Chapter 360 - 335: The Prophet and the Questioning

Chapter 360: Chapter 335: The Prophet and the Questioning

Wuze, the former capital of the Black Banner Country, was now completely occupied by Parasites. Only a handful of humans still hid in the city’s corners, eking out a meager existence.

Even though the Ascenders leading the resistance were individually more powerful than the Parasites, they were utterly overwhelmed by the sheer disparity in numbers.

Moreover, the Parasites possessed a unique advantage.

Espionage.

Parasites could distinguish between their own kind and humans, but humans could not do the same in return.

This allowed the Parasites to send out spies to infiltrate human groups, acting as inside agents to provide intelligence or waiting for opportunities to sabotage them.

Many of the humans in hiding were caught precisely because they were betrayed by Parasites who had blended in among them.

Now, the Ascenders native to the Black Banner Country who had resisted were either eliminated or captured, and were being converted through continuous brainwashing.

But for the Parasites, the crisis was far from over.

At this moment, hundreds of Parasites were gathered in a vast hall.

This hall was originally the Black Banner Country’s National Sacrificial Hall. Now, all the statues once worshiped here had been smashed and removed, turning it into a meeting place for the Parasite leadership.

What they were discussing at this moment was precisely how to counter the upcoming offensive by the Human Alliance Army.

"Why don’t we do what we did to the Black Banner Country? Send some of our own kind to pose as human refugees and infiltrate the alliance army’s ranks. They can pass us important intelligence or wait for a chance to assassinate key figures."

"I’m afraid that won’t work. This alliance army is composed of soldiers led by North Star, the Soloma Empire, and Sisiya. Their combat effectiveness and vigilance are on a different level from the Black Banner Country’s soldiers... Besides, they’ve likely learned from the Black Banner Country’s fate and will be on high alert against infiltration."

"So we fight them head-on?"

"The enemy is too strong. Our kind would suffer heavy casualties in a direct confrontation..."

"In that case—"

"Quiet, all of you." A Parasite with the appearance of a young man—with short green hair and a black blindfold—spoke from the center of the hall.

The moment he spoke, the other Parasites fell silent.

Although the Parasites shared a common goal, their society was divided into leaders and warriors.

This was related to the qualities of the host body. An original host who wasn’t very intelligent wouldn’t see a dramatic leap in intellect even after being converted into a Parasite.

Therefore, these less-brilliant Parasites could only survive being easily captured and eliminated by humans by banding together around the more intelligent ones.

This green-haired, youthful-looking Parasite was the "Prophet" acclaimed by the masses. Only a Parasite with the most profound "attunement" could earn this title and gain the authority to command the others.

The Prophet said, "The enemy’s alliance army has suddenly accelerated its mobilization and preparations for an attack. This couldn’t have happened without a reason. There must be some crucial piece of intelligence that we’re missing."

"Combined with the earlier live broadcast of the alien intelligent entity being cut short, and the subsequent strict news blockade, we can infer that the two events are likely related."

"Have our kin who infiltrated the various nations of the Human Federation not sent back any valuable information?"

Most of the Parasites present shook their heads.

All those participating in the council within this great hall were Parasites of considerable intelligence, each managing numerous subordinates.

One of the Parasites said, "Lord Prophet, the major powers are extremely strict in screening for Parasites. It’s difficult to infiltrate even the higher levels of ordinary departments, let alone the very top."

"However, some of our kin have managed to infiltrate a few smaller nations within the Human Federation. If we’re lucky, we might get some intelligence soon."

"Lord Prophet, I have just received a new piece of information," a Parasite in a sharp suit suddenly interjected.

This was one of the Parasites most well-known to humanity, as it was he who had publicly announced the establishment of the "Seri Divine Kingdom," a nation composed of Parasites.

"The message is from the Fahe Country."

"Fahe Country." The Prophet turned his head. "The nation teeming with followers of the Fire Worship Cult."

"Precisely. The leader of this heretical nation, Joel II, has contacted us through a secret channel. He says that Fahe wants to cooperate with our Divine Kingdom to fight the Human Federation."

The Prophet nodded. "The Human Federation has always wanted to deal with the problem of Fahe Country, which is why Fahe sees the Federation as a thorn in its side. It’s logical for them to want to cooperate with us now. If we are eliminated, the Human Federation will target them next."

