The Strongest Gene

At the depths of the grassland were huge ruins with flickering light swirling around them. Numerous huge boulders stood tall, giving off an extremely oppressive feeling. This was one of the core regions of the Qinghe Grassland. After escaping from the wolves, they had managed to arrive here after great difficulty.

Hum—

Light was swirling around. At the center of that area, a drop of azure-colored liquid could be seen. It was flickering unceasingly, emitting a bizarre-looking radiance. In front of that liquid stood a middle-aged man with his back to everyone there. His right hand was slightly raised.

That person was…

"Father!" Wu Hui's heart trembled.

This is Wu Yaotian?

Chen Feng's pupils abruptly shrank. As he concentrated, he found that, although that silhouette appeared lifelike, it was in fact a stiff body. This was a corpse!

However…from the side, the corpse appeared intact. It had been half a year since his death. Chen Feng was shocked. Based on the data he'd received, Wu Yaotian had already been dead for half a year. He had initially believed that only some skeleton remains would be found here. Unexpectedly…

For no apparent reason, the boulders here started giving Chen Feng a bizarre feeling.

Chen Feng pulled Wu Hui back. "There's no need to rush."

"Mhm." Wu Hui whispered, "That is the gene reagent father produced."

Chen Feng followed his gaze and saw that drop of liquid hovering in front of Wu Yaotian. That was also the main target of this mission, the very gene reagent capable of helping Chen Feng's breakthrough.

The gene reagent rumored to be capable of helping one break through the D-class limit.

"Will it truly work?" Chen Feng asked.

"Mhm." In a low voice, Wu Hui said, "My father is the one who sent me the details, telling me to come over. Unfortunately…"

Wu Hui's expression dimmed.

If it wasn't for him, his father wouldn't have ended up dead.

Shua!

Wu Hui transmitted the details to Chen Feng. The details indicated that under normal circumstances it was simply impossible for this gene reagent to be capable of forcing a D-class breakthrough to exist. The production of this gene reagent could not possibly succeed either. However, if it was produced in a unique environment, it was probable for the production to succeed.

For example, this place, the place known as Frog Valley. Previously, this had been a swamp created after the Qinghe River had flown through here. Next it become a land filled with frogs. Due to the existence of a mysterious species of frogs here, this place was enveloped by a mysterious power.

Time. The time here moved slower than in the outside world.

----

Black Frog

Class: B

Ability: Slows the time around it, increasing the lifespan of this beast.

Combat power: Nonexistent

----

This was the reason Wu Yaotian had come here. Using a unique formation, he had trapped these black frogs here. Next, he had utilized their unique ability to slow down the area that he would be using for the gene production. Finally, he'd completed a production that would normally not complete. Ultimately, the D-class limit breakthrough gene reagent, that blue drop of liquid, had been produced successfully.

After the production, he had happily sent a message to his son. However, for unknown reason, before Wu Hui could even get here, Wu Yaotian was eternally frozen here.

The same expression still remained on his face. Even his whole body had not changed at all. However, he was no longer alive. What had happened here?

Wu Neng commanded one of them to go forth. "Let's go take a look."

In front of them were numerous boulders that gave off an oppressive feeling. Even when that blue liquid was right in front of them, none of them dared to act recklessly.

"Yes."

A genetic warrior walked forth.

Ten meters, 20 meters, 30 meters. Carefully, he reached Wu Yaotian. As of now, nothing seemed to be happening.

"Retrieve that drop of liquid," Wu Neng ordered.

Shua!

That person walked forth. However, just as he was about to get in contact with that liquid, a light blue radiance flickered suddenly. Next, he instantly became immobile.

What?

Everyone's heart thumped violently.

Dead? What's going on?

This scene they witnessed was too horrifying.

"Third brother!" A genetic warrior charged out and patted the shoulder of that immobile person. However, nothing happened. That person seemed to have turned into some sort of sculpture that would not wake up no matter what they tried.

He seemed to have been paused in time. Everyone was horrified. This place was much more terrifying than they had imagined.

"Try using some items on it," Chen Feng proposed.

Shortly after, Wu Neng ordered someone to test it out. It was ineffective. Any nonliving object would simply phase through that drop of liquid.

"How about using mutated beasts?" Chen Feng asked.

Shua!

They captured a mutated beast and tossed it inside. However, an astonishing thing happened. That mutated beast paused right there as well. Paused in time!

"Hiss—"

Everyone inhaled a mouthful of cold breath.

"Help me with perform some tests." As a producer, Chen Feng was well versed with performing various tests. Wu Neng ordered some of the squad members to help. Soon, they were able to conclude that this boulder formation here contained a mysterious power within. Any life form entering the center of this formation would be paused in time.

This is the power of the black frog! Chen Feng realized. Basically, the black frog possessed the power to slow down time. However, time was constant, not something one could slow down or speed up as one wished. Hence, the so-called slowing down of time was essentially a feat achieved through absorbing the time out of other life forms, bringing about the effect of the slowdown of time.

The black frogs were capable of absorbing the time of other life forms, even though the amount of time they could absorb was rather tiny. Wu Yaotian had done the complete opposite of this. He had trapped all the frogs in the formation. Using some unique methods, he had forced the frogs to emit instead of absorb time.

After figuring this out, everyone here was incomparably alarmed. Time control? This was something akin to the power of the gods! Wasn't Wu Yaotian courting death by messing with such a power? Even the formidable B-class mutated beast black frog lost all their other combat powers after obtaining the ability to slow down time. As for Wu Yaotian? He had directly used these frogs in his attempt to control time itself.

