Super Gene

It took them half a day’s travel, all in all, to reach the foot of Thunder Mountain.

Every inch closer that they traveled, the dread that the treacherous mountain instilled increased. Lightning continued to flash in the skies, striking the peak a number of times. Each flash sent a number of broken rocks plummeting to the earth below.

”Weird. Why are there no creatures around? This is strange.” Lui Gui frowned.

”It is strange. The last time we came here, there were many other creatures. But this time, we haven’t seen a single one.” Zhao Xuebin was confused, as well.

Han Sen jovially thought to himself, ”Duh, that’s because of the silver fox. With this cute little blighter by my side, creatures pestering my travel are a thing of the past!”

”It’s better without them, isn’t it? We can freely slay the Thunderbull.” When Han Sen said this, he immediately began riding Golden Growler up the mountainside.

”In that case, we are depending on you,” Zhao Xuebin politely said to Han Sen. After Han Sen took off, Zhao Xuebin turned around and said to his men, ”Be careful; the Thunderbull may appear at any second. Maintain vigilance.”

”Yes.” They all answered in unison. Slowly but surely, they ascended the mountain in Han Sen’s dusty wake.

Boom!

Lightning continued to strike, and not once was there a lull in its rhythmic impacts. The thunder repeatedly struck the rocks of the mountain, emitting wild showers of sparks.

Han Sen was ahead, but it wasn’t long before he slowed down. The environment was fairly bad and unsuitable for haste. If this was the Thunderbull’s home turf, he knew he’d have to be more careful, as he’d be at a disadvantage.

The silver fox maintained its excitement by standing on Golden Growler’s head, staring at the peak in the distance.

It took them an hour of travel to reach the midway point of the mountain, but still, they had yet to come across the Thunderbull they were hunting.

”Manager Zhao, perhaps that bull is gone,” Han Sen suggested to Zhao Xuebin.

Zhao Xuebin wore a look of confusion, and he said, ”Whenever we used to come here, it would quickly approach our intrusion at the foot of the mountain. Even if it was on the peak, it should have descended upon us long ago. Today’s absence of the beast is strange, indeed.”

”Did the Thunderbull really leave this place?” Lui Gui asked, with concern.

”Let’s keep going; don’t drop your guard, though, just in case.” Zhao Xuebin frowned.

They had been meaning to slay this Thunderbull for quite some time. They had failed a number of times and lost many people in their previous attempts. The bull could cast fierce attacks, including AOE strikes; this was why they had to approach Han Sen and request his aid. They were at their wits end.

If the bull had truly gone, then it would be a great loss for them. The contract stated that if the bull had vacated the area, then Han Sen was eligible to keep half of the proposed vials of Angel Gene Fluid.

With great worry, they continued their ascent to the peak. All the while, the thunder became worse and worse. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck a rock that was only a few meters away from Han Sen.

But the rock seemed indestructible, and it had not been harmed by the lightning. It was still perfectly smooth, and not a single blemish had been brought to it.

As they went higher, the frequency of the lightning increased. After another hour’s travel, one bolt struck a man called Feng Lin. He was struck while on his mount, and he was almost killed outright. Heavily injured, the hair of his head had mostly been burnt away. He was shocked.

Fortunately, the strike wasn’t too strong, and the man managed to stand up after it occurred, much to the surprise of everyone.

Everyone took extra care after that, summoning shields and protective armaments for defense against any more renegade bolts of lightning that sought to strike them.

It was fortunate they did this, as well, due to the increased frequency of thunder and lightning. As they ascended, everyone suffered at least one lightning strike. Others were unfortunate enough to receive more than one.

Only Han Sen and his companions did not get shocked, despite how large of a target the Golden Growler was. Strangely, the lightning ignored them for the duration of their travel.

Han Sen acknowledged this was the work of the silver fox. Little Silver, the thunder master, could bend the will of lightning to avoid itself and its companions.

Han Sen hugged the silver fox and quietly said, ”Little Silver, could you draw more of the lightning over to them?”

The silver fox looked at Han Sen and tilted its head, signifying its understanding of Han Sen’s request. Then, a glint of evil birthed in its eyes.

The silver fox jumped back away from Han Sen’s chest, returning to Golden Growler’s head. It looked at the thunder streaking across the sky.

Boom!

A lightning bolt struck perfectly atop Lui Gui’s head. It shattered his armor and knocked him from his ride. He convulsed on the muddy ground, twitching in agony.

Everyone stopped to check on his wellbeing. Fortunately for them, they had all unlocked their genes locks and were able to withstand such hits.

”Manager Zhao, the frequency of lightning increases as we ascend. It is likely we will all be injured before we reach the top, and if the bull does reside there, our ability to fight will be gone,” Lui Gui said.

Zhao Xuebin looked at the lightning in the sky, but he knew that if they turned back now, they’d be handing over the Angel Gene Fluid to Han Sen for free.

Then again, they could end up injured or even worse, if they maintained their current course, just as Lui Gui said.

Zhao Xuebin gave his conundrum some thought but settled on saying, ”We are not far from the peak. If we get there and do not find the bull, we will return immediately.

After he said that, everyone mounted their rides again and continued up the treacherous slopes of the mountain.

Following this, more and more lightning continued to strike, accurately hitting each of the Angel Gene members and injuring them.

Han Sen looked ahead to the peak. He could not see anything there yet, but he began to sense a powerful lifeforce stemming from there. He knew something had to be up there, he was just unsure whether or not it was the Thunderbull he had pledged to kill.

Regardless of what it was, however, Han Sen did not think the others could make it.

The silver fox’s eyes flashed with silver, in a connection with the lightning that streamed across the skies. Every time a new bolt appeared, his eyes flashed silver and a scream would erupt from behind.

”This is strange; why has the lightning not harmed you once?” They were starting to suspect something was wrong, and after Lui Gui was struck again, he couldn’t hold himself from confronting Han Sen.