Chapter 110
Wen Jinfeng fixed his gaze on Wen Xin, his dark eyes heavy with intensity. Despite the familial bond and the blood they shared, he didn’t lower his guard.
Standing beside him was Lieutenant Li Yongming, who had once helped organize a welcome for Wen Xin back in City A. Now, sensing the tension in the air, Li instinctively fell silent.
Yet Wen Xin appeared unexpectedly at ease.
No, it wasn’t ease—it was composure and grace.
Li Yongming was taken aback. How had a once reserved and taciturn young man transformed in half a year into someone who could remain unshaken even in the face of a figurative landslide?
He dismissed the thought as overthinking on his part.
Wen Xin didn’t directly answer Wen Jinfeng’s question. Instead, after a moment of consideration, he posed a question of his own: “I can explain my reasons, but if you hear them, it will inevitably put you in opposition to the First Base. Are you still willing to listen?”
Wen Jinfeng couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
The laugh held no malice or irony. It was the kind of laugh one gives when hearing a well-meaning but naive child earnestly offer advice, like: “You should go to bed earlier. Staying up late will stop you from growing taller.”
The child’s intentions are kind, but their words inevitably bring a chuckle. Yet after the laughter subsides, a bittersweet and complicated feeling wells up.
The Wen family’s history with Dr. An Qi ran far too deep.
Pulling at that thread would unravel not just a secret research project but an entire team, the organization behind it, and higher authorities wielding immense power.
Once, Wen Jinfeng had resolved not to burden Wen Xin with the truth. Now, he was even more reluctant to say anything.
He scoffed at Wen Xin’s concern. “When survival resources are scarce, anyone can end up on the opposing side.”
Wen Xin didn’t argue. “Then consider this scenario. What if it’s not just you opposing the First Base? What if City A itself faces the risk of being drawn into this?”
This possibility made Wen Jinfeng hesitate for a moment, but it didn’t shake him.
The young leader of City A smiled faintly, his expression tinged with indifference. “City A Base is under my jurisdiction. If I fall, the city will undoubtedly face repercussions. That’s a fact we can’t ignore.”
“Then consider this,” Wen Xin said, his tone steady as ever but laced with an unexpected gravity. He dropped a bombshell without warning. “What if the people who oppose City A aren’t just the First Base, but possibly all of humanity? Will you still insist on listening?”
Li Yongming, standing nearby and overhearing the conversation, found the entire exchange absurd.
All of humanity? With so many regions, factions, and organizations? How could anyone throw such an idea around so casually?
Wen Jinfeng also regarded Wen Xin with a look that said, Are you spouting nonsense?
However, mindful that Wen Xin was his younger brother, Wen Jinfeng restrained himself from outright mocking him.
Just as he was about to speak, Wen Xin’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
Neither Wen Jinfeng nor Li Yongming saw how it happened. In the blink of an eye, Wen Xin had already seized the sidearm from Wen Jinfeng’s holster.
A deafening gunshot rang out, followed by Ding Pingle’s sharp scream from behind.
Wen Xin walked forward calmly under the startled gazes of the two men.
The soldier assigned to watch over Ding Pingle, a young and less composed recruit, jumped up in alarm, his voice panicked as he stammered, “What are you doing?!”
Ignoring the soldier’s outburst, Wen Xin pulled him aside and stepped firmly on a slightly raised stone slab.
Crunch.
The slab sank under his weight, and black, viscous blood spurted out from a gap barely half a centimeter wide.
Only then did Wen Xin grab a stick, pried up the slab, and revealed a mangled zombie hand beneath it. Nearly pulverized, the fingers still twitched and clawed feebly.
The young soldier paled instantly at the sight of the glowing claws.
Wen Xin covered the hand back up with the slab and stomped on it a few more times until the movement ceased entirely. Only then did he pat the visibly shaken soldier on the shoulder and apologize. “Sorry, I forgot to mention—he’s an ability user.”
The chaos around them had prematurely woken Ding Pingle, who had initially been expected to remain unconscious for hours. He had attempted to use his ability to ambush Wen Xin but hadn’t expected Wen Xin to anticipate his moves so precisely.
Now, with his sneak attack thwarted, Ding Pingle clutched his bullet-pierced hand, terror mounting as Wen Xin slowly approached him. To Ding Pingle, the youth advancing toward him looked like a demon. “Don’t come any closer! Stay away!”
