Chapter 9

Ding Huan stood up and walked deeper into the cave; no matter what, he couldn't ask Qin Yi now.

First, Qin Yi didn't know anything about Ding Baishan; second, with his current strength, asking these questions would be suicide.

After walking just a few steps, Ding Huan suddenly stopped.

If his father went to the Qin family in Yanjing because of him, then what reason could his father have given to make the Qin family believe Ding Baishan's words and agree to an alliance with Bai Yu Group?

The Qin family of Yanjing—he'd heard of them; they weren't some small clan.

The Qin family's reason for allying with Bai Yu Group was either for money—Bai Yu Group injecting capital into them—or…

What is the whole world searching for right now? Including himself and Da Yang Genetics a few months from now…

Aren't they all searching for genes that can fuse with the human body? Could his father's disappearance be related to genes?

Or did Bai Yu Group develop a superior gene capable of fusing with the human body, and his father took it to Yanjing to seek allies?

The more Ding Huan thought about it, the more likely it seemed, because he knew clearly that in his past life, Bai Yu Group would be destroyed just a few months from now.

The reason for its destruction was apparently the development of a gene called Selu.

This gene could delay aging, making a person ten to twenty years younger, and extend lifespan by ten to twenty years.

The exact timing… should be within these few days.

The Selu gene indeed made those who fused with it much younger, even causing their internal organs to visibly rejuvenate.

But terrifyingly, those who fused with the Selu gene would die within a few months. This incident caused the entire Bai Yu Group leadership to commit collective suicide.

Collective suicide by Bai Yu Group's leadership? Even a dog wouldn't believe that—it was clearly murder.

The strange part was that Bai Yu Group was the first to launch the anti-aging Selu gene, only to be proven a failure months later.

After Bai Yu Group's collapse, Yongtang Gene Biotech immediately launched its anti-aging gene serum: Jin Yuan.

Bai Yu Group's launch of the longevity-enhancing Selu gene led to its downfall, while Yongtang became the world's second-largest gene company thanks to Jin Yuan.

If all this were coincidence, Ding Huan didn't believe it himself.

"Where is he going?" Qiao Yi asked, watching Ding Huan head deeper into the cave.

"Who cares where he's going? The farther he goes, the quieter it is for us," Bai Chuanqiang snorted.

Liu Aimei opened her mouth as if to call out to Ding Huan, but ultimately said nothing.

Ding Huan simply didn't want to stay with these people; as long as that idiot woman refused to hand over the herbs, this matter wouldn't end.

Even if the Great Wilderness Jin Yuan couldn't enter the cave, these people couldn't survive without food.

He had food in his pack; if he were alone, he could last three or five days, but with the four outside, it would be gone in a day.

Bai Chuanqiang clearly wasn't a good person—he'd definitely attack and steal when starving.

What Ding Huan hadn't expected was that the cave was incredibly deep—he'd walked a full hundred meters and still hadn't reached the end.

Ding Huan dared not go further; the place was eerie, and strange sounds occasionally drifted from deeper within.

He found a relatively hidden recess on one side of the cave and squeezed into it; hiding here, he could last two or three days.

Another day passed quickly; deep inside the cave over a hundred meters, Ding Huan could still hear the giant ape smashing against the cave walls. He didn't care—he ate something and resumed practicing the Luo Shi Jing.

On the third day, after eating, Ding Huan was about to cultivate when a piercing scream rang out—it sounded like Bai Chuanqiang.

Did the giant ape break into the cave? Unlikely—the giant ape was at most equivalent to an outer-strength martial artist, and with its massive body, how could it squeeze in?

Heavy, stumbling footsteps approached; Ding Huan immediately went on guard, pulling a knife from his pack and fixing his gaze on the cave entrance.

Though there was almost no light, Ding Huan could still sense a figure stumbling toward him, clutching the cave wall.

Was it Qiao Yi? Ding Huan stayed silent; Qiao Yi passed him, leaning against the stone wall as he fled deeper.

A faint scent of blood reached him—he could tell Qiao Yi was injured.

What exactly was going on? Ding Huan shouldered his pack and turned, walking instead toward the cave entrance.

The Great Wilderness Jin Yuan couldn't possibly enter the cave; since Qiao Yi—this guy he disliked—had come in, he'd go out.

When Ding Huan returned to his original position, he saw in the dim light Qin Yi sitting pale and trembling on the ground, and Liu Aimei huddled in a corner, sobbing quietly.

Strangely, he didn't see Bai Chuanqiang.

"What happened?" Ding Huan asked.

After speaking, Ding Huan noticed blood everywhere—from the cave entrance to the outside.

