novelraw Chapter 9 Gene Agents
Chapter 9 Gene Agents
The campfire crackled, and the leaping flames cast long shadows of the people sitting around, flickering on the walls of the simple shack.
The air still carried the earthy smell of rat meat soup and a faint scent of blood, but it was mostly replaced by a sense of relief after surviving a disaster and a warm feeling after a satisfying meal.
The ash-colored potato peels and the tiny bones that had been gnawed clean were casually swept to the edge of the fire, turning into wisps of smoke.
Chen Huai leaned against a stack of neatly bundled dry grass, holding half a piece of sweet potato in his left hand and a bowl of meat soup in his right.
As the cooking time increased, most of the fishy and sour taste of the rat meat disappeared. In the end, psychological resistance could not overcome physiological needs, and a bowl of steaming hot meat soup was served.
Old Lei rubbed his rough hands together, his face filled with admiration:
"Sir, you're truly amazing! A dozen of us chased after that thing for ages and still couldn't catch it, but in your hands it was like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered!"
His words immediately resonated with others. Amu and several other refugees who had participated in the evening expulsion battle nodded in agreement, their eyes shining with eagerness.
"Yes, sir, your spearmanship is as if it had eyes!"
"We can't even keep up with the thorn rats with our eyes, but you're so good at it, you poke them every time!"
"Sir, do you... have some special trick up your sleeve?"
Old Lei finally asked the question he'd been holding back all night, leaning forward slightly, his voice filled with longing:
"Please teach us! This thing comes every few days, it's so annoying! We can't keep relying on you to save us every time."
Zhou Yan, who was sitting to the side, raised his head and calmly looked at Chen Huai. He was also curious.
Although the person before me possesses unfathomable strength, he doesn't seem as arrogant as the legendary superhumans. This is a rare opportunity.
If we could learn even the slightest skill in dealing with thorn rats, it would be a huge help to the survival of the camp.
In an instant, several pairs of eyes focused on Chen Huai, the light of the campfire illuminating their weathered yet hopeful faces.
Chen Huai paused slightly while chewing.
Tips? Techniques?
He felt a helpless chuckle to himself.
He knew perfectly well that the seemingly easy victory he had just achieved was less due to any combat skills and more due to a naked crushing of attributes.
The dynamic visual capture and sensing abilities brought by those 30 points of mental attributes alone made the seemingly swift movements of those thorn rats appear as if they were in slow motion in his eyes!
The battle he had just fought had also made him more familiar with the use of his senses, allowing him to clearly pinpoint the movement of each thorn rat in the chaos and predict their escape routes. His mental perception, like a spider web, covered the entire field.
In addition, his speed, which far surpassed that of the thorn rat, made the victory naturally easy.
As for the most basic combat skill, "Basic Combat," it merely makes his body more coordinated and his power generation smoother.
But what could he say? Tell them that he could see the attribute panels floating above the monsters' heads?
But your stats are too low. Your agility is only 3 points, the thorn rat has 9 points, and I have 18 points, so I can hit you while you can't. You need to level up more!
This is so discouraging.
"There's no skill involved, you just need to be faster than them."
"..."
The air fell silent for a few seconds.
Old Lei sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"Faster than them..."
Old Lei repeated it to himself, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.
This seemingly insignificant word is an insurmountable barrier for ordinary people like them.
They tried their best, but could only barely protect those important supplies from the claws of the thorn rats, losing some food each time. How could they possibly be faster than them? That was already the domain of superhumans.
Silence spread around the campfire, with only the occasional crackling of charcoal remaining.
Just then, Amu suddenly mustered his courage and cautiously probed:
"Then... sir, is there... is there any technique for ordinary people like us to break through the limitations of our genetic lock... and become superhumans like you?"
This question was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, instantly breaking the silence but also making the atmosphere subtle.
All the refugees, including Lao Lei and Amu, held their breath instantly, their eyes fixed on Chen Huai, their hearts pounding in their throats.
To become a superhuman! This is the ultimate dream deep in the hearts of everyone struggling at the bottom of the wasteland!
