Chapter 45

"Fang Chong, how did it go?" As soon as Fang Chong returned, Li Wanran and Lü Zi rushed to ask.

Fang Chong waved his hand. "Simple—run, then test punch strength."

Finally, in a room, dodge attacks to test agility. I think I can make it—no way I'd fail a comprehensive S-level.

"That's good. If it's just like this, I should get an S-level too." Li Wanran exhaled in relief.

Fang Chong clenched his fist. "We're going to enter the Top Ten Starfall Academies with all S-level scores. I refuse to believe Earth won't have a place for us."

Before Fang Chong could finish speaking, Li Wanran and Lü Zi's names were called simultaneously.

In just a short time, both walked out with excited expressions.

Clearly, their scores weren't weaker than Fang Chong's.

After cultivating the Thousand Network Gene Art and Basic Long Fist, these tests were practically kindergarten-level for them.

Who said the Top Ten Starfall Academies' admissions tests were strict?

From the moment the three Yujiang University candidates entered the waiting area, were called in for the aptitude test, and returned to the waiting area afterward, they were under constant observation.

Though many had guessed the trio's composite aptitude score wouldn't be poor, when the big screen displayed all three with S-level scores, the crowd erupted in shock.

It was simply too impressive.

This was the Top Ten Starfall Academies' admissions test—three rounds all S-level? Was this defying heaven?

If this keeps up, have they considered the feelings of the other candidates?

…

Ruiji Hospital wasn't the best in Puhai.

But this hospital had one famously renowned department: the Gene Fusion Department.

With so many people now suffering gene fusion failures, the department was always overcrowded.

Despite the crowds, the recovery rate was actually low—even under twenty percent.

Even with that under twenty percent recovery rate, Ruiji Hospital's Gene Fusion Department was renowned nationwide.

In Room 3 of the Gene Fusion Department, a pale-faced woman opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling.

In fact, she saw nothing—she could feel her eyes were already dead.

Worse, she could feel her body slowly collapsing.

"Yi Yi, you're awake?" Qu Fei, who had been guarding the bedside, leaned forward urgently as she saw the woman open her eyes.

The woman on the bed was Qu Yi, forcibly fused with a gene serum.

They had hoped to use her as a coupling gene body to serve as a gene bridge for others—but it had failed.

"Has Uncle Jiu Yi been hurt?" Qu Yi's voice was so faint it was nearly inaudible.

Qu Fei's eyes reddened. She didn't want to tell Qu Yi, but she couldn't hide it.

When Uncle Jiu Yi rescued Qu Yi, he was shot. Qu Yi had even seen one of his arms severed.

Qu Fei spoke gloomily. "These people are completely lawless—I've reported it to the police."

Qu Yi's hollow eyes fixed on the ceiling. She was kind-hearted, but not foolish.

She knew perfectly well: anyone bold enough to attack Uncle Jiu Yi in Puhai, and force her into gene fusion, couldn't be stopped by ordinary police reports.

"Is Aunt Xing here?" Qu Yi's voice grew even weaker.

"Yi Yi." A middle-aged woman entered carrying a bowl of soup. Seeing Qu Yi's eyes open, she set the bowl down eagerly and rushed forward.

She didn't notice the light was gone from Qu Yi's eyes.

"Aunt Xing, let's go home. Staying here makes me uneasy." Qu Yi struggled to speak again.

This time, neither Qu Fei nor Aunt Xing said anything about staying—they both understood: remaining here was truly useless.

Even with all Ruiji Hospital's Gene Fusion Department's strength, saving Qu Yi was still extremely difficult.

Especially since they didn't even care.

Qu Yi's attending physician hadn't cared about her condition—just glanced once, then never returned.

No matter how they begged, the doctor always dodged, claiming he was researching a treatment plan.

"Yi Yi, I went looking for Teacher Ding Huan…"

Before Qu Fei could finish, Qu Yi urgently said, "Don't go find Ding Huan…"

She couldn't continue—the words choked off from too much panting.

"You don't need to worry. Teacher Ding Huan is wanted. I couldn't find him—I only left a letter. He hasn't come these past few days. I think he's already left Puhai. Even Teacher Geng can't find him…"

He hasn't come over these past few days; I suspect he's already left Puhai, and Teacher Geng can't find him…

Aunt Xing wanted to say something, but the words died on her lips.

She had just learned: Teacher Geng had vanished too.

"Let's go. I want to go home." After resting for a while, Qu Yi spoke those four words again, then closed her eyes—eyes that saw nothing.

Qu Fei and Aunt Xing exchanged a glance, both nodding. Staying here was meaningless—better to return.

Qu Fei and Aunt Xing exchanged a glance and both nodded—it was pointless to stay here; better to return.

"These people are lawless. This is Puhai—this is China's territory."

At the Puhai Security Bureau headquarters, Criminal Captain He Hu slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

Gene serum failures killing too many—he couldn't stop it. Gene-beast attacks causing casualties—he couldn't stop it either. This wasn't a matter of one person or one nation.

But forcing students taking the Top Ten Starfall Academies' admissions test to undergo gene fusion in Puhai—and killing family members who came to rescue them—wasn't just lawless?

"Captain He, only the Beast King Guild or the Gene Alliance would dare do this in Puhai. Whichever it is, our strength isn't enough."

