Chapter 89: The Omission Characteristics of Taboo Objects

Li Nanke opened his eyes and stared blankly at the clean white ceiling of the study room. Beside him stood a forbidden object sealed inside a glass case, its blood-red thorn already appearing somewhat withered after consuming a vast quantity of pheromone. His gaze remained hazy for a long time before gradually sharpening, slowly recovering from the spiritual pollution absorbed from the secondary main quality of pain. When absorbing the secondary human trait of inflammation flood, the spiritual erosion was abnormally intense yet still within his tolerable limits. Moreover, the erosion inflicted by inflammation flood did not count as a negative effect for him but rather an odd form of positive feedback. Between different subordinate main qualities and traits, a kind of mutual restraint seemed to exist, allowing extraordinary individuals to employ this mechanism to avoid self-destruction and madness. After absorbing the secondary human trait, this sensation was extraordinarily clear and profound, allowing the various subordinate main and trait qualities to achieve a balance that remained stable. Yet with the arrival of the secondary beast main quality of pain, that balance was utterly shattered, and the rational mind that had once sustained it was torn apart. Had it not been for Li Nanke’s exceptionally firm willpower and indomitable spirit, he might have already plunged into utter insanity. For the moment he managed to contain the pollution brought by pain, though a fierce blaze still burned in his heart. Li Nanke struggled to swallow a mouthful of saliva, feeling his mouth dry and his breath scorching like a volcano on the verge of eruption. He held his breath, practiced the Ugaya breathing technique, suppressed the impulse within him, and forced himself to calm down. Through this taboo dream, he had discovered another property of the forbidden object numbered 5-792, the pain thorn, an additional trait never recorded in the archives. Li Nanke donned a pair of thick protective gloves and opened the glass case enclosing the forbidden object. Following his memory, he bound the pain thorn into a three-character knot and secured it tightly to the hilt of the chainsaw sword. Immediately afterward, the chainsaw sword’s attributes received a notable boost, though the effect fell short of the blood thorn’s legendary enhancement and only raised its overall rating. The pain thorn could be viewed as a weakened variant of an embedded item; once its true uses were uncovered, its side effects would diminish accordingly. This was the hidden characteristic of the forbidden object that had been overlooked. The sacred thorn in his pocket had already reached its peak and could no longer be fused to advance further, yet this new discovery promised additional benefits. Li Nanke removed the gloves, glanced at the security camera in the corner, and reached out to touch the pain thorn directly with his bare hand. A loud bang echoed as the study room door burst open. The security personnel filed in one by one. Jiang Lei’s expression was tense as he said, “Little Li, didn’t I tell you not to touch this forbidden object directly?” Although Director Frank was not present in the research department at the moment, he still attached considerable importance to Li Nanke’s absorption of forbidden object pheromones. To guard against the spiritual erosion caused by pheromone intake and to prevent any unforeseen incidents, the area outside the study room was equipped with both security personnel and medical staff, while Jiang Lei monitored the entire process. As Jiang Lei spoke, his eyes suddenly widened. There was Li Nanke gripping that bizarre weapon forged by the fantasy system, the forbidden object wrapped tightly around the grip, its spikes already embedded in the flesh of his palm. Yet Li Nanke showed no sign of bearing thirteen-level pain. Though his brows were furrowed tightly, he clearly had not endured excessive suffering. “Brother Jiang, is the archive report on this forbidden object issued by our bureau?” Jiang Lei was far too astute. Seeing the scene before him, he had already begun to sense something. He immediately checked the files and nodded in reply. “This forbidden object was discovered many years ago. Because its crisis level was too low, the control bureau did not assign extensive research teams. Back then, our director’s team never came into contact with this item.” Li Nanke spoke with gravity. “That’s good, Brother Jiang. I’ve discovered the hidden characteristic of the forbidden object that was overlooked.” “Hidden characteristic? What other properties of this forbidden object remain undiscovered?” Jiang Lei, though he had vaguely guessed at the possibility, could not suppress his excitement. The occurrence of missing forbidden object characteristics was exceedingly rare. Forbidden objects inherently carried danger; if their full properties could not be thoroughly understood, unforeseen tragedies might occur during containment. Therefore, uncovering overlooked traits represented a genuine achievement for the current team. For the team that had once participated in its research, however, it would invite disciplinary punishment. Li Nanke loosened his grip, slipped the protective gloves back on, and began to demonstrate while explaining. “The true capability of this forbidden object lies in amplifying the destructive power of melee weapons and, through the pain stimulation of the weapon’s holder, bestowing additional strength.” “By means of this special knotting technique, the weapon’s bearer can truly master the forbidden object without being overwhelmed by excessive torment.” “Little Li, did you derive this from the universal system talent?” “Brother Jiang, you know I possess the fantasy system talent as well. I am always prone to strange dreams. Perhaps the universal system was conveying the true function of the forbidden object to me in the form of a dream.” Jiang Lei stared in astonishment as Li Nanke demonstrated the three-character knot. Though he had witnessed the formidable power of the universal system talent that could directly provide reference answers, seeing Li Nanke forcibly crack the forbidden object’s properties with that same talent still left him with the feeling that the young man was simply too monstrously strong. Who would have imagined that this forbidden object required knotting and the precise formation of such a complex knot to reveal another characteristic? The manner in which this trait manifested was simply too cunning to comprehend. Jiang Lei believed that if he had been the one to research it, he would never have figured out such a devious property. Although he had not yet verified in detail whether Li Nanke’s explanation was entirely accurate, through the demonstration he had already come to believe most of it. “Little Li, you just cracked the previous forbidden object’s characteristics, and now only a few days have passed before you’ve unearthed another missed trait. Your research efficiency is truly terrifying.” Director Frank had intended to bestow the pain thorn’s pheromone as a reward for you and had never expected you to use the universal system talent to fill in the gaps. How had things progressed to the point where you began researching as the reward arrived? Are you a natural rolling king? Jiang Lei silently sighed and understood that new forbidden object characteristics would likely mean extra overtime for the team, yet he felt nothing but delight. Li Nanke’s discovery would undoubtedly earn him rewards, and the entire team would benefit alongside him. Of course, rewards also came with punishments. The research reports on forbidden objects operated under a lifelong responsibility system, meaning the teams that had participated in its earlier studies would all face certain disciplinary consequences for having overlooked its characteristics. As for whether the new discovery might offend others, there was no need to worry, because multiple research teams within the control bureau were inherently competitive with one another. PS: An unexpected incident occurred today, so the next chapter will be updated a bit later. Dear readers may view it tomorrow morning. (End of chapter)