"After thirty thousand transcriptions, this video still has a deterrent effect on anomalous entities, while its impact on humans has become negligible."
Kun Deming introduced the video to Zheng Pengpo with a serious expression. This reincarnation brought many changes. For instance, the anomaly of the Eye of the Seer was non-existent in the previous world, and the two gods with immense power had never appeared before.
Looking at the gods walking on the distant horizon in the video, Kun Deming frowned. He didn't know how much his reincarnation would change the world, but he hoped these changes wouldn’t make humanity's fate worse.
"Compared to the [Chaos] deity that responded to the Zerg summoning last time, this [Spore] clearly has characteristics of propagation and reproduction, which is why all humans who directly saw its figure underwent mutations. As you are now undergoing treatment, as the doctor should have informed you, these mutations can be suppressed by the artifact [Fate Diary], but cannot be completely eradicated. Thus, you still retain traces of mutation."
The [Fate Diary] is an occult artifact capable of rewinding fragments of time. When used, it has very stringent conditions but is evidently effective in stopping the mutations that were rapidly worsening.
However, it seemed that the power of the gods could not be countered by mundane objects. Mutated humans often ended up with deformities: some with swollen tumor-like muscles, others with extra malformed limbs, resulting in bizarre appearances.
Thinking about this, Kun Deming couldn’t help but recall the first video released by the Eye of the Seer, the deity shrouded in chaos and dense mist. He frowned tighter. The Zerg in the video seemed increasingly like the Zerg that invaded Far Star in the previous life, but the timeline didn’t match.
In the previous life, the Zerg would arrive on Far Star through wormholes decades later, possessing extremely advanced technology and civilization, a rare high-level civilization in the universe. They wouldn’t be as ancient and backward as shown in the video.
Perhaps this is the Zerg’s past?
Kun Deming had this suspicion but wasn’t sure. He could only keep the question buried, as there were many pressing issues to resolve, and the Zerg matter could be postponed.
Also, if this really is the Zerg, then the deity they summoned might be that Nameless Ancient God?
Kun Deming felt that this deity with the codename [Chaos] was unlikely to be the Nameless Ancient God.
After all, upon seeing this deity, humans did not show any signs of contamination. If this were the Nameless Ancient God, the base would have long been purged by the Nameless Ancient God following the timeline.
However, there is also the possibility that the Nameless Ancient God has not fully awakened.
Kun Deming considered this but chose to remain cautious. After all, humanity had learned some information about the ancient gods from their struggles against the Nameless Ancient God in the previous life. For example, ancient gods are considered the origin of all things in Zerg history and legends, always sleeping in dreams. Even if they respond to their followers’ summons, it doesn’t mean they are fully awake; rather, they are in the process of awakening, a process unknown in duration, ranging from a mere second to billions of years. Ancient gods’ sense of time is beyond what followers can comprehend.
According to legend, when the ancient god fully awakens, all things will revert to chaos, awaiting the Nameless Ancient God to begin a new cycle of life, and everything starts anew.
Kun Deming still cannot escape the deep fear of the terrifying and nameless god from the previous life. Every time he recalls it, he feels as if his sanity is about to collapse. He had to close his eyes and forcefully suppress the fear in his heart, then continued explaining the situation to Zheng Pengpo.
Zheng Pengpo, with his injured eyes covered by a bandage, sat on the sickbed, barely able to see the video. He felt slightly embarrassed and acted as if he could see, nodding occasionally to maintain the atmosphere.
The mood in the hospital room was harmonious.
City of Li
Special Incident Department Building
In the office, the young executor Xiao Wu was being questioned by the team leader Li Chu.
"You said you found a student with potential special abilities at Li City University?"
Li Chu looked at the young executor with a serious expression.
Xiao Wu, unsure of the team leader’s intentions, could only nod. "Yes, he can resist the [Smiling Man]’s killing rules, a very useful superpower!"
Li Chu looked at the young man, rubbing his aching temples.
"Have you considered why a young student would still be wandering around the campus under full lockdown?"
Xiao Wu was taken aback, showing confusion. Isn’t it normal for students to be on campus?
"At that time, all student information had been accounted for, and only eleven students were missing. Currently, apart from one missing female student, the others have all been found."
"A non-existent young male, wandering in a campus full of anomalous entities, unfazed by the [Smiling Man], and disappearing after leaving the school. You don’t even know his name… Don’t you think something is off?"
Li Chu stared at Xiao Wu, his sharp gaze reflecting doubt.
He suspected that the executor had been deceived by an unrecorded anomalous entity in Li City University, which also had the ability to suppress the [Smiling Man], indicating a high level.
Hearing Li Chu’s words, Xiao Wu’s eyes widened in realization, beginning to doubt the true identity of the student he had encountered.
Scenes from the campus flashed through his mind. What had seemed clear before now appeared strange when considered from a different angle.
Why hadn’t he noticed anything odd? In such a dangerous campus, where every step was fraught with danger, how could an ordinary person remain so casual, especially after witnessing the [Smiling Man], still dismissing the notion of ghosts and gods?
