CH 163

The group approached from different directions. Except for Qing Mengxing, the other four had been practicing for a long time. While they couldn’t fly on swords, they managed to avoid leaving footprints on the snowy ground. As for Qing Mengxing, Shu Shuishui found a light-footed charm in his spiritual storage, which helped alleviate the urgent situation.

In their minds, they reported their tension through the system in a timely manner. However, when they entered the first room where their targets were located, there was a unanimous silence and astonishment in their minds.

Most of the rooms in the village were locked, and to avoid detection, the group didn’t open the doors. Instead, they used windows to investigate the situation. Fortunately, the village was not large, had no tall buildings, and lacked sophisticated security measures, making it easy for the group to approach their target room.

Considering that a human form could easily expose him, Shu Shuishui used a dormouse form to scout. When Shu Shuishui jumped onto the windowsill and looked inside, the whole dormouse’s fur stood on end. Although they had suspected it earlier, seeing the dense crowd of clones inside the room, all identical in appearance, height, weight, and even the same breathing frequency, sent shivers down his spine. What was even more terrifying was that all these versions of Mang Ya had their own expressions, and there was light in their eyes, indicating that they had independent consciousness!

Through the glass window, Shu Shuishui saw some of the Mang Yas smiling, that familiar carefree yet sinister smile. Some stood in place, utterly bored, with vacant eyes, while others had expressions of agony, their faces contorted. The heat sources that were detected moving around were various Mang Yas aimlessly roaming within their respective rooms, limited in their actions.

The reason Mang Ya’s experiment was called “eternal life” was because the clone bodies possessed Mang Ya’s original consciousness, thoughts, and even the ability to sense each other. If the telepathic connection between twins allowed them to feel double the happiness during happy moments, how many times more pain would the numerous clone bodies feel during moments of suffering? It was no wonder that Mang Ya had gone insane. Handling such a massive and complex array of emotions, thoughts, and consciousness would have overwhelmed the mind of an ordinary person long ago. The fact that Mang Ya was still alive was a miracle in itself.

Shu Shuishui gently jumped down from the windowsill with a light and noiseless motion. In this room, there was no trace of Yang Tianjun. Shu Shuishui quickly headed towards the next target room, and the speed at which he moved his little legs had increased, indicating that his mood was far from calm at the moment.

Just like Shu Shuishui, the others had complex emotions, but without exception, the anger within them had ignited. They couldn’t eliminate it until they found Yang Tianjun.

“Rooms 26 and 33 are clear.”

“Rooms -13 and -61 are clear.”

“Zone 3 has been completely searched, but Yang Tianjun was not found.”

In their minds, the coordinates and search progress continued to be reported. No one was in the mood for laughter, not even the emotionless system, which sensibly refrained from causing trouble and diligently synchronized the search progress in their minds.

The search gradually approached the center of the village, yet there was still no sign of Yang Tianjun. Each person moved cautiously, quickly, and agilely, meticulously inspecting each room. The faces of the numerous Mang Yas had already left them somewhat numb, and they couldn’t fathom the feelings of Mang Ya as an experimental subject.

Finally, everyone gathered in the center of the village, where there was only one unsearched room left. Inside, there were no signs of movement, and the thermal imaging showed humanoid figures, appearing no different from the other rooms. However, what set this room apart was that it was completely sealed, with thick curtains hanging inside the windows, blocking the view entirely.

In their invisible state, the group couldn’t see each other. Yu Jin inquired from their minds whether they should rush in and control Yang Tianjun.

Cheng Que immediately intervened, “We can’t be sure that Yang Tianjun is inside, and he might also have countermeasure devices. Once we lose the element of surprise, it could alert thousands of Mang Yas.”

Yu Jin, who had been eagerly anticipating action, reluctantly released his clenched fists. After searching through rooms along the way, Yu Jin’s anger had reached its limit. Yu Jin had encountered all sorts of people, and Yang Tianjun was undoubtedly in the category of those who deserved a good beating.

Shu Shuishui had already agilely circled around the house. “There’s a small gap at the back of the house. I’ll go in to check.”

Listening to this, the group immediately moved to the back of the house, eager to find the small gap that Shu Shuishui had mentioned. It was a hole with a diameter of only two to three centimeters, seemingly drilled by the owner of the house with an electric drill.

