Chapter 751.1: Genetic Sequence, LV7!
Chapter 751.1: Genetic Sequence, LV7!
“...”
At the southernmost tip of the Ten Peaks Peaks, atop Lai Peak.
The Human Emperor stood expressionless, gazing north throughout the entire night. Only when the first rays of dawn slowly rose over the horizon did the corner of his mouth twitch ever so slightly with a trace of detachment.
At that moment, a figure materialized beside him. The middle-aged man clad in a white robe was none other than the Beast King, who had promised him not long ago that he would hold the Ten Peaks Peaks for at least half a year.
“Something unexpected happened...” Even as he spoke, there was a hint of embarrassment on the Beast King's face, and the muscles on his face twitched from time to time. It was especially obvious for the spot he had taken those two punches earlier.
Even though he had already abandoned that battered body, he had yet to completely shake off the lingering phantom pain.
The Human Emperor stared at him expressionlessly. Those deep pupils were like black holes capable of devouring everything, causing the Beast King to unconsciously lower his gaze by an inch.
It couldn't be helped. In his current state, he was weaker than he had ever been before. No matter how unwilling he was, he could only bow his head. Since the Sanctuary required a physical body in the real world to serve as a vessel for storing his consciousness, the strength of a Pathfinder was directly proportional to the strength of their followers. The stronger the followers, the greater the Sanctuary's influence upon the mortal world.
For example, if the chipped followers were merely a few slaves, let alone influencing the mortal world, they probably wouldn't even be able to leave their master's farm. But if the follower was the slave owner himself, then with the authority of the slave owner, one could command every survivor on the entire estate.
In his current state, his situation was similar to the former.
Until yesterday, he had been the uncrowned king of the Ten Peaks Peaks. But now, he had lost every last chip in his hand.
Not only that.
He had even lost the Kingdom of Heaven on the Guardian Manor Wasteland.
There was no question that it was a crushing defeat. Especially now that the Hive on Blood Peak had gone from being their ally to becoming an enormous threat to the Kingdom of Heaven in the Ocean Edge Province.
The Human Emperor said nothing. He merely stared at him in silence until the Beast King began to feel a chill creep into his heart before finally speaking slowly. “Where's Kubo?”
The Beast King's expression stiffened. After a long silence, he finally lowered his head and said, “I'm sorry.”
“Just 'I'm sorry'?” The Human Emperor looked him straight in the eyes and slightly raised his chin. “He was my Apostle. He should have demanded that you remove your filthy hands immediately and get out of him, yet you completely ignored his request, his plea, even. You stubbornly carried your stupidity through to the very end.”
“That was also for the sake of our plan...” Seeing the increasingly harsh tone, the Beast King could not help but defend himself, only to be interrupted before he could finish.
“The plan?!” Repeating the words, the Human Emperor fixed his eyes on him. “Then is the current situation also part of your so-called plan?”
The Beast King fell silent.
Looking at the speechless man, disappointment appeared on the Human Emperor's face. He sighed softly and turned his gaze north once more. “Installing a backdoor into the armor was something I never anticipated. Not just me, even the Chosen One was furious after learning about it. You committed a mistake that should never have been made, and everyone is paying the price for your stupidity. I hope you understand that the reason you've ended up like this today isn't simply because you failed... and don't blame me.”
Hearing those words, the Beast King froze before suddenly looking up at him. The eyes that met his gaze were so cold that they seemed devoid of warmth, like the snow blanketing the mountain peak.
An involuntary sense of fear welled up inside him. He stared blankly at his former comrade and instinctively took a step back. “You... What are you going to do?!”
“This is the unanimous decision of the Council of the Sanctuary.” Looking at the Beast King, whose expression had finally changed completely, the Human Emperor spoke calmly before announcing his fate. “You have been expelled.”
“Wait...!” Before he could finish speaking, his illusory figure vanished into the howling wind like a film reel that had abruptly stopped.
The Human Emperor sighed. It seemed the surgery had already been completed. The only thing he found a pity was that he hadn't gotten to hear the man's final words. Silently mourning for one second the old friend who would never see the new world, the Human Emperor turned his head slightly and glanced behind him.
Several men clad in exoframe were standing not far behind him, as though they had been there for quite some time. They were the executioners of the Judgment Panel, primarily responsible for eliminating obstinate and troublesome heretics, as well as dealing with problematic Pathfinders.
Although Pathfinders possessed no physical bodies with which to walk the mortal world, simply resetting the chips implanted in their followers' brains was enough to erase them. That backdoor was controlled by the Judgment Panel and had existed since the birth of the Second Sanctuary as a means of keeping the Pathfinders in check.
It was obvious those men had only arrived not long ago, and the Judgment Panel had dispatched more than a single squad.
During nothing more than a brief conversation, they had already completed the procedure.
