From the distant towers, countless dark silhouettes emerged—hordes of Zombie Ants, dense and suffocating, numbering perhaps over a hundred thousand. At a glance, they seemed to surge forward like a black tide, a truly terrifying sight.

"Run!"

Ye Chen let out a low shout.

Xuechi Hu was startled by the sheer number of Zombie Ants. Even if it possessed the strength of 500 men, facing over a hundred thousand of these creatures, once surrounded, the outcome would be utter annihilation.

Whoosh!

Xuechi Hu bent its hind legs slightly and lunged forward. Its form blurred, and after a few powerful bounds at the end of the street, it vanished from the area. Just then, the swarm of zombies poured toward the still-partially-melted candies, snatching at them greedily.

"That was close!"

Ye Chen, riding on the tiger's back, felt only the rushing wind against his ears. Recalling the horrifying scene, he still felt a lingering dread. Beast swarms were among the most terrifying disasters; wherever they passed, corpses littered the ground. Even those whose physical constitutions far surpassed the beasts dared not charge into a swarm numbering over a hundred thousand. One misstep or entanglement, and they would be instantly submerged, leaving not even bones behind.

In his previous life, Ye Chen had witnessed an ant swarm reaching several hundred million strong, all commanded by a single Ant King Beast, attacking a top-tier Level 10 base city in a desperate struggle.

That war resulted in countless casualties; even many peak experts at the fifth stage of the Superhuman realm perished. The scale of the battle was terrifyingly grand. Ultimately, massive amounts of nuclear weapons had to be deployed to blast open a corridor through the swarm, finally securing a hard-won victory with the aid of several other allied base cities.

Half an hour later, Xuechi Hu carried Ye Chen back to the research institute.

Ye Chen leaped lightly from the tiger's back, landing without a sound. He carried the nearly deceased Butterfly Beast in his hand as he entered the institute. Bai Long, Yue Heng, and the others were already awake, brushing their teeth and washing their faces.

"Huh?" Bai Long looked up at the Butterfly Beast in Ye Chen's hand, surprised. "You went out this early?"

Ye Chen glanced around and casually asked, "Where is Ye Zhu?"

Bai Long pointed toward the kitchen. "Still making breakfast."

"Oh." Ye Chen nodded, turned, and walked into the basement. He immediately spotted Mo Feng engrossed in studying something. He walked over, placed the Butterfly Beast on Mo Feng's workbench, and glanced over. Mo Feng was holding a test tube, adding a white liquid to it.

Hiss hiss!

As soon as the white liquid was added, the blue liquid already in the tube began to boil violently, like plain water, before rapidly settling down. The color changed to black.

Mo Feng frowned, capped the bottle, and tossed it into the nearby trash bin. He turned and looked at the Butterfly Beast, wrinkling his brow. "What is it?"

Ye Chen chuckled lightly. "Help me extract its genes. I need them."

Mo Feng looked at him. "Every time you face danger, you enter a peculiar state: your eyes turn pitch black, with no white visible, and two antennae sprout from your forehead. If I haven't guessed wrong, it's because you've integrated the ant genes I extracted for you last time?"

Ye Chen replied calmly, "Correct. That state is called Superhuman State, multiplying my power tenfold!"

Mo Feng nodded and said nothing more. He put on a pair of white gloves and approached the Butterfly Beast to begin the gene extraction.

Not long after, the extraction was complete and sealed in a test tube. Mo Feng handed it to Ye Chen, then, ignoring Ye Chen, returned to his own experiments.

Ye Chen carried the test tube to the living room. Everyone was eating breakfast: congee, milk, and fried eggs, one portion for each person.

"Brother!" Ye Zhu spotted him and smiled. "Come eat breakfast."

Ye Chen nodded, walked over, drank a few bowls of congee, and then said to his sister, Ye Zhu, "Come with me."

Ye Zhu paused, a hint of confusion in her eyes, but asked no more. She rose and followed him. Bai Long and the others glanced over before burying themselves back in their breakfast. Although they were all together, everyone had their own small secrets. Since Ye Chen didn't intend to speak in front of them, pressing him would only be asking for trouble.

He led her into a room and closed the door, then turned to face his sister.

"What's wrong?" Ye Zhu asked, puzzled.

Ye Chen presented the Butterfly Beast gene in his hand, his expression grave. "This is a cell sample of the Butterfly Beast's gene. I'm going to inject it into you shortly. Once it fuses, you will possess immense power, enough to protect yourself even when alone."

Ye Zhu started. "Are you planning to leave me?"

Ye Chen shook his head. "We are about to go to an extremely dangerous place. Before that, I need you to be stronger so I can be more at ease."

"I see." Ye Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, then blinked curiously. "This is the Butterfly Beast's gene; can I fuse it too?"

