Chapter 40: When in Doubt, I

As in the original story, after the battle with Ju Yan, everyone returned to their rooms to rest after extreme exhaustion, and the next day, when they arrived at the Master God’s hall, they saw the same golden stele.

According to the setting, the content on this stele was left behind by the previous Lunhui team; they speculated that the Master God initiated team battles to prevent overly powerful Lunhuizhe from destroying the real world, thus using team battles to reduce the number of Lunhui teams.

But to Wu Xian, this was pure nonsense—just a joke to laugh at; take it seriously and you’ve already lost.

“...When a team has accumulated three or more humans who have unlocked their gene locks, the team will randomly encounter another team from a different continent in a horror film; killing each other’s team members will yield reward points…”

A calm, emotionless voice read aloud—it was Chu Xuan reciting the stele’s text, and the light reflecting off his glasses grew increasingly brilliant, as if Zidai special effects, leaving Wu Xian utterly speechless.

At that moment, the healing light enveloping Zhan Lan finally dissipated.

She gently descended, supported by invisible force, then walked over to Wu Xian’s side, glanced at him awkwardly for a moment, and turned her gaze toward the golden stele, curiously asking:

“Captain, is this the situation you mentioned before, where we clash with other Lunhui teams? According to this, we need three gene-lock users in the team to trigger a team battle—is it because of me…?”

“There’s some truth to that, but not entirely.”

Wu Xian cut off Zhan Lan’s words and looked at Chu Xuan: “Even if I hadn’t helped you unlock your gene lock in Alien 1, our Central Team would still have had three members who unlocked their gene locks… Right, Xiao Chu?”

“Wait… Chu Xuan unlocked his gene lock too? When did that happen?”

Zhan Lan’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

She believed Wu Xian without question—but the more she believed, the more astonished she became.

After all, although Chu Xuan had delivered an impressive performance in Alien 1, it was mostly due to his intellect and strategy; he himself was just an ordinary person with no enhancements.

As someone who had personally experienced unlocking the gene lock, Zhan Lan knew exactly what it felt like—especially the intense side effects, which could truly be described as worse than death.

Without the mutant regenerative factor I’d already enhanced, plus Wu Xian’s gene-recovery serum as an aid, I’m not even sure I could’ve survived it.

On the other side, hearing Wu Xian’s words, Chu Xuan made no rebuttal—only adjusted his newly purchased non-prescription glasses and said calmly: “I unlocked my gene lock even before entering the real world. It’s tied to my origins. If you’re interested, I can tell you.”

“Wait!”

Wu Xian raised his hand and directed his thoughts toward the Master God.

A few seconds later, a pile of colorful snacks, fruits, and three drinks appeared on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Wu Xian gestured for Zhan Lan to sit beside him, then called over Chu Xuan: “No rush—we’ve been busy for hours. Let’s eat while we talk.”

Chu Xuan didn’t respond immediately—only stared at the vividly colored snacks and fruits on the table. After a moment, he nodded, moved to sit across from Wu Xian, and picked up the brightest red apple, taking a bite.

“Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Chu Xuan, a soldier of the People’s Republic of China, rank of Colonel, directly under the Long Yin Base in Beijing—the second-largest classified military base in China…”

In Chu Xuan’s matter-of-fact tone, he recounted his background, including his secret as a genetically modified human, and how a genetic defect left him without any senses beyond hearing and vision, as well as the normal human capacity for emotion.

Wu Xian, having read the script, wasn’t particularly surprised—only feigned a solemn expression, as if deeply moved by Chu Xuan’s story.

As for Zhan Lan beside him, perhaps due to feminine sensitivity and inexplicable empathy, her eyes began to moisten as Chu Xuan recounted his childhood and his adoptive father.

Had the situation been more appropriate, she would’ve definitely sought a shoulder to lean on.

As for whose shoulder… well, you guess.

“Ahem!”

After a moment, once Chu Xuan finished recounting his past, Wu Xian raised his hand to his lips and coughed twice, sighing with sympathy: “Xiao Chu, I’m truly sorry for your past. I can tell you’re already weary of your current life—otherwise, the Master God wouldn’t have invited you in.”

“But now that you’re in the Master God’s space, none of that matters anymore. There must be a way to fix your condition, to let you truly feel like a normal human—understand joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.”

“...First, please call me Chu Xuan.”

Chu Xuan glanced at Wu Xian and said: “Second, even back in Alien 1, I learned of the Master God’s existence and abilities from you and other veterans. I originally thought the Master God could solve my problem—but unfortunately, in my recent search, no such exchange option exists.”

“That’s because you lack authorization. Only the team leader can perform targeted searches based on the characteristics of exchange items.”

Wu Xian waved his hand and smiled slightly: “Moreover, for your situation, I’ve encountered someone similar before—I already have a proven method.”

“Who?”

Chu Xuan’s eyebrows twitched slightly, betraying a hint of curiosity.

“One of my former teammates…”

Wu Xian lied effortlessly—any question Chu Xuan had could be dismissed with “invented teammate.” After all, he was the most senior veteran in the Central Team, and no one could verify his claims.

As for whether Chu Xuan believed him… so what if he didn’t? Just tell me—is his information true or not?

“The core issue with your situation lies in the genetic defect. To repair it, the most direct and effective method is to strengthen your gene lock.”

“I won’t elaborate on the first three stages—they correspond respectively to combat instinct, muscle control, and brain development.”

“Even at this stage, you’re still merely human—but the fourth stage is a true qualitative leap, and the key to solving your problem.”

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(End of Chapter)