462: Genetic monster

Lin Diao and Ran Quan boarded the hover transport vehicle and immediately set off.

Ran Quan put on the gear directly inside the vehicle; although he didn't really need it, it was still good to wear it for uniformity and for a little extra protection.

This time, the team was massive.

A total of five Scavenger Squads were dispatched together.

The current strength of the Scavenger Squads, due to technological advancements, and with the enhancement of higher Gene Serums, implants, and stronger weapons and equipment, has increased dozens of times compared to before!

They were heading to The Ground.

They reached The Ground through an underground passage, where the "exit" was located. The entrance and exit have now been built to be very futuristic, surrounded by parking lots, various buildings, and related facilities.

And flying out along the road, one could see buildings, gardens, and so on, already erected in the distance. It was clear that the Ground World had been built up quite well, and many people had already immigrated to live on The Ground.

Their destination was outside the city.

"Outside Highway 453, east side of Ruin Site 1633," Lin Diao said, tapping on the holographic projection, listing locations.

Hearing Lin Diao's words, the driver began to adjust the flight destination.

The other hover transport vehicles naturally followed.

Soon, they arrived at their destination.

The hover transport vehicle landed on The Ground.

Lin Diao and Ran Quan got out of the vehicle, and the five Scavenger Squads were already in position.

Each Scavenger Squad had its own captain, and Lin Diao was the overall commander. As for Ran Quan, he was merely an "assistant" enforcer.

Of course, if Ran Quan wanted to, the position of overall commander would be his, but he didn't care about it and didn't want to deal with planning or commanding.

Moreover, in such combat, he was just an "amateur," and so was Lin Diao. If a real fight broke out, it would be up to the captains of each Scavenger Squad to "command their own operations."

Next was to search for traces of the Gene Collapse Monster.

The squads, operating as units, dispersed to search.

"Lin Diao, what exactly is that Gene Collapse Monster? I heard that during the previous riot, it was already suppressed, and most of the Gene Collapse Monsters were cleared out," Ran Quan asked Lin Diao as they walked.

The actual work was left to the subordinates; the two of them just strolled around.

Ran Quan hadn't paid much attention to this matter, only glancing at the reports. Seeing that the situation was under control and the higher-ups hadn't contacted him, he didn't dwell on it.

What he was concerned about now was the nature of that "unknown invader."

"That's what the public reports said. Didn't you get an internal understanding? I thought you knew," Lin Diao looked at Ran Quan with some confusion.

"No, you know how I am," Ran Quan said with a smile, "The matters I handle aren't just in our world!"

As the "Chief Responsible Person of the Celestial Realms," Ran Quan had a say.

"That's true!" Lin Diao indeed felt that Ran Quan was quite busy on weekdays and was often not in "this world."

As his wife, Lin Diao understood things more than the higher-ups.

"Let me give you a brief overview... The external reports at the time indeed stated that most of the Gene Collapse Monsters had been cleared, and many Gene Collapse Monsters didn't live long. Basically, within half an hour to three hours, they would self-disintegrate due to gene collapse, becoming an indescribable goo," Lin Diao said with a shrug, "That's why, even though they were very strong and terrifying, they were still dealt with quickly.

However, there were quite a few exceptions, which is to say, under unknown circumstances, some Gene Collapse Monsters did not completely collapse but formed a special stable state, thus surviving.

And these stable Gene Collapse Monsters are incredibly powerful! Moreover, they seem to possess a certain level of sentience, which is a very troublesome aspect. They also have special abilities, similar to human superpowers, but theirs are more terrifying, even more diverse, and the number is not necessarily just one.

We have a new term for these: Gene Collapse Monster Stabilizers.

Not only that, there is another type of Gene Collapse Monster, which we call Gene Collapse Monster Transients."

At this point, a hint of excitement appeared in Lin Diao's eyes: "This kind of organism, one could say, is a new path of evolution under collapse!

It has successfully opened up a new evolutionary path! The collapsing genes have instead become an inevitable part of evolution... If we could capture one such organism... and study it thoroughly, perhaps our gene technology would achieve a qualitative leap!"

When it came to research, Lin Diao's eyes gleamed with extreme excitement, even a touch of fanaticism.

Ran Quan smiled: "This is a good thing!"

If gene technology could make a major breakthrough, it would naturally be a good thing for him too.

Firstly, the world would become stronger, leading to more source points, and the changes would bring a significant amount of source points at once.

Secondly, if Gene Serums continued to improve, he would be able to sell more in his shop. Not only that, his shop would be equivalent to a "stable system," a gene system that could be followed all the way through.

Compared to cultivation, the gene system is naturally faster and more convenient... and grants superpowers.

As for the issue of strength, that depends on the individual themselves.

Between various systems, there is no absolute strength or weakness.

Moreover, since they can join the Cross-World Group, Ran Quan believes that everyone is "blessed" and "unique."

"This is indeed a good thing, but the premise is that we have to find a Gene Collapse Monster Transient," Lin Diao said with a shrug, "To date, we've found traces of them, but we've never been able to catch them, or even have a chance to fight them and collect blood or skin samples."

"That does sound a bit hard to catch!" Ran Quan nodded, "Are Transients more intelligent than Stabilizers?"

"That's right! That's also why they're so hard to catch. Plus, they have more and stronger superpowers! Their sixth sense is also very strong, allowing them to detect danger in advance," Lin Diao nodded.

"Hmm..." Ran Quan nodded, "Are we looking for a Transient this time?"

"No, it's a Stabilizer. The Transients have disappeared, and we have no clues at all. They're too good at hiding," Lin Diao shook her head slightly, "However, if possible, it would be best if Transients could communicate. Based on estimates, Transients have the potential for communication, but they might just be 'newborn' now. After a certain period, they should be able to communicate.

If that happens, cooperating with them would be the best scenario. Peaceful coexistence, they would just need to provide a little blood or something for our research."

"That's a good idea," Ran Quan shrugged, "But we'll talk about that later! Hmm... They should still be carbon-based life forms, right?"