Chapter 86

(Listening to the National Day, wishing everyone a happy National Day~~~)

Most people stopped whispering and looked at the man.

The man was dressed in a denim outfit, looking very strong and young, holding a weapon that resembled a vulture's claw in his right hand. From a distance, Chu Nan saw this and felt a stir in his heart, guessing that it might be a genetic weapon, possibly taken from a powerful vulture monster.

"My name is Qin Mu," the man introduced himself first, then quickly continued, "We all should be able to feel the call of the 'Life Stele.' There's no doubt that the Life Stele is deep within this earth fissure, and this is beyond question."

"Little brother, isn't that obvious? We all know that. Little brother, why don't you get to the point?" A woman among the five or six hundred people suddenly laughed, looking at Qin Mu with a teasing tone, her voice light and frivolous.

Chu Nan looked at the woman, who was a not unattractive young woman. Despite the dangerous environment, she was still dressed up elaborately, her eyes full of spring, and she smiled at Qin Mu.

Around her, several men were sitting, of various heights and builds, apparently forming a small group.

Qin Mu glanced at the young woman, not getting angry, and smiled slightly, "Sister, you're right. I won't beat around the bush. My point is simple: the Life Stele is calling us, and with our individual strength, it's almost impossible to obtain it. Our only way is to unite everyone's strength and go together to find the Life Stele."

Qin Mu's calling her "sister" made the young woman's face fall. She hated being called old the most and was about to retort, but someone else laughed heartily, "I was just thinking the same thing. We have gathered here with five or six hundred people, and no one has left, which means everyone is interested in the Life Stele. It seems that the base of the skeleton monsters is below this fissure. To break in, we need to work together, and there's some hope. Brother Qin Mu, I support your idea."

"Right, if we all work together, there's some hope." A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, who looked very robust, nodded steadily and agreed with Qin Mu's suggestion.

Most of the people around voiced their support.

Chu Nan also nodded in agreement, thinking that with so many people working together, it was worth a try.

After all, the Life Stele was irresistibly attractive to everyone, but the bottom of the earth fissure, where the skeleton army and ghost ships had disappeared, was undoubtedly terrifying. No one dared to enter recklessly. However, if five or six hundred awakened individuals worked together, they had some confidence.

After all, as long as they planned well and worked together, even the skeleton army could be defeated.

"Everyone should unite to find the Life Stele. At least until we find it, there must be no internal strife." Qin Mu raised his voice and said solemnly, "Five or six hundred people can easily cause chaos, so there needs to be unified command. Otherwise, we'll just be a mob. My suggestion is to first select those who have awakened to the fifth level or higher to form the core members of this operation."

There was no significant objection to Qin Mu's suggestion. Everyone was working hard to find the Life Stele. As for how to seize it once found, no one could guarantee it, so Qin Mu didn't mention it.

Soon, those who had awakened to the fifth level among the five or six hundred people stood up one by one.

Since they couldn't directly see each other's levels, to confirm that they had indeed reached the fifth level, they needed to demonstrate their awakened genetic powers.

Only those who had reached the fifth level could awaken genetic powers.

Chu Nan watched as people stood up one by one, pondered for a moment, and then stood up as well.

This was not the time to be low-key. Reaching the fifth level meant becoming a core member of the team and having a say.

Qin Mu himself was a fifth-level awakened individual. He was the first to demonstrate his genetic power, lightly scratching his left arm with the vulture's claw in his right hand. A shallow wound appeared, and blood flowed out. Everyone saw the blood form a clump and float in the air. With a slight shake of his left arm, the clump of blood flew out and dissipated in the air.

"My awakened genetic power is blood control, allowing me to freely manipulate my blood." Qin Mu smiled, having just demonstrated his ability to control blood, proving he was at least a fifth-level awakened individual.

Although his demonstration seemed unremarkable, no one underestimated him. After all, Qin Mu wasn't foolish enough to reveal his true cards. He only needed to show that he had indeed awakened a genetic power.

Blood control was a very special genetic power. No one knew how powerful it was until Qin Mu truly used it.

"I have awakened the 'Eagle Eye Gene,' giving me vision like an eagle." As soon as Qin Mu finished his demonstration, a tall, slender man spoke, his eyes suddenly narrowing, the pupils sinking in and slightly spiraling, looking very strange.

