Chapter 384 - 352: Moment of Chaos

Chapter 384: Chapter 352: Moment of Chaos

Soloma Empire, secret research lab.

Dr. Heisen stared at the complex formulas plastered across dozens of screens, his expression one of utter captivation.

’As expected of an integration plan from an advanced civilization. It’s simply perfect for humanity’s current level of technology...’

"So, the plan has become viable."

The King’s voice suddenly sounded from behind, and Dr. Heisen snapped out of his daze and turned around.

"Your Majesty, when did you arrive?"

"Is that something you should be concerned with?" the King of Soloma said coolly.

"No, of course not..." Dr. Heisen’s heart skipped a beat. ’This entire experimental facility was established under your approval. Of course you can come whenever you please...’

"And the answer from the Alien Intelligence?"

"Excellent!" Now on the subject of his expertise, Dr. Heisen immediately perked up. "After analyzing its one-and-a-half-hour-long response, we’ve formulated a complete plan. By putting this plan into practice, we’ll quickly be able to achieve the results you desire..."

"How soon is ’quickly’?"

"Well, we estimate there will be results within half a year."

"Half a year? And that’s what you call ’quickly’?"

The King’s brow furrowed, and his tone grew heavier. He was clearly displeased with this outcome.

Dr. Heisen said cautiously, "Even with a complete and viable theory, it takes time to test and move from theory to practice. Besides, to ensure your ’Angel’ project is foolproof, we must first conduct extensive experiments to guarantee a high probability of success."

"...Fine. I’ll give you half a year. Additionally, you are to prepare a set of technical documents for submission to the Human Federation."

"Because of the open-source protocol, I assume. I understand. Your Majesty, should we submit a misleading version of the data?"

"Do you take North Star’s technical experts for fools?" the King said coldly. "Over the next six months, I don’t want North Star to have any excuse to cause trouble for Soloma."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

...

「January 26th.」

The fifteenth Apocalypse Rule was nearing its end, and public interest in the Alien Intelligence was waning.

Although the incident of the defensive line being stormed during the live broadcast had caused a considerable public uproar, the Human Federation quickly quelled the controversy by releasing the results of its investigation.

The investigation revealed that five members of the Fire Worship Cult had infiltrated the crowd that day. They had concealed firearms and opened fire to provoke a conflict between the soldiers and the civilians, resulting in casualties.

The Human Federation stated that the cultists were suspected of acting on the orders of high-ranking leaders within their sect, such as Bishops or even their Pope, to infiltrate Sisiya and incite the crowd to riot.

The Human Federation promised to get to the bottom of the matter and would move to strike the Fire Worship Cult’s headquarters in Fahe Country as soon as possible.

During this announcement, Soloma also, for the first time, showcased combat footage of its "Annihilator" intelligent war machines delivering a devastating blow to the members of the Fire Worship Cult.

While some Human Federation member states were already aware, the general public was not. They were stunned to see footage of combat machines, two to three stories tall, effortlessly mowing down tens of thousands of black-robed cultists.

This undeniably left the public with an even deeper impression of the Soloma Empire’s military might, which was exactly what Soloma wanted. The Empire had always used such displays of force to attract powerful individuals from around the world, creating a virtuous cycle where strength attracted even more strength.

Additionally, concerned that others might try to imitate the assault on the Sisiya defensive line, the Human Federation reiterated its position and addressed questions raised by the public.

The reason the general public was not allowed to approach or question the Alien Intelligence was the same reason you wouldn’t hand the public a missile launch button: to prevent an irrational minority from harming the rational majority.

Every question posed by the Human Federation had to meet the condition of benefiting humanity as a whole. Allowing the general public to ask questions would only lead to a complete loss of control and mass casualties, making it an impossibility.

The Human Federation also responded to the accusation that "people from the Black Banner Country were being forcibly rounded up as Parasites and sent to Sisiya."

This time, they did not deny or evade the issue.

The Human Federation stated bluntly that even though the allied forces did their utmost to avoid wrongful arrests—by trying to designate only those confirmed to have attacked them as Parasites—mistakes were still inevitable.

It was a limitation born from humanity’s own inadequacies, a flaw that was bound to exist, reasonable or not. But humanity could not stop eating for fear of choking. They had to seize this opportunity to advance, no matter the cost.

After the Human Federation issued these responses, the public gradually came to accept the reality of the situation.

That was the reality of it. What could anyone do if humanity currently had no way to identify Parasites? The "ask no questions" stance advocated by many had also lost all credibility after the answer was given to the recent question about converting brainwaves into digital signals.

The potential future technologies this answer promised, such as "digital life" and "memory transfer," were something countless people desperately desired.

If these technologies could be realized and combined with the space colonization program, humanity could potentially not only escape the grasp of the Fire Thieves but also achieve a form of alternative immortality. The appeal was obvious.

This also lent added significance to the Human Federation’s next question.

If that question about the future could be answered, it would suggest that the Apocalypse Rules were likely all predetermined. This would give humanity a chance to find and exploit loopholes.

If it couldn’t be answered, it would mean the rules could be changed at the whim of the Fire Thieves—an outcome humanity did not want to face.

That would mean the Fire Thieves could patch any loophole humanity found at any time. For some of the more astute, that possibility was even more despair-inducing than the rules themselves.

...

"We ask the question at 5 PM sharp this afternoon. Everyone, get ready."

At Sikokun’s command, all personnel at the Landing Site began busying themselves with their duties.

Soldiers began unloading Parasites from the transport vehicles and placing them in the designated feeding zone.

As Guan Tong watched the slumbering Parasites, Sikokun walked up to him. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"It’s nothing."

