"The second doubt I had arose when I happened to find a video in a shop selling fake beards and makeup supplies that Ding Huan had visited," Qin Qiang finished, sweeping a glance at Li Chuan before she leisurely took her seat.
These were not chance findings. As soon as Qin Qiang learned that Ding Huan had cultivated three S-level students in gene fusion, she immediately launched a comprehensive investigation into him.
If the person who killed the member of the Genetic Alliance in the high-end hotel was Ding Huan, then he must have disguised himself.
To confirm her suspicion, Qin Qiang had almost searched through all the wig and makeup shops in the entire Puhai. The results proved her conjecture was logical.
"But even so, you can't be sure that Ding Huan was the killer," Zhang Yongcheng rebuked angrily.
Qian Chen said, "All our efforts are for the peace of the Earth and the continuation of humanity. No matter how capable a person is, they cannot kill the innocent at will.
Of course, we cannot wrongly accuse someone. My suggestion is to bring Teacher Ding Huan here and ask him in person.
If it's not him, not only do we need to apologize to Teacher Ding Huan, but we also need to offer him appropriate status and treatment."
"Ding Huan is probably already out of your reach since he left Puhai before the assessment, and his exact whereabouts are unknown," Qin Qiang said.
She guessed that Ding Huan must have had a premonition and therefore left on his own initiative.
If she could find Ding Huan, she wouldn't bother bringing up his issues here.
The problem was that she couldn't find Ding Huan, and she had to.
Ding Huan could easily enhance someone's gene fusion level, even up to S-level, which was exactly what she needed.
She had ample resources, but after advancing to a Third-level gene cultivator, she could not progress any further.
If she could increase her fusion level with Alien Genes, then she would have the chance to step into the ranks of Fourth-level gene cultivators.
At her level, she was all too aware that a gene cultivator needed to continue growing constantly, which aside from practicing Cultivation Techniques, also depended on the degree of gene fusion and growth.
Enhancing the gene fusion level would make the genes she had already fused become purer and allow her to continue growing.
Beyond that, she could continue to fuse with other powerful superpower genes.
The life or death of Ding Huan did not concern her; what mattered was that before Ding Huan died, she must obtain this secret.
The conference hall was very quiet, everyone was contemplating their own thoughts.
Everyone knew what the others were thinking: to capture Ding Huan, to uncover his secret, and to gain as much benefit from it as possible.
In a short period of time, to have cultivated three geniuses with an Alien Gene fusion level of over 95%, what would it mean for them to harness this capability?
Not to mention cultivating others, even their own gene fusion levels were in need of improvement.
"If we let such a murderous criminal roam free, then what is the meaning of our actions here?
As the Alliance Hierarch of the Genetic Alliance, I issue a warrant for Ding Huan and seek the support of Alliance Leader Qu and all the Principals," Shi Changqian stood up, his tone resonant.
Alliance Leader Qu was the Hierarch of the Martial Arts Alliance, Qu Weimin. Upon hearing Shi Changqian's words, he knew he had to make a stand.
Before Qu Weimin could express his position, Zhang Yongcheng was the first to stand up and say, "I disagree."
"Why?" Shi Changqian frowned and stared at Zhang Yongcheng, this old man was continually opposing the Genetic Alliance, and something must be done about him.
Zhang Yongcheng responded coldly, "First, we don't even know whether Ding Huan committed the act, and second, your Genetic Alliance doesn't have the authority to issue a warrant on Hua Xia's land."
"Dean Zhang, the Earth is now a whole, the Genetic Alliance isn't owned by anyone; it belongs to the entire Earth, to all of humanity.
It's somewhat inappropriate to maintain regional divisions when everyone should be working together with the same resolve," Qian Chen stood up and said.
Zhang Yongcheng swept a glance at Qian Chen, knowing full well what he meant. This fellow had probably already set the tone for this meeting.
"I disagree as well," said Li Chuan as he too stood up.
"In that case, let's put it to a vote... Ah!" Alliance Leader Qu immediately said.
Alliance Leader Qu was speaking just fine when suddenly he let out an exclamation.
"What's the matter, Alliance Leader Qu?" someone immediately asked.
With a solemn face, Qu Weimin said, "I've just received news that a Genetic Beast has gone on a rampage and attacked Lujiang City. Lujiang has suffered heavy casualties. The military has already headed there, and my Martial Arts Alliance needs to go support them..."
Shi Changqian quickly said, "Let's resolve the matter here and then go provide support."
Li Chuan had already walked out, "The situation is dire, and there's no time to resolve anything here."
The Alliance Hierarch of the Genetic Alliance had influence, but dreaming of affecting the Blue Star Ten Great Colleges was a different story.
Seeing Li Chuan and Zhang Yongcheng among others leaving, Shi Changqian turned to the person sitting in the first seat on his left and asked, "Principal Nong, what do you think?"
This person was Principal Nong Yizhen of the True Universe Academy, the foremost among the Blue Star Ten Great Colleges.
