Chapter Four Hundred and Forty-Two [A Minor Detour]
Chen Nuo’s hand was already on the floodgate. Then, with a gentle touch, the gate slowly began to open.
Chen Nuo took a deep breath, turned his head to Xicheng Xun behind him, and said, "You... follow . Don’t wander off."
"Aye-aye!"
Xicheng Xun imdiately nodded, following Chen Nuo with quick, short steps, but her eyes darted around, her fingers gripping the hilt of her sword tightly.
Chen Nuo stepped inside.
Then, he saw a hall!
This place was nothing like the underground bunker within the Red Circle that he knew and rembered.
This hall was at least twenty tis larger than the underground bunker warehouse he had visited a year ago.
However, what relieved Chen Nuo was that he didn’t see the platform from his dreams within the hall. There was also no seat on top of the platform, and naturally, the figure with seaweed-like hair who would sit there didn’t appear either. Chen Nuo breathed a sigh of relief, a touch of his fear subsiding.
The hall looked very empty.
But Chen Nuo noticed that on the surrounding walls, the originally smooth tal panels bore so complex scratches.
After walking closer for a careful look, Chen Nuo furrowed his brows and gently traced a finger over one of the scratches.
Chen Nuo’s frown tightened. Xicheng Xun, squinting beside him after examining it, also reached out to touch the scratches on the wall.
"BOSS... are these... made with fingers and fingernails?"
"Yeah," Chen Nuo nodded.
The scratches on the wall were crooked and twisted; it was unclear whether they ford so kind of pattern or script. They appeared to be a compilation of various strange characters, including block-like pictographs, cuneiform scripts, and tadpole-like trails. There were also a few that seed to be so kind of geotric patterns.
Chen Nuo walked a full circle along the wall without finding anything. He looked around the sealed underground hall with its vast space, four walls, and a few supporting columns in the middle.
"BOSS, aside from the scratches on the walls, there seems to be nothing here," Xicheng Xun concluded after carefully inspecting areas on the wall, even the columns, without finding any hidden chanisms or button devices.
Chen Nuo seed a bit distracted. Deep in his heart, he had a faint, intangible, and unsettling feeling.
He discreetly extended his Spiritual Force Tentacles, creating a barrier around his body.
But that odd feeling still did not dissipate.
It was as if... sothing was watching him?
The longer he stayed in this place, the stronger that feeling beca! As if sothing was about to break through the walls, to manifest from the deepest part of his consciousness...
Suddenly, from the depths of his mind, he faintly heard a barely perceptible voice...
Chen Nuo’s heart stirred.
He whirled around and frowned at Xicheng Xun. "Did you hear anything?"
"Huh?" Xicheng Xun looked completely bewildered.
Chen Nuo’s expression was strange. He suddenly extended his finger, pricked it on a sharp edge of a scratch, and a drop of fresh blood flowed out, falling onto the ground.
Within his mind, that elusive voice seed to grow stronger, clearer...
"MORE..."
Chen Nuo’s expression turned stern. He simply used his fingernail to cut his palm open, and more fresh blood stread onto the ground.
"BOSS?!" Xicheng Xun was about to say sothing, but Chen Nuo suddenly made a gesture for silence.
On the ground, the small patch of blood quickly began to move, droplets rolling until they gathered into a small pool.
Then, the pool of blood slowly writhed, distorting on the floor as if coming to life, and gradually rose.
After twisting and changing shape for a while...
It seed to form a blood-colored mirror, standing silently before Chen Nuo.
The Blood Mirror was extrely thin. Due to the small amount of blood, it was almost translucent. Yet, within the mirror, sothing was squirming, changing.
"So, you need life, huh? In this world devoid of Life Elents, do you need life to manifest?" Chen Nuo furrowed his brows. "Is this enough? If not, I can bleed so more."
Finally, in the blood-colored mirror, the indistinct mass stopped changing and moving. Slowly, it took on a clear form.
The face in the Blood Mirror, clear as day, faced Chen Nuo, a composed smile actually gracing its features.
"I knew you would co."
The voice was crystal clear.
Chen Nuo’s expression stiffened. He clenched his back teeth tightly, took a deep breath, and then slowly spoke.
"...Seed?"
Chen Nuo heard his own voice trembling—sohow, deep in his heart, a profound fear, a dread had arisen...
