Chapter 142: Reverse Evolution

"What good options do we have? These vile things aren't afraid of us at all!" the three children cried out. "We aren't the Great Willow Tree, which they flee from the moment they see it. This giant centipede is simply not enough to scare them off."

"True enough," Liu Chang said, aiming his gun at the strange flying creatures. He was reluctant to open fire and provoke them, yet he couldn't lower his guard, so he remained intensely focused. "These things are truly annoying. They aren't even that powerful; they just stare at you with those hungry eyes. It's infuriating."

"Yeah, and it's best not to let any blood be spilled. Once they smell blood, the last remnants of their restraint will vanish," the eldest of the children shouted. "They are starving—don't let them catch the scent of fresh meat."

"I'll do my best," Liu Chang said, glancing up at the winged "monkeys" circling through the treetops. They were clutching stones and sticks, ready to strike at the group below at any moment.

"I've got a plan," Liu Chang said. Watching the creatures hover incessantly, he leaped from the centipede's back and slipped into the thicket. "I'll be right back."

He sprinted away, careful not to attract too much attention from the bird flocks in the jungle—after all, he was just one man, while the other side had over a dozen people. To an animal, there is a significant difference between four jin of meat and fourteen jin of meat.

However, once he had run about two hundred meters away, he successfully drew the attention of the flocks with a single shot.

The bullet tore a bird apart, filling the air with a bloody mist. The creature's body was shredded by the tremendous impact, and the "fragrance of meat" instantly captivated the dense, leaf-like swarm of flying creatures nearby.

Without waiting to see the aftermath, Liu Chang kept running. He reached a new spot, fired another shot, and ripped apart another bird.

Then, he moved again.

After repeating this several times, Liu Chang successfully ignited a frenzy among the wild beasts in that patch of forest. The starving birds went mad, fighting over the scattered scraps of meat. In the chaos of the struggle, casualties were inevitable, and each death released more of the intoxicating scent of flesh.

Soon, small pockets of the forest erupted into chaos. The flock hovering over the giant centipede, drawn by the scent of blood, began to peel away, leaving the group with a pocket of peaceful space.

Ten minutes later, Liu Chang returned with his gun in hand and looked up at the clear sky.

"Damn, finally some light," Liu Chang said, looking at the canopy, which had been picked bare by the creatures. "The forest is dense enough as it is, and when these birds crowd together, they block out the last bit of light. It's incredibly stifling."

"Don't you have night vision?" the three children called out from the front.

"How did you know?" Liu Chang countered.

"Your eyes reflect light at night, just like a cat's. Of course we know," the three children said in unison. "Honestly, you've absorbed that serum quite well. I see you've gained many traits of mammals. After all, the process of manifesting recessive human genes is a form of atavism—the closer an animal's genetic function is to that of a human, the easier it is to manifest. How many mammalian abilities have you mastered now?"

"Quite a few. I have many practical skills. If the life-force intensity were equal, I could take on four of me without a problem. But my absolute physical strength is lacking; my power is weak, and my durability is low," Liu Chang recalled his recent battle with Liuxin. "Even with all these useful abilities, I still have no way to handle someone far stronger than myself."

"Well, it's a process. When you evolve in reverse toward an arthropod and gain the strength of an ant, I believe your power and physical durability will see a qualitative leap," the eldest clone said, sitting on the centipede's head. "Don't underestimate yourself. Perceptual-type mutants were always extremely rare—there weren't even a handful in the entire Zhengzhou city back then. You were the one Li Qing-shui prioritized for modification. Don't doubt your own potential."

"Exactly, we're counting on you for our future survival. Your potential is greater than ours. How many perceptual types were there in Zhengzhou? And you’re the only one whose other five senses were enhanced alongside your vision. In a sense, you're even rarer than the brain-domain mutants!" the second child added, encouraging him.

"Why do you think that shrewd fox Li Qing-shui cared so much about you in the beginning? Even if it was later clouded by his emotions... haha, that idiot actually let his own feelings block his path forward," the third child said, laughing before continuing, "But you really are incredible. The serum Li Qing-shui gave you was the best, and you are the most outstanding among the perceptual types—well, except for that girl named Ji Jing."

"Reverse evolution." Liu Chang pondered the term, walking to the middle of the three boys. He sat on the centipede's head, keeping a wary eye on the canopy above.

The others in the group heard the boys' high-minded discussion and turned their attention toward them.

"What does 'reverse evolution' mean?" Liu Chang asked. "Does the process of manifesting recessive genes follow a certain order?"

"Yes. The closer a gene is to a human's, the easier it is to manifest," the eldest explained. "Because the genes are similar, the manifestation process is much simpler. For example, if you want cat-like night vision, you only need to change your existing vision slightly. But if you want the strength of an ant, you have to completely reconstruct your muscles, bones, and internal organs. Reverse evolution, or reverse manifestation, is very scientific."

"Oh." Liu Chang nodded.

"The fortunate thing is that although the lower the animal, the harder it is to manifest, the lower animals often have much stronger survival capabilities. Ant-like strength, worm-like regeneration—I truly wonder how humanity will achieve these things... through brain transplantation? Or a total reset of the muscle mass?" The eldest patted Liu Chang on the shoulder. "Young man, the road ahead of you is long."

"Stop acting like a know-it-all," Liu Chang said, slapping the three-year-old on the head.

"We're older than you," the three children said in unison, seeing Liu Chang's defiance. "Our cells were taken from Li Qing-shui's body. Our cells are approaching thirty years of age. That’s why cloned life has a shorter lifespan than the original. We may have been growing for a short time, but we are, in truth, nearly thirty years old."