Chapter 1872 - 2064: Evolution Failed (1)

Seeing Ling Chen hesitating to speak, He Zhishen did not urge him, quietly sitting by the campfire, waiting for Ling Chen’s response.

After a long while, Ling Chen seemed to have made up his mind and asked He Zhishen, "Mr. He, how confident are you?"

"Fifty-fifty," He Zhishen replied calmly, "No one has ever done this kind of experiment before, so I can’t guarantee much. Think it over carefully; I won’t force you."

Ling Chen frowned slightly. A fifty percent success rate... it seems that luck is the main factor. Although he’s always been lucky, this time... Honestly, he feels a bit uncertain. He Zhishen had just been revived not long ago; with his limited conditions, can he really succeed?

"Have you made up your mind?"

Facing He Zhishen’s inquiry, Ling Chen stood up and said, "Wait!" Saying that, he walked out of the cave alone, took out his phone, and prepared to call Ling Gengqiu. However, the signal bars on the phone showed a cross, indicating there was no signal nearby and the call couldn’t go through. He had wanted to seek Ling Gengqiu’s advice, but now he couldn’t even contact him.

After pondering for a while, Ling Chen turned back to the cave and looked at He Zhishen, "Mr. He, if you want to conduct the experiment, why not come to my place? The equipment there is complete, with professionals to assist you, and..." Before he could finish, He Zhishen shook his head and said, "I’ve already prepared everything, only missing a test subject. Ling Chen, like I said, if you’re unwilling, I will not force you. As for the conditions you previously mentioned, sorry, I’m afraid I can’t agree." After speaking, he slowly stood up and said, "If there’s nothing else, you should head back."

Seeing that he was being asked to leave, Ling Chen gritted his teeth and blurted out, "Okay, I agree, but I have one condition: whether the experiment succeeds or not, you must go to East Sea City and help my friend."

"That’s no problem," He Zhishen smiled and said, "You take a rest first, I’ll go make some preparations."

Watching the other person walk out of the cave with a pile of jars and bottles, Ling Chen let out a slow breath and sat back down by the roaring campfire. If He Zhishen had made this request before, he might not have agreed. But now, He Zhishen had completed the second stage of evolution, greatly increasing his strength. Precisely because of this, Ling Chen dared to take the risk to try it. If He Zhishen’s experiment were successful and triggered his first stage of evolution, then combining their three strengths, dealing with Zhu Hong would nearly be a sure thing.

After resting for over ten minutes, He Zhishen reappeared outside the cave. "Come with me!"

As the other person spoke, Ling Chen immediately followed him, walking outside. Passing through a dense forest, a small wooden house appeared in front of Ling Chen, which should have been built by He Zhishen. The surrounding trees were cut down, leaving only stumps.

Inside the wooden house, there were several oil lamps lit, suggesting that He Zhishen was not yet used to this era and was using old things from the past. Clearly, this place, deep in the mountains, without transportation and electricity, could only use oil lamps for lighting. Ling Chen looked around and saw in the eastern wall of the wooden house there was a wooden shelf with many transparent glass bottles stacked on it, like those for brewing alcohol. Inside were filled with liquid, soaking some animal limbs, heads, paws, and even organs, making it all look rather unsettling.

"Come here," He Zhishen pointed to a wooden bed in the middle of the house, gesturing for Ling Chen to lie down.

Ling Chen said nothing; having agreed, he naturally let himself be directed. He walked to the edge of the bed and slowly lay down. He Zhishen took a bottle from a pile of jars and bottles, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Ling Chen, saying, "Drink it all."

Holding the bottle, the strong stench immediately hit Ling Chen as he brought it closer. Damn! Isn’t this the stuff he smelled before? No idea what’s in it, just the smell was nauseating, yet He Zhishen wanted him to drink it all.

Under He Zhishen’s gaze, Ling Chen forced down his nausea, held his breath, directly put the bottle to his mouth, and drank the foul-smelling liquid. As the liquid went down his throat, he immediately felt strange, as if his whole body was heating up, in an indescribable discomfort.

Originally, he thought drinking that disgusting stuff would be the end, but who knew He Zhishen took up several more jars and bottles, handing them over, having him drink them all. Helpless, Ling Chen had to bite the bullet and drink the rest of the unpleasant liquids.

"Though these medicines taste nasty, they are very effective, all extracted from corpses..."

"Enough!" Before He Zhishen could finish his explanation, Ling Chen hurriedly interrupted. He absolutely did not want to know the ingredients of these concoctions; otherwise, he feared he might vomit everything he drank.

As those concoctions entered his stomach, Ling Chen felt his consciousness begin to blur, seeing He Zhishen before him turning from one to two, then four, becoming increasingly indistinct. Shortly, he fell into a deep sleep.

As Ling Chen lost consciousness, He Zhishen extended a hand, placing it on his forehead, eyes slightly closed. After a while, Ling Chen’s body began to shake gently, sweat pouring out through his pores, quickly soaking his clothes.

Meanwhile, He Zhishen took out a pill from his pocket and inserted it into Ling Chen’s mouth. Once swallowed, Ling Chen abruptly opened his eyes, his face gradually contorting, with painful groans emanating from his throat intermittently.

Observing Ling Chen’s transformation, He Zhishen frowned slightly, tearing open his shirt. At once, a large bizarre patch of red appeared on Ling Chen’s chest, rapidly spreading, covering his entire body as if he were dyed in fresh blood, a sight both eerie and terrifying.

Suddenly, Ling Chen, lying on the bed, extended his hand suddenly, gripping He Zhishen’s arm tightly, his eyes showing a complicated expression, as if trying to convey something. He Zhishen stood silently by, seemingly oblivious to Ling Chen’s gaze, with a hint of contemplation on his face.

After a moment, he suddenly shook his head, looking at Ling Chen said, "It seems my idea was wrong; this approach cannot trigger the first stage of evolution. However, if you can endure it, your strength should progress substantially."

Right now, Ling Chen really wanted to curse, though he couldn’t speak, his consciousness was clear. Every word He Zhishen said echoed clearly in his mind. What in the world did that guy make him ingest, that made him feel his entire being was on fire, a kind of pain far beyond what ordinary people could endure.