Gourd Mountain

The attribute limit of an Alloy Creature was 20. The Superspeed Gunslinger's speed was already very close to the limit. There were even top-tier Superspeed Gunslingers with a full twenty points of speed; this one was just a little short, but not by much.

The Superspeed Gunslinger's hardness and strength were relatively low among Alloy Creatures. Its hardness in particular was not even ten—some Steel Creatures could reach that figure as well.

However, this Superspeed Gunslinger possessed two Gene Mutation Talents, and its compatibility with both talents was extremely high. That was very impressive.

In theory, the limit for Steel Creatures was one Gene Mutation Talent, the limit for Alloy Creatures was two, and the limit for Crystal Grade Creatures was three.

But that was only the upper limit. In reality, many alloy pets possessed only one Gene Mutation Talent. Many even had Gene Mutation Talents that did not match their abilities at all.

All in all, this Superspeed Gunslinger should have been worth a great deal. In a place like Blackbird Base, it should not have been a problem to trade it for a house.

Perhaps because of Lin Shen's astonishing performance, or perhaps because the Lin Family had always enjoyed an excellent reputation, several Gene Mutators decided on the spot to sign with the Lin Family. They had recruited the most people out of the three families.

Unfortunately, Wei Wufu still showed no reaction. It seemed he had no intention of joining any family for the time being.

In truth, even if Wei Wufu had wanted to sign with the Lin Family now, the Lin Family would have found themselves in a difficult position.

When Third Master and Fourth Master had been around, signing an Alloy Gene Mutator would not have been a problem. But now that neither Third Master nor Fourth Master was present, signing an Alloy Gene Mutator of unknown origins would be troublesome for the Lin Family as well.

After that, Lin Shen barely spoke. Lao Ye handled everything.

Qi Shuheng and Wang Tianer had no interest in talking to Lin Shen any further either. Instead, they enthusiastically chatted with Bai Shenfei for quite some time. It was clear that they wanted to curry favor with her. Lin Shen had no idea who Bai Shenfei really was; Lin Xiangdong had never mentioned her background to him.

What exactly had Bai Shenfei come to Blackbird Base for? Lin Shen felt a headache coming on. Without the unexpected variable that was Bai Shenfei, today's matter would have been resolved perfectly. Now, however, a little tail had been left behind.

When the Recruitment Assembly ended and Lin Shen rose to leave, Bai Shenfei naturally followed after him. Unless she figured out Lin Shen's identity, she clearly would not give up easily.

"Junior Sister, it has been so long since we last met. We should have a good talk. If you do not mind, come to my home for dinner," Lin Shen said with a smile.

"Alright." Seeing that Lin Shen was taking the initiative to cooperate, Bai Shenfei agreed.

Naturally, Lin Shen did not take Bai Shenfei back to his own place. Instead, he brought her to where Lin Xiangdong lived and arranged for her to rest in the living room.

"Who exactly are you?" Bai Shenfei had no intention of sitting down. She stared at Lin Shen and asked.

"Who I am, whether I am Lin Xiangdong—does that question matter to you?" Lin Shen asked unhurriedly.

"It matters," Bai Shenfei said directly.

"What matters to you—is it Lin Xiangdong himself, or what this person can do for you? If it is the former, you can rest assured. If it is the latter, you may as well tell me. So long as it is within my power, I certainly will not refuse." Because of the mosaic covering her face, Lin Shen could not see Bai Shenfei's expression after hearing his words.

"Did Lin Xiangdong go to Gourd Mountain?" Bai Shenfei suddenly asked.

Lin Shen was still wondering what kind of place Gourd Mountain was, and a flicker of confusion involuntarily crossed his eyes.

"It seems you know nothing." Bai Shenfei, who had been staring into Lin Shen's eyes the whole time, immediately noticed something. Somewhat disappointed, she turned to leave.

Watching Bai Shenfei depart, Lin Shen was deeply puzzled. Why had she suddenly decided to leave just like that?

Lin Shen turned to look at Lao Ye behind him, only to find Lao Ye wearing a very strange expression. His heart jolted. "Lao Ye, tell me honestly. Third Brother and Fourth Brother did not really go to that Gourd Mountain place, did they?"

Lao Ye's expression was complicated. He pondered for a long while before finally speaking as though he had made up his mind. "Originally, Third Master and Fourth Master did not want you to know about this, Fifth Brother. But the situation is complicated now. Outsiders even know about Gourd Mountain, so I cannot keep it from you any longer."

"What kind of place is Gourd Mountain? Is it somewhere near our base? Why have I never heard of this mountain? What did Third Brother and Fourth Brother go there for?" Lin Shen could not help growing anxious. This matter seemed even more troublesome than he had imagined.

"Of course you have never heard of it, because Second Master gave that place the name on the spur of the moment after he saw it. Very few people even know the name Gourd Mountain." Lao Ye sighed.

"A name Second Brother came up with?" Lin Shen was stunned.

The Lin Family's second son was named Lin Yin. In terms of cultivation talent, he had been the finest of all the Lin brothers. The title of "Master" being bestowed upon the Lin brothers had begun with Lin Yin as well.

It could be said that Lin Yin had once supported the crumbling, nearly declining Lin Family with his strength alone.

Lin Yin had even been one of the few powerhouses in Blackbird Base to advance to the Crystal Gene Level. Yet just as he stood at the height of his glory, he vanished during an expedition to hunt Gene Mutation Creatures.

When Lin Yin disappeared, Lin Shen had not yet turned ten. To him, Lin Yin had been much like a father.

Their parents had died young, and Lin Yin had been more than twenty years older than Lin Shen. Lin Yin's influence on him had been much the same as a father's. Perhaps this was what they meant by an elder brother being like a father.

So many years had passed that even the burly figure in his memories had begun to blur. He could no longer clearly recall what Lin Yin's face had looked like.

Still, Lin Shen remembered that Lin Yin had treated him very well. When he was little, Lin Yin often took him out to play and bought him tasty food and toys.

Half of Lin Shen's love of play had been spoiled into him by Lin Yin.

"The place Second Brother went to before he vanished would not happen to be Gourd Mountain, would it?" Lin Shen asked with a frown.

Lao Ye nodded. "Fifth Brother, you are indeed clever. The last place Second Master went before he disappeared was Gourd Mountain. After that, he never returned."

"Third Brother and Fourth Brother found clues about Second Brother, so they went to Gourd Mountain?" Lin Shen pondered.

"That was one of the reasons." Lao Ye paused, then continued before Lin Shen could ask again. "Third Master and Fourth Master said that the main reason they went to Gourd Mountain was to obtain a Gene Mutation Egg for you to use in Chrysalis Transformation."

Lin Shen was slightly startled. With his strength, he could actually have undergone Chrysalis Transformation long ago. Third Brother and Fourth Brother had always urged him to wait a little longer; it turned out they had been preparing a Gene Mutation Egg for his Chrysalis Transformation.

To complete the transformation from human to Gene Mutator, there was only one method: extract a special substance from the body of a Gene Mutation Creature and use it to alter oneself, until one underwent Chrysalis Transformation and became a Gene Mutator.

This special substance could come from a Gene Mutation Creature or from a Gene Mutation Egg. But before Chrysalis Transformation, one would inevitably need a Gene Mutation Egg, and the quality of that egg could, to a certain extent, affect the quality of one's Steel Body after mutation.