Chapter 161 Soul Regeneration 1
"Is Chenlong the original form of those monsters..." Lu Youxun pondered. "Your suspicion is not without merit. The monsters' physical enhancements are quite thorough, from physical strength to muscle explosiveness, from the five senses to reflexes, and even immunity and magic resistance... This comprehensive enhancement does indeed have the characteristics of Chenlong's 'comprehensive enhancement,' and even the fact that his body overloads and explodes after death has a bit of that feel to it..."
After a brief pause, he still shook his head in denial: "However, I still don't think he is. The earliest strange person appeared a year and a half ago, while Chenlong betrayed me two years ago. At that time, he showed no signs of advancing to the Great Completion level."
"Because I summoned my 'Great Completion Level Self' with his help in the past, I understand better than most people that breaking through the limits of a Demon Hunter is an almost impossible task for both me and him. Even he couldn't complete such a challenge within half a year."
"The most reasonable explanation for why he can reach the Great Completion level is that he underwent the Humanity Division's monster transformation... No, even monster transformation shouldn't be able to raise the Completion level to the Great Completion level, but this is the only possibility I can think of."
“He didn’t have the power to manipulate shadows before, but he does now. This is irrefutable proof that he has undergone monster transformation.”
Zhu Shi continued thoughtfully, "The original entity that is the source of the monster technology must be at least at the Great Completion level. If Chenlong, who became the Great Completion level through the monster technology, is the original entity, then it becomes a chicken-and-egg problem."
"So the original body is someone else, and the Humanity Division now has at least two Great Completion Ranks?" I said, pondering.
Simply undergoing freak transformation can elevate one's level to the Great Completion stage. If such a convenient technology could be invented so easily, the vast Luoshan Mountain wouldn't only have less than twenty Great Completion level cultivators.
However, it is an undeniable fact that Chenlong underwent monster transformation and reached the Great Completion level. Could this phenomenon of turning the impossible into the possible also be related to the fragments of the Divine Seal?
Although I don't want to blame everything I don't understand on the power of the Divine Seal Fragments, this explanation is just too versatile, and it's really hard for me not to think in this direction.
"The reason why the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau is regarded by Luo Shan as one of the three major threats is not because they are strong now, nor because of their development potential, but because they can largely represent the trend of secular society resisting the rule of superhumans." Lu Youxun pondered, "If secular society possesses the technology to create Great Completion level beings, even if it is only the possibility of such technology emerging, Luo Shan will absolutely not sit idly by."
Zhu Shi and Mr. Zhu seemed to have some different ideas. However, when it came to Luo Shan's way of interacting with secular society, worldly philosophy and transcendentalism were destined to be incompatible.
"Let's not talk about that now," Old Mr. Zhu changed the subject. "Xiao Shi, as you can see, our house isn't even bare anymore; it's just a pile of ruins. So where are you planning to stay tonight?"
Zhu Shi was taken aback by the question: "Where? If all else fails, find a hotel..."
“Perfect timing. There are no residents living in Zhuang Cheng’s neighbor’s house right now. You can stay there for the time being,” Mr. Zhu said in an unyielding tone.
"Wait a minute, Grandpa, how do you know about that kind of thing? Did you scout it out beforehand?" Zhu Shi asked in surprise. "Also, doesn't our family own other properties in Xianshui City?"
“Are you crazy, my dear granddaughter? Those houses are just sitting there, they must be covered in dust. How can you move in right away? Besides, if you live close to Zhuang Cheng, it will be easier to communicate in time if there are important matters, don’t you think?” Mr. Zhu said earnestly. “Don’t worry, I already talked to the landlords there yesterday, and the rent has been paid. You can move in right now.”
Zhu Shi's mouth dropped open: "They actually ignored my opinion..."
Old Master Zhu sighed wearily, then turned to me with a solemn expression and said, "Zhuang Cheng, my grandson Chang'an has been kidnapped this time. Although, as you know, I simply cannot bring myself to like the monstrous son my son-in-law and that woman had, he is already a member of our Zhu family."
"So... please help us rescue him from the clutches of the Humanitarian Affairs Department. Please."
He lowered his head deeply.
-
I am naturally overjoyed that Zhu Shi wants to become my and Ma Zao's neighbor. At the same time, I also accepted Mr. Zhu's request. Even if he hadn't asked, I originally wanted to rescue Chang'an as soon as possible.
Chang'an was most likely kidnapped by Chenlong and taken to the secret stronghold of the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau.
While it's unclear whether human-demon hybrids are rare or common in the supernatural world, Chang'an, as the child of a human and a fully-developed demon, is certainly a rare breed even among human-demon hybrids. To a dark organization like the Humanity Division, which enjoys human experimentation and modification, she would likely be an invaluable resource.
