Chapter 6 Boundless Strength Contract

When Lin Shen woke up, the sky was just beginning to lighten. Turning around, as expected, the mosaic on the Base Mutation Egg had disappeared, and more information appeared in his mind.

Now he could clearly see—this was a Base Mutation Egg of the Hundred-Refined Steel Beast. It seemed no different from a regular Hundred-Refined Steel Beast Base Mutation Egg.

[Failed Super-Base Evolutionary Fire Seed: Boundless Strength Contract.]

"Boundless Strength Contract: Raise a creature and form a contract with it. Run a kilometer daily while holding the creature. As the creature grows and its weight increases, equivalent strength will be gained. This fire seed is unique and can only form a Boundless Strength Contract with one creature."

*Lin Shen felt both shocked and ecstatic, thinking inwardly,* *"Isn't this the legendary Bull-Hugging Technique?"*

According to folklore, there once was a boy who herded cows. Every day, he would carry a newborn calf from home to the mountain pasture.

As the calf grew day by day, the boy's strength increased alongside it. Until the ox matured, the boy transformed into a mighty man capable of lifting thousands of pounds.

This was undoubtedly an unscientific training method. A calf could grow to hundreds or even over a thousand pounds within a few months, but human strength could never increase that rapidly.

So, in reality, it wouldn't take long before the boy could no longer lift the cow and thus was incapable of continuously gaining strength.

The Boundless Strength Contract, however, could turn the impossible into reality—fulfilling the "unscientific pseudo-theory."

In theory, as long as the infant of an extraordinarily large creature could be found, Lin Shen's strength could grow indefinitely.

Having the strength to lift an ox wasn't considered particularly powerful among Mutators. But what if the creature was a colossal Base Mutation Creature?

From what Lin Shen knew, some Base Mutation Creatures' size and weight far exceeded those of whales.

If Lin Shen could obtain an egg of such creatures and nurture it from infancy, he could gain unimaginable strength—a thrill beyond words.

The only problem was figuring out where to acquire such a Base Mutation Egg.

Among the Base Mutation Eggs Lin Shen had access to, the Hundred-Refined Steel Beast was already considered one of the largest. Even though some alloy creatures existed, their size and weight didn't surpass the Hundred-Refined Steel Beast significantly.

However, Lin Shen had seen footage of certain Base Mutation Creatures—some were dragon-like in their enormity. If he could acquire an egg of such creatures, the Boundless Strength Contract would be akin to having an insanely overpowered ability.

But creatures of that magnitude were mostly Crystal-based Creatures. And even if their eggs could be obtained, Crystal-based Creatures had long growth cycles, some taking years or even decades to reach maturity.

By comparison, Steel-based Creatures had shorter growth periods. However, finding one of particularly massive dimensions would be challenging.

Balancing the ideal outcome would require effort—identifying a Steel-based Creature of exceptional size wouldn't be a problem solved quickly.

Even with money, the Dark Bird Base didn't have such creatures. Unless visiting other large bases, there might be a glimpse of hope.

Lin Shen wasn't in a hurry. Even if he used the Hundred-Refined Steel Beast Contract now, he wouldn't gain strength immediately. For this recruitment event, it was of no use anyway.

Lin Shen stared at the Hundred-Refined Steel Beast Base Mutation Egg. Blood Covenant instructions appeared in his mind, but he chose not to perform the blood seal. Instead, he placed it into the incubation chamber.

Inside the chamber were two other Base Mutation Eggs—one Steel-based Egg for the Steel Tail Scorpion and one Steel-based Egg for the Dark Iron Swallow—both fire-seeded as well.

Lin Shen wanted to hatch them to see how they differed from normal Steel Tail Scorpions and Dark Iron Swallows.

When he arrived in the living room, Ye was already waiting for him.

Following their plan, Ye had brought Lin Xiangdong's clothes and belongings. Lin Shen dressed up neatly and looked in the mirror—no matter how he tried, he couldn't see much resemblance to Lin Xiangdong.

