Chapter 395
The Real Threat
Chapter 395 The Real Threat
Black Flag Country.
In a mountain hollow, Lu Cheng walked into a cave, and two short knives were immediately placed against his neck.
“I am Lu Cheng.” He raised his hands. “I have seen the Prophet.”
A calm voice came from inside the cave: "Let him come over."
With the two short knives removed, Lu Cheng glanced at the unknown knife-wielder in the shadows and walked into a chamber deep within the cave.
He saw the prophet sitting by the cave wall, his eyes still covered with a black cloth beneath his short, dark green hair.
"What brings you here?"
"Many of the elite troops of the Ascended Corps have been withdrawn from the front lines. Adam from Soroma, Snow White from North Star, and other top combatants have all returned home."
Lu Cheng had been infiltrating the Allied Forces to gather intelligence, and his primary focus was on the movements of the powerful Ascended Ones.
“They should be transferred to Fahe,” the Prophet said.
Lu Cheng was startled upon hearing this: "Prophet, you... already knew?"
The prophet remained noncommittal, but Lu Cheng paused before saying, "I believe this is an opportunity. Without a top-tier Ascended One in charge, if we launch a sudden attack from within, the Allied Forces will definitely fall into chaos."
"Start the attack from within."
"Yes. For example, an attack could be launched while the coalition commanders and other high-ranking officers are having a meeting. If they can be eliminated, the coalition soldiers will lose their command and become a disorganized mess."
"Lu Cheng, do you know that our goal is to spread the virus, not to kill people?"
"..."
"You have these thoughts because you haven't completed the transformation. You haven't fully accepted the call and become one of us."
Any parasite can distinguish between its own kind and those of its own, let alone a prophet as a leader.
Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Prophet, forgive my bluntness! Although I don't know how you got those parasites to elect you as their leader, I believe you haven't completed the transformation... You are still human!"
The prophet's lips curled slightly: "You think I'm human?"
“That’s right. Although I can’t distinguish between humans and parasites, from the first time I saw you, I felt that you still retained human consciousness and were not replaced by spores!”
"..."
Lu Cheng knelt before the prophet, pressing his forehead against the cold stone.
"My Lord Prophet, I wish to retain my human consciousness, just like you, while also freeing myself from the torment of spore addiction and halting the transformation process. Please teach me how!"
Although Lu Cheng possessed strength far exceeding that of an ordinary ascendant, he had always resisted completing the final transformation. However, he had recently sensed that he was about to reach his limit.
He had a premonition that if he inhaled the spores 2-3 more times, he would be completely transformed and become a parasite.
At that time, his self-awareness will be replaced by spores, and even if he retains his memories, he will no longer be the same person he was before.
He had no other choice but to go to the prophet and ask him for help.
“Lu Cheng, your words just now have violated the principle of ‘everything is for diffusion’.”
Lu Cheng's heart sank. If the prophet didn't help him, he would have no way out except to completely transform.
“However, you’re right.” The prophet stood up and walked to Lu Cheng. “My consciousness was indeed not completely replaced by the spores.”
"I am still human."
"!!"
Lu Cheng suddenly looked up, his face filled with ecstasy.
He didn't expect his sixth sense to be right; even without evidence, he still guessed correctly!
"Prophet, it is I—"
“I can grant your wish,” the prophet interrupted, “but only after you have completed a task.”
"A mission." Lu Cheng suppressed his excitement. "What kind of mission?"
The prophet raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the blindfold and the thick cave walls, reaching the far east.
“Soldiers can’t kill us, and neither can ordinary Ascendants. But they tell me that a real threat has emerged.”
they……
Lu Cheng knew that the prophet was referring to those "voices".
Every person infected with the spore will hear those "gentle whispers" in their dreams and hallucinations.
There are two targets, but you only need to deal with one.
“Want to kill someone? No problem.” Lu Cheng replied without hesitation.
After he left the academy and killed several fellow alumni, he knew there was no turning back.
Hands stained with blood cannot be cleaned properly.
“There’s a problem,” the prophet said. “You are no match for him.”
"..."
Lu Cheng looked surprised.
Even if he wasn't a top-tier Ascendant, as one of the best students in the academy that year, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary Ascendants. Especially as the transformation gradually completed, the spores' enhancement of him increased even more... If he wasn't a match for them, who could their target be?
“Although you are not the target opponent, we will help you; you just need to create an opportunity,” the prophet said.
"Prophet, what is the target...?"
"Shi Jingyi, a lecturer at Beixing Mind Power Development Academy."
Lu Cheng was slightly taken aback.
