CH 65

anslator: bittercoffee

Chapter 65: Surprise Attack

“We can estimate Turing’s abilities by the death dahlia’s range of control,” Zhou Yu replied.

“Hm, that sounds logical. Turing’s ability to infect and manipulate other creatures comes from the genes the death dahlia gave him. In theory, his abilities should be within that range.” Mo Ye nodded and took half a step forward, coming closer to Zhou Yu. The intensity of his gaze was more pronounced. “But I still prefer my method, which is direct and effective.”

“As for the second question, Turing has already taken off his locator, how do we find him again?”

“Aha, I bet it was Song Zhi who told you to ask that question, correct?”

Mo Ye’s had an “I wouldn’t want to tell you even if I knew the answer” look on his face.

“If you don’t want to tell me, then I can go back to bed right now.” Zhou Yu made to turn and leave.

Mo Ye shook his head helplessly and said, “Since when did willfulness become your privilege, Zhou Yu? Think about Dr. Turing’s feelings at the moment from your human perspective; he has newfound powers he did not possess as a human being, and now he is eager to test them out and change everything around him to continue to control and expand his army. So, he wants to gain more power. To do this, he needs to be reinfected by an even more powerful organism that has lost the ability to reproduce and carries the virus, thereby allowing him to inherit its ability. What organism do you think is more powerful than the death dahlia?”

Zhou Yu’s pupil instinctively dilated. “S rank organisms.”

“Yes, S rank organisms. I was worried that you lacked the imagination to accept my point of view!” Mo Ye shrugged his shoulders and continued, “So now all Song Zhi needs to find is an S rank organism infected with the virus. The rest is up to you, I’m powerless to help you any more than that. If Turing finds the organism before you, then you lose. Don’t forget to consider my offer, Zhou Yu. We worked well together last time, didn’t we?”

Zhou Yu took a step back. “Let’s end things here for today. Good night, Mo Ye.”

“Good night, Zhou Yu. Next time, I want to watch King Kong. Mo Ye went back one step at a time and came to sit at his bedside, quietly watching Zhou Yu’s retreating figure.

“I don’t remember the plot of that movie,” Zhou Yu replied.

“But you remember the way I watched the movie.”

Zhou Yu didn’t say anything.

What came to mind was the image of Mo Ye’s back as he crouched on the table with his head tilted up in concentration. At the time, he had seemed so full of yearning and curiosity for the human world. He had felt both regret and sorrow for the ending of King Kong. Zhou Yu had so badly wanted to hold him close and let him know that at least Zhou Yu was not such a cruel and selfish creature.

This was the most wonderful aspect of the human brain; if someone warned you not to think about an elephant, the brain would, on the contrary, want to think about an elephant even more.

Mo Ye smiled. “I didn’t spy on your mind. I just understand you.”

“Goodbye.” Zhou Yu stepped back.

“You should have said… ‘good night,’ so that I can try to sleep better. And I can feel it, you kissed me goodbye in your heart, just like the time you kissed my back,” Mo Ye said, looking after Zhou Yu’s back.

Zhou Yu told Mo Ye’s answer to Song Zhi, who had been waiting for some time. “Mr. Song, it’s near impossible to find an S rank organism infected by the virus.”

Song Zhi adjusted his rimless glasses and replied, “No, actually, we’ve already found one.”

“What is it?” Zhou Yu was very curious.

Song Zhi replied, “The first ancestor, Ymir.”

“What? It’s infected?!” Zhou Yu still remembered that en route to Night Spirit Island, he had once seen the king of kings on land.

It had been so grand and immense, joining together heaven and earth and allowing all the creatures to live in its shade. Billions of years had passed, but in the end, it had all the same been infected with the virus.

