Chapter 158: The Fourth Evolution, Visions (I)

In the late afternoon, just before the final school bell rang, Chen Chu and Luo Fei made their way to Pang Long’s office after receiving a notification from him.

"At the moment, there are a total of fifteen individuals, including yourselves, who have applied to venture into the mutated beast battlefield. They are all freshmen, and up until now, they have been diligently preparing for this journey.

"The bus is scheduled for Sunday. I will be accompanying you on this journey, but then I will be heading to the frontline."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chu's curiosity got the better of him. "Sir, when you mentioned the frontline, were you referring to the ones in the mythical world?"

A faint smile graced Pang Long's lips. "Oh? Intrigued by that place, are you?"

Mhmm!

Both Chen Chu and Luo Fei nodded in unison.

Pang Long continued with deliberate pacing. "That world is vast and boundless, teeming with transcendent resources. Over the years, humanity has been expanding its dominion there. However, with each step of exploration and expansion into that realm, conflicts have arisen between humans and a myriad of creatures.

"Mythical colossal beasts, eerie and inexplicable monstrosities, and formidable alien civilizations exist there. Consequently, many nations have stationed the main forces of their militaries over there in recent years. The landscape boasts numerous formidable individuals, and terrifying skirmishes unfold daily, exacting a heavy toll on ammunition and resources. On the frontline, weapons like hydrogen bombs are deployed with alarming frequency.

"And there exist weapons even more devastating than nuclear arsenals. Their employment results in annihilation within a hundred-mile radius, rendering even Ninth Heavenly Realm cultivators powerless.

"Furthermore, there are battlefields where individuals of extraordinary prowess, surpassing even king-level cultivators, shape the earth with a mere gesture, exhibiting formidable might..."

Pang Long paused, prompting Chen Chu to inquire further, "Sir, is there more?"

"That's all." Pang Long chuckled. "According to protocol, I am unable to divulge further specifics. If you wish to learn more, you must get stronger as soon as possible. Only then will you find the information you seek."

"Old Pang really knows how to keep us on the edge," Chen Chu remarked as they exited the building.

The girl beside him chuckled softly in agreement.

Chen Chu found himself filled with a sense of yearning. "Mythical colossal beasts, terrifying monsters, and unknown civilizations... I never anticipated that world to be so vast and magical. But Old Pang said they frequently use hydrogen bombs over there. Aren't they afraid of nuclear radiation?"

Luo Fei whispered, "Nuclear radiation only has a strong impact on the genes of ordinary organisms. Once a biological mutation occurs, the body usually becomes extremely robust, with stable genes.

"High-level mutated organisms also possess powerful transcendent abilities within their bodies that shield them from external harm, including radiation. So it’s not an issue for them."

"That makes sense." Chen Chu nodded.

The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and softly said, "I might need to make some preparations in the next few days and won't be coming to school. I'll see you again on Sunday."

"Okay, see you on Sunday."

After bidding farewell, Chen Chu returned home around five o'clock, finding Chen Hu already back.

Chen Chu unplugged the plug under the refrigerated truck and called out, "Ah Hu, I'm going to deliver the electric eel meat. I'll be back later for dinner, so don't wait for me."

"Okay, got it, Bro," Chen Hu responded from inside the house.

A few days ago, when moving the mutated beef into the freezer, Chen Chu had mentioned that he would be going to the mutated beast battlefield in a few days, indicating a prolonged absence this time. He used the fact that neither Chen Hu nor Zhang Xiaolan could consume the eel as an excuse for moving it, saying that he was finding a buyer to sell it off to.

Hum!

With the engine starting up, the refrigerated transport truck slowly pulled out of the yard, and eventually out of Wujiang, following the navigation toward Linchuan.

An hour and a half later, Chen Chu once again arrived at the seawall overlooking the estuary.

By now, the sky was gradually darkening, but there were still sporadic figures by the sea. Chen Chu simply stood on the seawall and admired the scenery as he quietly waited for the arrival of nightfall.

An hour later, around eight o'clock, the beach was finally deserted. Taking a deep breath, Chen Chu opened the back door of the truck, a gust of cold air rushing out.

The six-meter-long electric eel carcass had frozen into a large block of ice from the low temperatures. Chen Chu lifted the frozen electric eel, weighing over a ton, and carried it down to the seaside. Instantly, his muscles swelled, and boundless strength surged within him.

Boom!

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

With all his might, Chen Chu threw the eel carcass like a cannonball, and with a thunderous crash, it smashed onto the sea surface a hundred meters away, sending up a spray of water. To avoid potential detection, Chen Chu only unleashed his physical strength without activating his true power.