Seeing Ding Huan, Liu Aimei immediately cried out, "Bai Chuanqiang was torn apart by the giant ape…"

"How did the giant ape get in?" Ding Huan understood now why the two women were so terrified, and why Qiao Yi had fled desperately into the cave.

The giant ape eating a person might be acceptable, but tearing someone apart bloody and raw was far too gruesome.

Qin Yi was still trembling, but Liu Aimei, though terrified, could still answer Ding Huan's question.

"We were too hungry, so Yi Yi decided to hand over the herbs. Bai Chuanqiang said the giant ape must have left, so he volunteered to take the herbs out first."

"But as soon as he reached the cave entrance, the giant ape charged from the side, grabbed him, and tore him apart right in midair…"

At this, Liu Aimei began crying again. The scene was one she'd never forget—it was too horrifying.

Ding Huan now understood: Qiao Yi had been injured from fleeing in terror and colliding with the cave wall.

"Was the herb handed over?" Ding Huan asked quickly.

"The herbs were in Bai Chuanqiang's hands—he was taken by the giant ape; we don't know where the herbs went."

Liu Aimei's voice had improved slightly, but her face was still pale.

Ding Huan realized—the herbs were definitely taken by the Great Wilderness Jin Yuan.

To the Great Wilderness Jin Yuan, these herbs were invaluable; having recovered them, it would immediately hide them.

Thinking this, he immediately headed toward the cave entrance.

"What are you doing?" Liu Aimei asked in fear as Ding Huan moved toward the entrance.

Ding Huan turned and said, "This is probably our only chance to escape; when the giant ape returns, we won't get away."

"You say the giant ape left? How do you know?" After speaking with Ding Huan a few times, Liu Aimei's emotions had calmed considerably.

Ding Huan replied, "I guess the giant ape is looking for a place to hide the herbs; once it's done, it'll definitely come back for revenge."

This wasn't just Ding Huan's guess—he'd seen plenty of ferocious beasts with strong vengeful instincts, and legends said the Great Wild Jin Yuan had even stronger vengeance.

The vengeful nature of the Baldhead Brother couldn't compare at all to that of many ferocious beasts.

This Great Wild Jin Yuan was still young, its intellect incomplete; it wouldn't think that once it left, the people here would flee.

"What if you're wrong?" Liu Aimei asked, her voice trembling.

Ding Huan smiled, "If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. When you're caught between two difficult choices, you've got to pick one, don't you? Choosing early gives you more room than choosing late."

I suggest you come with me—staying here holds no future."

With that, Ding Huan walked away again.

"Wait for us!" Liu Aimei, seeing Ding Huan truly leaving, scrambled to her feet.

Her legs still shook; the thought of staying here, possibly meeting the same fate as Bo Chuanqiang, made her unable to linger another moment.

Ding Huan stopped. He still held a decent impression of Liu Aimei.

"Yiyi, let's hurry," Liu Aimei, whose nerves seemed tougher than Qin Yi's, not only got up herself but also pulled at Qin Yi.

"I, I…" Qin Yi couldn't utter a complete sentence; the scene of Bo Chuanqiang being torn apart had left her emotions shattered.

"Hurry up—I'll wait for you ten seconds at most," Ding Huan said from the side.

He didn't know where the Great Wild Jin Yuan was hiding the herbs, but he knew clearly: every extra minute spent here meant one more minute of danger.

"I'll go call Jiao Yi—he ran in there," Liu Aimei said again.

Ding Huan turned and walked off. Call Jiao Yi? What joke is that? By the time you got Jiao Yi here, the tea would be cold.

Seeing Ding Huan walk away without even bothering to speak, Liu Aimei dared not mention calling Jiao Yi again. She quickly dragged up Qin Yi, grabbed her bag, and stumbled after Ding Huan toward the cave entrance.

Outside the cave was a scene of chaos—broken rocks, deep craters, and Bo Chuanqiang's mangled, bloody corpse made one's blood run cold.

Ding Huan didn't hesitate—he dashed down. The cave entrance had originally been four or five meters above ground, but the giant ape's relentless strikes had carved a slope, making descent easy.

"The giant ape's really gone—let's hurry," Liu Aimei, seeing no sign of the beast and watching Ding Huan dash down, pulled Qin Yi and stumbled after him.

Qin Yi's legs were weak; the two lost balance and tumbled down. Fortunately, the giant ape had already carved out a slope—neither of them was injured.

Ding Huan paid no attention to the two behind him; he chose a different direction from the one he'd come and quickened his pace. Better to detour than retrace his steps.

Having observed Ding Huan, Liu Aimei now understood him a bit; seeing him run off, she dragged Qin Yi and followed after him.

After this long period of recovery, Qin Yi had finally regained some composure—she no longer needed Liu Aimei's help and could follow behind on her own.