Kong Dan, a Level Two Security Bureau officer, sighed and offered comfort.

Hearing Kong Dan's words, He Hu calmed considerably.

Hearing Kong Dan's words, He Hu also became much calmer.

The Gene Alliance is a massive entity formed by over a hundred countries worldwide.

Such a vast organization is not merely theoretical—it possesses real power, and even nations cannot directly oppose it.

As for the Beast King Guild, that's even harder to explain.

Decades ago, such a gang would have been crushed into the eighteen layers of hell the moment it dared to show its face.

But now, in an era dominated by gene-altered beasts, the Beast King Guild is less a gang and more a product born of the times.

The Beast King Guild originally began as a small team that hunted beasts, called the Beast King Team.

When gene-altered beasts first appeared, there were many such specialized hunting teams, because beasts were everywhere and the state could not guard every corner at all times, so it tacitly accepted their existence.

The team leader of the Beast King Team, Nian Jinqing, was a ruthless figure who swiftly absorbed over a dozen beast-hunting teams.

He somehow acquired a stroke of fortune, rising from an unknown nobody to cultivate the martial path all the way to the Postnatal realm.

Then he founded the Beast King Guild, making Nian Jinqing instantly famous and turning it into a globally renowned organization.

The entire Puhai Security Bureau has no martial artist in the Postnatal realm. To deal with a powerful organization like the Beast King Guild, one must apply to higher authorities.

He Hu clenched his fist, then relaxed it, then clenched it again, finally letting out a long sigh—this era allows individuals to influence too little.

He had burning passion, yet could not deliver justice for those who needed it.

…

When Ding Huan felt his Fireball and Wind Blade techniques were roughly equal, he left Puxin Park.

The Wind Riding Technique certainly cannot be mastered in a day or two; continuing to practice here was no longer suitable.

Geng Qianxing and his three students' assessment required no concern from him; now, he needed to go to the Gene Alliance first to collect some interest, then return to Qianluo Mountain.

Not fighting back was not Ding Huan's nature.

Qianluo Mountain had a good place for cultivation.

It was the cave where he had once hidden from the Great Wilderness Golden Monkey—its depth was unknown, and he had never explored it.

Once he entered, he would seclude himself inside until he reached the Level Three Gene Cultivator realm before emerging.

Ding Huan carried his large bag to Puhai Xincan Light Rail Station, heading for Puhai Martial Arts Square, where taking the light rail was fastest.

Upon arriving at the Xincan Light Rail platform, Ding Huan heard people nearby talking.

"Yujiang University is incredible—only three students, and all three achieved S-rank in the first three rounds, nearly dominating the top three spots."

"What's the difference between top five and top three? The Top Ten Colleges on Blue Star can pick them freely."

"Sigh, why are all the gifted kids someone else's children?"

"The kids are the same—it's just their instructors that differ."

"What's going on with Yujiang University's two instructors? They say Teacher Ding Huan never even entered the assessment with the team. Teacher Geng Qianxing, who led them, reportedly went missing yesterday."

"This is indeed strange—could someone suspect these two teachers hold the secret to cultivating geniuses, and then…"

"Old Fat, don't speak recklessly—talking like that gets you killed."

…

Yet within Ding Huan's heart, boundless flames erupted.

They even took Geng Qianxing?

When he thought of Fang Chong's three students' results being revealed, he and Geng Qianxing were in danger, so he left early.

He was truly in danger; Geng Qianxing was only falsely so.

Anyone who investigated would know Geng Qianxing was just a decoy—the real instructor who trained the three students was Ding Huan.

Now, what was the situation? Ding Huan suddenly thought of the Endurance Gene.

Could it be because of this gene?

He had thought of the Endurance Gene before.

Ding Huan had already witnessed the immense influence of the Top Ten Colleges' recruitment on Blue Star.

If Geng Qianxing led three students to achieve S-rank in the first two rounds, even if his Endurance Gene were exposed, he should still be able to protect himself.

No—Ding Huan nearly slapped his own forehead.

He had judged others by himself.

In his eyes, Geng Qianxing's Endurance Gene was no better than trash.

In his mind, no matter how valuable the Endurance Gene seemed to others, it could never be valuable enough to justify abducting Geng Qianxing during the Top Ten Colleges' recruitment assessment.

In fact, he might have been wrong.

To those with intent, the Endurance Gene was a money-printing machine. Once discovered, how could anyone let Geng Qianxing go?

In his past life, Geng Qianxing died because of the Endurance Gene.

It seems this time, too, it's because of the Endurance Gene—even with three students achieving S-rank scores won't save him.

Before leaving, he had told Geng Qianxing to destroy the data and records of the Endurance Gene; Geng Qianxing probably hesitated.

Knowing full well that Geng Qianxing controlled the method to produce the Endurance Gene, these people could never allow him to remain free.

They didn't even dare wait until the assessment ended, because they couldn't be sure Geng Qianxing wouldn't rewrite the Endurance Gene's data and leak it before the assessment concluded.

So they took the risk and abducted Geng Qianxing early.

Since it was for the Endurance Gene, Geng Qianxing should be safe for now.

The only place that could abduct Geng Qianxing, and would dare to, was the Gene Alliance.

From what these people were saying, Geng Qianxing was taken yesterday. If taken yesterday, he might still be in Puhai.

He might as well go directly to the Gene Alliance's headquarters in Puhai.