Needless to say, the problem must lie with the name "Little Feifei."
If Lin Xiangdong had not casually mentioned Goddess Consort with such natural ease, calling her "Little Feifei" and saying that she likes it when he calls her that, that she would even get annoyed with him if he didn't, Lin Shen certainly would not address the Goddess Consort in such a manner.
It can only be said that Lin Xiangdong is a real piece of work, the kind that scams you and doesn't pay for your funeral.
Now Lin Shen could only be thankful that he didn't reach out to pinch Goddess Consort's cheeks when he called her "Little Feifei." Lin Xiangdong had sworn that the Goddess Consort had a touch of baby fat and that her cheeks were especially adorable; with the relationship he had with her, he often pinched her plump little cheeks.
"Fortunately, it seems that Goddess Consort doesn't intend to expose me," Lin Shen thought rapidly, his mind making several quick turns, and he immediately sat up straight, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, as if he were an old monk in meditation.
"Who exactly are you, and why are you impersonating Lin?" Goddess Consort demanded, seeing that Lin Shen remained silent, her brows furrowing as she spoke again.
"What did you say? It's really too noisy here, not a good place to talk. How about we go to my place for a nice chat after the recruitment event is over?" Lin Shen would never admit here that he was not Lin Xiangdong.
As long as he didn't admit it, no matter what Goddess Consort said, he still had room to maneuver.
If he admitted it here and Goddess Consort had some kind of malicious intent, like making a recording or something, he wouldn't even have a chance to wriggle out of it later, and then he would really be done for.
Goddess Consort looked at Lin Shen, then said nothing further.
While the two of them were whispering, Qi Shuheng and Wang Tian'er were also having a private conversation on the side.
"It seems that we were probably wrong in our guess, Lin Xiangdong might not have left the base," Qi Shuheng said, glancing at Lin Shen and Goddess Consort who seemed very close as they talked in hushed voices.
Wang Tian'er frowned and said, "With that move he just made, aside from the Lin brothers, really few in the Lin Family could do it, and even if someone else could, they wouldn't look so much like Lin Xiangdong. But I still feel like something is not quite right."
"What's not quite right?" Qi Shuheng asked.
Wang Tian'er glanced in Lin Shen's direction and shook his head, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but since we have this information, even if Lin Xiangdong hasn't gone out, there must be some issues."
Qi Shuheng also glanced at Lin Shen and then whispered, "That's not important, there's still our families' display of strength later, isn't there? We'll test him then."
"With the speed he just showed, the Alloy Creatures we prepared previously probably won't reveal anything, right?" Wang Tian'er mused.
"That's why we need to switch it up," Qi Shuheng said confidently, "I've recently acquired a rare Alloy Level pet that should be perfect for testing him."
"Can an Alloy Level do the job?" Wang Tian'er asked with a frown.
"Other Alloy Level pets may not suffice, but mine definitely will. As long as it's set up properly, unless he really is Lin Xiangdong, not even Ye could handle it, let alone other Alloy Levels in the Lin Family," Qi Shuheng declared with confidence.
"What pet?" Wang Tian'er was curious to know what kind of pet could make Qi Shuheng so confident.
"Have you ever heard of Alloy Level's Supersonic Gunman?" Qi Shuheng said.
Upon hearing this, Wang Tian'er was first shocked, then overjoyed, "Is that the one with a speed Attribute of twenty, known as the fastest among Alloy Level—the Supersonic Gunman?"
"Indeed, it's the Supersonic Gunman." Qi Shuheng nodded with a smile.
"Then that's wonderful. By having the Supersonic Gunman as his opponent, unless he really is Lin Xiangdong, he's bound to reveal flaws under so many restrictions." Wang Tian'er was overjoyed.
In the segment where the three families showcase their strength, there have always been restrictions against the use of any equipment and Base Variant pets; one may only use their own Base Mutation powers.
Without any weapons or support, and with Mr. Lin Zongzheng not at the base, likely no one else besides Lin Xiangdong could easily handle the Supersonic Gunman.
Although Lin Shen showcased impressive speed previously, in the eyes of Wang Tian'er and Qi Shuheng, it was still far less than that of the Supersonic Gunman. Competing with the Supersonic Gunman in speed was simply impossible.
Even if the real Lin Xiangdong came, it would likely be hard to overpower the Supersonic Gunman in terms of speed, and he would probably need to win in another way.
Within the Alloy Level, the Supersonic Gunman is a top-tier speed-type Base Variant creature; it's almost impossible to find someone faster than him.
"However, as you also saw, that guy is very likely to be Lin Xiangdong. If it really is Lin Xiangdong, then I'm afraid my Supersonic Gunman would be like sending a meat bun to a dog — thrown never to return. You know how rare Supersonic Gunmen are... their value..." Qi Shuheng didn't finish speaking, but his intention was clear; he needed Wang Tian'er to take on the risk if he was to deploy the Supersonic Gunman.
"You and I naturally advance and retreat together. If there's any problem with the Supersonic Gunman, we'll bear it jointly." Wang Tian'er didn't hesitate much and directly reassured Qi Shuheng.
"Then it is settled." Qi Shuheng decisively stated.
The recruitment conference proceeded in an orderly manner, with the Mutators one by one demonstrating their strength; they did so not only to make a name for themselves but primarily to showcase their abilities to the three major families of the Dark Bird Base.
The stronger the abilities demonstrated, the more likely one would receive better treatment and benefits, and if favored by all three families, some might even receive a contract at an exorbitant price.
Of course, the Mutators also had the right to choose which family to join, and didn't need to decide immediately at the event.
The Dark Bird Base was just a small base and didn't have many talents. The biannual recruitment conference yielded only about a dozen new Mutators, with some old ones rejoining the event, totaling up to thirty or forty individuals. Among them, only about four or five really caught the eye of the three major families, and the particularly impressive one was an Alloy Base Variant named Wei Wufu.
In a small place like the Dark Bird Base, an Alloy Base Variant was already considered a high-end combat force. Even without participating in the recruitment conference, joining any family would secure a decent treatment.
It was precisely because Wei Wufu had only moved to the Dark Bird Base recently and was not well-known that the big families had not yet approached him with invitations.
Wei Wufu's performance was indeed astonishing. Even without the use of his Alloy Body, he easily picked up a thousand-pound barbell with one hand and swung it casually. His effortless handling indicated strength well beyond the Steel Level.
All three families extended their olive branches to him, but Wei Wufu didn't immediately decide, saying he would consider it.
All the Mutators who signed up for the recruitment conference had already demonstrated their powers, and finally, it was time for the representatives of the three families to showcase their own strengths.
"I didn't expect an Alloy Base Variant to participate in the recruitment conference today. With Wei Wufu in attendance, our planned demonstration seems somewhat childish. If we proceed with it, it might only invite ridicule. I have a suggestion, I wonder if you two are interested in hearing it?" Qi Shuheng spoke on his own accord.
"Qi's brother makes a valid point. With Wei Wufu here, our previous preparations indeed seem inadequate. What suggestion does Qi's brother have?" Wang Tian'er immediately replied.
"I've recently obtained an Alloy pet. Using it as a touchstone could be interesting. What do you both think?" While speaking, Qi Shuheng took out a Pet Capsule from his coat pocket and flung it.