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[The failed Super-Base Evolutionary Seed—Seven Steps of Conflict, beyond seven steps the gun is faster, within seven steps I am faster.]
Lin Shen, as if injected with an adrenaline rush, wished he could do a backflip right there and then, complete with a 720-degree Tomas spin.
Everyone knows that for ordinary people, a gun is faster outside of seven steps, and a gun within seven steps will only be both fast and accurate at the same time. It's nonsense that someone within seven steps can be faster than a gun!
If it weren't for the "Acupoint Sealing," another Fire Seed that had been confirmed earlier, Lin Shen wouldn't have believed such a thing was possible. But now, he just wanted to find a gun and verify if the Seven Steps of Conflict were indeed as miraculous as they sounded.
"Since there's a second Fire Seed, it means there could be more." Right now, Lin Shen was so eager he wanted to rush out and scour all the shops selling Base Mutation Eggs to gather all the Fire Seeds he could find.
Lin Shen got dressed and was about to leave when he opened the door and collided with a figure.
"Little Fifth Brother, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?" The man who was bumped into didn't move an inch, looking at Lin Shen with some surprise as he took a few steps back and asked with a frown.
"Ye, you're back? Where's Fourth Brother?" Lin Shen steadied himself and looked behind the man, only to find him alone, which made him somewhat surprised.
Ye was Fourth Brother Lin Xiangdong's man, always by his side. Ever since Lin Shen had met Ye, he had never seen him alone; every time Lin Shen saw him, he was like a shadow stuck to Fourth Brother's side.
"There's been an incident." Ye's face looked grim as he closed the door behind him and then spoke in a hushed voice to Lin Shen.
"What happened?" Lin Shen's heart sank.
"Over a month ago, Mr. Lin Zongzheng came looking for Fourth Brother, saying they found a nest of Steel-Shell Insects outside the base and needed Fourth Brother's help. Without a second word, Fourth Brother went. They left the base quietly, saying they would be back in about half a month. It's been over a month now, and still, there's no news," Ye said with a dark expression.
Lin Shen felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing this and tried to remain calm, "Maybe there are just too many Steel-Shell Insects over there, and they haven't finished clearing them out yet, causing the delay."
"Don't you know Mr. Lin Zongzheng's character? Fourth Brother might do something like this, but Mr. Lin Zongzheng never would. Even if they ran into trouble, they would have sent someone back with a message to report their safety. But there's been no word, so they must have encountered some problem," Ye shook his head as he said this.
When Ye spoke of Mr. Lin Zongzheng, Lin Shen knew he meant his third brother, Lin Zongzheng, and he was also clear about his third brother's character. If it weren't absolutely necessary, he would not leave them with no news.
"How many people do we have at home? Call them all; we're going to look for them," Lin Shen said, forcing himself to remain calm as he looked at Ye.
"We can't go, nor should we," Ye shook his head again.
"Why not?" Lin Shen frowned at Ye.
"You can't risk it, and even if you went, it wouldn't do any good," Ye explained.
Lin Shen knew that Ye wasn't belittling him. Ever since his second brother had an accident, the remaining four siblings of the Lin Family had set a rule.
In the Lin Family, the eldest sister managed the family affairs, while the third and fourth brothers went out to struggle, and he, being the youngest—the Fifth Brother—was responsible for continuing the family lineage, the quintessential tool kept at home.
According to the words of the third and fourth brothers, the Lin Family must at least preserve their line. In case all of them died, the Lin Family would rely on Lin Shen to carry on the family legacy and not break the bloodline.
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So Lin Shen, at the age of twenty-one, had only been out of the base a few times and had never been to those dangerous places.
"What time is it now, where can there be so much concern?" Lin Shen frowned.
"Even if you want to go, it's useless. Mr. Lin Zongzheng hasn't told us where they have gone. And with the abilities of Mr. Lin Zongzheng and his brother, even if they encounter trouble and get trapped temporarily, they certainly have ways to solve it. It's just that they can't return for the time being. If you go, you might actually hinder them," Ye shook his head.
Lin Shen was taken aback, "Then what's the meaning of you looking for me?"
"There's a troubling matter. The recruitment event jointly organized by the Lin, Qi, and Wang families is about to begin. In recent years, it was always my brother who represented the Lin Family and attended with the representatives of the other two families. If we do not attend, the other two families within the base might make unfounded speculations, and it would be troublesome later on. It would also not be conducive to our recruitment of Mutators, so we must attend this time," Ye explained.
Lin Shen frowned in silence. In today's world, Base Variant Creatures were everywhere, and humans used Base Mutation materials to establish bases to resist the invasion of those creatures.
Within the Dark Bird Base, the Lin, Qi, and Wang families held their ground. If the Qi and Wang families found out about the current situation of the Lin Family, indeed, it would be very troublesome and they would likely face suppression.
"What can I do?" Lin Shen looked at Ye and asked, knowing Ye wouldn't come to him if there wasn't something he was capable of doing.
"Little brother, you and my brother have very similar builds, and even your voices are quite alike. If you could wear a mask and pay attention to the articulation and manner of speaking, it would be very difficult for people who are not especially close to tell the difference," Ye surveyed Lin Shen up and down.
"You mean..." Lin Shen didn't waste words, knowing that this danger was one he had to take on.
In the past, his sister and older brothers had sheltered him from the storm. Now that there was a problem at home, he naturally had to stand up.
"You don't have to worry, the venue is inside the base, there won't be any danger. However, you need to be cautious so the Qi and Wang families don't spot any flaws, and you also need to think of a reason for wearing the mask," Ye sighed, "People from the Qi and Wang families are no pushovers, and no matter how reasonable your excuse, it's very difficult to completely dispel their suspicions. You'll need to be careful in dealing with them."
"How much time is there until the recruitment event starts?" Lin Shen thought and asked again.
"First thing tomorrow morning," Ye said. "It's too late to go for Base Mutation now, so we must go over all the details carefully to avoid any mistakes."
Lin Shen brought Ye into the house, and the two of them repeatedly went over every potential detail that could come up.
Most things were manageable, but the excuse for wearing a mask was difficult not to arouse suspicion, although it could barely pass.
There was another important issue. During the recruitment event, there was a segment where the representatives of the Lin, Qi, and Wang families each had to demonstrate their skills by killing a Base Variant Creature, to showcase the Lin Family's strength and to attract more Mutators to their side.
Lin Xiangdong was the public face of the Lin Family, akin to a celebrity spokesperson of the past. If he were present, this wouldn't be an issue, but now only Lin Shen could attend the recruitment event, which was very problematic.
"Little brother, you haven't undergone Base Mutation, so you absolutely cannot partake in the segment of killing a Base Variant Creature. We can only think of a way to get through it. However, the Qi and Wang families have recently become suspicious, thinking that my brother isn't in the base. It won't be easy to bluff your way through," Ye paused, then continued, "Fortunately, my brother always displayed an arrogant nature that was dismissive of everything. At that time, if you just show a disdainful attitude towards the representatives of the Qi and Wang families and let me take your place, it should work. My brother has the credentials to be that arrogant."
"Ye, what level is the Base Variant Creature that needs to be killed?" Lin Shen asked pensively.
Ye's method was only a last resort. In case they couldn't bluff their way through, Lin Shen couldn't afford to expose himself.
If this were the past, Lin Shen would indeed have had no solution, but now he had Acupoint Sealing and the Seven Steps of Conflict techniques up his sleeve, which might just see him through.
"Just an ordinary Alloy Creature. With my ability, it can be killed with one strike," Ye confidently said.