Chapter 445 - 399: Base Parasite Detection 2

Chapter 445: Chapter 399: Base Parasite Detection 2

"Haha, I never told you who has high-level clearance. Just talking about the different ranks is no big deal. Don’t be so serious~"

"..."

As they spoke, the two walked through a corridor and arrived at the base’s main hall.

This place, one of the public areas, seemed to be a lounge. It had sofas, reclining chairs, a TV, and a tea set. A few people in uniform were scattered about, chatting in small groups.

"This is the ’Relaxation Corner’," Silver Fox said. "You know, being constantly stressed isn’t good for work."

Guan Tong nodded.

"Alright, my job is done now that I’ve brought you here. Have a seat and wait for a bit. I imagine Dr. Zhang will come find you."

With that, Silver Fox left. Guan Tong found an empty sofa and sat down.

The base personnel around him glanced at him from time to time. Some looked curious, while others seemed to recognize him, their faces showing surprise.

But for all their looking, not a single person came up to talk to him. Guan Tong figured there must be some confidentiality clause in the base’s regulations prohibiting permanent staff from casually interacting with people who had visitor-level clearance.

He sat for a moment before Zhang Minglu appeared from the elevators and walked over. "Guan Tong, you’re here. Come with me."

Zhang Minglu led Guan Tong to an elevator. Guan Tong looked at the panel, which was densely packed with numbers, the highest being 37.

"The base has thirty-seven floors?"

This base was already built deep underground; he hadn’t expected it to extend dozens more floors down. It was truly unfathomable.

"We have no choice. Experts from all fields are gathered here, and every major research project needs its own dedicated labs, storage rooms, and so on. Even dozens of floors feel a bit tight. That’s why we later opened Base 2 and Base 3, to move some of the less critical departments over."

Zhang Minglu explained as he pressed the button for the 13th floor.

"The 13th floor is the medical examination center. This time, under the guise of a routine check-up, we’ll have you screen the base members. The procedure is to tell them that an additional ’nerve test’ is required. The subject will enter a designated room and be fitted with test tubing—the tubing is hollow, allowing your ’Shadow’ to move through it."

"You won’t have to appear before the subjects during the process. You won’t see them, and they won’t see you. I think this is for the best for both parties; it will prevent any unnecessary trouble."

Hearing this, Guan Tong asked, "You’re not explicitly telling the base members you’re screening for Parasites because you’re worried an infected person might act recklessly?"

"Yes. If a Parasite found out they were about to be exposed, they might take a desperate risk and do something to endanger the base or other personnel. So, we have to do this secretly."

The elevator arrived at the 13th floor. This level looked no different from a hospital; the rooms were predominantly white, and the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

Zhang Minglu led Guan Tong to a room. When he pushed the door open, they saw Gao Liangwei standing inside, dressed in a crisp military uniform with a Senior Colonel’s insignia on his shoulders.

"Mr. Gao, Guan Tong is here."

"Mm."

Gao Liangwei turned to look at Guan Tong.

"Thank you for your help, young man. Now, let’s begin the test with me."

Guan Tong was a bit surprised. Zhang Minglu, at his side, said, "I was also shocked when I heard Mr. Gao say he wanted to be the first one tested."

"Leading by example is a fundamental quality of a leader. If you can’t do it yourself, what right do you have to ask it of your subordinates?" Gao Liangwei extended his hand. "Come on. I also want to experience what it feels like to be scanned by the Mind Network."

"If you’re not a Parasite, Mr. Gao, you won’t feel a thing."

Guan Tong reached out and shook Gao Liangwei’s hand, activating the Mind Network. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

There was no feedback, which was what he had expected.

If there had been a connection, Guan Tong would have been flabbergasted—if the head of the Strategy Research Room were a Parasite, North Star would likely have suffered a devastating blow long ago.

"No problem," Guan Tong said, withdrawing his hand.

Gao Liangwei nodded. "Good. Dr. Zhang should have explained the testing procedure to you. He’ll arrange the relevant matters. I’ll be returning to my office now."

After Gao Liangwei left, Zhang Minglu said, "You should test me too. The director led by example, so I can’t be an exception."

Guan Tong tested Zhang Minglu. He was clear.

"Next up are all the permanent staff of the base," Zhang Minglu said. "Guan Tong, you mentioned before that you could test multiple people at once. How many, exactly?"

