Chapter 101: 0.00183 Seconds

“So direct?” Lin Qing slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Humans like to probe through words, shifting others’ psychological defenses.”

Chen Guang said calmly: “I am an intelligent lifeform. I appeared before you only because you might become my master. Based on my analysis of human psychology… your likelihood of claiming me is nearly 100%.”

“Oh?” Lin Qing understood.

No wonder none of the many patrols who evacuated the research institute mentioned Chen Guang—the intelligent lifeform—no intelligence at all. So she never even showed herself?

He couldn’t help asking: “No one else saw you?”

“Only my father saw me before you,” Chen Guang said. “Since his death, from the moment his master bond was dissolved until now, you are the only one who might fulfill the conditions for recognition.”

“Dr. Chu Hui is dead?”

Lin Qing froze slightly, unable to help asking: “Wasn’t he imprisoned?”

“I can confirm his soul has scattered,” Chen Guang said slowly. “I merely followed his final command before death: to gather sufficient genetic modification blueprints and to guard his research institute.”

“No wonder entering the institute required collecting a thousand genetic modification blueprints…”

Lin Qing pondered, then studied the intelligent lifeform, whose appearance resembled an angel, and asked: “So you’re willing to come with me?”

“That depends on you,” Chen Guang said, looking at him. “If you cannot meet the conditions, I cannot leave.”

“Oh?” Lin Qing raised an eyebrow. “You can’t leave?”

“I am an intelligent lifeform bonded to a special treasure,” Chen Guang said. “You must gain the treasure’s recognition before I can recognize you as my master.”

“Where is that treasure?” Lin Qing asked involuntarily.

“The core control room,” Chen Guang said.

Lin Qing frowned immediately: “You mean… the laser corridor?”

“Yes,” Chen Guang said. “Father never expected to die, so he left the most important treasure in the core control room—the most fortified, highest-security location in the entire institute.”

“Alright, I’m going now,” Lin Qing nodded.

“You can’t go.”

Chen Guang shook her head. “Before leaving, Father input the highest-level authorization command. Only he, or someone who retrieves his biological crystal, can pass through the laser corridor.”

She looked at Lin Qing. “You must find his biological crystal before your gene awakening, or you won’t be able to attempt recognition.”

Lin Qing fell silent.

Dr. Chu Hui was a major figure in the Illuminati, a true high-ranking official in the urban zone. And he—a lowly patrol who couldn’t even enter the urban zone—was supposed to find the important relics of Dr. Chu Hui?

A fool’s dream.

If that’s the case, he’d rather give up.

“You’re an intelligent lifeform—can’t you forcibly shut down the laser corridor?” Lin Qing frowned.

Chen Guang shook her head. “Father anticipated this scenario, so he locked the laser corridor into a secure state, completely isolated from the institute, and only manual control can deactivate it.”

Lin Qing paused, then asked: “What if you force your way through? What level of strength is needed?”

“The laser’s power is immense. Even a Patrol Envoy would die instantly,” Chen Guang said. “Even most who break the life barrier at the ‘Primitive’ level cannot withstand it.”

Even Patrol Envoys would die?

Lin Qing sighed helplessly. “You told me all this just so I’d go find Dr. Chu Hui’s relics, right?”

“Remaining here violates the purpose of my existence.”

Chen Guang looked at him. “If you cannot do it, you may relay this information to Patrol Headquarters or spread it publicly. Say the research institute contains the ‘Star-Transmitting Tower.’ Someone will come for me then.”

“Star-Transmitting Tower?” Lin Qing stared at her sharply.

Wasn’t that the special item Tang Wanqiu specifically mentioned before the mission?

Find it, and you earn a Glory-Class Merit.

That high-ranking figure from the Vitas family in the urban zone also seemed to value this so-called Star-Transmitting Tower greatly.

So now it seemed the underground research institute truly contained the Star-Transmitting Tower? “You mean there really is a Star-Transmitting Tower here?” Lin Qing couldn’t help asking. “Are you…?”

“I am the intelligent lifeform bonded to the Star-Transmitting Tower,” Chen Guang whispered. “According to my assessment, your potential makes it possible for you to gain its recognition.”

Lin Qing took a deep breath.

The high-ranking figure from the urban zone had said—

“Even if Patrol Headquarters obtained the Star-Transmitting Tower, they could not find a genius worthy of its recognition.”

