I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

Yan Shan said leisurely, suddenly remembering that he hadn't told Yan Zimo about obtaining the crystal core from the Grim Reaper. He had been in seclusion for the past two months, breaking through to a higher level, and had forgotten about these trivial matters.

Looking back now, since it was Yan Ziming's teacher who killed her, she had the right to know, and there was no reason to keep it from her.

"What great deal?"

"Crystal nucleus".

With just two words, Yan Ziming understood everything.

So even the Grim Reaper has had a crystal core drop!

Does that mean...?

"Don't blame us for keeping this from you. Only a handful of people know about this, so it shouldn't be spread."

"Relax, do I look like such a petty person? Speaking of which, Uncle, you've reached your current level thanks to this crystal core, haven't you?" Yan Ziming suddenly asked.

In just two months, Yan Shan's strength improved by leaps and bounds, approaching the Sequence level. It's easy to imagine that there must have been some external factors involved.

Now that Yan Shan has told him that they obtained the crystal core from the Grim Reaper, Yan Zimo naturally guessed it.

"Alas, it's because this is the first time we've obtained a sequence-level crystal core, and we're not very familiar with how to use it, that we leaked some of our life essence, which is why I failed." Yan Shan's expression was quite regretful.

They should have studied it more carefully for a while, but reality always keeps pressing, and who knows when the next Rank 1 that covets the Qilin will appear.

Although Liu Mengxian, a super big shot, was keeping the sequence-level mutated species in check, Death was an exception, willing to risk being killed by Liu Mengxian to take the plunge.

If some fearless individual or a fearless, newborn calf like Death were to appear, then China would once again be plunged into chaos and devastation.

They cannot sacrifice people's lives to buy time.

After a moment of reflection, Yan Shan turned to Yan Zimo and said seriously:

"Let's not talk about that. Take your time to think it over. Don't rush to give me an answer. Think it through carefully and try not to regret it later. Don't let my presence influence your thoughts."

"Ah."

Yan Ziming quickly calculated in his mind that the absorption method of a sequence-level crystal core would definitely need to be changed, otherwise a lot of life essence would definitely overflow, which would be a huge waste!

Although Yan Shan and his team failed before, they must have learned a lot of lessons. This crystal core can be given to them to maximize its value.

Then he thought of her recent changes. The lightning within her body had begun to transform into a higher level, and its purity needed to be improved. Only in this way could she have the possibility of making further progress, and the sea serpent's crystal core could solve this problem.

But the key issue isn't there; it's that—as a seventh-tier ability user, absorbing even one-tenth of a sequence-level crystal core would be her limit; any more and she'd burst.

Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she asked:

"Uncle, is there a way for multiple people to absorb a single crystal core at the same time?"

Yan Shan thought for a moment and replied:

"There's no precedent for this. You wouldn't be thinking of doing that, would you?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I want to do. It will allow you to make a breakthrough, and we can also enjoy all sorts of benefits."

"It's theoretically feasible, but in practice... do you have any experience with this?"

"Uh..."

Yan Ziming closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought, but in reality, he was communicating with Mo Xin in his mind.

"Mo Xin, you heard our conversation, didn't you? You followed Xian'er for so long, did she ever demonstrate any similar magical techniques?"

"You big bad guy, you're already thinking about Mo Xin? I'm not telling you!"

Mo Xin started acting up, leaving Yan Ziming both amused and exasperated by her childish behavior.

"Stop it, little miss, I'm begging you!"

"Call me Xin'er and I'll tell you!"

"Xin'er~ You're the best girl, please tell me, okay?"

"Hmph~ Since you've put it that way, Zimo, then I'll mercifully tell you... Don't you have a Qilin? You can make it do this..."

Mo Xin went on and on, and Yan Zi Mo listened and nodded repeatedly. As expected of the spirit who had followed Liu Meng Xian for so long, being around such a great deity, she had gained far more knowledge than ordinary people like them.

After careful consideration, Yan Ziming opened his eyes, took a long breath, exhaled, and said:

"I'm sorry, Uncle, I don't want to use my sequence-level crystal cores for this exchange."

Yan Shan was not disappointed and nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems this is your final decision. You didn't let your emotions get the better of you, that's good."

Acting on impulse is a person's biggest flaw. Such people are often easily swayed by life's choices. If Yan Zimo wants to break through to a higher level, he must control this flaw in order to possibly reach the pinnacle.

