A Mad Gambit, an Inhuman Threat!

Wang Zhenyun's face twisted into a snarl, his words torn almost completely from his lungs in a roar. His eyes were bloodshot, and blue veins bulged across his forehead. He resembled an enraged lion. It was clear he had been pushed past the absolute brink of fury, and what he had just uttered bordered on sheer madness. Beside him, the two madams froze, exchanging bewildered glances as if unable to comprehend what he was talking about. "Patriarch, what is wrong?" the First Madam ventured, a quiver of fear in her voice. "That man surnamed Lu is too strong. No one in the Wang family can stand against him. If he comes, we all die. But I will not accept this! The Wang family cannot simply be wiped out like this. There is still one last resort. Even if our family falls, we will make sure the entire world never forgets!" Wang Zhenyun sounded somewhat calmer now, yet the feverish madness in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest. Just as he said, too little time had been granted to the Wang family; they had not even had the chance to fully bring their hidden reserves to bear. The New Era had only just dawned, and their plans were still in the making. Yet what now? It could not go on. Wang Zhenyun knew that Lu Yuan would give them no quarter. He truly could not understand how that man could be so overwhelmingly powerful. When the vast majority of people were still struggling in the Initial or Awakening Realms, Lu Yuan had already stepped into the Shackle Realm. And from the look of things, he was no novice; he had severed his shackles quite some time ago. With absolute dominance, he had slaughtered every last member of the three major factions in Shanghai. Though regret gnawed at Wang Zhenyun's heart—wondering why they had ever provoked such a god of slaughter—dwelling on it now was entirely useless. Things had reached this point. The only thing left within his power was to make a final stand to preserve the Wang family. And even if they could not be saved, he would drag down as many people as possible to be buried alongside them, leaving behind a memory so agonizing that no one in the world would ever dare look back upon it. Wang Zhenyun knew full well that doing so was utterly devoid of humanity, but what did that matter anymore? Longevity Genetics and the Wang family were on the brink of total annihilation. He had no room left for qualms. "Patriarch, what do you plan to do? You have my full support!" the Second Madam said, hatred dripping from every word. Ever since her son, Wang Tao, had died, her heart had died with him. She lived for nothing but revenge. Now that even vengeance seemed out of reach, she too had descended into madness. She believed that everything that had transpired was someone else's fault, and since others had wronged them, they must pay the price. The First Madam remained silent. She looked at her husband, her eyes reflecting the same clear resolve. "Some time ago, the seas grew restless," Wang Zhenyun said. "Our surveillance detected an enormous horde of mutated beasts massing in the waters off Shencheng's coast. They have gathered, but they haven't made a move. Obviously, they are sizing up humanity's strength. Zhendan Academy and Beidou Biology have been monitoring them closely as well, maintaining a fragile balance. "Yet that balance can be shattered with ease. A single strike, a single missile, would be enough to enrage them. "Doesn't Lu Yuan want to wipe us out? Then let us state it plainly to his face: the moment we die, we will strike and provoke the ocean beasts. Let us see if he still dares to lay a hand on us!" As the true master of Longevity Genetics, Wang Zhenyun naturally understood the situation out at sea intimately. They had treated the threat with utmost caution before, constantly fearful that the sea beasts might erupt into violence. After all, the creatures were immense in number and gave off terrifying energy signatures. And with Longevity Genetics based right in Shencheng, any disaster would directly engulf them. Now, however, with the Wang family facing imminent doom, he no longer cared. His intent was very simple: use the oceanic threat looming over Shencheng as leverage against Lu Yuan, forcing him to hold back from destroying the Wang family. And just as he had declared, if that leverage failed and Longevity Genetics was doomed, then an entire city would be dragged down into the grave with them! It was a wildly deranged plan. Shencheng was one of the five super cities, home to over a hundred million citizens. If a beast tide from the sea made landfall, the devastation would be unimaginable! Yet Wang Zhenyun did not care in the least. He had only one objective now: To hold the lives of every citizen in Shencheng hostage against Lu Yuan! Was Lu Yuan not formidable? Would he dare disregard all those lives? "Then what are we waiting for? Let us begin!" the Second Madam urged, throwing her wholehearted support behind the plan. Her expression twisted with the same manic fervor as Wang Zhenyun's; beneath the surface, they were cut from the exact same cloth. The First Madam nodded in agreement as well. Her son was dead, and the family was on the verge of ruin. There was nothing left to hold back for. "I will make the preparations at once!" Wang Zhenyun rose to his feet and strode out of the office. Though the five clan elders had perished, Longevity Genetics was still one of the four major factions. Its foundation endured, and there were plenty of resources he could mobilize. All he needed to do