As if, vaguely, sothing he’d known all along but resisted was about to surface!
In the Blood Mirror, that clear face was naturally Seed’s.
But it wasn’t the curly-haired, frail-looking boy version of Seed that Chen Nuo had encountered!
It was...
The Seed he had battled in the ruins of the South Arican Rainforest!
And the Seed he rembered from his past life, the one he and Lu Xixi had confronted at sea near Antarctica!
To be exact.
This was the Seed that the Chen Nuo of his previous life had t in 2007!
In the mirror, Seed looked at Chen Nuo and suddenly laughed. Then, he slowly uttered a sentence.
"So this ti... you failed again?"
"Hm?" Chen Nuo was taken aback.
Seed in the Blood Mirror let out a light sigh. "So... do I have to start from the beginning again..." He seed to sigh again, then posed a question to Chen Nuo, "Chen Nuo... Mister Chen Yanluo! Have you ever wondered if there’s sothing wrong with this world?"
Chen Nuo’s face changed!
Chen Yanluo!
Seed called him Chen Yanluo!
The Seed of 2007 knew his past-life self, that’s fine! But the Seed of 2007 couldn’t possibly recognize the current Chen Nuo! Their appearances are completely different!
"Where... is it different?" Chen Nuo asked.
"Firstly, you died, and then you were reborn," Seed said with a light laugh. "Why would a dead person co back to life and appear in another tiline? Have you thought about this question?"
Seed exposed Chen Nuo’s biggest secret in one sentence, making Chen Nuo’s breath hitch!
"Why be reborn in another tiline?
"Why specifically in 2001?
"That’s right, don’t look so surprised at . I know you would be reborn in 2001. Yes, I know all of this.
"Then, why would you encounter a Mother Clone on the seabed of Tokyo Bay?
"Why could you actually kill it so easily and even reap so benefits?
"And why..."
Seed spoke rapidly.
"Wait a second!" Chen Nuo interrupted, then said with a bitter smile, "You’re speaking a bit fast... I didn’t catch much of it."
"..." Seed glanced at Chen Nuo. "Fine, then I’ll start from the beginning."
Seed in the mirror looked at Chen Nuo. "Firstly, you are Chen Nuo, nickna Yama, from Huaxia. You’re a human powerhouse at the Controller level.
"Am I right?"
"That’s right... It was like that in my past life," Chen Nuo said, not bothering to deny it.
"Good. I’m talking about your so-called ’past life’," Seed said, seeming pleased with Chen Nuo’s forthright admission, and continued.
"In your past life, you were Yama, a top human powerhouse. Then, after accepting an invitation from the Octopus Monster organization, you ca to Antarctica.
"At sea, you t for the first ti.
"Am I right?"
Chen Nuo pondered for a mont. "That’s right!"
"How much do you rember about that incident?" Seed asked.
"Not much," Chen Nuo shook his head.
"Alright, let refresh your mory.
"On the sea, I was pursuing the true body of that Octopus Monster—oh, right, you should recognize him by now. The Octopus Monster you know has taken a human identity, nad Kamisou Ichiro."
"No... Wait a second! Kamisou Ichiro and all that—that pertains to this life..."
"Don’t interrupt ! I will explain your questions later.
"Anyway, whether it’s Kamisou Ichiro or the huge octopus true body, they are actually one and the sa: the Octopus Monster. No issues there, right?"
Chen Nuo nodded. "No issues."
"At our first eting at sea, there was you, and a human woman nad Lu Xixi."
"That’s correct."
"Lu Xixi was the Chosen One of another Seed."
Chen Nuo felt a stir within him, questions arising (How did he know?), but he pushed them down and nodded. "That’s right. I refer to that entity as The Fourth Seed."
Seed smiled. "It was during that clash at sea that I t you and Lu Xixi.
"And then, I spared you.
"It was also then that I chose you to be my Chosen One!"
Chen Nuo nodded.
This point wasn’t surprising to him—Chen Nuo had already guessed that Seed turning him into a Chosen One likely happened during the trip to Antarctica in his previous life.
"Lu Xixi’s strength was a bit greater than yours at the ti, and her talent was good enough. In fact, if she hadn’t already been soone else’s Chosen One, I might have chosen her.
"But... fortunately, this coincidence was also lucky. I chose you.