But according to this intelligent lifeform bonded to the Star-Transmitting Tower, he might have a chance?

“Too bad… with that laser corridor, I can’t get it.”

Lin Qing sighed. “I’ll go check the laser corridor first. Once I’m out, I’ll think of a way.”

Chen Guang nodded calmly.

“By the way,” Lin Qing suddenly asked. “You can monitor the entire institute, right? So many people entered—none of them had any chance of gaining the Star-Transmitting Tower’s recognition?”

“None of them qualify.”

Chen Guang said: “It’s not about strength. The main reason is that you’ve deeply excavated a Star-Class bloodline, and you’ve already trained the original ‘Zi Zai Shen’ combat technique to the instinctive level—the foundation of the ‘Star-Indestructible Body’ combat technique. Combined with your age—under twenty—you have far greater potential than they do. That’s why I believe you have a chance.”

“‘Star-Indestructible Body’?” Lin Qing’s heart stirred. “Is that the terrifying combat technique ranked among the top three at Chaoyang Martial Arts Hall?”

“Yes,” Chen Guang nodded.

Lin Qing understood, then asked: “Where are the others?”

“All in the animal breeding zone.”

Chen Guang said: “The Vitas family’s hybrid young master is leading his two bodyguards and five senior Patrol Captains, searching for the location of biological weapons while hunting down members of the Original Research Institute.”

“And that Vitas family brat—he has no chance of recognition either?” Lin Qing asked.

“His strength is decent, probably close to yours,” Chen Guang said. “But it’s all built from Vitas family resources. He still doesn’t qualify.”

Lin Qing pondered, curious: “Are biological weapons really that attractive?”

Chen Guang nodded slightly. “Their power is immense. The greater the cost you pay, the stronger they become. But their drawback is short lifespan.”

“Alright.”

Lin Qing shook his head slightly. “It seems I can leave the institute after all.”

Biological weapons are a hot potato. If I seize one, I become everyone’s target—even if I get it, I won’t be able to keep it after leaving the institute.

My gains are already sufficient. Leaving is better.

After I’m out, I’ll figure out how to solve the laser corridor problem.

“Before I go, take a look at the laser corridor’s structure.”

Lin Qing immediately hurried out of the lab and raced toward the laser corridor.

Many of the mechanical guards protecting the lab had already rebooted, but they ignored Lin Qing entirely—clearly Chen Guang’s doing. The core control room wasn’t far. Lin Qing followed the signs along the corridors and soon reached the entrance of a bright, winding passage.

This corridor was clearly different from the others: its walls were made of crystal-like glass and silver metal, curved, and the deeper sections were invisible.

“This is the laser corridor?”

Lin Qing examined the surroundings and found no trace of anything.

At that moment, Chen Guang’s childlike voice spoke: “A patrol entered and was instantly killed by the laser. His corpse was transported and processed by the device beneath the corridor. If you want to test it, throw something in.”

Lin Qing shook his head slightly. This was the consequence of rushing in without intelligence.

Laser speed is light-speed, and its destructive power is immense—impossible to resist.

“I’ll test what kind of laser corridor this is.”

Looking around, he found nothing suitable to throw. He pulled out his short knife, summoned invisible sharpness, and hurled it into the laser corridor with full force.

“Shhh!”

The short knife became a blur, effortlessly piercing the sound barrier and vanishing into the laser corridor.

In an instant, as the knife entered just one or two meters, two blazing white beams flared on either side of the corridor and swept across the blade.

The knife instantly snapped into three pieces. The shards scraped against the corridor walls but left no mark.

The fragments that fell to the ground sank slowly into the floor, which turned into a swamp-like mire, swallowing them whole.

“Huh?”

Lin Qing’s eyes lit up. “How long is this laser corridor?”

“The corridor is 12.5 meters long, Z-shaped,” Chen Guang said. “Only if it recognizes my father or detects his biological crystal will the laser not activate. To prevent enemies from pursuing him, he installed the button to disable the laser defense at the very end of the corridor—only he could deactivate it after entering.”

She paused. “At the corridor’s end is a door. It can only open after the laser is disabled. Once the door closes, the laser defense reactivates.”

