Chapter Ninety-Four: Surely Taking a Little Advantage Is Fine, Right?

"Fu Ting." Ji Cheng took out another red second-tier gene progenitor and handed it over. Judging by its combat traits, Fu Ting’s gene source should be something crustacean-like, so Blood Agave would suit it well enough.

Ji Cheng looked as though he was handing them out at random, but in truth he had already planned everything for them in secret.

We should also learn from that mysterious good Samaritan and do good deeds without leaving a name.

"Thank you." Fu Ting gripped Ji Cheng’s hand tightly and voiced his gratitude in a cloying synthetic tone.

"By rights, given the rules and my contribution, I shouldn’t have been able to get a gene progenitor at all. This time... I really don’t know what to say. Anyway, from now on, as long as you say the word, I’ll never drag my feet, whether it’s wind or rain."

Using the advantage of his height, Ji Cheng gave his shoulder a hard slap and nodded with a grin. For other people it was mountains of blades and seas of fire, and with you it gets reduced to wind and rain.

"Ling Fei, this flashy purple progenitor is for you. It suits your whole lay-down-and-die temperament perfectly."

"This one is yours, Jinge." He picked up a gene progenitor, Black Dodder, and handed it to Zhang Jinge, but she was blushing bright red and did not dare look at him directly.

What was she embarrassed about?

Ji Cheng glanced at Zhang Jinge in mild confusion.

He had to admit that women were truly marvelous. She was clearly the same age and had the same face as Zhang Lingfei, yet just because of different makeup and hairstyle, one looked like a city woman in her twenties while the other looked exactly like a high school girl of seventeen or eighteen.

Especially with that shy, blushing expression, she really gave off the feel of a girl at the desk beside you.

...

After the rest of the ability users present each received a progenitor, the room finally fell quiet.

Some clutched theirs tightly, while others had already hidden them away in the secret pockets of their combat suits, but without exception, every face was flushed with excitement.

"Of the six left, I’ll take three. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

Ji Cheng stood high above them, full of presence, looking down on everyone.

He liked standing somewhere elevated when looking at people. First, it made him feel like a leader. Second, it kept him from getting forehead wrinkles.

"No problem, no problem. Your contribution was immense, especially those last ten. That was all your doing alone. The rest of us are just along for the ride."

Tian Gang was the first to stand up. His gaze was firm, his voice forceful, as if it would be outrageous and outrageous alone if Ji Cheng did not take a few more.

"I absolutely support you." He continued, "Tian Gang was the strongest among the younger generation of ability users in the Red Eagle Republic.

The top ranker in the ability-user selection seven years ago.

Only that time it was just an ordinary arena match, so he never got to show his true strength. After becoming an ability user, he had spent the last seven years leading teams to wipe out more than forty small mining zones, gathering god knew how many energy crystals.

So he had always looked down on everyone else, not just those from Red Eagle, but people from other city-states too.

By his former temperament, if he had seen these dozen-odd second-tier progenitors sitting here, he probably would have lunged in to grab them outright.

But now he stood there obediently, like a child.

If not for Ji Cheng, even he might have fallen in there. That clawed monster alone would have been enough to wipe everyone out.

Let alone the fact that they were all still standing here in one piece, with priceless second-tier gene progenitors in their hands.

"I support it!"

Every ability user, without exception, looked up at Ji Cheng, who stood on the higher ground, and shouted in unison.

Even Luo Rao joined in and yelled.

Ji Cheng, satisfied, selected the Ghost Vine, along with a deep crimson injection vial, which was the second-tier progenitor suited for the Phoenix, and then he picked a yellow one as well.

The heavy second-tier gene progenitors felt cold in his hand, the metal casing pressing against his palm with a reassuring chill.

"That leaves three. One goes to Rest City, one to the Red Eagle Republic, and one to South Harbor. What do you all think?"

Ji Cheng happily continued dividing the spoils.

"Some contributed more, some suffered heavier losses. Why not simply give one to each city-state?"

"Good!" Again the answer came in a chorus. But this time, the gazes were somewhat scattered, mostly directed toward the lone ability user from the Blackwater Sky City, Yu Yin.

The Blackwater Sky City team had nearly been wiped out on the way to the central area, and Yu Yin had not contributed much either. By every measure, it would be reasonable not to give Blackwater Sky City an extra share.

But people do not fear scarcity; they fear unfairness. Since the other city-states had one, they were afraid he might think too much of it.

"Why are you all looking at me? What opinion could I possibly have? I completely agree with whatever Ji Cheng proposes." Yu Yin said, holding a second-tier gene progenitor in his hand, and his answer was entirely unexpected.

He was smiling so broadly his face seemed ready to split apart, with not a trace left of that aloof, solitary air.

What a joke. Being able to survive at all was already something to thank heaven for, and now he had even been given a second-tier gene progenitor. Could life possibly get any better than this? What could he possibly object to?

Besides, this Ji Cheng fellow—who would dare oppose him now?

I’m all alone, with no one to rely on, walking this whole road with you all as if treading on thin ice. Do you know how hard it’s been for me?

Oppose it? Absolutely impossible.

"I firmly support all of Ji Cheng’s instructions," Yu Yin repeated, still uneasy.

"All right then. The important work is done, and the goal has been achieved. There may still be a few differing opinions, but first we should leave here. If there are any other issues, we can discuss them while we move."

Ji Cheng pointed at the wrist computer, signaling that time was running out.

"No objections, no objections."

"Since no one objects, let’s start cleaning up. Give the main hive chamber a quick sweep and then withdraw. The big packs were left in the waiting hall, so for now just wrap things up with whatever we can find. Take out everything that can be moved."

As soon as Ji Cheng finished speaking, everyone immediately sprang into action, rifling through the place with practiced hands. In particular, Centipede somehow found a tarpaulin from who knows where and bundled up a large pile of bottles and jars before carrying them off.

Lei Junming led the people from Rest City, carefully scraping up some of the plant powder with knives and scooping out a little of the liquid from the broken glass pillar.

Zhang Lingfei and Luo Rao sat lazily on the floor, doing nothing at all.

Zhang Jinge, on the other hand, was rather peculiar. She raised her wrist computer and took a frenzy of photos through the machinery and instruments in the main hive chamber.

Watching everyone busily at work, Ji Cheng ambled over to the far-left gene pod, the one wrapped in carnivorous osmanthus vines.

Clack.

He pried open the back of the gene pod and pulled out a disc-shaped lead box from the middle.

Inside was a special radioactive substance capable of disrupting genetic sequences and destroying the DNA helix, a necessary resource for unlocking the gene lock. It had been sealed in a lead box to shield the radiation emitted by its natural decay.

Ji Cheng very unceremoniously tucked it into his pocket.

With this, his sister could become an ability user.

"So damn capable... taking a little extra for myself should be fine, right?"

Thinking of the day’s harvest, Ji Cheng felt utterly pleased.

This trip to the hive laboratory had yielded far more than he had ever imagined.

Not only had he obtained three gene progenitors, but also a wealth of knowledge and video footage tied to the mysterious case. It could be called a perfect clear, an S-plus rating.

Five minutes later.

"Brothers, it’s time to go. Let’s head back."

"At your command, haha."

"All right!"

Everyone quickly left the scene of the loot and vanished, leaving chaos in their wake.

...

Within the dim passage.

A black combat boot stained with pus stepped into a soft little patch of sand, producing the faintest scraping sound.

Zuo Hao laboriously lifted his left leg and, supporting himself against the wall, inched toward the direction of the main hive chamber.

"I’ve finally..."

His eyes were bright, brimming with hope.