Chapter 75

"I announce that Especially Especially Ai Xi has been awarded the International Star Guardian rank, first star, with a reward of one Qi Stone and 100,000 Alliance Coins. Fang Chong has been awarded the International Star Guardian rank, first star, with a reward of one Qi Stone and 100,000 Alliance Coins…"

As Zheng Fang's voice fell, Fang Chong eagerly quickened his pace toward the stage to collect his reward.

Before coming, he had never imagined he would receive the Star Guardian rank.

Never mind the benefits of the Star Guardian rank—just this first-star title alone means he would be respected wherever he went.

"Do you have anything to say?" Zheng Fang asked after presenting the rewards to Especially Especially Ai Xi and Fang Chong.

This differed from Qu Yi's treatment—Qu Yi, as representative of the support team, was required to speak.

But Fang Chong and Especially Especially Ai Xi were not obligated to speak.

"I have only one thing to say: my mentor is Ding Huan. The Gene Alliance has issued a warrant for my mentor, and I've long been disgusted by it."

"They twist truth into falsehood, inventing baseless excuses—all just to seize the gene serum on my mentor's person. If Sister Qu Yi goes to the Gene Alliance, I, Fang Chong, will go with her."

Fang Chong spoke without Qu Yi's tact—he bluntly exposed the Gene Alliance's shameless actions.

Guo Qingrong covered his forehead, thinking: You fool, can't you learn from Qu Yi and speak more diplomatically?

Before Zheng Fang could respond, Especially Especially Ai Xi added, "I share the same view as Sister Qu Yi and Brother Fang Chong—Ding Huan's matter is our matter."

"Your mentor is also Ding Huan?" Hu Jiatian couldn't help asking.

Especially Especially Ai Xi smiled. "Yes."

She had actually been taught by Fang Chong on Ding Huan's behalf—in Especially Especially Ai Xi's eyes, Ding Huan was her mentor.

Sitting here today was Zang Yijun, the Gene Alliance's Defense Line Affairs Officer.

He was a typical Western European; if before hearing Qu Yi's words he had been dismissive, now hearing Especially Especially Ai Xi and Fang Chong, he felt a pang of unease.

He had clearly observed the performances of Qu Yi, Especially Especially Ai Xi, Fang Chong, and even Lv Zi on the Beast Front today.

When they grow up… no, they've already grown up. This force, plus Fang Chong's yet-to-arrive students…

Zang Yijun dared not continue the thought—it was not impossible for them to uproot the Gene Alliance entirely. Even if they couldn't do it now, given time, they certainly would.

Qu Yi's words today had already tilted the Human Corridor Defense Line toward Ding Huan. Add to that Ding Huan's extraordinary disciples—the Gene Alliance might truly be finished.

Desperate, Zang Yijun longed to immediately pull out his phone and report this situation to Alliance Chief Shi Changyi.

But this merit ceremony still had several hours left.

Although Zheng Fang was only awarding the top ten, the rest were merely called by name, with rewards distributed by team units—it wouldn't end anytime soon.

…

Ding Huan walked out of Luo Huan Tower, feeling refreshed.

He had killed 311 members of the Washing Knife Society with gene toxin—entirely wiping out every member, male or female, in Luohe City.

Ding Huan felt no pity; each of them had blood on their hands—killing them a hundred times wouldn't be enough.

If Luo Huan Tower hadn't been in a busy district with so many surrounding buildings, he would have burned it down with fire.

After leaving Luo Huan Tower, Ding Huan decided to head first to the high-speed rail station to catch a train to Kun Xincheng.

Kun Xincheng was built less than ten years ago, originally to combat the Kunlun Mountains' beasts; now that the beasts had become so terrifying, he wasn't sure if trains still ran there.

But on a side alley, Ding Huan stopped.

He saw an old scavenger—far enough away that, even with Ding Huan's cultivation, he could see him clearly.

Unlike other scavengers, who at least used iron hooks to rummage through trash, this old man used only his bare hands to search for anything usable.

In his past life, his legs had been broken, his eyes gouged out—and it was this very scavenger who picked him up and sold him to the Gene Alliance.

Was this the old man?

Whether it was him or not—he'd know just by hearing his voice.

Just as Ding Huan was about to approach and ask, a woman emerged carrying a plastic bag.

"Here's some food—would you like it?" The woman, clearly kind-hearted, walked up to the old man and handed him the bag.

In this era, giving food to a scavenger was the act of a true benefactor.

"Thank you…" The old man quickly wiped his hands on his body, smearing the dirt and trash all over himself.

After wiping off the grime, he accepted the bag with both hands.

Ding Huan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

This was the man. Even if reduced to ashes, he would recognize that voice—only three words had been spoken, yet he remembered them perfectly.

