Swallowed Star: Reboot

Chapter 21: Double Gene Activation, Blazing Meteor!

A tall, lean, bald Black war god asked, "Vice Commander, how are we going to act when the time comes? Are we really going to assassinate the target right under a Councilman's nose?"

"If we can't find a good opportunity, then we'll go in head-on," replied another war god with cornrow braids. "We've already taken the bounty. There's no backing out now. What we need to consider is how to survive the furious retaliation of a Councilman."

The "Vice Commander" they referred to was none other than the Deputy Commander of the Glory Legion.

That Councilman was a towering 2.2-meter tall Black man built like a fortress—Randolph.

Randolph calmly stubbed out his half-smoked cigar. "The mission cannot be abandoned."

The bounty from their employer was too valuable. It would allow them to transform from mere mercenaries into full-fledged arms dealers. No one in the higher ranks of the Legion could resist such temptation.

As for the difficult situation raised by his subordinates, Randolph had his own plans.

"After killing the target, you two escape immediately. I'll stay behind to draw fire. Once you're on the plane, return to the African continent. Due to the rules, the Jiang Family's patriarch won't dare pursue revenge across borders."

"Then, I'll throw our employer to the wolves to redirect their fury, and the Commander will request Hong to mediate."

"With Hong's character, he won't allow a full-on death battle."

(At this point, Hong has not yet killed a Councilman.)

"Every Councilman-level powerhouse is a key part of humanity's resistance against the beasts. No rising genius can compare to that level of strategic importance."

"With Hong and the Commander intervening, the matter will be forcibly resolved. At worst, I'll suffer some loss of face and pay a bit of compensation. The Jiang Family's rage will ultimately fall on our dear employer."

Randolph's explanation was solid and convincing. The two war gods were reassured and no longer anxious.

But they didn't notice the fleeting cruelty in Randolph's eyes.

Compensation?

What could be more suitable than offering up the lives of these two war gods?

Hehehe… My foolish brother, once I sacrifice your two most trusted men, let's see what bargaining chips you'll have left.

The Glory Legion is about to welcome its new Commander.

Just imagining it set Randolph's blood aflame.

With the "Jade Marrow" and an S-rank alloy weapon production line, the Glory Legion would ascend to its peak under his leadership.

The Black ops team finished prepping their gear and set off toward the southeast.

---

Somewhere along the road to City 079...

In a nameless small town now reduced to ruins, two Councilman-level experts floated in the air, watching a brutal scene unfold below.

Thousands of monsters, led by nearly a hundred beast-general-class creatures, surged toward a lone figure in black armor, who stood in the midst of the horde like a reaper.

That youth, clad in dark battle gear and wielding a long spear, moved like a streak of black lightning through the enemy ranks. Everywhere he passed, monsters dropped like wheat before a scythe—each one pierced through the skull, their brains shredded.

Some were stabbed through by his spear. Others were struck by ten flying daggers trailing behind him, all guided by his will, slicing straight into their neural cores.

"A true spiritual force user," one observer said. "Strolling through a sea of monsters like it's nothing—one thought, and the dead pile up."

But the older man beside him shook his head. "Our Xiao Zhe is still a unique case even among spiritual users."

"He is," the younger replied. "My nephew just has… a bit of a bloodthirsty streak."

The old man looked pleased. "That's good! Earth has no shortage of monsters to kill. How many waves has he gone through now?"

"The eleventh village, eighth major beast horde—he's already killed nearly ten thousand monsters. If he keeps going at this rate, we'll only reach City 079 by midnight."

Jiang Chengbo referred to "major hordes" as those led by high-level beast generals.

"Dad, look! Xiao Zhe just encountered the Peak High-Level Giant Rock Wolf!"

"Oh? Now it's getting interesting," said the old man, excited. "These wolves might not be as strong as Silvermoon Direwolves, but they specialize in brute strength and defense. With near-sonic speed too. If Xiao Zhe doesn't use his psychic powers, I doubt he'll…"

He trailed off mid-sentence.

The Giant Rock Wolf, over 4 meters tall and nearly 7 meters long, had a body covered in rocky armor like natural plate mail. It let out a fierce howl and leapt over 20 meters high, diving toward Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Zhe didn't dodge. Instead, his ten flying daggers shot out in a spinning formation, slicing through weaker beasts and clearing the battlefield.

Gripping his spear, Jiang Zhe unleashed the results of weeks of hard training.

The spear drew a beautiful arc and stabbed out at impossible speed.

The wolf's massive paw slammed down like a pillar, but the high-frequency vibrating spear tip deflected it.

Before the beast could react, the spear pierced its throat, shattered its armored neck, and skewered straight into its brain.

Its yellow eyes froze in disbelief and dimmed.

With a twist of his wrist, Jiang Zhe flung the giant corpse aside. The surrounding low-level beasts scattered in fear.

Jiang Zhe ignored them, watching the glowing dots around him absorb into his chest.

"Soon... the second star will fully form."

From above, Jiang Chengbo whistled. "No wonder he insists on fighting a Lord-level monster. High-level beast generals are nothing to him."

The old man added, "Don't forget the contribution of the Black God Set—it allows him to unleash tenfold strength without hesitation."

---

At 11 PM, they finally arrived at City 079.

They crossed the city and reached the coastal area, settling into a long-abandoned castle hotel.