Lin Qing thought for a moment, then pulled a second spare short knife from his waist, sliced it into two pieces with invisible sharpness, and threw each piece into the corridor at different speeds.

The first, thrown slowly, was cut off at about one meter. The second, thrown fast, was cut off just beyond one meter.

“No need to test further,” Chen Guang said. “Anyone who steps one meter into the laser corridor will be killed.”

“I’m not testing that.”

Lin Qing shook his head slightly. “What’s the reaction time between the corridor detecting an intruder and firing the laser?”

“0.00183 seconds,” Chen Guang said.

“0.00183 seconds.”

Lin Qing narrowed his eyes. “No wonder my first thrown knife, even after breaking the sound barrier, still traveled over half a meter.”

He asked again: “Could the button at the corridor’s end be damaged by stray laser fire?”

“Are you looking for a flaw in the laser corridor?”

Chen Guang’s voice replied: “No use. The button is connected to the laser’s energy source, so the final one-meter section of the corridor has no laser flow—preventing reflection or deflection from damaging the button.”

“Good,” Lin Qing’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“Hm?” Chen Guang made a questioning sound.

Lin Qing stared into the depths of the laser corridor and said softly: “Laser speed is light-speed—impossible to dodge. But the corridor’s own reaction time isn’t that fast.”

“0.00183 seconds—during that time, a knife moving at sonic speed travels about 62 centimeters.”

A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth. “So, if you’re fast enough, you can reach the final meter before the laser corridor’s reaction triggers, avoiding injury entirely—then just press the button, right?”

“Theoretically, yes,” Chen Guang said. “But do you know how fast that would need to be?”

“Roughly 6,800 meters per second,” Lin Qing said.

“Precisely 6,830.6 meters per second—over twenty Mach—to achieve what you described,” Chen Guang said.

Lin Qing smiled. “Enough.”

“Hm?” Chen Guang asked.

Lin Qing stared at the laser corridor. “I’m asking seriously—if I had that speed, would you say I’m in danger? If there’s danger, I’ll give up.”

Chen Guang fell silent for a moment. “I understand. If you truly possess that speed, the laser corridor poses no threat to you.”

Lin Qing checked his field of vision—no drop in order rank.

He immediately pulled out a black metallic tube from his waist pouch, opened it, and drank it down in one gulp, then stood before the laser corridor.

“What did you drink?” Chen Guang asked.

“Black Nest 16 Energy Supplement. Restores energy rapidly and boosts reserve energy slightly,” Lin Qing said casually.

Chen Guang said, “As I expected.”

“You guessed it?”

Lin Qing smiled. In the next instant, his eyes blazed with a pale cyan glow, and his entire body radiated pale cyan light—as if he had fully transformed into light itself.

In an instant, he became a terrifyingly swift pale cyan streak, shooting into the laser corridor—faster by a hundredfold than the maximum speed—and everything around him slowed to near stillness.

In this excruciatingly slow, nearly frozen state, every subtle change was visible: the laser apertures along the walls began to glow, one by one, in slow motion.

But before the corridor’s sensors could accumulate enough energy, he had already left a Z-shaped pale cyan trail across the corridor and reached the door at the end—less than a meter away.

In that frozen moment, he saw the laser sensors he had just passed—still unlit.

Then, still in his light-form, Lin Qing reached out and pressed the button on the wall.

The moment the pale cyan light vanished, his fingertip touched the button—and as his body solidified again, he pressed it down.

“Ding.”

The instant the button deactivated, the laser corridor plunged into complete darkness.

Before him, the black alloy door began to slowly slide open on either side, revealing the control room within.

Inside the control room, beams of light coalesced once more into the angelic form of Chen Guang.

“Well?” Lin Qing smiled.

“Your speed in that instant reached 27,184.2 meters per second.”

Chen Guang looked at him slowly. “You’ve unlocked the core gene ability of the Celestial Track Sovereign bloodline—‘Instant Light’? Each additional gene ability you unlock multiplies failure probability tenfold. Core abilities should be far harder to awaken.”

Lin Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. “Is that so?”

Reversing cause and effect, pre-empting the future—this has nothing to do with probability. As long as the conditions are met, possibility becomes reality.

“I’m certain.”

Chen Guang looked at him. “You will surely gain the recognition of the Star Transmission Tower.”

(End of Chapter)