"I haven’t tried yet. Why don’t we start with two?"

"Alright. I’ll have two subjects enter separate rooms and put on the test tubing. The other end of these tubes all connect back to your room. You can control your Shadow to make contact with the subjects through the tubing."

Guan Tong glanced at the tubing ports in the room; there were ten in total. If the test was successful, he could use them to screen ten people at once, greatly increasing his efficiency.

Zhang Minglu was highly efficient. He quickly arranged for two subjects to enter separate rooms.

They lay down on beds and put on the tubing, thinking they were undergoing some new kind of nerve test. In reality, Guan Tong’s Shadow Lines were already traveling through the tubes to make contact with their bodies.

The two streams of Psychic Power attached to the Shadow Lines both returned zero connection feedback, and no images of the Spore Palace or its whispers appeared in his mind.

"Test passed," he reported to Zhang Minglu.

"How was it? Can you handle more people at once?"

"Yes. Let’s go straight to ten."

Zhang Minglu arranged for ten subjects to enter the rooms, and Guan Tong continued the screening.

All ten were clear.

"Next batch."

Batch after batch. There were several thousand permanent staff members in the base. At ten people per batch, it would take hundreds of rounds to screen everyone.

To compensate for the drain on his Psychic Power, Zhang Minglu traded Guan Tong some consumable items that could instantly replenish it.

It was, admittedly, a boring chore.

But Guan Tong soon found a way to amuse himself.

While he wasn’t finding any Parasites, his Psychic Power, upon contact with a subject, could gauge the strength of their own Psychic Power to a certain degree.

Weaker subjects had almost no reaction to his Psychic Power making contact.

Stronger subjects, however, would have their own Psychic Power mount an instinctive defense against the external contact.

But no matter how strong these subjects were, their upper limits didn’t exceed Guan Tong’s, so it was all within a controllable range.

By observing these variations in strength, Guan Tong could roughly distinguish whether a subject was a civilian employee, a scholar, or a government-trained Ascender, even without seeing them.

"Next batch."

Another ten people were tested. Guan Tong couldn’t help but yawn.

Of course, he wasn’t sleepy. It was just that after screening over two thousand people, the mechanical labor inevitably felt tedious.

After the next ten people were ready, he sent out ten Shadow Lines.

Just as he was expecting another uneventful round, one of the Shadow Lines was suddenly met with powerful resistance!

"Hm?"

Guan Tong’s focus sharpened. The instant his Shadow Line made contact with the subject, the latter unleashed a formidable Psychic Power to fight back.

What surprised him even more was that this Psychic Power seemed to be strategically adept, destroying his Shadow Line with some kind of "pincer attack"!

’This subject... is strong.’

Guan Tong was inwardly shocked as he felt the severed Shadow Line dissipate.

Even though his attention was divided and his power was spread thin, weakening his force at any single point, it was still far beyond what an ordinary powerful individual could resist.

This subject had destroyed his Shadow Line within a second of their Psychic Powers making contact. Their Psychic Power limit... was at least nine hundred.

’Could it be Dragon Soul? Or someone else.’

Guan Tong didn’t contact Zhang Minglu about this. It was a clash of Psychic Power between Ascenders, which didn’t mean the subject was a Parasite. If they were a Parasite, they would have inevitably connected to his Mind Network, rather than simply resisting his Psychic Power.

’Still... at this rate, the subject might guess that this isn’t just some "nerve test."’

’...Whatever. Cleaning up the mess is Dr. Zhang’s job. I’m just here to do the screening.’

"Next batch."

The slight excitement that the unknown expert had brought Guan Tong was quickly worn away by more mechanical testing.

Another hour later, Zhang Minglu entered the room and told him, "Only the last batch of subjects is left."

"Really? Freedom at last," Guan Tong said. "Send them in. Let’s get this last batch over with."

Zhang Minglu gave a dry laugh and had the final subjects enter the rooms.

Guan Tong operated just as before. Just when he thought he could finally pack it in and call it a day, an image of the Spore Palace and its gentle whispers suddenly appeared in his mind.

’The Mind Network connected! It’s a Parasite!’

He immediately broke the connection, turned his head to Zhang Minglu, and said, "The subject connected to the third tube is a Parasite!"