BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Four months passed since Erik's return to Liberty Watch Village, marking a period of significant upheaval and transformation.

Under Noah's directive, Jabir and his team received the schematics to manufacture brain crystal-powered rifles.

This started widespread hunting expeditions around the village to amass a considerable stockpile of brain crystals.

The village also undertook an expansion of its underground tunnels, uncovering additional ores beneficial for their burgeoning manufacturing efforts.

This expansion facilitated the creation of a variety of high-grade armaments and vehicles, thanks to the plentiful supply of ores and Aclaitrium found within the city's bounds.

The alchemy department, too, was in overdrive, producing stimulating serums in vast quantities that enhanced the inhabitants' powers.

Erik's friends, leveraging the serums and the neural link enhancement technique the biological supercomputer devised, each achieved a minimum of 30 neural links each.

Mira, benefiting from both the serums and Becker's intensive training, closed the gap that once separated her from Erik's other companions, attaining an equivalent number of neural links.

Despite these advances attributed to Erik, his relationships with Mira and Amber remained strained.

Erik refrained from hunting during this time and instead focused on creating clones, ultimately reaching a count of 5000, as well as expanding the number of his neural links.

He concentrated on augmenting his instability power, which now boasted ten neural links, elevating it to π status.

His higher number of neural links was smaller than those of his companions, a consequence of juggling multiple brain crystal powers at the same time.

Yet, he increased his count by 23 in total by enhancing his beast and human shapeshifting abilities, as well as the power he got from Quakestrike.

This progress was largely attributed to the serums, but also to a breakthrough in his neural link training technique, which now allowed him to train up to four powers.

To make 23 neural links in 4 months was something unheard of. However, Erik told none, as he didn't want words of it to spread.

There were changes even in his surroundings, especially in the village. As Erik's guild integrated with the local community, contributing to the village's defense capabilities, it got not only a physical but also social transformation.

Initially established by Erik's guild, the production facilities transformed into communal assets, involving many Liberty Watch residents in the manufacturing process.

A collective effort towards self-improvement and defense was clear through the creation of superior-grade weapons and armor, developing vehicles, and expanding the alchemy department.

The problem meant that defense was also another way to say war. Erik was bringing war to the village, the guild, and the people from New Alexandria.

Erik was in his room, a space Noah had prepared in anticipation of his arrival in Liberty Watch Village. The sound of a knock on the door broke the silence.

"Come in," Erik said, and then Noah, his clone, entered wearing an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Master," Noah said. "But I have important information regarding your father."

Erik was taken aback by the words. "Did you find him?"

Noah hesitated for a moment. "The clones we sent out have located your father. As you suspected, he is indeed in Fasard."

A wave of relief washed over Erik, mixed with anticipation. "Finally, some good news," a smile breaking through. However, Noah's next words dampened his spirits.

"There are complications." The clone's voice was somber. "He is being held prisoner under heavy guard by a contingent of blackguards. There are at least 300 of them there, and that is without counting all the other people."

Erik's heart sank. He had expected resistance, but the reality of the situation was daunting. 300 Blackguards plus who knew how many other soldiers, just to keep a man imprisoned?

"They must have bolstered their forces, expecting me to come for him."

"It is likely that my actions in Caelora City have led them to classify me as a higher level of threat. They must have realized I was pretending to be Quakestrike and discovered that they had informed me about holding my father captive."

Noah nodded in agreement. "That's likely. And it's why I cannot disclose his exact location to you. It's too risky, we can't afford any rash actions. Even you can't face 300 Blackguards at the same time."

Erik, though frustrated, understood Noah's caution. The prospect of walking into a trap set by the Blackguards was a risk too great, even for him.

But that made him uneasy. The best chance they could get to save his father would be for him to rush there and help. He alone could take a dozen blackguards in a fight. Even if that looked little, it was still going to be a huge contribution.

Noah then shared his plan. "I've messaged all your clones, telling them to go to Fasard to get ready for a rescue mission. We're gonna need many people, and we're getting organized. It's gonna be four months before there are enough people there. We can't send all our forces there. We need to do it slowly."

The weight of Noah's words hit Erik, as he knew Noah was right. This wasn't a mission he could undertake alone, not with the odds stacked against him.

In the worst-case scenario, if the Blackguards found him before he could save him, they could kill his father out of spite. That was something he didn't want to happen.

The problem was that could easily happen if Dreadnought and those from Quakestrike's team were there.

With a resigned sigh, Erik nodded. "All right, Noah. But please, save him," he said with pleading eyes. His father had suffered enough already.

"I will, Master."

Erik then shifted the topic. Erik decided to prioritize other tasks in Frant, as they still needed to figure out a safe way to rescue his father.

"I'll head to New Alexandria then. There's something about the Crystal Cross Gang I need to investigate personally. Besides, I want those motherfuckers to pay for all they did."

Noah got it. He understood Erik's anger. Erik wasn't leaving his dad behind, just finding another way to work towards their shared goals. To get rid of the Crystal Cross Gang would seriously mess with the Blackguards' power in Frant.

"We'll save your father, master."

"Thanks."

Erik saw Noah go, feeling all sorts of things. He was proud of his clone, worried about his father, and determined to carry out a massacre in New Alexandria.

However, there was a problem. Sinisa Volkov was there. While the man likely didn't have the same stats he possessed, it was still true he was Becker's fiercest rival.

If he was as good as Becker, it meant he wasn't an easy target. His brain crystal power was probably super dangerous, and since Erik didn't focus on one single brain crystal power, his mana consumption was likely way higher than his opponent's.

Erik had to train more.