"Requesting Recommendation Votes" …… "Twenty 20th-level agents for 18 bottles?" Xu Tianguo was momentarily stunned, then his eyes widened in disbelief. "That's over three million 1st-level agents in exchange!" Ye Chen glanced at him, musing on the man's terrifying calculation speed.

In just a few seconds, he had figured out the conversion, which, despite the simple binary nature of the calculation, would usually take an ordinary person at least a minute. This man had only paused for a moment, likely stunned by the very figure he had derived, and perhaps that pause was part of the calculation itself.

"Transfer it to this account number for me." Ye Chen didn't overthink it and casually jotted down a number: J58! The beautiful girl snapped back to attention, unable to resist looking again at the General's Order to confirm its validity.

Only then did she finalize the transfer request, explain the situation, and transmit it. Minutes later, the audit passed, and the transfer was complete.

Because it was a General-level account, every transfer required auditing; smaller amounts from ordinary accounts bypassed this step. Ye Chen was quite satisfied.

After the transfer, he led Xu Tianguo out of the sub-hall and into a commercial department office building. He handed his business card, J58, to the beautiful woman at the counter.

Most of the reception staff here were women, and their compensation was quite low. The moment the woman saw the "J" prefix on the card number, she gasped.

That was the initial letter reserved exclusively for Generals in the base city. She immediately sprang from her chair and rendered a crisp salute: "Greetings, General!" Ye Chen waved his hand dismissively.

"First, fetch me forty bottles each of the gene agents from level 2 up to level 10, and two bottles of the level 20 agent!" Xu Tianguo, standing nearby, stiffened involuntarily. He looked at Ye Chen's retreating back with a complicated expression.

It was clear the agents from level 2 to 10, forty of each, were intended for him, Huang Tianci, and the others. If it were just for the three of them—since they were bound to serve Ye Chen in the future and needed to boost their strength—he wouldn't have been surprised.

But forty bottles suggested that Huang Tianci's sister was also included! What value could Huang Tianci's sister, just a young girl, possibly have in the apocalypse?

Yet, Ye Chen remembered even this seemingly inconsequential girl, sparing no expense of these precious gene agents for her advancement. If before, his feeling toward Ye Chen was merely one of gratitude and awe, at this moment, a deep sense of appreciation bloomed within him.

From this instant forward, he resolved to dedicate himself completely to Ye Chen's cause! "One day, I will repay this debt of kindness," Xu Tianguo vowed silently, his gaze hardening like iron.

There were no formal oaths, no witnesses—just a commitment made to himself! The beautiful woman opposite Ye Chen blinked at his order, then quickly acknowledged it, bowing respectfully.

"We don't have that many gene agents in current stock. Your withdrawal amount is too large; I will need to request an allocation transfer from headquarters." "It had better appear before my eyes within thirty minutes," Ye Chen stated coolly.

The woman trembled internally and nodded hastily. Ye Chen and Xu Tianguo then moved to the adjacent lounge sofas to sit, watching the ebb and flow of people outside the window.

Regarding the development of Xu Tianguo and the others, Ye Chen planned to support their growth until around level 10, after which they would be sent out for real-world field training. Remaining perpetually under his protection would cultivate weakness.

True power is forged in the crucible of life and death. Every combat skill must be refined through countless encounters with monsters, hammered home time and again until it integrates completely, reaching the state of "automatic physical response"—where the body acts instinctively, bypassing conscious thought entirely.

The combat technique must be woven into the very marrow, becoming pure "instinct"! Calculating quickly, the agents from level 2 to 10, forty of each, amounted to roughly the potency of a few dozen level 10 agents.

In contrast, a single level 20 agent was equivalent to 1024 level 10 agents. Twenty-odd minutes later...

The screech of tires echoed outside. A Dongfeng Peugeot RCZ9 skidded to a halt, and before the car had fully stopped, the doors flew open.

A man in black leaped out, clutching a black box measuring 10cm high, 10cm wide, and 15cm long. He strode into the main hall.

The beautiful woman behind the counter brightened instantly and hurried out to meet him, expressing relief. "You finally made it!

You cut it close by just a few minutes." The man holding the box, clearly middle-aged, managed a wry smile. "You said if we exceeded thirty minutes, that General would report us.

How could I dare be late?" The woman chuckled, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction. If you weren't afraid of a General reporting you, would you really move this fast?

I'd be the one suffering the consequences; I can't bear a General's wrath! Every small player has their own maneuvering strategy.

"Where is he?" the middle-aged man asked, looking around. "Over here!" the woman called quickly, then guided the man toward the sofa where Ye Chen was resting.

"General, the gene agents you requested have arrived." "The agents?" Ye Chen drew his gaze back from outside and asked casually. The middle-aged man rushed forward, placing the black box before Ye Chen respectfully.

"The agents you wanted are inside." He then deftly opened the small bronze lock on the box. Ye Chen peered inside.

The gene agents were arranged neatly in rows. Each bottle was one centimeter in diameter and three centimeters tall, separated by thin layers of foam padding to prevent them from shattering during transport.

There were three layers in total, and each layer, accounting for the foam spacers, could hold 120 bottles. "Where are the two level 20 agents I asked for?" Ye Chen frowned slightly.

The middle-aged man reached inside his inner garment and retrieved two white bottles from a padded lining. "These two are too valuable, General.

I carried them close to the body to prevent any hijacking attempts on the road." Ye Chen nodded. Robbing a gene agent transport vehicle was akin to robbing an armored cash transport in peacetime.

For security, everyone transporting these agents was required to ingest a poison before leaving. If they completed the mission successfully, an antidote would be provided; otherwise, they might flee with the goods.

"The card?" Ye Chen looked at the beautiful counter attendant. "Here, sir." The woman swiftly handed the business card back to Ye Chen.

After pocketing the card, Ye Chen gave the box to Xu Tianguo, and the two of them left the hall together. Shortly after, they returned to the rented house where Xu Tianguo and the others were staying.

After closing the door, Ye Chen handed the two level 20 agents to Xu Tianguo as well. "Use the agents in that box to boost your strength.

These two bottles are for covering expenses. When needed, exchange them at the commercial department for lower-level agents; that should last you quite a while." One level 20 agent, upon exchange, equated to 170,000 level 1 agents.

Huang Tianci and Zhou Zicheng stared in astonishment, then broke into grins of excitement upon seeing such a vast supply of gene agents for the first time. After settling them in, Ye Chen walked into the kitchen and returned with three bowls of plain boiled water, which he handed to Xu Tianguo and the others.

"Drink this." Ye Chen stated flatly. Xu Tianguo glanced at him, frowning slightly.

"What is this?" He certainly didn't believe Ye Chen was simply offering them a drink for no reason. "Poison water," Ye Chen replied expressionlessly.

"Pfft..." Huang Tianci, who had been about to drink, sprayed the water out, nearly choking to death. He stared at Ye Chen in shock.

"Poison water?" Ye Chen nodded. "This is the only surefire way to prevent rebellion.

I had the Research Department specially formulate this. When the poison activates, it causes your entire body to rot, muscles to seize, and blood to leak from all seven orifices until death.

Only those who reach level 25 physique can resist this venom." Xu Tianguo and the others felt a chill run down their spines. "But don't worry," Ye Chen added casually, "as long as you don't betray me, you can come to me monthly to receive the delayed antidote." Xu Tianguo and the others could only offer wry smiles, feeling quite helpless.

Others prevented their subordinates from defecting by employing trackers or administering secret poisons, but Ye Chen was far more direct: he handed them a bowl of water, openly declaring it poison... Drink, or not?