Soon, the eel carcass that had flown into the sea sank down. A massive dark shadow flashed beneath the surface, instantly biting onto the carcass.

Back on the shore, Chen Chu took off his shirt, and with a swoosh, he dove into the sea. His arms moved like windmills, creating powerful waves as he sped away.

Once he got to the spot where the eel carcass had landed, Chen Chu's figure submerged into the water. There, a monstrous beast with a length of twenty meters was lying on the seabed as it held the carcass in its mouth.

As Chen Chu dove down, the Sword Armored Fiery Beast raised its head with a string of bubbles to make it easier for him to take the Life Crystals stored under its neck.

This evolution was crucial for both the Fiery Beast and for him, so not a single mishap could occur. Even though the Fiery Beast could now conceal its aura and energy fluctuations, Chen Chu still kept it submerged, not even breaching the surface for a second.

After taking the two level 4 Life Crystals, Chen Chu turned around and swam back to the shore with vigorous strokes of his arms.

Once back on land, Chen Chu shook his body, dispersing most of the seawater from his pants. Then, he put on his clothes, started the engine, and left immediately.

Meanwhile, underwater, the Fiery Beast swiftly swam toward the open sea to find a suitable place for evolution.

"You have converted two level 4 Life Crystals, gaining 72 and 93 attribute points for a total of 165."

"Is the difference between level 4 Life Crystals that significant?" That caused Chen Chu to pause slightly.

Both were level 4 crystals, yet the difference between them was nearly 20 points. It seemed to be related to the size of the mutated organism the crystals originated from.

Lost in thought, Chen Chu returned home after nine o'clock.

"Ah Chu, you're back. Dinner is warming up in the kitchen."

"Mom, you watch your TV. I'll get it myself. What about Ah Hu?"

"He went fishing again."

"Okay."

After Chen Chu had brought back the mutated beast meat, Chen Hu had been selling the fish he caught to the city council. While it wasn’t very much money, he seemed to really enjoy doing it regardless.

After dinner, Chen Chu went back upstairs.

Meanwhile, far from the coast, the Fiery Beast had traveled over two hundred kilometers and arrived at the rocky reef where it had once killed the mutated crocodile-whale.

Navigating past the outer rocks, the Fiery Beast surfaced in the middle, where a small island covering an area of just over a thousand square meters lay.

During its third evolution, the Fiery Beast had gone into a deep slumber for over two hours. Chen Chu anticipated that this fourth evolution might take even longer and would require a safe location.

Beneath the surface, the Fiery Beast swung its claws at the iron-hard rock of the island, its razor-sharp talons carving through it as it was tofu.

Soon, a five-meter-wide and tall hole appeared underwater, winding deep into the island for dozens of meters. In the middle, a cave measuring forty meters in length and width was dug out. For added safety, the entrance to the cave was blocked off with some of the dug out rocks.

Only then did the Fiery Beast slowly swim to the middle of the cave. Opening its mouth wide, it tore and devoured the already thawed electric eel in one moment.

At the same time, standing by the window, Chen Chu issued a mental command.

Evolve!

Hundreds of kilometers away, beneath the rocky island, Chen Chu’s confirmation caused the accumulated evolutionary energy to erupt like a volcano.

This time, the effect of this energy was even more astonishing. Amid frenzied roars, the Fiery Beast's flesh, bones, and muscles shattered and regenerated. Every cell in its body was dividing and compressing at a terrifying speed, then dividing and compressing again.

At the same time, as the Fiery Beast absorbed the genes of the Electric Lightning Eel, its originally strong and stable gene sequence began to collapse, recombine, and optimize, initiating the fourth stage in its life.

Suddenly, the aura emanating from the Fiery Beast surged outward, even seeping through the cracks of the cave and spreading on the other side. The surrounding seawater boiled, and countless marine creatures frantically fled.

The power was absolutely spine-chilling.

At the same time, inside his room, Chen Chu's body also erupted with a violent surge of heat. The scorching evolutionary energy swept through him, causing his cells to divide and compress madly.

His physical strength surged, and his aura broke out from its restraint, becoming increasingly heavy and oppressive, like a domineering dragon. The air within a meter of him was abruptly pushed away by the aura, forming invisible gusts of wind that made the curtains flutter and his hair dance about.

Fortunately, there was no one around to witness this scene; they would have outright fainted from the sheer terror.

This time, the evolution lasted five hours, finally ending at the darkest moment before dawn.