Eagle-like vision was terrifying. After all, eagles flying at thousands of meters could clearly see animals on the ground.

The tall, slender man paused and then continued, "My name is Wang Zhi."

Qin Mu smiled and said, "Good, your genetic ability is very important. The place we're about to enter might be full of thick fog, and your vision will play a crucial role."

Wang Zhi nodded at him and walked to Qin Mu's side. Behind Wang Zhi, there were about ten more people, all his companions. They had originally formed an elite squad, with Wang Zhi as the leader.

"Zhao Xi, Wolf Transformation Gene." Another man, somewhat short, coldly said these words, and his right hand suddenly mutated, growing thick fur and quickly transforming into a wolf's claw. He waved it slightly in the air, seemingly very confident in his mutated wolf claw, with a hint of arrogance.

Qin Mu nodded at Zhao Xi, acknowledging his fifth-level awakened status.

The elaborately dressed young woman also giggled and stood up, saying, "Little brother, I'm also a fifth-level awakened individual. As for my genetic power..."

She smiled and flipped her right hand, and everyone saw that the center of her white, tender palm suddenly grew dense, thorn-like protrusions, which looked somewhat eerie.

A single slap from her hand could likely create dozens of small holes in someone's body. This was clearly a genetic power, but no one knew what specific gene it was.

"Sister, what genetic power have you awakened?" Qin Mu asked.

The young woman's face stiffened, and she huffed, "Little brother, my name is Han Yushu. You called me so old, do you want to taste my hand?"

Qin Mu was taken aback and then laughed, "Of course not, Miss Han, I'm really sorry. I won't call you sister next time."

Han Yushu huffed lightly and didn't cause any more trouble for Qin Mu.

One by one, those who stood up demonstrated their fifth-level genetic powers. Whether they were just at the fifth level or had already reached the sixth level like Chu Nan, no one knew.

These genetic powers were varied and strange, including the ability to shoot pins with hair, control soil, and even tongue mutation.

When it was Chu Nan's turn, he only demonstrated the golden power in his right leg. Everyone watched as golden light enveloped his right leg, turning it golden, and they were somewhat surprised.

Qin Mu asked curiously, "Brother, what's your name? What genetic power is this?"

Chu Nan gave his name and then said, "Golden Gene, which increases the strength of my right leg a bit."

"Oh..." Everyone sighed in relief. The Golden Gene only increased the strength of his right leg a bit, which was a very ordinary genetic power, not to be feared.

Among the five or six hundred people, including Qin Mu and Chu Nan, there were fifteen fifth-level genetic power awakened individuals. Of course, there might be others who had awakened genetic powers but were hiding them, but this number should be very small.

After all, reaching the fifth level meant becoming a core member and having a say. It would be a great help in entering the bottom of the earth fissure and seizing the Life Stele.

"Because there are too many people, it's easy to cause chaos. Now, there are fifteen fifth-level awakened individuals. My idea is to divide everyone into fifteen teams, with each fifth-level awakened individual leading a team, each with specific responsibilities. This way, it won't be easy to cause chaos due to the large number of people."

Qin Mu's suggestion was accepted by everyone. The five or six hundred people were divided into fifteen teams, each with about thirty people, led by the fifteen fifth-level awakened individuals. This way, a true team was initially formed.

Chu Nan also became the leader of a team of thirty-six people.

Of course, Chu Nan knew he couldn't really command these people, but with a common goal, they would temporarily follow his unified command.

The small groups were mostly divided into the same teams for easier command.

After the fifteen teams were determined, who would go first became a problem. No one wanted to lead the charge. To be fair, Qin Mu, Chu Nan, Wang Zhi, Zhao Xi, and the other fifteen team leaders drew lots to decide the order.

In the end, Zhao Xi drew the first lot, and his team would be the first to enter the earth fissure.

Many of the thirty or so people in his team complained about Zhao Xi's bad luck, regretting being grouped with him.

Zhao Xi's face turned green with anger, and his right hand almost transformed into a wolf's claw, wishing to tear the throats of those complaining.

Despite the complaints, Zhao Xi's face remained grim, but he said nothing, leading the way with his right hand fully transformed into a wolf's claw.