Chapter 581: Escalation of Conflict

Chapter 581 Escalation of Conflict

Dawn City, Alliance Tower.

Sitting on the sofa in the reception room, Yi Chuan rolled up his right sleeve, glanced at the time projected on his wrist, then pulled the sleeve back down.

It was midnight.

He was certain that in this building, completed barely two months ago, only the lamp in this reception room was lit at this hour.

The thought that his colleagues were all asleep while he was still toiling away at work made him yawn involuntarily, a long, weary yawn.

Logically, this ungodly hour was hardly the time for discussing matters.

Yet as the representative of Silver Wing Group and the corporation’s ambassador to the Alliance, listening to the voice of the Alliance’s leader was part of his duty.

Thus, even if this time troubled him, after receiving a summons from the Alliance Administrator’s office, he had dressed and rushed over immediately.

Of course, if after his hasty arrival, the esteemed Administrator wished to discuss nothing more than trivialities—like subsidies for aid teachers, the construction timeline for compulsory schools, or the budget for runway repairs—then he wouldn’t hold back his tongue.

If that were the case, he would complain bitterly!

Thinking this, a smile crept onto Yi Chuan’s face.

On a personal level, he rather liked the man.

Though when it came to Alliance matters, that man was always penny-pinching, never missing a chance to gain an advantage, those who had dealt with him privately knew that he was only like that at work; in private, he was quite straightforward.

Perhaps that was the duality of human nature.

But precisely because of this, every time they met in such a manner, Yi Chuan had to be fully alert, never letting his guard down.

A moment’s inattention, and he might fall into a trap dug by that man…

Just then, footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.

Lost in thought, Yi Chuan instinctively straightened up, looked toward the door where a knock sounded, and cleared his throat.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

Chu Guang, dressed in casual clothes, pushed the door open and walked in.

“Sorry to disturb your rest at this hour, but we have an emergency… Please understand that we had to bypass normal procedures to meet with you.”

Closing the door behind him, he walked over and sat on the sofa opposite Yi Chuan.

Seeing Chu Guang without his power armor, Yi Chuan was a bit surprised—he had thought the armor was permanently attached to the man.

It was clear that he, too, had just gotten out of bed not long ago.

The thought that he wasn’t the only one working overtime at this hour eased Yi Chuan’s mind somewhat.

“I understand. Urgent matters call for flexibility. So, can you tell me… what’s so urgent?”

Chu Guang didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took out a memory card, placed it on the coffee table, and slid it with his index finger toward Yi Chuan.

Staring at the fingernail-sized card, Yi Chuan frowned slightly.

“This is…”

Looking at the puzzled Yi Chuan, Chu Guang spoke seriously.

“This matter can’t be explained in a few words. To avoid any communication barriers, before we start our discussion, I hope you’ll review this material first.”

“…”

Yi Chuan shot Chu Guang a suspicious glance.

Urged on by the latter’s gaze, he ultimately asked nothing, took out a folded pair of holographic glasses from his pocket, flicked them open, and set them on his nose.

Then he picked up the tiny memory card and inserted it into the slot on the side of the glasses’ frame.

A green light blinked, and a stream of data flashed across the lenses, dense points of light flooding the eyes behind them.

After a brief scan of the material on the card, Yi Chuan’s expression gradually grew subtle.

The origins of the Qi tribe could be traced back to a biological research institute of the Construction Committee’s Technical Department in the Cloud Province a century and a half ago!

The first mutants to reach Jinhe City were actually the researchers from the “Completed Life Form” project team!

And their arrival directly led to the fall of Singularity City!

As a citizen of Elysium, seeing such material naturally didn’t sit well with Yi Chuan.

After all, for the corporation, that incident a century and a half ago was indeed a dark chapter in its history.

Even if the split of the Construction Committee wasn’t solely one party’s fault, it was a fact that the Production Department had lit the fuse first.

To this day, many in Elysium’s historical circles still believe that the “Cloud Province Revival Act” and its crude enforcement bore undeniable responsibility.

