The Replication Frenzy

Hei Yao lay crumpled on the ground like a heap of mud. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, mingling with resentment and fear as it stained the ground beneath him red.

He gasped for breath like a fish thrown ashore, opening and closing his mouth in a futile attempt to draw in the life force that had already left him.

Lu Chen did not even spare him another glance.

How could the wailing of an ant reach the ears of a god?

He turned and walked straight toward the core of the base. That was where his true interest lay.

Linda followed close behind, a trace of confusion in her cool eyes. "Why didn't you kill him? Wouldn't it be safer to eliminate the threat for good?"

Lu Chen did not break stride. His tone was as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "He's still useful alive."

A meaningful smile curved his lips. Hei Yao's value was not limited to being a mere failure.

Before long, the group arrived at a huge laboratory.

Rows upon rows of terminal devices filled their view, with countless data cables connecting them like blood vessels to a massive central mainframe.

All manner of charts and code flickered across the screens, along with face after face-the talent profiles of hundreds of survivors were stored here.

"This is their lifeline, and our resource bank." Lu Chen looked around, his eyes gleaming with excitement like an explorer who had discovered a treasure.

He slowly closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the boundless abyss of Infinite Replication.

The hunt had begun!

Fire, water, wind, lightning, light, darkness, perception, speed, healing, enhancement...

Information on all kinds of talents flooded into Lu Chen's mind like a rising tide.

He greedily absorbed and replicated them, elevating each one to its peak SSS-grade version.

At that moment, he seemed to become a true creator, reshaping the laws of the world as he pleased.

Linda stood to one side, watching as the energy fluctuations around Lu Chen grew stronger and more violent.

The shock was beyond words, as though she were watching a god descend to create a new world.

She felt as small as a speck of dust, utterly unable to withstand this terrifying power.

A Kai was even more dumbfounded. "Y-you can really wield that many talents at once?" he stammered. "Th-that's just unbelievable!"

Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes, and a sharp gleam flashed through the air.

A cold smile rose to his lips, like a king who held everything under his control.

"That's not the problem. The key is how you use them."

With a casual wave of his hand, five SSS-grade talents of different elements intertwined in an instant, condensing into a dazzling ball of energy in his palm.

Arcs of electricity danced across its surface, flames rose, frost gathered, winds howled, and light shone... Five utterly different forces fused together perfectly, radiating a suffocating aura of destruction.

Lu Chen swung his arm and hurled the energy ball at the testing apparatus in the center of the laboratory.

In an instant, dazzling light swallowed the entire room.

A piercing alarm blared wildly. The needle on the testing instrument soared like a runaway horse before finally settling on a despair-inducing figure: over ten billion megajoules!

Amid her shock, Linda suddenly noticed a problem.

If everyone could wield multiple SSS-grade talents... then the order of this world...

Before she could finish, Lu Chen coldly cut her off. "Order? That's a shackle made for the weak. The strong are meant to break it!"

With that, he shared some of the talents he had just replicated with Linda and A Kai.

The two immediately felt an unprecedented power surge into their bodies. It was as though they had been reborn, and the whole world had changed.

Linda felt the power of frost within her grow purer and stronger. She even had the faint illusion that she could control the weather.

A Kai felt his Lightning Affinity reach an unprecedented level, as though he were the thunder god descended to earth, capable of commanding all the lightning in the world.

Both were surprised and delighted, and hurriedly circulated the energy within them, trying to adapt to this sudden power.

Lu Chen watched them, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.

"From today onward, you're members of my Godslaying Legion. Remember, our goal is to overturn everything!"

He paused, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Of course, that's assuming you can handle this power."

Just then, the base alarm suddenly went off, and a dense flurry of footsteps came from outside.

Just then, the base alarm suddenly went off, its piercing buzz echoing through the entire laboratory like a death knell.

A dense flurry of footsteps came from outside, chaotic and hurried, like a pack of hungry beasts that had caught the scent of blood and were swarming toward their prey.

"Looks like we've attracted someone's attention." An amused smile curved Lu Chen's lips, but there was not a trace of fear in his eyes. Instead, they gleamed with excitement.

He stood up and flexed his wrists, his knuckles cracking sharply. He was like an enraged lion, ready to face the challenge ahead.

"Perfect. Let's see how this combination works in a real fight."

He turned to face the enemies about to burst in. Flames erupted in his palm, scarlet tongues of fire greedily licking the air. The surrounding temperature soared, as though they were in purgatory.

At his feet, blue-violet lightning coiled around his legs like nimble snakes, crackling and popping. The acrid smell of scorching filled the air.

A strange light flickered in his eyes, taking in everything, as though he could see into the depths of his enemies' hearts.

Three SSS-grade talents stood ready to strike, like three sharp blades radiating a chilling killing intent.

Linda and A Kai also swiftly prepared for battle. They stood behind Lu Chen, one on either side, watching the doorway warily.

They could feel the terrifying power radiating from Lu Chen. Its energy fluctuations were enough to destroy heaven and earth, as though he could level the entire base with a mere wave of his hand.

"Wait, this feeling... interesting." Lu Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes, his lips spreading into a dangerous grin.

"Looks like it's not just underlings coming..."

He chuckled and raised a hand, stopping Linda and A Kai.

"Relax, it's nothing. Let me show them a little trick first, as an... appetizer?"