Chapter 68: Gene Chain Warehouse

The two of them remained locked in a stalemate. Li Yu suspected that the other party could not use that kind of technique multiple times in quick succession.

However, the Silver-White Holy Spear was out of bullets, and using the Purple Sniper for close-range combat required it to change forms. Even a fool would notice something was wrong.

Old Ghost suppressed the intense pain radiating from all over his body, keeping his face completely expressionless. Fortunately, his complexion was naturally pale, so nothing was given away.

The Phantom Bat... This was a type of swarm creature. When encountering danger, its body could split into several parts to avoid fatal threats.

Their bodies were at most the size of an adult's palm, so splitting this way did not cause them much harm. However, Old Ghost's body was dozens of times larger than theirs.

This kind of division inflicted massive damage on his physical form. He could not even guarantee that if he used it again, he would be able to pull his body back together.

With each harboring schemes, neither of them spoke up right away.

Old Ghost's Smart Terminal vibrated continuously. He glanced at it, his expression shifting slightly. "More people are coming..."

Li Yu narrowed his eyes.

"Alright," Li Yu agreed decisively, directly putting away the Silver-White Holy Spear.

Li Yu stepped right over the corpses on the ground and approached Old Ghost. The man turned sideways, allowing Li Yu to walk side by side with him.

A lucky subordinate who had survived stared dumbfounded as his boss went to "fight side by side" with the enemy, unable to help but feel a secret surge of admiration.

The two ventured deeper into the floor. Each level of the building had its own specific function, becoming more important the higher up they went.

Aside from the rotating director's office, the top floor also housed the most critical location in all of Blue Sky Genetics—the Gene Chain Warehouse.

This was where the fully assembled, ready-to-sell Gene Chain products were stored, making them the most precious items in the building.

A heavy, silver-white metal vault stood before them. Its surface was perfectly smooth, completely devoid of keypads or buttons. In the corner, there was a lightning bolt motif.

"Opto-Electric Technology?" Li Yu murmured as he looked at the familiar logo.

"That's right," Old Ghost nodded, his entire body trembling slightly in an unnatural manner. "The Alpha-4 Vault. It's hailed as an unfallable fortress."

"An unfallable fortress?" Li Yu asked with a faint, mocking smile.

"That's what the advertising slogan says. Anyway, no one dares to sue Opto-Electric Technology for false advertising." Old Ghost shrugged.

In front of the vault, the trembling, balding director had already been jolted awake. He had been fitted with a Genetic Limiter, and a black collar around his neck flashed with a steady red light.

This guy had clearly been hollowed out by a life of indulgence. He had paid no attention whatsoever to developing his own Gene Chains, resulting in him remaining a mere E-Class Lifeform.

However, to these cannon fodder subordinates, he still posed a certain level of threat.

"Why isn't it open yet?!" Old Ghost appeared quite irritable, frequently raising his hand to check his Smart Terminal.

"Boss, he... he absolutely refuses to open it," one of the subordinates said in a low voice.

"Useless trash!" Old Ghost roared under his breath. He glared at the trembling bald man, who had been stripped bare save for a pair of floral boxer shorts.

He was covered in bruises and sporting slap marks across his face. His eyes were filled with sheer terror. Clearly, the subordinates had not held back and had given him quite the rough treatment.

"Director Charlie... are you really going to sacrifice your precious life for Blue Sky Genetics?" Old Ghost leaned down, exuding a fierce hostility, his bloodshot eyes locking onto the man.

It was as if he had once again become that terrifying vampire of the Thorn Flame.

Charlie trembled all over, curling his body into a tight ball. He was obviously terrified, but to Li Yu's surprise, he still refused to comply.

"No... I can't..." Charlie said through gritted teeth. "If I open this vault, it won't just be me. My family will meet an incredibly miserable end as well!"

He was actually a good family man? Li Yu had not expected this.

"Your family?" Old Ghost sneered, looking down at him. "Are you talking about that son of yours who has a special fetish for minors of various interstellar races, or that wife of yours who is on her god-knows-what number marriage?"

"I forgot to mention, it seems you've been cuckolded more times than you can count..."

Good heavens. Li Yu shook his head, leaning against the metal wall and closing his eyes as his breathing settled into a steady rhythm.

"I can make the call... As long as you open the warehouse, I can give you a cut of what's inside..."

Old Ghost's voice carried a bewitching tone. Li Yu opened his eyes, rendered totally speechless. Would anyone actually believe that?

"Forget it, let me do it," Li Yu said as he stepped forward, having rested for a moment and estimating that his Mental Power had recovered somewhat.

"You?" Old Ghost felt anxious. Even if those incoming people were advancing slowly out of fear of an ambush, they would soon reach this floor.

"Open it!" Li Yu ignored Old Ghost and directly activated the Seed of the Voice on Charlie.

Dealing with Sister Yao just now had nearly drained his Mental Power completely. Having barely recovered a fraction of it, his D- rank Mental Power was still more than enough to handle a mere E-Class Lifeform.

"Is this the method you used against the Fourth Elder? An Esper ability?" Old Ghost asked.

Li Yu shook his head, unwilling to reveal anything. Instead, as if recalling something, he asked in return, "Why did that lady suddenly jump out to activate her ability? Couldn't she have stayed hidden?"

If Sister Yao had remained in the shadows, it truly would have caused him a massive headache.

"D-rank Espers can generally only cast their abilities within their line of sight..." Old Ghost shot him a strange look, amazed he did not even know this basic fact.

Li Yu suddenly understood.

Charlie stood up sluggishly, his body no longer under his control. With eyes brimming with terror, he walked up to the vault and seemingly tapped it at random a few times.

A seam split open on the smooth metal surface, and a control panel emerged.

"Please enter voiceprint password..."

"Please verify retinal scan..."

"Please verify genetic signature..."

"Please enter the time-sensitive passcode..."

Li Yu shook his head, feeling somewhat dizzy. His Mental Power had not recovered much to begin with, and now it was running dry once again.

He summoned the Purple Sniper to stand guard nearby.

Fortunately, Charlie had already finished the authorization process.

"Greetings, Director Charlie. Since the Emergency Defense Measures have been activated, you have been granted high-level authority. Welcome to the warehouse."

Normally, opening the warehouse would require the authorization of at least two directors. But under these emergency circumstances, a single director's authority was sufficient.

This was exactly why the Thorn Flame had decided to strike now.

Hum!

A plume of blue mist drifted out, bringing with it an icy chill. Revealed before everyone's eyes were Syringe-Type Gene Fusion Devices, neatly arranged on metal racks.

Right in the very center of the warehouse, resting alone on a cylindrical metal pedestal, was a single vial of purple Gene Chain. The liquid inside swirled with a misty glow, and faint arcs of purple electricity sparked on its surface from time to time.

Old Ghost's eyes instantly burned with intense greed. These were all Star Coins—a fortune he might not have been able to accumulate even after many years of work.

"One wall for each of us," Old Ghost said as he glanced at Li Yu, suppressing the turbulent excitement in his heart.

"No problem."