Though the residents of Elysium had reviewed that history, neither whitewashing nor hiding it, the sudden emergence of new clues after so long was still somewhat unpleasant.

Especially now, when they had just decided to inherit the will of the Pioneer, intending to correct a century of mistakes and stride out of Elysium with heads held high…

His index finger lightly tapping the side of the glasses frame, one eye visible behind the reflective lenses, Yi Chuan looked at Chu Guang incredulously and asked in a questioning tone.

“These… are they true?”

Chu Guang nodded.

“I wouldn’t claim this is one hundred percent accurate intelligence, but I can assure you it’s based on objective and impartial investigation results.”

This included not only data compiled by players on the official forum but also intelligence gathered by his Praetorian Guard through interviews and surveys around Jinhe City.

Yi Chuan leaned back on the sofa and sighed softly.

“To be honest, seeing all this shocked me… so much so that I don’t know what to say.”

“On a personal level, I’d prefer to think there might be some misunderstanding. After all, this is just an investigation report, with most evidence coming from rumors of dubious authenticity. At least here, I don’t see solid, conclusive proof.”

His wording was cautious.

He neither affirmed the material nor completely denied it, opting for a stance that allowed retreat or advance.

Pausing, Yi Chuan continued.

“From the standpoint of the Supreme Council, we regret what happened a hundred and fifty years ago, but that isn’t part of the Council’s work. Our authority reflects the collective will, but as for what that will is, it might be more appropriate to leave it to academia and the public to discuss.”

“If today’s meeting is to ask for my opinion on this material, my opinion is… you should be summoning the media, not me.”

Seeing Yi Chuan’s cautious expression, Chu Guang could tell with his toes that the man had likely misunderstood, thinking he was trying to squeeze something out of them again, and had thus assumed a defensive posture from the start.

Ridiculous.

Did he look like that kind of shallow person??

Making a helpless face, Chu Guang patiently continued.

“You’ve misunderstood. I’m not trying to pressure you with this material, nor am I seeking compensation on behalf of the survivors of Jinhe City… We have no right to represent others. What we want to discuss with you isn’t the past, but the present.”

“…The present?” Yi Chuan stared at him, confusion gradually rising in his eyes.

The material in his hand seemed nothing but old, settled accounts.

Chu Guang nodded.

“A hundred and fifty years ago, the Production Department launched a raid on the Technical Department’s biological research institute in Cloud Province, causing the technicians of the ‘Completed Life Form’ project to flee with experimental data. Many of the mutants on the wasteland today emerged from that—”

Yi Chuan interrupted him angrily.

"That statement is biased! The Valiant Lab on the West Coast is also a research institution for 'Complete Lifeforms,' and chronologically speaking, the Legion took control of related research units far earlier than we did!"

"I'm not saying we're blameless, but claiming 'mutants were created by us' is completely irresponsible speculation! In fact, we've been exterminating those beasts—over the past century, at least half the bullets we've fired have been aimed at mutants!"

"I know, please let me finish," Chu Guang continued patiently. "We're well aware that the 'Complete Lifeform' project wasn't handled by a single research institution. Beyond the facilities controlled by the Corporation, the Legion, and the Academy, there might even be other rogue labs conducting that unfinished research behind closed doors. That's why there are so many mutant variants."

"If it were just a bunch of mad scientists shaking test tubes in a shelter, I'd say the risks of the experiments themselves might be manageable... But now, a group of lunatics has spent twenty years quietly expanding the scale of their experiments and pushing their research forward by any means necessary."

Yi Chuan frowned deeply.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

Chu Guang placed a computer pen on the table and swiped his index finger through a beam of blue light. Several holographic images floated before Yi Chuan.

In the center was a drone aerial shot.

Beside it were several combat recordings from the players' first-person perspectives.

These videos had been relayed back to Dawn City via signal repeaters before the "Seagull" was hijacked by the Torch Church's electronic warfare operation.

