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The Mutated Beast stood in the sky with its gaze locked with Ji Chuancheng's.
After a long while, it slowly curled its lips into a chilling, dangerous smile, then descended from the sky and stopped about five meters away from Ji Chuancheng.
"Human, you are impressive."
Ji Chuancheng, however, remained unmoved by the praise. He coldly stared at the beast's fierce eyes and repeated, "What exactly made you decide to negotiate with humans?"
Qin Chu was utterly confused. But what happened next completely reshaped her worldview.
It turned out that around the time of the second Beast Tide, the King of Mutated Beasts had sensed something unusual about the entire planet.
The climate, which had been hot, was gradually cooling down.
The temperature was dropping at a pace so slow it was almost imperceptible, and even now, it was only slightly colder. As a result, neither humans nor most Mutated Beasts had noticed.
But the King of Mutated Beasts had.
If things continued this way, the oceans would inevitably freeze, and the survival of Mutated Beasts would become a major challenge.
It began to think about the humans on the coast.
Initially, the attacks on humans by Mutated Beasts were spontaneous, and an inevitable conflict arising from the clash of species. But starting from the third Beast Tide, when the Mutated Conger Eel began spreading its declaration, everything had been part of the Mutated Beast King's plan.
It wanted humans to become their Subordinate Beings.
Humanity's physical strength was weak, but their intelligence was something Mutated Beasts could never match.
Even the King itself wasn't confident it could evolve intelligence surpassing that of humans, let alone the peak creativity humans displayed in times of crisis.
Thus, it chose this violent approach.
If it hadn't discovered that the war with humans was becoming increasingly difficult, this ruthless and cunning Mutated Beast might never have opted for cooperation, instead insisting on making humans its vassals.
Then came the negotiations.
From then on, the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, Oceania, and South America would belong to the Mutated Beast race, while the rest of the regions would remain within human territory.
Under the overwhelming force of the Mutated Beasts, humans were compelled to sign this "land cession" agreement. But when Ji Chuancheng, representing China, was the last to sign the agreement after all the other global representatives, all of humanity collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Among them, the Chinese representatives let out a long sigh as they feel the weight on their shoulders lighten.
When the representative from the United States of North America learned of this, he arrogantly refused to sign the agreement. But when the Mutated Beast King, without even blinking, turned the two Elite Evolvers behind him into a bloody mist, the representative was horrified to realize: the Mutated Beast hadn't moved a single hair!
Such immense power—humans currently had no weapons that could rival it!
Being able to cooperate was already the best outcome that humanity, with its current limited strength, could hope for.
The inexplicable global mutation has thoroughly shaken humanity's dominant position.
The invisible crown that once hung over the human race is no more.
The newly emerged Mutated Beasts are bound to compete with humans for their place in the world.
No one knows how long this period will last.
Unless... that King dies first.
When everything finally came to an end, the two SS-level Mutated Conger Eel and Mutated Orca slowly descended into the sea before turning their heads to look at the only Mutated Beast remaining on the shore.
They weren't concerned about the King's safety but were rather puzzled as to why the King hadn't left yet.
Ji Chuancheng extended his left arm to silently block the path of the man in black.
The King's disdainful gaze swept from Ji Chuancheng's arm up to his cold, stern face. Seeing that the other party remained expressionless, it let out a cold snort from its nose and asked, "What do you want to know?"
"That human, who did he kill?"
Though not explicitly stated, all the Evolved Beings from the S City Base present understood Ji Chuancheng's meaning.
Everyone's eyes turned to Su Weishang's pale face.
He was hiding behind Wu Jiqing with his round, cat-like eyes blinking innocently, as if he didn't quite understand what was happening.
The King of Mutated Beasts slowly curled its lips into a smirk before casting a mocking glance at Su Weishang then turning back to Ji Chuancheng and countering, "What do you want to know?"
"Who... did he kill!"
By the end of his sentence, Ji Chuancheng's voice was trembling with barely suppressed emotion. His eyes were bloodshot, and the sound of his gritted teeth was so unfamiliar that even Qin Chu felt a pang of unease.
This version of Ji Chuancheng was completely different from the one the Evolved Beings of the S City Base had seen before.