When anomalous entities appear with murderous intent, they instill a deep fear from the depths of one’s soul, making it impossible for anyone to ignore their non-human aura unless they have an extraordinarily strong mental state.
This reminded Xiao Wu of files he had read before, indicating that some anomalous entities, which do not initially show murderous intent or are very good at disguising, can be difficult to detect.
The person Xiao Wu encountered seemed to fit this description: a highly deceptive anomalous entity, hiding among people without triggering killing conditions, making it hard to detect.
Once Xiao Wu began doubting the man’s true identity, the previously clear scenes in his mind quickly became foggy, spreading rapidly. He suddenly realized he couldn’t remember the man’s face, or even the details of their conversation, as the fog blurred all memories, causing a severe headache.
"Ahhh!!!"
In the office, Xiao Wu suddenly screamed and collapsed, clutching his head, drenched in cold sweat, and convulsing uncontrollably.
Li Chu, having recently witnessed the mutations caused by the [Nameless Mist] incident, immediately shouted for Xiao Wu not to recall related memories.
Anomalous entities related to the [Nameless Mist] indeed have infectious properties, and a slight mistake can lead to casualties.
Li Chu called for medical staff to take Xiao Wu away and, looking exhausted, opened his computer to start writing a summary report for the [Nameless Mist] incident, noting the need for an additional anomalous entity file.
[The Nameless One: A humanoid male (?), specific abilities unknown, suspected to have the ability to induce affinity in humans, has suppressive power over the [Smiling Man], capable of smooth communication, and information related to it cannot be recalled.]
Pausing his typing, Li Chu saved it as a draft, intending to complete the file once more concrete research results came in.
Knock, knock—
At that moment, someone knocked on the office door. Li Chu said, "Come in."
A bronzed-skinned middle-aged man with a beard entered the office. It was Deputy Zhao, who had recently rejoined the team and was a key contributor to reporting the [Overseer Space] anomalous event.
"Team Leader, what just happened?"
Zhao, who was about to report on the team’s situation, noticed Li Chu’s exhaustion and asked with concern.
Li Chu sighed, explained the situation, and showed visible signs of fatigue. Recently, dealing with the aftermath of the [Nameless Mist] outbreak had kept him working late into the night, and his health was beginning to suffer.
"… [The Nameless One]?"
Zhao Jun looked at the information on the screen, his eyes narrowing. As someone who had experienced countless terrifying scenarios in the Overseer Space, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease, as if he had encountered this anomalous entity before.
Knowing this entity is impossible to recall, Zhao didn’t dare to think too much, fearing it might trigger the entity’s killing mechanism. He decided to assist Xiao Wu in getting checked and study the [Nameless One]’s killing rules.
As someone with extensive experience in the Overseer Space, Zhao trusted his instincts and was certain he had encountered this anomalous entity; otherwise, he wouldn’t feel this sense of unease.
It can only be said that this anomalous entity is indeed dangerous, as even he couldn’t detect its presence and only had a vague feeling afterward.
After discussing himself, Zhao continued to report on the team’s situation.
He and his team had recently joined the Special Incident Department in Li City. This was to provide a buffer zone for his battle-hardened team members, giving them some stability, and to strengthen Li City’s defense forces.
For unknown reasons, after the [Nameless Mist] incident, the frequency of supernatural events in Li City decreased significantly. However, they still had their hands full, and the arrival of Zhao Jun and his team was like a timely aid to Li Chu.
Looking at this old acquaintance from years ago, Li Chu smiled. Having become accustomed to seeing friends perish, his excitement and joy at seeing a familiar face return were beyond what ordinary people could imagine, enough to wash away all his fatigue.
------------------------------------------------------------
Mechanical Era: Endless Ferry
In the restaurant, the crowd of mechanical beings was on high alert. Recent days of conflict had clearly heightened their vigilance. After all, those who survived to this point must have devoured their own kind; none of them were kind-hearted.
Additionally, because the situation had arisen suddenly, no one knew how they had been transported to the restaurant. Many suspected it was due to some sort of spatial transfer device, and everyone was suspiciously looking around.
"Praised be the Great One’s descent!!!"
The strange voice that echoed from all directions in the cabin caused a long silence in the restaurant. The frenzied and disturbing tone of the voice sent shivers down their spines.
They looked around the restaurant but found no trace of the so-called "Great Being."
"Where did that voice come from?"
Someone voiced their confusion. After a moment, everyone heard a slimy, water-like sound coming from outside the restaurant.
All the mechanical beings who heard the sound felt a momentary dizziness, as if receiving some strange radio waves that made their central nervous system chips feel unwell.
Merk, weakened and clutching his fractured arm, was huddled in a corner facing the cabin door. As the slimy sound approached, he saw blood-red, soft material spreading from the cabin door, seeming like some kind of flesh.