"Joel II’s proposal is that we draw the attention of the Human Alliance Army, while they launch a surprise attack on the nearest target, the Soloma Empire."

"A surprise attack..."

A faint red glow emanated from beneath the Prophet’s blindfold. The other Parasites immediately shut their mouths.

They knew the Prophet was using his ability.

The title of "Prophet" was not just a name.

A moment later, the red glow faded. The Prophet said, "The places we failed to infiltrate, these heretics have managed to."

Hearing this, the Parasites were overjoyed.

"The heretics have infiltrated the enemy’s high command?"

"Those heretics must have started laying their plans long ago!"

"Does this mean, Lord Prophet, that you agree to cooperate with the heretics?" the suit-clad Parasite asked.

The Prophet nodded slightly. "Neither we nor the heretics are a match for the Human Federation alone. But if we cooperate, our chances are much greater. Go and reply to them. And ask for information about the alien intelligent entity... My eyes need a ’thread’ to see what comes next."

"Yes, Lord Prophet. I’ll go at once."

Just then, a Parasite rushed in to report, "Lord Prophet, the Human Alliance Army has begun to move!"

"Have all our kin move into the underground fortifications. We must endure until the tide turns. Everything for the spread."

"Everything for the spread!"

...

「Sennantata Icefield, the Landing Site.」

"Landing Site" was initially a name given by a few Sisiya soldiers on site. As members of the contact delegation started using it too, it quickly became the designated term for the alien intelligent entity’s location.

Two days had passed since it landed here.

There had been three questioning sessions in total.

Now, preparations were underway for the fourth.

To the continuous RUMBLE RUMBLE of heavy trucks, load after load of Parasites were being transported to the Landing Site.

These Parasites were not only supplied by Sisiya; some were shipped from North Star, some from Soloma, and others from various member nations of the Human Federation.

Due to the harsh transport conditions on the icefield, the delivery of the Parasites was subject to delays, which was why the fourth questioning session couldn’t begin immediately after the third.

However, as more and more large transport trucks arrived, the contact delegation, who had not been permitted to leave, began to be astonished by the sheer quantity being transported.

"Dozens of trucks have arrived since this morning, right? How many Parasites is that? Over a thousand?"

"Definitely more than a thousand. I’d guess it’s a few thousand by now..."

"Damn. How many questions are they planning to ask? To prepare this much... food?"

"If it’s a difficult question, one might use them all up."

"Aren’t you guys curious? This alien creature only eats, it never excretes. Does that even follow the laws of thermodynamics?"

"Who knows..."

As the delegation members chatted, the soldiers began to unload the Parasites.

They noticed that the Parasites were mostly in a comatose state, likely having been given sleeping drugs beforehand.

The onlookers glanced at each other, finally understanding why there had been no noise from the packed trucks. Moreover, if such a large number of Parasites were awake, it would be a huge challenge for the soldiers on site to maintain order.

"Are these really all Parasites?" someone in the delegation couldn’t help but ask. "What if there are humans among them?"

"That’s unlikely. At least, I think this first big batch is one hundred percent Parasites."

"Are you saying that if they run out of Parasites later..."

"That doesn’t seem like our problem. In the end, we’re not much use here anyway. The only reason the Human Federation is keeping us here is because they’re afraid of secrets getting out."

Just then, they noticed the soldiers beginning to arrange the Parasites. This made them realize immediately that the Human Federation had decided to pose another question to the alien intelligent entity.

Following the same pattern as before, the Parasites were arranged in a circle around the alien entity.

But this time, due to the large number, it took hundreds of soldiers a full hour to arrange the many large circles needed to accommodate all the Parasites.

Once the arrangement was complete, various specialists took their positions.

Sikokun’s Sisiya mobile unit secured the perimeter outside the circle. The Human Federation’s designated questioner entered the circle, leading a confirmed Parasite. In the distance, multiple snipers were on standby.

The questioner walked up to the alien intelligent entity and began to ask his question.

"An invasion of Alien Spores has transformed a portion of humanity into special ’Parasites,’ like this one beside me. My question is: how can humans distinguish these Parasites from themselves?"