Back then, the old man had said: "One thousand Alliance Coins? Fine. This is a gene affinity body—I'm giving you a bargain."

At that moment, Ding Huan longed to rush over and take the old man away.

He hesitated, then held back.

He weighed the costs and benefits.

If he wanted to reconstruct what had happened, he might have to be picked up by this old man once again.

If he forcibly made the old man lead him to a Gene Alliance branch, would history change?

Even if the fleet departed on schedule, could he still survive when it was swallowed by a wormhole-like void vortex, as before?

Ding Huan quickly discarded these thoughts—perhaps history had already changed when he exterminated the Gene Alliance's leaders in Puhai.

Why overthink it? If the Gene Alliance refuses to organize a fleet, he'd crush Shi Changyi's skull underfoot and force him to do it.

He didn't need to wait for the same opportunity—opportunities were made. Now that he'd met this old man, not seeking him out would betray his own past suffering.

Ding Huan took from his bag the remaining Great Wilderness Jin Yuan blood—he'd poured far too much originally, a full bottle.

He'd used less than a tenth for gene experiments.

Now he pulled out the bottle, spilled some onto his face, neck, hands, and even his clothes.

Then he picked up a piece of wood and limped toward the trash pile, pretending to be severely injured.

When he reached the old scavenger, Ding Huan feigned exhaustion and collapsed to the ground.

At this moment, Ding Huan's spiritual sense had already settled on the old man—the man could recognize him as a gene affinity body; Ding Huan believed this fellow was no ordinary person.

What Ding Huan hadn't expected was that no matter how he observed with his divine sense, the old man emitted not the slightest hint of Qi fluctuation—he was just an ordinary, utterly ordinary scavenger.

Seeing Ding Huan slump to the ground, the scavenger glanced at him once, gripped his satchel tighter, then turned and walked away slowly.

This didn't match his expectations, Ding Huan frowned. Should he forcibly grab the old man and interrogate him?

Just as Ding Huan was pondering how to handle the old man, the scavenger suddenly remembered something. He pulled out a leather scroll from his pocket, studied it carefully, then turned to look at Ding Huan.

In Ding Huan's mind, it was as if a thunderclap had struck—the leather scroll, that very scroll.

He had a feeling this scroll was the same type as the one he had swallowed before, and from the same era.

How could such an absurd thing happen? After all, his original scroll had been found on a derelict planet beyond the Changyi Continent.

How far was Earth from the Changyi Continent? They weren't even in the same star system.

Ding Huan was about to rush over and seize the old man's scroll when the old man suddenly walked toward him.

The old man reached his side, scrutinized Ding Huan from head to toe, then compared the scroll in his hand, and finally said, "You're Ding Xiaotu?"

Before Ding Huan could answer, the old man shook his head and whispered in an extremely faint voice, "No, that's not right—wasn't Ding Xiaotu supposed to have his legs broken and his eyes gouged out?"

This Ding Xiaotu only seemed injured…

Even though the old man's voice was barely audible, Ding Huan heard every word. At this moment, Ding Huan wasn't just disbelieving—he was filled with shock. What was going on?

Forcing himself to calm down, Ding Huan directed his divine sense toward the scroll in the old man's hand.

"According to my calculations, the appearance of this scroll means Ding Xiaotu is about to appear. He will be beaten until his legs are broken, his eyes gouged out, and left beside the trash piles at the eastern gate of Luohe City.

He is a Gene Harmony Body. Gene Harmony Bodies are now extremely valuable—take him away and sell him, and it will be a substantial income.

Afterwards, you may go to where the scroll appeared; there, a new Gene Cultivation Technique will also appear. This is your destiny, your future."

Reading this, Ding Huan felt his scalp prickling.

After swallowing the scroll, he had known the one who left it was immensely powerful. Such predictive ability was far more than terrifying.

But he, a nobody born in the Post-Earth Era—why would a great being from the Immortal Age know of him?

The truth was, not only had this ancient great being known of him, he had even received the legacy scroll left behind by this great being.

Worse still, this great being had foreseen that Ding Xiaotu would suffer this calamity?

These thoughts sent a chill down Ding Huan's spine. What virtue or merit did Ding Xiaotu possess to be remembered by such an ancient powerhouse? And why expend such immense effort to calculate it?

Even as a Level Four Gene Cultivator, Ding Huan could sense that predicting events far into the future was never simple—it likely demanded a terrible cost.

"Ding Xiaotu, I'll take you somewhere. I guarantee you won't have to struggle so hard—your basic needs will be met. Will you come?"

The scavenger's voice interrupted Ding Huan's thoughts.

Ding Huan struggled to his feet. "Is there food? If there's food, I'll go."

He wanted to know whether the old man would take him to a Gene Alliance branch and sell him for a thousand Alliance Coins.

In his memory, the old man hadn't directly sold him to the Gene Alliance branch.