Brainworm

The bright red wall bulged slightly, reminiscent of the touch of dirt. As time went on, the King's Chair became tighter and tighter. The effect was launched on the profiteer and Aibo at the same time. Even though he was wearing Arthur's disguise, his face turned pale.

The chains failed to pierce the bandages, so they moved on to the hands. The chains bound the fingers, and the barbs dug deep into the palms of the hands, sucking blood.

It hurts, but after experiencing what it means to be seriously injured and nearly die in the vest of Orelius, this pain is just a drop in the bucket.

With Bai in charge outside, the unscrupulous businessman was not afraid at all and resisted until Ai Bo took the initiative to let go.

He probably had never encountered such a tough idea before, and there was a little more caution in his eyes when he looked at the profiteer.

"You're more powerful than I thought."

"I accept the enemy's compliment, but you are weaker than I thought."

The profiteer smiled lightly, and the snow-white bandage flew out and pierced the opponent's right shoulder.

Ai Bo was nailed to the wall and uttered a painful groan. The profiteer broke free from the chains and came to him, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Does it hurt? It looks like you've lost too much blood and your endurance has also decreased."

His right hand brushed across Arthur's face, blood dripping from the wound at the base of his palm onto the other person's face. The face began to melt like dirty clothes thrown into clean water, the flesh-colored liquid rolled down, revealing a familiar face. Aibo narrowed one eye, his vision blurred by blood loss, and in the red, only the pale bandage and mask on the other person's body were unusually eye-catching.

Even in this state, he actually smiled. His emerald eyes were covered with blood, and his voice was hoarse and dry.

"You can't do that to me, we made a deal."

"It's true that I can't attack you, but there are thousands of ways to avoid me, right?"

"Indeed, but no one here can catch me except you."

As Aibo whispered, the flesh and blood room returned to its original state. The snow-white bandage automatically returned to the profiteer, Aibo fell to the ground, and the sound of someone approaching quickly came from outside the door.

He blinked, opened the window and climbed out: "This is a bonus. You'd better go and see the flower blooming on the commercial street."

This pronoun only has one place. The profiteer's face darkened, and the person outside the house broke in. The snake-tailed bloodline hissed, and the team behind him rushed out with the person who climbed over the wall to escape.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm late."

"Nothing, you guys go on, I'll go check on Violet."

As the voice fell, the profiteer's figure disappeared on the spot.

Partington, Commercial Street.

Arthur's free medicine stalls are all over Partington City, and he certainly couldn't miss the busiest commercial street. There are more people queuing here than anywhere else. The Black District is out of reach, so it was handed over to Violet.

The smart store manager chose another way to fight. She transferred a large amount of drugs from the Chamber of Commerce for distribution, and at the same time called a group of loyal brothers from the black area to cut in line and make trouble, causing chaos in the team.

The people queuing behind naturally chose the substitutes arranged by Violet. She also arranged a group of people to blend in with the crowd to guide the public, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the large number of people and using their identities to come forward and gently arrange for the people on the medicine stalls to rest.

The people on the street were eager for someone to step up and take the lead. Relying on the credibility she had cultivated over the years, Violet successfully directed the flow of people to the Chamber of Commerce. As for Arthur's men, they were hit with a club when they were "resting" and were tied up somewhere unknown.

These steps were somewhat cumbersome, but they helped maintain order in the commercial street to the greatest extent possible. Violet simply closed her shop and was busy guiding the residents.

Due to the existence of the medicine stalls, the flow of people in the commercial street has doubled, making it even more bustling.

The lurker crouched on the second floor of the house opposite, aiming the mechanical crossbow mounted on the window at the woman walking on the street. The poisoned arrow was only the length of a palm, but it could burst out with a strong impact and kill the prey directly.

He had done this countless times before, and he pressed the start button with ease. The sharp arrow shot out like a meteor, but was caught by a hand in mid-air.

The attacker's face suddenly changed, and he drew the curved knife from his waist subconsciously. When did the other party appear? He didn't even notice it!

The black-robed merchant who appeared out of nowhere took the arrow and looked at the other party with a half-smile: "If you do this, I will be very distressed."

A black robe, a pale mask, and a crude expression like a child's doodle, so bright red that it seemed to be dripping.

This is the legendary businessman who must not be offended!

The killer was horrified, and after confirming the other party's identity, he turned around and tried to escape. Unfortunately, it was too late. The profiteer easily caught the other party and asked about his identity with a little trickery.

Unexpectedly, the visitor was not a Black Mist believer, but was sent by the nobles in the city.

Why?

