Chapter 00037: The Hunt for Ding Huan
# The Hunt for Ding Huan
Chapter 37
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 37: The Hunt for Ding Huan
"The second clue was something I stumbled upon by chance. In a shop that sells fake beards and makeup, I found footage of Ding Huan visiting. I think this should be enough to raise some questions," Qin Qiang said, her gaze sweeping over Li Chuan before she calmly took her seat.
These discoveries weren't accidental.
After learning that Ding Huan had successfully trained three students with S-level gene fusion compatibility, Qin Qiang immediately launched a full-scale investigation into him.
If Ding Huan was the one who killed the members of the Gene Alliance at the Youdun Hotel, he must have used a disguise.
To confirm her suspicions, Qin Qiang scoured nearly every wig and makeup shop in Puhai.
The results proved her theory was sound.
"Even so, you can't be certain that Ding Huan is the killer," Zhang Yongcheng snapped angrily.
Qian Chen interjected, "All our efforts are for the sake of Earth's peace and the survival of humanity. No matter how capable someone is, they can't go around killing innocents. Of course, we can't wrongfully accuse someone either. My suggestion is to bring Ding Huan here and question him directly. If he's innocent, we should not only apologize but also grant him the status and treatment he deserves."
"You won't be able to bring Ding Huan here. He left Puhai before the assessment, and his current whereabouts are unknown," Qin Qiang said.
She suspected that Ding Huan had sensed trouble and left preemptively.
If she could find him, she wouldn't have brought up the issue here.
The problem was that she couldn't find him, and she needed to.
Ding Huan had the ability to easily enhance someone's gene fusion compatibility, even to the S-level.
This was exactly what she needed.
She had plenty of resources, but after reaching the third level of gene cultivation, she couldn't progress further.
If she could improve her compatibility with foreign genes, she might have a chance to step into the fourth level of gene cultivation.
At her level, she understood better than anyone that for gene cultivators to grow continuously, besides cultivation techniques, gene fusion and growth compatibility were crucial.
Improving gene fusion compatibility would purify the genes she had already fused with, allowing her to grow further.
Additionally, she could continue to fuse with other powerful alien ability genes.
She didn't care whether Ding Huan lived or died.
What she cared about was obtaining his secret before he died.
The meeting hall fell silent as everyone pondered their own thoughts.
They all knew what the others were thinking: capture Ding Huan, uncover his secret, and see how much benefit they could gain.
In such a short time, Ding Huan had trained three geniuses with over 95% alien gene fusion compatibility.
If they could learn this ability, what could they achieve? Forget about training others; even their own gene fusion compatibility needed improvement.
"If we let a murderer like this roam free, what's the point of everything we're doing here? As the leader of the Gene Alliance, I hereby issue a warrant for Ding Huan's arrest. I hope President Qu and all the school principals will support this," Shi Changqian declared, standing up with a firm tone.
President Qu, the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, Qu Weimin, knew he had to take a stand after hearing Shi Changqian's words.
Before Qu Weimin could respond, Zhang Yongcheng was the first to object.
"I disagree," Zhang Yongcheng said coldly.
"Why?" Shi Changqian frowned, glaring at Zhang Yongcheng.
This old man kept opposing the Gene Alliance.
He really needed to be dealt with.
"First, we don't even know if Ding Huan did it. To issue a warrant based on mere speculation against someone who has contributed and has abilities—what kind of logic is that? Second, your Gene Alliance has no authority to issue warrants on Chinese soil," Zhang Yongcheng retorted.
"Principal Zhang, Earth is now a unified entity. The Gene Alliance doesn't belong to anyone; it belongs to the entire Earth and humanity. We should all work together. Dividing by regions is inappropriate," Qian Chen chimed in.
Zhang Yongcheng glanced at Qian Chen.
He knew what this guy was up to.
Qian Chen had likely already set the tone for this meeting.
"I also disagree," Li Chuan added, standing up.
"In that case, let's put it to a vote..."
Qu Weimin began, but then he suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!"
"What's wrong, President Qu?" someone immediately asked.
Qu Weimin's expression turned grave.
"I just received news. Gene beasts have gone on a rampage and attacked Lujiang City. The casualties are severe. The military has already been dispatched, and our Martial Arts Alliance needs to provide support..."
Shi Changqian quickly said, "Let's resolve this matter quickly and then go support Lujiang."
Li Chuan was already heading out.
"The situation is critical. There's no time to waste."
