Winged Blade

Two days after returning from the sea, Chen Chuan took Chaoming and drove to the premises of Winged Blade Light Nest Company in Shenwei District. Parking in the plaza, he looked up to see an eye-catching building. Rising upward from both flanks, it tapered as it ascended before converging in the middle, resembling a pair of opposing pointed wings. This location was actually not far from where Molan Company had formerly stood. After observing it for a moment, he called out and walked into the building with Chaoming. Earlier, following his conversation with Gu Haiting, he had asked whether they offered biological cultivation services, considering that some of their business involved that field. Gu Haiting had explained that their biotechnology was primarily geared toward marine life, which might not suit Chen Chuan's needs, but offered to recommend another company instead. Coincidentally, his recommendation was the very Winged Blade Light Nest Company that Zou Handan had mentioned before. The difference was that Canglong Company had a longstanding business partnership with Winged Blade Company. In his capacity as a business partner, Gu Haiting could use internal channels to secure top-tier customized services for him, alongside a substantial reduction in fees. Chen Chuan had previously looked into the government's technologies in this area, but their focus took a different direction from these private firms—leaning toward massive scale and mass-produced weapons of war, treating organisms entirely as expendable tools. That did not align with his intentions. Winged Blade Company, on the other hand, offered services specifically tailored to individual organisms. Thus, after returning, Chen Chuan had used the channel Gu Haiting provided to send over some details regarding Chaoming and scheduled an appointment for today to discuss specifics. Upon entering the building, he arrived in a bright, spotless, spacious lobby. Ahead stood a massive holographic display stage cycling continuously through various modified organisms. He paused to watch, and Chaoming, standing beside him, tilted its head up to look curiously as well. The creatures selected for display had all been meticulously styled for visual impact—either robust and imposing, or gorgeous and striking. At that moment, aside from performing showcase maneuvers, the organisms interacted affectionately with their handlers, appropriately exhibiting all the traits humans desired and making onlookers yearn to possess one of their own. Quite a few visitors had already gathered in the lobby. Despite the distance, Chen Chuan could clearly hear every conversation. A middle-aged couple wanted an obedient little hound capable of watching over young children. Meanwhile, a shy youth expressed a desire for a mermaid companion. The sales representative politely replied that no such modified organism currently existed, as it infringed on illegal modification regulations; however, if the client was willing to sign a liability waiver or cover a series of research, development, and legal expenses, the company could open an exclusive service channel just for him. Just then, a middle-aged man in company uniform approached with a broad smile and extended a hand. "Mr. Chen, I presume? I'm the operations supervisor here, Zhuang Ke. Mr. Gu has already briefed us. We will invoke the internal agreement between our two companies to satisfy every requirement you have." Chen Chuan shook his hand. "Thank you for the trouble." Supervisor Zhuang then looked toward Chaoming, remembering to offer a smiling greeting. Chaoming chirped at him in response. Zhuang smiled and praised, "Your pet is very clever, Mr. Chen." He then stepped aside with an inviting gesture. "Would you like to tour our company first, Mr. Chen?" "No need," Chen Chuan said. "I've already looked it over on the platform. Since I'm here, I trust your company's expertise." Supervisor Zhuang beamed. "Then please follow me. We need to conduct a comprehensive assessment of your pet first." Chen Chuan followed him into a sightseeing elevator heading upward. The center of the building opened into a towering, hollow atrium, while the circular perimeter walls were divided into neatly arranged independent sections—a distinctive design that, from afar, looked like clusters of biological nests. Reaching the twentieth floor, they stepped out of the elevator and followed a deep circular corridor into an area lush with greenery. For a moment, it felt like stepping into a primeval forest, showing no resemblance to a testing facility. Advancing about twenty meters inside, they came before a stout tree. Atop it rested an area of about five or six square meters resembling a bird's nest, encircled by drooping arm-like limbs tipped with thick two-fingered digits. Supervisor Zhuang said with a smile, "Mr. Chen, you just need to let it enter on its own." Chaoming looked up at Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan patted its head. "Go on up." Chaoming crouched low, darted forward, and deftly scrambled up with all four paws, settling inside before letting out a soft chirp. Supervisor Zhuang said, "While our Winged Blade Company doesn't possess its own active conscious entity here in Jibei Circuit Center City, we do have several non-active conscious entities. Although testing efficiency is slightly lower, under our mature operating protocols, resources remain more than ample when serving a single organism. Mr. Chen, you only need to