“But we’re not certain if the first ancestor Ymir appeals to Turing. As far as we know, Ymir is dead. Our researchers have found it in its original state… Its nerves are no longer active, and there is no indication that it has any thoughts or nutrient transport. It’s impossible for an S rank organism like Ymir to remain in its original state for too long. All the organisms attached to it were also infected with the virus, dying or even becoming extinct due to their inability to reproduce. Its rhizomes extended hundreds, up to thousands of kilometers underground, infecting water sources. In the surrounding lakes and rivers, organisms, including fish and algae, were infected with the virus. The area affected was extremely wide-reaching. It was a devastating blow to the entire ecosystem.”

“Ymir is massive, so merely examining a portion of it can’t confirm its death. Like a wounded man, you can ascertain that he has broken all of his limbs, which would no longer respond to nerve stimulations, but his heart is still there, and so is his brain. Are you sure that you’ve examined its innermost core?”

“Yes. The researchers are your brother, Professor Zhou, and his partner, Professor Bai. If it weren’t because Turing’s target is most likely Ymir, we would have sent both of them out for on-site research. Now, we can only hope that Turing has the same idea as you and that he is going to confirm if Ymir is still alive. We need to get to where Ymir is as quickly as possible, and we need you for this mission, Zhou Yu. I know your sniping skills. If I give you a stable environment to shoot from, you can hit Turing from thousands of meters away.”

Zhou Yu finally understood that Song Zhi had already made plans long ago. In fact, there was no need to select from the best snipers. What Song Zhi really wanted to choose was a helicopter pilot who could match Zhou Yu.

“Wu Yun will be your observer. I know you two have a good rapport,” Song Zhi said.

“Yes, a partner with good compatibility and guts can increase our chances of survival.”

“As well as being a stable pilot.”

That night, not ten minutes after Zhou Yu had returned to his bedroom, he received orders for an emergency assignment. He and Wu Yun arrived at the helipad, where a young girl with tanned skin in her early 20s was sitting.

“Hey! It’s the first time I’ve seen a female pilot!” Wu Yun said in a loud voice.

The sound of the helicopter starting up was extremely loud. Everyone had to speak up.

The other person didn’t say a word, only continuing to chew gum until Zhou Yu also sat inside.

“Hello, I’m Zhou Yu.”

She glanced at the rifle across Zhou Yu’s back and gave a noncommittal hum.

“I’m Li Shengnan.”

The name almost made Wu Yun laugh out loud. [1] Just as he was about to speak, the helicopter took off, the angle nearly causing Wu Yun to hit his forehead.

Zhou Yu read over the assignment. They were heading to the Peryton lair closest to the base.

The lair was inhabited by dozens of Perytons, three of which had been released from the base and carried special markings on their bodies. What Zhou Yu had to do was to hit those targets from a distance of 1,500 meters.

“Do you know that this is a test?” Zhou Yu asked.

Li Shengnan flashed a smile. “Of course I know. I hope I can pass the test and become your partner! Zhou Yu, you’re a legend among us. There are many tales about you!”

“Alright, alright, let’s end the ‘getting to know you’ part here. You can ask me if you want to know more about the legends around Zhou Yu. We need to finish the test right now, and the sooner we do so, the sooner we can go back to bed. God knows if Juli Corp has any other tricks up their sleeve to make the test more difficult.” Wu Yun frowned. He had a feeling that the test would not be as simple as just shooting the Perytons.

In the thick of the night, the helicopter slowly took off from the base and headed towards the target lair. The entire primeval forest was submerged in night.

Zhou Yu put on special night vision goggles and set up the sniper rifle.

Wu Yun was at his side, keeping watch for him.

The primeval forest through the night vision goggles appeared in various gradation levels. Different creatures reflected different colors due to the heat difference.

Zhou Yu found the Perytons’ lair through the scope of the sniper rifle. Just as he narrowed his eyes to lock in on the target, an unusual sound came from the sky. It was a bit shrill, but it seemed to come from something sizable.

Li Shengnan said in a cold voice, “Bad news, we’ve encountered giant three-eyed birds!”

“What? Did I hear you right? It’s nighttime and the giant three-eyed birds are out and about?”

Wu Yun immediately contacted Song Zhi and requested to terminate the mission.

At this time, Song Zhi was sitting at his desk with a cup of coffee in front of him and another cup across from him.

