Chapter 431: Immortal Soldier
A considerable number of Half-beastmen lose control every year, but Undead Warriors are extremely rare. In fact, Qinghe had only heard people talk about them in the Realm of Chaos; he had never actually seen one.
However, the black outer garment he had just stripped from the young man resembled the legendary Invisibility Cloak of an Undead Warrior.
As Qinghe voiced his suspicion, Di Youlin was already searching the young man’s body. Soon, Di Youlin found something unusual. He lifted the man’s shirt, revealing a round, fist-sized indentation on his side.
“It is an Undead Warrior, Master. The Undead Warriors were created by the Lord of Myriad Phenomena Star River and are never loaned out. It seems they’ve finally made a move against you.” Qinghe’s expression grew grim when he saw the circular indentation.
“If Myriad Phenomena Star River has entered the fray, the Star Sky Council and Starry Sky Academy have likely made their move long ago. We just don’t know where they’ll set their ambush,” Di Youlin said, his expression equally grave.
“Is there a story behind the Undead Warriors? Why are they called that?” Ning Xuan took a few steps forward, wanting to observe more closely.
“Master, Housekeeper Yan is already tracking the controller. Until the controller is found, this man is still extremely dangerous. Please don’t get any closer.” Qinghe blocked Ning Xuan, preventing her from approaching the Undead Warrior bound by the Spirit-Banning Rope.
Di Youlin also scanned their surroundings vigilantly.
“Since there’s a controller hiding somewhere, we should probably give him another dose of anesthetic to prevent him from waking up. What if they have some unique connection or method of control? We don’t want to alert the enemy, do we?” Ning Xuan said, shaking the syringe in her hand. It was filled with a potent anesthetic medicine she had prepared.
“Master, I’ll do it.” Qinghe’s eyes lit up as he spoke immediately. He had just been wondering whether he should knock him out again with another punch, but he was worried he might not control his strength properly.
Ning Xuan handed the syringe to Qinghe, who jabbed the needle into the young man’s neck and pushed the entire dose of anesthetic medicine into his body.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. There was a knock on the private room’s door. Ning Xuan recognized the sound as Yan Fuzhen’s knocking. She glanced at Qinghe, who understood and nodded, then stepped forward to open the door and let Yan Fuzhen in.
Yan Fuzhen bowed to Ning Xuan before speaking. “Family Head, all three exits of the auction house have been sealed. Lord Yu has called in two battalions from the Inspection Department; they will be here soon. Lord Yu’s plan is to wait for them to arrive, then use the pretext of a stolen treasure from the auction to screen everyone in the venue one by one, ensuring no suspicious individuals escape.”
“Absolutely not. A place like an auction house prioritizes privacy above all else. If you do that, will our family’s auction house ever do business again?” Ning Xuan immediately objected.
“If we don’t do this, how will we find the mastermind behind this? Family Head, we can afford to lose the auction house’s business. But whoever dared to make a move on you, the controller must be found,” Yan Fuzhen said with a disapproving frown.
“Don’t we already know his origin? We need to discuss the simplest, most efficient way to find the controller. Where is Ming Che now?” Ning Xuan asked.
“Lord Yu is already on his way. He should be here in about ten minutes,” Yan Fuzhen replied to Ning Xuan after checking his Light Computer.
“Has the assassin’s identity been confirmed? Which faction sent him?” Yan Fuzhen asked, turning his head to look at the assassin lying on the floor.
“Based on his equipment, physical appearance, and the marks on his body, he’s likely an Undead Warrior. We were lucky to capture him alive,” Qinghe said.
Although Yan Fuzhen’s Level was high, he had never heard of Undead Warriors. His gaze locked onto the dark red mark on the assassin’s side. The mark didn’t look quite like a brand; its intricate lines seemed to writhe like a living thing, faintly shimmering with a metallic luster. It resembled some ancient rune, or perhaps an emblem left behind from the fusion of flesh and machine.
“How exactly is this formed?” he couldn’t help but ask, his voice filled with curiosity. “Can you determine he’s an Undead Warrior based on this alone?”
Di Youlin and Qinghe both fell silent. After a moment, seeing that Ning Xuan was also curious about the question, a trace of sorrow and grief appeared in Di Youlin’s eyes. “I can’t be absolutely certain, but this brand strongly resembles an Oath Spirit Pattern. The Oath Spirit Pattern is proof that a Half-beastman who has lost control has voluntarily accepted modification.”
He paused, as if weighing how to phrase what came next. “As everyone knows, Half-beastmen are prone to losing control upon reaching adulthood. Once they do, they become nothing more than monsters driven by the urge to kill. However, most Half-beastmen have a high Spiritual Power Level and strong Combat Power. If they lose control, they pose a great threat to society. Therefore, any Half-beastman showing signs of losing control is to be executed. But just because there are signs doesn’t mean they will inevitably lose control. As a result, many Half-beastmen who shouldn’t have died were killed.”
“Too many innocent Half-beastmen were killed. These Half-beastmen were once the main Combat Power on the front lines. Before long, the research institute proposed an idea. They said they were researching an experiment to eliminate the aberrant gene and needed test subjects. If the experiment succeeded, Half-beastmen with unstable genes could gain stable ones. If it failed, they would become humanoid weapons capable only of following simple commands, continuing to serve the military.”
“Some Half-beastmen on the verge of losing control volunteered to be test subjects. They underwent a series of forbidden physical modification experiments in exchange for that sliver of hope for success.”
“The official story was very high-sounding. They claimed that even if the experiment failed, the subjects could continue to contribute their last bit of light and heat to their country and faction, transforming an uncontrollable disaster into a controllable, powerful weapon—making the most of every resource. Sounds very noble, doesn’t it?” Qinghe’s gaze drifted into the distance, tinged with a mix of sarcasm and sorrow.
Although that so-called experiment had been halted long ago and he had never witnessed it himself, when he learned of this historical record, all he felt was a bone-deep chill.