Tap, tap, tap!

There was a rush of footsteps outside the Mushroom Hut's door. It interrupted everyone's conversation and prompted them to shift their gaze over to the entrance.

The next moment, they saw a man dressed in a suit and leather shoes. At about 25 years of age, he had a wicked smile on his lips and extremely sharp eyes. At first glance, he gave everyone the impression of being a domineering character.

There were three people following behind him: a gray-haired old man, a bodyguard in a black suit, and a person wearing a white uniform who was likely a researcher.

"They're here!" Huang Lei uttered involuntarily. When he saw the logo on the clothes of those four people, his pupils shrank slightly and he exclaimed, "They're from the company Amaterasu Genetics!"

"It really is Amaterasu Genetics! F*ck, why are they here? They're a gene company that rarely reveals themselves but has an international standing throughout the world." He Jia was shocked too.

After hearing what they said, everyone's heart skipped a beat, and shock was written all over their faces.

Genes were definitely one of the things in the world that remained a mystery to many people.

Moreover, with the rapid development of the film industry in recent years, various suppositions about genetics have emerged one after another, including gene mutation, genetic modification, genetic therapy, and so on so forth. Any one of those fields was regarded as a particularly terrifying existence.

Genetic companies had an air of enigma to them, but it was also daunting at the same time.

"Hello, I'm the director here. What can I do for you?" The director had already gone over without any regard for his image. There was a flattering smile on the director's face which made Ye Lingchen feel embarrassed.

The man who led the group appeared unsurprised at the situation and narrowed his eyes. "You may call me Young Master Wei. We're in a hurry. Where's the python's body?"

"Please follow me." The director led the way without the slightest hesitation.

[F*ck! They're really from Amaterasu Genetics! Even a large group like them actually watched the live broadcast? They're everywhere!]

[Oh mama, what's up with this giant python? It even attracted such a bigshot company.]

[No wonder God Ye was so confident just now. The research value of this giant python is probably very great.]

[This director is usually so pretentious. He now looks like he has the potential to be a henchman. So foul.]

[To the previous poster, what do you know?! Are you aware of what's most important? It's life! The richer the person is, the more they would care about life! This is a genetics company whose status is higher than that of a pharmaceutical company. In many cases, genetics are the last straw for diseases that cannot be cured!]

[Amaterasu Genetics! I remember it was this exact company last year who said that it had solved cloning technology and can clone the same animal with just its cells! This is just scary!]

[This giant python is so remarkable that even people from the genetics company are interested in it.]

...

They soon reached the door and looked at the giant python on the ground. Surprise flashed through Young Master Wei's eyes.

Watching it from up close was much clearer than looking at it from television. The python was definitely different from other snakes!

Their trip might prove to be a windfall.

"Let's start the test!"

"Yes!" the researcher replied. He brought a needle with him to draw blood from the giant python's body.

Ye Lingchen stood beside and watched quietly without interrupting.

However, after Young Master Wei withdrew his gaze from the giant python, his eyes landed directly on Old Tortoise. There were covetous traces deep in his eyes and he said lightly. "Ah San, go and get a piece of keratin!"

The aforementioned keratin was a layer of tissue on the epidermis of animals and plants. It had a tough texture and was composed of chitin, calcium, and various other components. It had the function of protecting internal tissues and were also considered excess old tissues that were cornified from the animal's skin.

"Yes, Young Master!"

The bodyguard behind him nodded, lifted his legs, then walked forward.

In facing Old Tortoise, the bodyguard's eyes remained calm and his entire body exuded a kind of fortitude that resembled a practitioner of sorts. Judging from his aura, Ye Lingchen guessed that he was likely a martial artist.

Seeing Ah San approaching Old Tortoise, Ye Lingchen's eyes flashed faintly and a slightly sarcastic smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Just as Ah San was less than three meters away from Old Tortoise, Old Tortoise seemed to have just awakened from his drowsiness. It turned its head toward Ah San and let out a low growl.

Ah San's eyes sank, but instead of retreating, he moved forward and even accelerated.

However, he was also considered a smart person. Knowing that he could not fight Old Tortoise, he rolled over on the ground and raised his hand to grab Old Tortoise's feet!

Old tortoises naturally had claws. Furthermore, the tortoise had lived for so many years, and coupled with being trapped at the bottom of the pool, some of the claws' nails were about to fall off—that was precisely Ah San's goal!

However, he had clearly underestimated Old Tortoise and overestimated himself.

"Roar!"

The old tortoise roared. Instead of making much movement, it simply shook its huge body to one side!

Boom!

Ah San immediately flew out like a piece of duckweed. His whole body rolled 10 meters back on the ground before he stopped. It was a pitiful sight.

Perhaps everyone had overlooked Old Tortoise's power because they only saw it being trapped and never caught a glimpse of it in action. Everyone could clearly watch the scene happen right in front of them, which came as a huge shock.

If Old Tortoise had not been trapped at the subterranean lake, the giant python would certainly be no match for it. It should be noted that even though its opponent was a giant python, the serpent only dared to do what it did because Old Tortoise was trapped and nearly dying.

"Ah San, are you okay?" Young Master Wei frowned and asked. There were traces of surprise flashing in his eyes. It was out of happiness instead of shock. "What an amazing creature!"

Ah San was a warrior hired by their company at a high price. He could deal with 20 low-life goons on his own, but he looked like a child in front of Old Tortoise. It was then that Young Master Wei took Old Tortoise seriously.

Seeing Ah San shaking his head, Young Master Wei's gaze fell on Ye Lingchen not far away. "You're the only one who can tame this old tortoise. Name your price for it, in addition to this giant python. I also need Old Tortoise's keratin and a tube of blood."

His tone was very firm, evidently due to him holding a high position for a long time. His order was belted out in an imperative and unquestionable tone.

"Okay!" Ye Lingchen's face was calm and unemotive. His white teeth were revealed when he smiled. "One billion and I'll give you the keratin."

"One billion? Why don't you just rob someone?!" Young Master Wei's face sank and he chided coldly.

Ye Lingchen shrugged. "Don't ask me to name a price if you can't afford it. You were acting all serious just now. Are you pretending to be a rich person even though you don't have the money?"

"You're shooting your mouth off!" Young Master Wei's eyes were sharp. "One billion isn't much for us, but it doesn't mean I'll give it to you on a whim. The keratin is of no use to Old Tortoise and is considered biological waste. I'll give you another chance to name your price!"

"I think you may have misunderstood. My one billion is your tuition fee for me to teach you basic manners." Ye Lingchen's voice was still calm and Young Master Wei's strong aura had zero effect on him.

"Haha, do you know who I am? How dare you talk to me like this?" Young Master Wei smiled in anger and stared straight at Ye Lingchen like a hawk.

...