Staring at the twisted, grotesque faces and the tide of shambling corpses, Yi Chuan couldn't help but swallow.

"What the hell are these... Devourers?"

"Without a doubt, they're alive—or at least they were. Now... they're more like the living dead."

Seeing Yi Chuan's disbelief, Chu Guang continued.

"When have you ever seen a Devourer wearing clothes?"

Yi Chuan said nothing, his eyes fixed on the holographic screen.

Looking at his silent friend, Chu Guang went on.

"This settlement is called Pinecone Farm. The Torch Church took it over and used an addictive fungal crop called Naguo to turn the residents into their puppets, helping them carry out the 'Complete Lifeform' experiment."

"You call this an experiment?" Yi Chuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he struggled to speak. "What kind of experiment is this?"

Chu Guang shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I don't know either. We tried to investigate, but our people got trapped inside as soon as they entered, falling into the carefully laid trap of those madmen."

"To be honest, we initially thought they were allying with mutants just for their combat power, but now it seems everything was orchestrated for the 'Complete Lifeform' itself."

"Torch... is that the same Torch? Could it be connected to the Enlightenment Society?" Yi Chuan muttered, chewing over the name.

Chu Guang pondered for a moment before offering his view.

"I'm more inclined to think they're unrelated. The difference between them is like that between the mutants in the Great Wasteland and those on the East Coast. One is a continuation of the pre-war Torch Project, prepared by the Human Alliance for the most extreme scenarios; the other seems more inspired by it."

"They share a common goal: believing the world should be destroyed once, not reformed on the old order. But in execution, they're fundamentally different. One leans toward using the neutron sterilization technology of the old era; the other pins its hopes on the unfinished singularity technology of the Prosperity Era... replacing old humanity with new humans, gradually completing their world reboot plan."

Even the most extreme ideals can be divided into relatively moderate reformists and relatively radical revolutionaries.

In terms of methods, the Enlightenment Society is clearly more radical—they outright deny the wastelanders' right to exist. Yet in the final outcome, those elitists are actually more conservative.

At least they believe the new world should still be ruled by humans, with elites they recognize dominating every aspect of society, rather than turning into some kind of new humanity.

But the Torch Church is different.

They aim for a species-level ascension, a complete leap from the shell of old humanity to a new one.

Even if old-era humans could survive in the utopia they envision, they'd only exist as livestock without political rights.

Only the chosen new humans could live as gods in that utopia.

The mental interference device was prepared for this latter purpose.

In the distant old era, making people willingly abandon or completely give up their brains required countless Mr. Houses bombarding them and a whole systematic process. Even with massive investment, a few small mistakes could render it all incoherent.

But with Naguo's help, they could easily turn settlement after settlement into farms or plantations without saying a word.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Yi Chuan's forehead.

If ten minutes ago he wasn't keen on getting involved in the dispute between the Alliance and regional survivor factions, after seeing this data, he realized he had to report it to the Council immediately.

Mental interference technology wasn't a secret—it had made headlines back in 2113, nothing compared to singularity tech like Complete Lifeforms.

But he never imagined that old relic could find a second life in the wasteland like this.

The Council probably hadn't expected it either.

After all, Jinchuan Province or Haiya Province—both were too far away...

Seeing Yi Chuan silent, Chu Guang continued.

"Pinecone Farm is a microcosm of the settlements under the Torch Church's dioceses. Similar things are common in Jinchuan and even Haiya Province. On the surface, those settlements look no different from ordinary ones, but their core has long been replaced by the Church's puppets... And now, the green plague is spreading north."

"Originally, Naguo was a tropical crop, but the Torch Church modified it to grow even in subtropical climates... If they're allowed to continue this dangerous experiment, it won't just be Jinchuan Province that falls—the eastern provinces and even Yunjian Province won't be spared. Or do you think you can stop your own residents or neighbors from eating that stuff?"