The old man reviewed the family's intelligence reports and quickly crafted a suitable training plan.

"Primary Lords: Kui Ox, Blackscale Tortoise, Golden Python, Jadehorn Ram, Lion Mastiff, and Fire-Scaled Trident Boar.

Intermediate Lords: Kui Ox, Blue-Backed Iron-Claw Crab."

"This list is ordered weakest to strongest. You may use psychic power in these battles. Once you've challenged them all, whether you win or lose, this wilderness training ends."

In truth, the old man hadn't planned this step, but Jiang Zhe insisted.

"After you return, we'll focus on physical enhancement. Goal: break into the War God level. Then you can hunt Lords freely."

Jiang Zhe nodded, satisfied. The family's cultivation method followed a mainstream path: after mastering martial insights, use special treasures to break through.

Blood Wine, Jade Marrow, Dragon Blood... Grandpa would arrange it all.

Of course, timing mattered. Use them too early, and your body can't absorb them. Too late, and they lose impact.

Treasure like Dragon Blood worked best at the War General stage.

What? You think drinking Dragon Blood at War God level will double your stats? Ridiculous. If it were that miraculous, it wouldn't only cost 80 billion!

The old man left to capture two Kui Oxen, flying across the moonlit sea.

"Be careful, Grandpa!" Jiang Zhe waved goodbye, then entered the next room to cultivate.

He visualized the three-point star map in his mind.

Energy surged from his sea of consciousness and spread through his body.

His chest runes heated up, glowing points coursing through the symbols before merging into his physical form.

Two energy sources fused, awakening hidden genetic potential, altering his DNA.

Life evolution began.

The second star on his right shoulder, once just a hazy outline, was now completing its final piece.

After half an hour, the second star fully formed—shining in tandem with the first star in his mind.

The stars pulsed, sending unique ripples through his body.

His cells divided. Tissues evolved. It didn't hurt—on the contrary, it felt like soaking in a hot spring.

"Feels like triggering an activation protocol…" Jiang Zhe mused.

He clenched his fists, feeling an explosive surge of strength.

This… is the Double Gene Level!

What did it mean?

– 2x physical strength

– 2x psychic power

– 2x lifespan!

His base punch strength doubled—from 11 tons to 22 tons!

With 10x power boost from the Black God Set, that was 220 tons of force—enough to rival mid-level War Gods.

Even scarier was his psychic power.

His flying daggers used to strike with 50 tons of force, already peak War General level.

Now? Each dagger hit with 100 tons of impact!

That's entry-level War God spiritual power.

And no, you can't compare based on pure damage alone.

"I control ten daggers at once, attacking from all sides, at multiple times the speed of sound, and able to instantly change direction. Even if a mid-level War God had strength and skills, they'd be dead in an instant."

"If I, a mid-tier War General, wear the Black God Set and go 10x power against a War God... the outcome wouldn't be so clear anymore…"

---

Back in his room, Jiang Chengbo ended a call.

"The bounty has closed. My third brother already announced it at the War God Palace."

"Thanks, but we won't need your help anymore. Bye."

He hung up, gazing at the moonlight outside. Something felt… off. A chill ran down his spine.

He sighed and sent a message to Jiang Lie, then turned off his comms watch and called out softly:

"Xiao Zhe? You there?"

"Hey, Uncle, what's up?" Jiang Zhe walked in, curious.

"Come with me. Now. I don't think this place is safe."

Jiang Zhe: ???

Not safe?

What could make a powerful Councilman like Uncle feel unsafe?

Monster siege? King-level beasts?

Without hesitation, Jiang Zhe geared up—shield, mace, spear—and followed his uncle out the window, moving stealthily.

This was no random exit—it was a tactical retreat.

They were clearly avoiding someone.

"Uncle… did you tell Grandpa someone might try to assassinate me?"

"He's the one who warned me. I already messaged him."

Jiang Zhe immediately realized—if an assassination was really happening, that last phone call was to track them.

Grandpa had gone 130 km away. Even at a thousand meters per second, it would take him 2–3 minutes to return.

Damn… that means I'm the bait!

---

Elsewhere, the Black ops team locked onto Jiang Chengbo's location and sped toward the coastal ruins. Their portable radar picked up two human warriors within a kilometer.

"Vice Commander, confirmed—two targets nearby, within the strike zone. One person missing, likely Jiang Lie. Now's the perfect chance."

"Two? Hah, doesn't matter. Let's go!" Randolph barked. "Kazong, Yanpu, full sprint!"

Randolph shot into the sky like a flaming meteor, blazing red flames trailing behind him.

Four kilometers away. They'd arrive in under ten seconds.

The other two war gods leapt from rooftop to rooftop, following like agile panthers.

The noise alarmed the monsters in the city, triggering a chaotic wave of howls and roars.

But chaos worked in their favor.

Back on the ground, Jiang Chengbo heard the rumble and instantly recognized the incoming threat.

"Xiao Zhe, remember what I said—stay sharp!"

Without another word, he soared into the sky. His armor, Yinglong God Armor, glowed with earthy yellow light.

He collided head-on with the incoming meteor.

"Earth affinity?"

Randolph narrowed his eyes. "So Jiang Lie isn't here—it's Jiang Chengbo. I've seen you before. What the hell—you're a Councilman too?!"

Panic flashed through Randolph's mind.

This… is spiraling out of control.