Wen Xin planted a foot on Ding Pingle’s clothing. As the man scrambled, his head struck the ground, covering his face in dirt and mud. His screams grew even more hysterical.
“I have no interest in torturing you,” Wen Xin said, his voice calm and steady. “But if you keep screaming and draw attention from people best left undisturbed, then I can’t make any promises.”
Ding Pingle met Wen Xin’s gaze and felt as though someone had gripped his throat. His face turned crimson as he stammered, “I-I-I won’t scream anymore!”
“No, you will talk,” Wen Xin said, the calmness of his tone making it all the more chilling. “And you’ll tell me the truth. What was the First Base’s purpose in sending you into the black rift? And why did you set fires in the alternate space?”
Ding Pingle’s pupils quivered. Holding his injured hand, he tried to maintain his composure. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What First Base?”
To Wen Jinfeng, this entire scene was completely unexpected.
His image of Wen Xin was still rooted in the past—half a year ago, when the First Base had maliciously placed an astronomical bounty on Wen Xin, thrusting him into unimaginable danger.
Back then, Wen Xin had been unable to handle the pressure. Awkward and soft-hearted, he had worn a brave facade, smiling as he tried to reassure others that everything was fine.
But this transformation… it was too much.
Wen Jinfeng massaged his temples and took a few steps forward, only to freeze as he saw Wen Xin shove the barrel of the gun into Ding Pingle’s mouth. The youth’s expression remained serene, even elegant.
Wen Jinfeng: “…”
Li Yongming: “…”
Wen Xin spoke again. “I’ll give you one chance. If you don’t talk, I’ll find someone else who will. There’s always someone willing to spill everything.”
Ding Pingle panicked. “I really don’t know! Even if you ask, I—”
Click.
Wen Xin pulled the trigger partway, the audible sound making Ding Pingle’s face drain of color.
Meeting Wen Xin’s gaze, Ding Pingle’s imagination conjured vivid images of his head exploding. He screamed, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk! It’s because the higher-ups suspect that the mutant from before—the one from the base that escaped—was Number One. They sent us in to interfere, to make sure it couldn’t evolve into its Perfect Form!”
That confirmed Wen Xin’s suspicions.
He removed the gun and casually wiped it clean on Ding Pingle’s shirt. Turning to Wen Jinfeng, he said, “I have more questions for him, but you shouldn’t hear the rest. Once this is over, I’ll find you again.”
That single revelation already carried enough implications to leave Wen Jinfeng deeply unsettled.
Coming back to his senses, he saw Wen Xin knock Ding Pingle unconscious with a clean chop to the neck, seemingly preparing to leave. His voice sharpened. “Wait, Wen Xin! Explain yourself—what is going on here?”
Wen Xin glanced at his brother, then silently approached and pulled him into a hug.
Caught off guard, Wen Jinfeng was momentarily speechless. His stern face reddened slightly as he barked, “What—what are you doing? I’m telling you, trying to act cute won’t work!”
Wen Xin buried his face in Wen Jinfeng’s shoulder and gave it two light nudges. Flustered, Wen Jinfeng was left completely at a loss.
And then, without warning, Wen Xin’s demeanor changed. With practiced precision, he delivered a sharp chop to Wen Jinfeng’s neck.
Wen Jinfeng’s vision went dark. Realizing what Wen Xin had done, he glared at the youth in disbelief before succumbing to unconsciousness.
Li Yongming was dumbstruck. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined Wen Xin would dare to attack Wen Jinfeng. He drew his weapon and barked, “Wen Xin, have you lost your mind?!”
The nearby soldiers, seeing their commander fall, also reacted with shock. Guns were drawn, and over a dozen barrels were pointed at Wen Xin.
Despite the tension, Wen Xin remained calm. Gently, he dusted off the dirt from Wen Jinfeng’s clothes.
At that moment, Li Yongming felt a chill in his heart. He realized with startling clarity: Wen Xin had changed.
Wen Xin looked back at Li Yongming. “Lieutenant Li, do you remember what I told you back then?”
With Wen Jinfeng unconscious in Wen Xin’s hands, Li Yongming didn’t dare act rashly. His face was taut with tension as he asked cautiously, “What did you say?”
The moment the words left his mouth, a vague memory surfaced.