What does it mean to be a superhuman? Just look at this person in front of you! If even the lowest level of superhuman could emerge from Wild Grass Camp, the fate of the entire camp would be completely changed!
Forget about serving those high-ranking figures in the city; just leading everyone on hunts, with their superhuman abilities, would yield several times the harvest! No more worrying about starving, no more fear of those low-level mutated beasts…
Although it is said that becoming a superhuman requires going through life-and-death trials, and for ordinary people, it is a matter of life and death, Chen Huai doesn't seem like someone who has suffered so much. He must have other methods.
However, the question had barely left his lips...
"Amu, what nonsense are you talking about!"
Zhou Yan quickly reprimanded him sternly, his gaze sweeping harshly over the impetuous young man before turning sharply to Chen Huai, a smile of apology and caution plastered on his face. He clasped his hands in a fist and said:
"Please calm down, sir! This young man is unsophisticated and doesn't know the rules! Please don't take it to heart!"
After saying that, he looked at Amu and said in a tone that seemed to be scolding but was actually protecting him:
"Superhumans are powerful beings who have broken through the genetic lock! Breaking that genetic lock isn't easy. We ordinary people can't even dream of it! It takes risking our lives and enduring hardship to even have a sliver of a chance to get close! As for other paths..."
"As for... the path of the superhuman... humph, that's not something people like us can even dream of. That's a precious method used only by the big shots in the city."
"Oh? You know how I broke through the genetic lock?"
Seeing this, Chen Huai chuckled and asked.
"Legend has it that there is a kind of medicine in the city that can help ordinary people break through the genetic lock, but each dose is extremely expensive, and only those truly powerful people can afford it."
"It's said that after using gene-enhancing drugs, there's a very high probability of breaking through the genetic lock and becoming a superhuman! That's the true path to heaven!"
After Zhou Yan finished speaking, his gaze lingered on Chen Huai for a moment.
This person is so young, yet his strength is ridiculously high. Regardless of whether he truly defeated the cat demon, his performance in the battle just now was definitely not that of a low-level superhuman who had just broken through.
However, his every move lacked the instinct and ruthlessness honed through years of hardship.
Zhou Yan couldn't think of any other explanation for this huge contradiction, except for the shortcut provided by the legendary gene serum.
He was almost certain that the person in front of him must be a core member of a powerful family in the city, cultivated with precious medicines, who had somehow ended up here.
"Gene therapy"
Chen Huai was taken aback. This was the first time he had ever heard of this name. It was definitely not mentioned in the game's official setting book!
There are countless things in this world that even he, the planner, is unaware of.
Thinking this to himself, but showing no sign on his face, he calmly met Zhou Yan's probing eyes with his deep gaze, and asked a question in a soft, noncommittal tone:
"You've certainly seen some of the world."
Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat. In his eyes, Chen Huai's calm reaction was almost tantamount to acquiescence!
He quickly lowered his gaze, no longer daring to look directly at her, and his tone became even more respectful:
"Your Excellency, I have only heard a few rumors from those traveling merchants. How could we presume to know about the world of adults? I apologize for making a fool of myself."
After this test, both of them achieved their goals.
Zhou Yan thought he had roughly figured out the background of the important person in front of him, while Chen Huai needed the information that was not revealed in the game settings.
Chen Huai popped the last bit of sweet potato into his mouth and didn't respond to that sentence.
Although what he was most curious about was how this gene serum worked, he had a feeling that it might be related to his identity and origins.
However, he currently presents himself as an innocent and naive nobleman who has ended up here for some reason. He should know more about such sophisticated questions, so it is clearly inappropriate for him to ask them.
Moreover, he was afraid that if the conversation continued, the other person would turn around and ask him questions, so he quickly changed the subject:
"Since you've been suffering from the thorn rat swarm for quite some time now, why haven't you thought about moving your camp to another location? Why do you insist on staying here?"
Although they couldn't get answers about the gene serum, given Zhou Yan and the others' misunderstanding, it was perfectly reasonable for him to appear ignorant of some survival logics at the bottom of the wasteland.