Chapter 113: Fourth Tier!

On the ground, the wide-open eyes of the two heads slowly dimmed.

Lin Qing lightly tapped his toe; an invisible force erupted instantly, shattering the skull beneath his foot and rapidly staining the sand red.

“Recruiting me?” His gaze held a flicker of mockery.

Points and similar benefits were useful to him, but… no matter how useful, they could never outweigh “Order.”

This was the foundation of his rise.

At this moment—

【Order Level increased by 2.0】

【Order Level increased by 2.1】

A series of green prompts immediately appeared before Lin Qing’s eyes.

Immediately after, another line of golden text surfaced in his vision.

【Order Level surpassed 10, new advanceable items unlocked; another set will unlock at Level 100】

“As expected…”

A hint of delight appeared in Lin Qing’s eyes.

“Order,” he silently murmured in his mind.

As a torrent of incomprehensible information surged past like a waterfall, a light screen coalesced before him.

【Current Order Level: 12.3】

【Number of advanceable items: 2/3】

【Advanced items: Combat Art “Zizai Body” (10.63% completed)】

Lin Qing’s lips curled slightly.

This was the reward.

Now, counting the incomplete “Zizai Body” combat art, he could advance three abilities! “Once I return and the energy stabilizer is ready, I can advance both Gene Abilities of the Fourth Tier of the Celestial Sovereign Bloodline at once.”

Lin Qing took a deep breath, his anticipation soaring.

His current strength could handle these two only because his Instant Light speed was fast enough—under absolute first-strike conditions, their defenses were too weak, allowing him to kill them instantly.

But if he encountered a two-star elite patrol officer skilled in defense, he might be completely helpless.

However, once he unlocked the three abilities of the Celestial Sovereign Bloodline’s Fourth Tier, this would no longer be an issue; his defense would also improve dramatically.

This was bloodline evolution.

Naturally, normal bloodline evolution techniques allowed one to unlock only one or two abilities per tier; after unlocking one, the probability of unlocking the next dropped drastically.

Unless the bloodline concentration was sufficiently high.

“Time to deal with these two…”

Lin Qing looked at the corpses on the ground and wasted no time; his pupils emitted a pale blue glow as his right leg muscles swelled violently, and he lightly stamped the sand.

Invisible force surged into the earth and exploded violently, cracking the sand into a fissure over a meter long, half a meter wide, and nearly ten meters deep.

Sand around the fissure began slowly cascading inward.

Lin Qing first kicked the two heads into bloody pulp, then casually flicked his toes to sweep the blood-soaked sand and soil into the fissure, deactivated their communicators, and kicked the corpses in as well, using concealed force to pulverize them into sludge.

He then reactivated his force, causing the fissure to collapse and seal shut, restoring the sand to its original compact state.

Fortunately, this land was mostly sand, making it easy to conceal traces.

Finally, only the communicator and signal jammer in his hands remained unprocessed.

Though it seemed slow, from the moment he acted to erasing the traces, only a dozen seconds had passed.

Lin Qing examined the signal jammer and communicator in his hand and said: “Chenguang, after disabling the signal jammer, block their death signals and send a message to the patrol system and task group claiming they’re pursuing enemies—alter their GPS location and trajectory.”

Any death, whether of headquarters patrol officers or prisoners, triggered an alarm sent to headquarters or the prison via implanted life-sign monitors.

The signal was only being blocked, so the alarm hadn’t been sent yet.

“Understood,” Chenguang’s voice replied. “But signal jamming still leaves traces—that’s a red flag.”

“Irrelevant.”

Lin Qing said calmly: “This alien reminded me—extraterrestrial ‘elites’ killing patrol officers isn’t a big deal. When the fake Ye Hong is eventually discovered, they’ll naturally suspect the extraterrestrial lords.”

“Besides… there’s already an ‘enemy attack’—the laser-damaged surveillance and aircraft are proof. That has nothing to do with me.”

His fingertips twitched slightly, shattering the jammer in his hand.

Signal jamming disabled.

Simultaneously, the impending death signal was erased, and an automatic message was sent to the patrol system and task group.

Then Lin Qing’s hands glowed with metallic luster as his muscles swelled, compressing the devices and communicator into a dense, compact metal-and-material sphere.

“There you go.”

Lin Qing stepped back and hurled the sphere into the sky, opposite his search direction, as if tossing a ball.

“Whoosh!”

The sphere instantly broke the sound barrier and vanished from sight.

“Based on your arm strength, launch angle, and initial velocity, it should land at least 140 kilometers out at sea,” Chenguang immediately calculated.

“Good feel.”

Lin Qing smiled and turned to continue his original search direction.