Yu Jin furrowed his brow. Could Shu Shuishui really fit through such a tiny hole? Just as they were doubting, they heard Shu Shuishui’s voice in their minds, “I’m inside.”

The others: So, Shui Shui is actually made of water, right?

Gu Langu: “Shui Shui is just this flexible.”

The group: ???

“I’m inside the house. All the Mang Yas here are tied up with strange things. There are little red dots flashing on them, and there’s even a device connected to a thin thread on the doorknob. The device has an LCD screen displaying a red static number: 01:00…” Shuishui’s voice continued.

Gu Langu was startled. “Shui Shui, get out of there!”

The others also realized that what Shu Shuishui described sounded more and more like a bomb! Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. This was turning out to be a room full of human bombs!

“Okay, I’m coming out. Gu Gu, don’t worry.” Shu Shuishui realized what it was, but he didn’t know how to defuse a bomb. He could only crawl back out through the gap.

The tiny hole allowed Shu Shuishui to fit his small ears against his head. He struggled to push his tiny hind legs a few times before finally crawling out. “I’m out.”

Although the group couldn’t see each other, they could hear the collective sigh of relief, quickly followed by burning anger in their eyes.

Yu Jin’s voice sounded through his gritted teeth, “Damn it! I’ve never seen someone so disgusting!”

While they couldn’t see Qing Mengxing’s expression, there was no voice from Qing Mengxing either, but everyone could sense his impending loss of control.

Yang Tianjun’s ability to handle both Yan and Gu Langu’s experiments indicated that he was top-notch in terms of academics, experience, and intelligence. He might not have anticipated the Mang Yas’ telepathic communication, but he was always on guard.

If it were anyone else, after searching through all the rooms and finding a sealed one at the end, they would most likely think that Yang Tianjun was hiding inside. Once they opened the door or intruded, it could trigger a reaction from the Mang Ya clones inside with bombs strapped to them. According to the thermal imaging, there were at least thirty people inside. Even if Shu Shuishui didn’t specify the type of bomb, with thirty or more of them, even the simplest primitive explosive would be enough to kill everyone nearby!

What was even more terrifying was that these human bombs had their own thoughts but were unable to control themselves. They were fully aware of their fate but couldn’t avoid it. Their agile movements and flawless coordination made it impossible for the intruders to escape!

“Could this scoundrel Yang Tianjun also be capable of invisibility?” Yu Jin couldn’t understand. They had searched the entire village, so why couldn’t they find any trace of Yang Tianjun?

Gu Langu quickly realized the key. “Yang Tianjun can’t possibly let so many clone bodies out of his sight. He must still be in the village. If he’s not inside the houses, then he’s most likely underground. We can make a rough estimate based on the explosive force and the range of destruction…”

“I think I know where he is,” Qing Mengxing’s voice suddenly interrupted Gu Langu. “When we were conducting the search, I passed by a room where I had a strong feeling that Mang Ya was nearby. However, after checking the nearby rooms, I found nothing. Moreover, this feeling didn’t persist; it disappeared quickly, so I thought it was a hallucination.”

Throughout their journey, Qing Mengxing had occasional sensations like this, but they were short-lived. This time, Qing Mengxing thought it was because they were in the village that the sensation was so strong.

Qing Mengxing marked the location on the map displayed by the system, and the group quickly headed toward the target.

It was in the southeast direction of the village. Upon arriving nearby, Qing Mengxing made more precise adjustments based on their feelings. The group stood in an ordinary backyard, with a tree whose leaves had already fallen, neither tall nor lush.

“Now what do we do? I don’t see any openings,” Yu Jin said, pacing in circles, frustrated.

Shu Shuishui rubbed his arm and patted his paws. “If there’s no opening, we can create one.” Saying that, he waved his paw, and the group saw a small mound of soil rising at their feet, along with a mouse hole. But Gu Langu quickly bent down and picked up the invisible dormouse. “No need to dig. Let’s wait for him to come out on his own.”

“None of the Mang Yas in the village have taken any action, indicating that we haven’t been exposed. Yang Tianjun can’t stay underground all the time. The clone bodies have been modified to require less food, but he is still a normal human.”

“But what if he has stored a large amount of food underground?” Qing Mengxing asked.

“No, there’s food residue in the village, and it’s fresh. Besides, staying underground for an extended period can cause psychological issues. Yang Tianjun isn’t an expert in construction, and from the summer floods until now, there hasn’t been enough time for significant changes. The underground space shouldn’t be extensive. Maybe we can look for a ventilation shaft,” Cheng Que suggested.

