Elias Zhao usually rose at seven, but this morning a call from Ironhold’s warden woke him at six.
“Minister Zhao, your son’s autopsy is back. Can you explain when he became a Chrysalis?tier evolutionist?” the warden demanded, voice sharp with accusation.
When Liam was arrested he’d been Mortal?tier. Now the autopsy showed he’d completed his first evolution. That discrepancy screamed trouble.
Elias sat frozen for a long moment. His face shifted from calm to dark, then back to composed.
“I’ll have the body retrieved immediately,” he said.
“No need,” the warden replied. “After last night’s disturbance the King was alerted. To avoid leaving traces, we cremated the body.”
Elias hadn’t expected Ironhold to move so fast. Once he realized the corpse was his son’s, his first thought was to extract Evolution’s Grace from Liam’s remains. But the body had been reduced to ashes—nothing left to harvest.
He called Fante Zhang at once. Then he remembered: the impostor had also possessed Evolution’s Grace.
For Elias, avenging his son was secondary. Securing Evolution’s Grace for the Zhao family was paramount.
He was in his forties; losing a son didn’t end his life. With Evolution’s Grace, he could cultivate another prodigy.
But he also realized the clone—Evan—probably hadn’t completed his first evolution yet. You can’t extract evolution material from an unevolved body.
That’s why he ordered Zhang: bring him back alive. Let Evan evolve, then harvest the extract.
—
Evan overheard the call standing beside Zhang. His face drained.
It’s over. My father’s gone. My life’s next.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
He reacted instantly. Activating the second skill he’d copied from Liam—Rhino Charge—his speed spiked and he became a white blur, already ten meters away.
Rhino Charge: a short?range dash that massively increases speed and defense while making the user hard to hit. A top?tier first?level skill from the “Unicorn Rhino.”
Evan had three skills copied from Liam:
- Evolution’s Grace
- Rhino Charge
- Ant Strength — a Titan Ant skill that doubled strength for one second.
Luxurious skills for a Mortal?tier… but meaningless against a Butterfly?tier like Zhang.
Still, Evan refused to give up. After Rhino Charge opened distance, he sprinted toward a taxi.
Zhang, still processing Elias’s order, hesitated. When Evan bolted, Zhang reacted—he leapt forward and blocked Evan’s path.
Evan slammed on the brakes and shouted, “He’s attacking me! Help!”
They were outside a five?star hotel; people were around. Two security guards rushed over.
Zhang, worried about a scene, grabbed Evan, shoved him into the taxi’s back seat, and opened the door.
As Zhang moved to get in, three black?clad figures exploded from the crowd.
The fastest was the gray?faced old man from the hotel window.
A nauseating stench filled the street; passersby gagged.
Evan’s eyes lit up—chaos was his chance.
“Drive!” Zhang barked.
The driver hesitated, stunned. That delay let the attackers close in.
The gray old man lunged with iron?hook hands toward Zhang.
Zhang met the attack head?on. The impact rang like metal.
The old man’s hook?hands clamped onto Zhang’s wrists, dragging him out of the taxi.
The other two attackers flanked him, aiming for his ribs.
Zhang’s skin hardened like armor. He ignored the two Chrysalis?tier attackers and focused on the gray old man—his only equal.
The street turned into a raw contest of strength.
Inside the taxi, Evan watched Zhang’s back. A bold idea struck him.
Ant Strength.
Power surged through him. His heartbeat thundered, pupils dilated, breath heavy.
“Now!”
With doubled strength, he kicked—hard—straight at Zhang’s back.
Zhang, locked in a brutal grapple, didn’t expect an attack from behind.
The blow broke the balance between him and the old man.
Zhang staggered forward—
Evan kicking a Butterfly?tier powerhouse in the middle of a three?on?one ambush… genius or insanity? Hard to say. But one thing’s certain — every faction now wants a piece of him.
So tell me:
If you were Evan, would you double down on escaping, or try manipulating Zhang into protecting you longer?
I’m curious which survival strategy you’d pick.