Mutated Steel Tail Scorpion

A surge of joy rose in Lin Shen's heart. He hurried to the Incubation Pod and looked through the glass lid, only to see a crack appear on the Steel Tail Scorpion's Gene Mutation Egg.

Crack!

Another crisp sound rang out. Several more cracks appeared across the steel-hard Gene Mutation Egg, all spreading outward from a single point.

Crack!

The center of the cracks was suddenly pierced through. A slightly curved black steel spike thrust out, its tip gleaming with a terrifyingly sharp chill.

Before Lin Shen could get a clear look at the black steel spike, it abruptly retracted the very next second.

Crack!

Almost the instant it withdrew, the black steel spike shot out again. Under its repeated piercing, the eggshell could no longer endure and shattered completely. A palm-sized black metal scorpion, black from head to tail, crawled out.

"This is a Steel Tail Scorpion?" Lin Shen stared at the Steel Tail Scorpion gnawing on the eggshell, faint surprise stirring within him.

Steel Tail Scorpions were common Gene Mutation Creatures around Blackbird Base, and they reproduced quickly. Their Gene Mutation Eggs were not worth much—roughly the price of a single meal.

Many Gene Mutators kept Steel Tail Scorpions as pets. Even quite a few ordinary people who had not undergone Gene Mutation owned Steel Tail Scorpion pets.

Lin Shen had seen countless wild and pet Steel Tail Scorpions, but he had never seen one like this.

Ordinary Steel Tail Scorpions had steel-colored shells, and most of their shells were dotted with rust-like spots.

Yet this Steel Tail Scorpion was pitch-black all over, as though cast from dark iron. It was also slightly larger than an ordinary newborn Steel Tail Scorpion.

With no time to dwell on it, Lin Shen moved swiftly and took out several larger pieces of eggshell. The Steel Tail Scorpion was thoroughly enraged, waving its claws and scorpion tail as it tried to attack Lin Shen and reclaim the eggshell.

After trying several times and realizing it could not touch Lin Shen at all, it could only angrily devour the remaining small pieces of eggshell first.

After eating, the Steel Tail Scorpion circled a few times, then suddenly leaped up and shot toward Lin Shen's face like a cannonball leaving the barrel.

Lin Shen had long been prepared. He raised a metal shield he had readied beforehand and held it before himself.

With a clang, the Steel Tail Scorpion's tail stabbed into the metal shield, actually punching a small hole through it. If its tail hook had been a little longer, it might have pierced straight through the metal shield.

Lin Shen was both startled and delighted. The shield in his hand had been forged from Alloy Creature materials. Logically speaking, ordinary Steel Creatures should have been unable to break through its defense.

The Steel Tail Scorpion's strength and hardness should not have been enough to damage such a shield. Forget a newly hatched Steel Tail Scorpion—even an adult Steel Tail Scorpion could not have done it.

This Steel Tail Scorpion had actually pierced an alloy shield directly. That could only mean its strength and hardness far surpassed those of ordinary Steel Tail Scorpions.

"A Gene Mutation Egg with a Fire Seed really is different." Lin Shen blocked the Steel Tail Scorpion's attacks again and again until it gradually ran out of strength.

When Gene Mutation Creatures were first born, they needed to eat their own eggshells to replenish the stamina spent breaking out of the shell. Only then would they have strength.

This Steel Tail Scorpion had eaten only a little eggshell, so it had barely replenished its stamina. Before long, it could not keep going.

Unable to attack Lin Shen any longer, the Steel Tail Scorpion circled a few times before suddenly lifting its tail forward with all its strength, exposing the abdomen behind it.

That abdomen also shone with a cold gleam like dark iron armor. One part suddenly popped out, transforming into a tiny dark iron key that flew toward Lin Shen.

Lin Shen caught the key and let out a slight breath of relief. He lowered the shield in his hand and placed all the remaining eggshell pieces before the Steel Tail Scorpion.

A Gene Mutation Creature that had just hatched was still ignorant and had little strength. Luring it with eggshells at such a time was the easiest chance to tame it. If that chance was missed, taming it later would become far more troublesome.

The Steel Tail Scorpion quickly swallowed all the eggshells. Its body became ever blacker and colder, while a glint of cold light flickered from its scorpion tail.

