As the whistle blew, Yang Bo's face tightened in alarm. The image painted in his mind by the whistle's Sound Waves revealed that the Wu Bin who had just been speaking to him wasn't there at all. Yet, he sensed an unsettling anomaly in that area.
Meanwhile, the area around the fish pond felt like a black hole—a massive patch of absolute nothingness.
Yang Bo felt his legs trembling, but it wasn't out of fear. Instead, it was excitement, much like the uncontrollable shaking he used to get after a fight.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Bo drew his tool—a shovel—and approached the fish pond step by step.
The fish pond wasn't large, spanning perhaps only three to five square meters. Inside, there was a rockery covered with moss and ferns. Below the surface, seaweed swayed alongside a dozen or so little goldfish.
BAM!
Just as he neared the edge, Yang Bo swung his shovel and smashed it into the pond. Without waiting to see the result, he bolted straight for the courtyard gate. Right or wrong, running came first.
In the moment he dashed out of the gate, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. The shovel had plunged directly into the water with a massive SPLASH. A terrifying, pitch-black fish emerged from the pond. It unhinged its massive jaws and spat a stream of water right at Yang Bo.
Seeing the monstrous black fish in the pond, Yang Bo knew things had gone south. He immediately tucked and rolled, tumbling out of the courtyard in an instant.
Disguise +4!
A message popped into his mind, making Yang Bo freeze for a second.
Then, he resumed his sprint, running a dozen meters past the gate before ducking behind a large rock. Panting heavily, he peeked back into the courtyard.
What he saw left him stunned. Wu Bin was holding a Short Sword, standing before the large black fish. It had an enormous head but completely lacked a belly or waist, tapering straight into a fish tail. The Short Sword in Wu Bin's hand was firmly pinned into the creature's head.
"Yang Bo, come on in," Wu Bin called out when he saw Yang Bo poke his head out from behind the rock. He wiped a bead of sweat from his own brow. If Yang Bo had met his end here today, he would have become a laughingstock.
"Brother Wu, is that really you?" Yang Bo asked, still too hesitant to enter. He feared this Wu Bin might be a fake.
"It's me. This was my mistake. Come inside," Wu Bin replied.
Hearing this, Yang Bo continued to shout, "Brother Wu, what did we do yesterday?"
"We went to help someone clean their garden."
"What did we eat for lunch..."
Only after Wu Bin answered all his questions did Yang Bo finally step out, his legs still trembling.
"I'm sorry, I really messed up this time," Wu Bin said apologetically, noting Yang Bo's state and sensing his racing heartbeat.
"Brother Wu, what is going on? My mind feels like a jumbled mess." Yang Bo stared at the fish. Its head was nearly half a meter in diameter, yet its body was only a little over a meter long, giving it a highly deformed appearance.
"Take out the bag first. Once we clean this up, I'll explain everything in detail," Wu Bin said.
Yang Bo picked up the bag they had received earlier. Wu Bin tossed the hideous fish inside and then scrubbed away the dark red bloodstains from the ground.
He threw his own gloves, along with the shovel Yang Bo had thrown, into the bag as well. After sealing it tightly, Wu Bin finally spoke.
"Let's go. We'll talk inside," Wu Bin said, lifting the bag.
"Yang Bo, you'd best keep what I'm about to tell you to yourself. If word gets out, you will disappear," Wu Bin began.
Yang Bo nodded, prompting Wu Bin to continue. "First, I need you to understand that humanity is not the master of interstellar space. In fact, humans are insignificant on the interstellar scale. If you don't believe me, go back and look up how many Administrative Stars humanity possesses. Then, you'll notice that several Administrative Stars have gone completely radio silent. That's because those Administrative Stars have already been destroyed.
"Genetic Evolution wasn't invented by humans first, but by Interstellar Creatures. You might not know this, but the planet-destroying technology humanity developed isn't meant for other humans—it's meant for unknown alien organisms.
"As for what you just saw, that actually stems from humanity itself. The blood or biological waste of some Genetic Evolvers can contaminate other lifeforms, jumpstarting the evolution of wild beasts.
"The most powerful organism humanity has discovered in this universe defies description. I don't know the specifics, but I do know it once crippled an entire human main Fleet.
"Now, let me tell you about my job. Essentially, I serve the ultra-rich. These wealthy individuals own their own Spaceships, so it's hard for you to even imagine what kind of inconceivable things they keep in their private collections.
"In the garden we cleaned yesterday, I personally recognized thirty-eight different plant species listed on the Interstellar Federation's endangered protection registry. If Ordinary people so much as touched one of those plants, they would face severe punishment. But in that garden, we just weeded them out like common trash.
"As for today, I don't know what happened to the owner of this place, but my personal guess is that they either died or something equally drastic occurred. All we know about the client is that they are a powerful Genetic Evolver.
"You won't find any information on this fish anywhere. I can only tell you that it's classified as a D-level creature, possessing the abilities of both Illusion Technique and Disguise. This fish is also one of the raw materials used to produce the Genetic Evolution Potion."
Hearing this, Yang Bo grumbled inwardly, "This fish had two abilities, yet I only gained one?"
Wu Bin continued, "Speaking of the Genetic Evolution Potion, Yang Bo, you didn't actually think those B-level or higher Genetic Evolvers achieved their ranks through pure hard work, did you?
"You'd be wrong. It's because they use B-level or even higher-grade Genetic Potions. The materials used in a Genetic Potion dictate its grade.
"As for your failed Genetic Evolution, my personal guess is that the potion company was either testing a new type of Genetic Potion, or what they gave you wasn't a Genetic Potion at all. You were just a test subject, or perhaps they simply didn't need that many Genetic Evolvers."
Hearing this, Yang Bo's heart skipped a beat. "Could this be the reason the original owner of this body died?"
"Let me tell you another fact," Wu Bin added. "Hundreds of years ago, Genetic Potions had already achieved a one hundred percent success rate. The only variable was the difference in individual results."
Yang Bo was utterly dumbfounded. But on second thought, it made sense. If everyone successfully underwent Genetic Evolution, how would the upper echelon maintain the gap in social hierarchy?
"Think it over carefully. If it weren't for my negligence nearly getting you killed today, you might have gone your whole life without ever knowing these things." Having finished, Wu Bin waited quietly for Yang Bo to digest the information.
Yang Bo carefully organized his thoughts before asking, "Brother Wu, is society really this dark?"
"Heh, go study a bit of history. Take a look at what society has always been like," Wu Bin chuckled. He was looking at Yang Bo in a new light. Despite dropping so many heavy bombshells, the kid was still managing to keep his composure.
Yang Bo thought about it and had to agree. Wherever there was a society made of humans, a dark side was inevitable.
After waiting a moment, seeing that Yang Bo hadn't asked any further questions, Wu Bin prompted, "Is there nothing else you want to ask?"
"Brother Wu, what level of Power are you currently at?" Yang Bo asked out of personal curiosity.