Chapter 208 - 141: He Jie Captured, Inviting Ling Shuyan
Chapter 208: Chapter 141: He Jie Captured, Inviting Ling Shuyan
Lin Feng wasn’t bothered by this. He had come to negotiate a partnership, and he was confident he had terms the other party couldn’t refuse:
"You don’t have to worry about that. Just give me the contact information for the person in charge of the biological modification project."
Seeing that he wasn’t giving up, Ding Chenghai took out his phone, sent the contact information, and added:
"Let me give you a word of warning. The head of the Federation Biological Research Institute in Jin City is named Ling Shuyan. She’s a ruthless madwoman, notorious at the institute. Eighty percent of the death row inmates and serious offenders in the suburban prisons have been consumed by her projects."
"If you can provide her with an endless supply of human test subjects, she might actually consider talking to you."
"Or you could offer yourself up. Your legend from the Battle of Wu City has already spread here. Plenty of people at the Research Institute are very interested in your Superpower."
Lin Feng ignored Ding Fatty’s teasing, tapped the number, and made the call.
The phone rang for a few seconds before connecting.
Lin Feng cleared his throat.
"Hello, Director Ling."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a mature, gentle female voice:
"Hello."
Lin Feng glanced at Ding Fatty’s mocking expression and said calmly:
"Director Ling, I want to invite you to join my project and continue your biological research here on the front lines."
......
「One minute earlier...」
Two kilometers away at the Old Mountain Biological Research Institute, a woman with long hair, wearing a white lab coat and half-rim glasses, walked out of a laboratory, frowning.
Behind Ling Shuyan, inside the sealed, temperature-controlled room she had just left, sat several pods the size of massage chairs. Through the glass lids, one could see...
Qin Hu and his men, who had successfully returned from the Hive, lay inside. Their bodies were completely coated in a transparent slime, and Hoses were inserted all over them, delivering nutrients and monitoring their Physique data.
In truth, the Genetic Warrior modification technology was still immature—far from perfect.
The problem lay in the absorption and fusion of the Genetic Essence Liquid.
To secure greater, sustained support from the main institute—and even the Federation itself—as quickly as possible, Ling Shuyan had no choice but to dispatch Qin Hu’s newly formed squad...
...to gather intelligence on the new Tier Two Zerg Race.
Although they had successfully completed their mission—not only bringing back vital test materials but also achieving the feat of being the first team to enter a Hive and return safely...
...the physical mutations in Qin Hu and his men were accelerating, a result of overusing the Fusion Zygote.
Especially after ingesting the high-efficiency absorption fluid, the rate of cellular necrosis in their bodies began to outpace their rate of cellular division. If they didn’t undergo prolonged repair in the hibernation pods, they would likely face the risk of death from systemic failure on their next mission.
Compared to the Samurai Hunter Zergs Qin Hu had reported on, the Genetic Warriors seemed like crude imitations—failed, half-finished products.
A single operation required at least two days of recovery.
They simply couldn’t be deployed for actual combat.
Ling Shuyan’s fingers tightened, and she snapped the pen in her hand.
She suppressed her rising anxiety, forcing herself to calm down.
However, just then, in the middle of the night, the phone in her pocket suddenly began to buzz.
’A call at this hour?’ Ling Shuyan was about to chew the caller out, but then she saw the unfamiliar number, tagged with a location: Hai City.
This immediately put the woman on guard.
’This is my private number. I only give it to peers I have business dealings with. But Hai City fell a long time ago, and the few survivors who escaped have no connection to me.’
’It’s not likely to be a spam call, either.’
’So, whoever this is, they came prepared.’
Pondering the caller’s identity, Ling Shuyan composed herself and answered the call.
But the voice on the other end belonged to a young man.
This sparked an idea. Ling Shuyan immediately grabbed her tablet, pulled up the files on all Awakeners, and began filtering by relevant Attributes like gender and age to narrow the search.
Seeing the last few names that appeared on her tablet, Ling Shuyan let a faint smile grace her lips and spoke softly.
And when she heard his invitation, the smile on her lips grew even more cryptic:
"And who might you be, handsome?"
Even without seeing her in person, just from the sound of her voice, Lin Feng could sense the aggression in her words. He looked at the photo of her that Ding Chenghai had pulled up. She was exceptionally beautiful.
"The name’s Lin Feng. I’m about to take over as the acting commander of the 13th Infantry Division, and I’m on track to become the largest force resisting the Zerg Race invasion in the Jiangnan Region."
Confirming his identity, the smile on Ling Shuyan’s face widened. She had reached her office by now. After locking the door, she sank into her chair and propped her long, shapely, stocking-clad legs onto the desk. She placed the tablet with Lin Feng’s file on her lower abdomen, resting it against her thighs. With a slender finger, she scrolled through his detailed records as she replied:
"Mr. Lin, this kind of research requires massive resources. For human test subjects alone, I need twenty to thirty people a day. Are you planning to send me all of your soldiers to go under the knife?"
Lin Feng laughed at Ling Shuyan’s absurd condition and rejected it outright:
"That’s impossible. I won’t let you use my soldiers as guinea pigs for your risky experiments until the success rate of the biological modification surgery is over ninety-five percent."
"And another thing—you’ll need to source your own experimental equipment. What I *can* provide is a large supply of Zerg Race Biological Material. Things like a Pulse War Scorpion’s Pulse Tail Cannon, a Tank Flame Armor’s magma-condensing organ, and complete Samurai Hunter Zerg corpses..."
Ling Shuyan’s voice suddenly turned cold:
"We can get everything you mentioned in large quantities by returning to the safety of the rear. Once Qin Hu distinguishes himself in the battle for the Capital, the entire Federation will throw its weight behind the biological modification project..."
"But you, on the other hand... Mr. Lin... according to your file, your Awakened Superpower is quite special. Initially reported as Superpower Bullet, it later changed to material synthesis."
"If you can fuse Zerg Race Biological Material for your own use, I imagine you can synthesize living matter as well, can’t you?!"
Lin Feng’s expression flickered. Fusion was only a secondary part of his Upgrade ability. ’The text has never shown an Upgrade prompt for a living creature.’
’Probably because living things can’t be classified as items.’
Lin Feng wasn’t bothered by Ling Shuyan’s desperate probing. He just shrugged and changed the subject:
"I’ve fought alongside Qin Hu. I know better than anyone how strong and flawed the Genetic Warriors are."
"They’re too unstable. Forcibly fusing with Alien Zerg Race cells and genes... if not for the immense fortitude of an Awakener’s Physique Attribute, an ordinary person would be poisoned to death by Zerg genes."
"But even then, this forced fusion is too strenuous. The physical burden on the Awakener is enormous. The slightest overexertion causes a severe depletion of their system, shortening the lifespan of their cells."
"Not to mention the mental toll it takes on the Genetic Warriors, turning each of them into an unstable ticking time bo—"
"Don’t say another word!" Before Lin Feng could finish, Ling Shuyan’s ice-cold voice cut in from the other end of the phone.
"If you called me just to point out these temporary flaws and undermine my team’s morale, then hang up now. Rest assured, I will block your number immediately."
The corners of Lin Feng’s mouth slowly curled upward:
"Wait. What if I told you I have access to an Awakener with a naturally developed Genetic Fusion Superpower? Someone who can not only steadily and systematically integrate various Zerg Race genes..."
"...but can also circumvent most of the flaws you’re dealing with?"