When Song Zhi heard Wu Yun’s voice, his pupils flashed. Just as he lowered his head to say something, the visitor opposite him put a hand over his communication device.

“Mr. Song, you have so far correctly made every decision that Mr. Eaton has hoped for, and this time, you should be careful as well. Because you only need to be wrong once—no matter how many times you’ve been right before—for it to all be worth nothing.”

A look of surprise flashed through Song Zhi’s eyes, which were usually devoid of emotion. “You were sent by him?”

“What do you think? We were all brought up by Mr. Eaton. He controls and knows everything.”

“We don’t have any more elites like Zhou Yu and Wu Yun.” Song Zhi stared intensely into the other man’s eyes.

“So, let them do what only the elite can do. This is what making the best possible use of resources means.” A smile tugged at his lips while deeper meanings were hidden behind his eyes.

At this time, Wu Yun’s voice came through again. “Mr. Song! The situation has changed from the test setup! Requesting evacuation! Requesting evacuation!”

Song Zhi looked at the man opposite him, and the hand on the radio transceiver loosened. Song Zhi lowered his head. In a bland, monotone voice, he said, “During a real assignment, you will often encounter various situations. Facing Turing, there will be even more uncertainties. Those giant three-eyed birds are one of them. Good luck. I hope you can deal with the obstacles and complete the test.”

The call ended.

“Good choice.” The other man smiled as he stood up.

“Don’t forget, you’re also in this world. When your life is on the line, there won’t be a second Zhou Yu to save you.” Song Zhi looked up at him.

“You shouldn’t think about being ‘saved.’ You and I, we’re both expendable.”

The other man finished his coffee, put down the cup, and left Song Zhi’s office.

Wu Yun cursed helplessly. “That guy must have done it on purpose! Maybe these three-eyed birds were also sent by the base!”

“There’s no point in talking about that now,” Li Shengnan said. “Hold on tight, I’m going lower!”

Immediately after that, they suddenly dropped down as if they were about to crash. Wu Yun clutched the handrail and said, “Hey, you! Didn’t you say we should pay attention? I didn’t have time to pay attention yet!”

After a series of spins and turns, Li Shengnan lowered the height of the helicopter to a level almost parallel to the primeval forest, cutting off the giant birds’ attack from below. The giant three-eyed birds in the air immediately swarmed around them. They dive-bombed them, wanting to crash the helicopter into bits!

Just then, the image of Dr. Turing manipulating the three-eyed birds to destroy the helicopter flashed through Zhou Yu’s mind.

All of a sudden, he wondered if the giant birds were really attacking them in their own state of mind. Was Turing nearby?!

Li Shengnan calmly released a sonic bomb blast, shaking off the first wave of the giant three-eyed birds. From the sky came the shrieking sound of the giant three-eyed birds that had their internal organs ruptured, tormenting their eardrums woefully. As the powerful sound waves spread out, the helicopter experienced a force in the opposite direction and was pushed back, nearly hitting the three-eyed birds behind them.

The helicopter flipped onto its side, almost throwing Wu Yun out of the window. Fortunately, Zhou Yu grabbed onto him.

Just when they thought they would crash, Li Shengnan miraculously gained control over their orientation and balance, and they rose up again. While readjusting to level flight, Li Shengnan released the second wave of sonic blasts, which was just in time to crash into the second wave of attacking birds.

“Holy crap! Li Shengnan, you’re amazing! I wouldn’t trust anyone else to be Zhou Yu’s partner anymore!”

Li Shengnan shouted, “Shut up!” 

Zhou Yu said, “Be quiet and listen!”

The beating of wings from the three-eyed birds came from all directions, growing louder and louder.

Wu Yun then saw dozens of three-eyed birds flying towards them from his night vision goggles.

“It’s an endless wave!”

Zhou Yu could pretty much guess that the situation was not designed by Song Zhi. Turing was nearby! He knew what Zhou Yu and the others wanted to do, so he made the first move!

