The Strongest Gene

“Will… Will this work?” Chen Yuan was still feeling anxious. After all, he had never seen something like this be done and thus had little confidence. His lack of confidence was especially pronounced when facing Luo Yuan, who he had once been one with.

“Don’t worry. I have plenty of experience doing things like this,” Chen Feng comforted him.

Chen Yuan: “…”

What do you mean?

“I have a question,” Chen Feng asked as he glanced sideways at Chen Yuan. “Are there traps in this palace? Alarms or self-destruct systems?”

“No,” Chen Yuan replied calmly.

Chen Feng continued his line of questioning. “Are there any sensors? Detectors? Monitoring systems?”

Chen Yuan shook his head. “No.”

Chen Feng glared at him. “Then what are you afraid of? Like I said, this is how I normally do things. There is nothing to be surprised about. Since the palace is safe, carrying it away in its entirety will be fine.”

Chen Yuan smiled bitterly. “I am only… scared of infuriating him.”

Chen Feng looked at him like he was looking at an idiot. “Aren’t we already enemies?” Since Luo Yuan was already an enemy, wasn’t it even better to infuriate him?

Chen Yuan still had the same bitter smile. “No, it’s not the same.” Yes, yes, Chen Feng probably wouldn’t care. However, Chen Yuan was worried about himself. After all, he was the reason this had actually happened in the first place. Why had Luo Yuan suffered such a big loss? Simple. As far as Luo Yuan was concerned, this clone was already dead. He had no idea that this clone, which was as ambitious as him, had actually been subverted.

That wasn’t supposed to be possible. After all, the clone was also him. Luo Yuan was very clear that he was someone who wouldn’t be subverted no matter what. Therefore, his excessive confidence had caused him to neglect the fact that a clone was still a clone. Even though they possessed the same intelligence, they could take entirely different positions. And when the clone was just a clone, he was much easier to persuade.

This was the actual reason he had lost his palace. Chen Yuan had played an important role. Naturally, carrying the entire palace wasn’t something Chen Yuan had expected. However, what he was most worried about was Luo Yuan figuring out that he was still alive.

Luo Yuan was very intelligent. He would not remain blind forever. Why had he not received any alerts even when his palace was being taken apart? It wouldn’t take long for Luo Yuan to think of this clone of his. He would reach the conclusion that this clone was still alive. At that time, Chen Yuan would probably become the target of the furious Luo Yuan.

Now that the two of them were completely separated, even Chen Yuan himself did not know what the real body could actually do to him.

“Well, then just stay in the alien world for now,” Chen Feng said after giving it some thought. After all, the alien world was still a restricted area for Luo Yuan.

“Fine.” Chen Yuan did not bother arguing. However, his heart was still brimming with anxiousness. Luo Yuan… and himself… Under normal circumstances, when Luo Yuan was in his normal state, he had no worries. He understood Luo Yuan all too well and would be able to scheme against him. What about when Luo Yuan was furious, then? This Luo Yuan that would no longer care about gains and losses. This Luo Yuan would be unpredictable.

***

In outer space, Luo Yuan was still silently staring at the mess before him. This was his palace, the place where everything had started. Before coming, he had made numerous plans in mind and been prepared for various possibilities. For instance, what if Chen Feng didn’t enter the palace and instead hid nearby to ambush him? That was quite possible. As such, Luo Yuan had had some measures in place to deal with that.

Alas, this situation here… was the only situation he had not prepared for. This had completely surpassed his expectations. The alarms… After a short silence, Luo Yuan finally understood. It was his clone. Chen Feng had actually subverted his clone. Just as Chen Yuan had said, a small clue was all Luo Yuan had required to reach this conclusion.

Luo Yuan laughed. “You actually succeeded in subverting him.” That was his clone, a clone that shared his ambitions! What a fine Chen Feng indeed!

“Isn’t subverting him the same as subverting me, in a sense?” Luo Yuan exclaimed in admiration. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration toward Chen Feng. However, it was time for this to stop. Luo Yuan stared into the distance. He had suffered defeat after defeat along the way, the initiative always in Chen Feng’s hands. Now, he had even lost his key to the power of time. However… Luo Yuan shook his head.

“All missing information has been obtained now,” he muttered.

At first, due to not knowing that Chen Feng was still alive, he had suffered loss after loss. Next, the matter pertaining to The Crystal Palace. And finally, his clone… Due to his lack of information, he had erred time after time. Now, that would cease. He had finally obtained all the information he had been lacking. Chen Feng had lost the only advantage he’d had.

“You are making use of the clone to make a move against me, right?”

Luo Yuan’s gaze was cold. The clone was himself. As such, everything about the clone, including its thought process, was identical to Luo Yuan himself. Therefore, it was the correct choice to make use of his clone against him. If so, Luo Yuan would have to change his thought process from now onward. Change it himself? No. Anything he could think of, his clone would be able to think of as well. It would still be exploited by Chen Feng. That wouldn’t work.

If so… the only solution was to change his character according to the situation. This was his only choice. Suddenly, Luo Yuan laughed.

Hum—

Luck Aura flashed. Templates for countless different characteristics appeared for his choosing. Next, among these templates, a rule was set so that a random template would be chosen with each encounter. He would act according to the templates from now on. His goal was a simple one: to not give Chen Feng any chance to exploit his line of thought.

As for Luck Aura, the only reason it existed was to neutralize Chen Feng’s interference. He had to ensure that his choice of action was truly random, to the point that even he himself did not know what he would do next. With that, Chen Feng would not be able to anticipate his next step either. Perhaps it was because the opponent this time was Chen Feng. Luo Yuan was presently much calmer than Chen Yuan had imagined.

If so, how should he deal with Chen Feng stealing his palace? He had thought of countless methods for revenge. However, he absolutely could not do any of those, as Chen Feng would have prepared for those as well. Chen Feng was an extremely intelligent person. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible for him to trick Luo Yuan for over 30 years. Therefore, anything he could think of was something Chen Feng and his clone could think of.

The table of templates within him flashed.

“I will be relying on you, then.”

Shua!

Soon, a random template was chosen. With this selection, Luo Yuan’s mental state changed accordingly. Based on this template, he should…

Shua! Shua!

He calculated rapidly.

Each template had its own unique method of dealing with things. This was something Luo Yuan himself couldn’t change. According to his plan, no matter which template was chosen, he would act according to the characteristics of the template. But this…

Luo Yuan’s expression became unsightly. The template was just a shell; at the core of it all was still Luo Yuan himself. Therefore, he could decide if he wanted to act according to the template or not. The method of this selected template, in all honesty… wasn’t one he would use normally. After all, this was too idiotic. But… if even he himself hadn’t seen this coming, perhaps it would work against Chen Feng? Of course, it could be a totally stupid decision too.

“What should I do?”

Should he follow his own reasoning or should he follow this template? Luo Yuan hesitated for a long time. This impetuous character and hot-headed way of making decisions…

Shua!

He finally decided.

“I will do it this way then.”

Finally, Luo Yuan decided to give it a try.