CH 70

Chapter 70: The Voices of Nibelungen

“You finally asked the right person. If there’s anyone in the world who can do it, then it might just be me. As far as your body is concerned, Zhou Yu’s spinal fluid is an invader. Its effect is like a virus; it will deteriorate your bodily functions and make you lose part of your abilities, thus becoming weak. If you want to regain your abilities, then there are only two methods. The first is akin to antiviral therapy, which kills the spinal fluid that Zhou Yu left in your body in the same way as a virus.”

“Killing… sounds so cruel.” Mo Ye propped up his chin. “I’d better go with a gentler method. I value everything Zhou Yu gives me.”

“The second method is to convert Zhou Yu’s spinal fluid into a part of your body.”

“I like this one.” Mo Ye nodded, showing a childish smile.

Zhou Yu glanced over at Mo Ye. He didn’t understand what kind of creature could combine innocence and sensuality together.

Dr. Jiang also subconsciously gulped.

“But the former is more likely, while the latter nearly crosses the boundary of species. The result all depends on fate!”

Mo Ye caught Zhou Yu’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Hey, I like this little guy.”

Dr. Jiang raised his eyebrows and replied, “I’m not a little guy. And Zhou Yu, you can come out of there now.”

With that, Dr. Jiang went to the door, entered a password and his fingerprint, and the door opened.

Having heard the news, Wu Yun and Zhou Qing rushed over and enveloped Zhou Yu in a hug as he was coming out of the room.

“My God! Brother, something so huge happened to you and no one even told me! If you hadn’t survived, I’d never see you again!”

Zhou Qing almost cried. Although he usually didn’t seem to be close to anyone, Zhou Yu was the only person he cared about.

“If you had been told, you wouldn’t want to work anymore.” Zhou Yu patted Zhou Qing on the back. This was consistent with Song Zhi’s style, to ensure that everyone who came to Nibelungen fulfilled the value of their post.

Bai Yingting smiled as he looked on at the scene of the two brothers embracing. Then his gaze met with Mo Ye’s, and the warmth in his eyes sank down.

He went over and said to Mo Ye in a lowered voice, “You are so impulsive. You almost ruined everything.”

Mo Ye narrowed his eyes and looked straight into Bai Yingting’s eyes, “Senior, you seem to be counting on me to save you? If Zhou Yu finds out what you are, I think he’ll shoot you. What he hates the most is deception.”

Bai Yingting also responded with an indifferent smile, “You can try it. But I will tell him that the only one who can save Zhou Qing is me.”

The two of them smiled at each other. Bai Yingting stretched out a hand to Mo Ye and said, “Pleasure working with you.”

Zhou Yu suddenly turned to them and asked, “Working on what? Since when did you two know each other?”

Zhou Qing also looked over curiously.

Bai Yingting said with a smile, “It seems like Zhou Yu doesn’t know that Mr. Song Zhi is planning to go to the first ancestor Ymir. Zhou Qing and I, as botanists, are also a part of this project. That’s why we’re going to work together. By the way, Mo Ye, did you sense Song Lin’s presence? When is he going to go to the first ancestor Ymir?”

Mo Ye closed his eyes, searching for something. More than ten seconds passed, but he didn’t say a word. No one else knew what was happening, but they kept quiet.

When Mo Ye opened his eyes again, his pupils had turned golden, as if having compressed the whole world into his eyes.

A few seconds later, those eyes abruptly faded back to black.

“It’s no good… I used up too much energy earlier. I can’t sense where Song Lin is.”

He glanced at Bai Yingting as if to say, “You can give it a go.”

Bai Yingting shook his hand, “I’m even weaker than you are right now.”

Zhou Qing didn’t understand. “Professor Bai is weak? Are you sick?”

Bai Yingting replied with a smile. “This is just a metaphor. Compared with Mo Ye, all of us are weak.”

Zhou Qing suddenly remembered how Bai Yingting had taken him out of that laboratory. Just as he was thinking of questioning him when there was no one else around, Bai Yingting’s gaze landed on him.

There was a shallow smile at the corners of his lips, as if he had seen through everything about Zhou Qing.

At this time, Dr. Jiang said, “Eh, just now, I think I heard that Zhou Yu could also sense the locations of other creatures. Since Mo Ye’s ability isn’t enough—I heard that he recklessly threw a temper tantrum and wasted his energy earlier—why don’t you teach Zhou Yu? Maybe he can sense Song Lin’s message.”

Just then, Zhou Yu interjected with another question, “Song Lin? Who is this Song Lin you’ve been talking about?”

Everyone looked at Wu Yun, who sighed and replied, “Song Lin is an S rank organism. I met him on our way back with you on my back. He said that he wanted to join forces with Song Zhi to bring down Turing.”