“If this keeps up, then the sonic blasts will soon run out! We’ll crash before we can get back to the base!” Li Shengnan cool-headedly analyzed their current predicament.

Zhou Yu knew that he had to locate Dr. Turing, but he could be 1,000 meters, 2,000 meters, or even tens of thousands of meters away. He couldn’t pinpoint Turin’s position at all.

Just then, Mo Ye’s voice sounded in his mind. His tone was teasing and he dragged his words out. “Hey, do you still think that Song Zhi’s method is working? Or is it time for you to take my advice?”

Zhou Yu knew what Mo Ye was suggesting.

“Trust me, Zhou Yu. Do you find me less trustworthy than Song Zhi?”

At this moment, Zhou Yu suddenly didn’t want Mo Ye to be able to read him, even more than usual. If he gave Mo Ye control over himself… He had been forced into a desperate situation last time, and he had no path of retreat this time either. Then what about next time? And the next time after that? He would become more and more reliant on Mo Ye’s power, but such power did not belong to him.

Zhou Yu closed his eyes upon seeing the mass of giant three-eyed birds charging at them. He answered Mo Ye in his heart: Fine, I will give you control over my body.

Mo Ye’s chuckle rang through his mind. Its slight helplessness made Zhou Yu’s normally calm emotional state faintly shiver. “What I’m looking forward to is not only you giving me your body.”

After that, Zhou Yu felt a force penetrate deep into his cranial nerves. His eyesight became sharper than usual. The primeval forest, before which could only be seen clearly through night vision equipment, took on a different and clearer appearance. Even the cellular activity within each tree was faintly discernible.

He looked at the three-eyed birds, and a force crashed into his mind like an unstoppable torrent, which then extended outwards from his line of sight and expanded violently in the air, as if it would destroy all cells and material substances.

The three-eyed birds were only two or three hundred meters away from them. Li Shengnan found that there was only one sonic bomb blast left. She had no choice but to alter her flight path, trying to draw a large circle. Unfortunately, the helicopter was not a fighter jet and was unable to outpace the three-eyed birds.

“If this was a fighter jet, maybe I could have blown up all those giant birds!” Li Shengnan slapped the control panel hard.

“Keep this height and direction.” Zhou Yu said in a chilly tone.

“What?” Li Shengnan was dumbfounded. Maintaining the status quo was tantamount to suicide!

Zhou Yu climbed up into the co-pilot’s seat. Wu Yun said coldly, “Do as Zhou Yu says!”

Seeing that the three-eyed birds were about to crash into them, Li Shengnan closed her eyes. She could not resist pressing down the control lever, but Zhou Yu stabilized them.

As if they had hit some kind of barrier, the three-eyed birds bounced back, their wings broken and their bodies torn. Their brains burst from the inside. The air was filled with the cries of the three-eyed birds as they fell one after another. The other three-eyed birds seemed to sense some great danger and abruptly flew away.

“What’s going on?” Li Shengnan’s jaw dropped in complete shock.

Wu Yun knew what had happened. He tapped Zhou Yu on the shoulder. Zhou Yu turned back, but the golden pupils he had last time were nowhere to be seen.

Wu Yun asked tentatively, “Are you Zhou Yu or Mo Ye?”

Zhou Yu replied, “I’m Zhou Yu, of course, but I did borrow a little of Mo Ye’s power.”

“What do we do now? Head back to the base? There’s no point in continuing the test,” Wu Yun asked.

Zhou Yu frowned and looked into Wu Yun’s eyes. “This is an opportunity we may never have again. Since Turing is nearby, we have to find him. I haven’t had the chance to use my rifle yet.”

Wu Yun sat back in his seat and put on his night vision goggles. He looked out of the window. “I support your decision. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we can find Turing.”

Zhou Yu closed his eyes again and asked in his mind, “Mo Ye, I know you can sense where Turing is.”

“You sure are greedy, Zhou Yu. Isn’t being able to keep your life enough?” Mo Ye asked.

“If I lose this chance, then I could be alienized into a lizard monster by Turing next time. Is that what you want to see?”