The leader of the Gene Alliance had influence, but trying to sway the top ten academies of Blue Star was a pipe dream.
Seeing Li Chuan and Zhang Yongcheng leave, Shi Changqian turned to the person sitting in the first seat on the left.
"Principal Nong, what's your opinion?"
This was Nong Yizhen, the principal of Zhenyu Academy, the top academy among the Blue Star Ten Academies.
He also stood up.
"Lujiang is indeed an urgent matter. If we don't act, the existence of the Blue Star Ten Academies will be meaningless."
"Then I won't proceed with the vote for now. We'll discuss the rest after Ding Huan is apprehended," Shi Changqian said immediately.
Those who remained knew he intended to issue a private warrant for Ding Huan.
But this matter had nothing to do with them.
As the leader of the Gene Alliance, Shi Changqian wanted to arrest an insignificant teacher.
With Li Chuan and Zhang Yongcheng gone, no one else stood up to oppose him.
...
Ding Huan had been wandering deep in the Penglu Mountains for a day, and he was starting to feel anxious.
The Penglu Mountains weren't large, and the gene beasts there weren't invincible.
That brainless black ape had gone berserk and decided to attack Lujiang City, seeking its own demise.
The black ape, leading tens of thousands of gene beasts, had launched a surprise attack on Lujiang City, which could indeed cause massive destruction.
But once the military arrived, those beasts would be wiped out.
If the casualties in Lujiang were severe, the military might sweep through the Penglu Mountains to appease the citizens.
The Penglu Mountains were different from other mountain ranges, like the Qianluo Mountains, which were vast and interconnected, stretching over a thousand miles.
Even the military couldn't completely clear out the gene beasts there.
That's why Ding Huan had to find the two-horned fire lizard before the military arrived.
Another half-day passed, and Ding Huan still hadn't found any trace of the fire lizard.
By now, he could faintly hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions.
The military must have engaged the gene beasts.
Ding Huan decided to search for one more hour.
If he didn't find the lizard by then, he would leave immediately.
An hour passed quickly, and no miracle occurred.
He still hadn't found the fire lizard.
It was time to go.
Ding Huan was decisive.
Once he made up his mind, he didn't hesitate.
He sprinted out of the Penglu Mountains.
Running at full speed, it only took him two hours to exit the mountains.
Scattered gene beasts were fleeing in all directions.
The military must have dealt them a heavy blow.
Ding Huan ignored the beasts and chose a direction away from Lujiang, running at top speed.
Just ten minutes into his sprint, a fiery red figure suddenly appeared in the corner of Ding Huan's vision, darting toward a field.
The fire lizard?
Yes, it had to be the fire lizard.
Ding Huan's heart raced.
Without hesitation, he charged toward the lizard.
He never expected the fire lizard to leave the Penglu Mountains and flee, just like him.
The two-horned fire lizard must have a trace of divine beast bloodline.
If so, it might have an extraordinary sense of life and death.
Perhaps it had sensed that staying in the Penglu Mountains meant certain death and chose to escape, coincidentally heading in the same direction as Ding Huan.
No wonder he hadn't found it in the mountains.
Thankfully, he knew when to retreat.
Otherwise, he could have searched for a year and still not found the lizard.
Although the fire lizard was fast, it was still a juvenile.
Ding Huan caught up to it in just a few minutes.
"Roar!" The fire lizard raised its head and roared at Ding Huan, its eyes filled with killing intent.
If it didn't sense that Ding Huan was a formidable opponent, it might have pounced.
This was no one-meter-long lizard.
It was over two meters long.
While excited, Ding Huan knew time was tight.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his short blade and charged at the mutated fire lizard.
The fire lizard sensed the threat of death and leaped toward Ding Huan.
Ding Huan punched the lizard's head, feeling a sharp pain.
He silently admired the lizard's tough bones.
Without pause, he swung his blade sideways.
A flash of blood, and half of the fire lizard's head was split open.
The lizard let out a shrill cry and frantically lunged toward the distant field.
It had realized the vast difference in strength between itself and the human.
Ding Huan didn't chase the lizard.
He simply collected the trophy—one of its eyes and a horn—before quickly turning and leaving.
The fire lizard, missing a horn and an eye, wouldn't die.
These creatures had terrifying vitality and incredible regenerative abilities.
As for Ding Huan, he urgently needed to escape the Lujiang area and find a gene lab.
Using the fire lizard's genetic abilities, he would create his own injury-regeneration gene.
(That's all for today's update.
Goodnight, friends!)
(End of Chapter)