Looking at Wu Yun, Dr. Jiang cocked his head to the side and said, “Ah, that’s it?”

Wu Yun nodded and said, “That’s it. Is there anything else to say? Oh, by the way, we don’t know when Song Lin plans to act.”

Dr. Jiang covered his face. “It looks like you guys really don’t know anything about Song Zhi’s romance.”

Wu Yun raised his eyebrows and said, “Romance? What romance can Song Zhi have?”

Everyone looked over curiously.

Dr. Jiang directly pulled out a chair next to him and sat down. He crossed his legs and pointed his finger in the air. “Okay, let me tell you about it—Song Lin is the S rank organism that Song Zhi raised from the beginning. At the time, there was a female researcher who was Song Zhi’s fiancée, but she was seduced by an S rank organism and fell pregnant. Of course, she gave birth to an S rank organism. It’s just that this female researcher met a very tragic end.”

Zhou Yu recalled the video of that female researcher that Wu Yun had played during his first training session, and the past that Song Zhi had vaguely mentioned.

So it was true.

“Song Zhi was in agony over this, but the S rank organism born to the female researcher grew up. Because all he saw around him were human beings, he wanted to blend in with us and imitate a human being. At first, Song Zhi couldn’t wait to kill him, but in spite of everything, that S rank organism still had the blood of the female researcher running through his body. He despised the child while simultaneously having no choice but to raise him. Human beings are emotional creatures. It was inevitable that a child who had interacted with him for so long would cause him to develop feelings. That S rank organism stayed by Song Zhi’s side for many years. Song Zhi did not lock him up in a laboratory, instead, he let him grow up freely and gave him the name ‘Song Lin.’”

“Eh… It’s not fair, I’m still locked up in the lab.” Mo Ye pretended to be dissatisfied.

“Song Lin grew up very quickly. Just two years ago, Juli Corp used his spinal cord to create a neurotoxin specifically for the organisms of Nibelungen and wanted to use Song Lin to hunt down his father to avenge the researcher killed by him. Unfortunately, it failed. In order to protect Song Zhi, Song Lin was almost killed by his own father. Nibelungen is a cruel place; a father may not be kind to his son. Song Lin, who was badly injured, finally understood that Juli Corp was using him, and so he left the base and hid elsewhere to recuperate, lie dormant, and search for his biological father.”

Everyone else was silent. Only Mo Ye kept up his smile from beginning to end.

“It’s a touching story. Compared to Song Lin, I’m very lucky that I don’t know who my parents are. I was born an egg.”

He glanced at Zhou Yu and said, “And the person I believe in isn’t Song Zhi, but Zhou Yu. My Zhou Yu has a strong and warm heart.”

Zhou Yu gave Mo Ye a chilly look, then turned to walk outside. “I’m hungry. Wu Yun, let’s go to the cafeteria for dinner.”

“Wait, Dr. Jiang, how do you know about Song Zhi and that S rank organism?” Wu Yun asked curiously.

“What’s so strange about that? Song Zhi and I worked at the same base, and we’re something like friends. Whenever Song Zhi ignored Song Lin in the beginning, that little guy often looked at me with pitiful eyes!” Jiang Jinghang tilted back his head, looking nostalgic about something that happened long ago.

“My God, Song Zhi actually has friends? It’s a miracle! Sure enough… Even the most heinous of villains will be given an open window by God!” Wu Yun sighed.

Jiang Jinghang’s expression cooled, and he said frostily, “This is Nibelungen, not a playground, and there is no outdoor education. There will always have to be someone who plays the villain in order to bring out your greatness.”

Wu Yun fell silent.

When everyone walked away,  Mo Ye came to Bai Yingting’s side and said to him in a mocking tone, “Hey, senior, how much longer can your body last?”

Bai Yingting narrowed his eyes, “Not for much longer. I’ve put my own body into a dormant state, and I don’t know how long I can manipulate this body. Moreover, your abilities are also restricted. It’s impossible to count on Song Zhi to find a way to help you break your shackles. He won’t let you go easily. “

Mo Ye’s lips pulled up an enigmatic smile. “Don’t worry, senior, I’ve already found a way to extend my power.”

“What method?”

“Zhou Yu, of course. I will teach him how to use the power of S rank organisms little by little, and I will also let him gradually adapt to life in Nibelungen.”

“But he’ll always be human.”

Zhou Yu came to the dining hall. When the chef served him a potato stewed beef set meal, he couldn’t wait to send it to his mouth. One set meal was not enough for him. He raised his hand and asked the chef for seconds. The chef hesitated. After all, all the food here was rationed. It wasn’t until the chef saw Song Zhi nod at him from not too far away that he brought out another set meal from the kitchen.

