In the dark space, that damned pitch-black space again, a few chuckles could be heard.
"Shanhai, and Aaron, it seems they've both found a breakthrough."
"The second stage, as expected, couldn't stop them..."
The old man's voice, laced with a smile, echoed.
In his hand, he held a light screen, its glow illuminating his face, revealing an aged visage like a shriveled orange peel...
Another voice followed suit.
"So far, only these two seem to have found a way out. Looks like the first and second places are secured..."
"Next, it depends on how they destroy that meteorite."
"Destroying the meteorite without triggering elimination is no easy feat..."
The old man nodded, adding, "If things keep going like this, I don't think they'll even need to participate in the third stage..."
He let out two pleased laughs.
What started as a joke, the younger voice now pondered seriously.
In a moment, he leaned closer to the old man.
"Say, why don't we just let them skip the third stage?"
Under the faint light, a handsome face, almost as striking as Lin Feng's, was revealed.
The old man raised an eyebrow at this.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course! Absolutely serious..."
The handsome face met the old man's gaze with earnestness.
The old man's brow furrowed.
"Not participating, would that be good?"
"Those kids from the auxiliary group, they wouldn't be happy about it, would they?"
"This would be detrimental to unity..."
The old man shook his head, feeling it was still not right.
Everyone had to clear all three stages before joining the auxiliary group. Suddenly granting two people special privileges would undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction among everyone.
To put it bluntly, if Shanhai and Aaron entered the auxiliary group without participating in the third stage, they would be ostracized, even considered enemies.
Egar wouldn't be unaware of this.
After speaking, the old man quietly looked at the handsome face.
This was Egar, Aaron's father.
He possessed a remarkably youthful and handsome face.
Egar let out a scoff.
"Old man, don't you think this would make things more interesting?"
"Who cares if those kids are happy or not? Competition leads to progress, doesn't it?"
Egar's objective was clear.
In recent years, the auxiliary group, relying on their superior status, had become somewhat complacent.
Introducing two rebellious young men into this dynamic now would likely lead to fireworks.
The old man was clearly swayed.
"But, there's no precedent for this..."
"Old man, are you being a bit too rigid? If there's no precedent, then create one! Are you afraid of that?"
"I understand your concerns, but sometimes isolation can have unexpected effects, don't you think?"
"Look at Shanhai. Does he seem like someone who would obediently cooperate with teammates? He always takes the lead. Even if he joins the auxiliary group, he won't be subservient..."
Egar analyzed Shanhai.
"If things proceed as they are, even if Shanhai passes the third stage and joins, conflict and struggle will arise over time."
"Since that's the case, why not fan the flames and accelerate this conflict? Let's see what kind of results we get!"
The old man stroked his beard, tempted.
"Then let's set a precedent. I'll discuss it with the others."
"You can't be serious? You want to pull Shanhai to your side, and you want me to handle these minor tasks?"
"What's the big deal? Your son is in there too, isn't he?"
"Honestly, not letting your son participate in the third stage, aren't you trying to pull strings?"
Egar rolled his eyes.
"Old geezer, my son needs to pull strings?"
The old man gave a knowing smile, his eyes deep. "Who knows..."
Egar, knowing the old man was joking, couldn't help but roll his eyes again.
"Alright, alright, I'll make the contact..."
There was no choice; he was the one who made the suggestion.
On the Doomsday Planet, Aaron was also heading to the Life Gene Association.
Each group's planet was independent, meaning no one would compete with them for missions.
However, time was still a factor.
"Shanhai must have found a loophole in the rules too. We need to speed up..."
Aaron urged the subordinate beside him to accelerate.
The subordinate, however, seemed unconcerned.
"I doubt it. Although he's strong enough to exchange a few blows with you, I don't think he's as smart..."
Aaron's expression remained blank as he glanced at the sycophantic subordinate.
He said nothing, but the subordinate broke out in a cold sweat.
Damn this mouth for saying too much.
Without further ado, he stomped on the accelerator and sped up...
Meanwhile, Lin Feng.
With his enhancements, the snowmobile achieved speeds on the snow that even flat ground couldn't match.
In just about an hour, he and Ophelia arrived at the entrance of the Life Gene Association.
The research institute was underground, with only one entrance above ground.
The entrance was easy to spot, guarded by two fully armed individuals.
"Let's go! We're going in!" Lin Feng stopped the snowmobile, stretched his limbs, and walked towards the entrance.
Ophelia rubbed her slightly sore wrist and followed.
"There are guards. Don't we need a plan?"
Lin Feng's steps didn't falter.
"Plan what? Just watch my performance, you'll win without doing anything."
Just two guards, what plan was needed?
Ophelia fell silent.
With Lin Feng leading the way, what else could she say? She'd just follow the big shot.
As they approached the entrance, the two guards, as expected, noticed them.
The guards exchanged glances and hesitated for a moment, but didn't raise their weapons.
Lin Feng and Ophelia's attire was too clean, making them appear to be friendly.
Everyone else was covered in mud and grime, and only their own kind would have such clean clothes and appearance.
Through their transparent protective masks, they could see Lin Feng's clean and relaxed face, which posed no threat.
"Stop!"
"Who are you?"
One of the guards blocked their path at the entrance.
Although they looked like allies, confirmation was still needed.
After all, neither of them had a Life Gene Association badge on their chest.
"Who are we? Naturally, we're allies."
Lin Feng shrugged, appearing very relaxed.
"Please present your ID card or password!" the guard demanded expressionlessly.
Lin Feng removed his protective mask, met the guard's gaze, and chuckled. A red light flashed in his eyes.
"You don't recognize me? Do I need something to prove my identity?"
The guard's eyes unfocused for a second, as if he had lost his soul.
But he quickly regained his senses, then lowered his head.
"So it's you, sir. Please come in!"
The guard bowed respectfully and swiped his ID card at the verification gate.
*Sssshh~*
The sealed door hissed as air escaped.
The door slowly opened, revealing a passage leading underground...