Chapter 3: Taboo Talent

 Massive streams of data flashed rapidly across the optical computer's screen.

"Genetic Talent, Category: Devour," "Xenobeast Energy, Absorption," "Genetic Mutation, Evolutionary Direction"...

Jiang Zhe constantly swapped out his search keywords, but the results were all largely the same.

The Human Federation's gene bank had thousands of registered talents on record, and the derived sub-variants numbered in the hundreds of thousands. There were, in fact, thousands of entries related to "Devour."

Jiang Zhe patiently scrolled through them one by one.

Ranked first was the A-grade talent [Gluttonous Monarch]. Its effect allowed the user to store energy in their body after devouring food, which could be released in a massive burst during combat. It was incredibly strong, but it was different from his own.

Scrolling further down, there were [Stomach of Taotie], [Energy Digestion], [Big Eater]... a dizzying array of talents, yet their core function always boiled down to converting food into energy.

None of them matched his ability—the power to directly devour xenobeast flesh and blood, completely assimilating the target's life essence as his own.

He continued his search until a bold, red-highlighted warning pop-up violently leaped onto the screen.

[WARNING: You are accessing the Federation's Forbidden Knowledge Base.]

[According to Article 17 of the Genetic Security Act, any research involving "Pollutive Gene Plunder," "Forbidden Sequence Fusion," or related subjects is classified as a top-tier felony.]

[Please cease your actions immediately!]

Jiang Zhe raised an eyebrow and decisively closed the page.

"Pollutive Gene Plunder"... It certainly didn't sound like a righteous talent.

The Federation's stance was crystal clear: you could eat whatever you wanted, but you couldn't eat someone and then try to become them. That crossed the absolute bottom line of species stability and ethics.

Jiang Zhe leaned against the cold iron wall, his gaze profound.

As expected, playing the coward in front of Old Sun earlier had been the right move. If he had exposed his abilities back then, Federation agents would likely be kicking down his door right now.

At best, he would be locked up and turned into a biological tool for the military or one of the megacorporations. Whether he was ultimately sliced into specimens or humanely euthanized would depend entirely on their mood.

Jiang Zhe shut off the optical computer. Darkness once again swallowed the cramped room.

He needed to plan his next steps.

First, he couldn't quit school or his job at the processing center. They were his best camouflage right now. A piece of "impurity gene" trash struggling on the poverty line wouldn't attract the attention of any big shots.

Second were the two immediate troubles looming in front of him: Chen Zixuan, and Old Sun.

Chen Zixuan's insults were a minor issue, but guys like him were like flies—constantly buzzing in your face, incredibly annoying, and bound to ruin things sooner or later.

Old Sun was far more dangerous. His greed would eventually lead him to cross the line. He had to find a way to deal with him once and for all.

But not right now, of course.

He needed to figure out the exact limits of his talent. Would devouring different types of xenobeasts yield different effects? The King Bug was a Tier-5 unit; what about lower-level ones? What differences would there be post-assimilation? Could they only restore his stamina, or could he gain something else?

It was all an unknown.

Lying on the hard steel bed, Jiang Zhe felt the explosive power lurking within his body. His hunger had long since vanished.

He suddenly realized a very practical point.

I saved money on nutrient paste tonight.

Moreover, as long as he had access to xenobeast corpses in the future, wouldn't he never have to worry about food again?

The thought of those megacorp scions spending astronomical sums on premium nutritional supplements while he only had to visit the "garbage dump" for a free buffet inexplicably lifted his mood.

I suppose that counts as an unexpected perk.

Early the next morning, Jiang Zhe walked down the road to school.

The power originating from the King Bug had stabilized within his body, but his brain was still rapidly calculating.

He needed a plan—something that would leave Chen Zixuan so utterly overwhelmed that he would completely forget about a nobody like him.

So, where was the blade he could use against Chen Zixuan?

A name jumped out from the depths of the original owner's memories.

Li Meng.

A sports prodigy, B-grade Strength Enhancement talent, short-tempered, and simple-minded. He and Chen Zixuan were bitter old rivals.

Li Meng's crew made a living extorting protection money. Whenever Chen Zixuan saw them, he mocked them as poor thugs with all brawn and no brains. Since school security would always side with the wealthy Chen Zixuan if a fight broke out, Li Meng was harboring a belly full of rage, itching to beat him up at the first opportunity.

Jiang Zhe pivoted, turning into a narrow commercial alleyway near the school.

According to the original owner's memories, Chen Zixuan's girlfriend, Lily, had recently been pestering him to buy a silver necklace displayed in a shop window. It wasn't worth much to Chen Zixuan, but Lily had her eye on it and nagged him about it every day.