"Are you worried some of them are just pretending to be asleep? The allied forces added an extra inspection process, so there shouldn’t be any issues. But just to be safe, I’ve deployed several times the usual number of snipers and drone operators today. Any abnormalities will be eliminated immediately."

Guan Tong nodded. It was precisely because Sikokun was not only deeply trusted by Yelena but also possessed a cautious and meticulous nature that Yelena had entrusted her with the great responsibility of managing this site.

Judging by the results, the Landing Site had been completely incident-free lately, which was a testament to Sikokun’s management skills.

Still, he felt the enemy wouldn’t give up. He just didn’t know what they were planning.

"However," Sikokun said after a pause, "while I don’t think anything will happen, I hope you and your companions will be ready to help if an incident does occur."

"Of course," Guan Tong said.

He was planning to ask his own question after the Human Federation finished, so if anyone wanted to stir up trouble, he would be the first to put a stop to it.

The Parasites were laid out in concentric circles within the feeding zone, their numbers vast—even greater than last time.

Nearly thirty thousand had been consumed last time. This time, the various nations had sent their final reserves. Combined with those transported from the front lines by the allied forces, there were now nearly one hundred thousand Parasites in total.

There was no way to lay them all out, so only a portion was arranged first. The rest remained in the vehicles, ready to be moved out if needed.

With all preparations complete, they just had to wait for the appointed time to ask the question.

Shangyuan Zi stood off to the side, arms crossed, fingers tapping lightly on her shoulder in what seemed to be anticipation.

"You’re eager for the answer, too?"

"Yeah."

Guan Tong had already told her the Human Federation’s second question. She, too, wanted to know if the Alien Intelligence could reveal the content of a future rule in advance.

But she had no idea what Guan Tong planned to ask.

Guan Tong didn’t say, and she didn’t ask.

"What about you? If you had the chance, is there a question you’d want to ask?"

Shangyuan Zi shook her head.

She had originally only wanted to know about her birth parents. After Guan Tong helped her find the answer, there was nothing else she yearned to know.

She had chosen to join Guan Tong’s group simply to repay him for his help and to eliminate more evil beings like Mizusawa Chun. As for the pursuit of truth, her passion for it was certainly not as intense as Guan Tong’s.

"That’s good, too," Guan Tong said. "No questions is the same as no worries."

"..."

"It’s almost time. We need to be vigilant."

"Right."

As five o’clock neared, the designated questioner stepped out of a vehicle and walked before the Alien Intelligence.

The live broadcast began, watched by the Human Federation and the leaders of every nation.

The site fell silent as tens of thousands of people waited.

When the time came, the questioner began, "I would like to ask—"

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion suddenly erupted from behind them, violently cutting off the question.

Everyone whipped around in shock toward the source of the sound, only to see several transport vehicles loaded with Parasites engulfed in raging flames and belching black smoke.

"Everyone, hold your positions! Stay on alert!"

Sikokun roared, her face a mask of disbelief. ’Why would those transport vehicles explode? They passed through several checkpoints between the allied base and Sisiya. It’s impossible for a bomb to go undetected.’

’Unless...’

She thought of a type of bomb that could evade detection equipment.

"It’s a Psychic Power Bomb!" Guan Tong’s voice crackled over the comms channel. "Parasite Ascenders have infiltrated our ranks!"

He finally understood. The Parasites had exploited a human cognitive bias: the assumption that the vast majority of Parasites were ordinary people.

’That’s right, the vast majority of Parasites are just ordinary people; Ascenders are an extreme minority. But what if the Parasite leaders decided to gather that small minority and have them pose as ordinary Parasites, allowing themselves to be captured by the allied forces and sent to Sisiya...’

The words had barely left Guan Tong’s mouth when Parasite Ascenders in the feeding zone and around the transport vehicles at the rear simultaneously sprang into action, launching their attack.

The snipers Sikokun had positioned beforehand opened fire instantly. The other soldiers and the Ascender teams on-site immediately moved to engage the enemy.

However, the attacks at the rear were just a feint. The real threat was the Parasite Ascenders in the feeding zone—at a glance, there were about a hundred of them.

They were obviously well-prepared for this moment. One group immediately used Barrier Items to block the snipers’ bullets and the military Ascenders’ attacks, while the other group charged at top speed toward the Alien Intelligence and the questioner!

Guan Tong’s figure flashed, and he appeared instantly before the barrier. He pressed forward with the Small Space condensed in his palm, shattering the barrier in an instant as a torrent of Shadows poured from his body to shred the Parasite Ascenders.

"It’s Shadow?!"

"Damn it, what’s he doing here!"

"Ignore him! Complete the mission!"

The Parasite Ascenders’ formation fell into momentary disarray under Guan Tong’s assault. This bought the questioner, who was closest to the Alien Intelligence, a precious two or three seconds.

An ordinary person couldn’t have done anything in that time, but the questioner had been chosen for two key traits: absolute loyalty and nerves of steel.

The questioner seized the fleeting opportunity and shouted to complete his question: "What is the sixteenth Apocalypse Rule?"

SQUELCH!

The instant after he finished speaking, the questioner was killed by an incredibly fast Parasite Ascender. But it was too late.

The question had been asked. The feeding began.

The Parasite Ascender that killed the questioner had no time to retreat before it was enveloped and devoured by the Alien Intelligence.

"Damn it! They still asked the question!"

"I didn’t think Shadow would interfere... Fall back for now!"

The remaining Parasite Ascenders scattered and fell back. Guan Tong also retreated swiftly; he had no desire to become the Alien Intelligence’s next meal.

However, with several hundred Parasite Ascenders having appeared in total, everyone on site was now in extreme danger, and the scene descended into utter chaos.