"Will this work?" Lin Shen asked Ye uncertainly.

"If we don't look at your face or listen to your voice, you bear at least an eighty percent resemblance to Mr. Lin Xiangdong." Ye pulled out a bronze-colored mask resembling a ghost's visage and handed it to Lin Shen. "This mask is made from alloy creature Green Armor Devil materials. Mr. Lin Xiangdong wore it before—it should be convincing."

Lin Shen took the mask. Thin like paper yet weighing about two pounds, it was remarkably sturdy and felt cool to the touch.

Putting the mask on felt slightly heavy. Looking at himself in the mirror, the grotesque ghost-like visage was chillingly eerie.

"That works. As long as you stay silent, anyone familiar with this mask will likely mistake you for Mr. Lin Xiangdong," Ye exclaimed with praise. Then he added, "But your voice remains an issue. Though Mr. Lin Xiangdong's voice is somewhat similar to yours, they aren't identical. You'll need to be mindful, speak sparingly, and only when necessary. Mr. Lin Xiangdong's personality is such that utter silence will draw suspicion instead."

"Ye…" Lin Shen tried several attempts, modulating his voice until it sounded noticeably different from usual.

"Remarkable… truly remarkable…" Ye became increasingly impressed, realizing Lin Shen's voice now bore an uncanny twenty-nine similarity to Lin Xiangdong's.

"After all, we're brothers. Our voices are naturally alike. Besides, I used to frequent karaoke bars and studied vocal modulation, mimicking several singers fairly well," Lin Shen remarked.

"Lin Shen, you've nailed it. So long as you don't make any overt moves, outsiders won't see through this disguise," Ye beamed.

"Just call me Mr. Lin Xiangdong," Lin Shen replied with a slight raise of his brow. He knew his advantage lay in his deep understanding of his brother. Acting wasn't his forte; he could only immerse himself in his brother's character, asking at every turn—*'If I were him, how would I act? How would I speak?'*

Ye hesitated briefly, then ceremoniously bowed toward Lin Shen. "Mr. Lin Xiangdong, my apologies. You are indeed Mr. Lin Xiangdong."

"Let's go." Lin Shen stepped out first.

Ye nodded slightly. He understood that having Lin Shen impersonate Lin Xiangdong was an act of sheer necessity—a plan riddled with risks. Yet, there was simply no other option.

Flaws would undoubtedly exist, but only by firmly believing the identity could those flaws be concealed.

"This is tough for Lin Shen. Hopefully, Mr. Lin Zongzheng and Mr. Lin Xiangdong return safely. Otherwise, even if Lin Shen passes this time, it won't be sustainable forever," Ye thought grimly.

By the time Lin Shen and Ye had reached the venue, representatives from the Qi and Wang families had long since arrived and had grown visibly impatient after sitting for so long. Lin Shen and Ye intentionally walked in at the last possible moment, just as the recruitment event was about to begin.

This move was predetermined. Arriving late reduced exposure to needless conversation, minimizing the chance of exposing flaws.

"Lin Shen, just as we expected, the Qi Family representative is Qi Shuheng, and the Wang Family representative is Wang Tian'er. Their notoriety and abilities are similar to Mr. Lin Xiangdong's. Tread cautiously," Ye whispered in a tone audible only to the two.

Lin Shen betrayed no emotion, making no response. He simply strode directly onto the stage.

Sitting on stage were two men—a scholarly and genteel Qi Shuheng, and a towering, predatory Wang Tian'er.

*Drawing a deep breath inwardly, Lin Shen steeled himself and met their gaze with unyielding confidence, exuding understated arrogance as he ascended the stage.*

Initially, Lin Shen thought Qi Shuheng and Wang Tian'er would immediately question the mask he wore. Unexpectedly, as he stepped onto the platform, the two rose to their feet—not to address him—but to fix their gaze behind him.

"What are they looking at?" Lin Shen couldn't help but turn his head. As soon as he looked, his pupils contracted, and he froze in place.