It took Haru a full half hour to recover from the splitting headache. Now, his mind was filled with many things that didn't originally belong to him.

This includes instructions on how they should respond to incoming enemies.

Next, Chief Haru summoned ten Haru who had consumed the largest dose of mushrooms. The effects of the medicine hadn't worn off yet, and they were all still full of energy.

Chief Haru told them that they had been chosen by the gods and could now go with them to the altar to receive the gods' blessings.

To allow Haru to open his heart and receive this gift from God, the Haru leader specifically instructed that after receiving God's gift, their power would increase several times over, and this power would remain within their bodies forever.

Unlike eating mushrooms, which only provides temporary relief, this medicine has significant side effects after its effects wear off, leaving the body feeling completely weak.

These Haru do not question what their leader says. In their view, all of the leader's decisions are for the benefit of the Haru clan. As long as they follow the leader and listen to him, they believe they will definitely live a good life.

Without hesitation, the ten Haru followed their leader and his entourage to the obsidian altar.

The ritual is extremely simple, consisting of only two steps. The first step is to inhale a small packet of white powder into the body; this powder is the spores of Protoplastrum.

The Haru leader told the ten Haru that only in this way could they complete their communication with the gods, and only then could the power of the gods be transmitted into their bodies.

However, the real purpose is to use the spores of Procyonella to activate the telomeres present in Haru cells.

Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes.

Its main function is to protect the ends of chromosomes. Each time DNA replicates, the telomeres shorten a little.

This is because dNA polymerase cannot completely replicate the ends of chromosomes when replicating dNA, and telomeres shorten continuously as the number of cell divisions increases.

When telomeres shorten to a certain extent, cells will stop dividing or initiate apoptosis, thereby limiting the cell's ability to proliferate and thus restricting the growth of the organism.

In some cancer cells, telomerase is activated. Telomerase can use its own RNA as a template to synthesize telomere DNA sequences, which are added to the ends of chromosomes to maintain stable telomere length, allowing cancer cells to proliferate indefinitely.

In organisms, multiple DNA fragment genes can limit the growth of the organism.

Some genes play a key role in cell cycle regulation, such as the p53 gene.

Under normal circumstances, the p53 gene can monitor abnormalities in cells, such as DNA damage. When cells encounter problems, such as DNA damage, the p53 gene is activated, which can halt the cell cycle, allowing the cell time to repair itself.

If the damage is too severe to repair, the p53 gene will induce apoptosis, thereby limiting the continued growth of cells that may be proliferating abnormally and preventing the occurrence of tumors.

The spores of those Protosporum are now trying to break the telomere barrier that has been pre-installed in Haru's body, allowing them to grow endlessly like cancer cells.

However, unlike cancer cells, cancer cells are only a localized cellular abnormality that causes that part of the tissue to grow wildly, forming lumps of flesh that extend beyond the body's normal tissue. These are what we now call tumors.

However, Haru's case is completely different; all the cells in the entire body simultaneously undergo a tumor-like, uncontrolled growth.

This will be more terrifying than the tumor itself. Haru will not die from this lesion; on the contrary, it will begin to grow and develop rapidly again after a certain period of time.

Their growth rate depends entirely on the division rate of telomeres; the greater the influence of Protosporum spores on the modified backdoor, the faster they will grow.

Since many of these backdoors are developed using *Prorocentrum spp.* as the parent organism, their growth rate is estimated to be comparable to that of this fungus.

The order received by the Haru leader was to infect all Haru members with Protozoa spores.

The Mantises will connect to Haru via Protozoan spores, and then they will use methods to further control Haru once the backdoor is activated.

It must be said that Chief Haru's increased wisdom was not for nothing; upon hearing that the other party might take control of all his people...

Even when facing their gods, Chief Haru became wary; Haru also had his own selfish motives.

Although the other party claims to only temporarily control its people, who can say for sure what will happen when it comes to matters of interest?

If the other party refuses to return it, what can this leader, now left with no one to command, do? Watch his people all become puppets of the gods?

Haru only wanted to gain enough benefits from God, not to become his puppet.

Haru can be ruthless to both his own people and others, but there is one thing that applies to both the Haru leader and ordinary Haru.

Their ultimate goal is the same: to survive better in this perilous world and live their own lives.

Whether their lives are filled with intrigue or harmonious neighborly relations is their own business. They absolutely do not want outsiders interfering in these matters, not even the gods they are currently loyal to.

This is Haru's bottom line, and also the ultimate freedom they yearn for.

So the Haru leader was cautious; it wanted to see what would happen to these Haru with the activated backdoors, and whether they would completely escape its control.

The ten Haru were carefully selected after a decision was made. These ten cannot be said to be particularly outstanding; they are merely average.

Leader Haru wasn't stupid; he would never use his most elite subordinates as test subjects.

If the worst-case scenario were to happen, I wouldn't have used my sharpest knife to cut off my own head.

Chief Haru also knew that although those gods were powerful, they could not directly affect the real world.

So, on the surface, Chief Haru and his gods continued to feign compliance, but in reality, they were plotting their own schemes.

As long as I can defeat the two tribes that came to besiege me, I can still dominate this world.

As for the nonsense those gods spout, let's just ignore it. Our enemies have all been eliminated; what use are you gods to my Haru clan?

Furthermore, as long as you don't actively connect with these deities, even they can't do anything to you. These intangible deities are, frankly speaking, just like some ethereal and intangible things.

Once the other party has lost its practical value, it can be discarded by the other party.