Bai had previously notified all the major families through various means, telling them that there were problems with these medicines, and asked them to inform the superiors of the Noble Association.

Others don't say anything, Arnold will definitely do it after hearing the news, he has always been a sober person. How can someone do such a thing with the notice from the Noble Association?

The profiteer threw it into the house, and the people in the black area would deal with the body. After a few breaths, Violet wiped the sweat off her face, greeted others, and walked into the clothing store.

She went up to the second floor and when she saw the figure in the office, she saluted him hastily.

"Master. Why are you here so suddenly?"

The black-robed merchant checked the man with his eyes to make sure he didn't have anything extra on him. It seemed that there was only one person targeting Violet. No matter what Aibo thought, his action did save his life.

The profiteer nonchalantly played with a coin and smiled, "Nothing, you did a great job. I just came to check on the situation."

Violet breathed a sigh of relief: "I am following your orders. The order in the commercial street has basically been stabilized. But the drugs are still being spread in other places. We can't completely ban the circulation by ourselves. We must have the help of the Noble Association."

"They should have received the message. I will notify them again."

"Then I'm relieved." Violet smiled, and suddenly remembered something, and bowed slightly to the profiteer. "By the way, please wait for me, Master."

The profiteer tilted his head and said, "Hmm?" Violet took out the carefully placed box, opened it carefully, and took out a black robe from it. It felt silky and soft, like the cool night color passed through her fingertips.

"This is a robe made of edelweiss petals. I copied the style you are wearing. I dyed it because you like black. I hope you like it."

"Oh my, that's really... What do you want to trade this for, Violet?"

The black-robed merchant smiled softly and took the black robe. The gentle and beautiful woman lowered her eyes and seemed to think seriously for a moment. Then she nodded her cheek and showed a cunning smile.

"As expected of you, you are a profiteer. Do you want to trade... Then how about exchanging it for a genuine smile? I have never seen you truly smile to anyone."

The unscrupulous businessman was stunned by this request. The paint on his mask kept flowing and he seemed to be lost in thought.

"If it's difficult, that's fine. I hope you can accept this robe as a thank you gift for saving me."

"Since you said so, I won't be polite."

The black robe blended into the clothes of the profiteer. He turned around and asked contentedly, "How does it look?"

Violet didn't dwell on it, and still smiled and bowed: "It suits you very well."

The profiteer laughed dumbly, and did not try to hide his good mood: "If you say so, then it must be good. I will wear this dress to meet the next distinguished guest."

The other party smiled and said, "It's my honor."

.....

Partington City, Central Building.

This was the second time the profiteer had come here on his own initiative. Compared to usual times, this place was crowded with people. He crawled out of the cave and almost thought he had come to the wrong place.

The door that was usually closed to strangers was open. There were tables and chairs in front of the hall. A bloodline with black hair and blue eyes was sitting at the table, and many executioners were sitting next to him.

The person holding the document kept asking various questions, and left immediately after getting the answer, and began to execute. The whole hall was bustling, yet quiet and solemn.

As the profiteer was looking around, a faceless puppet appeared silently in front of him. He knew that this was an invitation from the chairman of the parliament, so he followed him in.

Except for the black-haired, blue-eyed bloodline who glanced in their direction, everyone else ignored their presence and entered smoothly.

After entering the black door on the wall, what appeared behind the door was an ordinary bedroom. The place where the coffin was originally placed was replaced with wooden tables and chairs. The Speaker of the Parliament was sitting at the table holding a book. He looked up when he heard the voice, and his expression was not surprised.

"Please take a seat. Nice to see you again, Mr. Profiteer."

The profiteer naturally pulled out the chair opposite and sat down. The tea on the table gave off a faint fragrance. The chairman of the parliament introduced: "This seems to be your first time here. This is my room."

In fact, the person who already knew the situation here smiled and said, "I am honored to be here, Mr. Speaker of the Parliament. But you asked the puppet to bring me in, so it shouldn't be for tea, right?"

Facing his straightforward question, the Speaker of the Parliament smiled helplessly: "That's right, this is my personal request. I hope you will not investigate the matter of those drugs anymore."

"Didn't the Noble Association receive the intelligence?"

"The association has received it, but this matter is no longer something we can decide."

The Speaker of the Parliament put down the book in his hand and explained slowly.

"The medicine Arthur brought has temporarily solved the problem of secret brew addiction. Partington will never allow the secret brew to spread on a large scale. The Black Mist counterattack plan is the top priority, and we cannot act rashly before we have developed specific measures. The nobles who support Arthur have gained prestige, and they will raise their swords against anyone who stands in their way."

