Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 729
Shou Yuxuan was a pure scholar. Never in his dreams would he have realized that something was following him right now.
They passed another airtight door and entered a rather spacious sterile room. Ivory brightness was spreading out from the walls of the room. At the center was a metal platform that appeared to be a combination of a surgical bed and an interrogation device. On the top of the platform was a… headless body.
The headless body was pierced through by more than ten thick needles and fixed to the metal bed. Another hundreds of tubes were inserted into his internal organs, and all kinds of suspicious liquids were circulating in the tubes.
His head, on the other hand, was placed in a transparent box three meters away. Hundreds of soft tubes and crystal wires were stabbed all over it and extended forward to connect his body.
The hair on his head had been shaved, and it was entangled by countless wires. So, it was not easy to clearly see his face. But his face was gray, and his eyes were closed, indicating that he must have been dead for a long time.
For some reason, Li Yao felt that the dead body whose head had been cut off looked familiar. It must have left a deep impression on him somewhere before.
What's the meaning of this? Li Yao pondered carefully. The head was cut off. He has been dead for a long time, but the barriers deep in his internal organs are still kept at the highest level and can be triggered at any time. What's the purpose? Are they scared that the corpse will become a zombie?
There were many occasions where a dead body would turn into a zombie, but Li Yao felt that the body here was much more dangerous than a zombie.
The body was surrounded by more than ten workers wearing fully-enclosed suits and covering their faces with filtering masks. There were three battle-type Cultivators who were letting out an intimidating aura. They sat aside on alert while holding powerful storm bolters.
Li Yao's heart was suddenly beating faster. He hurried to halt Neltharion midair and did not dare to move anymore.
Who was the body exactly? The battle was so fierce outside, and the three Core Formation Stage Cultivators were still guarding the place without any intention of reinforcing them. Were they scared that the body would suddenly jerk up and hurt anyone?
Li Yao observed the crystal wires on the top of the head, only to discover that the hundred wires were all connected to an unbelievable huge super crystal processor. Judging from the distribution of the cooling chips that was in the shape of the duck wing, it should be a certain upgraded version of the 'Star River V' mainframe crystal processor.
It was a super crystal processor that was only used by heavy warships or the headquarters of major sects. And now it was adopted to analyze the head of a corpse? That was rather wasteful!
Who was it that the Patriots Partnership paid so much attention to?
The more Li Yao observed, the more familiar the guy seemed. The name was on the tip of his tongue.
At this moment, one of the workers wearing white robe took off his mask, revealing a scarred, strange face.
Shou Yuxuan walked close and whispered to the scar-faced man. Li Yao heard nothing except—"Everything is stable again. The interrogation can proceed."
The scar-faced man nodded and quickly operated the light beam of the 'Star River V' mainframe crystal processor. In an instant, feeble spiritual waves circulated in the head and the body of the corpse along with the dense crystal wires. The liquids in all of the tubes were flowing at a much higher speed. Also, the face of the 'corpse' suddenly put on an extremely miserable expression, and his eyelids and lips were trembling.
He is not dead yet! Li Yao felt as if his blood was freezing.
Shua!
The mainframe crystal processor immediately triggered almost a hundred light beams, most of which were displaying mottled shadows and broken data. However, an enormous light beam in the middle was occupied by a blurred figure that seemed to be struggling desperately in burning flames. It was screaming, splitting, condensing, and melting, and then the whole process would start again.
Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi!
When the shadow on the light beam was gradually frozen, the headless body cramped violently, only to be suppressed by the barriers made of dozens of iron needles and bounced back to the metal plate. The crash was so heavy that the bed was cracking and seemed to be falling apart!
Immense spiritual waves were unleashed during the entire process. Judging from the intensity of the data collected by Neltharion, the guy seemed to be a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator!
Nascent Soul Stage! Li Yao was becoming more and more confused.
It was impossible!
He knew the appearances of all the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators in the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector. The body was none of them.
Besides, the death of any Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator was big news in either the Heaven's Origin Sector or the Flying Star Sector. In the Heaven's Origin Sector, if a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator passed away, the Speaker and the parliamentary representatives would all pay respects and offer condolences to their family. It was even possible that a state funeral would be held!
Powerful as the Patriots Partnership was, it was impossible that they could capture a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator for interrogation without alarming anyone and even kill him!
Who was he exactly—
At that moment, Li Yao shuddered as if he had been hit by lightning because he realized who the guy was.
He was Elder Nether Spring, one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector, the master of the Nether Spring Kingdom in the past, and the planner and enforcer of the Spore Stratagem!
Elder Nether Spring had indeed swallowed excessive Divine Blood of Chaos and snuck into the Heaven's Origin Sector with the appearance of a human being!
However, before the stray dog had a chance to bite anyone, he had been captured by the Patriots Partnership and ended up like this!
If so, it would not be hard to tell what the Patriots Partnership was doing here.