That girl was inherently paranoid and insanely jealous. The slightest rustle of wind in the grass could make her throw a massive tantrum.

And Li Meng's gang of jocks would always pass through this very alley at 7:15 AM after their morning workout to grab breakfast.

It was currently 7:00 AM sharp.

Jiang Zhe walked up to the gift shop. Extending a finger, he swiftly traced a line of text onto the window glass, which was coated in a thin layer of morning condensation.

Chen Zixuan, where is the necklace you promised me?

Having done this, Jiang Zhe walked to a breakfast stall at the end of the alley and bought a synthetic wheat cake for three star coins. Taking large bites of the coarse cake, he kept his peripheral vision locked on the alley entrance.

Would it work? Jiang Zhe wasn't entirely sure himself. He was simply gambling on a coincidence. After all, the only cost was a bit of condensation on his fingertip.

If it worked, he would earn several days of peace to focus on researching his abilities. If it failed, the worst case was finishing his breakfast and brainstorming another trick.

The weak had no right to choose their battlefield; all they could weaponize were these coincidences brimming with uncertainty.

A few minutes later, the roar of an engine approached from a distance. The flashy, crimson sports car was deliberately driving at a crawl just to show off.

Inside the car, Lily was clinging to Chen Zixuan's arm, whining coyly: "Ah-Xuan, I really, really want that necklace in the window. Just buy it for me, please..."

Chen Zixuan glanced at the window and sneered. "That piece of junk is obviously a knockoff. It only fools bumpkins who haven't seen the world like you."

Lily pouted and glared at the window in a huff.

Her gaze instantly froze.

Chen Zixuan, where is the necklace you promised me?

She hadn't written that! If she didn't write it, then who did?

She couldn't help but remember how evasive Chen Zixuan had been while checking his optical computer these past few days. When asked who he was talking to, he'd claimed his mother was looking for him. She hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Turns out, he was hiding some slutty fox!

The string holding Lily's sanity together completely snapped.

"Chen Zixuan! Stop the damn car!"

Impatiently, Chen Zixuan slammed the brakes in the middle of the alleyway. "What the hell is wrong with you this early in the morning?"

"I'm the one with the problem?!" Lily pointed out the window, trembling with rage. "Look for yourself! How many tramps are you keeping behind my back? Huh? What do you take me for!"

"What nonsense are you..."

The two devolved into a screaming match. The sports car sat sideways in the middle of the road, completely blocking the already narrow alleyway.

Right at that moment, a cacophony of footsteps echoed from the alley entrance. A group of burly men, practically steaming and reeking of sweat, strutted over.

Li Meng was starving, his stomach touching his spine. He was on his way to shovel down some food when he found the road blocked. Squinting, he saw that trashy sports car again, and that pair of bitchy lovers inside.

Li Meng's temper flared instantly.

"Chen Zixuan! Are you sick in the head?" Li Meng roared at the top of his lungs. "Putting on a soap opera with your chick and blocking the whole damn street! You think this is your living room?"

Chen Zixuan was already getting a massive headache from Lily's screaming. Being publicly mocked by his mortal enemy instantly detonated his young master temper.

He stuck his head out the window, pointing right at Li Meng's nose, and cursed, "Li Meng, what the hell are you? Do I need your permission for my business?"

"Fuck your permission!"

Li Meng, explosive by nature, didn't waste any breath. He charged forward and slammed a fist right into Chen Zixuan's face!

Bang!

A muffled thud. Chen Zixuan and the entire car rocked three times as blood sprayed wildly from his nose! Dizzied by the blow, he smashed his head against the car door!

Lily's shriek instantly pierced their eardrums: "Are you crazy?! Do you know who his father is!!"

"You dare touch Brother Xuan!" Seeing this, Chen Zixuan's lackeys immediately charged forward. "Brothers, fuck 'em up!"

The group of jocks behind Li Meng swarmed forward as well.

Just like that, the two gangs of bullies were brawling in the narrow alleyway over an utterly baffling reason!

Amidst the chaos, no one noticed Jiang Zhe standing in the corner. He swallowed the last bite of his wheat cake, watching calmly as Chen Zixuan was dragged out of his car and pinned to the ground, getting his face violently rubbed in the dirt.

Good luck.

Even though this farce would, at best, leave Chen Zixuan utterly overwhelmed for a few days... it was more than enough.

Jiang Zhe turned around, squeezed his way out of the crowd, and headed toward the school gates. Once he figured out the upper limits of his talent, it would be time to resolve the problem named Chen Zixuan permanently.