CH 156

Mang Ya had a personality that was both frighteningly crazy and careless. No one knew what kind of person he was before the experiment. What was his real name? What was his true personality? What people saw and remembered was only his madness, perhaps even his pathology. Who could know if the Mang Ya who died on the operating table had truly died, or if the one living in the present was his restless soul.

Shu Shuishui looked at Mang Ya’s body without speaking, as if deep in thought.

Cheng Que sighed. “Not long after the failure of the Yan experiment, the Gu Langu transformation project was initiated. Prior to that, the lab was closed for a period, citing a hazardous materials leak. During that time, I was preparing for neural transformation research, and I didn’t pay much attention. Now, thinking back, it should have been when they were dealing with the Mang Ya clones. The Alliance was probably busy hunting down Mang Ya’s clones.”

“Whether all the clones were captured is known only to the participants. If any of the clones escaped the lab, they might be wandering through the stars or hiding in desolate planets,” Nan Ge calmly analyzed. “Dream Star River’s Qing Mengxing is likely one of Mang Ya’s clones, but it seems he’s different from the others. He was able to create a base like Dream Star River, suggesting that he doesn’t have the same personality flaws, or at least he isn’t as insane as Mang Ya.”

Liu Po nodded in agreement. “That explains the annihilation of Dream Star River. If there’s some form of mental connection or sensing between the clones, Mang Ya could easily detect Qing Mengxing’s presence and set up ambushes in advance.”

“It’s probably more than that. Some clones might not naturally possess mental sharing but need to fulfill certain conditions. It could require time or physical contact with other clones. So, when we first found Mang Ya, he genuinely believed he was Qing Mengxing. He had been implanted with Qing Mengxing’s memories, allowing him to pass the lie detector test. During his time at the base, some of his memories gradually awakened, leading him to visit my lab and inquire about the ‘one-time encounter’ we supposedly had. It wasn’t until yesterday when he met another Mang Ya clone that their thoughts fully synchronized, enabling them to cooperate closely and attempt to control Shui Shui…” Cheng Que, as a scientist, quickly deduced various aspects of the limitations of the clones.

Yu Jin felt a headache coming on. “If this clone has so many limitations, why invest so many resources in its development? Although the experiment seemed to end on the surface, it’s clear now that it must have continued.”

“Sometimes, these limitations can also be advantages, such as evading lie detectors or infiltrating and lurking around assassination targets. After all, the most convincing deception is when you believe it yourself,” Xie Feng shook his head. “No wonder Mang Ya went insane. Continuous mental sharing implies an accumulation of thoughts. Anyone in that situation would likely become unhinged.”

“Not only that, but the fact that Mang Ya was chosen as the subject of the experiment and that immense resources were invested in cloning him suggests that Mang Ya himself must possess unique abilities that have yet to find a substitute. Perhaps he is the only one in the entire Canghai Galaxy with such abilities. What is so special about Mang Ya’s eyes?” The discussions and speculations among the group continued to multiply.

The identity of the clones had always been an awkward presence within the Galactic Alliance. If Mang Ya wanted to survive within the Alliance, he had to remain under their control; otherwise, he would have to flee to the desolate stars and struggle for survival, just like Qing Mengxing.

Even the present group, upon learning of Mang Ya’s clone status, subconsciously felt that clones were different from humans. This was the tragedy of clones, as well as Mang Ya’s tragedy.

Because no one knew how many Mang Yas had been sent into the Canghai Galaxy, and whether, in the event of a mission failure, more Mang Yas would be deployed. In addition, Mang Ya was exceptionally unique and dangerous, forcing the Shui Jing Gong’s team to remain extremely vigilant.

Mang Ya was dead, and the attacks from Zone A and Zone S had little effect. This seemingly grand extermination mission was destined to end without much result. Mang Ya’s body was transported by Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu to the garrisons of Zone A and Zone S.

Although they had left the protection of the defensive formation, the Shui Jing Gong squad showed no fear or hesitation. Instead, it was Zone A and Zone S, backed by powerful firepower, that seemed inclined to retreat.

“Who’s in charge here? Mang Ya’s body has arrived, please take delivery,” a member of the Shui Jing Gong squad inquired.

Zone A and Zone S: “…” The two leaders, Lu Zhouzhi and the temporary overseer of Area S rushed over, their eyes widening as they beheld the neatly arranged coffins. Mang Ya was dead! The legendary Mang Ya, with an undefeated assassination record, was actually dead! Storms raged within their hearts, thoughts racing through their minds. Eventually, they realized that the best course of action at this moment was not to engage in a confrontation with the Cangyu Mountain.

Mang Ya’s failure meant that they still hadn’t found a way to breach the formidable defense of the Cangyu Mountain. Trying to starve them out through siege tactics wasn’t realistic either, as the Cangyu Mountain was richer than most territories. Prolonged conflict would inevitably favor the Cangyu Mountain.

After carefully considering the current situation, Lu Zhouzhi stepped forward. “I am Lu Zhouzhi, the head of Zone A. Who are the two you’ve brought back?”

