The Second Fire Seed

The failed Super Gene Evolution Seed—Seven Steps of Conflict: The gun is fast beyond seven steps; Within Seven Steps, I am faster.

Lin Shen was as excited as if he had taken stimulants, itching to throw a standing backflip followed by a 720-degree Thomas Flair.

Everyone knew that for ordinary people, the gun was fast beyond seven steps, and within seven steps, guns were both fast and accurate. The claim that hands were faster than guns within seven steps was nothing more than humanity's wishful fantasy.

If the Fire Seed "Pressure-Point Strike" had not been proven real before this, Lin Shen would never have believed such a thing existed. But now, all he wanted was to find a gun and test whether Seven Steps of Conflict was truly as miraculous as it sounded.

Still, in Lin Shen's eyes, the Seven Steps of Conflict Fire Seed was inferior to Pressure-Point Strike. Some high-level Gene Mutators could possibly move faster than bullets, making this talent far less powerful than Pressure-Point Strike.

But for humans who had not yet undergone gene mutation, this was indeed an utterly incredible ability. And that was not even the important part.

"Since there's a second Fire Seed, that means there will be more." Lin Shen wished he could rush out immediately, visit every shop selling Gene Mutation Eggs, and gather every Fire Seed Gene Mutation Egg he could find.

Lin Shen threw on his clothes and headed out. The moment he opened the door, he crashed headlong into a figure.

"Fifth Brother, where are you rushing off to?" The person he collided with did not budge in the slightest. He looked at Lin Shen, who had stumbled back several steps, in surprise and asked with a frown.

"Lao Ye, you're back? Where's Fourth Brother?" Lin Shen steadied himself and looked behind the man. Seeing that he was alone, he could not help but feel puzzled.

Lao Ye was Fourth Brother Lin Xiangdong's man and had always been inseparable from him. Ever since Lin Shen had known Lao Ye existed, he had never seen him alone. Every time he saw him, Lao Ye would be following Fourth Brother, like a shadow glued to his side.

"Something happened." Lao Ye's expression was grim. After entering, he shut the front door before speaking quietly to Lin Shen.

"What happened?" Lin Shen's heart sank.

"Over a month ago, Third Master came to see Fourth Master. He said he had discovered a Steel Shell Insect nest outside the base and needed Fourth Master's help. Fourth Master went without a second word. The two of them slipped out of the base, saying they would be back in about half a month. But it has been over a month now, and there is still no news." Lao Ye spoke with a dark expression.

Lin Shen's heart lurched. Forcing himself to remain calm, he said, "Maybe there were too many Steel Shell Insects over there, and they haven't finished clearing them out. That's why they were delayed."

"Don't you know Third Master's temperament? Fourth Master might do something like that, but Third Master never would. Even if they ran into trouble, he would first find someone to bring word back and let us know they were safe. Yet there has been no news at all, so something must have happened to them." Lao Ye shook his head.

The Third Master Lao Ye spoke of was Lin Shen's Third Brother, Lin Zongzheng. Lin Shen naturally understood Third Brother's character as well. Unless he had absolutely no choice, he would never fail to send word back.

"How many people do we have left at home? Gather them all. We're going to look for them." Lin Shen forced himself to calm down and looked at Lao Ye.

"We can't go, and we mustn't go." Lao Ye shook his head again.

"Why?" Lin Shen frowned at Lao Ye.

"You cannot take such a risk. And even if you went, you would be of no use." Lao Ye said.

Lin Shen knew Lao Ye was not putting him down. Ever since something had happened to Second Brother, the remaining four Lin siblings had established a rule.

The Eldest Sister would manage the family business, while Third Brother and Fourth Brother would go out and make their way in the world. As for him, the youngest fifth child of the Lin Family, he was responsible for carrying on the family line—a typical tool kept at home.

In Third Brother and Fourth Brother's words, the Old Lin Family had to leave behind a seed no matter what. If they all died, the Lin Family would have to rely on Lin Shen to continue the incense offering and keep the bloodline from being cut off.

That was why, even though Lin Shen was already twenty-one, he could count the number of times he had left the base on his fingers. He had never gone to those dangerous places.