At this moment, Elder Nether Spring was in the most devastating agony. The specialists of the Patriots Partnership had connected his brain to the mainframe crystal processor. By the stimulation of drugs and magical equipment, they would be able to retrieve tremendous information from his brain cells and even most of Elder Nether Spring's memories.
In the words of the ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago, they had confined Elder Nether Spring's soul and were now interrogating him by searching his soul!
Of course, the modern biochemical technology, modern magical equipment, and studies about brain were much more complicated than the crude 'soul search technique' from ancient times.
Other than Shou Yuxuan, the other workers should be specialists of interrogation and Meditation Healers who were the experts of the brain. Now that so many people were gathered there, 99% of the secrets in Elder Nether Spring's head would certainly be exploited!
On the enormous light beam, the human shape that was struggling hard in the invisible fire collapsed time and time again. Eventually, it congregated into a colorful big face, which was filled with hatred, fury, frustration, desperation, and even a hint of begging.
Dry voice came over from the broadcasting rune arrays on the two sides of the mainframe crystal processor as if it was from the deepest level of hell. "Kill me… Kill me… Kill me…"
Li Yao believed that Elder Nether Spring had ended up like this for his own wrongdoing and was not worthy of his pity at all.
However, he was truly baffled by the Patriots Partnership's actions.
So, the Patriots Partnership captured Elder Nether Spring a long time ago and retrieved tremendous intelligence about the Blood Demon Sector by exploiting his brain cells. No wonder they know so much about the things in the Blood Demon Sector, including the relationship between Jin Tuyi and me!
However, why are they holding him in secret instead of publicizing the news?
What's Lu Zui up to exactly?
Inside the sterile room, nobody was moved by Elder Nether Spring's screams.
Shou Yuxuan, the most renowned professor of virology, smiled and tapped the light beam of his portable crystal processor. Glancing at it, he said, "Fellow Cultivator Nether Spring, the biochemistry and the virology of the Blood Demon Sector are indeed much more advanced than those of the Heaven's Origin Sector! As for yourself, not only are you a specialist in those fields, you have also received the legacy of chaos. Your brain is too incredible a treasury to be wrecked easily.
"One conversation with you is worth ten years of reading books. The communication with Fellow Cultivator Nether Spring has been a great enlightenment for me. Truly an enlightenment!
"Just now, we discussed the stimulation and the mutation that 'sodium taurocholate polypeptide replacement' can trigger on the latest version of the Demon God Virus, but we were disrupted by the bad weather outside. Now, let's proceed. Please tell me everything about the subject, Fellow Cultivator Nether Spring!"
Li Yao's heart was racing. What was the meaning of that? Judging from his tone, the Patriots Partnership was bettering the Demon God Virus on the basis of Elder Nether Spring's work?
The biochemistry and virology of the Heaven's Origin Sector were indeed too underdeveloped to study the Demon God Virus independently.
However, it was not entirely impossible if they had all the memories and data of Elder Nether Spring, who was the 'father' of the Demon God Virus, and upgraded the virus based on his work!
On the enormous light beam, Elder Nether Spring's big face twisted. Heartbreaking sounds were still echoing from the broadcast rune arrays. "Kill me… Kill me… I'll tell you if you kill me…"
After months of exploitation, his thinking ability had been seriously compromised.
However, on the dozens of light beams nearby, the pictures of his memories about the studies of the subject, along with endless, cascading data, were popping up.
That was the thing about the 'soul searching technique'. Shou Yuxuan's question imposed a strong stimulation on Elder Nether Spring's brain. Even if Elder Nether Spring did not want to tell the answer consciously, his brain cells would trigger all the information about the question because of natural intuitions.
Chapter 1109: The Real Competitors! |
Shou Yuxuan stared at the light beam without blinking. He then asked his assistant to extract all the information that Elder Nether Spring thought of to the crystal processor. A moment later, still not satisfied, he tapped the light beam softly.
An orange liquid was immediately injected into Elder Nether Spring's brain.
The face on the enormous light beam was even more miserable, and the eyes and lips were trembling at a much higher frequency. On the rest of the light beams, the data was flowing out much faster than before.
Shou Yuxuan was contented and focused his attention on research.
"Director Shou." The scar-faced man frowned in dissatisfaction and said, "There's no need to exploit his brain in such a way, is there? The Demon God Virus and the antidote are good enough for the real battle now. It is unnecessary to pursue a better effect. Leave his brain to us!
"His brain has been exploited for too long. The brain cells are all very weak. The biological functions have hit rock bottom. He can be killed at any time, but there are still a lot of questions that we haven't asked him!"
Shou Yuxuan nodded. Collecting the last bit of data, he tapped another light beam somewhat unwillingly.
The next moment, almost a hundred liquids were injected into Elder Nether Spring's brain and body. On the enormous light beam, his facial expression turned from miserable to expressionless.
Li Yao assumed that it was some sort of mixed sedative that had in effect 'restarted' Elder Nether Spring's brain so that he was ready for the next questions.
The scar-faced man coughed and said coldly, "One more time. Give me the name list of all the Children of the Nether World, and I will give you a quick death!"