wait two minutes." Two minutes later, the non-active conscious entity reflected the assessment results onto Supervisor Zhuang's boundary credential. He had previously suspected Chaoming might be some kind of experimental specimen, and the results confirmed his deduction. Of course, if it weren't such a pet, there would be no need for bespoke services. He wasn't surprised; after so many years as a supervisor, he had seen all sorts of cases. The non-active conscious entity compiled the results into an analytical report, which he forwarded to Chen Chuan upon receipt. "This is the analysis of your pet's condition, Mr. Chen. Please take a look." Chen Chuan glanced over it. Filled with dense analyses and technical jargon, he did not examine it closely, saying instead, "Supervisor Zhuang, just give me the conclusion." Supervisor Zhuang smiled and agreed. "According to our analysis, your pet's life cycle spans seven to eight years. It is currently still in its juvenile stage, but its maturation phase is exceptionally drawn out—likely a design to preserve its neoteny, which is very common in pets. It will enter maturity in five to six years, after which it will age rapidly, surviving for perhaps another one to two years before passing away. If you wish to modulate mutated tissue for it, you haven't missed the optimal window yet. Had you waited another six months, that window might have closed." Chen Chuan asked, "So your company can stimulate the growth of mutated tissue?" Supervisor Zhuang replied with confidence, "Given our company's technological capabilities, I can say with certainty that we can." He once again used his boundary credential to send over a process schematic. "We typically begin by conditioning your pet's physical state, then stimulate the growth of mutated tissue through pharmacology, dietary control, light exposure, and environmental stimuli. Initial results should be visible within five days. Three subsequent phases follow. At the quickest, results can be achieved within one to two months; at the latest, it might extend to around half a year. That is a conservative estimate. If your pet cooperates throughout the process, the timeline could be even shorter." In truth, given Winged Blade Company's technology, simply inducing mutated tissue to grow in a pet was not particularly difficult; the real challenge lay in sustaining that mutated tissue in a healthy state over the long term. If maintenance was inadequate, far from offering any benefit, it might trigger malignant degeneration in the organism's body. Thus, subsequent conditioning and maintenance, along with the continued growth and regulation of mutated tissue, constituted the true technical hurdles. Yet as long as a client was willing to continue purchasing their services, all of this could be managed. In reality, the cost of raising such a pet could rival or even exceed that of cultivating a fighter, yet many clients remained eager to pay those exorbitant fees. Chen Chuan responded immediately, "Very well. I want to begin as soon as possible and ensure success. If complications arise, then I need its current state preserved as much as possible." Supervisor Zhuang reined in his smile and said solemnly, "Rest assured, Mr. Chen. Please place your trust in our company's capabilities. If we fail to meet your requirements, we will not only cover all future maintenance expenses for your pet, but also compensate your losses twofold." With that, he transmitted a service agreement over the boundary credential. Because Chen Chuan was utilizing the internal corporate agreement this time, many associated fees were waived entirely. Even so, it required a lump-sum payment of two hundred thousand. In reality, if this entire service package were sold normally to the public, the price would likely be more than ten times that amount. After signing the agreement, Chen Chuan transferred the funds directly from his Wansheng Financial Group account. He then left Chaoming there, arranging to return tomorrow. Even while away, he could use his boundary credential to check on Chaoming's condition at any time and from anywhere via Winged Blade Company's platform. Driving back to his dormitory, he threw himself into rigorous training and cultivation. To master the Spirit-Shaking Hammer and the Empty Heart Seal before April, he now allocated more time to mental cultivation. For practical combat, sparring once a day with Hongfu was enough to keep him in peak form. While he was wholly immersed in his cultivation, an ocean liner pulled into port in Jiyang District. A man dressed like an Outer Ocean fighter was sound asleep in his cabin, seemingly deaf to the announcements sounding over the liner's loudspeakers. Only after most of the passengers had disembarked did a knock sound at his door. "Mr. Sancheng, the ship has docked. You may disembark now." The man rolled over. He was about thirty years old, with remarkably ordinary features. His hair was casually tied back in a topknot, his clothes loose and untidy, giving him an air of indolence. He yawned, walked over, and opened the door. For a moment, the glare of the sunlight outside made him squint. Standing outside were not only the ship's attendants and ticket inspectors, but also personnel from the Border Surveillance Office and officers in Center City Disposal Bureau uniforms—all looking at him with tense, solemn vigilance. One of them scrutinized him, flashed an identification badge, and asked sternly, "Are you Sancheng Huang?"