Chapter 152: Gene Primordium
Su Huan had nothing to deny, just like how he could see the information flow in Li Tao’s eyes.
The other party could also detect his physical condition through various details.
The body is a precise whole; it can’t be concealed by just changing skin color or breathing.
Like how Yu Yue could tell from his voice that something was wrong with Su Huan.
The Goat here might reach the same conclusion as Li Tao, because even his judgment process was omitted by the ability.
Different types of Evolvers can find flaws from different angles.
But he also figured out Li Tao’s ability.
Collector Realm, Tier 1 “Trace Expert”, this is the advancement path researched by the Steel Council itself. He had seen it in the database in his previous life, and the highest it goes is Tier 2.
One of Qu Hang’s followers has this profession.
Su Huan was somewhat familiar with it; this profession wasn’t as esoteric as the Goat’s, relying more on subjective judgment.
He said faintly, “Yeah, I’m about to die. There’s still about forty-five minutes’ carriage ride to the Steel Council Headquarters. You should pray that Li Wangchuan hasn’t gone back, or I’ll take him with me.”
Li Tao’s eye corner twitched, staring deadly at Su Huan’s complexion, seeing no sign of joking at all.
“The headquarters has eighty thousand survivors.”
“The zombies chasing the carriage right now might number just a few hundred thousand, but in an hour, they can basically gather a million. A mere eighty thousand is nothing; they can finish them off.”
Li Tao fell silent.
If Su Huan were in good condition, he might doubt the truth of this statement. After all, that’s eighty thousand living people, not just a number. No one with even a bit of sanity would choose to kill all eighty thousand.
But the one in front of him was Su Huan.
At the Changli battlefield, the Steel Council plus various survivors numbered nearly ten thousand, yet weren’t they all taken out by him in one wave?
Now, adding them all up, probably not even a hundred left.
Judging from the activation time of the induction agent, it was likely used by the other party before the battle.
“Insane” was no longer enough to describe this person.
But now he was about to die; how could he care about others’ lives?
Li Tao felt his throat somewhat dry. “Let’s make a transaction, Su Huan.”
“Speak.”
Su Huan said with interest.
“I’ll give you the Dual Domain information; spare the Steel Council.”
“Impossible.”
“…”
“I can get the Dual Domain information just by taking down the Steel Council. I don’t believe that so many research personnel only you know.” Su Huan said faintly.
The refusal was too straightforward; Li Tao knew this wasn’t within negotiation range, but he was just testing anyway.
“I can tell you about the Dual Domain, and even more intelligence about the Apocalypse. I only want one thing in exchange: Li Wangchuan lives. Su Huan, you might not be an ordinary survivor, but you have no major force behind you. If you want to go further north, or establish a force in the Acid Rain Area, you’ll definitely have to deal with big companies.”
Li Tao seemed to grasp the key point, his eyes deep. “Without me telling you, you absolutely won’t find another person who knows the truth about this in a short time. Don’t even think about the Board of Directors; what they know might not be as much as me.”
“Also, I suggest you don’t try to force it out of me. I won’t hold out, and you can’t stop an Evolver who’s single-mindedly trying to commit suicide.”
“Indeed, can’t stop that.”
Su Huan sighed faintly, leaning back on the sofa, crossing his legs, his toes tapping one by one.
Outside the carriage, violent impact sounds came intermittently; the 30mm thick armor occasionally got dented.
Indoors, it was eerily silent.
After a long while.
“I won’t specifically go kill Li Wangchuan, but if he’s unlucky and runs into me, I won’t spare him either. Now tell everything you know, not just about the Dual Domain, but also the Steel Council’s resources, trump cards, all information—say as much as you know. Don’t waste our time with lies; I have my own ways to judge.”
Hearing this, Li Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Anyone from the Li Family could die, but as long as his uncle was alive, there was hope for a comeback.
He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, deciding to tell the truth.
What was more terrifying than Su Huan’s mad mentality was his inexplicable sources of information.
“The Dual Domain information, you got it from Lin Jin, right?”
Su Huan tilted his head and looked toward Lin Jin at the doorway.
The latter stared at Li Tao for a long time, frowning in thought.
“He doesn’t know me, but I’ve seen his data. Brother of Gene Primordium Lin Xi, with Manipulator potential, but no multi-domain potential was detected. Unexpectedly, in just a few short days, he became a Tier 1 Evolver. Your siblings’ genes are indeed extraordinary.”
Li Tao said with a complex expression.
Lin Jin’s pupils contracted; he stepped forward and grabbed Li Tao’s collar, gritting his teeth. “You said back then that my sister had talent and would be specially cultivated. What does Gene Primordium mean?!”
“Lin Jin.”
Su Huan called out, and only then did he reluctantly let go, standing to the side and glaring viciously at Li Tao.
Li Tao looked down at his now wrinkled collar again and said calmly, “Dual Domain talents often have two genes colliding, making promotion extremely difficult. But after using special potions to stimulate them, their genes remain in an active state, entering a high-speed evolution state.”
“And because it’s spontaneous awakening, the skills they evolve are very easy to combine into a profession.”
“The so-called Skill Potions and Profession Potions are compiled using their genes as the base. We call such people Gene Primordia— one in tens of millions.”
As the words fell, Su Huan had already fallen into a daze.
All the information finally connected into a line in his mind.
Why in his previous life the Steel Council turned hostile and captured him—because this Gene Primordium was too important to any company. Controlling a Gene Primordium meant controlling a Gene Potion production line!
No one would think they had too many such treasures; even if they couldn’t control it themselves, they couldn’t let it fall into others’ hands.
This was the company’s way of handling things.
“Hoo…”
Su Huan was suddenly snapped back by the heat wave that appeared out of nowhere in the room.
Strands of orange-red flames generated on Lin Jin’s skin surface, the scorching temperature distorting the air.
The edges of the papers on the table turned yellow and curled; the fringes on the curtains shortened.
The perceived temperature soared to sixty or seventy; the actual temperature was probably over a hundred.
“Bang!”
Li Tao, stretcher and all, was punched out by Lin Jin.
Su Huan’s eyelid twitched; he relaxed only after seeing no burn marks on Li Tao. Lin Jin was angry but still maintained basic restraint, with no intention of killing Li Tao.
In his previous life, Lin Jin must have learned about the Gene Primordium matter, which was why he said “his path was already destined.”
And that’s why he helped when Su Huan defected.
But he still had one doubt.
No matter what, Lin Jin was the Steel Council’s only Tier 5 Evolver; couldn’t he rescue one person?
Was it that he couldn’t save him, or that he wasn’t allowed to?
In the short time Su Huan was thinking.
Li Tao was punched a dozen more times, all on the waist and ribs, so he couldn’t even cry out in pain, just grunting repeatedly.
Su Huan pinched his brow, saying helplessly, “I still have questions to ask. Don’t beat him to death.”
Hearing Su Huan’s words, Lin Jin silently withdrew his hand and stood aside.
The bruised and swollen Li Tao didn’t spout any tough words, just coughed twice.
Su Huan stood up, squatted beside Li Tao, and asked the final question, “What is the cost of the Gene Primordium’s rapid evolution?”