"Then, this world—no, I should say all worlds—as well as you, and I...
"The fate of everything changed from that mont on."
Chen Nuo felt his heart pounding wildly!
As if so mory deep within him was about to awaken.
His voice was sowhat hoarse as he slowly said, "...You... go on!"
"After our initial clash at sea, I told you... you could co find in Antarctica. Rember that?
"And then, you ca..."
"Wait a second! I lost the mories after that part!" Chen Nuo imdiately said. "Did you do it?! Did you seal my mories?! This part of my mory, it’s roughly two years’ worth!"
"I will explain the mory erasure to you later. For now, just listen," Seed bluntly disregarded Chen Nuo’s questions. "Let continue!
"In Antarctica, I an in your past life...
"I killed the Octopus Monster’s true body at sea, and then I ca to Antarctica.
"My target was another entity.
"The one you know as The Fourth Seed.
"Now, let tell you about the origins of this Fourth Seed."
Chen Nuo said nothing, quietly listening.
"The Fourth Seed is essentially no different from , the Octopus Monster, and that cat.
"Previously, this guy had been doing the sa thing as the other Seeds.
"He chose a human with exceptional talent as his Chosen One—that is, Lu Xixi.
"Then, one day, he received so information and ca to Antarctica.
"Because here in Antarctica, a suspected Mother Clone had appeared.
"However, at that ti, not only did The Fourth Seed co, but unexpectedly, another person also appeared.
"That person was a mber of the Noah’s Ark Organization, nad Corot."
Chen Nuo imdiately reacted in his mind. Old Corot... that bastard almost got killed and trapped in Antarctica.
"The Fourth Seed and Corot jointly eliminated the Mother Clone here, and then... they got trapped.
"All I can tell you is that for a Seed, consuming a Mother Clone is a violation of the rules.
"Take , for example. In the South Arican Rainforest, in order to devour the Mother Clone there, I paid a heavy price, made extensive preparations, and spent long ages... only then did I finally accomplish it.
"What The Fourth Seed did in Antarctica was essentially no different from what I did in the South Arican Rainforest.
"But the problem was... at that ti, there was a human nad Corot by his side.
"After eliminating the Mother Clone, a conflict erupted between Corot and The Fourth Seed.
"Sohow, The Fourth Seed deceived Corot, seized his physical body, and escaped from Antarctica. Corot’s consciousness, after being extracted, was left here as a scapegoat.
"The Fourth Seed, disguised as Corot and fleeing Antarctica, was in a very weakened state. After returning, he could only impersonate Corot. He found the woman Corot trusted and received assistance.
"Then, The Fourth Seed gave that woman a set of remains left behind by other Seeds when they died—you’ve seen them too, those black and white tiny granules."
"Yes, I’ve seen them."
"At that ti, both the Octopus Monster and I made a mistake," Seed said candidly. "We were both deceived by The Fourth Seed.
"Disguised as Corot, he made us all believe that the real Fourth Seed was trapped in Antarctica.
"This was an opportunity, especially for the Octopus Monster.
"He was lagging behind in this competition. I had absorbed the Mother Clone in the South Arican Rainforest.
"The Fourth Seed had found the Mother Clone in Antarctica.
"And he was falling behind.
"So, he ca to Antarctica.
"And I followed."
Chen Nuo asked, "I have a question... If you don’t answer it, I can’t get past this part."
"Go ahead."
"Why did you co to Antarctica? From what I know about you, you’re not keen on killing other Seeds; you’re focused on finding a solution to that rule flaw!"
As Chen Nuo said this, a possibility suddenly occurred to him!
His expression changed!
In the Blood Mirror, Seed’s face wore a slight, satisfied smile.
"That’s why I chose you... because your train of thought is always so interesting. You always imdiately grasp the most critical issues.
"You’re right!
"I ca to Antarctica back then to kill the Octopus Monster, and I was also planning to kill The Fourth Seed there.
"Because... at that ti, I believed I had found the answer to the rule flaw!"
Chen Nuo said softly, "You... found the ’One’?"
"Yes, I found it," Seed replied. "So, since I had already found the answer, there was no need to keep the other competitors around. I decided to clear the racetrack before I evolved.
"Because this racetrack is exclusive; there can only be one winner.
