Chapter 40: 40. Arrival
He turned on the long-unused computer, wiping away the thick dust accumulated on the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
Lu Yao looked at the familiar boot screen and reflected, "Has it been a year since I last turned it on? Back then, I spent 8000 on a 3080, and many people called me foolish. The past is unbearable to look back on."
He opened a browser and searched for "Zhang Xin." The man was anything but low profile; there was a plethora of related news—
"Young Xia Country tycoon, philanthropist... Founder of the Xinwang Pharmaceutical Group."
"Assets scattered all over the world, with hundreds of over-a-hundred-million-priced mansions, wineries, and islands alone."
"Likes to visit Gambling City, splurging half a billion every trip. The various circles of Gambling City jointly gifted him a Rolls Royce..."
"Guest of honor of politicians from multiple countries, has acquired citizenship in 'Inca' Country. It seems this is Zhang Xin's main base."
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Lu Yao was somewhat surprised to read these news articles; Zhang Xin had achieved such big things during the years he was ill! To think that he was originally just a rather clever young student.
"I'm not strong enough now, it's not yet time to confront him directly, but I can 'clip his wings'—this scoundrel has DP processing factories all over the world!"
"When Zhang Xin came to me, he was trying to transport a huge amount of cold medicine to the southern border. He dares not open factories in Xia Country, so it's very likely they are in those small countries to the south! I can start by checking out the nearest factory for information."
Filtering through the news, he quickly found his target. "Got it—A Chinese tycoon has invested 1.4 billion in starting a pharmaceutical company!"
That news came from Annan Country last year, and the main character was none other than the human-looking Zhang Xin.
"Right, his processing factory must avoid the limelight, and he would definitely pick a country that is relatively chaotic but with convenient transportation. Annan Country fits the bill perfectly."
Lu Yao immediately booked a ticket to Annan Country. Annan Country, often stricken by war, made it easy to acquire firearms; this trip was killing two birds with one stone.
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Airport.
Lu Yao unscrewed the thermos, took a sip of the Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup inside... and felt nothing!
He drank two more sips before feeling a warm current inside his body.
"The medicinal effect is at most only a quarter! It seems the two worlds are only superficially similar, with huge differences invisibly. It makes sense, in the Otherworld there are those who reach the Indestructible Golden Body Realm, capable of physically withstanding cannonballs, while Blue Star is the Demon Extinguishing World."
He sealed the bottle tightly, as he would stay on Blue Star for the next couple of days and needed to drink it daily.
Lu Yao scrolled through information about "Xinwang Pharmaceutical" in Annan Country on his phone when suddenly an idea struck him:
What if I set up my own pharmaceutical company, could I try to decrypt the secret of Otherworld's supplements? Once I develop an extraction fluid, a single drop could replace eighteen bowls...
[Dear passengers, please note that your flight CZ3069 is now boarding.]
At that moment, the boarding announcement interrupted Lu Yao's daydreams.
He shook his head, ready to embark on his journey.
"It's not the time yet, I don't have the power to keep the benefits safe... Better deal with the present matters first."
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The airplane smoothly ascended into the sky, and it was now time to unbuckle the seatbelt.
Lu Yao was lost in thought and did not unbuckle his.
At this moment, he was trying the "sitting and forgetting" practice, but unfortunately, he was without a clue.
"It's not working. This 'forgetting the form and discarding the senses'... I just can't grasp the concept; it's too difficult."
While Lu Yao was struggling, several women on the plane were surreptitiously sizing him up.
A few young flight attendants whispered quietly:
"Did you see? The one by the window. He looks so-so, but his presence is truly unique. That's the kind of guy you marry~"
"His eyes are so bright!"
"The attractiveness of this man lies in his eyes, clear and spirited."
With the refinement of the Spirit Refining Method, Lu Yao had a firm grasp on his demeanor, enchanting the girls on the plane so much they couldn't resist. Many high-end females are afraid of this kind of invisible invasion.
Soon, a flight attendant came over with an excuse and bent over to whisper, "Sir, you may unbuckle your seatbelt now."
Lu Yao smiled warmly, "Okay, thank you."
The flight attendant was almost floored by that smile, and several other ladies who had been sneaking glances were thoroughly bewitched, unable to tell north from south.
At that moment, a crisp child's voice said, "Big brother, here, have this~"
A six or seven-year-old girl, white and cute, was offering a large apple. Children's hearts are pure, and they naturally formed a good impression of Spirit Refining Experts like Lu Yao.
Lu Yao spoke softly, "You eat it, I'm not hungry."
The girl's parents were also nearby, smiling kindly at Lu Yao.
~~~~~~~
As technology advanced, travel became simpler, taking less than three hours to reach Annan.
Lu Yao's luggage was just a thermos, which was refreshing compared to the large and small bags of the crowd around him.
The travel was spontaneous; he hadn't prepared anything. But since his card was loaded, he could afford to be capricious~
He declined contact information from a bunch of women of various ages who approached him, not just because their looks and figures were overshadowed by a pair of sisters.
After settling down, his senses continued to strengthen, and Lu Yao always felt that these women had an unpleasant scent about them.
On the contrary, the sisters had a particularly comfortable and pleasant scent, or rather, a body fragrance.
This was the external manifestation of a person's essence, energy, and spirit, which someone like Lu Yao, a Spirit Refiner, was especially sensitive to and could clearly perceive.
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"It's so hot. It must be at least 35 degrees here."
Lu Yao, sporting large sunglasses, was indistinguishable from the tourists beside him.
Right now, he was going through airport customs, and just outside was Xian City, a famous coastal city in Annan Country.
The line was moving extremely slowly, and there was the sound of arguing up ahead.
Several Annanese customs officers were shouting in Xia language with a strange accent, "Red packets, red packets."
Most passengers on this plane were from Xia Country, and soon some understood what the customs officers meant, pulling out money and handing it over.
The customs officers took the money and immediately let them through.
Lu Yao frowned, could this be such blatant bribery?
"Young man, being abroad is different from being at home. It's faster if you slip some money in your passport," said the middle-aged man speaking, who was the father of the cute little girl on the plane. He wore a baseball cap and thick glasses that were obviously very high in prescription.
"If you don't give money, they'll keep you delayed and make you the last one through. It's not much anyway, just put in twenty bucks."
The man slipped a 20 yuan note into his passport, then took out another 20 yuan note and handed it to Lu Yao, "You look like you've traveled light, probably didn't bring any cash, right? It's common in the country, but mobile payments haven't caught on here."
"I came out in such a rush. How about I transfer it to you on my phone?" Lu Yao really didn't have any change; he only had hundred-yuan bills, which would be a waste to use here.
"We're all from Xia Country, no need to be polite. It's only right to help each other when we're out and about, just use mine."
Seeing that the man truly refused to take it, Lu Yao didn't insist too much.
The group chatted briefly and exchanged names.
The man's name was Li Jin, a network engineer for a Xia-funded company, his wife was Zhao Ya, and his daughter—Li Yino.