Yi Chuan looked at Chu Guang seriously. "I understand what you mean. This is indeed no small matter... I'll report it to the Council immediately!"

Chu Guang nodded, equally serious.

"I'm glad you grasp the urgency. But reporting is one thing—we need to make more people aware of their scheme and take action while spreading the word. If the Council debates for a month while we wait for another wave to pass, Jinchuan Province might be beyond saving."

Hearing this, Yi Chuan's face showed reluctance.

Acting without the Council's judgment was against protocol.

"...You know that's impossible. Even if I wanted to help, as a diplomat, I don't have that authority."

Chu Guang didn't give up.

"Then do what's within your authority. We don't need military assistance—the Alliance's ground forces are second to none—but we need your technical support! Specifically, we need an electronic warfare expert!"

Reinforcements were already on their way to Pinecone Farm and would arrive soon.

But without suppressing the enemy in electronic warfare, their smart weapons couldn't operate at full efficiency.

Unfortunately, hacking wasn't Xiao Qi's specialty—she was just an assistant AI.

Even though the shelter had near-absolute defense in information security, that was thanks to the protection programs running on its servers. Xiao Qi could only tap into those resources.

And Xiao Qi's mainframe was in the shelter, eight hundred kilometers from the front lines. It was too much to ask an MT to fight through high ping and interference.

He needed an electronic warfare expert on-site to solve the problem.

Including securing the drones.

Including dragging that bishop named Luo Qian out of his so-called sanctuary...

Hearing Chu Guang's request, Yi Chuan fell into thought. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, his eyes lit up and he sat up straight.

"That's easy! There happens to be an electronic warfare expert in Dawn City!"

Chu Guang immediately asked.

"Who?"

Yi Chuan's eyes gleamed.

"Eclipse!"

"A-110 model androids—every one of them is a master of electronic warfare!"

……

Just as Chu Guang finished his meeting with the corporate representatives, in the urban area of Jinhe City not far from the farm, a large contingent of mutant warriors had also completed their assembly.

A burly, half-cyborg mutant brute stepped heavily before Gahn, clasped his fists, and spoke in a low voice.

“Kulu, assembled!”

Behind him, a sea of green heads jostled, stretching out in an endless, chaotic mass.

Most of these mutant warriors had undergone cybernetic modifications, differing only in degree.

Some had replaced their hearts with iron, others had swapped their forearm bones for alloy steel, or mounted a cannon or chainsaw on their arms.

Unlike the rabble led by Oge,

Kulu’s men were the elite of the Qi tribe—hulking brutes like Pido were everywhere here.

The Qi tribe’s honor had been squandered by those weaklings; they had lost to a bunch of cowardly, timid two-legged sheep!

Kulu swore he would reclaim the tribe’s glory!

Gahn stared expressionlessly at Kulu, nodded slowly, then turned his gaze to the dense throng of mutant warriors behind him and raised his voice in a thunderous roar.

“Our allies are in trouble!”

“Those who trouble them are the same ones who killed our brothers!”

“To Pinecone Farm!”

“The survivors there are our tribute—food!”

To rouse these bloodthirsty beasts, no grand speeches were needed; just telling them where to vent their savage urges was enough.

The craving for blood and brutality ignited in an instant, and deafening cheers echoed through the rubble-strewn city.

Mutants brandished their weapons, howling and bellowing at the top of their lungs.

“Oooh!”

“Eat them!!”

……

A massive wave of mutants set out from the eastern district of Jinhe City, converging on Pinecone Farm.

At the same time, a towering steel airship was departing from Dawn City, heading toward Jinchuan Province.

What had begun as a mere infiltration operation of barely twenty people was now escalating in scale as each side piled on its stakes.

That settlement of fifty thousand souls had unknowingly found itself at the storm’s center.

The Torch Church, too, was caught off guard by this turn of events.

When they learned from the bishop that the Alliance’s airship was heading for Jinchuan Province, the apostles at Pinecone Farm changed color instantly.

