Chapter 102: Rank A Genotype
The chips conducted the ‘experiment’ again and again inside his body, testing Cillin’s endurance with wave after wave of pain that only got more and more terrible over time. Cillin was very happy with this outcome, however. He knew that this phenomenon wasn’t a bad thing, and that it was the most important opportunity he had gotten ever since he was injected with the chips over a year ago!
He did not know how long the pain lasted, but in the end everything suddenly became clear at once, filling him with an instant surge of pleasure. At the same time, the red-and-black color on his body gradually faded until it was gone completely. On the surface, Cillin looked just like he was before.
Cillin moved his elbows around for a little. He felt good, very good. Even without tensing up his body, he believed that it could endure even greater blows now.
He knew very well about his own condition. Although some of the chips inside his body were activated, just like before, it was an imperfect activation. Still, Cillin was satisfied with this result. After more than a year had passed, this opportunity had enabled him to evolve his genotype yet again.
He was now a Rank A genotype!
Yes, it was the Rank A genotype that countless people had dreamed of! Achieving Rank A genotype was but a distant dream back when he was still an unwelcome Shadow Hunter in that poor town and backwater planet. But ever since he encountered Horay and was used as a test subject to inject those chips that one time, his genotype had since skyrocketed to Rank B. Now, it had even evolved one step further and became Rank A.
But Cillin wasn’t completely drunk with success just yet. This situation was only temporary, and it remained to be seen whether the chip was ultimately a boon or bane.
Cillin exhaled deeply before glancing at the gray cat, holding up its forelimbs and sitting there staring absentmindedly into the air. He knew immediately that the little guy was woolgathering again.
“Wheeze!”
The absentminded gray cat immediately jumped into the air with a puffed back. It was completely caught off guard by Cillin’s shout mixed with some disruptive sound waves in it.
Cillin held back his laughter. The little guy was completely frightened.
After the gray cat landed on its feet and breathed heavily for a couple of times, it turned its head away and clung to a wall, biting at the energy ores as if it was venting, and expressing its current feelings clearly – I am mad!
It was most likely that the gray cat was catbarrassed to have jumped reflexively in shock to Cillin’s shout, especially when it knew that it happened only because it was daydreaming. It was why it was in a bad mood right now.
“Alright Wheeze, don’t be angry anymore. Come on, let’s go find the lieutenant and the others.” Cillin said.
The gray cat ignored him and continued to dig in while hugging the red-and-black wall.
“Wheeze?”
Its ears flicked once, but the gray cat continued to ignore him.
Cillin sighed. Even though it was a cyborg, there was no escaping the fact that it was nothing more than a cat, and cats had always been a little headstrong. It obviously heard him, but it simply refused to acknowledge him and acted like a spoiled child, and let’s not forget that cats were more than capable of holding a grudge.
Cillin walked over and peeled the gray cat directly off the energy ores before jumping out of the hole while holding it in his arms. Although the gray cat had the words ‘go away’ written all over its attitude, pointing its tail at Cillin and had to be carried out of the hole like a stubborn kid who was held by the collar, it only put on a token struggle to indicate its displeasure before relenting. Wheeze wasn’t stupid; it knew that this wasn’t the right time to eat the energy ores without a care for the world. If Cillin would show him the stairs, then the gray cat would very kindly give Cillin face and walk off the stage as invited*. That was what the cat believed at least.
*Chinese saying and metaphor of giving someone an excuse to extricate themselves from an embarrassing situation with dignity.
When Cillin and the gray cat met up with Dias once more, the man was discussing with the technical staff on how to mine the ores. A half-chopped tree lay at the side with no one bothering to finish it at the moment.
Dias and the men were just finished making a decision when Cillin reached them. They would drill a mine shaft from the periphery where the trees were still sparse, then bore underground towards the ores’ position all the way to the heart of the ores the gray cat had mentioned earlier. When that was done, only then they would begin the large-scale mining project. Otherwise, it would be a terrible loss to get only the ‘inferior’ ores after spending much effort in the task.
