Chapter 51: Night Watch

After beginning his training in the Ultimate Infinite Qigong and condensing Ultimate True Qi, Chen Chong’s perception of Life Essence Qi, or what one might call the life field, had greatly increased.

When he once again got close to the Blood General, he faintly sensed that the man sitting before him radiated an intense life rhythm from his entire body, giving him a strong feeling of threat, as if it were not a person sitting before him, but a fierce beast wearing human skin!

If the feeling an ordinary Awakener gave him up close was like a charcoal fire with lingering warmth, then the feeling the Blood General gave him was undoubtedly like a blazing furnace, naturally exuding an inexplicable pressure with every move.

More clearly understanding the vast difference between an ordinary Awakener and the Blood General, Chen Chong’s mind stirred, and he probed, “General, may I ask what your plans are? If you need a guide, I am duty-bound to help.”

Currently, his greatest value to the Blood General was his better knowledge of the base’s situation, allowing him to serve as a guide. Although he had already given the base map to the Blood General, an old horse knows the way, and his guidance could undoubtedly reduce casualties during the approach and attack on the base.

“The time is not yet right; there will naturally be a time when you are needed later.”

The Blood General tapped his fingers carelessly on the table and said lightly,

“Let me ask you, those prisoners were your cellmates, how was your relationship with them?”

“Does the General wish for Qiao Jun to contact them to obtain more accurate intelligence?”

Understanding the Blood General’s intention at once, Chen Chong pondered for a moment and replied,

“There was very little communication between these cellmates and me, and we had no deep relationship. Recklessly contacting them might risk exposing Qiao Jun.”

“I see…”

The Blood General showed no disappointment, nodded, and waved his hand,

“In that case, you may leave. I will have Tie Shan notify you when there is an operation.”

Chen Chong gave a slight bow and then left the factory shed.

After Chen Chong left, Tie Shan stared sinisterly at his departing back and chuckled darkly,

“General, that kid just arrived in the territory and already clashed with Li Bao and his men, even daring to slap Li Bao’s face in public. I didn’t see that he was such a ruthless wolf cub.”

“Of course! If he had allowed Li Bao’s men to take his food, then even as an Awakener, he would have no value worth training. I would have sent him to wash toilets immediately!”

The Blood General laughed heartily, a laugh domineering and filled with intense self-confidence,

“What I need under my command are fierce wolves who dare to fight and kill, not timid soft eggs who shrink back. The more ruthless he is, the more I appreciate him! Only with sharp claws and fangs is he worthy of working for me!”

Tie Shan said as a matter of course, “Naturally. No matter how ferocious and unruly a fierce wolf is, once it comes under the General’s command, it becomes nothing more than a loyal dog with its tail between its legs.”

“Alright.”

The Blood General waved his hand, smiling,

“Since the Dawn Gathering Place has already started making moves, keep a close watch on them for me. Their leader, Long Ying, has fought me so many times without any result. This time, I want to use this opportunity to give him a big surprise!”

The Long Ying the Blood General spoke of was a leader-level figure at the Dawn Gathering Place, also a power ful Transcendent whose Life Field had stepped into the first energy level and who had unlocked the Gene Lock. His combat power alone was equivalent to several combat squads.

In the current wasteland world, survival resources were limited. Whenever gatherings discovered each other’s existence, they always desired to swallow the other’s population and resources to strengthen themselves. However, because the wilderness between gatherings was full of dangers, the cost of mobilizing forces to attack and invade another gathering was too great, often not worth the loss. Unless two gatherings were very close in distance and had a vast disparity in overall strength, they could generally barely maintain a state of peaceful coexistence.

The Dawn Gathering Place was the survivor camp relatively closest to the Blood General’s territory, and its overall strength was considerably greater than the Crimson Territory. The reason it had not swallowed the Crimson Territory despite its strength advantage was, naturally, because of the Blood General’s existence.

A Transcendent who had unlocked the Gene Lock was formidably powerful, inhuman, and extremely difficult to kill. Although the Dawn Gathering Place had an overall strength advantage and the confidence to annihilate the Crimson Territory at any cost, given the Blood General’s abilities, there was a high chance he would escape. And if you fail to kill the tiger, you suffer from its harm. If a Transcendent with such mobility and combat power were to lay ambushes and harbor a vengeful heart, it would be an utter disaster for a gathering.

However, although the two survivor gatherings were temporarily at peace, their scavenging teams and Hunting Squads often encountered and fought each other in the wilderness. Including the leaders of the two places, the Blood General and Long Ying, they had clashed several times in the wilderness over the past few years. Yet most of the time, the Blood General and his men had gained no advantage. Being inherently cruel, violent, and arrogant, he naturally brooded over this.

But now, the appearance of the base gave him an opportunity.

…

Inside a room in the dormitory building.

Chen Chong recalled the feeling the Blood General had given him earlier, his brows furrowing slightly as he pondered something in his mind.

Perhaps because he had condensed Ultimate True Qi, the feeling Chen Chong got when he saw the Blood General again was exceptionally different. Within the other’s Life Field, as vigorous as a furnace, he faintly sensed something similar to “Qi”!

This feeling was very vague. It was completely different from the empty, vague feeling emitted by an Awakener. It was as if the other’s Life Essence Qi had already transformed into a kind of substantial energy, a type of internal energy somewhat similar in nature to True Qi.

“Could this be the secret of the Gene Lock?”

Chen Chong thought hard,

“An Awakener merely possesses a Life Field Intensity far exceeding that of an ordinary person, while a Transcendent who has unlocked the Gene Lock can condense and transform their own Life Field into some kind of internal energy, just like my process of Refining Essence into Qi to condense True Qi?”

After thinking it over, this seemed to be the only explanation. Chen Chong’s heart beat slightly faster, “If that’s the case… my Ultimate Infinite Qigong is actually similar to a method for unlocking the Gene Lock? And now that I have condensed True Qi, is that equivalent to unlocking the Gene Lock?”

So far, he had only met two Transcendents, Diris and the Blood General. According to Qiao Jun, the method for unlocking the Gene Lock was only circulated among gathering leaders or in other large gatherings. This suggested that in this world, the method for unlocking the Gene Lock might be akin to a peerless secret manual, and only by learning such a manual could an Awakener unleash extraordinary power.

“No, that’s not right!”

Chen Chong instantly calmed down,

“The systems are different. The two shouldn’t be the same thing; you can’t compare them like that. Based on my earlier feeling, I am still far from being a match for the Blood General. No matter what, I need to focus on my training first.”

Casting aside the pointless thoughts in his mind, Chen Chong dispelled his distracting mental clutter, held his breath, calmed his mind, adjusted his breathing, and quickly entered a state of empty, profound meditation, beginning his training.

Without the support of Spirit Energy fruits, Chen Chong’s True Qi growth speed dropped to a normal level. Time passed exceptionally fast when he was in a selfless state. Ten hours later, apart from going out once during that period to collect food, Chen Chong never left his room. When night had fully fallen and the noisy sounds of numerous laborers finishing work drifted in through the window, he also opened his eyes.

The time for his new job, night watch at the Power Station, had arrived.