After hearing what Lin Xinghai had to say, Zhang Yue fell into a long silence.

He finally let out a soft sigh. He had to admit that Lin Xinghai hadn’t been exaggerating. Liu Miaomiao truly was qualified to participate in the Seed Plan.

In fact, with such a powerful Superpower, her chances of being selected were extremely high.

After all, controlling Life Force was, to some extent, equivalent to controlling the enemy’s very life!

Moreover, when he had first arrived, he had observed Liu Miaomiao using her Superpower. There was no telltale sign at all. With just a wave of her hand, specks of green light floated out from the surrounding plants, offering up their Life Force.

If her enemy were human, a simple wave of her hand would likely be enough to kill them.

And that wasn’t even the most terrifying aspect of her Life Control Superpower when used under normal conditions.

The truly terrifying part would be when Liu Miaomiao was piloting a Mecha in battle.

With the Mecha’s tenfold Superpower amplification, one could only imagine how terrifying the Life Control Superpower would become.

Furthermore, it seemed the Superpower could completely bypass any Defense and be used directly on the enemy pilot. They would die silently without a fight.

"Should this be kept secret?" Zhang Yue finally asked.

"It would be best to keep it a secret. After all, Miaomiao is still very weak right now," Lin Xinghai said with a nod.

Zhang Yue said no more and quickly departed. The matter was too important; he had to report it to his superiors immediately.

Lin Xinghai stayed with Liu Miaomiao for another hour. By then, there were finally no more critically injured patients who required her healing.

After all, as long as the injuries weren’t life-threatening, the technology of their era was advanced enough to treat them.

By the time they were finished, it was nearly dark.

"Are you okay?" Lin Xinghai asked, his heart aching as he looked at Liu Miaomiao’s pale face.

"I’m fine. I just overused my Superpower, but it was worth it to save so many people," Liu Miaomiao said with a smile. The number of people who survived thanks to her Superpower was no less than fifty. A contribution like that was far greater than that of ordinary Mercenaries.

Of course, the Military Department had also stated that all of this would be calculated as military merit and awarded to Liu Miaomiao.

"What about you? Was your mission very difficult this time?" Liu Miaomiao asked. Seeing the pained look on Lin Xinghai’s face warmed her heart, but she quickly changed the subject.

"It was alright. A few close calls, but no real danger." Lin Xinghai then briefly recounted the details of the mission.

Even though Lin Xinghai simplified the whole story, Liu Miaomiao’s heart still pounded with fear as she listened. Being surrounded, pursued, and blocked by so many Mechas... to say it wasn’t dangerous would be an outright lie.

"When can I go on a mission with you?" Liu Miaomiao asked, pursing her lips. She suddenly wanted to do something for Lin Xinghai.

"How about tomorrow?" Lin Xinghai said after a moment’s thought.

He hadn’t let Liu Miaomiao go before because they had to prepare for battle with the Morgan Conglomerate. Now that their opponents were dealt with, they naturally had the time.

"Okay!" Liu Miaomiao said with a smiling nod.

...

「The next day」

Liu Miaomiao made breakfast bright and early, eagerly anticipating her mission with Lin Xinghai.

However, neither of them expected a message that would completely disrupt their plans.

The message was from Elder Wei himself, summoning Lin Xinghai to his office. It also specified that he could bring Liu Miaomiao along.

"Let’s go. It must be about the Seed Plan," Lin Xinghai said after a moment’s thought.

"The Seed Plan? What’s that?" Liu Miaomiao asked curiously.

"It’s a massive national plan that directly concerns the future of humanity." Lin Xinghai then explained about the Abyssal Passages.

Liu Miaomiao was, naturally, deeply shocked. She had never imagined that all those terrifying Mutated Zombies actually came from inside the Abyssal Passages.

What was even more terrifying was that the number of these Abyssal Passages was constantly increasing.

One could easily imagine that if the nation could no longer hold them back and all the Mutated Zombies from the Abyssal Passages poured out, there would likely be no place left on Earth for humanity to survive.

Liu Miaomiao walked silently beside Lin Xinghai as they headed toward the Upper District Administrative Building.

Just as they were about to arrive, she seemed to have finally processed the shocking news. Her voice was a little distant as she asked, "Ah Xing, what do you think the future will be like for humanity?"

Faced with such a heavy topic, Lin Xinghai was silent for a long moment before he spoke. "No matter what happens, all we can do is our best. Just so we don’t have any regrets."

After he finished, he thought for a moment and added in a joking tone, "But don’t worry. I’m the savior, here to save the world."

Liu Miaomiao was stunned for a moment before she, too, began to laugh. ’He’s right. Why am I thinking so much about it?’

’It’s not like I can change any of this by myself,’ she thought. ’All I need to do is follow Lin Xinghai’s lead.’

Soon, the two of them entered the Administrative Building. After Lin Xinghai presented his Identity Card, a guard led them to Elder Wei’s office once again.

"Come! Sit here. I just brewed some tea." Elder Wei warmly gestured for the two of them to sit by the coffee table and even poured them each a cup himself.

This left Lin Xinghai feeling rather overwhelmed by the honor.

"Please, you shouldn’t. I can do it myself," Lin Xinghai said hurriedly.

"This cup of tea isn’t from me to you personally. It’s from me, thanking you on behalf of the entire Star Shield Shelter." Elder Wei blocked Lin Xinghai’s outstretched hand and insisted on filling his cup.

Since Elder Wei had put it that way, Lin Xinghai couldn’t very well say anything more.

The three of them took a sip of their tea, and Lin Xinghai got straight to the point. "Elder Wei, may I ask why you’ve called us here today?"

"Why do you think I called you? Couldn’t you have guessed?"

As he spoke, Elder Wei glanced at the demurely seated Liu Miaomiao with a wry smile. "I have to hand it to you, kid. Star Shield Shelter finally produces a genius, and you immediately sweep her off her feet."

"Ahem!" Lin Xinghai immediately steered the conversation back on track. "Is this about the Seed Plan? Has something changed?"

"No, there are no changes. The selections still start on September 1st. I’ve also submitted both of your names."

"However, the selection process is difficult, especially for Liu Miaomiao. Although her Superpower is outstanding, from what I understand, she only just became one of the Optimized, correct?"

"If she wants to be successfully selected, she’ll need to have broken at least three Genetic Locks," Elder Wei stated.

"That shouldn’t be a problem," Lin Xinghai said. "There’s still a month until September 1st. With the Cultivation speed from an A Level Genetic Assessment, that’s completely achievable."

"Good, as long as you have a handle on it. Now, let’s talk about you. Your rate of improvement is too fast. I hope you can slow down. At the very least, don’t break through to the Blood Qi Realm before entering the Martial Arts Academy," Elder Wei said, his expression turning serious.

"Huh?" Lin Xinghai was instantly stunned.