He recalled the young man who had first arrived in City A. With a slightly immature face and standing alone on the steps, Wen Xin had faced the cool autumn breeze and declared resolutely that he would climb his way up—to a position where he could protect Wen Jinfeng.
Wen Xin seemed to sense that Li Yongming had remembered and smiled faintly. “My goal hasn’t changed.”
He continued, his tone steady but serious: “That skeleton belongs to a mutant currently undergoing evolution. If the First Base targets it, the impact could stretch for miles. My brother hasn’t undergone any enhancements. He won’t survive such a shock. Neither will you.”
Wen Xin stepped forward and handed Wen Jinfeng’s unconscious form to Li Yongming, who accepted him with a conflicted expression. “Leave City G immediately. The farther you go, the better. I’m not exaggerating… Ah Zi.”
The purple squirrel perched on Wen Xin’s shoulder straightened up.
Wen Xin gently tapped its nose with a finger. “I’m counting on you to protect my brother and these people.”
Ah Zi puffed out its chest and thumped it confidently. “Leave it to me!”
Li Yongming immediately objected. He insisted that as someone directly under Wen Jinfeng’s command, he would only follow orders from his superior.
Wen Xin, however, remained unfazed. “If you refuse, I’ll just have Ah Zi carry my brother away. You’ll still have to follow after them.”
Li Yongming’s protests faltered. Talking mutants were guaranteed to be at least A-rank.
He wasn’t naive enough to think Wen Xin was joking.
As he watched Wen Xin, it was as though he no longer recognized the young man. His eyes held nothing but shock.
Wen Xin stood silently as Ah Zi led Wen Jinfeng and the others away. He didn’t move until their figures disappeared around a corner. Then, his composed expression crumbled.
Slapping a hand over his face, he groaned like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. “I’m done for… I’m doomed.”
Ah Lü was startled by Wen Xin’s reaction, fearing something terrible had happened. “What’s wrong, Wen Xin?”
“I knocked out my brother,” Wen Xin muttered as he wiped his face, his heart pounding. “You don’t know how petty he can be. Once, I accidentally dirtied the suit he was going to wear for a speech, and he tricked me into eating half a spoon of chili powder!”
Ah Lü tilted its head as though it understood. “You’re afraid he’ll get back at you?”
Before Wen Xin could reply, the snake bared its fangs and hissed, “If he tries to get back at you, I’ll beat him up for you!”
Wen Xin couldn’t help but laugh. He patted the little snake’s head. “It’s not like that.”
There was no point in regretting it now. Wen Jinfeng was unconscious, and the truth was bound to come out eventually. With his brother’s controlling nature, Wen Xin knew he wouldn’t let things go until every detail was revealed.
But the immediate crisis loomed too large to allow time for a slow and careful discussion.
Then there was the last hypothetical he had mentioned…
Ah Lü noticed Wen Xin’s serious expression and seemed to come to the same conclusion. It hesitated before asking cautiously, “Wen Xin, what did you mean when you mentioned opposing all of humanity?”
Wen Xin turned back to the snake, his lips curving into a faint smile. He tapped its head lightly with a finger. “If I hadn’t said that, my brother would’ve kept digging until he got to the bottom of things. Not that it stopped him, mind you.”
Ah Lü’s instincts told it that Wen Xin wasn’t being entirely truthful.
Before the snake could press further, Wen Xin shifted his attention to Ding Pingle, dragging him to a hidden spot and rousing him from unconsciousness.
Ding Pingle groaned, his eyes fluttering open, only to hear Wen Xin’s calm voice in his ear.
“Let’s continue. The First Base may not be meticulous, but they’re not sloppy either. Apart from sending you into the black rift to interfere with Number One, what other plans have they set in motion?”
Wen Xin’s tone grew sharper, each word deliberate. “Remember, I want to know everything you know. Not a single detail left out.”
For the First Base, the reappearance of Number One was an unexpected boon.
Due to the short-sightedness of the A3 Preservation Lab’s lead researcher, they hadn’t identified Number One’s potential before it hatched, missing the critical moment to establish trust.
But despite this early failure, Number One had not disappointed them.
It survived every perilous experiment. Its physical capabilities skyrocketed, breaking biological thresholds and thrilling all the researchers involved. Their excitement grew into an obsessive admiration for Number One.
Dr. An Qi sighed heavily. “What a pity. A beast is still a beast. It will never understand how extraordinary it would be to transcend all living things and attain eternal life.”
