Yashan’s evolution is progressing very smoothly.
When he opened his eyes again, he had become a Level 5 mutant, known as the “Steel Armor King,” and his strength had transformed once more.
Su Hao first had Yashan demonstrate his newly acquired abilities.
First was the armor; it transformed into a substance resembling gold but with the texture and strength of steel. In terms of design, if you compared the “Bone Demon’s” bone armor to a tank, the “Steel Armor King’s” armor could be described as a large armored vehicle.
Overall, it became taller and more robust, with angular lines, and Yashan’s appearance changed from that of a young man to a rugged one.
Evidently, Yashan preferred his current state.
Next were the abilities. The abilities the “Bone Demon” possessed could still be used smoothly, but the bone spikes had turned into steel spikes. In addition, he had gained a new ability called “Blood Flesh Assimilation.”
According to Yashan, “Blood Flesh Assimilation” was a process in which his cells merged with an object, infecting it. Under the influence of his blood, the object would briefly transform, gaining properties similar to steel armor.
Yashan was afraid he couldn’t explain it clearly, so he demonstrated it to Su Hao on the spot.
He pressed his hand onto the ground, and his entire hand began to dissolve, merging with the ground. The ground gradually turned dark gray and spread outward like ink in water.
The assimilated ground exhibited new changes. What was once hard ground softened, turning into a semi-liquid state, undulating like waves.
Yashan said, “After my cells have assimilated this area, I can manipulate the material in this area just like I control my body. For example, I can turn it into a chair…”
Saying this, Yashan controlled the gray, soft substance to protrude and shape, ultimately forming a crooked round stool.
Yashan awkwardly said, “Well, Boss, I’m not very proficient at this. It’s a chair, I promise. I’ll get better at it!”
However, Su Hao didn’t mock the result, and instead, he was filled with curiosity.
Yashan continued, “Apart from this, I can also control this material to change its hardness at will… Soft like water, hard like steel! Just like this!”
*Crack!*
As Yashan spoke, the crooked stool instantly hardened, emitting a metallic sheen.
Su Hao tapped it with a bone blade in his hand, producing the sound of metal clashing.
Then, he thrust downward forcefully.
*Clang!*
The bone blade in his hand immediately snapped and flew.
Su Hao nodded and said, “The strength is decent!”
He conjured another bone blade and added “Level 2 – Penetration,” then thrust downward again.
*Splat!*
Like poking tofu, the bone blade didn’t reach the bottom.
Su Hao commented once more, “The strength is decent!”
Surprisingly, the meanings of the two comments were entirely different.
Su Hao soon gave this special material a name, calling it “Assimilation Steel.”
This Assimilation Steel could only change the external properties of a substance for a short time and couldn’t alter the substance’s fundamental nature. Once it lost the support of the “Steel Armor King’s” cells and blood, it would quickly revert to its original state.
However, it couldn’t be denied that for mutants, “Blood Flesh Assimilation” was an incredible technique.
As long as their blood strength was sufficient within the domain’s range, they would be nearly invincible. Imagine someone stepping into the area, and the Assimilation Steel would instantly bind their entire body, then harden. This person would essentially become easy prey because when all their joints were restricted, they couldn’t even exert force, making it impossible to break free.
It’s likely that “Steel Armor King” Abi used “Blood Flesh Assimilation” to attack Su Hao in the past. It could assimilate a range of up to fifty meters, and its strength was indeed formidable.
If Su Hao couldn’t fly into the sky, dealing with Abi’s Assimilation Steel would undoubtedly be a bit tricky.
After conducting some research, Su Hao asked, “Is ‘Blood Flesh Assimilation’ the only ability you have?”
Yashan replied, “Currently, it’s the only ability I’ve discovered. However, my other abilities have all been significantly enhanced.”
Su Hao nodded, acknowledging that this ability alone was already quite impressive. He then handed Yashan a small booklet and said, “You haven’t completed your evolution entirely yet; you’re still in the second stage of evolution. This booklet contains tasks you need to accomplish within the next month to try to activate more abilities. For example, the ability ‘Bone Control’ that you’ve been trying to obtain for a while, according to the instructions in the booklet, you might be able to gain a new ability, ‘Steel Control.'”
Yashan’s eyes lit up, and he asked, “Boss, does getting ‘Steel Control’ mean I’ll have the chance to fly in the sky?”
Su Hao nodded and said, “In theory, that should be the case.”
Yashan became excited, exclaiming, “That’s fantastic! Thank you, Boss. I’m going to start right away!”
He rushed out eagerly, but Su Hao immediately called him back, saying, “Yashan, come back! What’s the rush?”
Yashan returned to Su Hao, scratching his head and apologizing, “Boss, I got carried away.”
Su Hao instructed, “First, try to see if you can inscribe runes on the steel armor. If it doesn’t work, your abilities will be severely limited.”
Yashan was suddenly struck by the realization that he had overlooked this detail.
Finally, Su Hao needed to confirm whether runes could be inscribed on the steel armor, just like on bone armor. After fiddling with Yashan for a while, Su Hao was relieved.
The steel armor could indeed have runes inscribed on it, and the effect was even better than with bone armor.
Once all the necessary confirmations were made, Su Hao sent Yashan on his way. He needed to promptly analyze the genetic fragments of the “Steel Armor King” before and after evolution and organize them for future reference.
However, two hours later, Yashan returned to Su Hao’s laboratory with a hesitant expression. He scratched his head and said, “Boss Wei, I’d like to ask you some questions.”
Su Hao, busy with Yashan’s blood samples, didn’t look up and asked, “What’s the question?”
Yashan said, “It’s about the booklet you wrote. I’m having trouble understanding some parts.”
Su Hao was speechless. It seemed that Yashan, who was barely literate, struggled with comprehension. He had tried to keep the instructions as simple as possible but apparently not simple enough.
Su Hao put down his work and sighed, “Yashan, look at you, having trouble understanding such a simple description! Do you know how to proceed now?”
Yashan looked puzzled and asked, “What should I do? Should I read more books in the future?”
Su Hao replied, “Pay more attention to your daughter, Taini, and make sure she studies well. Don’t let her grow up to be someone who can’t understand anything like you.”
Yashan had no response to that.
He wondered, “Does that mean there’s no hope for me?”
…
Half a month later, Yashan excitedly ran up to Su Hao and said, “Boss, look! I did it. I’ve mastered ‘Steel Control.'” With that, he extended his right hand, forming a crude steel cleaver.
Su Hao’s eyes brightened. It was just as he had suspected. In the second stage of evolution, when used wisely, it could indeed activate corresponding latent abilities.
Su Hao silently worked on his own plan, thinking, “Now, I can carefully plan and evolve into the ‘Steel Armor King.'”
Yashan, with a thrilled expression, asked, “Boss, can I fly now?”
Su Hao glanced at the awkwardly shaped cleaver in Yashan’s hand and bluntly remarked, “How about making the cleaver more refined first?”
Yashan: “…”
The words sounded familiar; had he heard them somewhere before?
(End of this chapter)
