Chapter 156: Sensational Popularity

The quality of a light armor's components is primarily determined by two factors: the materials used in their construction and the craftsmanship. In both aspects, metallic materials hold an incomparable advantage, which directly leads to the vast majority of light armor components being made of metal.

However, these days, everyone in Jiukai City who cares about light armor components is talking about a completely different topic.

"Bone-made components? How well do they perform? Have you seen the real deal?"

"Oh, when would an opportunity like that ever fall to me? Goodness, those bone components are snapped up the moment they hit the market! Word has it that quite a few people do nothing all day but stare at the transaction list, just waiting for the goods to appear! Hehe, although I haven't seen the original piece myself, a good friend of mine got lucky and managed to grab one. According to him, he ran specialized tests on it. Do you know what the results were?"

"What were they?"

"Heh, good grief, its comprehensive index is nine percentage points higher than Master Wei's equivalent components!"

"Really or fake? Higher than Master Wei's stuff? I don't believe it! What kind of figure is Master Wei? Everything he makes is absolute perfection!"

"You don't believe it? Suit yourself then! Hmph, when has old Xu here ever spoken falsehoods?"

"Ah, come on, of course not! Brother Xu, please don't get worked up, but this matter is simply too astonishing! To actually be better than Master Wei's creations—my reaction is only natural, little brother that I am!"

"Mm, fair enough. To tell you the truth, I was struck dumb when I first heard the news. Just think about how many years Master Wei has dominated this component market. This is the very first time I've heard of anyone's work surpassing his!"

"Ain't that the truth! Ah, whoever can make this sort of thing is truly a master. Not simple at all!"

"Yeah, and who knows which expert managed to come up with such a brilliant idea. Using bones to make components—even an old fellow like me has to tip his hat. What's more, they're handmade. That level of skill is truly profound."

"Handmade? No way, are there really still people willing to use manual methods nowadays?"

"Yeah, it gave me quite a shock when I heard it too. To think someone is still willing to rely on manual techniques nowadays, sigh. When it comes to making light armor components, that right there is a difference in sheer realm! They say that when Master Wei laid eyes on a component made by this person, he couldn't utter a single word for a long time."

"Sigh, who knows when we'll ever reach that realm! There really is always someone better, and heavens beyond the heavens! The component market right now is like it's been set on fire, especially those mecha pilots; they're currently waiting for that person to stock up just like they're waiting for treasures!"

"Isn't that the truth? Forget nine percentage points; even a single percentage point might save your life at a critical moment, especially for pilots who dance with death every single day. Besides, the seller isn't even charging exorbitant prices—an ordinary component costs only fifty points. You must know, when has any of Master Wei's components ever gone for under a hundred points? But I heard a high-grade item dropped yesterday!"

"High-grade item? What kind of thing?"

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"Not entirely sure, but I heard it went for a full five hundred points! Hehe. It had barely shown its head before it was snatched away by someone with fast hands. But quite a few people saw the point value on the tag afterward—tsk tsk, five hundred points! To actually buy it just like that without a second thought. That buyer is ruthless too!"

"Five hundred points? What is five hundred points compared to this? This stuff is meant for saving your life! As long as you stay alive, you can always earn the points back! I bet a lot of people are green with envy that he managed to snatch it. Forget five hundred points; if it had been a thousand, someone probably still would have bought it! I heard that even the little guys at the Research Institute are starting to pay attention to these components now!"

"Oh, they're starting to pay attention too? But that's only natural. Hehe, powerful as the Research Institute may be, figures of this caliber probably aren't all that common there! I wonder who on earth this guy is, acting all secretive!"

"Could it be a newcomer from this year? I've never seen this person make a move before!"

"Quite possible! But there hasn't been any news about this person yet. Only the old fellows at the Research Institute probably know. Look, aren't those youngsters over there still completely clueless about who it is?"

"Mm, with that level of skill, passing the level five assessment shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Who knows? Hmph, that damn level five assessment—the newcomers might not know about it, but you and I certainly do, don't we?"

"Sigh, well said..."

Ye Chong sat leisurely in front of the optical brain in his room. Projected before him was the holographic image of a traded item. With a single tap on the list, detailed descriptions and holographic imagery of the item immediately appeared.

The scorching popularity of the bone-based light armor components far exceeded Ye Chong's expectations. This unique and high-performance variety of light armor components was immensely sought-after in the light armor trading market. Not only were the fifty-point components bought up in the blink of an eye the moment they appeared, but a set of high-grade components Ye Chong sold yesterday had been purchased for a hefty price of five hundred points within a single second of submitting the transaction barcode!

Ye Chong no longer needed to fret over points at all. His current point balance had already surpassed three thousand, far exceeding the one thousand four hundred required to pass the assessment. Consequently, Ye Chong spent the vast majority of his time "treasure hunting."