The assistant glanced at the skin on Dr. An Qi’s wrist.
It was shriveled like orange peel, riddled with needle marks and deep, dark purple scars resembling centipedes.
And that was just the visible part. The body concealed beneath the white coat was even more horrifying.
Remembering that all these injuries were the result of experiments Dr. An Qi had conducted on himself, the assistant shuddered and averted his eyes.
As Dr. An Qi’s sighs echoed in the room, the dark night sky lit up with a faint purple glow. The eerie light quickly expanded, spreading in visible lines that formed a futuristic, matrix-like pattern.
Onlookers gawked in astonishment. Someone noticed that magnetic fields were being disrupted, with readings spiking erratically, threatening to overload the detectors.
“What’s the First Base doing? And what are those things in the sky?”
“Listen! Do you hear that sound?”
The source of the noise became clear—it was the roars of beasts. More precisely, they were the cries of mutants.
The survivors had managed to put some distance between themselves and the black rift in City G, but the sight of the purple matrix in the night sky caused the fleeing mutants to let out uneasy growls and roars once more.
Someone speculated nervously, “Could it be that whatever the First Base unleashed is even more terrifying than the giant dinosaur in the black rift?”
Back at the First Base.
A group of over a dozen burly men strained together, sweating profusely as they hauled in a massive alloy cage.
With a heavy thud, the cage hit the ground. Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from within. The covering over the cage was yanked away, revealing a blood-red maw and a ferocious, bestial face radiating a nauseating stench.
“Roar!”
“Ah!” One of the onlookers fell backward in fright, scrambling several meters away on all fours, his face pale with terror.
The caged creature was anything but quiet. It let out an earth-shaking roar as its body swelled in size, pushing against the alloy bars. The creaking and groaning of the metal intensified, threatening to snap under the strain.
But before the bars gave way, the inhibitor device on the creature’s body emitted a rapid beeping sound, releasing tens of thousands of volts of electricity.
“Graaaahhh!”
With a wretched cry, the creature’s swollen body instantly shrank back.
It collapsed weakly inside the cage, glaring at the surrounding figures in white coats. Its blood-red eyes brimmed with searing hatred, so much so that none of the onlookers dared to step closer.
Until Dr. An Qi approached.
The elderly man, his face kindly and weaponless, elicited an extreme reaction from the creature. Its eyes widened in alarm, and it recoiled in panic, abandoning its earlier ferocity.
Dr. An Qi gently patted the iron bars, smiling as he said, “Oh my, you looked so lifeless earlier, but it seems you’re in quite good spirits now.”
With that, he did something shocking—he opened the cage door.
The escape route lay tantalizingly close, but the creature shrank back further, growling lowly, “An Qi!”
“Don’t worry, child. I’m not coming in. I just wanted to share a rare sight with you. And, of course, if the need arises, I’ll require your assistance.”
Dr. An Qi stood by the open door, his gaze lifting toward the glowing matrix in the sky. “Do you remember how Number One used to fight you? It always had the upper hand, leaving you bruised and bloodied. Surely, you’ve never seen it in such a pitiful state. Aren’t you curious to take a closer look?”
The creature hesitated before raising its head.
The matrix shimmered with purple light, scattering crystalline dust into the air. The sparkling particles drifted down like snowflakes, glowing faintly as they settled.
No matter how much the creature tried to suppress its emotions, its eyes betrayed its fear as it watched the crystalline dust descend.
The particles continued to fall, sprinkling more and more into the black rift. They rippled through the air, generating intense waves of distortion.
The black vortex—the portal to the alternate space—began to dissolve, melting like ice cream under the sun. It dripped into streams of black sludge before vanishing completely.
With the spatial barrier dissolved, the giant black beast hidden within was fully exposed.
Its flesh and scales had regenerated, and the bulging mounds on its back had completely split open. Yet its wings, though partially unfurled, looked like triangular banners draped limply on either side of its spine.
“Rooooar—!”
The disrupted beast let out a deafening roar. A single slight movement from it sent tremors rippling through the ground.
Rising to its full height, its colossal body towered over everything, blotting out the sky like a living mountain.
Then, the Tyrannosaurus opened its eyelids.
Its golden eyes, cold and piercing, locked onto the direction where Dr. An Qi and the First Base personnel stood, exuding an icy menace that seemed to pierce through the very soul.
