Super Gene

”Something evil must be at work, to transform the lands like so. The Jade-Gold Tree must be birthing something most peculiar,” Wang Yuhang said, as he observed the downpour of blood-like rain.

Han Sen’s heart was filled with worry, acknowledging the spookiness of the scene. He understood something foul was at work, too.

”Maybe I shouldn’t have brought Little Uncle here with me.” Han Sen was also overcome with regret. Still, he knew that despite how unfortunate Wang Yuhang could be, even he could not cause something like this. It very-well could have been the work of the Jade-Gold Tree.

The next day, the blood rain stopped and the clouds dispersed. The horrific bloody scene portrayed the night before had come and gone, and it was as if the blood water had been willfully absorbed by the mountain itself. The blood rain that had soaked the earth of that place had also made the lands teem with life; plants were abundant once more, growing to maturity over the course of a single night. The black and charred landscape was now vibrant and green once again.

Han Sen and Wang Yuhang both observed the Jade-Gold Tree with a perplexed look, for they had just been delivered a shock. After the blood rain stopped, the tree had switched a metric and grown three meters tall. The seven golden chest fruits were each the size of an average shoebox, and they were each illuminated with a strong golden light.

Between the jade and gold colors, a purple mist developed. The tree did not look like any ordinary tree they had seen before. It seemed holy.

”Moment, do you really not know anything about this Jade-Gold Tree?” Han Sen did not believe something so strange could grow there for no apparent reason.

Moment Queen shook her head and replied, ”If you believe this tree’s existence has something to do with me, you are wrong. And for it to be here like so, I truly cannot explain the reason why.”

Han Sen eyed Moment Queen for some time. Then, he frowned and said, ”Well, the chests have yet to mature, and we’ve just had a spout of weird events. Is that a good sign or a bad one? Do you think we should remain here, guarding this place?”

”It is difficult for me to determine.” Moment Queen shook her head once more, confirming her lack of knowledge concerning the curious tree.

A few days later, the sound of crying came from the Purple Mountain. It was loud, as if someone was crying at the top of their lungs, hoping the high heavens could hear.

The sun rose, and with it came snow. For a few hundred miles, all around, it was like an icy, snowy kingdom. The lands were blanketed in virgin white snow; it was beautiful.

But overnight, the snow melted; leaving as quickly as it came. When the sun rose the next day, many flowers bloomed all across the mountain.

The day after that, the sun rose to greet lands of decay. The pastures that were previously filled with stunning, blooming flowers were now all dead. The mountains were grey and lifeless.

Han Sen was very concerned with what was going on. Wang Yuhang returned to the Alliance, as these strange occurrences continued to unfold.

Little White possessed snow-white antlers, but they suddenly began to appear red.

”A mascot monster turning red is a sign of something awful that is to come.” Han Sen’s breath was taken away by this sudden revelation. For something like this to appear on Little White, it had to be an ill omen.

This time, Han Sen returned to the Alliance. He wanted to research the weird events that had transpired recently. However, the texts he normally read had been written before sanctuaries were known to exist.

That being said, he was educated in similar things. If a sign involved blood, it was almost guaranteed to be bad.

Han Sen was getting very paranoid, right about now. He went on Skynet to read about Feng Shui, in search of an explanation for what had been happening back in the lands of his shelter.

Unfortunately, few people believed in such ancient arts in that age. But people did discuss supernatural things on forums. As a result, Han Sen made a post on Skynet, hoping individuals could educate him on what he needed to know.

After he explained his predicament, however, people believed he was crazy. They did not believe what Han Sen told them, and made sure to ask where such zany events had taken place.

There were others who tried to be more helpful, but unfortunately, they weren’t of much use to Han Sen, either.

”Purple Mountain is bleeding blood? Crying sounds at night? A mascot beast now appears to be covered in blood? According to what you have told us, OP, something evil will be born soon. It is said that if any one of these signs showed up, the world will be thrown into chaos and turmoil. That being said, it’s just a myth and nobody has actually seen such things happen before, lol.” Someone with the username Nighttime Star-Gazing replied, and what he told Han Sen struck fear into his heart.

Han Sen only spoke about a mountain bleeding and the crying noises at night. He did not namedrop Purple Mountain or the fact Little White had bloody horns. How did that peculiar poster know so much? It was too accurate, and what the poster said shocked Han Sen.

Han Sen quickly added Nighttime Star-Gazing as a friend and asked him what the signs meant in more specific detail.

Nighttime Star-Gazing told him he had read an ancient book. From it, he had deciphered something evil was to be born, but that was all that he had understood from the manuscript so far.

Han Sen spoke with him for some time, and it truly did appear as if that was all he knew. Therefore, Han Sen didn’t push him anymore.

According to what Han Sen had been told, if any of those signs appeared, something evil would soon be born. Yet bad things had been occurring each and every day on Purple Mountain, so did that mean the evillest thing ever would be born?

Still, Han Sen could not bring himself to believe what he had been told. To him, it was just a Jade-Gold Tree, plain and simple. He found it hard to fathom how a tree such as that could birth something so inherently evil.

Han Sen had even experienced first-hand the Empty Vine, so a Jade-Gold Tree couldn’t be half as bad.

While this was how he felt, he was still nervous about the entire thing. He went for a walk around the mountain and realized there weren’t any creatures living in those lands for several hundred miles.

That also applied to super creatures, something that scared Han Sen even more.

Back in Moment Shelter, Han Sen decided to bring Little Black, Big Black, and Little White with him to leave.

He would rather return there at a later date than hang around, twiddling his thumbs waiting for something bad to happen. The Purple Mountain was too scary, and Han Sen feared he’d die if he were to remain.

Han Sen did not want to stay until he could learn more.

He and his crew had to walk four hundred miles until they laid eyes on other creatures. Feeling relieved, Han Sen decided to establish a camp there. He could see Purple Mountain in the distance, and from this safe distance, he could watch for changes.

Ten days later, clear skies returned to Purple Mountain. He could see it from his camp. Not only that, he could smell a pleasant fragrance that had carried on the wind. Perhaps the golden fruit was beginning to mature.

When the smell grew stronger, Han Sen felt the gourd in his pocket move. With surprise, Han Sen took a look at it. In his hands, however, the movements stopped.

Inside the gourd, the heartbeat felt faster and livelier. No longer did it feel as if Han Sen was holding a gourd; instead, it now felt like he was holding a heart.