Super Gene

After they arrived, Han Sen didn’t waste time looking around for a threat. He grabbed Bao’er and Metal Eater in a hurry and teleported away from the area.

Fortunately, his greatest worries were unfounded. The little metal beast wasn’t waiting to attack him on his return.

But when Han Sen had a look around, depression sank into him. The worst scenario might not have transpired, but that didn’t mean his arrival had gone unnoticed. Rather than returning to the pit it had emerged from, as Han Sen wished, the Metal Beast was sleeping atop a ruin constructed of rubble as if it were a mountain.

Han Sen’s teleportation had roused the Metal Beast. It got up and looked at Han Sen.

“D*mn it! If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have teleported. I should have snuck away.” Han Sen groused.

Upon seeing Han Sen, the Metal Beast stood up. But then, when it noticed Metal Eater, its eyes widened. Han Sen’s Metal Eater looked at the Metal Beast with equal amounts of curiosity. The black and white Metal Beasts stared at each other.

“It worked!” Han Sen was happy.

The white Metal Beast stared at the other for a while. It squealed at Metal Eater. It seemed to be saying something, but Han Sen had no clue what. At the very least, it didn’t sound threatening.

Metal Eater wriggled out of Han Sen’s arms and dropped onto the ground. Then, it made some noise at the white Metal Beast in return.

The white Metal Beast made another sound and ran towards Metal Eater.

This made Han Sen nervous, of course. He wanted to grab Metal Eater and run for it, but Metal Eater was actually running at the white Metal Beast instead.

Han Sen knew that Metal Eater wasn’t a terribly smart creature, but it could sense danger. It wouldn’t allow itself to fall into harm. So, Han Sen shelved his plan to teleport away and watched the pair keenly.

The black and white Metal Beasts came together. They looked at each other. Metal Eater was much larger than the white Metal Beast, but its power was much weaker. That was an aspect of their meeting that worried Han Sen.

Bzzt!

The two Metal Beasts both cast their shields. The white Metal Beast’s shield was transparent, but Metal Eater’s shield was infused with the power of Consume. Because of this, it was a bit darker.

The white Metal Beast circled Metal Eater and gave it a sniff.

“Are they talking in code?” Han Sen was very worried. He was worried that the white Metal Beast might discover that Metal Eater wasn’t the same kind. Or maybe it would attack Metal Eater because the sanctuary creature was too weak to compare.

The white Metal Beast circled around Metal Eater some more, and eventually, it jumped. Han Sen’s heart almost froze. And just as he was about to move and save Metal Eater, he realized that the white Metal Beast was actually jumping towards the pit it had initially emerged from.

Metal Eater didn’t move. It looked in the direction that the white Metal Beast had disappeared.

A cold sweat had gathered on Han Sen’s forehead. If the white Metal Beast wished to kill Metal Eater, he didn’t know if he had what it took to save his companion.

“Good... good... but what exactly happened? Did they recognize each other? Or do they just need to talk some more?” Han Sen’s heart was oscillating at a number of different speeds. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower.

While Han Sen was still deep in thought, the white Metal Beast returned from its hole. Its fat body came waddling over to Metal Eater.

Han Sen saw that the white Metal Beast was holding a metal branch about the length of a man’s arm. The branch contained a few metallic fruits. The white Metal Beast moved over to Metal Eater and placed the branch directly in front of him.

Metal Eater showed no reaction to it, so the white Metal Beast walked closer to its alternate self and made some loud sniffing noises.

Metal Eater lowered its head, rolled its tongue out, and gobbled up one of the fruits.

When the white Metal Beast saw Metal Eater consume one of the fruits, it merrily ran around it. It stood next to Metal Eater and used its body to rub against the larger creature. It looked very happy.

Metal Eater ate a few more of those metallic fruits, and its body began to shine. Then, Metal Eater released a strange substance. It became a geno armament to envelope its body, then melted back inside the creature.

“Is it going to become a Baron?” Han Sen was as surprised as he was delighted.

Han Sen was happy that the white Metal Beast had given Metal Eater a metallic fruit that was obviously some good stuff, but he was surprised that Metal Eater was becoming a Baron. Now it couldn’t return to the sanctuary without being harmed.

“But a Metal World like this is far more suitable for it. It won’t have to stay in the warehouse all alone,” Han Sen thought to himself.

The white Metal Beast appeared to guard Metal Eater while it made the change to become a Baron. It stared at Han Sen and Bao’er as if they were thieves.

“You are the outsider here,” it seemed to be saying. Han Sen felt awkward.

Metal Eater’s evolution appeared to go well. Its form grew darker and smaller, but its body looked more metallic than ever.

Seeing Metal Eater’s successful evolution, the white Metal Beast happily licked Metal Eater’s cheek. It was definitely a sign of affection.

Han Sen became concerned, though. If he wasn’t certain Metal Eater was a male, he would think that the white Metal Beast was looking for someone to mate with.

“Metal Eater is male. If the white Metal Beast is female, then they can mate. But the white Metal Beast is so strong... God knows how long it’s been alive for. Isn’t it a bit too old for my Metal Eater?” Han Sen looked at them strangely.

The very lovely scene, in Han Sen’s eyes, became vaguely ominous.

Metal Eater was very quiet, unlike the white Metal Beast that was so active. The white Metal Beast had spoken a few times, but it had received a response only once.

But even so, the white Metal Beast was very happy. It returned to the hole and provided Metal Eater with even more of its metallic fruits.

“Sh*t! Is that thing hitting on my Metal Eater? If that is the case, a sacrifice might have to be made. Whether or not we can escape Metal World depends on you, Metal Eater. Work your charms!” Han Sen encouraged Metal Eater.

But quite clearly, Metal Eater did not understand what it was being told. All it did was munch on the fruit the white Metal Beast had brought it. It was so lazy that it didn’t even speak.