…

Ten minutes later.

“Group Leader Cheng and Gong Leping discovered the enemy escaped via underwater propulsion devices and went after them?”

“Makes sense—the shore had emergency underwater respirators and propulsion gear. Group Leader Cheng is a gene-awakened, and Gong Leping mastered Zizai Body and even optimized his genes once. Going after the enemy is normal.”

“Strange, why can’t we locate their signals? Did their phones break?”

“Should we go help? Satellite search yielded no results.”

“How do you search underwater with satellites? If the enemy’s fleeing, they won’t dare leave the water—they’ll head deep into the ocean.”

After submitting a rescue request to headquarters, the task group members waited at the airport.

The vast ocean made assistance impossible.

At this level of power, with equipment, underwater combat was perfectly normal.

One hour later, the headquarters’ aircraft arrived at the airport, but following Chenguang’s forged GPS trajectory and search route led to nothing.

Except for the AI specifically assigned by headquarters to monitor classified data, no ordinary AI could resist Chenguang’s intrusion.

The three-star elite patrol officer dispatched by headquarters even ventured deep into the sea, searching meticulously for half an hour.

In the end, he could only order satellites to continue scanning the nearby waters for the missing Cheng Cong and Gong Leping.

The remaining eight task group members returned with the headquarters aircraft.

…

Back at headquarters, Lin Qing walked straight toward his apartment.

“Lin Qing, your most likely exposure risk is the big fat guy in Duanbei Prison named ‘Boke.’”

Chenguang’s voice echoed in his mind: “He’s the only one who knows this now. Though the matter is illicit and he can’t expose it anytime soon, if time passes and Gong Leping’s impersonation of Ye Hong is discovered, this could be dug up—and eventually lead back to you.”

Lin Qing walked slowly along the path, gazing at the meticulously arranged flowers and greenery, and said softly: “Then kill him.”

“Kill him?”

Chenguang said: “He’s in Duanbei Prison. If you kill him, you won’t escape… You mean wait for him to come to you?”

“What’s his strength?” Lin Qing asked.

Chenguang replied: “According to prison records, Boke hasn’t reached the level of autonomous gene reorganization, but he’s enhanced one Fourth Tier gene ability and trained combat arts—his strength is at least close to a three-star elite patrol officer.”

“Three-star elite patrol officer?” Lin Qing nodded slightly.

Before gene awakening, the absolute limit was two-star elite patrol officer level—maxing out the original combat art to instinctive level, plus enhancing several Third and Fourth Tier gene abilities.

A three-star elite patrol officer, under normal circumstances, was someone who could control gene reorganization.

They were only one tier away from four-star patrol enforcers.

Even within the patrol headquarters, this tier was considered elite among patrols.

“Then kill him in the prison.”

Lin Qing said: “He’s shackled with electromagnetic cuffs and leg irons there—he can’t use much of his strength. Killing him will be easiest.”

“Kill him in the prison?” Chenguang asked, surprised: “How do you plan to do it?”

Lin Qing smiled and said: “I’ll have this ability soon—but I need you to arrange the perfect opportunity.”

…

“You’re back?”

Inside the apartment, Zhao Jiayi lowered her VR headset, walked over in her pajamas, and exclaimed: “I thought you weren’t going to stay for my birthday this time.”

“What’s your birthday again?” Lin Qing asked, puzzled.

“July 21st.”

Zhao Jiayi stared at him helplessly, then muttered quietly in her dialect: “You don’t even care about me at all…”

“Oh, today’s only the 17th,” Lin Qing said. “You’re almost twenty—still celebrating your birthday?”

“But it’s my legal adulthood birthday—it’s different,” Zhao Jiayi said.

“Fine. I’ll get you a higher-end virtual gaming rig,” Lin Qing said casually. “Consider it your birthday gift?”

“Really?”

Zhao Jiayi’s eyes lit up.

She’d seen it in the headquarters’ store—it cost over two million, and she couldn’t afford it.

“No big deal,” Lin Qing said. “But you need to help me find someone.”

Zhao Jia immediately nodded in agreement: “No problem. After I come of age, I’ll be different too—my telekinesis will be much stronger than it is now.”

Lin Qing sized her up but asked no further questions.

It was said that Zhexing people could achieve genetic awakening upon coming of age. Perhaps Zhao Jia, as an alien, would also undergo some special change after adulthood? “Go ahead and play.”

Lin Qing immediately entered the cultivation room and logged into the Patrol Headquarters’ official website to review its information.

Not long after—

“Found it!”

Lin Qing’s eyes lit up—he spotted a notice on the website regarding the listing of “Energy Stabilizer.”

