Chapter 16: The Peak of Mortal Artifacts

  Due to the power outage, Dong Qi had no way of knowing if the appliances he had shut off in advance would still function properly once the electricity returned.

  Fortunately, the frozen goods stored in the basement freezer had only softened slightly and had not completely thawed, so they remained unspoiled.

  The reason he checked the ordinary appliances at home first wasn't that he cared less about his Lifebound Artifact.

  Rather, on his way back, the closer he got to his house, the stronger his connection with his Lifebound Artifact became.

  Even before arriving home, he was already completely certain that his Lifebound Artifact had survived the EMP impact unscathed.

  Taking advantage of the fact that most officials were still hiding in the underground shelters, Dong Qi headed directly to several major parking lots in the city.

  When it came to vehicle density, the outskirts were far less crowded than the city center.

  Although Pengcheng was only a third-tier city, it had a significant number of vehicles, and traffic jams in the urban areas were common.

  This time, even though most people had made preparations before entering the underground shelters, due to the limited time, the vast majority of vehicles had not been properly secured.

  Currently, aside from a few main roads in Pengcheng that remained clear, the sides of many smaller streets were basically packed with parked vehicles.

  Dong Qi ignored the cars parked along the roadside and instead specifically targeted the large parking lots.

  After a busy day, Dong Qi's Lifebound Artifact underwent intermediate enhancement, directly reaching the peak of advanced enhancement.

  At this stage, even if Dong Qi's Lifebound Artifact devoured more ordinary vehicles, the gains would be minimal.

  What mattered most now was achieving a qualitative improvement for his Lifebound Artifact.

  Specific methods for enhancement had already surfaced in his mind, and there was more than one.

  The upgrade method through his superpower was quite simple: achieve qualitative change through quantitative accumulation.

  Although devouring ordinary vehicles now provided minimal enhancement, as long as enough vehicles were consumed, a qualitative leap could still occur—it just required a massive amount of resources.

  Alternatively, through the Artifact Forging Mantra, he could devour a magical artifact or some rare natural treasure to drive gradual improvement from a focal point.

  Whether upgrading through his awakened superpower or enhancing his Lifebound Artifact via the Artifact Forging Mantra, the outcome was essentially the same for Dong Qi, so neither choice would negatively impact him.

  Thus, the two upgrade methods were not mutually exclusive; they could be pursued simultaneously.

  However, given the current situation, although the number of vehicles required for upgrading was enormous, there was at least a clear path forward.

  Compared to the elusive magical artifacts and natural treasures, cars were everywhere. While the quantity needed was vast, with patience, he could eventually gather enough for the upgrade.

  Lifebound Artifact: Light Passenger Vehicle

  Grade: Mortal Artifact

  Body Frame: Advanced Enhancement (100%)

  Power System: Advanced Enhancement (100%) (Hybrid)

  Electrical Systems: Advanced Enhancement (100%)

  Other Equipment: Unenhanced (0%)

  Manifestation from the Tide of Thought

  Times Manifested: 1

  Unknown Special Energy Value: 60.1

  (Each manifestation consumes a minimum of 100 energy points, with no upper limit.)

  He had originally hoped to rely on the Manifestation from the Tide of Thought ability to find other methods of obtaining magical artifacts.

  However, while the energy value had now exceeded halfway, there was still a gap before reaching the minimum consumption threshold for each activation.

  The current energy value of 60 points also allowed Dong Qi to temporarily discern the pattern of energy absorption.

  The Lifebound Artifact's initial enhancement completion granted 10 energy points.

  The Lifebound Artifact's intermediate enhancement completion granted 20 energy points.

  The Lifebound Artifact's advanced enhancement completion granted 30 energy points.

  Following this pattern, as long as Dong Qi's Lifebound Artifact successfully ascended to the Magical Artifact grade, he would receive at least 40 energy points.

  It's a pity that the ability to manifest from the Tide of Thought cannot be used on credit.

  Otherwise, I'd follow the example of the Western Sages from the ancient myths and make a grand vow to borrow its power.

  Anyway, the priority is to raise my level first.

  As for having to pay back extra interest on a loan, that doesn't really matter.

  Dong Qi was sitting in the car at that moment, wondering which parking lot to go to next, when he suddenly spotted several figures appearing not far ahead.

  Now, in this entire parking lot, only Dong Qi's Lifebound Artifact remained; all the other vehicles had long been devoured.

  Thus, Dong Qi, the sole remaining presence, now stood out conspicuously.

  Before approaching, those individuals clearly hadn't expected the entire parking lot to contain only one vehicle.

  So, someone voiced their displeasure: "I told you there are so many cars parked on the roadside. We could have just taken one of those. But Third Brother insisted on coming to this parking lot."

  "Now look. The whole lot has just one car, and there's actually someone inside it. What do we do now?"

  Hearing his companion's complaint, Third Brother wasn't angry at all. Instead, he said happily, "Are you an idiot? It sounds easy to just 'take a car from the roadside.'"

  "We tried that just now. We can pop the doors of those roadside cars open easily enough, but none of them will start."

  "Look at that car over there. Look at the person sitting in it, and where it's parked. It's obvious that vehicle is still operational."

  "Compared to those useless heaps of scrap, coming here means we've found a proper working vehicle."

  "More importantly, it's an Iveco. All of us brothers can fit inside, and we can load up everything we just... acquired." As he finished, Third Brother patted the large bag in his hand.

  Hearing this, the others caught on immediately.

  Then, as if by unspoken agreement, the men let go of the bags they were carrying and began walking toward Dong Qi—slowly at first glance, but with clear purpose.

  Although Dong Qi was sitting in the car, which was parked near the center of the lot, the other men were at the entrance/exit.

  However, the threefold enhancement of his Lifebound Artifact had also refined Dong Qi's physical constitution three times over.

  Moreover, the men hadn't bothered to lower their voices during their discussion, so Dong Qi had heard their conversation perfectly clearly.

  Seeing them approach, he immediately understood their intentions were far from friendly.

  Noting how they casually dropped their bundles as they closed in, Dong Qi guessed their plan.

  Believing in striking first to avoid being struck, and seeing the men hadn't yet fanned out, the Lifebound Artifact beneath him instantly roared to life.

  After three enhancements, it could now reach its top speed almost instantaneously.

  Having reached the peak of Mortal-grade, his Lifebound Artifact's defensive capabilities and ramming force now far exceeded anything an ordinary person could imagine.

  The men swiftly closing in never expected Dong Qi to react so quickly and decisively.

  Their purpose in approaching was, in fact, to kill and steal the vehicle.

  They simply hadn't anticipated that Dong Qi harbored the same idea.