Chapter 2143 2153

Chapter 2143 2153
With elite talents who reached the Flame Decay level before the age of thirty, relying purely on their own grit and aptitude meant they stood a very strong chance of reaching the Permanent-Tier eventually—it was simply a matter of how much time it would take.
If they relied on these Creation Needles to breakthrough, only to find themselves completely unable to make any further progress once they reached the Permanent-Tier, most people would find that price impossible to accept.
Leo cursed under his breath. "Damn it, this is a total trap. I was planning to use one of these once I hit the Half-Step Flame Decay limit, but what's the point of using this garbage now?!"
The moment he read the side effects, Leo immediately crossed it off his list.
He certainly didn't believe that his potential capped out at the Permanent-Tier!
He was three years younger than Liam, and having already reached the Flame Decay level, breaking through to the Permanent-Tier down the line was a dead-certain guarantee for him.
"What a shame!" Axel gazed at the row of Creation Needles, shaking his head.
Having successfully broken through to the Flame Decay level on this trip, his harvest was already massive.
Achieving the Flame Decay level put him right at the absolute forefront of the younger generation among the Eight Great Clans. While he couldn't compare to a freak of nature like Liam, he was more than satisfied with his standing.
Furthermore, unlike Leo, he didn't feel an urgent, desperate need to force a breakthrough to the Permanent-Tier just to bolster the Night Watch's combat strength, meaning he had all the time in the world to grind it out the slow way!
Unless the Ancient Clan suffered total collapse.
So when they read the warning label, a flicker of disappointment rippled through most of the group.
Of course, there was one person who was utterly ecstatic—Max!
Simply reaching the Permanent-Tier would satisfy all his ambitions. As for the side effects, he couldn't care less about them!
"Regardless, we've successfully secured the items. Even if we don't use them ourselves, we can always hand them out to others. Let's pack them up first!" Liam said.
Max nodded and pulled out the final key!
"There are some storage cases over here!" Stella walked over, hauling several heavy-duty crates toward them.
The containers were quite large and fitted with custom slots, obviously manufactured specifically for transporting the Creation Needles.
Max unlocked the compartment using the last key, popping the door open.
Liam spoke up, "There are seventeen Creation Needles in total. Let's split them according to our prior agreement—a sixty-forty ratio. We'll take eleven, and the Ancient Clan gets six. Sound fair?"
In truth, Liam's team took a slightly larger cut, but the difference was negligible.
Considering the shady stunt Archie had pulled earlier, Liam was still willing to honor this distribution ratio, so Stella and Axel naturally had no objections. They nodded immediately. "No problem at all!"
Once settled, everyone set to work packing the items into their respective containers.
With the packing complete, Liam let out a long breath. "Well, everything here is finally wrapped up."
Stella glanced around the room once more before commenting, "There are still plenty of instruments and these cultivation pods left behind. The clansmen will probably dispatch a team to haul them out later. If any valuable breakthroughs come from studying this tech, I'll discuss it with the Patriarch and make sure you get your cut of the profits."
Liam nodded. "Sounds good!"
Each heavy case could hold roughly five vials. Max locked up the chamber doors securely, pocketed the keys, and said, "Let's get out of here first!"
The group turned around and began retracing their steps toward the exit.
Clack! Clack!
Inside the dead-silent headquarters of Promise Corporation, the sound of their footsteps echoed with sharp clarity.
"Someone's here!"
At that exact moment, Liam's ears twitched. He picked up the sound of approaching footsteps from further down the corridor.
"Defensive positions!" he barked, instantly pivoting his gaze toward the source of the noise.
A moment later, Liam froze in absolute astonishment. Not far away, two figures were leisurely strolling down the corridor toward them. When they spotted Liam and his crew, expressions of surprise crossed both of their faces as well!
"Garry!" Liam fixed his gaze on one of the figures, his eyes narrowing as he spoke in a calm, flat tone.