Full-Time Public Enemy-Chapter 634 - 489 Utter Failure

At noon, Bai Yunpeng suddenly called. "Chen Gu, come out and have lunch with me. There's something inconvenient to talk about over the phone; we need to meet face to face."

Chen Gu was a bit puzzled and guessed it might be related to the current predicament he was facing. He arrived on time at the restaurant Bai Yunpeng had mentioned. It was an ancient Chinese restaurant that seemed not to have been renovated in many years. The holographic neon sign at the door, combined with the all-wooden decor, surprisingly matched well—so much so that for a moment, Chen Gu felt this era should look exactly like this.

Dressed in casual wear, Bai Yunpeng came with several guards and sat down with Chen Gu in the reserved private room. The enthusiastic chef, wearing a white hat, personally came over and chatted familiarly with Bai Yunpeng. "Brother Bai, it's been a while since you last came. What's the matter, is my eight-treasure duck or steamed mixed rice not to your liking anymore?"

Bai Yunpeng apologized with a laugh and then told him to prepare the food as usual. The chef, sensing they had business to discuss, spoke a few more words and then tactfully went off to cook. On his way out, he told the guards at the door, "Let me know when to serve the dishes."

Once the door of the private room closed, the bustling noise outside seemed to recede all at once.

Bai Yunpeng sighed. "There's scum in the military too. Your... Independent Action Squad—its key personnel were lent to Ding Zhou by Du Lifeng."

It hadn't occurred to Bai Yunpeng that just recently, they had all sat together with Ding Zhou to discuss investing in a movie. Now, however, they were at loggerheads.

"Gao Deng and those people?" Chen Gu asked.

"Right," Bai Yunpeng confirmed.

Chen Gu, full of questions, asked, "How did he advance to the Seventh Energy Level? At his age, it's simply impossible."

Bai Yunpeng spoke gravely. "That's why I had you come out here. These matters aren't good to talk about over the phone. And even though I'm very certain it's all true, I don't have any evidence. Otherwise, I would have gone to the Elders' Council to file a complaint against him long ago."

"Gao Deng can no longer be considered human. He's a product—a product that was finally created after countless failures."

"The origin of this product was likely a very old 'Super Soldier' program, back in the Great Exploration Era. Some in the military hoped to create exceptionally strong warriors through genetic engineering."

"However, the project was soon abandoned by the military. The genetic engineering risks were too high, and professionals already met the requirements of super soldiers well enough. The military therefore turned to fully developing professional warriors instead."

"But this plan to produce super soldiers through genetic modification, like a ghost, always lurked within the military."

"Over the years, the military always had some of its budget spent on inexplicable things. But when a serious investigation was conducted, it either turned up nothing, or key witnesses would invariably die unexpectedly at critical moments."

"I really don't understand. We already have professionals. Why, after all these years, are there still so many in the military clutching at the 'Super Soldier' project?"

Bai Yunpeng finally got to the point. "Gao Deng's prototype is the ultimate product of this project..."

Chen Gu couldn't help interrupting him. "Prototype?"

Bai Yunpeng nodded. "Yes, prototype. It's a biological entity with a genetically engineered physique of extreme combat strength—I'm not even sure if it should be called 'human' because... these prototypes have no Souls!"

"They have even abandoned some human qualities in the pursuit of tremendous power: emotions, a sense of right and wrong, and so on."

"And Gao Deng... that was his original name. He was human when he joined this project. But after a promotion failure, he was destroyed by the military."

"Then the military extracted his memories, cleared the mental contamination, and injected them into a prototype."

"He advanced rapidly because he didn't need to consider the risks of promotion. As soon as the conditions were met, he could advance. One failure, two failures, three failures... these failures all became experience for his next promotion."

Chen Gu understood. It's a cycle of memory transfers, using new bodies, without the worry of promotion risks, and with the experience of many failures—no wonder he reached the Seventh Energy Level so quickly!

"No, that's not right..." Chen Gu murmured, a sudden realization striking him. "If he's continuously switching prototypes, it's very difficult to determine his actual biological age!"

Chen Gu remembered meeting Gao Deng. His professional's keen perception had noted Gao Deng appeared very young, in his twenties. So that must have been the age of that particular prototype, he now thought.

In this era, due to advances in technology, many wealthy people look very young. Rainbow, for instance, appears to be just over thirty. However, a professional's sensing ability can reveal that she's much older than she looks.

Bai Yunpeng continued, "Du Lifeng's target is likely me. Our enemies have united. Chen Gu, you must be extremely careful this time. I've already discussed it with Aviloya. If things go south, we retreat. Ultimately, the decisive showdown will be between Aviloya and Ding Zhou, and Ding Zhou is bound to lose. Your temporary retreat can be seen as a strategic withdrawal. A true man knows when to bend and stretch."

Chen Gu frowned and remained silent. Thinking Chen Gu was reluctant, Bai Yunpeng added persuasively, "Gao Deng is extremely dangerous. Not only is he at the Seventh Energy Level, but he was also initially created as a weapon of war. He feels no pain, knows no fear, and his combat experience is incredibly vast..."