now was carry out the plan: enrage those sea beasts and bring a beast tide crashing down upon Shencheng! Even if the Wang family must perish, they would carve an unforgettable scar across the world. *** A few days later. Aboard an aircraft en route from Shanghai to Shencheng, Ji Yuzhen, the head of Beidou Biology, answered a phone call. As the voice spoke from the other end, her expression morphed into utter astonishment, followed swiftly by fury. "So you are telling me Wang Zhenyun mobilized five armed helicopters toward the open sea, and their target is likely the staging ground where the mutated beasts gathered?" Ji Yuzhen's face went slightly pale. Her left hand clenched into a tight fist, her long fingernails biting into her palm. She had never anticipated that Longevity Genetics would be reckless enough to attempt something so unhinged. "Understood. But remember, do not act rashly under any circumstances. "The beast swarm in the sea is massive. A single misstep could make the situation entirely uncontrollable. Inform Commander-in-Chief Zhang to keep the Wang family under the closest surveillance. And if necessary, issue a Level 1 Beast Tide Alert immediately." After issuing her instructions, Ji Yuzhen made several more urgent calls in quick succession. When she finally set down her phone, her expression remained grim and dark. "Aunt, what happened?" Ice Fairy asked, walking into the cabin carrying a fruit platter. Seeing her aunt's reaction, she spoke up at once. She rarely saw Ji Yuzhen look so shaken; clearly, a grave crisis had unfolded. "Longevity Genetics has dispatched forces to the waters outside Shencheng to provoke the mutated beasts," Ji Yuzhen said. "Wang Zhenyun wants to shatter the balance between Shencheng and the oceanic beasts, inciting a beast tide to assault the city!" Though the intelligence she had received was sparse, a woman of Ji Yuzhen's caliber grasped Longevity Genetics' true intent in an instant. "Longevity Genetics? Has he lost his mind?" Ice Fairy's eyes widened in shock, fury flaring within them. Taking such an action was complete disregard for the lives of millions. Even though Shencheng's defensive perimeter had been established and was far sturdier than Chang'an's had been, the crucial problem was that mutated beasts of the ocean were far superior to land beasts in both numbers and raw strength. In fact, earlier surveillance by Beidou Biology had detected multiple formidable mutated beast kings among them—beings that must never be provoked. Once a beast tide formed and surged toward Shencheng, stopping it would be nearly impossible. It would be a cataclysmic disaster! The higher-ups had already been wracked with headaches trying to resolve the threat peacefully. For the Wang family to deliberately trigger a beast tide now was sheer insanity. "There is no use dwelling on that now," Ji Yuzhen said, shaking her head. "Rourou, call Mr. Lu." She knew perfectly well that the root cause driving Wang Zhenyun's madness was Lu Yuan. Everyone now knew that Lu Yuan had stepped into the Shackle Realm and possessed terrifying might. Coupled with the declaration he had made before leaving, the Wang family had undeniably felt the shadow of death closing in. Driven to desperation, they had abandoned all reason, resolving to drag everyone down with them. They were attempting to wield the mutated beasts as a deterrent, forcing both the higher-ups and Lu Yuan into a corner where they dared not strike, thereby preserving Longevity Genetics and the Wang family. Ji Yuzhen's intent was straightforward: she wanted Ice Fairy to apprise Lu Yuan of the situation, urging him to await word from high command before taking any action. Understanding her aunt's reasoning, Ice Fairy wasted no time and dialed the number. *** Meanwhile, high above the clouds. Seated cross-legged atop the Golden-Winged Great Peng as it soared toward Shencheng, Lu Yuan received the call from Ice Fairy. "Deliberately enraging the ocean beasts to trigger a beast tide?" Upon hearing the news, he narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze placid. Indeed, the depths of Longevity Genetics' madness exceeded expectations. To resort to threatening him with the lives of every citizen in Shencheng... their wickedness knew no bounds! Yet the more despicable their actions, the colder and heavier Lu Yuan's killing intent became. The Wang family could not be permitted to exist. "Mr. Lu, whatever happens, please wait for further word once you arrive in Shencheng," Ice Fairy urged over the line. "We have already notified the higher-ups. Troops will be assembled shortly. The oceanic beasts are vastly more numerous than those at Chang'an; this will be exceptionally difficult to handle." Both Ice Fairy and Ji Yuzhen knew Lu Yuan was remarkably strong, having attained the Shackle Realm, yet they remained unaware that he was the very King of Humanity from before. Thus, their advice was for him to hold back until further notice. After all, the fate of all Shencheng was at stake. With such a massive population, a beast tide would be an apocalyptic catastrophe, one that even high command dared not take lightly. In comparison, dealing with Longevity Genetics had become a secondary matter. The immediate priority was compelling the Wang family to stand down, or at least preventing them from being provoked into unleashing the beast tide. "Thank you for the warning. I have my own plans," Lu Yuan replied, and hung up. Mutated beasts of the sea were indeed more numerous and terrifying than those on land. But what