As a contributor, he had priority purchasing rights and a free quota of one hundred credits.

After all, he had already received a Special Class Merit award; it was only appropriate to give no more than a token bonus.

“Energy Stabilizer, twenty-five credits per vial?”

Lin Qing carefully examined the newly listed Energy Stabilizer data and nodded inwardly.

After all, it was a drug tied to the Fourth Energy Level—its price naturally couldn’t be cheap. Twenty-five credits wasn’t high at all.

For those seeking to attempt Fourth Energy Level optimization, its effect was still significant.

It could stabilize Fourth Energy Level energy, slowing its release—already a very good effect.

“I’ll take four vials.”

He immediately used up his free quota of one hundred credits.

Then, Lin Qing found the “Second Source” energy crystals—each ten grams cost fifty credits.

The Second Source was touted as the gentlest source of Fourth Energy Level energy, usable to restore energy depletion in genetically awakened individuals.

Any energy could be used to cultivate the Bloodline Evolution Art and unlock genetic abilities.

For him, Fourth Energy Level energy was still too potent—even the so-called gentlest “Second Source” energy remained dangerous.

Without Energy Stabilizer and the Star Refining Art, he couldn’t possibly use it to unlock Fourth Energy Level genetic abilities.

“Not many credits left.”

Lin Qing glanced at his remaining credit balance.

The Headquarters had given him five hundred credits. Earlier, to unlock the third energy level of his bloodline, he spent three hundred credits buying Black Nest No.16 and supplementary supplies.

He now had exactly two hundred credits left. This prison patrol mission was worth eight credits, and new patrol officers could overdraw up to one hundred credits.

So, his actual available credits amounted to three hundred and eight.

“Just enough to buy sixty grams of Second Source.”

Lin Qing mused inwardly, “But for a prepayment, it’s sufficient.”

He immediately purchased forty grams of Second Source.

Each ten grams of Second Source was one minimum unit—perfectly matched with the four vials of Energy Stabilizer.

“I can only overdraw another hundred credits.”

Lin Qing knew without asking that replenishing his prepayment for Fourth Energy Level abilities would require many more Energy Stabilizers and much more Second Source.

He couldn’t even guess how many credits he’d need in total.

“I need to find a way to earn credits.”

“Fortunately, becoming a Two-Star Elite Patrol Officer in my first semester grants one thousand credits.”

Lin Qing thought inwardly: “After this matter ends, I’ll lie low for a while, then advance to Two-Star Elite Patrol Officer and start earning credits to pay off my debt.”

…

Just one hour later, the four vials of Energy Stabilizer and forty grams of Second Source arrived.

After triple verification via iris, fingerprint, and DNA, he finally received his order.

He brought them back to his apartment’s cultivation room, closed the door, then opened the password-locked box and took out the Energy Stabilizer and the Second Source.

The Energy Stabilizer was a near-transparent, silvery-white liquid that, once injected, felt like a glacial stream flowing through his body.

The Second Source was a pale blue crystalline powder—either ingested or held in the hand, since absorption relied primarily on contact.

After injecting the Energy Stabilizer, Lin Qing endured the icy chill throughout his body and began absorbing the seemingly gentle energy of the Second Source.

Even the gentlest Fourth Energy Level energy was still vastly superior to his current level! Cats and brachiosaurs were both gentle creatures, yet humans still couldn’t control the massive brachiosaur—this was the same principle.

Yet, under the effect of the Energy Stabilizer’s freezing current flooding his body, the vast and powerful energy of the Second Source remained perfectly stable, releasing slowly and causing no harm to Lin Qing.

“Star Refining Art!”

Lin Qing focused his mind and activated the Star Refining Art—immediately, wave-like ripples surged through his body, breaking down and shattering the powerful energy of the Second Source to make it easier to absorb.

Once the Star Refining Art activated, absorbing the Second Source’s energy became significantly easier.

“Bloodline Evolution Art!”

As his body began absorbing waves of Fourth Energy Level energy, Lin Qing immediately activated the Bloodline Evolution Art.

The Fourth Energy Level energy would unlock Fourth Energy Level genetic abilities.

Half an hour later.

Through the Bloodline Evolution Art’s excavation, Lin Qing finally sensed the presence of a genetic ability.

But it was only the tip of the iceberg—truly unlocking it still lay far ahead, requiring time and luck.

Lin Qing opened his eyes and silently called: “Order.”

At that moment, the Entropy Reverser interface indeed listed a new [Prepayable Item].

[Bloodline Evolution Ability—Heavenly Track Monarch: “Heavenly Track Coordinates”]

(End of Chapter)