Chapter 73: Fusing a D-Rank Gene Chain

Opening the mechanical door of the clinic, Mo Duo and Hunter finally breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw Li Yu walk in. Only Xia En let out a sigh, seemingly a bit disappointed.

Glancing at him, Li Yu pondered whether he should add a little more torment to the mix just to amuse the princess.

Xia En felt his heart pound with fear under Li Yu's stare, but he forcibly suppressed the instinct to look away. He could not show weakness!

"You went out for a trip, and your clothes are shredded again..." Mo Duo said, her gaze lingering a bit strangely on Li Yu's lean, muscular physique.

"I had no choice..." Li Yu replied helplessly. If he hadn't deliberately protected his crucial areas later on in the fight, he would be completely naked right now.

"What is the situation outside? Why did it sound like a beast roaring earlier?" Hunter asked, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

"Just some muscle monster..." Li Yu shrugged, giving them a general rundown of what had happened.

"You looted the warehouse of Blue Sky Genetics?" Hunter's voice suddenly rose an octave.

Li Yu thought for a moment before clarifying, "Let me correct you. Thorn Flame did it. I simply defeated them and took my rightful compensation."

'Only you could say something like that with a straight face!'

"Hah... the behavior of a bandit!" Xia En scoffed disdainfully.

Li Yu shot him a glance and began rummaging around. He found a rubber rope, threaded it through a rubber ball gag, and shoved it into Xia En's mouth.

"Mmph... mmph... mmph!" Xia En struggled, his face turning beet red, but he could not make a single sound. This was an absolute humiliation!

"Oh, right..." Li Yu pulled out a metal block from his pockets and unfolded it on the ground. Rows upon rows of Gene Chain Storage Devices were instantly displayed before everyone's eyes.

Hunter's eyes went wide, and he involuntarily swallowed hard. Just how many Star Coins was all this worth?

"Do either of you need any? Pick a vial..." Li Yu waved his hand, speaking generously.

'Damn it, I always have to fight all by myself. I cannot let these two keep slacking off,' he thought.

Hunter froze for a moment. He pulled down the brim of his cowboy hat, a wave of inexplicable emotion welling up in his heart, and replied in a slightly hoarse voice, "No need. I cannot use them..."

"Cannot use them?" Li Yu narrowed his eyes and pointedly remarked, "Do not even think about slacking off. I do not feed freeloaders."

Hunter took a deep breath, the sudden surge of gratitude instantly tossed out the window as he shot back agitatedly:

"I had my Gene Chains extracted in the past! I can never fuse new ones again!"

Li Yu was quite surprised. Hunter had his Gene Chains removed?

Once a Gene Chain fused into a lifeform was forcibly extracted, it would inflict permanent damage on the organism's foundational genetics. Specifically, it resulted in a +50% Genetic Abnormality Probability.

Therefore, once someone's Gene Chains were stripped away, it meant their Path of Evolution was essentially severed forever.

Under normal circumstances, this punishment was strictly reserved for criminals. Hunter clearly had a complicated past.

"Having Gene Chains extracted... and then being exiled. There are not many people who fit that description..." Mo Duo mused thoughtfully.

Those who suffered gene chain extraction were usually hardcore criminals destined to rot in prison, not sent into exile.

Exile was typically reserved for individuals who had previously accrued massive merit, but subsequently committed an unforgivable transgression—though not necessarily a direct crime.

"Mmph... mmph..." Xia En squirmed excitedly, clearly wanting to say something.

"Do not spout nonsense..." Li Yu warned, before finally removing the gag from his mouth.

"He is from Augu. I saw the crossed blades tattoo on his neck earlier..." Xia En said, his expression somewhat peculiar.

"Augu?" Mo Duo's expression also shifted, mirroring the strange look.

"Why were you staring at his neck for no reason?" Li Yu asked curiously.

Xia En blinked, dumbfounded. 'Is this really the time to focus on that detail?!'

