Qinggu City, the Zhao Family Estate.
Zhao Yuanyi normally woke up punctually at seven, but this morning, a six o'clock call from the warden of Pan Shi Prison had jolted him awake.
"Mr. Zhao, your son's autopsy report is in. Care to explain to me when he became a Pupa Stage life form?" The voice on the other end was seething with rage, as if to say, *I'm over here cleaning up your mess, Zhao Yuanyi, and you still had the gall to hide things from me?*
Zhao Lingxiao was a Mortal-level Life Form when he entered prison, yet the autopsy now revealed he had already completed his first evolution. There was clearly a major issue here.
Zhao Yuanyi was stunned silent for a good two or three minutes. His expression shifted from calm to grim, then back to calm. He took a deep breath and said, "I'll send someone to retrieve the body now."
"Don't bother. The commotion at the prison yesterday was so great it already alarmed Lord Mu. To avoid leaving any loose ends, I've had all the bodies cremated."
Zhao Yuanyi hadn't expected Pan Shi Prison to act so swiftly. The moment he realized the one who died in the prison was indeed his son, his first thought was to extract the Divine Grace of Evolution skill from Zhao Lingxiao's corpse. But with the body reduced to ash, extracting any Evolutionary Material was obviously impossible.
So, he immediately called Zhang Fantie. He suddenly remembered—that imposter also possessed the Divine Grace of Evolution skill!
In Zhao Yuanyi's mind, his son was already dead. Avenging Zhao Lingxiao was secondary; the most important thing was to get his hands on a divine skill like the Divine Grace of Evolution.
Zhao Yuanyi was only in his forties. He could always have another child to replace Zhao Lingxiao. As long as he had the Divine Grace of Evolution skill, cultivating another genius would be a simple matter.
However, Zhao Yuanyi also recalled that Su Ze, the clone, likely hadn't completed his first evolution yet. Evolutionary Material couldn't be extracted from an unevolved life form to create an extract. That's why he had instructed Zhang Fantie over the phone to capture him alive!
He would let Su Ze complete his first evolution, and only then would he kill him to create the extract.
Standing beside Zhang Fantie, Su Ze heard the entire conversation with Zhao Yuanyi.
In an instant, the color drained from Su Ze's face.
'It's over!'
'My cover is blown!'
'I'm a dead man!'
Su Ze acted instantly. He activated Rhino Charge, the second skill he had copied from Zhao Lingxiao. His speed surged, and he blurred into a white afterimage, covering more than ten meters in an instant.
Rhino Charge: Initiate a short-distance charge forward. During the charge, speed is greatly increased, defense is significantly boosted, and the user becomes difficult to hit.
The Rhino Charge skill came from a powerhouse among Tier 1 aberrant beasts, the Unihorn Rhinoceros. It was its signature skill—versatile enough for both offense and defense, an absolutely top-tier divine skill among its peers.
After all, there was a limit to what Tier 1 skills could do.
Of course, it was nothing compared to a bug-like skill such as the Divine Grace of Evolution.
The three skills Su Ze had copied from Zhao Lingxiao, aside from the Divine Grace of Evolution, were also top-tier Tier 1 skills. They had been custom-built with the power of money, after all; they wouldn't be anything less.
Divine Grace of Evolution, Rhino Charge, and one more skill called Ant Power—the signature skill of the so-called strongman of Tier 1 aberrant beasts, the Giant Power Ant.
Ant Power: Gain a 2x power burst for 1 second (duration and power amplification depend on the user's physical constitution).
It was safe to say Su Ze's skill set was absolutely luxurious. However, against a Butterfly Stage expert like Zhang Fantie, it was utterly useless. A few skills couldn't possibly bridge such an absolute gap in levels.
Butterfly Stage experts were a rare sight in the entire Mu Country. If Zhang Fantie were willing to join the Mu Country's military, he could easily land a position as a General.
Su Ze knew his chances of escape were slim, but he wasn't willing to give up without trying. After using Rhino Charge to create distance between himself and Zhang Fantie, he made a beeline for a taxi on the side of the road.
Zhang Fantie's mind was still reeling, trying to sort through the situation. He was still holding his phone, instinctively hesitating over the orders from Zhao Yuanyi.
But seeing Su Ze flee, he snapped back to reality. He shot forward in a single bound, overtaking Su Ze and blocking his path.
Su Ze screeched to a halt and, in a moment of desperation, yelled, "He's attacking me! Help!"
While this wasn't a bustling downtown area, they were right in front of a five-star hotel with a fair number of people coming and going. Su Ze's shouts attracted a lot of attention, and two hotel security guards started running toward him.
Zhang Fantie's expression flickered. Being surrounded by a crowd would be problematic. He grabbed Su Ze, pulled open the rear door of the taxi behind him, and shoved Su Ze inside.
Just as Zhang Fantie was about to get into the car himself, three black figures shot out from the crowd like lightning. The fastest was an old man with a pallid, grey face—the same one who had been clinging to the hotel window last night.
The moment the three men in black appeared, a nauseating stench filled the street, causing many passersby to retch uncontrollably.
Seeing the three men, a glint of joy flashed in Su Ze's eyes. The more chaotic the situation, the better his chances.
Zhang Fantie's face darkened as he barked at the driver, "Go! Now!"
The driver hesitated, unable to make sense of the complicated situation and unsure whether he should drive.
The driver's delay was all the opening the three men in black needed. They closed in, and the foul-smelling old man lunged, his hands like iron hooks, grabbing for Zhang Fantie.
Zhang Fantie raised his fists to meet the attack, the impact ringing out with a metallic CLANG. The old man's hands were like a pair of pincers, clamping down on Zhang Fantie's fists and refusing to let go as he tried to drag him out of the car.
The other two men in black seized the opportunity, flanking him from the left and right and striking straight at his sides.
Zhang Fantie's skin hardened, as if covered by a tough carapace. He ignored the attacks from the other two men and focused all his strength on wrestling with the old man. Among the three, only the stinking elder was a Butterfly Stage master on his level. The other two were merely at the Cocoon Stage and posed little threat to him.
Zhang Fantie wanted to break free from the old man's grip, force the three back, and escape in the taxi. Naturally, the three men in black had no intention of letting him go. The two sides were now locked in a pure contest of strength.
Sitting in the back seat, Su Ze watched Zhang Fantie, whose back was turned to him just outside the car door. A bold idea popped into his head.
'Ant Power!'
At his thought, the Ant Power Skill activated. A surging wave of power welled up from every cell in his body, and his muscles felt as if they had swelled by a size.
His heart hammered, his blood raced, his pupils dilated, and his breathing grew heavy.
Excitement, exhilaration!
An unparalleled sense of power followed, as if he could hold up the sky if it were to fall.
"Take this!"
Su Ze roared, lifted his leg, and with a burst of double his normal strength, kicked Zhang Fantie square in the ass.
Zhang Fantie, currently locked in a struggle with the stinking old man, never expected a kick from behind. Or rather, it had never crossed his mind that Su Ze would dare to launch such a sneak attack. However, that one kick was the last straw, shattering the balance of power between him and the old man.
Zhang Fantie staggered forward a few steps.