Chapter 516: Gene Lock

Huang Shaohua was startled by what he heard and looked at Lin An in surprise.

In his mind, he had always thought Lin An was the same kind of person as himself, only the means of "surviving" differed.

He wouldn't believe that Lin An hadn't been Third Level before.

How could someone without a strongman's experience reach today's level in such a short time?

What a joke…

But seeing Lin An's serious, unfeigned expression, he couldn't help but feel a shock.

"Sir?"

"The biggest difference between Third Level and Second Level lies in the liberation of the gene lock."

Lin An slightly frowned and cut in directly:

"I know that. Get to the point. What does gene lock liberation actually mean?"

"Even with my state fully activated, my attribute points would never be below Third Level, yet why can't I still contend with Third Level?"

That's unreasonable.

It's like two race cars with identical engines; why would I be unable to outrun the other?

Especially the extreme attribute of 40 points mentioned in this Savior mission made him find it even stranger.

The increase of attribute points is not additive but multiplicative.

In later stages, each additional attribute point brings a world‑shaking boost in power.

With 40 points, it feels that sheer bodily burst could kill a Third Level.

But according to the system's wording, it still seems impossible…

Huang Shaohua hesitated for a moment, then explained after thinking:

"Then I won't be verbose."

"Gene lock liberation is essentially a full‑force eruption."

"Sir, you should know that often when humans exert force or fight, instinct prevents us from using our entire strength."

"Because once we truly go all‑out, the damage to the body is massive."

"A light case is muscle contusion; a severe case is bone shattering…"

"People, to protect themselves, subconsciously retract their force when striking."

"That's also why…

"When a madman goes mad, it takes several strong men to restrain him."

"No reason, just force for force's sake…"

"In this case, we call it a surface gene lock, or instinct lock."

"Because they lose awareness of self‑protection, the burst of power far exceeds that of ordinary people."

"And the attributes on the system panel are just for reference; you can simply look at them."

"The Doomsday Game calls itself a game, but it's not like a typical game."

"You have 10 points of Strength, and each attack deals 10 points of damage."

"In reality, 10 attribute points mean your maximum damage is 10; if you don't exert force, it could be 1 or 2 points."

Lin An nodded, indicating that everyone should listen carefully.

Regarding Third Level and the gene lock, he only knew the basics.

Just as Huang Shaohua was about to continue, Colonel Chu suddenly interjected:

"The military also has similar research."

"After the instinct lock comes the gene lock."

"In the examples we have statistically studied, many battlefield soldiers, under extreme fear, anger, or intense emotional swings, unleash power beyond ordinary humans."

"For instance, in wars before the founding of the nation, some soldiers could, with transcendent conviction, endure burning pain without moving."

"A soldier in extreme rage could even flip a transport vehicle with bare hands…"

"We are very interested in this phenomenon."

"After extensive analysis, we believe that when humans face life‑or‑death, they release massive amounts of adrenaline, hormones, DMT…"

"Causing the original protective mechanisms to fail, unleashing unimaginable power."

"It's like unlocking the restraints on human ability, gaining power beyond ordinary human limits."

"There are many similar records in history, but before this was discovered we would have thought it mere exaggeration."

"Like the fierce generals recorded in history who fought thousands single‑handedly."

"However, after such an outburst, most people die afterward from 'poisoning' and genetic collapse."

"A few who survive the moment still see their lifespan drastically shortened."

Xiong Hanzi suddenly understood, and slapped his head hard.

"No wonder—when I was a kid, once I went to a cornfield to pick corn and got chased. In a flash, I literally leapt over the fence while running away!"

"Looks like that was when I opened my gene lock!"

Wen Ya glanced at the excited Zhang Tie, not knowing what to say.

Huang Shaohua, seated inside the crystal sphere, looked at Chu An with some surprise.

Who is this person?

He nodded and added:

"So, Lord Lin An."

"Unlocking the gene lock means that from now on you can unleash a full‑force strike at any moment."

"Even a stronger strike beyond your current state, as if a critical‑hit bonus were applied."

"The higher the basic attributes, the greater the power that erupts after the Third Level."

"It's like you currently have 30 points of strength, your maximum is just 30 points, which seems roughly equivalent to the Third Level."

"But the Third Level's 30 points can actually erupt to 40! 50! Even higher, and their minimum limit is 30 points!"

"This means that every casual attack of the Third Level is comparable to your all-out strike!"

"Even if the attributes are equal.."

"But."

"One is always at least 30 points or more at its weakest strike, while the other's strongest is only 30 points; do you think they can be the same?"

"So, only by unlocking the Gene Lock does one become Third Level!"

"The Gene Lock is the key to unlocking extraordinary power!"

Lin An heard the voice, frowned, and couldn't help but retort:

"Then if even the First Level or an ordinary person's state could unlock the Gene Lock, could one reach Third Level? Directly surpass the previous ranks?"

"After all, the Gene Lock basically means removing the human body's limits; then without limits, doesn't that mean strength can increase infinitely?"

Huang Shaohua heard and, without surprise, shook his head:

"In theory, unlocking the Gene Lock can unleash unlimited power, but in practice it cannot be done."

"Without basic attributes, even if the Gene Lock is opened in weakness, the body cannot bear it."

"As for how the Gene Lock is opened, it's like this."

"You should know that for ordinary people to become Awakened Ones, one of the barriers is reaching an attribute value of 10 points."

"But this is actually not a limitation, but a kind of protection..."

"Forcing awakening at 5-6 points results in an extremely high mortality rate."

"Because awakening is, to some extent, a half-opened Gene Lock."

"At 9 points of attributes, the awakening mortality rate drops significantly; if it's 9.9, the awakening mortality rate drops greatly."

"Because the power increase brought by awakening can still keep the body at its maximum load state."

"The same applies to the Gene Lock."

"With 29.9 points of attributes, the probability of the body collapsing when unlocking the Gene Lock is greatly reduced."

"As for what you asked earlier, is 40 points the limit of the Second Level?"

"Perhaps? Theoretically speaking, before unlocking the Gene Lock, the higher the attributes the better; logically, if you could obtain infinite spirit energy fruits or amplification props."

"Maybe... could reach 40 points?"