Rustling—
The bizarre, bright red flesh grew from the edges of the door, quickly covering the entire restaurant's ceiling and walls. Merk was startled and tried to avoid the walls, fearing contact with these strange things.
He had a bad premonition about these things.
Could this be the so-called Great Being?
Merk looked at the dense, flesh-like growths, which reflected in his blue eyes, mirroring the components of his own body.
Creak—
The sound of the cabin door opening reached Merk. He turned to look and immediately realized he had misjudged. The weak and ordinary flesh was clearly not the Great Being praised in that eerie voice. What stood before him seemed more like it.
Outside the cabin door stood a grotesque flesh monster, composed of twisted, stitched-together chunks of meat. From the aesthetic standards of mechanical society, it was extremely ugly, reaching a level that could be called spiritual pollution. Merk heard nearby mechanical beings who looked directly at the monster making retching sounds, unable to vomit due to their empty stomachs.
Merk, however, did not feel the same urge to vomit. Perhaps it was because he felt a kinship with this flesh monster. He stared at the monster with calm eyes, unable to look away.
Strangely, he found a peculiar beauty in this twisted, grotesque, and crazed monster. The monster's flesh, seamlessly stitched together, had a mysterious allure of the endless universe. Each disordered line of flesh carried an enigmatic divinity and purity.
It was as if this terrifying flesh monster was the deity of his faith. Merk experienced the same pious emotion that mechanical beings felt toward their mechanical gods. For the first time, he was reluctant to look away. He saw that the remaining few biotic humans in the restaurant were also fixated on the flesh monster.
Merk realized that these biotic humans shared the same feeling as he did. It made him aware that, as a biotic human, he too could experience emotions similar to those of mechanical beings.
Perhaps, in a society that reveres mechanical aesthetics, a life entirely made of flesh, with its marvelous geometric beauty, was truly beautiful.
Merk's previously expressionless face showed a hint of uncontrollable fervor as he became mesmerized by this unique and beautiful being in the world.
In the restaurant, the crowd of mechanical beings was on high alert. Recent days of conflict had clearly heightened their vigilance. After all, those who survived to this point must have devoured their own kind; none of them were kind-hearted.
Additionally, because the situation had arisen suddenly, no one knew how they had been transported to the restaurant. Many suspected it was due to some sort of spatial transfer device, and everyone was suspiciously looking around.
"Praised be the Great One’s descent!!!"
The strange voice that echoed from all directions in the cabin caused a long silence in the restaurant. The frenzied and disturbing tone of the voice sent shivers down their spines.
They looked around the restaurant but found no trace of the so-called "Great Being."
"Where did that voice come from?"
Someone voiced their confusion. After a moment, everyone heard a slimy, water-like sound coming from outside the restaurant.
All the mechanical beings who heard the sound felt a momentary dizziness, as if receiving some strange radio waves that made their central nervous system chips feel unwell.
Merk, weakened and clutching his fractured arm, was huddled in a corner facing the cabin door. As the slimy sound approached, he saw blood-red, soft material spreading from the cabin door, seeming like some kind of flesh.
Rustling—
The bizarre, bright red flesh grew from the edges of the door, quickly covering the entire restaurant's ceiling and walls. Merk was startled and tried to avoid the walls, fearing contact with these strange things.
He had a bad premonition about these things.
Could this be the so-called Great Being?
Merk looked at the dense, flesh-like growths, which reflected in his blue eyes, mirroring the components of his own body.
Creak—
The sound of the cabin door opening reached Merk. He turned to look and immediately realized he had misjudged. The weak and ordinary flesh was clearly not the Great Being praised in that eerie voice. What stood before him seemed more like it.
Outside the cabin door stood a grotesque flesh monster, composed of twisted, stitched-together chunks of meat. From the aesthetic standards of mechanical society, it was extremely ugly, reaching a level that could be called spiritual pollution. Merk heard nearby mechanical beings who looked directly at the monster making retching sounds, unable to vomit due to their empty stomachs.
Merk, however, did not feel the same urge to vomit. Perhaps it was because he felt a kinship with this flesh monster. He stared at the monster with calm eyes, unable to look away.
Strangely, he found a peculiar beauty in this twisted, grotesque, and crazed monster. The monster's flesh, seamlessly stitched together, had a mysterious allure of the endless universe. Each disordered line of flesh carried an enigmatic divinity and purity.
It was as if this terrifying flesh monster was the deity of his faith. Merk experienced the same pious emotion that mechanical beings felt toward their mechanical gods. For the first time, he was reluctant to look away. He saw that the remaining few biotic humans in the restaurant were also fixated on the flesh monster.
Merk realized that these biotic humans shared the same feeling as he did. It made him aware that, as a biotic human, he too could experience emotions similar to those of mechanical beings.
Perhaps, in a society that reveres mechanical aesthetics, a life entirely made of flesh, with its marvelous geometric beauty, was truly beautiful.
Merk's previously expressionless face showed a hint of uncontrollable fervor as he became mesmerized by this unique and beautiful being in the world.
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