In Yan Shan's mind, Yan Zimo's peak is not the ninth rank. She will do better and better than him. The ninth rank will not be a shackle for her until she breaks through the highest realm of humanity - Soul Heaven.

“However, we still have a way to benefit multiple people. Uncle, I’ll invite you to our house sometime. Maybe you can break through to the Sequence level too.”

Yan Ziming continued, "Such good things should definitely be shared with family and friends!"

Mu Mu, Ye Qianxue, Yan Shan, Tian Tian, ​​and others—we'll invite them all over then and share this crystal core with them.

Yan Shan's eyes widened, and he asked:

"You actually have a way to get multiple people to absorb it at the same time?"

"Hmph! Of course! With the Qilin in hand, I have the world at my command!"

"You're not thinking of making a move on the Qilin, are you? That's not entirely out of the question, but you have to..."

"Okay, I know, I can't force it, right? Don't worry, it'll cooperate perfectly!"

“…”

Yan Shan was becoming increasingly curious about what kind of clever method his niece had that could benefit them all.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Discussion

"I need to go back and discuss this with some people. Let us know when you start taking action."

Another sequence-level crystal core has been acquired, along with the entire corpse of a sea serpent. If conditions permit, China will definitely want to secretly transport it back to the country, leaving no scraps for other countries.

To ensure the entire process is flawless, it depends on the abilities of these decision-makers. It's clearly not conducive to the planning process if only Yan Shan knows about this; everyone needs to discuss it together carefully.

Seeing Yan Ziming's worry, Yan Shan smiled and said:

"You don't need to worry. The people I found are all absolutely trustworthy. It's just me, the national leader, and the other four ninth-level individuals."

"That's good. I thought we were going to have another military conference with dozens of people."

"So when will you begin your operation?"

Yan Ziming estimated the time and asked in return:

How much preparation time does the military need?

Yan Shan looked troubled and pondered for a moment before saying:

"To be honest, it will be difficult to hide this operation from the eyes of external forces. Unless nuclear submarines are deployed, at least warships cannot be sent out, otherwise it will definitely arouse their suspicion."

"No way... How big is the internal space of a nuclear submarine? The Sea Serpent is a behemoth! How many batches of nuclear submarines would that require?"

Yan Ziming complained.

In this post-apocalyptic era, the navies of various countries are basically just patrolling their own waters, mainly to protect their own territory, and secondly to avoid being swallowed up by mutated species in the vast ocean.

Given this historical context, China's sudden dispatch of warships to international waters must be hiding some ulterior motive!

Maybe they've discovered some incredible treasure there and want to keep it all for themselves!

When the time comes, they won't be the only ones vying for the sea serpent's carcass; all sorts of monsters and demons will jump out to get a piece of the pie. The best outcome would be for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to divide it equally, which is far less desirable than having it all to themselves.

Using a nuclear submarine to cut the sea serpent into pieces and transport it back is theoretically feasible, but only if there is no interference.

For example, the United States has deployed countless sonar arrays across the vast ocean, not only to detect mutated species but also to monitor the movements of other countries' nuclear submarines. After the apocalypse, their numbers increased several times over.

It's not a problem for China's nuclear submarines to make one or two trips, but if they do it too often, they will inevitably be detected.

The lack of suitable transportation is the real problem that Yanshan is currently facing.

"Uncle, in a couple of days it's the Mu family patriarch's 80th birthday celebration. He's inviting everyone in the elite circles to his cruise ship. Do you think we could...?"

Yan Ziming's intentions couldn't be clearer: he was using the pretense of attending the banquet to fish in troubled waters!

"You're quite adept at saying they're entertaining people from wealthy and powerful families. But what about the mining operations? With so many people involved, it'll be difficult for us to carry out our mission."

"So what should we do?"

Yan Ziming asked with a bitter face, "If this won't work and that won't work, when will this ever end?"

"Your plan isn't entirely flawed, but it needs some minor improvements."

"For example, by planting some of our people in there?"

"It's not as simplistic as you think. I mean, we can replace all their security personnel with our own. It's better than their own. They'll just be secretly laughing to themselves. In addition, we can send one or two warships to escort them, so we can openly sail into international waters."

Having spent so many years in the military, Yan Shan's experience far surpasses that of Yan Ziming, a complete novice in life.

As for the fact that the warships made an exception to escort these wealthy people... how to make it reasonable is up to the military to figure out; Yan Ziming doesn't intend to get involved.

"That's settled then. You'll be attending the Mu family banquet tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, I will also bring my friends."