Capturing Soton

Qin Feng opened his mouth to press for details, but thought better of it and swallowed his words.

He already had the thing. Why worry about where it had come from?

Tara had always known where to draw the line. Since he said a friend had sponsored it, Qin Feng would take his word for it.

Then he turned to the Shadowkhan Soldiers engrossed in technological research.

The Shadowkhan Legion was one of the few among the Nine Legions with a talent for scientific research, and it would be his main force in researching new tech trees in the future.

"At their current pace, how long will it take them to achieve a technological breakthrough?"

Tara walked to his side and bowed slightly. "My king, as you instructed, I have transmitted all the scientific knowledge of an aerospace-class civilization to them."

"But even with the Great Clock's assistance, breaking beyond that foundation will take considerable effort."

"Rest assured, my king. I have given Samo strict orders. Within a year, we will have new research results to show you."

"There's no rush."

Qin Feng waved a hand, his tone casual.

"I was just asking. Scientific research isn't something you can rush. You don't have to push Samo and the others too hard."

"But you must make sure you make progress every day. Don't conserve the Great Clock's computing power on my account. Use it freely to calculate your research results. It can save you a great deal of time."

"My king, I will pass that instruction along shortly."

Tara nodded in acknowledgment.

Yet his lips moved before pressing together again, and a trace of hesitation flashed through his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.

Noticing his reluctance to speak, Qin Feng chuckled.

"Since when did you become so coy, Tara? Just say whatever's on your mind."

Tara fell silent for two seconds, lowering his golden, slit-pupiled eyes slightly. His voice was quieter than before.

"My king, some Shadowkhan Soldiers have proposed conducting live experiments on Super Soldiers to create weapons specifically designed to counter them."

At those words, the smile on Qin Feng's face froze.

His pupils contracted, and his back tensed almost involuntarily as his first reaction.

Weapons designed to counter Super Soldiers?

The instant those words left Tara's mouth, countless possible developments flashed through his mind.

Once those weapons were made, would they be used against his enemies, or against him?

Of course, he did not doubt Tara and the others' loyalty.

The Shadowkhan Army was one hundred percent loyal to him. The system had locked that in from the moment he activated his gene, and no variation was possible.

But weapons themselves had no loyalty.

If something like that fell into enemy hands, he would be put on the back foot too.

A dark gleam passed through Qin Feng's eyes.

Tara noticed the fleeting change and immediately lowered his head. "My king, this proposal is only an idea from the soldiers. If you find it inappropriate, I will have them abandon it at once..."

"No need."

Qin Feng suddenly raised a hand to interrupt him.

He exhaled, his expression relaxing again as the darkness in his eyes gradually subsided.

He had indeed grown wary out of reflex, but on second thought, he realized his concerns were somewhat unnecessary.

The Great Clock was in his hands.

In the entire Known Universe, the people capable of taking something from him could be counted on one hand.

Apart from Karl, he had no need to fear anyone.

And Karl?

Given his perspective, he probably would not even spare such things a glance.

After all, he had eyes only for the Void.

"I approve this plan."

Tara's eyelids twitched slightly.

"But once these weapons have been developed, you must report to me immediately. I will personally add a Backdoor Program to prevent others from taking them."

Tara visibly relaxed, and his voice grew steadier than before. "Rest assured, my king. I will monitor their progress in real time."

He had not held much hope that this proposal would be approved.

After all, it was plainly something that could threaten Qin Feng's own safety.

But they were now in a world filled with Super Soldiers and divine bodies. The most effective approach was to thoroughly study the weaknesses of Super Soldiers first and seize the initiative at the genetic level.

Now that Qin Feng had given his approval, the Shadowkhan Legion could pursue its research without restraint.

"By the way."

Qin Feng changed the subject and folded his arms.

"Since you intend to conduct live experiments, where will you get the Super Soldiers? Without test subjects, you won't be able to proceed at all, will you?"

At that, Tara looked perfectly relaxed, as though he had considered the question long ago.

"My king, you need not worry about that. Our investigations indicate that Dragon Country has quite a few Super Soldiers. And they're all weaklings. We can simply grab one and bring them back!"

Qin Feng: "..."

Looking at Tara's expression, as though it were a piece of cake, the corner of Qin Feng's mouth twitched.

Good thing he had asked.

Though Dragon Country openly had few capable fighters, a technological monkey was lurking in the shadows.

Sun Wukong might only have a peak third-generation beast body, but his abilities were utterly broken.

If they truly enraged him, once he activated Heaven and Earth Manifestation, every last one of them, Tara included, would be sent back to the Shadow Realm with a single strike of his staff.

Moreover, the People of the Super God Academy would not stand idly by either.

Most importantly, Qin Feng did not want to openly fall out with them just yet.

He still had a game to play later. Making enemies too early would only disrupt his entire plan.

"Leave Dragon Country alone."

Qin Feng waved a hand. "I happen to know a good test subject. He'll be more than enough for your experiments."

Tara paused slightly. "My king, you mean..."

"Come with me, and you'll see."

With a wickedly charming smile, Qin Feng vanished from the spot with Tara.

Deep in the desert stood an abandoned temple pyramid.

Yellow sand trickled through gaps in the damaged dome, forming several small dunes on the floor.

The reliefs on the walls had weathered beyond recognition. Only a few vague outlines remained, faintly discernible as the shapes of some ancient beasts.

"My king, there do not seem to be any Super Soldiers here."

Standing behind Qin Feng, Tara looked around, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes sweeping every corner, a trace of confusion in his voice.

He did not understand why Qin Feng had brought him here.

Although they could not touch Dragon Country's Super Soldiers, Eagle Country also had several fairly powerful Cyborgs.

If nothing else worked, the Shadowkhan Legion could study them first.

"Tara, sometimes what your eyes see isn't necessarily the truth."

Qin Feng turned his head toward him, a mysterious smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

With that, he sank into the dark plane, and the Great Clock's computing power ran at full capacity under the direction of his will.

Golden streams of data flowed and surged through his eyes. Countless analytical beams radiated from his body in every direction, penetrating the ancient seals deep beneath the ground, buried for untold ages.