"At a time like this, who can worry about all that?" Lin Shen said with a frown.

"Even if you want to go, it would be useless. Third Master never told us where they went. And with Third Master and Fourth Master's abilities, even if they encountered trouble and were trapped for the moment, they would certainly have a way to solve it. They simply cannot return for now. If you go, you might instead make them unable to fight freely." Lao Ye shook his head.

Lin Shen was taken aback. "Then what did you come to me for?"

"There is another troublesome matter. The Recruitment Assembly jointly held by the Lin, Qi, and Wang Families is about to begin. In recent years, Fourth Master has always represented the Lin Family alongside the representatives of the other two families. If we do not attend, the other two families in the base may start making baseless guesses. That would be troublesome, and it would also hinder our recruitment of Gene Mutators. So we must attend this time." Lao Ye said.

Lin Shen frowned and remained silent. Gene Mutation Creatures now filled every corner of the world, and humanity had used gene mutation materials to build one base after another to resist their invasion.

Within Blackbird Base, the Lin, Qi, and Wang Families stood like three legs of a tripod. If the Qi and Wang Families learned of the Lin Family's current situation, it would indeed be troublesome. They would surely face suppression.

"What can I do?" Lin Shen asked Lao Ye. He knew that since Lao Ye had come to find him, there must be something only he could do.

"Fifth Brother, your build, physique, and voice are very similar to Fourth Master's. If you wear a mask and pay attention to your pronunciation and manner of speaking, anyone who is not especially close to him should find it difficult to tell the difference." Lao Ye said as he looked Lin Shen over from head to toe.

"You mean..." Lin Shen did not waste words. He knew he would have to take this risk.

In the past, it had always been Eldest Sister and his brothers shielding him from the wind and rain. Now that something had happened at home, it was only natural for him to step forward.

"You needn't worry. The event will be held inside the base, so there will be no danger. But you need to guard against the Qi and Wang Families seeing through you, and you also need a reason for wearing a mask." Lao Ye sighed. "The people of the Qi and Wang Families are no saints. No matter how reasonable the excuse is, it will be hard to completely dispel their suspicions. You must handle them carefully."

"How long until the Recruitment Assembly begins?" Lin Shen thought for a moment before asking.

"Tomorrow morning." Lao Ye said. "It is already too late for you to undergo gene mutation, so we must carefully work through every detail. We cannot afford a single mistake."

Lin Shen brought Lao Ye into the room, and the two repeatedly considered every possible detail that might arise.

Everything else was manageable, but the excuse for wearing a mask was difficult to make without arousing suspicion. Still, they could barely make it sound plausible.

There was also an important segment at the Recruitment Assembly. Originally, the representatives of the Lin, Qi, and Wang Families each had to display their skills by killing a Gene Mutation Creature, thereby demonstrating their family's strength and attracting more Gene Mutators to join them.

Lin Xiangdong was the Lin Family's public banner, much like a celebrity spokesperson from the old days. If Lin Xiangdong were present, this would naturally not be a problem. But now only Lin Shen could attend the Recruitment Assembly, making things exceedingly troublesome.

"Fifth Brother, you haven't undergone gene mutation yet. You absolutely cannot participate in the part where you kill a Gene Mutation Creature. We can only think of a way to muddle through it. But the Qi and Wang Families have already grown suspicious lately. They suspect Fourth Master is not in the base, so it will probably not be easy to bluff our way past them."

After a pause, Lao Ye continued, "Fortunately, Fourth Master has always acted arrogantly, as though no one else existed in his eyes. When the time comes, you only need to show disdain toward the representatives of the Qi and Wang Families and let me act in your place. Fourth Master has the qualifications to be that arrogant."

"Lao Ye, what grade of Gene Mutation Creature will be killed then?" Lin Shen asked thoughtfully.

Lao Ye's plan was merely the best of bad options. If they could not bluff their way through when the time came, Lin Shen could not allow himself to be exposed.

In the past, Lin Shen truly would have had no solution. But now, with Pressure-Point Strike and Seven Steps of Conflict, he might not be unable to pass this trial.

"Just an ordinary Alloy Creature. With my abilities, I can kill it in a single blow." Lao Ye said confidently.