16: showdown

September 1, 99784, Star Calendar, Aptitude Census Day.

For the Chen Jun Family living in the residential area of the Star Rail Headquarters, this day seemed to have nothing to do with them.

Chen Xi and Chen Yao were already treasures of the Star Rail Group; their Aptitude did not need to be tested again.

As for the youngest daughter, Chen Lu, according to the Human Federation regulations, she had just turned five this year and was supposed to undergo the census.

However, Qin Qingxuan's arrangements were already in place.

Using the excuse of the "Special Care Procedure for Family Members of Geniuses within Headquarters," she conducted a separate test for Chen Lu.

The process was quiet and efficient, conducted in a testing room with a higher security clearance, and the results were sent directly to Qin Qingxuan's private optical computer.

Although she had already known the answer through secret testing, seeing the official confirmation of "Innate Martial Body" on the report, Qin Qingxuan took a deep breath, her fingertips still feeling slightly cold.

Three!

Three in a row!

This had completely surpassed the scope of probability theory and entered the realm of "miracles" or, in other words, "absolute anomalies."

She sat in a large office chair, with a vast star map behind her.

She did not react immediately but sat quietly for a long time, her gaze deep.

A few days later, Chen Jun and Lin Wei were "invited" to Qin Qingxuan's office.

This was not their first time meeting Qin Qingxuan, but every time they saw this person in charge of Zhiyuan Star for the Star Rail Group, they felt an invisible sense of oppression and... a peerless demeanor that made one feel inferior.

Today, Qin Qingxuan was wearing a perfectly tailored silver-blue commander's uniform, which both highlighted her exquisite figure and made her look heroically imposing.

She did not deliberately exude pressure, but those eyes, which seemed to contain the flow of stars, could make people feel awe with just a faint glance, while also making them unable to help but be captivated by her.

Her beauty was not just in her appearance, but a unique aura that blended power, wisdom, status, and absolute self-confidence.

"Mr. Chen, Ms. Lin, please sit."

Her voice was cold and melodious, like ice springs dripping onto a jade plate.

Chen Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he pulled a somewhat nervous and uneasy Lin Wei to sit down.

Qin Qingxuan did not beat around the bush. She waved her hand gently, and three electronic files floated in the air—the official Aptitude reports of Chen Xi, Chen Yao, and Chen Lu. The striking "Innate Martial Body" on them made Chen Jun's eyes ache.

"Mr. Chen,"

Qin Qingxuan's gaze fell calmly on Chen Jun, a gaze that seemed to pierce through all disguises, "I think we need to have a frank and honest discussion."

Lin Wei looked at her three daughters' reports; her face first showed pride, but then, sensing that the atmosphere was wrong, she became somewhat uneasy.

Chen Jun's throat went dry, and he forced himself to stay calm: "General Manager Qin... I don't understand what you mean."

Qin Qingxuan leaned forward slightly, and an invisible aura spread out. It was not aggressive, yet it carried a rational force that made it impossible to refute.

"Mr. Chen, you are a smart man. Let's do some math and speak with the most rational data."

Her voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear.

"The Human Federation possesses over a thousand life planets, with a total population of about 120 trillion. Our Zhiyuan Star is considered a slightly above-average planet, with a population of about 800 billion."

"Universe energy affinity, from Rank F to Rank SSS, is not evenly distributed. A rough estimate: Rank F to Rank E accounts for about 70%, Rank D to Rank C for about 25%, Rank B to Rank A for about 4.999%, Rank S for about 0.0009%, Rank SS for about 0.00009%, and Rank SSS, one in a million, for about 0.000001%."

"And the 'Innate Martial Body,' its birth probability, according to the estimates of the Human Federation's top biostatisticians, is a miracle that can only potentially occur when both parents have Rank S or even higher Aptitude. This probability is approximately—"

She paused and said, word by word: "One in a hundred million."

This number made Lin Wei gasp. Although she did not understand the specific concept, she knew this was an extremely small probability.

"Note, this is one case that might appear among one hundred million 'top Genius families'!"

Qin Qingxuan emphasized, "And if it is a combination of two ordinary people with Rank F affinity, this probability needs to be multiplied by a coefficient so low that it is desperate, so low that any statistician would consider it absolutely zero!"

Her gaze swept across the three reports again and then locked tightly onto Chen Jun: "Now, Mr. Chen, please tell me. On a planet with a population of 800 billion, a pair of parents with Rank F energy affinity give birth to three daughters in a row."

"The first is an Innate Martial Body. We can call it a miracle of the Universe, a favor of fate."

"The second is also an Innate Martial Body. We can call it... a miracle within a miracle."

"The third,"

Her voice suddenly deepened,

"is still an Innate Martial Body!"

"May I ask, how can this be explained by probability? This is no longer a miracle; this is a complete subversion of existing Universe Laws and knowledge of biological genetics!"

Chen Jun's face was pale, his palms were covered in cold sweat, and he could not say a word.

He knew this day would come sooner or later, but he did not expect it to come so directly and with such impact.

Lin Wei was completely stunned. She looked at her husband's pale face, then at Qin Qingxuan's sharp, knife-like gaze, and was so scared that she grabbed Chen Jun's arm tightly.

Qin Qingxuan leaned back into her chair, her tone slowing down, but becoming more solemn:

"Mr. Chen, I am not trying to use power to oppress you, nor is this out of personal curiosity or greed. I invited you to the Headquarters, concealed Chen Lu's Aptitude, and have not used force until now; you should be able to feel my sincerity and... restraint."

She stood up and walked to the huge starry window, looking at the boundless Universe outside.

"My surname is Qin, the Qin of the Star Rail Group's chairman. My stationing at Zhiyuan Star is just Family training. The level of information I have access to is far beyond what you can imagine,"

Her back was slender, yet it seemed to bear a huge weight.

"I know what kind of terrifying enemy our Human Federation is facing—the Tristan Empire. I know the Empire's territory is vast, and their war potential is stronger than ours! I know how many brave warriors have turned into stardust in the wars of the past ten thousand years, and how many resource planets have been reduced to ruins in the tug-of-war!"

She turned around abruptly, her eyes shining with a fiery and lofty light; it was a deep concern for the survival of civilization that transcended personal interests.

"The Federation needs experts! It needs more Planetary Level and Stellar Level experts! It needs wise men who can drive technological leaps and create strategic deterrence even more! And an Innate Martial Body means at least one future Peak war god, and with a very high probability, a Planet-level Expert! If a Planet-level Expert devotes themselves to scientific research, with their ten-thousand-year lifespan, what kind of huge boost could they bring to our civilization?"

"And you, Mr. Chen!"

Her gaze burned as she looked at Chen Jun again,

"What you possess might be a... key that allows our Federation to produce Innate Martial Bodies in batches, or at least greatly increase the probability of top-tier Aptitude being born!"

"This is not a personal matter of yours; this concerns the future of our entire human civilization! It concerns whether we can survive under the threat of the Tristan Empire, and whether we can allow our descendants to no longer live under the shadow of war!"

Her voice was full of infectious power, carrying a sense of mission that could not be questioned.

"Now, Mr. Chen,"

She walked to Chen Jun, looking down at him. Her tone returned to calm, but it carried the weight of an ultimatum,

"I have shown you my chips—the reports of your three daughters, as well as my patience and bottom line. I need an answer. How exactly did you do it? What is that secret?"

The office was dead silent, leaving only Lin Wei's uncontrollable, slight sobbing and Chen Jun's heavy breathing.

The immense pressure poured down on Chen Jun like a sea of stars.