Zhou Yu ate three portions, one after another.

“You must be the reincarnation of a hungry ghost! What’s the matter with you? Stop it, I’m afraid of you hurting your stomach.” Wu Yun held down on the edge of the plate.

When Zhou Yu realized what was going on, he grabbed the edge of the table to suppress his appetite. He didn’t know what was going on with himself, but this time, he had woken up feeling particularly hungry, but no matter how much he ate, it would all be digested very quickly.

Just then, all kinds of voices once again flooded into his mind, crisscrossing and submerging Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu lowered his head and clutched at it with both hands. His brow was deeply furrowed. He wanted to pull himself away from those voices like he did last time, but the more he tried to struggle, the deeper he sank, and the louder and more complex those voices became.

“Remember what I said to you. Their voices have different levels, you are different from them and you are far above them. Don’t think about leaving, think about surpassing them.”

Mo Ye’s unhurried voice that carried a slight chill sounded, and Zhou Yu’s scorching thoughts instantly fell into a sea of ice and quieted down. One layer at a time, it raised itself up until finally, it was above the cacophony.

Wu Yun asked worriedly, “Zhou Yu! What’s wrong? Has your body not recovered yet? Dr. Jiang said that you shouldn’t have any more problems!”

“I’m fine. I just have a headache. I’ll be fine after resting…”

Zhou Yu suddenly stood up and rushed into the bathroom, pressing his hands around the sink. Everything he had just eaten was vomited back out. He threw up until there was only stomach acid left. Zhou Yu turned around and adjusted his breathing with his head tilted back.

At this time, Mo Ye came to him and put a hand over his face. Mo Ye’s temperature was cooler than Zhou Yu’s face. The refreshing sensation made Zhou Yu feel very comfortable.

“I’m sorry that you had to experience my world in this way.”

“If this has already become a reality, then I just want to know how to master this ability. I can’t always rely on your guidance to make myself… not hear those voices anymore.”

Mo Ye propped himself up with a single hand on the edge of the sink, looking at Zhou Yu.

“I know that in your human world, there is something called a bicycle. Balance is needed to master riding a bicycle, and balance is a feeling. Once you find that balance, you will never forget how to ride a bicycle, and controlling the power in your body is the same. Those voices exist objectively because your brain is now different from other human beings. Don’t run away, they are your strength. In the world you grew up in, I don’t think anyone would be afraid of bicycles, right?”

At the moment, Mo Ye possessed calmness and wisdom that does not match the age of his appearance.

There was persistence in his eyes, but even deeper than that, there was detachment. 

“If you want to get in touch with Song Lin, there are two ways. The first way is to let me absorb your blood and recover my strength. The second way is to teach you how to seek out the information you want and get in touch with other organisms to establish contact with Song Lin by yourself.”

“But with our current top priority being the mission, I don’t think Song Zhi will give me the time to learn. If we miss the chance, not only will Song Lin become Turing’s target, but we may never catch him again.”

Zhou Yu stretched out his finger to Mo Ye, and Mo Ye laughed. The smile lines at the corners of his eyes had a mature implication.

“Fingers aren’t enough anymore.”

He lifted Zhou Yu’s wrist and bit down on it. Although Zhou Yu could feel teeth piercing into his skin, immediately following that, a soothing sensation flowed through his nerves and rushed into his brain. Then, the voices changed form into something gentle and rhythmic, like a concerto.

Zhou Yu knew that he was experiencing the world through Mo Ye’s mind.

Everything became inexplicably beautiful. He seemed to hear the soft crooning of some kind of plant. He also seemed to hear certain creatures talking to each other, like whispering tender-hearted confessions. The mire of sounds that Zhou Yu hated had turned into countless interconnections, becoming beautiful.

He didn’t know if it was because Mo Ye was hearing beautiful voices, or if Mo Ye had filtered all the beautiful things for Zhou Yu.

When Mo Ye drew back his teeth from Zhou Yu’s wrist, Zhou Yu sucked in a breath of air, suddenly coming awake.

The world became noisy again. Zhou Yu found that when he stopped concentrating, those sounds would come pouring back into his mind. He couldn’t control himself as easily as Mo Ye.

Mo Ye’s thumb brushed over the place where he had bitten Zhou Yu, rubbing it gently. He lowered his head with a gentle look in his eyes that carried the opposite temperament of a woman’s femininity—tolerant and patient. Compared with Zhou Yu, Mo Ye was currently more like his senior.

“Thank you,” Mo Ye whispered.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t feel any pain anyway. Try to see if you can sense Song Lin’s presence now.”

