Zhang Jie slowly came to, the faint scent of jasmine lingering at his nose, and in his swaying state, he realized he was actually lie on Lin Ran’s back.
He restlessly shifted, but felt as if his whole body was about to fall apart.
Realizing the person on her back had woken up, Lin Ran’s voice, surprised yet tinged with a cry, came through.
“Zhang Jie! You’re finally awake!”
“I… I’m not dead?”
Lin Ran quickly put him down and helped him lean against a large tree, and only then did he realize he was in a dense forest, far from Hai City, far from the place where he grew up.
Lin Ran tearfully recounted to him how she had waited for him all night, until the chaotic Gene Medicine in her body had been completely metabolized. She thought he was dead, so she cried and went to look for him, and in that scorched earth, she immediately saw him lying on the ground.
She said that at that moment, she felt her heart stop beating, and only relaxed when she felt his long breaths and strong heartbeat.
You could feel Lin Ran’s concern for you, and you cared for her just as much; you both had become each other’s only one.
You had thought you would die there, but you never expected such terrifying power to be hidden within you. Whether it was the one-in-a-million Gene Ability or the world-destroying red flames, everything showcased your extraordinary nature.
How you wished this was a dream. In just a few months, you lost news of your father, your mother was purged, and your beautiful life forever turned into a bubble.
You comforted Lin Ran, telling her you would never abandon her, and at the same time, a seed of hatred was buried deep in your heart, imprinting the words Caesar Life firmly in your mind. Your revenge would be fiercer than any natural disaster!
After you rested for a while, Lin Ran carried him on her back and continued the journey, heading towards the city his mother had spoken of.
Along the way, when you were hungry, you ate some wild fruits that looked non-poisonous to fill your stomachs. You also continuously tried to use Gene Hacker on the surrounding plants. You once thought Gene Editing technology was simple for you, but only when you personally tried it did you realize how incredibly wrong you were.
Even changing just one character would cause the experimental subject’s life code to instantly collapse. You had already killed countless plants along the way.
You walked for four days and finally arrived at the target city, following your mother’s last words to a restaurant.
The restaurant owner was a Gene Warrior who had lost both his legs. He was your father’s comrade. When this uncle heard about your parents, he was silent for a long time, and his myriad words only turned into a sigh.
He took you in. The uncle told you that your father had saved him more than once on the battlefield, an kindness he probably could never repay in this lifetime. He forged new identities for you and cleared out two rooms for you to rest.
You asked the uncle for a job at the restaurant. The uncle initially disagreed, but you were stubborn, and the uncle had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
A new life began. There was nothing worth celebrating. That night, you couldn't sleep.
The night was deep, but Zhang Jie had no trace of sleepiness.
He felt like he should cry loudly right now, but the immense sense of loss prevented him from even feeling sadness. He just stared blankly at the ceiling, not knowing what he was thinking.
Creak~
The door was gently pushed open. It was Lin Ran; she also couldn't sleep.
“Zhang Jie~ are you asleep?”
She cautiously came to the bedside and asked in a soft voice.
“No.”
In the darkness, Zhang Jie only felt a figure slip into his quilt and gently embrace him.
The two were silent for a long time, until Zhang Jie felt a wet sensation on his chest, followed by faint sobs entering his ears.
When everything settled down, the girl finally couldn't help but cry to the last person close to her in the world.
“Zhang Jie… my parents… they’re all dead…”
“I’m so sad…”
Zhang Jie didn't speak. He didn't know how to comfort the girl, only gently stroked her head with his hand.
After a long moment.
The girl's sobs gradually disappeared, and a muffled voice came from Zhang Jie’s embrace.
“I’m sorry…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Clearly… your parents are also dead…”
“Oh no! That’s not what I meant!”
Lin Ran explained in a panic; she had just slipped up. She didn't want Zhang Jie to dislike her.
Looking at her flustered expression, Zhang Jie only found it amusing. He certainly knew what Lin Ran was thinking.
It was nothing more than the fact that they had both experienced such things, yet she still needed Zhang Jie to comfort her, and she felt sorry for Zhang Jie.
“It’s okay, I understand what you mean.”
Zhang Jie vigorously ruffled her head, comforting Lin Ran.
Life still had to go on. You turned your sorrow into hatred, and from the second day, you advanced a portion of your salary from the uncle to buy many books on genetics. You knew deeply that only by relying on the ability of Gene Hacker would you have a chance to overthrow Caesar Life.
And you finally understood the full scope of this disaster. The Blood Calamity front line was not as bad as imagined.
That Gene Warrior, hailed as the strongest human, under the cover of countless Gene Warriors, was like a sharp sword, going straight into the depths of the Blood Calamity creature’s lair, perishing with the Blood Calamity mother and directly eliminating eighty percent of the global Blood Calamity creatures.
Rather than saying the Blood Calamity front line collapsed, it’s more accurate to say that Rong Country perished with the Blood Calamity, sacrificing its strongest high-end combat power, meaning the Blood Calamity front line essentially ceased to exist.
Many people were unwilling to believe it was true, but the news brought back by the survivors of the Blood Calamity front line was just that: the entire Blood Calamity front line fought to the death, with no one retreating, using their lives to send that strongest ninth-level warrior into the Blood Calamity lair.
Since then, the Blood Calamity’s high-end combat power was completely severed, and Rong Country was not far behind. Rong Country’s future was originally bright, but it was forcefully extinguished by the rising power of Caesar Life.
Now, the threat of Blood Calamity creatures to humans has greatly decreased. This should have been the time for humanity to develop, but Caesar Life, in conjunction with large and small enterprises across the country, forcibly monopolized Gene Medicine. Previously, a bottle of Level 1 Gene Medicine cost less than a thousand yuan, but under Caesar Life’s manipulation, the price has increased more than tenfold.
Rong Country’s name is still Rong Country, but its core is no longer the Rong Country it once was. Caesar Life has become the de facto government of Rong Country.
What puzzled you was, why didn't they monopolize all Gene knowledge?
You soon found out that the knowledge of Gene Medicine is Fault type. Even a person who perfectly controls Gene Editing cannot produce Gene Medicine, which means that as long as they monopolize the manufacturing method, no one can replicate it on their own.
You didn’t believe it. You were stubborn. From that day on, you studied Gene Editing knowledge even more diligently, forgetting to eat and sleep, attempting to unravel the mystery of Gene Medicine.
You and Lin Ran worked at the restaurant during the day, and at night, you each worked hard. You studied Gene knowledge, while Lin Ran believed she could also break through the Gene Lock on her own, so she practiced martial arts even harder.