Chapter 39: The Unequal Treaty

Now, with mutation only just beginning, these creatures are already so immense—what will become of humanity’s place on this blue planet in fifty years’ time? The two standing before the aquarium fell into a heavy silence, their faces clouded with gloom.

“So even Xu Half-City has moments when he’s at his wit’s end?” Lin Qiu watched the scene unfold and listened to every word. In that instant, a trace of pride welled up within him. So Xu Half-City is not some omnipotent deity after all. Even he, at this juncture, finds himself powerless to proceed.

A faint smile played about Lin Qiu’s lips. “System, since you’ve issued this mission—if I do form a coexistence pact with humanity, then what? Even Liu Changfeng just said that devoting all their resources to research will still take fifty years. So, if you want me to cooperate with them, shouldn’t you grant them some advantage?”

“You are absolutely right!” The system’s voice rang out, and Lin Qiu’s view of the system panel shifted. Several enticing options appeared before him.

“Human Evolution Path!”

“What’s this?” Lin Qiu’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“This world is undergoing mutation, all except for humanity. The mutations in these creatures are the result of primal energy and golden fluid. Humans can’t benefit directly from these, but it is possible to extract these elements from the creatures and inject them into the human genome. This would be the first generation. Once humans adapt, their offspring will automatically inherit these abilities.”

As the system explained, Lin Qiu glanced at the second option: “Human and Exotic Beast Skills!”

“What is this now?” Lin Qiu was puzzled.

“This is a means for humans to fight. By extracting the primal energy and golden fluid from these creatures, humans can evolve and gain the ability to use such skills. Once they learn these skills, humans can form pacts with exotic beasts, becoming battle partners. There are several forms this can take:

First, forging a pact to fight alongside the exotic beast.
Second, through the power of the pact, armoring—transforming the exotic beast into battle armor that humans can wear to enhance their combat prowess.
Third, fusion! Human and beast merging into one, becoming half-human, half-beast—a perfect blend that unleashes their combined might.

This is the ultimate evolutionary path.”

“There’s such a possibility?” Lin Qiu was truly astounded by the system’s explanation. Armoring! Fusion! These were concepts bordering on the unbelievable.

In the short time he had been with the system, Lin Qiu found himself constantly in shock. Like a country bumpkin, every new revelation left him reeling for half a day. His mouth dropped open, making him seem adorably dumbfounded. He even found himself imagining—who would be worthy to armor with him, to fuse with him?

“Wait, why am I entertaining such thoughts?” Lin Qiu shuddered and hurriedly shook his head, discarding the alarming idea.

“If you wish to obtain this, you must first form a pact with humanity,” the system intoned.

“So you’re telling me I have to become an experimental subject…” Lin Qiu’s gaze grew deep and distant. Just what I feared is coming to pass.

The system responded, “It’s a bargaining chip for cooperation—you can also think of it as a sacrifice.”

“Damn!” Lin Qiu rolled his eyes. Isn’t that just being a sacrifice? To cooperate with humanity, to sign a pact, was all for the sake of developing this. He would become the humans’ contract beast, subject to armoring and fusion.

“Can I refuse?”

After a long silence, Lin Qiu voiced his protest.

“You may, but the mission will be declared a failure, and one level will be deducted from your upgrade points. Your soul will be stripped from the orca’s body and sent into reincarnation, the system will unbind and select a new host.”

“This is coercion!” Lin Qiu gritted his teeth. Did he truly have any choice? One level down, and he’d return to his pre-rebirth state—just an orca, the overlord of the seas, but still only at the first stage. If he degraded, he’d be back to square one, useless once more. What could this be but coercion?

Moreover, did he even have the right to refuse?

“All rights of explanation are reserved to the system,” came the cold, unyielding reply, leaving Lin Qiu speechless.

Outside, Xu Half-City sighed and shook his head slightly. “You needn’t worry about the money. As long as I’m here, you’ll have all the funding your research requires.”

“Good brother!” Liu Changfeng laughed heartily, gratitude shining in his eyes as he clapped Xu Half-City on the shoulder. This research would require astronomical sums.

Who could tell how long it would take to see results? It was a bottomless pit, yet Xu Half-City had chosen to support him nonetheless—how could he not be moved by that?

“You’re my brother; I’d never lead you astray! I’ve already called the higher-ups, and they’ve begun convening meetings. It won’t be long before they approve the plan. When the funds are allocated, you won’t need to shoulder all the pressure.”

Xu Half-City nodded slightly. “Let’s hope so.”

“Huh…” The words had barely left his mouth when an exclamation of surprise escaped him.

“What is it?” Changfeng asked, curiosity piqued by Xu Half-City’s reaction.

“Changfeng, look!” Xu Half-City pointed at the aquarium. Following the direction of his gesture, Changfeng’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“What’s that…” Liu Changfeng stared intently. Before their eyes, the great white shark’s jaws slowly opened, and from within swam out a tiny, miniature dolphin. The little dolphin was only half a meter in length, incredibly cute.

“A baby dolphin?!”

“How can that be?!”

Their voices rose in unison—Xu Half-City’s laced with astonishment, Liu Changfeng’s tinged with uncertain disbelief.

“We were able to learn about the oceanic mutations in advance only because my sister, Bing, heard the news from a little dolphin,” Xu Half-City said, his tone matter-of-fact. At least, Liu Changfeng thought so. Had someone else uttered such words, he’d have thought them insane. But this was Xu Half-City. The Xu family’s daughter, Bing, was notorious for her pride, fearing only her elder brother. In front of him, she dared not lie—being caught in a lie would be far too costly.

“It’s truly strange. The great white’s body was anesthetized; its entire system was paralyzed. Yet this little dolphin, swallowed by the shark, not only survived undigested but somehow evaded the anesthetic as well.”

Liu Changfeng’s eyes grew ever wider. Given the dosage, even a dolphin inside the great white should have met a grim fate.