Refining five medicinal herbs, Yuto found doubts

Yuto Saito glanced at the group gathered around him and then turned his attention to Xianxian. "Xianxian, tell me about your skills in medicine refining. What kinds of potions or pills can you currently make?"

Rice Noodles, the ever-knowledgeable Xianxian, responded confidently, "I can refine five different types of medicinal pills right now: Dali Pill, Shensu Pill, King Kong Pill, Qi Ju San, and Strengthening Potion."

Curiosity piqued, Yuto asked for more details.

"Dali Pill can double a person's strength for one minute, but it requires rare ingredients like tiger blood and spar."

"The Shensu Pill doubles speed for the same amount of time, and it's made from peregrine falcon and spar."

"The King Kong Pill grants invincibility for five seconds, needing gold, spar, and black turtle to craft."

"The Qi Gathering Powder increases mental power by 100 points, refined from chicken blood and spar."

"Finally, the Strengthening Potion boosts strength, agility, constitution, and mental power by one point each. The number of drops a person can consume depends on their level. For instance, a level 1 individual can take one drop, a level 2 can take two, and so on."

Yuto listened attentively. "What ingredients are needed to make the Strengthening Potion?"

Rice Noodles continued, "Bear blood adds strength, snake blood increases agility, turtle shell enhances defense, and chicken blood boosts mental power. All of these are fused using spar."

Yun Yun, ever observant, chimed in, "The first four are temporary boosts during battle, but the Strengthening Potion is a long-term enhancement."

"Exactly," Rice Noodles confirmed with a nod.

Orange leaned in, commenting, "So, spar is essential for all these medicines. We need to prioritize gathering it."

Ruoruo added, "No surprise there. Spar is full of energy. You can tell by how it's used to upgrade the floating island."

Na Zi sighed in regret, "I killed so many snakes earlier and forgot to collect their blood!"

Yuto chuckled, "Don't worry, snake blood is pretty easy to come by."

Ni Shuang's eyes gleamed with excitement. "That King Kong Pill sounds powerful. Five seconds of invincibility? That's incredible."

Natto grinned. "It's wild that gold is one of the ingredients."

"Maybe it's related to gold's density or properties," Mina speculated thoughtfully.

Yuto Saito turned serious, "Alright, everyone knows the recipes now. Write them down and remember to store any materials we come across in the warehouse."

Natto and the others responded in unison, "Got it!"

As they wrapped up their conversation about potions, Yuto's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen—it was Song Yi calling.

"Hey, Officer Song~," Yuto greeted him with a teasing tone.

On the other end, Song Yi got straight to business, "Yuto, I've gathered the information you requested. I've added you on WeChat. Accept the request, and I'll send it over."

"Thanks a lot, Officer," Yuto said as he hung up. He quickly accepted the friend request, and almost immediately, Song Yi sent the data.

The files detailed six phone calls made by Chuck and Carlos, two of which were to domestic numbers in the capital, while the others were international. Yuto grinned—Zhang Kui's parents, Zhang Bafeng and Liu Panpan, were likely still hiding in the capital.

Yun Yun noticed Yuto's expression and approached. "Xiaotu, what's up?"

Yuto explained, "I took down the two snipers and found their phones. Officer Song helped me trace the numbers they were contacting. It seems they've been hiding out in two places—one is a hotel, the other a warehouse in the outskirts."

Yun Yun smiled, "That warehouse sounds suspicious. Why don't we check it out?"

Yuto agreed, "I was thinking the same."

Yun Yun, eager to fight alongside him, said, "Let me change, and I'll go with you."

"No need, I can handle this alone," Yuto insisted.

But Ni Shuang interrupted, "You're not going alone, Xiaotu! This started because of me. My sister and I are coming."

Yuto hesitated but then relented, "Alright, let's go together."

As Ni Shuang and Yun Yun left to change, Yuqi asked, "Captain, should the rest of us stay behind?"

Yuto nodded, "I'll take you when we need to fight zombies or monsters. The teleportation circle only has a one-meter radius right now, so we can't all go."

Hutuan'er, the team's teleporter, piped up, "I'll upgrade the circle soon, and then we can all go."

Orange spoke up, "If only we joined earlier. We missed out on the 7,000 experience from those snipers."

Ruoruo sighed, "Yeah, it's a shame."

Na Zi suggested, "Why don't we go hunt some low-level monsters to level up the teleportation talent first?"

Natto enthusiastically agreed, "I'm in!"

Mina looked to Yuto for approval, "What do you think, Captain?"

Yuto shook his head, "It's too late now. Wait until morning. We might go to the capital and hunt a few zombies while we're at it."

Hutuan'er grinned, "Perfect! If I encounter a zombie, I only need 100 more experience points to upgrade my teleportation talent."

By this time, Yun Yun had returned, dressed in sleek black denim and a fitted top that accentuated her S-shaped figure. Ruoruo couldn't help but compliment her. "Sister Yun, you look amazing!"

Ni Shuang soon followed, now in practical combat attire.

Yuto signaled to Hutuan'er. "Let's go."

With a nod, Hutuan'er activated her teleportation skill, and the circle under their feet began to glow. Yuto, Yun Yun, and Ni Shuang stepped into it.

"Mina, take care of everyone while we're gone," Yuto instructed before they vanished.

The rest of the group watched in awe as the four disappeared in a flash of light.

Ruoruo marveled, "That teleportation is incredible."

Natto agreed, "Yeah, seeing them vanish like that was wild."

Nako looked eager to join the action, asking Mina, "Should we head out and hunt some monsters?"

Mina shook her head, "No, the Captain said to wait until morning."

"Alright," Nako agreed reluctantly, though her fighting spirit remained high.

Rice Noodles reminded everyone, "Don't forget to collect materials for the Strengthening Potion. The sooner we refine them, the stronger we'll all become."

Natto asked, "Can anyone take it, even regular people?"

Rice Noodles confirmed, "Yes, it works for everyone. Each drop adds four points to combat power, one point to each of the four main attributes."

"Great! If we find anything, we'll make sure to gather it," Ruoruo promised.

Na Zi smiled mischievously, "Tomorrow, I'm going snake hunting for more blood."

Orange laughed, "Na Zi, you're unstoppable! A real goddess of war."

Na Zi chuckled, "Don't tease me. Your combat power is higher than mine."

Orange grinned, "True, but you can fly. I still can't beat you."

Ruoruo added, "That's right. Na Zi's airborne, and your hearing talent won't help against her."

Mina teased, "If Na Zi's up in the sky, all she has to do is spear you with her weapon from above. You wouldn't stand a chance."

With the night winding down, they settled in, preparing for whatever awaited them come morning.