21: Deadly ambush! Breakthrough to the second stage in the heat of battle!

After Qin Lang finished paying respects to his parents, he got into an autonomous maglev ride-hailing car at the entrance of the Heroes Memorial Cemetery.

The car body steadily levitated and merged into the city's aerial track.

"Sir, I'm sorry."

The intelligent System suddenly switched to manual mode, and an apologetic middle-aged male voice came from the car's speakers.

"It seems there was an accident on North City Avenue, and traffic control has been temporarily implemented. I'll have to take a detour for you."

Qin Lang, holding the pure white Ragdoll cat in his arms, merely gave a faint "Mm" in response.

The driver seemed to be a talkative person, and once he found a topic, he began to chatter endlessly.

"You wouldn't believe it, they say it was an energy car explosion, but actually, I heard from internal sources that the Shadow Demon Clan is behind an assassination!"

"They specifically target our human Geniuses!"

Shadow Demon Clan.

Qin Lang's fingers, stroking the soft fur of the kitten, paused slightly.

"But don't be scared."

The driver brother comforted him.

"Those scoundrels from the Shadow Demon Clan have high standards; the ones they want to kill are top Geniuses who have undergone Mythical Gene Awakening, it has nothing to do with us ordinary folks."

Qin Lang did not speak.

He happened to be one of those top Geniuses.

"Sigh, it's a tough world out there."

The driver brother changed the subject and began to pour out his grievances.

"We ordinary people without talent, working from dawn to dusk, earn less in a month than what those Young Master and Young Miss Geniuses spend on a single meal."

"Life is truly becoming more and more hopeless."

Qin Lang listened quietly, not interrupting.

He swiped open his personal terminal, and the news push about the North City Avenue incident popped up on the screen.

In a live video, thick smoke billowed, several maglev cars were burned down to black skeletons, the ground was a mess, and fragments of energy shields were visible everywhere.

He clicked on the comment section and quickly found the information he wanted.

"Latest news! The Shadow Demon Clan's target this time is the Genius of Azure Sky Academy, Lei Zhen!"

"I heard they detonated an entire truck transporting high-purity bio-energy blocks just to create chaos, but unfortunately, Lei Zhen still managed to escape."

Lei Zhen.

Qin Lang's brows furrowed slightly.

He couldn't help but worry about Shangguan Xue, who was far away at home in Tiandu.

Just then!

"Boom—!"

A dull thud came from under the car!

The entire taxi shook violently, then swayed erratically, stopping crookedly in mid-air.

"What's going on?!"

The driver brother exclaimed, quickly getting out to check.

A moment later, he walked back, cursing, his face full of bad luck.

"Damn it! I don't know which scumbag scattered 'Armor-Piercing Nails' on the road!"

"Both anti-gravity engines were blown out!"

He looked at Qin Lang apologetically.

"Little brother, I'm really sorry, it seems I'll have to trouble you to get off here and call another car."

Qin Lang understood the driver's predicament and did not ask for a refund of the fare.

He carried the kitten in his arms and opened the car door.

However, the moment his feet touched the ground!

"Meow—!"

The kitten, which had been dozing in his arms, suddenly bristled without warning!

It arched its back, a threatening growl rumbling in its throat, its beautiful blue eyes fixed intently on a certain direction!

A fatal sense of crisis, like a cold tide, instantly engulfed Qin Lang!

He instinctively jerked his head to the side!

"Whoosh—!"

A specialized crossbow bolt, completely black and sharply angled, flew past, almost grazing his cheek!

The fierce wind left a faint scratch on his skin, stinging painfully.

Ambush!

These two words flashed through Qin Lang's mind instantly!

This was a deadly ambush meticulously planned for him!

"Quick! Call the police!"

Qin Lang made a decisive decision, roaring at the driver, who was already scared stiff beside the car.

"Tell them that a Genius who has undergone Mythical Gene Awakening has been ambushed here!"

Before his words finished, he held the kitten in his arms, and the energy within his body surged!

"Myriad Shadow Traces!"

His figure suddenly blurred, turning into an afterimage, and he frantically ran towards the distance!

As expected!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several more black crossbow bolts, like deadly vipers, came from all directions, blocking all possible escape routes!

The ambush site was open terrain, with almost no obstacles to provide cover.

This was clearly a sniping ground deliberately chosen for him by the enemy!

Qin Lang pushed his movement technique to the extreme, his figure constantly shifting amidst the dense rain of arrows, like a leaf in a gale, narrowly dodging the fatal attacks.

He recognized the weapon used by the opponent.

"Hunter's Martial Crossbow!"

Its power was immense; each arrow was enough to easily pierce through the energy shield of a Third Stage Gene Warrior, or even light armor!

"Bang!"

He finally found a half-human-tall boulder to use as cover and hid behind it.

He immediately pulled out his personal terminal, but found that the signal had already been completely blocked.

Qin Lang's heart sank.

The Shadow Demon Clan, as natural assassins, acted mysteriously and unpredictably, aiming for a single fatal blow, and would never make such a big show of it.

The attacker this time was likely someone else!

"Bang! Bang!"

Black crossbow bolts continuously struck the boulder, emitting dull thuds.

The force contained in the arrows grew stronger and stronger, and spiderweb-like cracks began to appear on the boulder's surface.

The attackers were rapidly closing in on him!

Qin Lang could feel that the boulder in front of him was about to be completely shot through!

He took a deep breath, his muscles tensed, preparing to fight his way out!

However, at this critical juncture!

A cold, mechanical female voice unexpectedly sounded in his mind!

[Ding!]

[Detected bound target 'Shangguan Xue' has successfully broken through to Gene Warrior Second Stage!]

[System return mechanism triggered...]

[Congratulations, host, you have received a thirty-fold super return reward!]

Boom—!

An unprecedented, extremely pure and majesticHeat flow, as expected, instantly surged into his limbs and bones!

This sudden Breakthrough, for Qin Lang in his desperate situation, was simply perfect!

It came at the most opportune moment!

ThatHeat flow rapidly completed a grand circulation within his eight wide, river-like gene circuits, ultimately transforming into an incredibly vast amount of primordial gene energy!

These primordial energies, with irresistible force, broke through the barrier deep within his Dantian in one fell swoop!

"Buzz—!"

An "energy core" dozens of times larger than that of an ordinary Gene Warrior rapidly condensed and took shape!

Qin Lang officially entered the Gene Warrior Second Stage—Core Condensation Realm!

And this was just the beginning!

The remainingHeat flow continued to transform into vast primordial energy, surging madly into the newly formed energy core!

Compress!

Expand!

And compress again!

His cultivation, within just a few breaths, steadily entered the second layer of Core Condensation!