It was a pity that Ye Chong never encountered the good luck he had days prior. He came up completely empty-handed when it came to ores, and found no bone materials that caught his eye in the bone category either. He did, however, purchase a few light armor models. For instance, he bought one with a very bizarre appearance: from its exterior, it resembled a mutated crawler, featuring dark brown segmented trunks that allowed it to twist and turn with great flexibility. Each segment of the trunk housed a miniature engine and was equipped with four passive, tentacle-like mechanical limbs.

Ye Chong had tested it out; in terrains like subterranean caves and fissures, this light armor possessed incredible speed and an unfathomable level of agility.

Aside from this light armor, Ye Chong had also purchased a set of engineering light armor. These items didn't take up much space anyway, and it was always wise to be prepared for any eventuality.

Goods in Jiukai City were sold primarily through two methods. The most common was the virtual trading network that Ye Chong visited daily; this was the most convenient shopping method with the most complete inventory. The other method was street-side shops like the Azure Sand little store. The vast majority of their goods were also sold on the virtual trading network, but their primary point income relied on customers visiting their physical storefronts in person. Therefore, while their inventory might not be all-encompassing, it was guaranteed to be distinct and full of character. Furthermore, many items were unsuitable for public display, such as detailed specifications of exceptionally high-grade light armors.

Because his points were completely sufficient, Ye Chong soon received a notification from the Research Institute stating that he had passed the level three assessment! All he needed to do now was wait—wait for the level four assessment a little over two months away. Completely oblivious to the implications of this, Ye Chong failed to notice the astonishment in Vici's eyes when she looked at him, a gaze that made it seem as though she were staring at a monster.

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With ample time on his hands, what Ye Chong actually wanted to focus on most were his various training regimens—whether it was the courses left behind by Crazy Guan, his own insights into hand-to-hand combat, or even the meditation breath technique. However, the moment he recalled that the meditation breath technique was exclusive to internal personnel of the Research Institute, Ye Chong immediately halted all related activities. He had no desire to court trouble. That technique possessed a mystical quality, and every single one of those old fellows at the Research Institute possessed terrifying strength; who knew if they had some bizarre methods up their sleeves?

Fortunately, his strange illness had not flared up for quite some time, which allowed Ye Chong to feel somewhat at ease.

Ever since he received word that he had passed the level three assessment, Ye Chong discovered that no matter where he went, several figures seemed to be vaguely trailing behind him.

Ye Chong's behavior grew increasingly cautious.

Maltis felt that his luck lately had been absolute garbage. Within the span of a single day, he had watched two top-tier mineral ores slip right through his fingers. The agony of that experience was enough to make him want to commit suicide several times over! Following that, Maltis felt as though everything in existence was conspiring against him. Nothing went right, and he even came within a hair's breadth of choking on his drinking water!

"Maltis!" Two youths dressed in combat uniforms approached from the opposite direction.

Maltis lifted his drooping head and responded with a lifeless murmur.

Maltis's unusual demeanor immediately caught the attention of the two youths. One of them, a long-haired youth, spoke up, "What's wrong, Maltis? Why are you looking so utterly dejected? I remember you just received a commendation from the Research Institute. Could you be agonizing over how to spend all those points? Hehe, do you need our help?"

The other youth by his side chimed in, "Maltis, don't wear such a lifeless expression. If Old Freak sees you like this, just wait to die!" Old Freak was the nickname of one of their instructors, a man notorious for his stern and rigid nature. He placed immense importance even on the cadets' personal appearance and demeanor.

"Ah, I've just had terrible luck lately!" Maltis's tone was saturated with resentment.

"Oh, we haven't heard about you suffering any particular misfortunes recently though!" the long-haired youth said with a smile.

Suddenly realizing what he was blabbing about, Maltis hurriedly shifted the topic. "Ah, forget about me, it's just some trivial matter, nothing major! Where are you guys planning to go?" Just kidding—if they found out about his "treasure hunting" exploits, the number of people joining the hunt would probably increase exponentially, and he wouldn't even be left with scraps.

Competition among the internal cadets of the Research Institute was intense and brutal. Although the surface appeared calm and unrippled, undercurrents surged violently beneath, and nearly all the cadets kept secret trump cards hidden away. The Research Institute seemed more than happy to foster such an environment. Every cadet had to learn how to better protect themselves here.

"I heard Meng Shenglei managed to snag a bone-based component. We're planning to go check it out and broaden our horizons. Why don't you come with us?" the long-haired youth invited.

"A bone-based component?" Maltis had also caught wind of the rumors making a huge fuss lately, and a look of sheer astonishment washed over his face!