Qing Mengxing found it challenging to stay calm. “I want to go in now; I feel he’s very close.”

Cheng Que attempted to reassure Qing Mengxing. “We can’t afford any mistakes. Let’s wait for a day, and if there’s no movement by tomorrow, we’ll launch a direct assault.”

After a moment of silence, Qing Mengxing accepted the proposal. He understood that now was the time to be extremely cautious, and any mistakes were not an option.

The group had warmth-boosting talismans, so they didn’t feel cold. They thought they would have to wait for a while, but around noon, there was movement in the village.

Many Mang Yas from various houses came out. They seemed to be following orders to patrol the village, while a few headed towards the woods outside the village. Shortly after, one of them returned, carrying a wild rabbit, and then proceeded to prepare it for a barbecue.

The group realized that these Mang Yas were following Yang Tianjun’s orders – patrolling, hunting, and cooking.

As expected, when the rabbit was about to be fully cooked, a door in the courtyard opened, leading downwards. A middle-aged man emerged, looking ordinary with a bit of gray hair, wearing glasses, and dressed in heavy winter clothing. He headed towards the room filled with the aroma of cooked meat.

Yang Tianjun ate his lunch as usual, watching the Mang Yas with a sense of satisfaction. “Today’s rabbit seems a bit thin. You’re getting less and less useful. Do you need to be replaced?”

The Mang Ya’s expression contorted, but they stood there obediently.

Yang Tianjun clicked his tongue. “Why bother? Is it so hard to be obedient? Without me, would you have survived until now?”

Yang Tianjun finished speaking, and moments later, his hand suddenly went limp, his face displayed a bewildered expression, and he fell flat on his back. His facial muscles twitched mechanically, his eyes were still open, but he couldn’t react.

Shu Shuishui thought, ‘The nerve-paralyzing drug from the system works quite well. Colorless and tasteless, it easily subdued Yang Tianjun, but it’s a bit expensive, costing ten invisibility talismans.’

The group believed they had succeeded, and they were about to remove their invisibility talismans when the nearby Mang Ya suddenly spoke, “Who are you? If I die, all the Mang Yas will go out of control!”

The room remained silent.

The Mangya continued in a mechanical tone, “Is it nerve paralysis? But I was prepared for this. This statement automatically triggers after I lose consciousness. As long as I’m alive and my brain is functioning, I can control the Mang Yas. However, if I die, all the clones will lose control, going on a rampage, slaughtering every living being they encounter.”

Inside the room, there was still no response. Shu Shuishui and the others were communicating in their minds, and their earlier speculation had indeed turned out to be true – Yang Tianjun’s control over the Mang Yas had reached a highly intricate level. To prevent himself from being killed and the Mang Yas from being used by others, Yang Tianjun had set up a self-destruct mechanism.

In this critical moment of dilemma, the system’s voice rang out, “Want to have a complete soul? Want to break free from control? Bind with the system, no disadvantages, no disadvantages, and effortlessly enjoy the warm care from the system.”

Yu Jin was almost choked by the sudden advertisement but quickly realized that the system could release Yang Tianjun’s control over the Mang Yas, but the condition was to bind with them. It seemed like going from the frying pan into the fire.

Shu Shuishui’s voice sounded, “Little Frog, you mentioned earlier that you have a Main God System that manages the subsystems, is that true?”

The system quickly responded, “Of course, we have a complete management system, a rich dimensional transaction system, rational task assignments, strict…”

“Little Frog, do you want to become a Main God?” Shu Shuishui asked.

The system seemed to have a momentary glitch, and its voice stalled, “Unless there’s independent recognition from a cosmic spacetime, a new Main God System won’t emerge.”

Shu Shuishui continued, “What do you think of this spacetime?”

The system remained silent for a moment before responding, “I don’t understand the significance of doing so.”

Shu Shuishui said, “Because Yang Tianjun is not like Shi An’an; he deserves and has the ability to bind with the best system. Since we’re all systems, why not become a Main God, stay in this spacetime, and let Xiao Feng Feng and everyone else help?”

The system replied, “This place is about to be destroyed.”

Shu Shuishui countered, “No, we have a strong backing, called the Huanxing Continent. I’ll introduce you to it later.”

The system: “…” Why did it feel a bit intriguing? Strange, did the system have a heart too?