"The path to the fourth dinsion requires stacking up the third dinsion into a single axis.
"That axis is unique.
"So, at the last mont, I had to eliminate them."
Chen Nuo pondered for a mont. "Your answer to the flaw, will you tell ?"
"Of course. It’s no secret to you," Seed surprisingly replied.
Chen Nuo forced a smile. "I suppose this answer is related to ?
"Please don’t tell that by devouring , you can beco the ’One’ that’s missing in the flawed evolution!
"I rember very clearly. For a Seed to harvest a Chosen One, the Chosen One must mature, achieve so breakthrough, and reach certain conditions before the harvest can take place! In my previous life in 2007, I rember clearly that my strength was not as good as it is now; I definitely hadn’t matured yet."
"You are right. And that has been a problem that has troubled all of us Seeds for a long ti.
"The harvest of Chosen Ones must wait until they have matured.
"But Chosen Ones can never mature.
"You are human. When humans reach a certain level on the path to pure Spiritual Life Force and spiritual power, they inevitably die.
"Nurous attempts have always been thwarted at the final step.
"Previously, our approach was to look for the best among humans, those with the greatest talent.
"But obviously... that approach is wrong."
"Then what? What is the correct answer you found?"
Seed suddenly fell silent.
Chen Nuo stared at Seed in the mirror...
For a long, long ti.
Seed finally spoke softly.
"At that ti, I found a timid cat.
"From that timid cat, I learned sothing very interesting.
"When Mother first created us, there was a Seed codenad Zero.
"Zero does things differently from us.
"If this were a racetrack...
"When the race begins, the other Seeds desperately sprint towards the finish line of evolution...
"But Zero...
"Zero does the opposite.
"That is to say.
"Perhaps.
"Possibly.
"Presumably.
"Zero... runs in the opposite direction of the starting line.
"Then... I suddenly realized sothing.
"If we, as Seeds, cannot wait for Chosen Ones to mature...
"If we cannot devour a mature Chosen One to evolve...
"Then...
"Why not reverse it?"
Chen Nuo suddenly felt all the hairs on his body stand on end!
He thought of an absurdly extre possibility!
Indeed, Seed continued speaking in a rapid, emotionless tone.
"Why must it be Seeds that devour Chosen Ones?
"Given the dilemma that Chosen Ones can never mature...
"Perhaps the Seeds themselves have already matured!
"Therefore...
"Here, I killed the Octopus Monster.
"Even before coming to Antarctica, I killed that cat.
"Also, here I killed that unlucky Corot.
"And I waited here for The Fourth Seed, who had laid out its strategy, hoping to pick up the scraps, and I killed it here!
"In the end, I executed the solution I had conceived.
"That solution was you.
"Of course, I did not devour you, Chen Nuo.
"I... let you...
"Devour .
"Then, in the year 2007 of your previous life.
"In this place, right in this hall.
"I let you devour .
"Finally, we beca ’us’.
"A new ’’!"
Chen Nuo’s mind exploded as if countless fragnts were bursting!
He clasped his head with both hands, his face contorted in pain. "I... devoured you?"
"Yes."
"Then what did I beco? By devouring you, wouldn’t I be..."
"Don’t worry... In fact, you always ask these unimportant questions.
"Perhaps for you humans, whose consciousness it is, whose soul it is—these things are very important to you.
"Rest assured, if I had devoured you, then you would have beco a part of , and the consciousness would naturally be mine.
"But the result was that you devoured ...
"So, your consciousness is still yours, Chen Nuo.
"But you evolved.
"For ... I don’t care whether the consciousness after evolution is Chen Nuo or Seed.
"What I care about is the form of life, the result of evolution!
"As long as even a minuscule elent of my cortical firing is retained in this evolved Life Force, the aning of my existence will have achieved its desired ultimate result.
"So, you are still you; your consciousness is still Chen Nuo.
"And I, too, obtained the result I wanted: evolution!"
After a pause... Seed’s tone suddenly beca strange. "...Perhaps."
Chen Nuo stared at Seed with wide eyes. "Perhaps?
"What do you an?
"Are you saying... the evolution wasn’t successful?"
Seed gave a bitter smile. "If it had been completely successful, we wouldn’t be here right now, having this conversation."
After a pause, he shook his head. "There was a hitch, a minor hitch."
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