Seeing Lu Zhouzhi’s apparent intention to distance himself, the members of the Shui Jing Gong squad showed expressions of disdain. Quantum cannons were lined up behind them; such subterfuge was futile. It would be better to admit the situation openly and then state their stance. If the Shui Jing Gong intended to attack, they would have done so already, and they wouldn’t rely solely on a defensive formation.

Gu Langu didn’t want to waste time on useless talk. He handed over a piece of paper, which was the bill from before Mang Ya’s death. It was an expense list, and Gu Langu even lowered his head to explain to the nearby Shu Shuishui. “This is from the Gray Rats, not from me.”

Upon examining the contents of the paper, Lu Zhouzhi and the temporary leader of Zone S displayed a wide range of expressions. Clearly, they hadn’t expected the Shui Jing Gong to profit even from the deceased, and they did it without any moral qualms.

Gu Langu, seeing the ever-changing expressions of the two men, added coldly, “Don’t think about evading payment. If you can’t afford it all at once, you can pay in installments, with someone coming each month to pay.”

Lu Zhouzhi was left with stiff facial muscles but managed to force a slight smile. “No need for installments, we’ll pay it all now.”

The people from Zone S nodded in agreement, not opposing the idea. Their thoughts had long moved beyond this matter. Since the Shui Jing Gong showed no intention of starting a war or pursuing further action, this extermination order was effectively concluded. Furthermore, Mang Ya’s death meant that Lu Zhouzhi would become the new leader of Zone S. As this idea settled in, the temporary leader of Zone S found it increasingly difficult to maintain his composure.

Lu Zhouzhi had much to consider. With Mang Ya gone, the path of assassination was no longer viable. But if they chose to fight, they hadn’t even touched a single tree of the Cangyu Mountain so far. After the rainy season ended, it would rapidly turn cold, entering winter, making external warfare unrealistic. In the end, he had to grit his teeth, pay the Shui Jing Gong’s fee with a sense of bitterness, and take the coffin away.

After receiving their reward, the Shui Jing Gong team quickly made their way back, leaving Zone A and Zone S in an awkward situation. The two sides glanced at each other, both feeling a bit embarrassed. The whole situation with the extermination order had been quite bizarre, and it ended just as strangely.

Lu Zhouzhi felt like he had been needlessly messing around lately. “Didn’t you say he was really strong? This is your idea of ‘really strong’ – being brought back like this!”

The representative from Zone S was also irritated and responded, “How would I know? Mang Ya never failed before! Who knew Gu Langu was so formidable!”

The subordinates from both sides exchanged glances and cautiously spoke up, “Bosses, isn’t the most bizarre thing the fact that there are two coffins?”

The scene fell silent in an instant, despite the late rainy season making the wind still warm, it sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

“Yeah, why are there two coffins? Open them to confirm their identities,” Lu Zhouzhi regained his composure and ordered.

The coffins were opened, and inside lay Mang Ya, not just one but two of him! This was too horrifying! Did Mang Ya possess some kind of cloning ability? And how could he be killed like this? Just how strong was Gu Langu?

The eerie situation left Lu Zhouzhi and the Zone S representative feeling uncertain. They dispersed hastily, each returning to their respective bases to prepare for a retreat.

Not long after they left, the temporary leader of Zone S couldn’t help but smirk, as if he saw the position of Zone S’s boss beckoning to him. But when he entered his tent with dreams of grandeur, he was left in shock!

The person whose body he had just seen with his own eyes was sitting there, casually sipping tea!

A short, startled scream rang out, alerting those who were nearby. Lu Zhouzhi felt like his head was about to explode with anger as he hurried over to see what this person was up to.

As he approached, he accidentally bumped into the man and stopped him. “What are you panicking for? What the hell is going on?”

The man was trembling as he nodded. “I-I saw a ghost!”

Lu Zhouzhi sighed in exasperation. But just as he was about to explode with anger, the tent flap was lifted again, revealing another Mang Ya who appeared perfectly healthy.

Lu Zhouzhi’s eyes widened in disbelief. He didn’t know what was happening. “You…”

Mang Ya, however, casually took a few steps forward, grinning. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

Both of them were left in shock, more bewildered than ever.

Mang Ya paid no attention to their reactions and continued, “The mission failed. Gu Langu is indeed difficult to deal with. He’s too powerful. Let’s just withdraw. There’s no benefit in confronting him directly.” With that, he turned and left.

Leaving Lu Zhouzhi and the temporary leader of Zone S to clean up the mess. Both of them were in a daze for a long time, trying to come to terms with the fact that they had seen Mang Ya’s corpse but also witnessed the reality of him being alive.

The attacks from Zone A and Zone S had failed, and within three days, both major bases had evacuated completely, thus resolving the crisis in the Cangyu Mountains. However, the impact brought by Mang Ya continued quietly.

With the crisis in the Cangyu Mountains resolved, all the bases immediately devoted themselves wholeheartedly to base construction. After all, it wouldn’t be long before the winter season arrived on Cang Zhan Star, and they needed to complete the infrastructure of their bases before then.