"Besides, the itinerant doctors not only bring antidotes, but also many free medicines for strengthening the body. This is extremely valuable support for the people. Few people, including many bloodline people, will buy this kind of medicine. Compared with medicines that heal wounds, these medicines are too slow to take effect."

"We are nobles, but nobility is based on public opinion. The people are willing to prostrate themselves before the bloodline, so we are nobles. In addition, those nobles protect each other for their own interests. Even if we implement a ban now, it is better to keep them under our noses."

The profiteer frowned: "But if something goes wrong in this situation, the whole of Partington will be in danger."

"Don't worry, we took measures after learning about this. The person in the hall is the head of the Brainworm family and the first commander in war. His thinking ability is three thousand times that of an ordinary person. He can process and respond to the intelligence transmitted by all the Brainworm bloodlines at the same time. This plan was formulated by him. If you have any questions, you can ask him directly. He will give you a perfect answer."

"...I see."

The profiteer agreed in an ambiguous tone. No one could see through his thoughts, including the chairman of the parliament. The black robe wrapped the mystery. As long as the owner did not reveal the mystery, no one would ever know the answer.

The mask is a really good thing. Should I also make a mask in the future to prevent others from seeing my true feelings? The chairman of the parliament looked at the profiteer and said sincerely: "If there is really a problem, I hope you can participate in the meeting and join the rescue operation."

"I prefer prevention to rescue."

"We can only do our best. Who can tell what will happen in the future, Mr. Profiteer?"

The chairman of the council called out the profiteer's name in a calm tone, as if he was speaking a legend that had been passed down from ancient times to the present day, a prophecy that was bound to come true. Countless people tried to escape, but in the end they returned to the sea where they were born.

He said, "Sometimes no matter what decision we make, we will be swept into the final chapter by the torrent of fate. I'm sorry, but you don't have to take it too seriously. This is a necessary sacrifice."

Even after leaving the Black Gate, the words of the chairman of the parliament were still lingering in the profiteer's mind.

He seemed to have caught a little of the tail of the ball of yarn, but it always felt unsteady. At noon, the hall was finally empty and it was time to eat.

The black-haired bloodline man sitting in the main seat stuffed a sugar ball into his mouth and looked listlessly at the profiteer standing in front of him, recognizing the other party's origin at a glance.

"You want to ask me about the drug? According to the intelligence we received, the mutation caused by this drug is a complete process. It acts as a trigger, and there is no danger as long as it does not come into contact with the spherical device. And it takes a lot of devices to make so many people mutate. We have already conducted a review to ensure that even if there is a problem, it will only be within a very small range."

"Can you guarantee that?"

"You can rest assured. My original body has specially allocated a brain to do this. We have checked all the mechanical devices in the city and confirmed that there are no problems."

“What if the screening is wrong?”

"Even if they want to do something, the bloodline in Partington City can be dispatched at any time. The Black Mist Border is already full of consciousness networks, and nothing can escape our surveillance. The final situation will be transmitted to me by the commander-in-chief, and then I will make a judgment."

"What if the brainworm goes wrong?"

The other party stared at him for a while with a look of "Are you here to cause trouble?" Fang said: "This is the conclusion drawn by my sixteen brains, which are the brains of fifty-three thousand nine hundred and seventy-one brainworm bloodline people. Unless our group is contaminated, there will be no problem."

Since the other party said so, the unscrupulous businessman believed it.

Seeing that he was fine, the Brainworm Patriarch yawned lazily and said, "You can leave if you are fine."

The black-robed merchant nodded, took two steps, and suddenly turned his head:

"I suggest you check it again."

Seeing the other party wave his hand, the profiteer finally walked out of the door. He took out a coin and threw it into the air, muttering in a low voice: "The pursuit of free medicine affects my interests. If everyone does this, my chamber of commerce will go bankrupt, so it must be stopped."

There are good reasons to do something, not out of conscience.

Giving away present wealth for future wealth is an equal exchange.

The mask darkened slightly, and the sound of treasures falling to the ground was heard. The people in Partington suddenly lost some of their enthusiasm for the free medicine. More people began to choose a normal life, and the demand for free medicine faded. The subtle influence spread, and those who had already received the medicine couldn't help but think: these medicines are so precious, it's better to save them.

The profiteer hummed a song and walked briskly into the street. In the central building behind him, the brainworm owner was thinking.

Check again...

Something in the dark moved, giving a faint reminder. The black-haired bloodline man blinked, and his pupils became deeper. His consciousness sank and entered the sea of ​​consciousness network.