Ye Chen nodded. "Theoretically, yes, but in practice, it's extremely difficult and carries a failure rate. If it fails, the mildest outcome is turning into a monster; the worst is death. If successful, you will gain incredible strength and become a Superhuman Warrior!"

"That dangerous?" Ye Zhu flinched.

Ye Chen said with a helpless tone, "Fortune favors the bold. In the later stages of the apocalypse, not becoming a Superhuman Warrior almost guarantees a short life. You'll either be killed by humans or eaten by monsters."

Ye Zhu shuddered, yet she knew that as the apocalypse progressed, the future would only grow crueler.

The word 'future' weighed heavily on her heart, like several stones pressing down.

"Let's do it!" Ye Zhu rolled up her sleeve, revealing an arm as fair as jade, adopting a look of righteous resolve.

Ye Chen smiled gently, pulled a syringe from his pocket, drew up the gene cells, and injected them into Ye Zhu's arm. Although the process of awakening a superhuman carried extreme danger, with an 80% mortality rate—

—how could Ye Chen allow his sister to take such a risk?

These past few days, he had been having Ye Zhu dissecting zombie corpses specifically to hone her courage and willpower. Furthermore, this Butterfly Beast only possessed the strength of 50 men, and its cells were 30% weaker than hers. At worst, her cells would be overwhelmed, leading to a failed awakening, but she would remain unharmed, not turning into a monster or dying.

"Don't fall asleep, and don't let your guard down," Ye Chen cautioned.

Ye Zhu nodded and sat down on the nearby bed. Moments later, the Butterfly Beast gene cells inside her began to take effect, integrating into her body like a virus, consuming her cells and attempting to seize control.

The two sets of gene cells battled within her!

One could not possibly imagine the pain without experiencing it—it felt as if millions of ants were devouring the blood in her body, every inch of her skin threatening to rupture!

Pain! Pain! Pain!

The agonizing pain was enough to drive any person mad, making them want to smash their head against the wall to pass out.

Ye Zhu's face was ashen, her teeth clenched, cold sweat soaking her body. Her beautiful features were twisted in agony, her delicate, pretty face slightly contorted, evoking a sudden urge in an observer to cherish and protect her.

Ye Chen gripped her hand, muttering, "Hold on! You can do it, keep fighting!"

Perhaps Ye Chen's words had an effect, or perhaps the Butterfly Beast gene inside her grew weary. Not long after, the agony on Ye Zhu's face slightly receded, and her body stopped trembling. She forced her eyes open and saw a face that never left her side. She slightly parted her lips, "Brother..." Her head tilted, and she passed out.

Ye Chen checked her pulse. Seeing it steady, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He placed her on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and walked out of the room.

...

The next day.

Ye Zhu slowly awoke from her stupor, feeling dizzy. She managed to sit up in bed, only to find the room quiet and empty. She stared blankly for a moment, then shook her head, preparing to get up and go out.

Creak!

Just then, the door opened. Ye Chen walked in carrying a bowl of congee. He looked at her face, saw that the color had returned, and smiled lightly. "You're awake?"

A surge of warmth flowed through Ye Zhu's heart. Remembering last night, she quickly checked her body, relieved to find no strange growths. She couldn't help but ask, "Did I succeed in awakening?"

Ye Chen nodded with a smile. "Very successfully."

Ye Zhu's eyes lit up, filled with great joy. "Really?"

Ye Chen chuckled softly. "Do you feel a strange sensation inside you now, something extra, that you can activate with just a thought?"

Ye Zhu focused, then nodded repeatedly. "Yes! Exactly."

"Next time you encounter danger, you can channel this power to protect yourself. But remember, do not activate it unless it's a life-or-death situation. You can only use it for five minutes a day. If you use it up, and danger strikes later, you won't be able to use it again."

"Okay, okay!" Ye Zhu nodded emphatically.

Afterward, Ye Chen explained more about Superhuman Warriors to her. She listened, utterly dumbfounded. "It can be like that? It's incredibly powerful."

She blinked, her face alight with excitement. "Then what about me? If I reach the fifth stage of Superhuman, can I transform into a Butterfly Beast?"

Ye Chen nodded.

"Then what about in daily life? According to you, reaching the fifth stage requires 100% fusion of two genes—doesn't that mean I'll look like a half-human, half-butterfly monster?"

Ye Chen smiled faintly. "It won't be like that. You will only transform into the Butterfly Beast state when you enter Superhuman Mode. Once you deactivate Superhuman Mode, you revert to your human appearance."

"Suppose,"

"Human genes equal two '1's. The Butterfly Beast's genes equal one '1'. When its one '1' fuses with one of your '1's, it becomes a Superhuman Gene '1'. Entering Superhuman State means that Superhuman Gene '1' permeates your entire body. In your normal state, the remaining human gene '1' is what fills your body."

Ye Zhu nodded, though she only half-understood.

...

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