Chapter Seventy-Five: Genetic Sequence

"Master, the entrance has been found."

Yun Yan manifested from the projection device on Ye Qiu’s chest, casting a green beam onto the wall.

As the green light swept across, several shimmering lines flowed along a palm-sized keypad embedded within the wall. Without this illumination, it would be nearly impossible to detect such a hidden lock; the accumulated dust had blended it seamlessly into the wall, further disguised by clever camouflage, making it almost invisible to the naked eye.

"Yun Yan, crack the code."

"Understood, Master."

The green screen instantly shifted to purple, and in a moment, the ten-digit password was revealed. As the code was entered, a ripple of light spread out, forming the outline of a door, which then slowly rose upward.

Inside, there was an elevator.

The elevator panel showed four underground levels, indicating the facility extended four floors below ground.

Ye Qiu hesitated briefly, then pressed the button for the fourth floor.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing an expansive laboratory. The entire fourth level spanned over six hundred square meters. On either side stood three glass vats, each over two meters tall, reminiscent of enormous aquariums, within which floated the bodies of various animals.

Yet these creatures appeared disturbingly bizarre—like Komodo dragons, but with mammalian bodies. Each was labeled with a serial number, from one to six.

The first specimen resembled a typical Komodo dragon, but by the fifth, the figure had become almost human—about six feet tall, though still possessing a long tail and a triangular, reptilian head. At a glance, it looked like someone cosplaying a lizard man.

The sixth vat was empty.

Damn.

Ye Qiu felt a sense of déjà vu upon seeing specimen number five. It took him a moment to realize that Shi Ping bore a striking resemblance to this fifth subject.

Which meant Shi Ping was the sixth experimental specimen.

He had come down here, but his second sister was still upstairs, alone.

Ye Qiu immediately spun around and rushed toward the exit.

But just as he moved, the elevator doors slid shut behind him. At once, green smoke began to billow into the room.

In mere seconds, the green mist clouded the entire laboratory, and visibility dropped rapidly.

Sssss.

The sound of corrosion filled his ears. Ye Qiu glanced down to see his clothing already beginning to dissolve, and the acrid stench of chemical rot made his hair stand on end.

"Master, the power has been cut. I can’t open the elevator doors," Yun Yan's anxious voice sounded beside him.

Her perception was more direct than a human’s—everything was calculated in data. By her estimation, Ye Qiu’s skin would not withstand the corrosive gas for more than a minute; an ordinary person would be reduced to a puddle of blood in just ten seconds.

"Scan the elevator doors."

"Understood, Master."

Yun Yan began scanning the walls as instructed, but the green vapor scattered the light, making it difficult for her systems to penetrate the fog from a distance.

As Ye Qiu moved close to the elevator doors, Yun Yan immediately set to work. Within seconds, she had pinpointed a weak spot.

"Master, the elevator doors are made of special material—difficult to break. But where the right wall meets the door, only cement was used. With your strength, you can easily break through."

As she spoke, Yun Yan precisely marked the target.

Ye Qiu’s veins bulged with exertion as he drove his fist, glowing with a razor-sharp aura, into the indicated spot.

Boom.

One punch created a pitch-black hole.

Boom, boom.

Several more blows, and the solid cement had been smashed open.

The acrid smoke already made Ye Qiu dizzy and disoriented. Fighting against the urge to faint, he grabbed hold of a grip inside the elevator and leapt up.

With two jumps, he reached the top of the elevator shaft, already swaying on his feet, one hand braced against the wall, gasping for breath.

After a few gulps of fresh air, Ye Qiu punched through the wall to the first floor.

"Well, I didn’t expect you had it in you," Shi Yuantu stood at the top of the stairway, looking down with a menacing glare.

Ye Qiu brushed the dust from his clothes and replied coldly, "You old bastard, you almost fooled me with your masterful acting."

Shi Yuantu narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Ye Qiu for a long moment. "You’ve altered your genetic sequence as well?"

"Old man, you talk too much."

Ye Qiu, worried for Xiao Yuru’s safety, had no patience for conversation. He clenched his fists and charged forward.

"Wait," Shi Yuantu’s voice rang out sternly. "As far as I know, no one in the world has successfully altered the human genome. Who are you, really? If you’re with the Saint Salvation Society, I’ll allow you and Xiao Yuru to leave. We can meet again at this year’s Saint Salvation Banquet."

Ye Qiu shook his head. "Worry about surviving first."

Shi Yuantu saw the cold glint in Ye Qiu’s eyes, and his expression darkened. "If you too are backed by the Saint Salvation Society, you should know the consequences of fighting outside the Arena."

"Scum like you need to be wiped out—and the Salvation Society won’t escape, either."

"Impossible," Shi Yuantu’s eyes widened with utter disbelief. Aside from the Salvation Society, he couldn’t believe anyone could break through the barrier of human genetic modification—a feat as difficult as reaching the heavens. Even the Salvation Society had only scratched the surface.

He had risked exposure to invite Xiao Yuru back, hoping for an opportunity to participate in the annual Salvation Society Tournament and, if successful, to gain greater support and perhaps join the human development project. For a scientist, that was the highest honor imaginable.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, there was a sudden crack.

Shi Yuantu looked at Ye Qiu, then at the gaping wound in his own chest.

A long, spiked tail had silently pierced his heart. He froze in shock, only then registering his body’s collapse as his life ebbed away.

The lizard creature, after skewering Shi Yuantu, tried to flee, but before it could escape, Ye Qiu rushed over.

With a single blow, the beast—not quite a Komodo dragon—was dispatched.

"These scientific madmen are truly terrifying," a flicker of anger flashed in Ye Qiu’s eyes. Had this experiment succeeded, the consequences would have been dire. The project had already reached such an advanced stage—who knew how many had fallen victim to these atrocities?

"You got off easy," Ye Qiu spat viciously on the floor and dashed toward the second floor.

Reaching the landing, he saw blood trails leading away, making his heart race with fear. He wasted no time, sprinting to the end of the corridor.

Inside Shi Ping’s room, the blood was even more abundant—but it wasn’t Shi Ping who was bleeding.

Qian Mingxun.

Xiao Yuru was huddled in the corner, trembling uncontrollably.

When she saw Ye Qiu enter, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing, "You idiot, you wretch, where on earth have you been?"