The boundless network of consciousness is connected together, and each connection point is a brain worm bloodline, forming a complex giant structure around the closed-eyed, ferocious brain worm in the center.

The brain of this brainworm is extremely deformed and enlarged, with its surface covered with wrinkles to increase its operating area, and it has fifteen sub-brains that can process things simultaneously.

The lower body of the master of the house is located in one of the sub-brains, like a fruit it has produced. In addition, each of the other sub-brains is also connected to a human figure.

He scanned the sea of ​​consciousness and connected to one of the nodes. This was the most talented young blood in the family, and he was even lucky enough to meet his true self. Unfortunately, the meeting didn't seem to be very pleasant, and the other party left halfway.

The head of the family cut off his useless thoughts. The secondary brain always tends to think too much: "Sevich, what's the situation?"

"Everything is fine, Master."

"......"

It was like a real audit was transmitted through the consciousness network and scanned Sevich's brain. With a slight pain, the head of the Brainworm family rubbed his forehead.

"Is there something strange about your brain? It seems like something is broken. Strange, why didn't I notice it last time?"

As he spoke, his mental power formed a sharp scalpel and directly cut out the abnormality in the opponent's brain.

The damaged brain tissue was read by the consciousness network. Sevich fell to his knees with a scream, his hands covering his head trembling constantly, and his body was covered with cold sweat.

The subordinate rushed up and asked, "Master Sevich, are you okay?"

Sevich's lips trembled, and before he could answer, the master had already ordered the others to leave through the thought network. The subordinates were stunned for a moment, and the mastermind's order could not be disobeyed, so they had to retreat immediately.

A sharp pain pierced into Sevitch's head, almost splitting it in half. The master carefully read his memory, and pictures flashed before Sevitch's eyes.

He and Aibo walked side by side through a dark passage, at the end of which were countless fungal hyphae and dormant monsters.

"I know you brought a lot of weapons from the Mechanical City. If we can solve this problem, your family may be able to move up from second place."

"The academy has the principal here, and there are also protective devices made jointly by the church and the Mechanical City. As long as we deal with these monsters, even if there are some omissions, it won't be a big problem."

The green-eyed young man smiled and urged him to join the fight. Half of his face was dim and unclear under the light. And Sevitch agreed without hesitation. Just as the other party said, they were allies, and the Brainworm Family needed to be promoted, so he should make contributions to the family.

Sevich threw a mechanical weapon at the monsters, and just when it was about to explode, someone suddenly pressed his head from behind, and something alive drilled into his ears.

He felt a buzzing sound in his head that almost exploded. The brain is the most delicate place for a brain worm bloodline and will not tolerate any invasion.

But the worm twisted its body and drilled into his brain. There were no other brain worm bloodline people around, and Sevich could not ask for help. He could only wail and let the other party merge into him.

The weapon that was supposed to be detonated was caught by the mycelium, and only after it was controlled did Ai Bo, who was standing behind it, let go of his hand.

He looked down at the wolf's brainworm bloodline, and said in his usual relaxed tone: "You are really amazing to be able to accept the control of the dancing bug soberly, Sevich."

"You are, the betrayer?"

"Not really, I just never stood on your side." Ai Bo lowered his eyes and looked at him with a faint smile on his face. "Does it hurt? Don't worry, the brain of the brainworm bloodline is more sophisticated than that of others, so it takes longer to merge. But as long as the fusion is successful, unless the dancing bug leaves on its own initiative, no one will find anything unusual, including you."

The Master Brain searched every inch of the brain more carefully, until the brain worm blood vessel almost fainted, and then he confirmed that there was no residue left.

"I didn't find any dancing bugs in your brain. It looks like you've given up. Your situation is dangerous. Let me think..."

The head of the family was silent for a while, and then continued: "This counterattack command mission is of great importance, and you are already familiar with it. Don't worry about this little problem, I will pay attention to you alone from now on. You will still be responsible for the next mission."

"...I understand. As you command."

When the voice in his head faded away, Sevitch got up from the ground. He waved his hands tiredly, his temple still throbbing with pain.

Since the master of the house has been examined, there should be nothing wrong with him.

But the pain tortured him, and his memory seemed to be bitten by insects, fragmented and incomplete. When he wanted to remember more clearly, his body seemed to resist the pain.

Sevich's eyes wandered aimlessly, and suddenly stopped on the sword on the table.

That was the sword he always carried with him, made of metal, sharp and sturdy, used to deal with emergencies.

The Bloodline's pupils dilated for a moment, and he reached out and grasped the knife.

The pain felt like it was tearing his brain apart, destroying his will to fight, but he needed the truth.

