After exchanging healing medicine and bandages from the mall, Chi Ying handed them over to Gu Chi, then quietly stepped back to sit in the corner opposite him, trying to appear calm.
Gu Chi took the medicine, looked at her, and reminded her, “You need to be careful—”
“Present!” she responded immediately.
Gu Chi: “…”
Realizing her reaction was a bit too intense, Chi Ying swallowed nervously. “Um… careful about what, exactly?”
“They might take you to that place—the lab for extracting supernatural energy. Probably no later than today.”
“But why? Is the extraction of powers related to how leaders are created?”
“There’s a high probability. Otherwise, they wouldn’t risk exposure by operating such loud machines.” As Gu Chi tilted his head slightly, his fingers brushed against the wound on his neck.
Chi Ying still couldn’t wrap her head around how a machine could extract someone’s powers.
“I might be able to break free and destroy the device from the outside.”
Gu Chi shook his head.
“It’s difficult. They’re very cautious. I observed it last night—the shell of the machine is made of some rare material. Even if the place exploded, the device would likely remain intact.”
“Unless it’s broken from the inside. That’s the only real chance.”
“I see…” Chi Ying’s expression dimmed with regret. “But how would you destroy it from the inside?”
“Either a system malfunction or operational error.”
Chi Ying nodded thoughtfully.
“Do you know who built that machine?”
Gu Chi was silent for a long moment, then finally said, “There used to be a professor at the Institute of Human Abilities—Ren Li. If Professor Yu is the authority on zombies, then Ren Li was the equivalent for human abilities.”
“Was?”
“Half a year ago, he left the Human Alliance in anger after a certain research proposal was rejected. I remember the details. He suggested that in order to drastically raise ability levels, supernaturals should be used as experimental samples…”
“Samples… you mean human experimentation?”
Gu Chi nodded grimly. “He planned to use those who had registered their powers with headquarters. Though the alliance rejected the proposal, he didn’t give up. He secretly captured many supernaturals outside the alliance, and when he submitted the results of his research, they were… shocking.”
He drew a deep breath. “His theory proposed that by extracting the energy from lower-level supernaturals and supplying it to higher-potential individuals, those people could rapidly advance their abilities.”
“The abandoned device we found here was developed by Ren Li too. That’s why I immediately thought of him.”
Chi Ying repeated the theory to herself, still feeling something was off. “But… wouldn’t that weaken the overall force? Sacrificing dozens just to strengthen one?”
“Normally, yes. But a sixth-level or higher ability user is more valuable than hundreds of fifth-level ones.”
“The higher your power level, the more sophisticated your control must be. That’s why headquarters values people like me and Ye Wuhan.”
“I get it…”
“You’ve seen Ye Wuhan, haven’t you? He’s a ninth-level, the highest known level in the alliance.”
Chi Ying nodded.
“But he’s still weaker than me. In a head-on battle, he wouldn’t win.”
Gu Chi chuckled lightly. “Even I don’t know where your limit is.”
Chi Ying stayed quiet. She didn’t either… but maybe that machine could be destroyed from within.
“Oh—Lu Yunfei should’ve already contacted headquarters by now.”
Gu Chi shook his head. “If Ren Li really is the one behind this, then reinforcements won’t help.”
“Hundreds of leaders are essentially hundreds of sixth-levels. And they don’t attack each other, which likely means Ren Li did something to suppress their hostility.”
“Like the shield around ‘Song Shi’?”
“Exactly. If our detectors can’t find them, it’s possible they can’t detect each other either. That may be how they coexist here without conflict.”
Gu Chi sighed. “That’s all the information I have. If things go wrong, find a way to escape. Headquarters will arrive within two days.”
“What about you?”
He didn’t answer directly. “Only you have the strength to face those leaders. The headquarters needs you to take command.”
“Chi Ying, you can leave.”
__
The Night of the Second Day
Someone suddenly entered the quiet prison room.
Chi Ying looked up. It was the man named Sun Shi.
“Well, well.” Sun Shi sounded amused when he saw Gu Chi unharmed. “As expected, the professor was right. Two full days and you haven’t shown any signs of mutation.”
Gu Chi barely lifted his eyes to acknowledge him.
“Whatever. Bring these two to the lab,” Sun Shi ordered the guards behind him.
With her hands bound, Chi Ying followed Gu Chi and was led to the so-called laboratory.
As she raised her eyes and took in the sight, her heart sank.
Gu Chi’s voice echoed in her mind: Chi Ying, you can leave.
She had originally thought it might be best to escape and pass on what they’d learned. But upon seeing the rows of bodies strapped to lab beds, and the tanks of chemical fluid where humans floated lifelessly, she lost any desire to flee.
Then, a hoarse voice broke the silence.
“Commander Gu. Long time no see.” A white-haired old man in a wheelchair emerged from the shadows, hands clasped smugly.
Gu Chi’s expression chilled. “It’s really you—Professor Ren Li.”
Ren Li gave a small, arrogant smile. “At first, I wanted you to take Ye Wuhan’s place. But with your rigid sense of justice, I knew you wouldn’t agree.”
“Back when the alliance rejected my proposal, I remember your vote clearly. That alone disqualified you from becoming my assistant.”
“I’m proud I voted against you. I only regret not having you tried for experimenting on supernaturals.”
Ren Li waved lazily, and the guards pushed him closer.
“Oh, you can regret it all you like. Soon, you’ll be my greatest creation.”
Gu Chi’s eyes sharpened. “What did you do to the supernaturals?”
Ren Li’s tone was almost reverent. “After years of research, I found that supernaturals—like zombies—have ‘containers’ for storing their power, located deep within the brain. The difference between ordinary zombies and leaders lies in their crystal nuclei.”
“Leaders have crystal cores nearly identical to the containers in human supernaturals.”
“It took a year, but I finally figured out how to make a leader.”
Gu Chi’s expression tightened.
“Supernatural energy resists the zombie virus—that’s why some infected people don’t mutate. So, to create a leader, the power must first be drained from the container, then the virus can be injected.”
“And what’s the point of creating these monsters?” Gu Chi growled.
Ren Li sneered. “The day Yu Song proposed the zombie evolution theory was the same day I was expelled from the alliance. His work was praised—mine was trashed. Why should he be celebrated while I’m condemned?”
“Your power is the most refined I’ve ever seen. That makes your container… perfect.” He smiled approvingly. “You will be my masterpiece.”
Perfect…
It dawned on Chi Ying. In the original timeline, was this how Gu Chi became a perfect zombie?
“With you, infiltrating the alliance will be far easier than using Zhang Bin, who was full of flaws,” Ren Li continued.
Gu Chi’s voice dropped low. “Zhang Bin… was your creation too?”
Ren Li laughed, as if hearing a good joke. “Do you think any of the leaders you’ve met evolved naturally?”
“Zhang Bin and most of the others are my children. I thought they could overrun every human safe zone. Pity you developed those detectors so quickly.”
His tone turned cold.
“If not for that setback, the Human Alliance would already be gone. And now, the two most powerful commanders—Ye Wuhan and you—are in my hands. Let’s see how long the alliance can hold.”
“What are you planning?” Gu Chi demanded.
“I don’t have many years left,” Ren Li said calmly, “but I’ll make good use of them. It won’t be hard to bring down all of human civilization.”
A twisted smile spread across his aged face.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152