Gone was the usual calm and composure, and the decisiveness in commanding battles. Instead, there was only a simmering anger that was on the verge of eruption, and a hint of... something only Qin Chu could sense—a rationality on the brink of collapse.
Qin Chu, sensing the danger, spoke up, "Young Master, there are representatives from other countries here. Perhaps you should..."
"Who... was it!"
Ji Chuancheng's words were deliberate and measured, and showing no sign of backing down despite addressing the fierce Mutated Beast.
In contrast, the Mutated Beast King, though the dangerous smile had faded from its face, showed no intention of taking action.
It silently observed Ji Chuancheng for a long time.
The two were almost of equal height, and their calm confrontation seemed to stir up a storm of sharp, deadly energy that made everyone around feel the oppressive weight of their killing intent.
In the end, it was the King who suddenly spoke with a cold laugh, "A weakling with a Water Ability. Pathetic. Crushed with just a minor spatial trick."
With that, the King didn't even glance at Ji Chuancheng again before striding forward without hesitation.
Its inorganic pupils reflected no light, and the aura of menace it exuded made all the Evolved Beings instinctively part ways to allow it to return to the vast, black army of Mutated Beasts and disappear into the distance with an air of indifference.
Naturally, no one heard the faint voice that suddenly emerged when the humanoid Mutated Beast, known as the King, stood upright on the head of the Mutated Orca.
Gone was the usual arrogance and disdain; the voice gradually faded into the air, even the Killer Whale couldn't make it out clearly—
"Is this the love of humans? How laughable."
The chilling weather turned the air pale, and representatives from other countries and regions began to leave one after another.
They instinctively chose to avoid this path because... the suddenly silent black-haired man was truly terrifying at this moment.
Ji Chuancheng's handsome and profound face remained as calm as ever with his dark eyes seemingly casually fixed ahead. His beautiful face showed no expression, but standing beside him, one could feel the bone-chilling cold emanating from him.
Not to mention, the prey seemingly locked in the gaze of a leopard—Su Weishang.
Su Weishang's slightly petite figure half-hid behind Wu Jiqing while innocently blinking his round, naive eyes, appearing every bit the pure and kind-hearted young boy. But at this moment, Qin Chu couldn't see any innocence in this boy at all!
People around them began to disperse, and after some deliberation, several Evolved Beings from the S City Base also had to leave.
They didn't fully understand what was happening, but they knew that these individuals had something to settle.
The biting cold wind swept in from all directions that caused Ji Chuancheng's black coat to billow.
When everything finally calmed down, the man who had once stood so tall in everyone's hearts now appeared unusually fragile and thin. He looked at Su Weishang expressionlessly, and after a long while, suddenly asked, "Why?"
His voice was hoarse, as if it took all his strength to speak.
Hearing this, Qin Chu's heart wrenched in pain: even she could feel the deep sorrow and despair in the Young Master's heart.
Su Weishang's fingers unconsciously tightened on Wu Jiqing's sleeve, but he still pouted in grievance and said softly, "Ji... Brother Ji, I don't know what happened that made you misunderstand. I really don't understand what that Mutated Beast was saying just now, what was it talking about?"
Ji Chuancheng had no patience to engage in verbal sparring with Su Weishang: "Why... did you kill him!!!" The anger and pain in his voice made it sound terrifying, and Su Weishang was startled as he instinctively took a step back.
The cunning and ruthlessness of this young boy were incomparable to the iron-willed young Major of China standing before him.
Ji Chuancheng had seen too much blood and death, and experienced too many desperate situations and sorrows.
Such a deep and rich inner world was something that Su Weishang, who grew up in a peaceful area and only knew how to scheme and trip others, could never match.
It was precisely because of this that Ji Chuancheng had always chosen to isolate and ignore Su Weishang's tactics.
Such a person could never accomplish anything significant.
The kidnapping incident during their youth had surprised Ji Chuancheng once, but he believed that after that bone-deep warning, this person would never do anything again.
But Ji Chuancheng had forgotten.
Now, things were no longer the same.
The apocalypse had stained Su Weishang's hands with blood.
He was no longer the illegitimate son of the Jing family who could only kill by proxy; he had personally slain countless Mutated Beasts.
His heart began to swell, and his courage had taken shape.
Killing a Mutated Beast and killing a person?
For someone without moral boundaries, there was no difference at all!