Chapter 108: Hunting Mission

The fanaticism in the eyes of the man before him—an absolute devotion to his chosen path—deeply touched Charles. It was clear that the man had poured decades of his life into this pursuit, keeping company with all manner of bizarre creatures while forsaking all other social obligations. He was no different from the top-tier scientists Charles had known in his previous life.

"Charles, if you are willing, you shall be my apprentice from this day forward," Garfield said with a smile.

"It would be my honor, Teacher," Charles replied, bowing respectfully.

To Garfield, having an apprentice to inherit his life's work was the realization of a long-held dream. After all, Garfield was a genuine Level 3 Spirit Master, a member of the academy’s high command, and one of the five titans of the Enforcement Division. Becoming his student would cause Charles’s status within the academy to soar.

Yet, status mattered little to him, as he would not be staying here for long. His sole focus was on Moruent’s elite biological modification technologies. In this world, there was no place more prosperous or advanced in the field of biotechnology, which was the primary reason he had traveled such a great distance to be here.

Over the next two days, once their master-apprentice bond was formalized, Garfield began to systematically teach him various techniques. The core of these were three major spirit arts: Source Essence Transplantation, Directional Amplification, and Infinite Alienation.

The first two were easy to grasp. Source Essence Transplantation was, in essence, organ grafting. Directional Amplification involved magnifying existing traits; for instance, if a creature possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities, casting this art alongside the use of specialized materials could multiply that capacity. In Garfield’s vision, this could eventually lead to the creation of immortal beings—creatures capable of infinite regeneration, capable of regrowing even if their heads were severed. Of course, this was merely a concept; how many years it would take to produce a finished result remained to be seen.

As for the final technique, Infinite Alienation, Charles considered it the most formidable ability of all. Alienation meant mutated evolution. In nature, creatures have countless paths for evolution to survive, extending far beyond simple physical strength. Through camouflage, speed, defense, and regeneration, diverse species collectively shaped this world of boundless vitality. The greatest feature of this spirit art was its ability to induce infinite mutated evolution under specific conditions, allowing for the selection of the most optimal traits.

Such mutation offered infinite possibilities, far surpassing simple reinforcement of a single attribute and allowing for limitless evolutionary trajectories. Upon learning this art, Charles became completely resolute in his plan to cultivate the Zerg. In his view, the Zerg from the games of his past life were exactly that: a species with countless evolutionary paths, capable of cultivating specialized castes based on their environment. The Hive was the ultimate factory for this infinite alienation, capable of controlling the very direction of evolution.

Charles maxed out all three spirit arts to the Grandmaster level, allowing him to rapidly master the vast knowledge his teacher imparted. His expertise in the fields of inheritance, fusion, and modification skyrocketed at a meteoric pace. As he learned, Charles continued to take on missions, gaining evolution points by eliminating his targets.

The name "Bloody White Fox" grew increasingly notorious, forcing the Enforcement Division to assign him specific tasks—hunting only the most heinous criminals or creatures that had escaped from the laboratories. Otherwise, many wanted individuals did not deserve death, and it was problematic that they ended up killed after Charles provoked them into resisting. Every time he went on a mission, Charles would act the part of an upright enforcer, subtly goading his targets, even deliberately leaving himself open to attack. Alas, as his reputation spread, such opportunities grew rare; some wanted fugitives would surrender without hesitation the moment they saw him, obediently donning their containment shackles.

In a forest less than ten miles from the North Coast, a man in black, his face masked, was fleeing on the back of a massive black tiger. He kept glancing back, as if pursued by a terrifying monster.

*Caw!*

A sharp bird cry rang out from above. A white shadow descended like a streak of light, appearing directly in his path. A flash of purple radiance caused the giant tiger to skid to a halt, throwing the man off and sending him crashing hard into a tree.

Footsteps approached from behind. A monstrous, hulking humanoid creature trudged forward with a white-haired young man sitting on its shoulder. Seeing the fugitive, the young man’s lips curled into a smile.

"Mr. Benson, don't run. Just come back with me quietly."

"You bastard! You devil! I'd rather die than submit!" The man in black scrambled up from the ground, leaning against the tree, his face etched with despair.

"Sorry, but I’m with the Enforcement Division, a guardian of Moruent. You violated academy prohibitions by releasing experimental subjects into the wild, causing dozens of deaths... You’re the real devil here," Charles said with a grin. He hopped off the shoulder of the Moon Child and walked toward the man at a leisurely pace. "Come to think of it, I’m curious—what kind of creature did you release? Would you mind telling me?"

"If you guarantee that you’ll send me to the academy prison, I’ll tell you," Benson replied, his body trembling, yet he forced himself to negotiate.

"Huh. To think someone would actually want to go to prison. How irrational," Charles said with a shrug, looking at him with a deadpan expression.

*Dammit, nobody wants to go to prison!* Benson wanted to scream. If the other man didn’t have a reputation for leaving no survivors, would he be begging for this?

"Fine, fine. As long as you cooperate, I promise I won't hurt you," Charles replied with a solemn expression.

"Sign a contract, I..."

Before Benson could finish, the naked killing intent in Charles's eyes surfaced: "You don't have a choice."

*Hoo!*

Benson took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to remain calm. He answered with a trembling voice, "It’s a humanoid creature that lives in the ocean. It has incredible speed and powerful attack capabilities. I intended to cultivate it as a totem beast, but it was released by accident, and I’ve been on the run ever since..."

"Alright, I’ve answered your question, now you—ah, you damn bastard!"

*BOOM!*

Before his horrified eyes, the Moon Child slapped the giant tiger’s head, crushing it instantly. It then began to tear into the carcass, blood spraying like a fountain across the clearing.

"Apologies. My little darling seems to be hungry. It acted on its own; I didn't order it," Charles said with a shrug.

"Can... can I go to the prison now?" Benson asked, enduring the splitting pain in his head.

"Of course. Follow me," Charles said, turning to walk away.

Benson followed tremulously. As they passed the giant beast, it suddenly swiped its paw at him.

"Oh, sorry. It started acting on its own again..."