"Your Superpower seems to be quite rare as well," Ling Shuyan said coolly, meeting Ling Yi’s gaze without a hint of fear.
The Tier Two Awakener’s aura she radiated wasn’t particularly strong, so Ling Shuyan, at Tier One Peak, was completely unaffected.
Ling Yi hadn’t channeled her full Spiritual Power because there were too many Genetic Warriors nearby.
Some of the more perceptive individuals might notice that the aura she was emitting was unusual.
As the human avatar of the Mother Empress, Ling Yi actually had a higher concentration of Zerg genes in her body. If her true identity were exposed, it could easily cause unnecessary trouble.
She had wanted to probe Ling Shuyan for information about her Superpower, but Ling Shuyan’s counter-question had thrown her off.
Ling Yi smiled and quickly responded:
"My strengths lie in the spiritual domain. I’ve Awakened a control-type ability. I can not only control members of the Zerg Race with low Spiritual Power, but I can also control Awakeners with a lower Level than me..."
Seeing the slight change in Ling Shuyan’s expression, Ling Yi’s smile widened as she continued reassuringly,
"But please rest assured, Director Ling. My Superpower can’t affect Tier One Awakeners who have reached the Late Stage—their Spiritual Attribute is too strong."
Ling Shuyan breathed a quiet sigh of relief but remained vigilant. Pointing a finger to her temple, she explained,
"The Superpower I’ve Awakened is my brain—a further evolution of the brain itself."
"But other than letting me think a little faster and conduct basic research behind the lines, I don’t have much combat ability."
"As for you, while a Spiritual Control Superpower is rare, Federation statistics show quite a few similar cases. If you want to strengthen this ability and compensate for your physical weaknesses, you might consider undergoing genetic modification."
"Coincidentally, we’ve recently analyzed the sequence of the female Genetic Primordial, allowing us to cultivate Genetic Glands that are more suitable for women."
"Miss Lin, won’t you consider it?"
Ling Yi shook her head.
"That won’t be necessary. If it’s something Lin Feng hasn’t considered, then I have no need for it either."
"In the future, the drawbacks of becoming a Genetic Warrior will definitely outweigh the benefits. Perhaps your Superman Plan is more worthy of in-depth research."
"By the way, based on my observations this morning..."
"Although the surgical survival rate for Tier Two Awakeners is very high, I must remind you that with such a crude implantation process, if widespread aberrations occur, the Damage to the Awakener will be significant."
"Next time, remember to use instruments to monitor the surgical site in real-time."
"This will help you avoid any deterioration that can’t be dealt with in a timely manner."
Ling Shuyan stopped in her tracks. Her gaze was dark as she stared intently at Ling Yi, who had turned and was now walking toward the surgical laboratory building.
Meanwhile, after leaving Old Mountain Nature Park, Lin Feng, who was driving a jeep by himself, contacted Han Yuxin.
A short while later, several SUVs rendezvoused in the dilapidated, desolate downtown of Jin City.
After two months of exposure to the elements, the once-bustling streets were now a scene of devastation, covered in dust and cobwebs. The sound of a car horn echoing through the empty steel jungle gave one the eerie feeling of being in an abandoned Ghost City.
With no one to tend them, the plants in the median strips grew wild, creeping onto the road and blotting out the sun from above.
Moss grew in damp corners, gradually covering tires and hubcaps before eventually swallowing everything.
The once-crowded city center was now only frequented by a ten-person patrol team that made its rounds once a day.
Lin Feng followed the lead car, observing the Jiangnan Prefecture—an ancient capital with a thousand years of history that he had only visited a few times.
If the frontline battles in Hai City and Wu City had shown him the brutal reality of war, then this desolate, silent, once-prosperous metropolis truly made Lin Feng understand the meaning of the apocalypse.
Only two months had passed, yet it felt like a millennium.
"There are too few people. We’ve been organizing teams recently to scavenge for supplies in these office buildings and shopping malls."
Han Yuxin, holding Lin Feng’s Electromagnetic Cannon as she sat in the jeep’s passenger seat, said,
"Most of the useful things inside, like food, were looted clean at the start of the apocalypse. But our operation is much bigger now, so there’s bound to be something we can use."
Lin Feng nodded. He remembered this commercial district being particularly prosperous. The mall buildings at the Xin Street intersection, in particular, had been filled with luxury goods.
Not that any of it was particularly useful now.
A synthetic leather bag worth a fortune was useless compared to a cheap one made of real cowhide. At least you could eat the latter in a pinch if you were starving.
"Remember to collect winter clothing and bedding. It’s still summer, but this winter is bound to be exceptionally cold. We need to prepare early."
"And grab any remaining equipment from University City. Take everything you can carry. It’ll be impossible to find later."
As the Jiangnan Prefecture, Jin City was home to top-tier universities, with research capabilities second only to the Federal Capital in the North.
This, too, was an intangible treasure.
"Right, I’ll pass on the orders."
Han Yuxin nodded in agreement. She saw a sign at an intersection indicating a subway station below, which reminded her of something that had happened while they were clearing the city. She began to speak slowly,
"When the apocalypse first began, many people heard the air-raid sirens and thought a world war had broken out. They ran into the subway tunnels to escape the nuclear blasts..."
"Those people had it the worst. The gates were sealed shut by an emergency power outage, leaving them with no way to escape. With food and water growing scarce, severe infighting quickly broke out, and they started attacking each other."
"By the time we opened the gates from the outside, the scene inside was tragic, like something out of Hell."