The Zombie Brother World.
Thanks to the existence of Ren Kurogane and Mu Tiancai—two individuals who could only be described as "glitches" in the system—the Corpse King's operations within Yan Huang had been repeatedly thwarted. It was nearly impossible for him to plant his claws within the borders. However, he was thriving in Japan; rumor had it he was on the verge of splitting the nation with Xu Fu.
The European Union, on the other hand, was a disaster zone. Aside from the high-level powerhouses, the civilian population had been almost entirely infected, serving as "blood qi" for the Corpse King.
Yan Huang, City S.
Ren's short-video company was flourishing. In just over six months, nearly everyone in Yan Huang had downloaded the app, and countless influencers were born every day. With a massive user base established, Ren partnered with major brands; the daily advertising revenue alone exceeded the yearly marketing budgets of his previous companies combined.
Consequently, he lacked neither money nor connections across all levels of society. He went directly to the "Eye of Death" (a desert region) to build his own underground research facility. Don't ask why it was underground—it was a desert, and the surface was far too hot. As for the company, Ren found a spokesperson to manage it, completely controlled by a single glance of the Sharingan.
During this time, Bai Xiaofei was taken by the Yan Huang high-brass to undergo specialized training. Ren hadn't seen his cousin in a long while.
Inside the Facility.
Having familiarized himself with the power of Hollow Ren, Scientist Ren sighed with regret. "If only I could go to the Bleach world to conduct research. The fact that human souls can branch into either Shinigami or Hollows makes their research value incredibly high!"
He punched his bedframe in frustration before heading out.
"Oh, you're finally awake?"
In the living area of the suite, a black-haired woman looked up. It was K, the vampire. "You promised me you'd open the Gate of Hell. It's been nearly half a year. When do you plan to act?"
"Don't be in such a hurry. Preparations aren't complete yet." Ren shook his head gently. "Entering the Gate of Hell is dangerous. You said abilities can't be used inside? I suspect that besides one's physical body, nothing else works. Until I've developed nano-mech suits, I'm not going in—and I'm not letting anyone else in either!"
"You!!" K gnashed her teeth. She had been investigating the Gate for years and had a fair bit of confidence in her intel.
But Ren simply didn't trust her, viewing her research as useless fluff.
"What? Your eyes are so wide... did you fall for me?" Ren teased. "I know the situation inside the Gate far better than you do. There's plenty of good stuff in there, but you need a God-level peak physical body to ensure you don't flip the car. My body is still a bit short of that."
After consuming some high-energy food, Ren took his massive sword, Ju Que, and entered the training room to practice his swordsmanship.
Even as a "Jo-level" lifeform (Ultimate Lifeform), Ren didn't dare be careless against bizarre aliens. He practiced the Way of the Sword while simultaneously studying biotechnology, attempting to upgrade himself into a Kryptonian—becoming stronger just by basking in the sun.
Unfortunately, the difficulty coefficient was too high. For now, he could only modify his eyes to release laser-like beams, and even then, the lethality wasn't quite there yet.
K sat in the living room, fuming. Although she was decked out in divine artifacts, Ren was a genuine God-level powerhouse with a bottomless bag of tricks. Unless it was a blood feud, she really didn't want to make an enemy of him.
In the Lab.
Mu Tiancai was studying the Sharingan genes Ren had provided earlier. The more he researched, the more shocked he became.
"Terrifying! How can such genes exist? By using different arrangements, you can unlock corresponding abilities... Wait! Isn't this exactly the future direction for our God Genes? Aside from the 'Primordial Genes' in me and Ren, all other distributed genes can be capped using this method. They'd only be able to awaken one gene sequence—one ability. Like turning into a cat or a dog."
If Ren were here, he would have complained: Brother, you're describing Devil Fruits.
Excited, Mu Tiancai began meticulously arranging the Uchiha gene sequences, attempting to awaken all ocular techniques. However, he soon hit a snag. He realized that for these gene sequences to combine properly, they required emotional stimulation. To fully understand the Uchiha gene, he had to master the science of emotion.
It wasn't impossible, but it would require many test subjects. It was troublesome.
Just then, Ren walked in wearing his lab coat. "How's it going? What have you parsed?"
Mu Tiancai shared his discovery. Ren's expression turned odd. "So you're saying... after we devour the adjusted Uchiha genes, we can awaken whatever ocular technique we want just by adjusting our emotions?"
"Yes. But this would only happen for us, the ones with the God Gene. Others would likely find it difficult to even awaken the Mangekyo," Mu Tiancai nodded.
Ren rolled his eyes. "Why do you care about other people? As long as we can use it, it's fine!"
"Good point..." Mu Tiancai nodded. He had been so focused on mass-producing the "product" that he'd trapped himself in a misconception.
Over the next few days, the two worked tirelessly, listing every possible combination of Uchiha genes. Under their efforts, they successfully "lit up" the first ocular technique: Amaterasu!
This was the easiest Mangekyo technique to awaken. By adding "killing intent" during the combination, there was an 80% chance of awakening Amaterasu. The remaining 20% resulted in useless physical attacks, like summoning iron rods—total garbage.
Ren then linked his consciousness with a lab rat, while Mu Tiancai used a knife to scare the animal. As the rat's terror flooded Ren's mind, the Mangekyo in his eyes shifted, and a new technique unlocked!
"How is it? What ability did you get?" Mu Tiancai asked.
"Emmm... not what I wanted." Ren shook his head. Under Mu Tiancai's expectant gaze, he activated the new power.
Ren's body suddenly grew, reaching about ten meters in height. This wasn't his limit, but the limit of the lab's ceiling.
"Size enhancement?!"
"Yeah. I suspect the rat just wanted to be as big as us—or bigger—and awakened that desire." Ren looked thoughtful. "If that's the case, the power of the Sharingan has a metaphysical component. My previous hypothesis might need to be scrapped."
After a silence, Ren spoke again. "Since the rat didn't work, we'll use other animals. One of them is bound to meet my requirements!"
"Right! I'll go catch some more. We'll succeed soon!"
Leaving the lab, a thought suddenly crossed Ren's mind.
Does this new 'size-growth' ability count as a physical body skill?
Everything... was just beginning!