There was one more thing that prompted the decision. Dias was worried that chopping off all the surrounding trees would expose the fact that there was a mineral resource in this area. After all, the Vanguard Sixth Squadron wasn’t the only Hunter regiment to have entered Sector Z. If by any chance some random Hunter regiment was to accidentally and effortlessly discover this mineral resource before they had a chance to report to the A Squadron, then the Sixth B Squadron might as well run their heads into a wall.
Shawton agreed with the plan after Dias had notified him. These energy ores were too special, and it would be in their best interests to conceal them as best as they could.
Cillin went over to have a private chat with Dias and told him that the gray cat could eat energy ores. Otherwise, how was he going to explain that huge, empty hole in the ground?
It’s not like Cillin hadn’t thought through this before making the decision. He believed that Dias must’ve heard of the gray cat from Cary and knew that it was a cyborg. Since he knew about it, naturally someone as smart as Shawton or Dias should understand exactly what kind of value and potential a cyborg represented. This was the perfect timing for the Sixth B Squadron to work hard at expanding themselves. If it wasn’t, they would not have tried to absorb various talents so urgently.
However, Cillin’s own secrets could not be revealed, so he could only ask the gray cat to take the shot for him. Of course, Cillin had discussed this with the gray cat before about using it as a ‘scapegoat’, and the gray cat kept quiet and neither said yes nor no because it was still unhappy. Cillin understood that this was in fact a silent yes from the little guy though, and he touched its head and said, “When it’s time, they’ll come look for you to seek out a couple more mineral resources.”
The gray cat’s ears straightened. Of course it understood the hidden meaning behind Cillin’s words. It could eat again once it found the resources!
Dias’ team was incredibly excited from mining. The entire team had shaken off the depression from before and became motivated. The discovery had also improved everyone’s attitude towards the gray cat, since they knew it was extraordinary and that it was thanks to it that their team became the first out of the six dispatched teams to discover a mineral resource and begin mining.
“Lieutenant, the commander’s looking for you!” One member came over on a hoverboard and passed a communicator to Dias.
The closer they were to the minerals, the stronger the signal interference became. Therefore, it was inconvenient to use any kind of communication equipment in this particular area. If they wished to communicate wirelessly, then they could only fly into the air and keep away from the ground. This was different from the forest when they were getting on and off signals. Here, no signal could get in or out at all.
Dias accepted the communicator and flew up to the air on a hoverboard. Before long, he came back down with a smile and said to Cillin, “You and Wheeze will go meet up with the other teams; they aren’t doing too good with the scans as well. An aircraft will come and pick you guys up later. Is that fine?”
“It’s perfect!” The gray cat answered impatiently before Cillin could say anything. It looked like it was itching to get on with it already.
Dias moved closer and whispered beside the gray cat’s ears, “When you eat, make sure to be a little less obvious and alternate between each meal. If anything happens, go look for Commander Shawton.”
The gray cat’s round eyes were bright as it answered with a duh tone, “Of course!”
Five minutes later an aircraft came, and Cillin and the gray cat went up with a hoverboard.
After the aircraft had left, Beave said in puzzlement, “Cillin’s a little strange, don’t you think? He feels… different from before.”
“Of course,” Dias smiled very brightly, “He’s a Rank A genotype now.”
Cillin had not intentionally hid his strength. Rank As shared a kind of miniature resonance with each other, and this resonance did not exist below Rank A genotypes. As long as the person did not hide it intentionally, and the other party was very sensitive to this kind of miniature resonance, it was possible to detect it.
“This is good news! Our squad is going to be famous. That guy is already Cary’s equal back when he was still a Rank B, and now that he’s Rank A, tsk tsk. You know lieutenant, I think that Cillin is our squad’s lucky star.” Beaver said.
Dias held his head up high, “But of course. Who do you think found him?”