Chapter 29: Genetic Evolution

(1/3)

The door had long fallen into disrepair, and it shrieked with a piercing sound as the handle was turned.

Before the door had even cracked open, a dozen jets of concentrated acid were already spraying through the gap. The immense kinetic energy, amplified by the sheer volume of the discharge, shattered the entire workshop door into splinters with a deafening roar.

Although Lu Ming had been prepared and had dodged to the side of the doorway, the impact of the acid spray was staggering. After obliterating the door, the jets struck the wall directly, triggering a massive, wide-ranging splash.

The terrifying part was that the power of this acid spray was several times greater than what had been shown in Chen Hai’s video. The splattered acid lashed out like bullets!

Lu Ming was too late to fully evade. With no other choice, he turned his body and held up his hand crossbow to shield his face, hoping to avoid disfigurement. Drops of acid struck his arms, the back of his hands, and his thighs; not only did they instantly burn through his clothing, but they also charred deep, smoking holes into his flesh.

The intense, searing heat felt like hydrogen peroxide poured over an open wound, twisting Lu Ming’s face in agony. To avoid provoking the larvae into launching further attacks, he had to endure the tremors wracking his body, suppressing the scream in his throat while a surge of uncontrollable fury erupted within him.

Part of this anger was directed at the larvae, but most of it was directed at himself.

He had been careless. He had assumed that holding a powerful artifact and possessing special skills would make him invincible, but he had nearly come to grief in a shallow ditch. He finally understood the sheer destructive power that Sickle-Owl larvae possessed when in an aroused state. If these things gathered in groups, they were not a threat that could be handled through melee combat.

He glanced at his wounds; they seemed somewhat numb, but fortunately, there was no bleeding, so he did not need to worry about blood loss. This was one of the few things to be thankful for. The second was that the larvae did not appear to be venomous; otherwise, a single mistake would likely have meant game over. He urgently needed a shield to block the acid.

After a moment of thought, a flash of inspiration hit him. Lu Ming took out his wide-bladed heavy knife. Though not as large as a door, its fifteen-centimeter blade width could serve as a temporary shield.

Locking onto the core locations of all the larvae inside the workshop with his Eye of Truth, Lu Ming darted out, pulled the trigger, and six bolts struck six larvae with pinpoint accuracy.

"Pfft!"

The larvae retaliated, spewing acid again. As Lu Ming dodged, he turned and held his blade upright at his side. The acid struck the wall and splashed, but with the blade blocking the way, Lu Ming did not suffer a single scratch.

Once the threat of the acid splash was neutralized, what remained was a one-sided slaughter. It was only a matter of time before the entire floor was cleared.

(2/3)

Half an hour later, Lu Ming walked out of the final department office. Looking back at the first floor, not a single larva remained.

He tallied his specialized crystals: he had reached 1,580. In other words, there had been a total of 382 Sickle-Owl larvae across the corridor and the workshop offices.

He glanced at the time displayed by the system interface. It was 3:15 PM. The sun had begun to shift westward, and the sky was transitioning into a golden hue. There were two and a half hours left until what he considered the onset of night. If he could clear the remaining two floors in two and a half hours and find a shelter to safely pass the first night, it shouldn't be a problem.

Closing his inventory, Lu Ming looked up at the ceiling. The number of larvae on the second floor was roughly the same as on the first, but the density was even more astonishing; they were packed so tightly together that not even a sliver of space remained between them.

So, what was the Sickle-Owl pupa trying to achieve by having the larvae guard it this way? By building a wall of flesh? If anything, this actually limited the larvae's mobility, leaving them in the same predicament as the first floor: unable to effectively deploy their attacks.

Questions aside, it was a comforting sight. He didn't know the exact layout of the second floor yet. Based on the observations from his Eye of Truth, it appeared to be partitioned into department workshops just like the first floor. If there was another corridor, he would face the same situation, needing to be wary of the larvae inside the workshops spraying acid and causing splash damage. Repeating his previous tactic might work, but he feared unexpected variables.

After a few seconds of silence, Lu Ming opened his information panel and looked at his specialization level. He had originally wanted to clear the factory at his current level before deciding how to allocate his specialized crystals. Now, it seemed better to increase his level first to prevent any more accidents. If he could gain a strong resistance to acid or increased physical durability to reduce damage, it would provide an extra layer of safety.

Having made up his mind, he did not start the upgrade right there but retreated to the innermost office on the first floor. The door lock was functional, so he could bolt it from the inside. To be absolutely safe, he piled several desks against the door and used others to seal the windows before retreating into the file storage room.

Do not blame him for being so cautious. Having experienced the agony of leveling up several times and having been wounded due to his own carelessness, he knew that if he wasn't careful, he would die.

With his defenses in place, Lu Ming clicked on "Specialization Level."

(3/3)

[Notification: Sufficient specialized crystals detected in the spatial inventory. Do you wish to consume 1,000 specialized crystals to complete genetic evolution? Upon evolution, you will be promoted to a Primary Hunter Warrior and receive physical modification.]

"Huh? Genetic evolution? Physical modification?"

The notification had changed slightly, moving in the direction Lu Ming had hoped for.

"Yes!"

*Whoosh!*

A thousand crystals surged out, each shattering into the familiar blue arc of light. They were as thick as a thigh, crackling and swirling with intense energy.

Watching the terrifying thickness and scale of that arc, Lu Ming swallowed hard and instinctively took a step back. The thickness of his arm felt like having lead poured into his veins—the pain was unbearable. If energy of this magnitude seeped into his body, wouldn't he be ripped apart, his skin and flesh shredded?

However, there was no turning back once the arrow was fired. Since he had already confirmed the prompt, he probably couldn't escape this energy even if he ran to the ends of the earth.

Licking his lips, Lu Ming clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and fell flat on his back. *Fine! Do whatever you want! I’m just going to lie here and take it!*

Yet, the moment he lay down, the massive arc of energy whistled as it lunged into his body. Lu Ming could clearly feel himself being invaded, but to his surprise, despite being braced for excruciating pain, he didn't feel a hint of discomfort.

The specialized energy pouring into his body didn't surge through his limbs or blood vessels; instead, it all rushed toward his head!

They converged at the center of his brow, rotating and merging, compressing and tempering, until they finally transformed into a single droplet of crystal-blue liquid. It was only the size of a fingernail, yet it dripped down silently once it formed.

With his eyes closed, Lu Ming felt a coolness at the center of his brow, and ripples of sensation washed through his mind. Suddenly, every pore in his body relaxed, followed by a sensation of soul-cleansing exhilaration.

The entire process lasted a full twenty seconds before gradually subsiding. When Lu Ming opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings, he was stunned by what he saw.