“... We've reset all chips belonging to the Beast King and completely erased his consciousness. By the Chosen One’s orders, they now belong to you.” The executioner at the head of the group looked at him and explained the situation succinctly.
The Human Emperor nodded slowly. “I understand.”
The executioner said nothing further about what had just happened. He merely glanced toward Blood Peak in the distance before looking back at the Human Emperor and asking, “What do you plan to do?”
Without concealing anything, the Human Emperor answered briefly. “This place can no longer be defended. I intend to abandon the Ten Peaks Mountain, withdraw the Mutant Human tribes in this region to the Ocean Edge Province, and reorganize our defenses on my own territory to resist the coalition's advance.”
The executioner nodded. “A wise decision. We'll leave this place to you.”
“Mhm.” The Human Emperor grunted absentmindedly, having little interest in chatting with them.
The executioners did not bother him any further. They turned and disappeared from his sight. It wasn't that they had activated optical camouflage. Rather, they had directly severed the connection to his sea of consciousness.
That was one of the executioners' privileges. While operating within the orders of those above, they were exempt from the Pathfinders' surveillance. They could move in places beyond the Pathfinders' perception and decide for themselves whether to establish a connection with them. That was also why the Beast King had never noticed them making their move.
Paying no attention to those elusive figures, the Human Emperor kept his eyes fixed upon the endless mountain ranges north of Lai Peak.
On the nearby positions, countless Mutant Humans and Goblins were retreating down the winding mountain paths. The noisy creatures carried bags and bundles on their backs, along with their weapons, cooking utensils, livestock, and stockpiled grain.
Leaving them behind in the Ten Peaks Mountain as cannon fodder would have been a decent option, but with no organization whatsoever, they would probably not last long against the coalition's well-trained soldiers.
All of those creatures belonged to him now. Before sending them to the front lines as expendable cannon fodder, he needed to give them a few "fast and effective" modifications.
“Chu Guang, was it...?” The Human Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and lightly touched his cheek with his index finger. A rare smile twisted across his usually impassive face. After receiving everything related to the Beast King, he also inherited his memories.
That punch really hurt. It had been a very long time since he had encountered someone who excited him this much...
...
A day had passed since the decisive battle on the Guardian Manor Plains came to an end.
After taking care of everything, Chu Guang returned to the Heart of Steel and slept for a full 10 hours before finally shaking off the accumulated fatigue. Not long after waking up, he received the medical examination report Hyrja had brought him.
To his surprise, during just that brief period last night, he had leveled up again. His genetic sequence development had jumped from 60% to 61%.
[ID: Chu Guang]
[Genetic sequence: Administrator (Seventh Stage)]
[Level: LV60→LV61]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 79→80]
[Agility: 60→63]
[Constitution: 64→65]
[Perception: 62→65]
[Intelligence: 66→68]
“The data is only for reference. Honestly, I think the original attribute conversion formula is already outdated when it comes to you. A strength stat of only 80 points simply isn't enough to throw a punch with that kind of power.”
Still trying to calculate what exactly 80 points of strength represented, Chu Guang set down the medical report and looked at her curiously. “Why do you say that?”
“Because that empirical formula was established using normal humans as its baseline. But your body's muscular structure and movement patterns have long since deviated from ordinary human standards. Without exaggeration, your existence alone could provide an enormous number of research samples for Project Complete Human. I can't say for certain whether this is the future direction of human evolution, but... it's at least one possibility.” Hyrja stared at him with sparkling eyes.
Chu Guang believed her. After all, that was always the expression she wore whenever she came across valuable research material. It was much like Yin Fang whenever he encountered an unusual coffee machine.
“Complete Human huh.” Looking at his right hand, Chu Guang clenched his fist, feeling the immense power surging within it. According to legend, it was the holy grail of biological and genetic engineering during the Prosperity Era. The lifelong pursuit of countless scholars and engineers, with millions of research projects devoted to it.
Unfortunately, even when that glorious age came to its end, this singularity beyond the horizon remained nothing more than a hypothesis existing in imagination.
Perhaps the first administrator of Shelter 404 had also been an expert in that field. After all, there were already an unusually large number of biologists in Clearspring City. Having one more wasn't unreasonable.
“Do you feel like you're becoming less and less human?” Seeing Chu Guang lost in thought, Hyrja teased him. “I don't think you need to worry. From what I've observed, everyone still likes you quite a bit.”
Chu Guang shook his head. “I've never really thought about that. I was just wondering... what happens when the development progress reaches 100%?”
“I'm afraid we'll only find out when we get there. There isn't any relevant data in the Shelter's database to reference. Even the empirical formulas that used to work have already begun to lose their usefulness.”
After a brief pause, Hyrja shrugged lightly and comforted, “But don't worry. No matter what happens to you by then, no matter what you become, even if you grow two heads and six arms, you'll always be you. And you'll always be my... I mean, you will always be the greatest administrator in our hearts.”