CHAPTER 117: CHAPTER 112: OUTBREAK! THE NEW SEQUENCE GROUP’S HIDDEN STAKE

Chen Pingchuan looked at the burly man with distinct tiger-like features standing not far away, and his heart skipped a beat.

There’s no need to guess. That’s almost certainly Major General Hu. Although they had crossed paths many times in the simulations, this was the first time he had seen the man in person. His appearance was even more impactful than he had imagined.

Beneath sharp, blade-like brows were a pair of deep tiger eyes, brimming with a wild, fierce light. His facial features were sharply defined, and every time he opened his mouth, his sharp canine teeth were faintly visible. Major General Hu’s physique was tall and robust, standing nearly two and a half meters tall. His simple, form-fitting black clothes outlined the smooth, powerful lines of his muscles. The first impression he gave was that of a domineering and ferocious man.

Chen Pingchuan sized up Major General Hu for several moments until the man began to look impatient. Only then did he speak, his voice soft.

"Major General Hu, why did it take you so long to get here? Do you know that I’ve been waiting for you for a very, very long time?"

At first, Major General Hu thought Chen Pingchuan had mistaken him for someone else. He furrowed his brow, ready to argue. But in the next second, his tiger-like instincts screamed a warning, telling him to get away from this handsome boy, and fast. Major General Hu felt conflicted. The boy’s words sounded bizarre and mystical, yet his physical presence didn’t register as that of an extraordinary expert.

What Major General Hu didn’t know was that his hesitation gave Chen Pingchuan an opportunity.

Chen Pingchuan first adopted an all-knowing, omnipotent posture, then repeated the conversation from the simulation. He stared intently, speaking softly.

"I know you must be curious about my origins and identity. After all, I can make a Level-Seven Genetic Awakener and a Level-Eight Divine Transformation Realm Beast Tamer fight each other to the death."

"Don’t worry. I can tell you the reason right now. It’s quite simple, really."

"I am a god!"

Chen Pingchuan’s words made the knot of tension in Major General Hu’s chest loosen slightly. After all, what gods could there possibly be in this world? Everything could be explained by science.

However, Chen Pingchuan’s next sentence made his heart, which had just begun to settle, leap back into his throat.

"As a god, armed with the power to foresee the future, I have long since peered through the river of time and seen this meeting of ours. It is the choice of destiny, and I have waited for you for a very, very long time."

...

Chen Pingchuan re-enacted the brainwashing speech from the simulation in reality.

"Therefore, the Black Demon is my Divine Beast, Ji Hongxiu is the Divine Attendant of my Divine Country, and you... you are the one I have been waiting for. My Vanguard Officer."

Chen Pingchuan’s words made the hair on Major General Hu’s arms stand on end, and his entire body went rigid. His reason screamed at him that this was impossible, that there were no gods in this world. The person before him was merely a charlatan trying to be mysterious. But his intuition insisted that everything the boy said was true—that he really had been waiting for him.

This would explain all the previous inconsistencies: the appearance of the Black Demon Giant Beast out of thin air; Grand Elder Ye Hu—who had chosen to station herself in Kailing Province after her breakthrough—personally arranging his transfer to the boy’s side; and the Holy Spirit Sect, which so perfectly matched his own beliefs.

There was another crucial point. He had never been able to understand why Elder Ye Hu always asked him such bizarre questions, and upon receiving his negative answers, she would give him such strange looks. If what Chen Pingchuan said was true, then everything made sense. Because Elder Ye Hu knew him! That’s why her gaze had been so odd. She had awakened her memories and successfully broken through, while he remained...

Major General Hu dared not think any further. The more he pondered it, the more he felt that the boy before him was no handsome youth, but a god who had slumbered for millennia.

Major General Hu was suddenly struck with the urge to retreat. He wanted to leave this place quickly and stop probing into Chen Pingchuan’s secrets. Such secrets would only fill him with fear.

But how could Chen Pingchuan possibly let him go? Realizing Major General Hu was wavering, he pressed his advantage.

"Think about why you first joined the Blood Beast Ban. Think about your goals in life. Is it to live an ordinary life until you turn to dust, or to make your mark on the world, washing away your sins with glorious action?"

"Now, don’t think about anything else. Just listen to your own inner voice and give me your answer."

That was the last thing Chen Pingchuan said to Major General Hu. He then fell silent, staring intently at the man, awaiting his decision.

What Chen Pingchuan didn’t know was that due to his absence and the delay, some unknown changes had occurred at the center of the battle.

What had started as a tentative, probing fight between the two women had escalated as the battle raged on, igniting the flames of anger in their hearts.

Belia felt her body reaching its physical limit, and the psychological pressure surged like a tidal wave, growing ever stronger.

She first feigned an attack to force Ji Hongxiu back, then cast a longing gaze toward the street corner where Chen Pingchuan had been standing, hoping to see that familiar figure.

However, the street corner was empty. There was no trace of Chen Pingchuan. A flash of panic crossed her eyes.

Belia fixed her glare on Ji Hongxiu, her face contorted with anger as she demanded, "Where did you take my brother?"

At her words, Ji Hongxiu also ceased her movements. Her charming eyes scanned the surroundings, and she noticed that Major General Hu was also gone.

At once, her heart was at ease. She might have worried about Chen Pingchuan’s safety if it were anyone else, but with Major General Hu, there was no problem. After all, in the previous oracle, Major General Hu was supposed to be Chen Pingchuan’s subordinate, fighting against her alongside him.

At this thought, Ji Hongxiu blushed, appearing even more alluring. Of course, she wouldn’t reveal the truth so easily. After all, Belia had landed some solid blows, and her entire body was still aching.

"Hee hee hee, how could you say ’taken’? It’s simply that your dear brother likes me more. He probably left without a word because he was afraid of hurting your feelings. After all, who wants to keep a psychotic little girl around, right?"

Ji Hongxiu’s words seemed to strike a nerve.

Belia bit her lip so hard that she didn’t even care as the taste of blood filled her mouth.

After a brief pause, as if she had made a monumental decision, Belia slowly reached up and retrieved a blue vial from the bow in her hair. Without a hint of hesitation, she injected its contents into her body.

The blue liquid coursed through Belia’s veins, seeming to bring with it new power and hope.

"Ah!"

With a sharp cry, Belia’s combat strength was restored, and she was now stronger than she had been before.

"Heh, so you’re a sleeper agent for the New Sequence Group. You hid yourself quite well."

Ji Hongxiu stared solemnly at the now-berserk Belia.

From the moment Belia produced the blue genetic berserk vial, Ji Hongxiu had guessed her hidden identity: a plant from the New Sequence Group.

The New Sequence Group was known as a preeminent dark force within the Genetic Warrior faction. Wherever they appeared, order collapsed, and disaster, chaos, and destruction followed in their wake. If it weren’t for the restraints imposed by Celestial Palace One and the Southern Alliance, represented by the Blood Beast Alliance, the officials of the Great Ming Empire would have long ago rounded up and eliminated these sewer rats.

The vial in Belia’s hand also came from the New Sequence Group. It was a self-destructive potion designed to unlock power far beyond one’s level by overdrawing on their potential. No one who used it ever met a good end. The lightest outcome was paralysis; the most severe was death.

Ji Hongxiu didn’t dare to be complacent. She immediately revealed her strongest form, and eight Demon Fox Giant Beasts materialized on the battlefield.