With the Gene Mutation Key in hand, Lin Shen found that the Steel Tail Scorpion seemed able to sense his intent. It crawled before Lin Shen, turned around, raised its tail, and aimed the keyhole beneath its abdomen at him.

Lin Shen inserted the key again and gently turned it. The Steel Tail Scorpion's body immediately underwent an unimaginable transformation.

Every part of the Steel Tail Scorpion's body began to turn, shrinking as it transformed. Before long, it became a black metal capsule no bigger than a quail egg.

Lin Shen caught the Pet Capsule, casually pulled out the key, and looked at the information displayed on the side of the capsule.

Mutated Steel Tail Scorpion: Steel Creature (Can Evolve)

Strength: 10.

Speed: 9.9.

Hardness: 10.

Toughness: 10.

Gene Mutation Talent: Enhanced Armor-Piercing Sting.

Upon seeing the Steel Tail Scorpion's attributes, Lin Shen could not help but be overjoyed.

Its four basic attributes were nearly at the maximum for Steel Grade. Its Gene Mutation Talent was Armor-Piercing Sting, which enhanced armor-piercing capability, and it was even Enhanced Armor-Piercing Sting. Armor-Piercing Sting was common, but powerful Armor-Piercing Sting Talents seemed to be possessed only by certain special Gene Mutation Creatures. This Mutated Steel Tail Scorpion was undoubtedly a top-tier offensive pet.

Even that was not enough to make Lin Shen so ecstatic. What truly delighted him was that this Mutated Steel Tail Scorpion actually possessed the Can Evolve attribute.

That meant the Mutated Steel Tail Scorpion had a chance to advance to Alloy Grade, or even Crystal Gene Level. Its value was therefore beyond comparison with ordinary Steel Grade pets.

Although the Superspeed Gunslinger was Alloy Grade, that was its limit. It had no possibility of advancing further. It was a powerful helper to Lin Shen now, but it was destined to be phased out in the future.

If properly nurtured, this Mutated Steel Tail Scorpion might prove far more useful than the Superspeed Gunslinger in the future.

"A Fire Seed Gene Mutation Egg truly is extraordinary." Lin Shen put away the Mutated Steel Tail Scorpion capsule and turned his gaze toward the other two Gene Mutation Eggs that had yet to hatch.

"Unfortunately... I don't have time..." Lin Shen shook his head with a bitter smile.

Gene Mutation required time; it was not something that could be done in a day or two. If not for the matter of going to Gourd Mountain, Lin Shen could have chosen one of the remaining two Gene Mutation Eggs and completed his Gene Mutation to advance to Steel Grade.

But now it was already too late. The Qi and Wang Families could not possibly wait for him to complete his Gene Mutation before going to Gourd Mountain.

Even now, Bai Shenfei's status as friend or foe remained impossible to determine. Much of what she had done was contradictory, making her truly difficult to read.

The Super Gene Evolution Seed on her made her origins even more mysterious. Lin Shen found it hard to judge her.

On top of that, there was definitely a traitor within the Lin Family. It was a case of trouble within and danger without.

Lin Shen found a backpack and put the remaining two Gene Mutation Eggs inside. He planned to take them to Gourd Mountain. If an opportunity arose, perhaps he could complete his Gene Mutation there.

"These things still can't become real combat power for now. The abilities granted by Fire Seeds are more reliable. But where can I find Fire Seeds? Where is there a large number of Gene Mutation Eggs I haven't seen before?" Lin Shen pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He remembered a place that still had a large number of Gene Mutation Eggs he had never seen.

The Gene Mutation Eggs in that place were not normal Gene Mutation Eggs. They were all Dead Eggs that had failed to hatch.

Those Gene Mutation Eggs had neither hatched Gene Mutation Creatures nor remained usable for extracting Gene Mutation Fluid, having completely solidified during incubation. Most would be smelted down and used as industrial materials.

Though they were Dead Eggs, they were still Gene Mutation Eggs. Lin Shen decided to try his luck.

The three great Lineages had warehouses specifically for storing Dead Eggs. If Lin Shen wanted to inspect the warehouses of the other two families, he would need to think of a way. As for his own family's warehouse, he could look whenever he wished without any misgivings.

"I hope the latest batch of Dead Eggs hasn't been sent to the factory yet." Lin Shen did not want to wait even a moment. The instant he left the house, he headed for his family's warehouse where Dead Eggs were stored.