He too stood up, "The situation in Lujiang is indeed urgent. Otherwise, the existence of the Blue Star Ten Great Colleges will be rendered meaningless."
"I guess I won't conduct a vote for now," Shi Changqian said immediately. "We can talk about the rest after Ding Huan is apprehended."
Everyone who hadn't left knew that he was planning to privately issue a manhunt for Ding Huan.
But this matter had nothing to do with anyone else; as the Genetic Alliance Hierarch, Shi Changqian wanting to issue a warrant for an insignificant teacher was his own business. After Li Chuan and Zhang Yongcheng had left, no one else stood up to oppose him.
...
Ding Huan had been wandering deep in Penglu Mountain for a whole day and was feeling somewhat anxious.
Penglu Mountain wasn't huge, and its fierce beasts were not yet at an unmanageable level. That idiotic Black Ape had gone crazy, deciding to seek out death in Lujiang City.
The Black Ape leading tens of thousands of genetic beasts in a surprise attack on Lujiang City could indeed cause tremendous destruction.
But once the military arrived, those beasts would certainly be doomed.
If the casualties in Lujiang were severe, to give the citizens of Lujiang City an explanation, the military might very likely sweep through Penglu Mountain.
Penglu Mountain was different from other mountain ranges, such as the vast Qianluo Mountain, with its paths that stretched in all directions. The mountain itself spanned over a thousand miles, with interconnected ranges that seemed endless.
Even if the military marched in, they wouldn't be able to wipe out the genetic beasts of Qianluo Mountain.
For this reason, Ding Huan had to find the Two-Horned Fire Lizard before the military reached Penglu Mountain.
Another half a day had passed, and Ding Huan still hadn't stumbled upon any trace of the Two-Horned Fire Lizard.
At this point, Ding Huan could vaguely hear the sound of gunfire, clearly indicating the military and genetic beasts were clashing.
Ding Huan decided he would continue searching for another hour; if he still hadn't found it by then, he would immediately leave.
An hour quickly went by, and Ding Huan had not witnessed any miracle. He still hadn't found the Fire Lizard.
He had to leave now; Ding Huan was very decisive in his actions.
Having decided to leave, he didn't hesitate at all and charged towards the outer edges of Penglu Mountain.
Since Ding Huan was running at full speed, it only took him two short hours to burst out of Penglu Mountain.
Scattered genetic beasts were fleeing everywhere, seemingly having been severely beaten by the military.
Ding Huan didn't concern himself with these genetic beasts, and chose a direction different from the route to Lujiang, sprinting at full speed.
Just ten minutes into his mad dash, Ding Huan suddenly caught a glimpse of a fiery red shadow in the corner of his eye, heading towards a farm.
A Fire Lizard?
Indeed, it was definitely a Fire Lizard.
Ding Huan's excitement surged, and he charged at the Fire Lizard without a moment's hesitation.
He could never have imagined that the Fire Lizard would flee Penglu Mountain just like him.
The Two-Horned Fire Lizard surely possessed a trace of Divine Beast bloodline, and as such, it might have an unusual premonition of life and death.
Perhaps this Fire Lizard sensed that staying on Penglu Mountain would mean waiting to die, so it chose to flee, and by coincidence, its path aligned with the one he had selected.
No wonder he hadn't been able to find the Fire Lizard in Penglu Mountain.
Fortunately, he knew when to retreat, or else he could have searched another year without finding this Fire Lizard.
Although the Fire Lizard was fast, it was still immature. It took Ding Huan only a few minutes to catch up with it.
The Fire Lizard raised its head and roared at Ding Huan, its eyes filled with murderous intent as it stared him down.
If it hadn't sensed that Ding Huan was not to be trifled with, it might have even pounced on him.
How was this one meter? This Fire Lizard was definitely over two meters long.
While excited, Ding Huan also knew he was pressed for time. Without hesitation, he grabbed his knife and charged towards the Mutated Fire Lizard.
Feeling the threat of death, the Fire Lizard leaped high into the air and lunged at Ding Huan.
Ding Huan punched the Fire Lizard's head, pain shooting through his hand. He silently admired the hardness of the Fire Lizard's skull.
Without any hesitation, his hand wielding the knife swung sideways.
A flash of blood streaked through the air, and Ding Huan slashed off a good portion of the Fire Lizard's head.
The Fire Lizard screamed and frantically dashed towards the distant farm, realizing that it was vastly outmatched by the man before it.
Ding Huan did not chase after the Fire Lizard but instead collected the spoils of battle—a Fire Lizard's eye and a horn—then quickly turned to leave.
The Fire Lizard, now missing an eye and a horn, was certainly not in mortal danger.
Creatures like these had terrifyingly strong life forces and equally preposterous regenerative abilities.
As for him, he urgently needed to escape the confines of Lujiang City, and then find a gene laboratory. With the help of the Fire Lizard's genetic ability, he would work on creating his own injury regeneration gene.
(Today's update ends here, friends. Good night!)