Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“I don’t believe you. Does that mean that, if I want to inherit Kelly’s power and be the captain of Jade, I will have to look like this for the rest of my life?” Theresa said miserably.

Princess Summer was quite confused. She did not understand the mysterious, high-tech words that Jade and Theresa were talking about at all. She only understood the last sentence.

“Teresa, you—you are the heir of the Crimson Queen…”

Princess Summer said in disbelief, “Then what are you hesitating for? We need the strength of the Crimson Queen to defeat Black Jack and rescue all our sisters. What’s wrong with maintaining your appearance forever? You look even more beautiful than the most brilliant stars on the Emerald Continent!”

“You don’t understand. You will never understand.

Holding her abdomen with one hand and holding her crotch with the other, Theresa said gloomily, “If I had never seen the light, I might’ve been able to endure the darkness forever. If I had never owned the most ferocious cannons in the universe, I might’ve been able to get used to this body, too. But it’s a pity that I used to have it. I used to feel that I was driving a giant cannon in the sea of stars freely and violently. I couldn’t. I—I simply couldn’t sell my closest little brother for so-called strength!

“…I don’t understand.”

Forget it. Not many people in the entire universe understand such feelings.

Theresa smiled bitterly. “I really don’t know how I should choose between death, strength, and my brother who betrayed me… Wait. Wait. I suddenly thought of something!”

Theresa’s eyes lit up. She jumped up in excitement.

“Jade, Jade, tell me now!”

Theresa replied quickly, “You said just now that the genes of the witch that have not been fully activated are still possible to be extracted, didn’t you? Then, can you extract the genes of the witch from my body and inject them into Princess Summer’s?”

“You see, I don’t want the power, and we are indeed faced with the trouble of Black Jack and Lord Cooper. Therefore, it is best that Princess Summer inherits the power. Yes. Let’s do it. I’m a genius!”

“Teresa, you—”

Princess Summer covered her mouth in surprise. The way she looked at Theresa was both touched and strange.

She could not understand why everybody was so desperate to sell the power that they were desperate to get. But Theresa did not care about the legacy of the legendary Crimson Queen at all and even offered it to her.

Was she so indifferent to fame and fortune?

In any case, one thing was certain.

Theresa really considered her to be one of her own. It was for her own good, many times better than Black Jack, who only knew how to ask and give.

Two scanning rays were shot out of his jade eyes. Crimson brightness was flowing slowly around Theresa and Princess Summer. After analyzing for half a minute, he said casually, “Theoretically, it is feasible, but I don’t suggest you do it.

“Is it really possible?”

The first half of the sentence delighted Theresa, but the second half disappointed her. “Why?”

“Since the Witch Gene has been corrupted by you, some of the scraps of your genes have been contaminated.

Jade explained, “Gene integration has a very low success rate in the first place. Even the super advanced technology in the heyday of the Primeval Civilization has a success rate of less than half. With the facilities, energy, and computational ability that we have right now, the success rate is less than 10%.

“The success rate of the fusion of the Witch Gene and your double genes is already so low. If we extract the Witch Gene that has been contaminated by the scraps of your genes and inject them into her body, the success rate of the fusion of the three genes will be minimal.

“According to my calculations, if the Witch Gene inside your body is activated right now, the success rate will be around 10%, but if it is transferred to her body before it is activated, the success rate will plummet to below 1%. Unless it is absolutely necessary, I don’t suggest you take such a meaningless risk.”

“Below 1%? It seems a bit low.”

Theresa was deep in thought. It was not until a while later that she realized what Jade meant by the first half of her sentence. Her pupils gradually enlarged, and her face turned rigid. “Wait. What did you say just now? 10%? So, even if I am willing to abandon my little brother and endure the pain of falling and swelling for the rest of my life, I will never be able to expand, bombard, attack, and pour freely again. There is only a 10% likelihood that I will successfully activate the Witch Gene?”

“Yes.”

Jade replied calmly, “The Witch Gene, which contains all the wisdom and strength of the captain of Jade for hundreds of generations, is not something that can be digested so easily. With the current conditions and the quality of your body, a 10% success rate is already not bad.

“…”

Theresa took a deep breath and said, “Then, may I ask what will happen if the activation fails?”

“If the activation fails, all the gene strands deep inside your cells will break and collapse, won’t they?

Jade explained, “You can understand that you will be bombarded by the most intense high-energy rays. Your body will lose the ability to metabolize, and all your cells will die one after another. You will feel that your body is rotting inch by inch while you are alive. In the end, you will become a rotten corpse with a soul, a pile of mud that has senses but can only wriggle. After dozens of days or even hundreds of days of suffering, your soul will be able to rest in peace forever.

“…Do you have to be so detailed?” roared Theresa.

“Yes. The procedure. I have to explain the consequences to you. It is part of the test, too.

Jade said, “If you don’t dare to take the risk, you will not be qualified to inherit Captain Kelly’s power and become the new captain of Jade. My new master… is very reasonable, isn’t it?

“Then again, we won’t be so cruel. If you agree, we can make a deal right now. If the activation fails, I will kill you immediately and make sure that you won’t feel any pain. What do you think?”

“Let me think. Let me think.”

In a flurry, Theresa asked, “Well, if I inherited the power of the Crimson Queen and Captain Kelly, would I be able to beat Black Jack, the bastard who plays with women’s feelings, into oblivion?”

“Yes.”

Jade said confidently, “According to my precise calculation, as long as the Witch Gene is successfully activated, the odds of you defeating Black Jack will be more than 95%.

Hardly had he finished his sentence when the central area of the bridge started shaking violently.

Theresa and Princess Summer lost their balance and fell to the ground.

Silver ripples appeared on the jade, too, as if it had been punched heavily.

When the three of them turned around, they discovered that Black Jack had tied up dozens of bright gold tentacles on his arm, which made his arm three to five times thicker than before. He was like a super drill that had been tied up by threads, bombarding the liquid metal wall crazily.

The supposedly indestructible and self-healing liquid metal wall gradually lost the ability to reproduce and heal itself under his bombardment. The hole leading to the central area of the bridge was getting larger and larger.

Black Jack’s face was hideous. He roared and laughed crazily, as if he still had the energy to keep bombarding and drilling.

“…As I said just now, as long as the Witch Gene is successfully activated, the odds of you defeating Black Jack are as high as 90%. It is a sure win.”

“So, brave girl, what are you hesitating for?”

“Wait, 90%?”

Theresa almost vomited blood. “You said 95% just now!”

“Is that so? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you were wrong.”

Jade scanned Black Jack’s actions and analyzed his energy waves. She said calmly, “I’ve always said 88%. 85% is already a very high win rate. When faced with a foreign life form, a 50% win rate is worth a gamble. What’s more, the win rate is now 80%. The universe is vast and full of dangers. How can we not take risks if we want to gain strength and survive? The win rate is already as high as 75%. If we don’t take a gamble now, when will we?”