Mo Ye replied, “Of course not. Those lizard monsters are so unsightly. They lack warmth when hugged and their scales are bumpy. They don’t know what kissing is. It’s boring. I still like the current you. Listen, look in your three o’clock direction. There’s a valley there.”

Zhou Yu looked to where Mo Ye had indicated. It was a place of shadow where crawling lizard monsters could faintly be seen. They were on guard, as if they were worried that something might come.

“How far away is it?” Zhou Yu asked mentally.

Mo Ye replied, “Hm… in your human distance units, I think it’s 1,500 meters away. With your current sniper rifle, do you think you can hit him?”

Zhou Yu replied, “I’m more than 90% sure.”

Mo Ye also asked, “What are the reasons for 10% failure?”

“The rifle bullets are useless against Dr. Turing,” Zhou Yu replied.

He said to Li Shengnan, “I need you to keep flying straight.”

“No problem.”

Wu Yun lifted up his night vision device, “No way, did you find Turing?”

Zhou Yu replied, “Yes.”

He left the co-pilot’s seat and returned to the cabin, calmly setting up the rifle in a stable position and extending the muzzle out of the window.

He steadied his breathing and filtered out the sounds of the wind and helicopter engine from his mind. His heartbeat became incredibly clear, and deep within his mind, there seemed to be another heart beating in sync with him, slowly merging them into one.

Through the scope, he was able to see what Dr. Turing was doing with crystal clarity.

Still in his camouflage suit, he was sitting on a rock with his eyes closed and his arms crossed, seemingly in meditation. His expression was no longer as relaxed as before, likely because he could sense that all the three-eyed birds he controlled had been destroyed by Mo Ye. Dr. Turing, who only had the strength of an A rank organism, did not have the advantage over an S rank organism.

Zhou Yu’s finger was on the trigger. He only had this once chance, and he absolutely could not afford to make a mistake.

Without hesitating, he pulled the trigger the instant he took aim.

The moment the bullet was fired, it passed through layers of air barriers and sped deep into the forest to enter the valley. Zhou Yu watched as Dr. Turing suddenly opened his eyes and dodged extremely quickly to avoid the bullet.

The bullet hit another lizard, who had climbed onto the rock wall behind Turing. It fell instantly.

The other lizard monsters immediately surrounded Dr. Turing and enveloped him in layers until he could not be seen again.

Zhou Yu clenched his fist—he had missed!

“No, you didn’t miss. It’s just that the rifle’s bullets aren’t fast enough. 1,500 meters is far enough for Dr. Turing to feel the bullet approaching.” Mo Ye’s voice did not contain its laid-back and teasing mood from before, and on the contrary, Zhou Yu could feel his seriousness.

“Zhou Yu! Zhou Yu! Did you hit him?” Li Shengnan cried out.

“Missed.” Zhou Yu quickly closed the window, put away the sniper rifle, and leaned back into his seat.

His still heart started to beat again, as if a pair of warm hands were carefully wrapped around it.

Zhou Yu knew that it was Mo Ye who was comforting him.

“At least you proved in advance that sniping Turing is not feasible. It’s better than becoming his prey when you try to snipe him.” Mo Ye’s voice was calm.

His calm-headedness revealed a strength that ordinary humans did not have.

At this time, something was twisting through the primeval forest below them. Suddenly, it burst through the thicket and stretched upwards past all the trees. It was extremely fast and astonishingly powerful, resembling a giant, undulating snake under the moonlight!

Wu Yun turned pale with fright. “Crap! It’s the devil vine! Go higher!”

But a cluster of devil vines had already hit them and snapped off the helicopter’s tail. If it weren’t for Li Shengnan’s speedy response, it would have skewered through the cabin!

Seeing countless devil vines entwined and woven into a net in midair that was thrown at the helicopter, Li Shengnan practically made an about-turn with the helicopter and narrowly escaped a near-death.

Zhou Yu hadn’t expected her piloting skills to be superb to such a level. He and Wu Yun were both impressed.