My Gene Evolves Infinitely - Chapter 21

TL: Fiend Star
Editor: Sakifcena

Lu Yuan led two thugs to a secluded alley, littered with black garbage bags and overflowing trash bins that emitted a foul stench. Stray cats and dogs scavenged through the garbage, and upon seeing Lu Yuan and his company, they looked over and growled defensively, mistaking them for rivals.

Ignoring the animals, Lu Yuan noted the overpowering smell and decided against venturing deeper into the alley with the thugs, fearing he might vomit.

He stopped at the entrance of the alley and turned to face the thugs, who were clutching their broken arms, pale and sweating profusely.

“Does it hurt a lot?” Lu Yuan asked with a smile.

The red-haired thug, tears in his eyes, pleaded, “Boss, please just let us go! Our arms are ruined!”

Lu Yuan, who had inflicted more severe injuries, noted the thug’s arm turning purplish-black from the bruising.

“You were brave enough to pull a knife on me before, now what? If your hand’s broken, just get a mechanical prosthetic. Don’t be scared.”

The thugs were silent.

Lu Yuan continued, “I’m quite interested in that haunted story you mentioned earlier. If you tell me more about it, I might just let you go.”

Revived by Lu Yuan’s offer, the thugs perked up. “The haunting… you mean about Old Blade that we talked about earlier?”

“Yes, that’s the one. Tell me.”

“Did you see how Old Blade died? Think carefully before you answer. If I find out you’re lying to me… well, consider the consequences.”

The thugs exchanged nervous glances. The green-haired thug spoke up, trembling, “We… we didn’t see it with our own eyes… but we heard about it! What they said must be true, they had no reason to lie to us!”

“And what did they say?” Lu Yuan pressed.

“They said that Old Blade was out with some guys looking to score some loot, and as they passed through an alley, a strange shadow emerged from the darkness. It surged right into Old Blade’s chest, and he clutched at his chest, turned blue, and dropped dead.”

Hearing this, the red-haired thug’s own face turned a shade paler. Part of it was fear, and part was the numbness spreading through his hand, making it feel like it was disappearing.

Lu Yuan’s eyes narrowed as he listened. This account matched his own encounter with the ghostly entity.

“What time did this happen?” he inquired.

“Uh, around midnight, I think,” said the green-haired thug.

Lu Yuan’s pupils contracted slightly. The timing matched his own experience from the previous night. Was it possible that this ghostly presence was not alone, or could it multiply?

Regardless, it was clear nothing good was associated with it.

“Did anything unusual happen after Old Blade died?” Lu Yuan asked.

“After he died, everyone else ran off scared. They later told the boss, who checked the body, but there was nothing unusual about it by then.”

Lu Yuan nodded thoughtfully. “Had Old Blade crossed anyone? Had he been involved in any weird events before?”

“Well, we’re in a line of work where you make enemies daily. No telling how many people he might’ve upset… And as for encountering anything supernatural… if he had, would he still be around to tell the tale?” the thug reasoned.

Lu Yuan frowned slightly. That was a careless question on his part; of course, in their line of work, making enemies was part of the daily routine.

It was clear that the shadows he was investigating were more than mere ghosts; they were a deadly menace that now seemed tied to the very fabric of the underworld in the city.

For them, death could come at any time, and that’s perfectly normal. Asking about it makes no sense.

For Lu Yuan, this person seemed to have no reference value. He felt a headache coming on.

At that moment, Lu Yuan heard the deep groaning of two thugs.

He glanced at them, noticing their faces turning pale, and waved them off.

“Scram, and don’t let me see you again.”

The two thugs, stunned, took a moment to react.

Then, nodding and bowing profusely, with a whining tone, they shout, “Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss! We’re going!”

They scurried away from the alley.

Watching the thugs leave, Lu Yuan pondered the earlier question.

That shadow was not alone, and probably, it wasn’t only Old Knife who died. At least, his predecessor died the same way.

In a slum like this, people die without anyone even knowing.

Nobody cared about these things.

But what did that ghostly entity want?

Lu Yuan thought hard but couldn’t figure out the reason.

He shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.

After leaving the alley, Lu Yuan starts nibbling on the steamed bun he had earlier.

