After a pause, Ling Shuyan watched the second batch of Tier Two Awakeners head into the operating room for their genetic implantation, then continued.
"Then... what do you think is a fair price?"
Lin Feng’s smile was chilling as he slowly raised his hand.
Ling Shuyan stared, then asked in a low, incredulous voice:
"Five... five?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"Five Tier Two Zerg Eggs for one miniature nuclear warhead. Not one more, not one less. A perfectly fair trade."
"That’s my bottom line. If you think that’s not enough, feel free to bring more Nuclear Bombs. I’ll take as many as you’ve got."
Seeing the distress on Ling Shuyan’s face, the corners of Lin Feng’s mouth curved up slightly as he slowly began to speak.
"You’d better think this through. Once I let it be known that I have Tier Two Zerg Eggs, I’m sure the higher-ups in the major safe zones would be willing to pay a much steeper price for even a single one."
"A Tier Two Awakener’s Physique is nothing like a Tier One’s. Every single one of them is practically a mini-Superman. They might not be enough to handle the Tier Two Zerg Race, but suppressing regular Awakeners? With the right equipment, it would be effortless for them!"
At this, Lin Feng’s voice dropped, like a devil’s whisper.
"Your plan with Qin Hu is far too obvious. Those old fossils in charge won’t let him run wild."
"A city of monsters filled with nothing but Genetic Warriors... what reason would there be to defend it? The Federal Capital must be held because it is a symbol of humanity’s last hope."
"What Qin Hu is doing is tantamount to drinking poison to quench his thirst."
At his words, Ling Shuyan’s face went pale. A chill ran down her spine. It felt as if the air had been sucked from her lungs, and a suffocating tightness seized her chest, overwhelming her ability to think clearly.
Lin Feng glanced at the next group of people waiting for the procedure, his expression blank as he continued.
"The only reason I’m still willing to cooperate is because of that ’Human Gene Complementation Plan’ you mentioned. The Supermen it creates are, at the very least, still Pure-blooded Humans."
"They aren’t hopeless Genetic Warriors."
"You might not fully understand what I’m saying right now. But once the Superman Plan is underway, the Tier Three Awakeners will give you your answer."
With that, Lin Feng slowly raised his hand again.
"Five. Out of consideration for humanity’s future, that is my absolute final offer."
"If five won’t work, then you can find someone else. I’ll just go cooperate with the Federation’s top brass. I imagine that after seeing what Genetic Warriors can do, they’ll be even more desperate to enhance their own Power."
Hearing this, Ling Shuyan realized that if this deal fell through, it wouldn’t just affect the Biological Research Institute’s Superman Plan, but her own genetic modification project as well.
Her collaboration with Qin Hu was aimed at using their overwhelming military superiority after the battle for the Capital to seize power from the current leadership. Then, they would rally the nation’s strength to launch a counteroffensive against the Zerg Race.
But if she let Lin Feng go now, allowing him to make a deal with the Federation’s leadership, that power gap would close very quickly.
With this in mind, Ling Shuyan ignored the bottom line of ten eggs the Biological Research Institute had authorized and agreed through gritted teeth.
"Fine! Five it is!"
"I’ll notify the Biological Research Institute. The miniature nuclear warhead will be delivered by the day after tomorrow at the latest. I trust that Mr. Lin will deliver the promised Tier Two Zerg Eggs here by then as well."
Lin Feng nodded, a faint smile on his face.
"Don’t worry, my inventory is well-stocked. I’m not short a dozen or so eggs. If you have more Nuclear Bombs, you’re welcome to trade them all. I’m open to all offers."
"I don’t know why the Biological Research Institute has nuclear warheads, but let me give you a piece of advice: true Power is something that can be used as a deterrent."
"In your hands, those warheads are just a hot potato. It’s far more important to quickly turn them into High-tier Superhumans with multiple Superpowers!"
Having said his piece, Lin Feng slumped back onto the bench, closed his eyes, and fell silent.
As for Ling Shuyan, after hearing these "heartfelt words," the bitter look on her face quickly softened.
’Lin Feng had already been so considerate as to come up with her excuse for her.’
’As for the origin of the Nuclear Bombs, they had naturally been allocated for Qin Hu and his Genetic Warriors.’
’The leadership had originally intended to use them for long-range strikes to suppress the Zerg Race invasion. But when they learned of the subterranean nuclear decapitation strike proposed by the Biological Research Institute and Qin Hu, they had readily agreed.’
’After all, it was a plan to kill two birds with one stone—it would eliminate the Mother Empress and solve the problem of the Genetic Warriors at the same time. What reason was there to refuse...?’
Now, inside the Jin City Research Institute, having formulated her report, Ling Shuyan pushed up her glasses.
"Please get some rest, Mr. Lin. If you need anything at all, just let the staff outside know, and they’ll arrange it for you."
"I need to report back to the Biological Research Institute, so I’ll have to be away for a little while. Please excuse me."
Lin Feng waved a dismissive hand, not even bothering to open his eyes.
After the tall woman from the North had gone...
Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ling Yi, who was staring at him with a slight smile.
The woman’s face was cold as ice as she spoke in a low voice:
"The Human Gene Complementation Plan..."
"You people... are playing with fire..."