"You do not know about Augu?" he asked, finally realizing the core issue.

Li Yu stared at him with deadpan eyes. "Do not keep me in suspense. You really do not want to find out what other twisted ideas are bouncing around in my head."

Xia En forced a stiff smile. "Augu was once a Radiant Star Legion within the Star Glory Empire. The legion's commander was Augustus—the very same war hero who was assassinated by the Radiant Council."

Li Yu shot a surprised glance at Hunter. The man's face remained hidden beneath his well-worn cowboy hat, and he did not utter a single word.

"Rumor has it that Augu refused a direct order from the Star Glory Empire, causing severe damage to the Empire's interests. As a result, every officer at the Captain-class rank and above was exiled..."

Mo Duo added. She never expected this scruffy older man to have such a storied past. This event had not occurred too long ago, and it had once caused a massive uproar throughout the entire Star Glory Empire.

A Captain-class officer of a Radiant Star Legion... That was no small status.

"Do you know what the order was?" Mo Duo asked Xia En.

"I am not entirely sure, the confidentiality level is too high... I only know that it was an attack order," Xia En replied, shaking his head.

"Alright, I understand..." Li Yu said expressionlessly as he shoved the rubber ball gag back into Xia En's mouth.

"You... cannot... mmph... mmph..." The whole reason Xia En had spoken up in the first place was to avoid being violated by this deeply insulting device!

But Li Yu completely ignored him.

Seeing that Hunter had no intention of sharing his life story, Li Yu did not press the matter. He pondered for a moment before declaring, "Serve your master well, and perhaps I can avenge you in the future."

As for who the master was? That went without saying.

Hunter's solemn mood was instantly shattered. He wanted to look up and retort, but hastily stopped himself, narrowly avoiding revealing his moist, red eyes.

Mo Duo immediately rolled her eyes. Sweeping her gaze over the Gene Chains scattered on the floor, she changed the subject, "I do not really need any either..."

"Were yours extracted too?"

Li Yu was utterly speechless. 'It cannot be that coincidental, right? Does everyone here have some tragic backstory?'

"No..." Mo Duo clearly had no intention of explaining further, and Li Yu did not push it. 'If you guys do not need them, I can just sell them myself.'

Following that, he retrieved a purple metal cylinder from the pile—the Violet Lightning Mouse Gene Chain.

It was a D-rank Gene Chain. By fusing this sequence, he would officially step into the ranks of a D-Class Lifeform.

The Lightning Element was absolutely a precious elemental attribute, boasting top-tier destructive power and overall physiological amplification for the user.

Moreover, if one wanted to fuse the higher-tier Lightning Attribute in the future, possessing a Lightning Element Gene Chain as a prerequisite was strictly required.

"A D-rank Gene Chain? Doesn't Blue Sky Genetics primarily specialize in E-rank Gene Chains?" Hunter asked in astonishment.

Li Yu casually replied, "It was custom-made just for me..."

Hunter fell silent once again.

'Didn't you literally just steal it?'

With practiced ease, Li Yu injected the Gene Chain into his body. The reaction this time was far more intense than his previous fusion.

Within moments, a piercing pain swept through his entire form. Strands of vibrant purple electricity began surging across his physical body. His hair stood on end, crackling with static, while nearby metal parts began vibrating uncontrollably on the ground.

His pupils contracted as the purple Gene Chain mapped itself onto his foundational genetics following a specific trajectory. Thanks to the buffering effect of his previous brown Gene Chain, the fusion proceeded without any unexpected complications.

His eyes brimmed with purple lightning, and his body twitched sporadically as he quietly waited for the integration to finish.

"Don't you think he looks like a flopping slacker right now?" Mo Duo stared at Li Yu. With her hidden worries gradually dissipating, she teasingly threw in the remark.

Hunter could not help but curl his lips into a smirk, though he remained silent.

"Mmph... mmph... mmph..."

It seemed something completely out of place had intruded on the moment.