.