‘Hmm, tastes pretty good.’

…

In the northern district of Xili City, in the Nine Lakes Business Circle, close to the Gene Warrior Association branch, skyscrapers abound and hover cars flit across building platforms—it’s a bustling scene.

Walking the streets, Lu Yuan saw sharply dressed elites and lavishly attired ladies. It felt like he’d stepped into another world.

The gap between here and the slum district was like heaven and hell, though they were only a few streets apart.

Lu Yuan’s purpose here was to sell the Grey Stone Armour he collected earlier.

He soon spotted a small storefront.

Above its door, a neon sign reads ‘Crazy Wolf Material Store’, adorned with an image of a wolf howling skyward.

Lu Yuan pushed open the door and entered.

Inside, the shop was compact, surrounded by counters displaying various materials, most of which Lu Yuan did not recognise.

But one look told him they were all products from the Land of Origin.

In the shop, a skinny young man in a floral shirt and board shorts, sporting a rooster hairdo, sat engrossed in his phone.

Hearing the door, he looks up at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan noticed that despite the dim lighting, the youth was wearing sunglasses.

Could he even see anything?

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but inwardly scoff.

The youth gave Lu Yuan a brief look before returning to his game.

“What are you doing here, kid? If it’s nothing important, go play somewhere else!”

He approached the counter and tapped it.

“I’m here to sell materials.”

The youth paused, looking up at Lu Yuan with a bit more attention, and put away his phone.

“Are you a Gene Warrior?”

Lu Yuan nodded, “Yes, do you buy materials?”

“Cool, what are you selling?”

Lu Yuan pulled out a bunch of Grey Stone Armour.

Clattering onto the counter, the pieces made a loud noise as the counter creaked under their weight.

“F*ck… can you not put it on the table! It’s really old and rickety!”

The youth hastily stood up, dumping the Grey Stone Armour onto the floor.

He then inspected it, “Grey Stone Armour? From an Ash Stone Beetle, just ordinary low-grade material. 150 each, and that’s a fair price. No haggling!”

Lu Yuan had already checked the prices on BattleNet before arriving.

Indeed, 150 was quite fair.

He nodded, “Alright, count them up. I’ll sell them all.”
“Ow-woof-woof-woof!!”

He looked at the youth, who suddenly burst out with noises that were somewhere between a wolf’s howl and a dog’s bark, filling his head with question marks.

Is this guy okay?

The youth suddenly froze.

Lu Yuan and the youth, separated only by sunglasses, exchanged looks, creating a momentarily awkward atmosphere.

After a pause, the youth cleared his throat as if nothing had happened:

“Cough, let me count how many there are, woof-woof!!”

He weighed his words carefully, then tentatively suggested, “Um… buddy, maybe you should see a doctor?”

The youth fell silent for a moment, then explained: “It’s a side effect of the gene encoding—it’s an old issue, nothing serious.”

Hearing the sadness in the youth’s voice, Lu Yuan fell silent.

So that’s it. If the gene encoding isn’t done properly, it can indeed result in side effects that manifest traits of extraordinary creatures.

Lu Yuan imagined how embarrassing it must be for this guy to suddenly start barking in the middle of a conversation and couldn’t help feeling a bit of sympathy.

He was curious about what kind of extraordinary gene the youth had encoded that made him sound like both a dog and a wolf.

But he didn’t ask; it’s common for Gene Warriors not to share details about their encoded genes with strangers.

Their battle skills and secrets are often kept close to the chest.

The conversation didn’t linger on this topic, and the youth quickly counted the items:

“Total of 102 pieces. I’ll give you a discount, 100 each, that makes it 15,300.”

Lu Yuan: “Are you kidding? Round it up, 20,000.”

The youth adjusted his sunglasses and gave a friendly smile: “Ah, let’s just round down. After all, you can keep hunting.”

Lu Yuan also smiled: “Get lost.”

Does this guy’s dog-like behaviour have something to do with his extraordinary gene?

The youth sighed: “Alright then, 15,300.”

“Pay up.”

The youth transferred the money to Lu Yuan.

Seeing the transaction of 15,300, Lu Yuan felt a wave of emotion.

Mom and Dad, your son has made it; he’s finally got some money!