It sounds ominous, but from another perspective, even if the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau intends to harm Chang'an, it's unlikely they'll conduct destructive experiments on it in the short term. However, I'm a complete novice in the field of research and experimentation, and the accuracy of this superficial judgment is uncertain.
Ying Lingyun, one of the top decision-makers in the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau, is Chang'an's father. Assuming he's still alive, he shouldn't be capable of such cruelty towards the child born to his beloved—this is one of the reasons I convinced myself to remain calm. But regardless of Ying Lingyun's uncertain fate, he's already deranged; the theory that even tigers don't eat their cubs might not apply to him. I also find it difficult to place all my friends' safety on their mental state.
Mr. Zhu bid us farewell, as he was going to pick up Zhu Shi's mother from the military hospital. While gathering details from Zhu Shi, he also confirmed the hospital's situation by phone. Since Chenlong intended to harm the Zhu family, Zhu Shi's mother could also become a target. Mr. Zhu wanted to place his biological daughter under heavy protection first, and then he would join us in the search for Chang'an's whereabouts.
We now have two leads, one of which is the former Humanitarian Affairs Bureau outpost.
That place is teeming with dangerous, unknown entities, and it's also where Ying Lingyun hid fragments of his divine seal. Who knows how many hidden surveillance devices and traps have been set up there? I privately told Zhu Shi about that place, and after listening, she asked, "You mean that although there are fragments of the divine seal there, we can't see any trace of my father... Does that mean he's not bound to his own divine seal fragments?"
I replied, "According to what Number One said before, it seems that only those who are pulled into the Void Realm are considered to have a binding relationship with the Divine Seal Fragment, and he should have heard this from the Lord of the Divine Seal in the past."
However, it's also possible that Number One was just saying it casually before? That would be awkward. At least in my opinion, the mechanism of binding the chosen one to the Divine Seal Fragment was probably set up by the Lord of the Divine Seal specifically for the chosen one.
“A deserted, abandoned research facility, countless unknown objects lurking inside, the ultimate treasure left there…” Zhu Shi seemed to have a connection, “Could it be that the reason why that former Humanitarian Division stronghold became deserted was not because of the collective spatial transfer that Lu Youxun mentioned, but because it was accidentally involved in some kind of inexplicable experimental accident?”
A paranormal event caused by an experimental accident ultimately led to the disappearance of all those involved in the facility, leaving behind only intact research facilities, unorganized documents, and still-warm coffee cups and teapots—I feel like I've seen some fictional stories that fit this description somewhere before.
Ordinary experimental accidents could not possibly lead to results like those in a science fiction horror story. However, the old Humanitarian Division base did indeed conduct experiments that resembled science fiction horror stories in the past. Even I am starting to wonder if that is really the case.
Another clue is Chenlong's severed arm.
This lead is relatively safer to investigate, and it's clearly the flesh and blood tissue left behind by those who abducted Chang'an, making the direction more accurate. Both "the former stronghold of the Humanitarian Affairs Bureau" and "Chenlong's severed arm" require Ma Zao's retrospective investigation skill, so the latter should undoubtedly be prioritized over the former.
I handed the severed arm to Ma Zao, and then together with her, Zhu Shi, and Lu Youxun, we went to the office in Luoshan.
Luo Shan has several offices in Xianshui City. In addition to handling documents and materials, they also provide support to the Wuchang (a type of enemy officer) fighting on the front lines. Usually, two or more agents are stationed at each office, and if a Wuchang is wounded, they will come here to collect supplies and treat the wounded. The office near Xianshui University is right across from the Public Security Bureau, while the office we have arrived at now is on the edge of the city, and the surrounding area looks quite desolate, which is more in line with Luo Shan's secretive style.
We came here primarily to find a place where Asa could investigate the severed arm in peace; we couldn't very well let her take out a charred human arm in front of ordinary people. Secondly, we wanted to investigate my soul state to see the extent of the damage I had sustained in my previous battle with Chenlong.
From the outside, it looked somewhat like a real estate agency, but inside it resembled a proper clinic. After listening to my needs, the agent stationed there brought out a small mirror from the back room, had me breathe on it a few times, and then left temporarily, like a doctor collecting bodily fluids from a patient.
In the ancient Chinese belief system, because the living breathe while the dead do not, breathing was considered an essential element inextricably linked to life and death, and thus believed to be connected to the soul. There was even a theory that the soul departs through the mouth and nose at the moment of death. Perhaps I was just sampled by a tiny fraction of the soul.
While the resident detectives were analyzing the situation, I asked Lu Youxun a question that had been bothering me for a long time.
(End of this chapter)
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