Chapter 337 - 15: Experiment 3

Chapter 337: Chapter 15: Experiment 3

"So, you want me to go investigate with you?"

"No, I want you to help me look after Xintong. Don’t let her get hurt. It would be best if you took her back to the Lord Service Center first."

Lin Yu: "..."

’Is he crazy? Does he think he’s the protagonist or something? Is he trying to entrust his child to me?’

Lin Yu, breaking out in a sweat, grabbed Li Hua and told him not to be so hasty. He said he’d ask around first.

First, he decided to ask his dedicated customer service representative.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"I’d like to ask about the latest news in Black Salt City. Has anything unusual been reported?"

"Hello, I’m not finding any special information on my end."

"I’m in Black Salt City right now. I heard from the residents here that a sect called the Eye of the Celestial God has recently appeared. They say it’s growing rapidly. I’d like to know if it’s a legal organization."

"Please wait a moment while I check for you."

「One minute later.」

"Hello, the Black Salt City office has replied. The ’Eye of the Celestial God’ is not a sect, but a self-formed civilian organization. Its distinguishing feature is the use of the latest friendly alien creature, the ’Symbiote.’ Young people think it’s cool, so they formed a small ’Eye of the Celestial God’ gang. However, they are indeed developing very quickly and seem to be quite popular."

"Okay, thanks!"

Hanging up, Lin Yu turned to Li Hua and spread his hands. "See? There’s no evil cult. It’s just Symbiotes running rampant."

The words had barely left his mouth when it dawned on him. "Shit, the Eye Demons have really started to make their move? Are they that bold?"

Lin Yu immediately used his wristband to dial another number.

The call went through.

"Hello, Lord Lin. What can I do for you?"

"Captain Liu, how are your experiments coming along?"

"Hm? Don’t ask. That’s not something you should be concerned with."

"Captain Liu, I know I shouldn’t ask, but if your experiments are too slow, the Eye Demons are going to become a full-blown disaster!"

"What happened?"

Liu Peng grew tense at these words. If they finished their experiments and submitted the report, only to find the Symbiotes were already everywhere, they would be forced into a large-scale conflict. The losses would surely be immense.

When that time came, someone would have to take the fall, and the people currently conducting experiments in Lab 3 would be the perfect scapegoats.

"A gang called the ’Eye of the Celestial God’ has popped up in Black Salt City. Every member has been infested by an Eye Demon, and they’re actively recruiting."

"You know how it is. A normal person hears about a shortcut to becoming Extraordinary, and with the Cuiwei Corps’ ’Friendly Alien Creature’ guide backing it up, many won’t be able to resist."

"FUCK!!!"

Liu Peng hung up and frantically called his colleague in Black Salt City. He quickly received the same information Lin Yu had provided. In fact, his intelligence was even more comprehensive; he learned just how rapidly the "Eye of the Celestial God" gang was growing and how serious the situation had become.

He then burst into the lab in a panic to find Trenton and ask about the experiment’s progress.

...

"What? How are the experiments going?"

"They’re going great! But right now, we’ve only verified that this Symbiote—no, it should be called an Eye Demon—can control the human brain, and by extension, consciousness, when it attaches to the spine."

"Then what are you waiting for? Submit the report and get the Planet Defense Army and the Dangerous Creatures Handling Department mobilized!"

"We can’t. I just spoke with my supervisor on the phone. We still need to confirm if the Eye Demon can control a host when attached to other body parts, if it can control a host’s body without controlling the cranial nerves, if it can influence human consciousness by controlling the cranial nerves, if it can influence a host’s consciousness *without* controlling the cranial nerves... there’s a whole list of experiments we still have to run."

"Fuck, why do we need to do so many experiments? Can’t we just capture them first and experiment on them later?"

"What’s the rush? We haven’t even created the bio-genetic scan identification tag for the Eye Demons yet. Even if you filed a report, could you guarantee you wouldn’t miss a single one? Besides, this is an order from the higher-ups. They probably haven’t given up on using the ’Symbiotes’ yet. After all, it can turn ordinary people into Extraordinary Beings. This is the first auxiliary creature with such universal applicability we’ve discovered in all these years."

"Dammit! We can’t afford not to rush! The Eye Demons in Black Salt City are starting to spread on a massive scale. I’m afraid by the time you’re done, the situation will be out of control. We’ll have no choice but to sterilize the whole planet! When that happens, the Governor’s Mansion will suffer catastrophic losses, and they’ll definitely hold us accountable!"

"Can’t you just lock down Black Salt City first? Don’t tell me you don’t have the authority for that!"

Trenton gave Liu Peng a dismissive look.

Liu Peng immediately realized his mistake. He’d been so focused on eliminating all the Eye Demons at once that he’d forgotten he could just contain them. The Eye Demons themselves have poor mobility and need hosts to move. As long as he restricted the movements of Black Salt City’s populace and kept them from leaving, the Eye Demons naturally wouldn’t be able to get far.

As for the uninfested civilians in Black Salt City... well, there was nothing he could do for them.

Liu Peng hurriedly called his colleagues in Black Salt City, telling them to help lock down the city. At the same time, he sent a lockdown order to the Black Salt City Lord.

However, a short while later, bad news arrived.

"What? The City Lord of Black Salt City rejected my order? Does he not know I’m representing the Cuiwei Corps right now?"

...

"Fuck, the Hass Clan is that powerful? They dare to defy a direct order?"

...

"’Must provide a reasonable justification’ and ’cannot interfere with their right to freedom of movement’?"

"You tell him that the Symbiotes in Black Salt City are..."

"Shit, forget it! Ignore them, we’ll act on our own. You, take all colleagues who haven’t used a Symbiote and head to the various roads. Block them off. Don’t let anyone in or out."

Liu Peng remembered that the Hass Clan was the family of the lord who had submitted the data on the "Symbiote." The rampant spread of Symbiotes in Black Salt City was probably related to them.

’We probably don’t have enough manpower in Black Salt City. I need to find some help!’

After a moment’s thought, he started contacting the Extraordinary Squads he was familiar with, asking them to help blockade Black Salt City. (He had to keep the news under wraps as much as possible to prevent panic.)

Finally, he dialed Lin Yu’s number again.

"Captain Liu, what’s the situation?"

"There’s something I might need your help with!"

"What is it?"

"Help me lock down Black Salt City. Don’t let the Eye Demons get out."

"Why ask me? I thought the Corps had a lot of power. Can’t you just order a lockdown yourself?"

"Ahem... Don’t worry about all that. Just tell me, will you do it or not?"

"What’s in it for me?"

"Damn it, you brat! This is no time to be asking for rewards! Since you know so much about the Eye Demons’ characteristics, surely you know how dangerous they are? If we can’t contain this, Cuiwei Star could end up getting glassed."

’If there was any significant fighting force left on the planet, I wouldn’t be resorting to asking a newly-minted Extraordinary like you for help...’

Hearing how serious Liu Peng was, Lin Yu dropped his flippant attitude. "Is it that bad?"

"Yes!"

"But I can’t blockade that large of an area by myself! And what if someone tries to force their way through?"

"I’m not asking you to blockade the whole thing alone. You’re just there to help."

"Okay, good!"

"As for your question about people forcing their way through, I’m giving you and Li Hua ’temporary lethal force authorization.’ Don’t abuse it. The satellites in the sky will record everything you do. Don’t end up getting hauled in for questioning instead of earning any merits."

As Liu Peng spoke, a new message appeared on both Lin Yu’s and Li Hua’s wristbands: [You have been granted ’Temporary Lethal Force Authorization.’ Please use it with caution.]

"Okay, I’m on my way!"

...