They had initially planned to turn the tables, using the little rats infiltrating their pasture for an interesting experiment, while teaching the Alliance to the north a small lesson.

But they hadn’t expected those northerners to be such sore losers—when the infiltration went awry, they simply flipped the table.

They weren’t afraid of a military clash with the Alliance, nor did they believe an organization barely a year old could be their match.

Yet they were clearly unprepared for an immediate war, and no one had anticipated the Alliance would dispatch an airship at such a critical moment, just before the tide.

Eight hundred kilometers away—by the time the airship arrived, it would be tomorrow morning.

Still, they weren’t naive enough to think the Alliance had only airships…

The four apostles fretted like ants on a hot pan, urgently debating their next move, while not far away, the manor echoed with relentless gunfire.

In the underground research lab of the annex,

Ye Shi pulled the short blade from the arm of that Torch Church “Executioner,” stripped his gear, and bound his hands and feet with plastic zip ties.

The VM data copy was complete.

He shoved the prisoner into the room housing the mental interference device, pressing a gun to his head as he threatened,

“Shut this thing down!”

Wu Zhe smirked, letting out a dry chuckle.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m just a soldier… no idea how to turn it off. Why don’t you try blowing it up?”

Ye Shi didn’t waste words—he kicked him in the gut.

Biting back the searing pain in his forearm, Wu Zhe clenched his teeth, stared at Ye Shi with a cold laugh, and silently lamented the missed opportunity.

If he could trick this guy into blowing up the mental interference device beneath Pinecone Farm, that would count as completing his mission.

In fact, just minutes ago, Ye Shi had considered blowing the place up—but after reading the data downloaded from the terminal, he immediately abandoned the idea.

Simply turning off the mental interference device wouldn’t restore those outside to normal; it was like smashing a monitor to shut down a computer.

The device induced test subjects into a “trance state,” but what truly turned the locals into “Gnawers” was the 03-band signal it emitted.

That machine had already etched chaotic information into their brains; whenever they entered the trance, they became the monsters they were now.

It was only a matter of degree.

Unless other band signals were fed through the device to re-brainwash those affected by the Nago fruit,

they would likely regain sanity sporadically, then go mad again… better to leave them as they were.

At least, in their shared trance, they wouldn’t slaughter each other.

Gazing at the prisoner who refused to speak, Ye Shi gritted his teeth, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and headed out of the lab.

Wu Zhe winced in pain, shut his eyes, and said nothing more.

The little girl called Little Lamb stood trembling at the door, watching the two emerge from the lab in bewilderment.

When her eyes met Ye Shi’s, she looked away in shame, unable to face him.

Optical camouflage only worked in slow movement; shifting between areas of different brightness also left obvious flaws.

Clearly, she had seen that man.

But under the Executioner’s threat, she had stayed silent—perhaps even confessed that only she was inside—and then watched helplessly as he crept in with his rifle to ambush him.

Yet Ye Shi didn’t blame her for not warning him.

To be honest, if she had screamed, it would have been a nuisance—not only endangering her but also tipping off the enemy, ruining his chance to turn the tables with his talent.

“Things have changed—I need you to stay down here for a bit… Keep an eye on Yinyin, don’t let her hurt herself, but don’t get too close either.”

At these words, Little Lamb’s eyes filled with despair and bitterness, but she said nothing, only nodding silently.

She had betrayed those who helped her; being left behind was nothing to argue about…

Seeing that the precocious little thing seemed to have misunderstood again, Ye Shi smiled, reached out, and ruffled her hair.

“What are you thinking? I’m not abandoning you here—just asking you to wait a while… If you’re tired, take a nap. I’ll be back soon.”

Little Lamb whispered,

“Where are you going…”

“To kill every last one of those bastards!” Ye Shi grinned, leaving behind what he thought was a cool silhouette as he strode toward the stairwell.

Wu Zhe, dangling from his hand, sneered and curled his lip.

Kill them all? What a load of fucking bullshit!