Mo Ye closed his eyes again. When he opened them, his golden pupils were deeper than before. Staring into his eyes, Zhou Yu could feel the emergence of his power that expanded rapidly in all directions. Nothing could escape its search. Just as it reached a certain level of the hierarchy, another force joined up with Mo Ye. All of a sudden, Mo Ye’s golden eyes were black again.

“I found Song Lin. He’s been tailing Turing the whole time. They will arrive at the location of the first ancestor Ymir in three days.”

“Let’s go and tell Song Zhi now.”

Song Zhi’s hands were clasped together. He looked at Mo Ye with a serious expression and asked, “Can I trust you?”

Mo Ye was lazily sitting opposite him, his left leg draped over the armrest of the chair and swaying gently. His fingers poked at the coffee cup in front of him as he said, “Zhou Yu likes tea, but not coffee.”

“Does the question I asked you have to do with Zhou Yu?” Song Zhi asked.

Mo Ye tilted his head and copied Song Zhi by interlocking his fingers. The same movement appeared rigorous when Song Zhi did it, but Mo Ye made it look lazy with a hint of oppressiveness, like power seeping through the cracks of hell.

Sometimes, Song Zhi couldn’t understand why he always smiled so naively like a child towards Zhou Yu, but showed a completely different expression to other people.

Mo Ye lowered his gaze; time and the world seemed to shuttle in between his eyelashes, leaving no trace behind.

He said, “Of course it does. Everything Zhou Yu hopes for, I hope for too. Everyone Zhou Yu cares about, I care about too. Everyone Zhou Yu believes in, I believe in too. At present, Zhou Yu believes in you, so you can believe in me too, for the time being.”

After a good while, Song Zhi suddenly said, “Can I ask you something?”

Mo Ye looked back up and slowly leaned in towards Song Zhi. There was a certain insight in his gaze, which had completely seen through Song Zhi.

“I know what your request is. You want me to protect Song Lin and keep him alive. But what Song Lin looks forward to, is not just to live.”

Song Zhi turned to the side and gently pulled open his drawer. Inside, there was a book. Song Zhi used his fingers to flip open the first page, which held a photograph in between.

In the photo, Song Zhi was sitting coldly in front of his desk. A youth was sitting on the corner of the desk with a harmonica in his hands, smiling and leaning in towards Song Zhi.

When Song Zhi’s fingertip touched his face, he drew back as if stung.

That night, they received the news that Juli Corp’s Base Three had been seized by Dr. Turing.

When Song Zhi confirmed this news, he was in the middle of working with Zhou Yu and the others on mission deployment.

“What’s in that base?” Wu Yun asked curiously.

Dr. Jiang frowned. “There’s the research laboratory that was first established by Turing. The equipment inside can be used to grow viruses in cell culture, and there’s also a production line for neurotoxins.”

“Are we going to retake that base?”

Song Zhi shook his head. “We will have to, sooner or later. But if we go right now, it will be too late to stop Turing from making use of the first ancestor Ymir.”

“Is there anything else we need to know?” Zhou Yu asked.

“There are dozens of field personnel from that base, like Li Shengnan, who defected to Turing’s side,” Song Zhi replied.

“Oh—that is to say, we have to fight, not only against alienized human beings, but also against Nibelungen organisms being manipulated by him, and against your human traitors. I’m curious, what can they gain from Turing?” Mo Ye took a chocolate from Li Qian, unwrapped it, and put it into his mouth. After taking just one bite, his brows wrinkled.

“Turing has control of Juli Corp’s most advanced scientific research achievements and a lot of research that only he’s privy to. He could make death dahlia alienize him while retaining his human nature, which shows that his biological understanding of Nibelungen has reached a certain degree. It’s no surprise that he’s deciphered the genetic code for the healing abilities and longevity of the organisms here. Just think of Wu Yun. If someone promises you that he knows how to cure your daughter, wouldn’t you follow him, regardless of everything?”

“If Turing had mastered that method, I would go with him if he came to persuade me,” Wu Yun said half-jokingly.

“Turing, as I know him, is a madman. He has a great desire to control power. He won’t be satisfied with just taking over Nibelungen. Since he has kept his human thoughts, he has human desires. He will definitely want to return to the human world, and he has enough to dominate it,” Dr. Jiang replied.

“I have no feelings of heroism to save mankind. All I know is that that guy can’t save my daughter.”

This time, helicopters weren’t dispatched for the mission. Everyone set out in Hummers.

Zhou Yu, Wu Yun, Mo Ye, took the same vehicle. What they didn’t expect was that this time, Song Zhi also set out in person.