Shark

That evening.

After staying home all day, Su Muwan finally waited for Qin Luo to return and cook.

"Qin Luo! I'm starving!"

"What were you up to today?"

Su Muwan stood on the sofa with her hands on her hips, surrounded by a pile of empty chip bags scattered on the floor.

Qin Luo took in the mess and then glanced at Su Muwan, still defiantly posing.

With a gentle smile, he hung up his coat and replied, "I was at the Alliance handling some matters—about the ancient ruins the day after tomorrow."

"Also..."

He pointed at the sea of chip bags and sighed, "How on earth did you manage to finish all these, young miss?"

"Hmph!"

"As a Martial Arts Supreme, eating this much is as easy as breathing!"

Su Muwan got fired up. She immediately hopped down from the sofa, dashed over to Qin Luo, and grabbed his hands, rubbing them excitedly. "First, tell me what you were doing all day."

"And you keep talking about ancient ruins—how do you even know they'll appear?"

Qin Luo gave her a strange look. "Isn’t it obvious? I calculated it."

"Oh, right."

"Also, young miss, you're coming with me to the Alliance tomorrow."

"No way! I wanna stay home and watch Crayon Shin-chan."

"Young miss, we’re going to see something new. You’ll love it."

"??"

...

...

The next day.

Inside the Alliance laboratory.

"Is this the Alliance’s most cutting-edge technology?"

Qin Luo and Su Muwan both looked up at the experimental chamber before them.

Below, Li Mingyuan stood clad in the Alliance’s latest battle suit—a dazzling silver-white exoskeleton that seemed forged from liquid metal.

Every inch of its surface gleamed with a cold, futuristic sheen.

The shoulder-mounted flight modules resembled a pair of angelic wings, though these were not soft feathers but rather high-strength spirit-alloy frames fitted with ultra-thin spirit-crystal panels.

When retracted, the wings hugged his back like two metallic scales.

Upon activation, a faint hum of spiritual energy resonated as the wings extended to nearly three meters in width.

The spirit-crystal panels lit up, energy flowing along intricately etched circuits, granting the wearer unparalleled mobility.

The helmet resembled a smooth, egg-shaped gem, crafted entirely from transparent high-strength spirit-shield material, providing a seamless 360-degree field of vision.

Embedded at the center of the forehead was a diamond-shaped spirit-sensing stone, capable of detecting nearby energy fluctuations and projecting threat markers as virtual holograms inside the visor.

Around the faceplate, a ring of fine silver-white mesh served as both ventilation and an air-purification system, sealing out water and contaminants.

Xiao Ke hovered beside Qin Luo, nodding as he explained, "Yep."

"This battle suit utilizes ultra-micro spirit-particle composite materials and intelligent nano-metal weaving tech."

"At rest, it drapes over the body like smooth silk, barely hindering movement."

"But the instant it detects an attack, the spirit-particles activate, triggering the nano-metal fibers to interlock and instantly form an impenetrable armored shell."

"Honestly, we started developing this suit even before the Spirit Awakening."

"Back then, its combat performance was lackluster. But after the Spirit Awakening, ancient relics began surfacing, and we experimented with new materials."

"That’s how we perfected it."

Xiao Ke happily pointed at Li Mingyuan below and added, "Oh, and this project has always been Uncle Li’s baby."

Qin Luo studied Li Mingyuan thoughtfully.

Li Mingyuan’s system was called the [Civilization Evolution Drive System], complementing Xiao Ke’s [Ultimate Black Tech System].

Hovering mid-air, Li Mingyuan lightly tapped his battle suit and declared, "Mr. Qin, this is the Alliance’s current pinnacle of technological achievement."

"A force capable of changing the world."

As he flexed his wrist, razor-sharp spirit-energy blades snapped out from the suit’s elbows and forearms, their edges gleaming coldly.

His gaze locked onto the opposite side. "Over there is a simulation bot with Peak Realm late-stage combat capabilities—extremely lethal."

"An ordinary martial artist would face near-certain death against it. But with this suit and this spirit-pulse rifle..."

Li Mingyuan raised the rifle steadily.

"...it’s child’s play."

Before the words fully left his mouth, Li Mingyuan kicked off, the suit’s leg thrusters propelling him like a silver streak toward the robot.

The robot retaliated instantly, its massive fist wreathed in surging spiritual energy.

Li Mingyuan dodged with ghostly grace, then pulled the trigger.

The barrel flared—BOOM!—a thick beam of spirit-energy erupted, engulfing the robot in a blinding explosion.

When the light faded, the Peak Realm late-stage bot had been reduced to ashes.

"Oooh."

Qin Luo clapped, impressed. "So Peak Realm late-stagers are just cannon fodder now?"

"Are we really at the point where Peak Realm warriors are everywhere and Domain experts are as common as dogs?"

Beside him, Su Muwan blinked. "Looks cool, I guess. But why do we even need this?"

"To kill Peak Realm late-stagers? Isn’t that as easy as blinking?"

Hey, hey, hey—could you not say something so brutal?

Xiao Ke’s eye twitched.

Not everyone is a freak like you two, you know?

Li Mingyuan nearly lost his balance mid-air. Regaining composure, he coughed lightly. "Actually, the suit’s combat potential far exceeds Peak Realm late-stage."

"It’s just that our current research limits us to simulating Peak Realm late-stage bots."

"Conservatively, we estimate its true power reaches the Return to Simplicity Realm."

Qin Luo nodded.

He didn’t expect the Alliance to handle top-tier threats. As long as they could clear out the small fry, that was enough.

"Alright then..."

Qin Luo turned to Xiao Ke. "Enough with the appetizer. Bring out that."

"That?"

Su Muwan tilted her head curiously. "What’s that?"

Xiao Ke’s eye twitched again. He didn’t get why Luo-ge insisted on making that, but...

Right now, Qin Luo called the shots in the Alliance. Might as well humor him.

Clearing his throat, Xiao Ke pressed a button on his hover device.

Instantly—

BOOM!

A massive mechanical gate rumbled open ahead.

And then—

A towering, bizarrely shaped mech emerged.

Its head was sharp like a shark’s snout, flanked by eerie blue sensors resembling the cold, predatory eyes of a great white.

A row of shark-fin-like protrusions ran down its back, glowing faintly with flowing spiritual energy.

A colossal mechanical tail swayed behind it.

Not just that—the mech’s limb joints were designed like gills, releasing wisps of white steam with every movement.

Su Muwan's lips parted slightly in astonishment. Her eyes flickered with curiosity as she turned to Qin Luo, pointing at the mecha and asking, "What is this?!"

Qin Luo grinned and replied, "I call it... Sharky."

"It's yours now, young mistress."

"Hell yeah!"