บท 563: Maelstrom
As they neared the island, they espied three people standing on the shoreline. Two men and a woman, each clad in beast soul armor. They looked refined and elegant, and it was plain to see that these were not ordinary evolvers.
"Big Sis, what took you so long?" the woman yelled from afar.
The woman was quite short, and despite looking quite beautiful, displayed a hint of laziness.
"There was a rock in the road, so I had to delay my arrival by an extra couple of days," Queen explained. Although she was a proud woman, she was not unreasonable.
"Big Sis, who is this man?" The woman seemed surprised to see Han Sen standing by Queen.
After the two men greeted Queen as well, they too seemed to have been alarmed by Han Sen's presence.
"His name is Han Sen, and I wish to propose his inclusion on our team," Queen merely said, foregoing any detailed introduction.
"You must be an elite, for Big Sis to personally invite you on our team. Can I ask; what is your gene lock power?" the woman asked Han Sen with curiosity.
The two men remained silent, and they continued to lock Han Sen within their gazes. Certainly, then, they cared deeply about Queen's reasoning for bringing aboard someone else.
"Oh, me? I haven't even unlocked by gene lock yet," Han Sen lied.
Since Queen only said she needed the help of the silver fox, he didn't need to step up to the plate and disclose himself fully. Now, he could just follow the team from behind as Queen had personally told him to. Super creatures were nothing to trifle with, and the image of the Blue Seahorse was still fresh in his mind. If the opportunity to avoid risks was available to him, then he would gladly refrain from engaging with such fearsome enemies.
"You didn't unlock your gene lock?!" The three of them called out, simultaneously. After looking at Han Sen with bewilderment, they then turned to look at Queen.
Queen attempted to explain Han Sen's situation by saying, "I have tested this personally on my journey here. His silver fox is special. Whenever it is around, no other creatures are, either."
"If that is true, then why not just buy the pet? There is no need for this slouch to join the team," one of the men said. This man was downright handsome, with blonde hair and emerald eyes.
The other man and woman did not say anything yet, as they were a little unsure as to how they felt.
"Sorry, this pet is not for sale." Han Sen quickly shut him down.
The blonde man looked to say something again, but Queen prevented him. She said, "According to the rules we established upon this group's formation, everyone is provided the opportunity to say their piece. If you don't want this person on our team, then feel free to say so. If that is the case, he will be gone. But I am the one who brought him here, so no one can touch him."
An uneasy silence followed, which Queen broke by asking, "Where is the rest of the team? Have they still not arrived yet?"
"Big Sis, it sounded like the three of them were delayed by something. But I'm sure they'll be along shortly," the woman said.
"Well, in that case, let's wait until they have arrived. We can discuss and vote on Han Sen's inclusion when they get here," Queen said.
The handsome blonde man then said, "Pah! We don't have to wait. I disagree and don't want him. Did you forget that one of our founding laws stated that anyone who joined must have unlocked their gene lock? This guy wants to be some cling-on, using his pet while he reaps the benefit of the potential slaying of a super creature?"
"I understand, but his pet may prove vital to our current struggle. It could save us a lot of trouble," Queen rebutted, shooting the handsome man with her stiletto gaze.
"Yes, Tyrant. To have someone like this isn't such a bad idea." The woman was in agreement with Queen, and so she joined in and tried to convince the handsome man.
The handsome man called Tyrant now looked cold. He said, "I would rather struggle than share the rewards of actually slaying a super creature with a noob who hasn't unlocked their first gene lock."
Queen frowned at Tyrant adamance about Han Sen's exclusion from the team. She nodded and said, "Okay, fine! If that is how things will be, I'll return him home." After that, Queen climbed on top of the whale's back again with Han Sen. She apologized to him, saying, "I am sorry for wasting your time. This was a pointless journey."
"It's okay." Han Sen shook his head and gave a wry smile. He didn't want to risk his life, and that's why he did not admit that he had unlocked his gene lock, but he didn't expect that he would be rejected by the group and shot down so quickly.
He had only just arrived here, and now he was to be sent back. Han Sen wasn't too happy about this, but he did not think it would be a good idea to admit the truth now, either. So, he prepared himself to return home with Queen.
As Queen prepared to take off with the whale, Han Sen noticed the coming of someone who was riding a sea beast. He was gliding across the waves at a furious pace.
Before long, he had arrived on the island. Strangely, however, he looked severely wounded and was covered in a mass of burns. Many were dressed in hastily wrapped bandages, but even so, you could tell he was not in good shape.
"Horny Old Man! Are you okay? Where is Shang Qing?" Queen dismounted, and everyone gathered around him. The other woman quickly moved to help support him.
"On our way here, we came across a creature that breathed fire. It was too powerful and I got separated from Shang Qing. I don't know if the rest made it away," Horny Old Man bleakly told the group, with a face as white as a ghost.
The faces of the group were horrified, but they could not do anything. To encounter a super creature was always a frightening, life-threatening ordeal, but to stumble across one in the sea was a nightmare. He was lucky to have made it out alive.
The burns that had scorched Horny Old Man's body were not mild. The group helped carry him down to the shore and tried to remedy his wounds.
When Han Sen saw the burn marks, he could not help but ask himself, "Did they meet the Blue Seahorse?"
"Lazy Cat, you stay here and tend to Horny Old Man. Me, Tyrant, and Sky Jealousy will go and take a look. We'll see if we can find them." Queen leapt onto the back of her whale as she spoke.
Tyrant and Sky Jealousy summoned their own sea rides, and they all hurriedly took off in the direction Horny Old Man pointed.
When they reached the area Horny Old Man told them about, they split up and tried to look for the missing people.
Han Sen was still on the whale, sitting next to Queen. Despite looking for the missing persons, they weren't able to find a trace. It was mostly likely that they had died.
"It looks like Queen and her people haven't yet killed a single super creature, despite the fact that they have unlocked their gene lock. Humans in the Second God's Sanctuary are still struggling with their overwhelming strength, it seems."
Han Sen's mind was alert. When he first unlocked his gene lock, he was extremely happy about it. But now he felt as if its status carried a certain weight to it, that he had not realized previously.
The thought that a few people, who had striven to unlock their first gene lock as much as Han Sen had, were now dead. They were taken out by a super creature in the sea in no time at all. It terrified him.
Queen, Tyrant, and Sky Jealousy rendezvoused in a location they had established. Their faces looked dim, a clear indication that they had no luck in searching for their missing compatriots.
"Let's go back to the island first. It is not safe to remain in these waters." Queen was immediately decisive, afraid something might happen if they remained. Quickly, they returned.
"What do we do now? Even if they were killed, you were not even able to recover their bodies? Horny Old Man is still injured. Are we still going after the creature on the island?" Lazy Cat frowned.
"Of course we are. Otherwise, our time here will have been wasted!" Tyrant coldly said.
"But right now, only the three of us remain. What if it really is..." Lazy Cat trailed off and did not finish her sentence. Still, everyone knew what she meant.
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