Chapter 229: Dark-faced

The news of the mine collapse reached the Starfire Group headquarters, and the entire safe zone fell into a brief chaos,

with some taking the opportunity to spread rumors that Lin Chen and Li Wei were dead, attempting to incite survivors to resist the Starfire Group's rule.

But this chaos didn't last long before the patrol team caught those spreading the rumors,

publicly executing them in the safe zone square. Subsequently, a handwritten order from Lin Chen was posted on the bulletin board,

clearly defining the takeover tasks and personnel deployment plans for each department, and the rumors were debunked.

Survivors then learned that Lin Chen was not dead; he had escaped from the mine collapse,

only having been injured. As the news spread, the Starfire Group's morale soared instantly,

and the team members looked at Lin Chen with awe and worship. Those small factions that had been watching from the sidelines

completely abandoned the idea of resistance,

voluntarily handing over more supplies to express their loyalty. Lin Chen's name

became a symbol in the safe zone, representing absolute authority and power,

his prestige reaching an unprecedented height, making him the undisputed core figure of the Starfire Group.

Lin Chen sat in the temporary command room, bandaged,

his face pale. He held a list in his hand, with the names of all the missing team members written on it,

Li Wei's name circled at the very top, the strokes so forceful they almost tore the paper.

The command room was very quiet, with only the occasional report from the communicator.

A team member pushed the door open, holding a new report,

his expression solemn: "Team Leader Lin, we found out that the ambush in the mine

was jointly planned by several remnant factions, and they also bribed a few of our internal people, providing the location of the weapons depot and the action route."

Lin Chen looked up, his eyes devoid of any warmth: "Where is the list?"

The team member hurriedly handed over the list: "Fifteen people in total, seven leaders of external factions and eight internal traitors. We have already controlled them all and locked them in the headquarters' confinement room."

Lin Chen took the list and looked at the names one by one, his fingers turning slightly white from the force.

He stood up, ignoring the pain in his body, and walked toward the confinement room.

The team member wanted to support him, but was pushed away by a wave of his hand. His steps were steady,

each step feeling like it was treading on everyone's heart. The team members in the corridor saw him and stood at attention to salute, but didn't dare to make a sound.

In the confinement room, the fifteen people were locked in different cells,

and hearing the footsteps, they looked up one after another, seeing Lin Chen,

their faces showing expressions of terror. The seven leaders of the external factions cursed loudly,

clamoring to die together with Lin Chen, while the eight internal traitors knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy, saying they were forced into it.

Lin Chen didn't speak, just stood at the door of the confinement room, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

He remembered how Li Wei fell into his arms, remembered the smiling faces of the missing team members, and remembered the brothers who had lived and died together over the years.

A strong hatred surged from the bottom of his heart, sweeping through his limbs and bones, the red in his eyes deepening, and his face turning completely black, as if shrouded in a layer of dark clouds that wouldn't disperse.

【System Prompt: Host's emotional fluctuations detected as intense, blackening gene activity increased to 90%, immediate suppression recommended.】

【System Prompt: Blackening gene has begun to fuse with the host's body, the fusion process is irreversible.】

The system's prompt sounded in his mind, but Lin Chen ignored it.

He could feel a powerful force awakening in his body,

the power of the blackening gene, fusing bit by bit with his body and his will.

This fusion brought extreme pain, but also extreme power, and white cold air began to permeate his body, the temperature dropping sharply.

The people in the confinement room felt something was wrong, and the cursing and begging stopped,

they looked at the cold air around Lin Chen, their faces showing expressions of despair. Some wanted to break open the cell door to escape, some curled up in the corner trembling, and some even fainted from fear.

Lin Chen raised his hand and spat out two cold words: "Ice Seal."

The cold air of Absolute Zero erupted instantly, sweeping through the entire confinement room.

Wherever the cold air passed, the walls were covered in thick ice, the cell doors cracked from the freezing,

and the bodies of the fifteen people were frozen at a speed visible to the naked eye. Their expressions were frozen on their faces,

some ferocious, some terrified, some pleading, all turning into eternal postures.

Lin Chen stood in the cold air, the fusion in his body still continuing,

the blackening gene completely merging with him. He could feel his power becoming unprecedentedly strong, and at the same time, the hatred in his heart becoming more intense. He looked at the fifteen ice sculptures in the confinement room, his eyes devoid of any fluctuation.

A team member walked in cautiously, seeing the scene in the confinement room,

trembling all over, but still biting the bullet to report: "Team Leader Lin, the last territory of the Iron Hand Group has been taken over, and all supplies have been transported back to headquarters."

Lin Chen didn't turn back, just said faintly: "Understood."

The team member didn't dare to say more and turned to leave quickly. The communicator in the command room kept sending reports,

the order of the safe zone was gradually recovering, and the Starfire Group's rule was becoming more stable. Lin Chen stood where he was, the cold air around him gradually dissipating, his face returning to calm, only in those eyes, there was no longer a shred of warmth. He walked to the window of the confinement room, looking at the gray sky outside, the wind and snow starting to get heavier again, snowflakes falling on the window and quickly freezing into ice. ===== CHAPTER 230 =====