It was also thanks to this feat of his that he had found methods of breaking through limits for his son time and time again by creating gene reagents that could simply not exist under normal circumstances.

However, he had ultimately still ended up devoured by the very power of time he had used.

Chen Feng guessed that it was very probable this had happened to Wu Neng due to the power of time he harnessed this time being too powerful. Hence, after successfully producing the gene reagent, he had been hit by the backlash of the power of time.

Wu Hui was agitated. "In other words… my father might be alive?"

Since his father was merely paused in time, it was very probable he was still alive. If this boulder formation was broken, they might be able to rescue him!

"Come, tear this formation apart." Wu Neng ordered.

They did not dare to enter the center of the formation. However, they were more than willing to tear down the boulders from outside the formation. Thereupon, they started demolishing the formation crazily.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

One boulder after another collapsed onto the ground.

At the center of the formation, the power of time seemed to have relaxed. Gradually, time seemed to start flowing again as the eyelashes of Wu Yaotian could be seen trembling. He was about to wake up! Everyone was in ecstasy at this.

The original mission was to recover Wu Yaotian's corpse. However, if he could be rescued alive, it would be beneficial for everyone here, especially for Wu Hui. The person frozen there was a genuine master producer!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Boulders collapsed without stop. Accompanying the collapse of the boulders were the cries of frogs. An azure radiance started shining, akin to a faint light wave that was dispersing noiselessly.

Shua!

The flow of time was reinstated.

Hum—

Light swirled around.

Everyone could clearly see the two immobile silhouettes at the center of the formation waking up. Wu Yaotian was staring at his own son after opening his eyes.

Wu Yaotian looked at his son in surprise. "Little Hui!"

Wu Hui's emotions surged. "Father!"

However, at this instant, with a slight breeze, Wu Yaotian's body transformed into countless particles that dispersed everywhere, drifting around in the air.

Wu Hui alarmingly shouted, "No! Father!!!"

He charged out and grabbed at his father. However, his hands merely landed among the particles swirling in the air. Wu Yaotian had disappeared.

"What happened?"

Everyone else was bewildered.

Right at this moment, on the body of the other genetic warrior that had previously been frozen in time, a countless amount of bloody holes appeared. He resembled someone that had been beaten up viciously by countless people as his whole body, his internal organs, his whole person had suddenly received a huge damage.

Pu!

Dead.

????

Everyone was stunned.

"Third brother!" The other genetic warrior started raging as he shouted, "Who is it? Do you dare you reveal yourself?!"

Everyone else had a solemn expression on their faces as well. It was outside of everyone's expectations that, just as the boulder formation was destroyed, Wu Yaotian and the other genetic warrior would die directly. On the other hand, the other mutated beast they had used to test the formation had fled just like that after being freed.

Out of the two humans and one beast that had been paused in time, only the beast had survived. What on earth was going on here?

Chen Feng narrowed his eyes. "Time…"

Suddenly, Wu Neng asked, "Have you figured out who is the killer?" He had been paying close attention to Chen Feng's expression.

"I have a rough guess."

Chen Feng replied calmly.

"Who?"

The rest instinctively looked at him.

"Tell me, I will definitely kill him!" the friend of the dead genetic warrior said with surging killing intent.

Chen Feng shook his head. "The one that killed him is you yourself."

What?

Everyone's heart jolted.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" That person was furious. "How is it possible that I am third brother's killer?"

Chen Feng sighed. "Because of time…"

Time. An extremely unique type of power. When time had been frozen earlier, he had grabbed onto his third brother and shook his body. On top of that, he had been slapping his third brother's face and body without stop.

The moment time had unpaused, all the force he exerted on his third brother during all the shaking and slapping had erupted instantly. And just like that, that person had been killed on the spot by the erupted pressure. As for Wu Yaotian, the reason of his death was similar. He had been frozen out here under the sun and the wind for half a year.

It might appear like there had been no damage to his body but, through this time, all the force exerted by the wind on his body, the energy of the sunshine accumulated on his body, all of this had been frozen in time on his body. Nothing had happened all this while as the time there had been frozen. However, after time was reinstated, all these energies and forces erupted at the same instant.

Shua!

Next, with the addition of a single breeze, Wu Yaotian's body had reduced into nothingness. Dead.

As for the mutated beast that had been thrown in there by them, due to everyone ignoring it after it had been frozen, and the short duration it was frozen, it had become the sole survivor after time was reinstated.

This was the most lamentable of all this.

That friend of the dead third brother collapsed emotionally. "No!!!"

He had never expected that he would be the cause of his third brother's death. If he hadn't been overly worried of his third brother to the point where he'd charged out and started shaking his third brother's body, his third brother wouldn't have received such damage the first instant after time was unpaused. How hateful!

Wu Hui was filled with sorrow as well. "Father…"

Why had the heavens given him this small hope before raining despair upon him? Not a single trace of his father's body remained. The original intention of this mission could no longer be accomplished.

"Sigh." Wu Neng sighed as well. "I had initially believed that the old master would be able to survive. How unfortunate. However, since we failed to rescue the old master, let's complete the final transaction for this mission."

"Naturally," an unfamiliar voice replied.

From the crowd, a smiling genetic warrior walked out of Wu Neng's squad.

"Old Wu… our transaction is now concluded."

Shua!

Shua!

What followed were several ice-cold flashes.

"You all…"

Just as the guards around Wu Hui wanted to resist, they were all killed by their companion beside them. All of them were instantly killed. In a short moment, the only one left beside Wu Hui was Chen Feng.

"You…"

Wu Hui stared at him with an unbelieving expression.

"Kid… I'm truly sorry."

A cruel smile appeared on Wu Neng's face.