Chapter 446 - 400: Harvest and Conditions

Chapter 446: Chapter 400: Harvest and Conditions

Although Guan Tong had come for the screening, he felt it was just a formality.

Zhang Minglu probably thought the same, since the odds of a Parasite hiding here were extremely low.

But no one expected that there actually was one.

Zhang Minglu snapped back to his senses and tapped the earpiece he was wearing. "Dragon Soul, the subject in testing room 3 is a Parasite. Subdue her immediately!"

Dragon Soul had been on standby during the screening. Upon hearing Zhang Minglu’s command, he immediately went to testing room 3.

A young woman with a ponytail was lying on the bed inside. The name tag on her chest displayed her position: "Data Department - Analyst."

When she saw Dragon Soul suddenly enter the room, she frowned and asked, "I’m in the middle of a physical. Is there a problem?"

Dragon Soul didn’t say a word and reached for her.

The woman’s expression changed. She seemed to realize she’d been exposed. The next moment, a dagger of Psychic Power materialized in her right hand, but before she could use it, Dragon Soul’s fist slammed into her face.

THUD!

With a dull thud, the woman fell unconscious, completely unable to resist.

Dragon Soul reported through his earpiece, "Target subdued."

Zhang Minglu pushed the door open and walked in, with Guan Tong following behind him.

"She’s a Parasite?" Zhang Minglu stepped forward and picked up the woman’s work badge. His expression instantly darkened. "The Data Department... damn it!"

Hearing this, Guan Tong knew the situation was extremely serious.

The Data Department might not be a frontline research division, but it was certainly a vital one. All sorts of crucial national data were aggregated there daily. This data was then analyzed to produce results that helped decision-makers formulate appropriate policies.

A Parasite analyst embedded in the Data Department could both steal this data and secretly perform subtle, hard-to-detect alterations.

Even the slightest alteration to some of this vital data could have catastrophic consequences.

"Doctor, how should we handle her?" Dragon Soul asked.

"First, lock up the person—no, this Parasite! As for how to dispose of it, I’ll ask Mr. Gao for instructions."

"Yes, sir."

After Dragon Soul led the Parasite away, Zhang Minglu turned and shook Guan Tong’s hand. "Your help was absolutely critical this time! Who knows how much important information that thing has stolen while embedded in the Data Department. If we’d let it continue, the damage would have been even greater."

"I’m just glad we found something," Guan Tong said. "But where would it have sent the data it stole? To the Parasite Divine Kingdom in the Black Banner Country?"

"It’s highly likely!" Zhang Minglu’s face was grim. "According to reports from the allied forces on the front lines, the Parasites, led by their leader, the ’Prophet,’ are consistently able to evade the brunt of our attacks and preserve their main forces, even though they’re no match for us in a direct fight. How could they do that without a large number of moles providing intelligence?"

Guan Tong nodded. ’That does make sense.’

Zhang Minglu sighed heavily. "The problem is, Parasites are immune to interrogation. The good cop, bad cop routine, even some of our Hypnosis Items—none of it works on them. It’s practically impossible to get any intel out of them."

Guan Tong knew this all too well. Parasites couldn’t be turned.

The Alien Spores permanently alter the host’s brain, mutating the relevant neurons. Within the limits of the host’s own intelligence, they are incapable of doing anything that would harm the Parasite collective.

This was why humans usually chose to kill Parasites on sight rather than capture them. Only a small number were ever kept alive and sent to the relevant departments for research.

During the previous [Third Kind of Contact] Rule Stage, humans had temporarily altered their policy on Parasites only because they could be used as food for the Nanomites Swarm.

Once that rule ended, so too did that change in policy.

"Mr. Gao wants me in his office," Zhang Minglu said after listening to his earpiece, then looked at Guan Tong. "He said to bring you with me."

Guan Tong’s part was done and he had planned on leaving the base, but hearing this, he decided to go along.

Gao Liangwei’s office was on the third floor, right next to the main conference room.

As they passed the conference room, Zhang Minglu said, "As the director of the Strategy Research Room, Major General Gao is the most dedicated person on this entire base. He often stays in his office for a full day and night. I doubt he gets even thirty hours of sleep a week."

"Less than thirty hours of sleep a week?" Guan Tong said, surprised. "Working that hard... if his health fails, it’ll all be for nothing, won’t it?"

"Thanks to the enhancements from Psychic Power and the aid of certain items, the director’s physical condition is still pretty good. But the biggest burden is mental. Physical wear and tear can be mended with items, but the mind is a different story... Still, Mr. Gao is the most resolute person I’ve ever met. I believe he can handle it."

...

The two of them entered Gao Liangwei’s office. The small space was piled high with all sorts of documents, data drives, and other materials.

Gao Liangwei was standing by his desk. He looked up as they entered and said, "Interrogating the Parasite is pointless. Whatever important information it may have already transmitted is a sunk cost for the Strategy Research Room."

Guan Tong thought Gao Liangwei had a point. As the saying goes, don’t cry over spilled milk. No matter how important the leaked intelligence was, there was no point dwelling on it now.

"Then what’s your plan for her, Director?" Zhang Minglu asked. "Execution? Or send her to the Parasite brain research center for dissection?"

Zhang Minglu’s casual words struck a nerve with Guan Tong.

He thought of Suzuki. Her brain had almost been dissected by a research department for the express purpose of studying the spores’ effect on neurons.

"No. I intend—or to be more precise, the Human Federation intends—to use a number of the Parasites for experiments related to the current rule."