No one can stop a determined worm-blooded person. In some ways, they are very similar to the Robot City, using the human brain to practice machine rationality.

Sevich gritted his teeth and slowly carved the familiar words on his arm. The blood soaked the marks, forming the last straw that broke the camel's back and awakened the broken memories.

He finally saw it.

He saw himself clenching his teeth and rushing into the depths of the cave where the monster was while Ai Bo was not paying attention. The emerald-eyed young man followed him slowly, his low laughter lingering.

"Are you afraid, Sevich? Are you afraid that you will bring ruin upon your family?"

"The consciousness network is the medium you are proud of. Each node shares pollution, which makes the brain worm bloodline extremely stable; shared intelligence is gathered at the nodes and ultimately concentrated in the main brain. Even if you are thousands of miles apart, he can communicate with you. These things create a unique brain worm family."

"But I have been curious for a long time. If the bad stuff is transmitted into your consciousness network and then contaminated by the main brain, will you all go crazy? Humans have always relied on brain worms to serve as combat commanders. When there is no leader, what will happen to the human army?"

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

Terrifying words echoed in the cave, and Sevich stumbled and almost vomited.

He knew that he would not be able to escape, but the news had to be passed on. Even if he died here, Aibo would find the next person to carry out the plan. So he had to be that person, even if he died, he had to carry out the plan himself.

In the chaos, the Bloodline drew his sword and carved a line of words deeply on his arm.

After completing all this, he quickly added some hemostatic drugs and fake paint, and continued to run deeper. Until he was caught by Ai Bo, the other party mercilessly lifted his head and smashed it against the wall. At this point, Sevich fell into a coma.

The hidden clip finally finished playing. The Brainworm Blood Vein held his forehead, his breathing still very disordered.

Something was wrong. There was something wrong with his headache after he first saw the Mastermind. Where did the dancing bugs in his head go? The Mastermind was always stable, so why did it let him be the chief commander after knowing that he had problems?

Tell, tell, tell tell tell tell...

The next thought was stopped by a severe headache, and a mocking laugh seemed to ring in his ears. Sevich finally realized the problem -

He was controlled by Aibo.

It was he who personally gave Aibo permission to replicate his bloodline. When he hinted to the gatekeeper, he was also hinted by Aibo. Forgetting is the norm, and remembering is a confrontation of his own subconscious. The two are fighting each other, so it hurts. At the same time, he also realized another thing.

He couldn't say these words anymore.

The subordinate waited outside the door for a long time, and only asked when there was no sound from inside: "Lord Sevich, are you okay?"

After a moment, a calm voice came from the room: "Come in, my work is over."

The people guarding outside the house finally walked in, and the ground was littered with debris. Sevich sat in a chair, and except for his pale face, everything else was normal.

The subordinate asked cautiously, "Do you need to call a blood doctor for you?"

Sevich looked at him in confusion: "Why do you want to summon the Bloodline Healer?"

He paused for a moment, frowned, and looked around. Then he said, "Send someone to clean it up. I just accidentally bumped into it."

The others stopped asking questions. One went out to ask people to clean up, while the rest continued to ask about the affairs of the Black Mist Border.

The black fog counterattack team is gradually in place, team deployment, strategic material allocation...

Commanders on the battlefield issued orders one after another, and the entire Western Front was anxiously awaiting news from the Black Mist Squad. As the evening approached, Sevich finally had time to rest.

When he was drinking water, he accidentally touched his arm and felt a slight pain. He rolled up his sleeves and saw the situation, and was stunned, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

The fresh wound seemed to have been cleaned and no longer bled. On it was his handwriting, familiar yet strange.

[Don’t trust the mindnet, don’t connect! ]

It’s strange, when was this left behind? Why doesn’t he have any recollection of it?

…

It was evening, in the city of insects, in the livestock shed.

Ricks is communicating with the rest of the Black Mist team.

He carried a light screen communicator, and could only communicate by leaving messages. Every evening, all teams would check in on each other's mission progress.

"There are 29 teams in place now, 1 team was wiped out due to a monster riot, and 10 teams are on their way. They are all teams that are deeper in the target area."

Having said this, he turned towards Aurelius.

"Thanks to you for sending these teams off earlier, the progress is much faster than we expected. Those teams decided to travel overnight, and they should all arrive tomorrow."

The latter shook his head: "This is the result of everyone's efforts. The team is ready, let's go."

The people in the room looked at each other and nodded together. Ricks left a message on the contactor, put it away and followed.

[No.50 team: Begin the plan to enter the central area of ​​the City of Insects.]