Super Gene Ⅱ: Evolution

He didn’t mind losing face himself, but he couldn’t tarnish the reputation of his second brother.

How could he ask to borrow an item that his second brother had given away, unless he could win it back fair and square?

“Tian Zhen, could you tell me about this flute?” Lin Shen had no choice but to inquire about the origins of the flute. Perhaps it would help his research into the origins of the Fire Seed, and he could plan his next move afterward.

Ye Tianzhen thought for a moment and said, “Actually, I don’t know much either, just that Yi told me she won this Crystal Flute from Lin Yin of the Lin Family through a bet. It seems to be made from a part of a Crystal-based Creature and has the function of transforming strength into sonic damage.”

“Wait, you’re Yuzhen’s older brother, right?” Lin Shen looked at him strangely and asked.

“That’s right.” Ye Tianzhen understood Lin Shen’s confusion and said with a smile, “Yuzhen is an only child; my dad was her uncle. He passed away early, so I lived with them from a young age. Yi doesn’t like being called old by others, so aside from Yuzhen, most people still call her Yi. But it’s different for you; it’s best if you follow Yuzhen’s lead.”

Lin Shen had to think it over a few times in his head to understand the relationship between Ye Tianzhen and Ye Yuzhen—their fathers were brothers.

“Tian Zhen, do you know which creature the material for this flute comes from?” Lin Shen asked again.

“You’ve got me there,” Ye Tianzhen answered. “Yi didn’t tell me which creature’s material it was when she gave me the Crystal Flute. I really don’t know, you’ll have to ask Yi or your second brother about that.”

The group sat down for a meal and chatted while eating.

Ye Tianzhen looked tall and sturdy, yet he was quite gentle and took good care of everyone, often offering witty remarks, making the meal quite enjoyable.

Lin Shen thought of various excuses to borrow the Crystal Flute, but eventually felt it was inappropriate and didn’t ask.

“By the way, what bet did my second brother and the Ye Family make?” Lin Shen figured that winning back the Crystal Flute was the only way forward.

It was not convenient to borrow it; if he could, he wouldn’t need to keep the Crystal Flute and could just sleep with it for a night before returning it to the Ye Family.

But he had to obtain the flute honorably and properly.

“I don’t know.” Ye Tianzhen shook his head again; he was also unclear about the specifics of the bet or how it was won.

“It seems if I want to know the details, I have no choice but to ask Madam Ye,” Lin Shen thought helplessly.

After the meal, Ye Yuzhen suggested going for a walk, but Lin Shen refused outright.

He was in no mood for a stroll, as he wanted to understand whether his interpretation of Evolution Theory was correct.

Back in his room, Lin Shen entered the bathroom, turned on the bathtub faucet, filled it to the brim, and then lay down in it.

Submerged in water, Lin Shen executed Evolution Theory, testing whether it worked as he had hoped.

Waves of suffocation hit him, making Lin Shen feel as if his chest would explode. He couldn’t bear it anymore.

Evolution Theory continued to run, but unfortunately, it did not evolve the ability to breathe underwater as he had hoped.

“Splash!”

Lin Shen suddenly sat up in the bathtub, splashing the water off his face and gasping for air. Any later, and he felt he might have suffocated.

“It’s not working? Could I be wrong?” Lin Shen still refused to give up. After getting out of the bathtub, he suddenly thought of a new tactic.

“The process of drowning is too slow, and the stimulation isn’t strong enough. Maybe it requires an extreme stimulus to activate the mutation and evolution effects of ‘Evolution Theory’…” Lin Shen found an iron rod, and then he heated one end until it was red-hot.

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his pampered, delicate arms. With determination, he pressed the red-hot end of the iron rod against his arm.

Just as the iron rod was about to touch his skin, Lin Shen’s hand stopped. He just couldn’t bring himself to hate himself enough to do it.

“What should I do?” Lin Shen clenched his teeth and tried several times, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to be ruthless to himself.

“Forget it, I’m just an ordinary person. I can’t do something like self-mutilation.” After thinking for a while, Lin Shen called Wei Wufu over.

“Wei, take this.” Lin Shen handed the red-hot iron rod to him.

Wei looked at him with a puzzled face, not understanding what he meant.

“Wei, like this, you take the iron rod, and burn my arm… Ah…” As Lin Shen rolled up his sleeve to reveal his delicate arm, words barely leaving his mouth, Wei Wufu immediately pressed the red-hot end of the iron rod against it.

A sizzling sound was heard, accompanied by the smell of charred flesh and Lin Shen’s screams of pain.

Lin Shen shook off the iron rod and frantically swung his arm, which had been burnt to a crisp. It was still intensely hot and painful. He ran into the bathroom and plunged his arm into the bathtub. The water he had previously prepared was not wasted.

Luckily, he still had some potions in his bag. He took out a bottle and poured it on the wound, and the charred, blistered skin gradually began to improve.

Looking at the shocking burn on his arm, Lin Shen said with frustration, “Wei, I wasn’t ready yet. How could you be so quick?”

“If it’s not good, why call me? What for?” Wei Wufu said.

“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about that for now. Just put down the rod.” Lin Shen felt this method wouldn’t work; it was too painful. He couldn’t endure it a second time.

Moreover, it seemed that the burn had not triggered the evolutionary mutation effect of ‘Evolution Theory’ either. This attempt was still not successful.

“Too slow doesn’t work, and too fast seems to fail as well. Does it have to be a sustained stimulus, like a sonic attack, to be effective? It needs to be both stimulating and enduring, but what kind of method would work?” Lin Shen pondered deeply, then suddenly, his eyes lit up.

He thought of a training method he had heard of before. In the past, people who didn’t have Base Mutation powers would enhance their body’s resistance to impacts by having someone strike their body with suitable implements.

After some consideration, Lin Shen felt this method might work.

Ordinary humans could enhance their resistance to impacts with this method, so as a Mutator, with ‘Evolution Theory’ within him, surely there should be some effect.

He looked around the room for something appropriate to use but found nothing, so he reluctantly picked up the iron rod and handed it back to Wei Wufu.

This time, Lin Shen was smarter. He said, “Don’t act yet, listen to me first. Wait until I say ‘start’, then you can do it.”

“Okay,” Wei Wufu nodded.

Lin Shen took off his shirt, revealing his muscular upper body. The only downside was that due to rarely going outside, his skin was rather pale.

“Wei, you hit me with the iron rod, but remember, not too hard. I need to be able to withstand it without getting injured. Also, not too lightly; too light and it won’t be effective.” Lin Shen adopted a horse stance, held his breath, tensed his muscles, gritted his teeth, and after some mental preparation, closed his eyes and bravely said to Wei Wufu, “Come on, hit me.”