of it? Longevity Genetics would be destroyed; no one could stop him. As for the repercussions that might follow, Lu Yuan was well aware. Yet he felt no concern, for he possessed the power to stop it all. Among the beasts of the sea, there were creatures blessed with human-like intellect, capable of weighing risk and reward. The only reason they had not dared to make a move before was their uncertainty regarding humanity's strength. As long as he demonstrated sufficient power to awe and intimidate them, the disaster would never come to pass. Longevity Genetics' gambit was undeniably mad—the desperate grasp of a drowning man at a final straw. Did they truly think they could have their way? "Increase your speed. Reach Shencheng as fast as possible," Lu Yuan commanded the Golden-Winged Great Peng beneath him. His voice was calm, yet the beast could keenly perceive the blazing fury within its master. Without hesitation, the Great Peng unleashed waves of formidable aura, hurtling toward Shencheng at maximum speed. *** Meanwhile, in Shencheng, a Level 1 Beast Tide Alert was sounded. Piercing sirens wailed across the entire metropolis. The Defense Army mobilized en masse, deploying from their garrisons toward the steel ramparts while sending contingents to evacuate the population to safer sectors. The local branch of Zhendan Academy mobilized its students to join the effort. With a beast tide threatening to erupt at any moment, every ounce of strength had to be concentrated. The civilians did not know precisely what had transpired, but thanks to prior drills and preparations for beast tides, the evacuation proceeded in an orderly fashion, far removed from the panic that had once gripped Qingyang City. The moment Commander-in-Chief Zhang of the Defense Army received the intelligence, he ordered the Longevity Genetics headquarters cordoned off. He sought an audience with Wang Zhenyun. The crisis had broken out too abruptly for adequate defensive preparations to be made in time, leaving him with no choice but to try to stabilize the man. Yet Commander-in-Chief Zhang was unequivocally turned away, denied so much as a face-to-face meeting. The Wang family had evidently set their hearts on this path. Soon after, a live video broadcast surfaced online. It featured Wang Zhenyun of Longevity Genetics, accompanied by his two madams and a host of senior Wang family executives. The message was stark and simple: the Wang family had already sent teams into the waters outside Shencheng and primed multiple missiles. Should Longevity Genetics be destroyed or Wang Zhenyun killed, the missiles would automatically detonate, provoking the beast horde into storming Shencheng. During the broadcast, he disclosed the scale of the gathering swarm: well over a hundred thousand beasts, including no small number of mutated beast kings. Once they breached Shencheng, the devastation would be apocalyptic. The live broadcast sent massive shockwaves across the internet. Following the battle in Shanghai, everyone knew Lu Yuan was likely on his way to wipe out the Wang family, and the entire nation had been watching closely. No one had anticipated that Longevity Genetics would stoop to using the lives of over a hundred million citizens as a shield. In an instant, condemnation erupted across the web, countless voices denouncing the Wang family for crossing all boundaries into utter madness. How could so many innocent lives be reduced to mere bargaining chips? Naturally, there were also voices urging caution, arguing that provoking the Wang family now would trigger a disaster no one could bear. Longevity Genetics had thoroughly cast itself as the enemy of all mankind. Yet they cared nothing for public sentiment; they made only one demand—for Lu Yuan to stop. After the broadcast aired, figures like Dean Zheng and Dean Liu viewed it with grim expressions. High command responded swiftly, mobilizing forces from surrounding regions. If an oceanic beast tide formed in full force, no conventional defense could withstand it. Certain high-ranking leaders even raised the question of deploying thermonuclear weapons, but the idea was rejected. The consensus held that the only viable solution was to stabilize the Wang family. Yet it was glaringly obvious that only one person possessed the power to resolve this crisis: Lu Yuan. The crux lay in what choice he would make. Virtually every gaze was fixed on when Lu Yuan would enter Shencheng. Some opportunists even launched live broadcasts covering the city's skies, eager to capture the first glimpse of his arrival. Time ticked away, second by second. The standoff between the Defense Army and Longevity Genetics dragged on. Many citizens had been moved to relatively safe shelters, though against a beast tide of that magnitude, safety was far from absolute. Despite exhausting every method to defuse the situation, the core dilemma remained unchanged: the beasts had long since gathered out at sea, and any reckless intervention would only complicate matters further. All they could do was wait. Finally, several days passed. Accompanied by the resonant cry of the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Lu Yuan appeared over Shencheng. His arrival was instantly detected by the major factions and captured by livestream lenses. Before the eyes of millions, Lu Yuan descended like a god of slaughter, leaping from the heavens to land squarely upon the rooftop of Longevity Genetics. At that very moment, everyone held their breath. Would he destroy the Wang family and Longevity Genetics today?