……
Nighttime, Countermeasures Research Office Affiliated Base 2. On the third basement level, two groups of people in armed uniforms are changing shifts in front of a cell.
"It's time to leave."
"Finally finished handing over the shift, so tiring~"
"Hey, remember not to look up at the sky when you go out at night, or you'll get killed by the rules."
"I'm not that stupid. Besides, once the rules are announced, we can only go back to the dorms and we're not allowed to leave the base."
After the shift was handed over, the armed guards who had been withdrawn had just walked to the elevator when they saw someone taking the elevator down from the ground.
The group looked at each other, wondering why anyone would come at this hour.
The elevator doors opened, and three people stepped out.
A scholar in a white lab coat with slightly disheveled hair was followed by a muscular man with a buzz cut wearing a green jacket.
The third was a young man dressed in black, with a fair and delicate face and eyes as black as ink.
The armed guards didn't recognize the young man in black, but they did recognize the scholar in the white coat. They stood up straight and said in unison, "Dr. Zhang!"
Zhang Minglu waved his hand: "Alright, you guys go ahead, we have things to do."
"Yes!"
Seeing the three men head towards the prison cells, the armed guards began to discuss amongst themselves in hushed tones.
"Why is Dr. Zhang coming over in the middle of the night?"
"I don't know... The one next to him is Captain Dragon Soul, right? Who's the other one?"
"I don't know them. But someone who can come with Dr. Zhang and the others must be someone special."
Are they going to see the parasite?
"It must be... This is where the parasites are kept. Why would they come here if they weren't checking the parasites?"
Even though they had walked quite a distance, Guan Tong could still clearly hear their conversation.
After entering the second stage of sublimation, his five senses were greatly enhanced. He could not only see and hear farther, but he could even hear some sounds that ordinary people could not hear.
Sounds below 20 Hz and above 20000 Hz are beyond the hearing range of most people. Guan Tong couldn't hear them before, but now he can keenly perceive extremely subtle sounds, a feeling he's not quite used to yet.
Just like now, even before he entered the room where the parasite was being held, he could already hear murmurs coming from inside.
"The great prophet... leads us to our dream home..."
Is he praying?
"Dr. Zhang!"
The armed guards at the prison cell door saluted Zhang Minglu immediately upon seeing him.
Zhang Minglu took out his identification: "We are required to have no more than 30 minutes of contact with the parasite. This is the proof."
A guard took it and confirmed it was correct after a remote check.
"Okay, Dr. Zhang. We will send out a notification in thirty minutes."
The guards opened the sturdy cell door, and the three entered.
The space inside was small, and a man was lying prone on the bed, his hands clasped together, muttering incantations.
Hearing the noise at the door, the man immediately looked up, his expression instantly changing from pious to fierce.
Zhang Minglu turned to Guan Tong and said, "You should know that during the period of the 'Third Kind Contact' rule, all the parasites imprisoned by the various countries of the Human Alliance were sent to the Sisia landing site. This guy is a confirmed parasite that the Allied Forces captured from the front lines after the rule ended."
Guan Tong nodded.
"Although I don't know how you're going to discern it... I'm really looking forward to the results!"
The excitement in Zhang Minglu's eyes was hard to hide.
He was overjoyed when he received Guan Tong's call and heard her say that she wanted to try to identify the parasite.
While the problems with the Fire Thief Cult are significant, the parasites they support are equally substantial and urgently need to be addressed.
If Guan Tong can truly identify parasites, then his method will be the key to humanity's complete eradication of these dangerous entities.
Without hesitation, he made arrangements overnight to witness Guan Tong's attempt together with Long Hun.
"Damn humans! The Kingdom of God will not forgive you! The Prophet will purify you all!"
The parasite inside the cell roared, and Guan Tong now understood why Zhang Minglu had said he was 100% certain that this guy was a parasite.
These parasites, with their lower IQ, irritable temper, and inability to lie or conceal their true nature, are the easiest to identify.
The real challenge for humanity lies with those parasites that refuse to admit they are parasites.
Guan Tong stepped forward.
"Humans!"
The parasite lunged forward, and in the next second, more than a dozen shadow lines emerged from Guan Tong's sleeves, binding the parasite tightly and rendering it completely immobile.
"Let go—ooh!"
Its mouth was also gagged.
Zhang Minglu and Long Hun watched silently from behind, without interfering in any way.
Guan Tong walked up to the immobilized parasite, stared at it for a moment, and then raised her right hand.
When humans asked the nanobot swarm how to identify parasites, the only word they could understand in their response was "psychic network."
So……
Guan Tong placed his palm on the parasite's forehead and silently recited:
Build a network of hearts and minds.
(End of this chapter)