The five words 'Children of the Nether World' seemed to have touched a mysterious curse in Elder Nether Spring's brain. His enormous face on the light beam was more twisted than ever, and his hands and feet were struggling hard. Screams were echoing from the broadcast rune array.
"Traitors! You are all Traitors! How dare you betray me!"
On the light beams around, faces and names were popping up. Li Yao recognized a few young Cultivators who were in high positions in the federation. It had never occurred to him that they were all Children of the Nether World!
One picture appeared simultaneously on a few light beams, where the human Elder Nether Spring was talking with a Child of the Nether World in a quiet forest.
All of a sudden, countless Cultivators jumped out of nowhere, and the Child of the Nether World stabbed a flying sword at him with a smile, too!
"Betray me? Go to hell! Go to hell!"
The shrieks were still going on in the broadcast rune arrays. It was obvious that Elder Nether Spring hated the Children of the Nether World's guts!
His fury, hatred, and every activity of his brain cells turned into endless data on the analysis light beams nearby as well as a quickly bouncing electroencephalogram.
"The result of the thirty-ninth interrogation is the same as before. The names of all 122 Children of the Nether World have all been given, and they are identical to the ones confessed the previous fifteen times.
"His brainwave activity is normal, too. It is 93% match to the previous fifteen interrogations. We can conclude that he is speaking the truth.
"They should be all the Children of the Nether World now. All controlled and suppressed by us. No lucky survivors."
A few Meditation Healers and interrogation experts were analyzing the information in Elder Nether Spring's brain carefully.
Li Yao felt that his body was cold. The picture, although only a few minutes, contained so much information that he was almost overwhelmed.
What was the situation now? Was it true that the Patriots Partnership had learned the existence of all the Children of the Nether World since a long time ago and even fished them up for its own purposes?
Also, the betrayal of one of the Children of the Nether World was the reason that the Patriots Partnership had captured Elder Nether Spring.
Calm down. I need to calm down and think carefully!
Li Yao took a long breath and stuck his brain to the cold shell of the magical equipment to cool it down. Amid the humming sound of the magical equipment, he reviewed all the known information and inferred the most likely truth along the timeline.
First of all, a year ago, the news about the Flying Star Sector, the Imperium of True Human Beings, and the apocalypse came to the Heaven's Origin Sector, leading to an unprecedented change in the history of this world.
To deal with the new situation, some of the wise people believed that the only way to compete with the imperium was the collaboration of the three Sectors.
However, part of the Cultivators insisted that demons were never to be trusted. They disagreed with the cooperation.
The most extreme, radical, and frantic Cultivators of them—summoned by Lu Zui, the director of the Secret Sword Bureau—established the Patriots Partnership, trying to save the federation in their own way!
In the meantime, the Red Tide Plan and the Spore Stratagem were being pushed forward secretly in the Blood Demon Sector. Also, the Children of the Nether World, Elder Nether Spring's trusted subordinates that had been sent to the Heaven's Origin Sector decades ago, surfaced and carried out operations in preparation of the Spore Stratagem.
Lu Zui was the director of the Secret Sword Bureau. Did he really know nothing about the Children of the Nether World?
Maybe not.
Maybe, he knew about the existence of part of the Children of the Nether World. It was also possible that Elder Nether Spring released some false intelligence to the Heaven's Origin Sector through part of them, such as the false teleportation destination for the Red Tide Plan.
On the invisible, dark frontline, everything could be true, and everything could be false.
Li Yao did not know the details, but the details were irrelevant to the big picture.
All in all, Lu Zui must have discovered the existence of a few Children of the Nether World, but he failed to retrieve the real destination of teleportation in the Red Tide Plan or the truth about the Spore Stratagem.
Or maybe, even the Children of the Nether World did not know the truth themselves.
Then, it was all about the attitude of the Children of the Nether World.
Li Yao tried to consider from the perspective of the Children of the Nether World. He felt that, although Elder Nether Spring's moves were rather delicate, the loyalty of the chess pieces was a big issue.
The Children of the Nether World had lived for decades in the federation as pure human beings. Right now, they all boasted a promising future, if they were not powerful already.
With the help of the Flying Star Sector, the strategic situation was different now. The federation was gaining more advantages and rising unstoppably like the sun in the morning.
Over the decades, they must have established their own family and even gotten their children. Why would they still work dutifully for Elder Nether Spring?
Li Yao thought for a long time and only came up with two reasons.
Firstly, over the decades, they had sent tremendous intelligence to Elder Nether Spring, which could be a great weakness. Once Elder Nether Spring threw out the evidence, they would not meet a good end.
Secondly, at that time, Elder Nether Spring's Spore Stratagem looked rather beautiful and promising. Once it succeeded, they would be the greatest contributors of the new world!
Maybe, they were the only reasons to support the Children of the Nether World to go down the road with Elder Nether Spring.
However, three and a half months, Li Yao had destroyed the Eye of Blood Demon, and Jin Tuyi had unveiled the Spore Stratagem. Elder Nether Spring had lost his wild gamble with no chance of a comeback!
