Chapter 181 – Key (24)

◎ “Omniscient and Omnipotent” ◎

Do you believe it? At certain moments, people could accurately foresee their own deaths.

Xie Yinquan faced such a moment of super-sensory perception.

His terrified face elongated inch by inch, as if a frozen slow-motion replay. He saw with incredible clarity as Song Ke swung a thunderous blow, hitting the hull of the starship. The so-called “Utopia’s most robust composite material” collapsed, and debris scattered in the air.

Blood-drenched fingers wedged into the porthole, and a powerful and domineering awakened energy swept in. Song Ke’s arm to shoulder muscles tightened to the extreme, pulling both hands forcefully to the sides. Under the destructive force of several hundred tons, the cabin groaned, and a crack tore open.

Ears filled with chaotic screams, torn shouts; Xie Yinquan couldn’t hear anything, only seeing Song Ke descending from the sky like a devil from the depths of hell.

If “flames” were the key to restraining Song Ke’s abilities, then “blood-red building blocks” were the core of the entire siege.

Inside the “blood-red building blocks”, hundreds of starships, an orderly armed fleet, and various high-level awakeners were all played with at will by Xie Yinquan. He was the master of the field and the high-end hunter, secretly manipulating everything in the field.

Tonight’s massacre here would remain unknown.

When the sun rose tomorrow, the Alliance would still be calm and peaceful.

Unfortunately, everything ended at this moment.

“Stop her! Don’t let her come over!!”

“Quick, protect the family head, protect Lord Xie Yinquan!”

High-level awakeners around disregarded everything to rush forward and block. In the limited space, various attacks collided, and wounds on Song Ke’s body increased. Her back was pierced, her waist burned, and her abdomen formed a gruesome bloody hole, yet she seemed to feel no pain. She advanced relentlessly, with only one goal in her eyes: the owner of the “blood-red building blocks.”

At the last moment when consciousness departed, Xie Yinquan met Song Ke’s eyes and understood the unspoken verdict:

You’re dead.

Then, the cold blade pierced his heart, and the next second, the azure tiger claws exploded his face, and his head and body went separate ways.

Thud! Thud! The head was hammered into a mess, like damaged building blocks, never to be reassembled.

Song Ke’s momentum remained unabated as she slid to the heavily protected Xie Ping in the swaying starships.

Fresh blood dripped down the fingertips, quickly forming a small pool of blood at the feet. The icy tiger claws stopped in front of Xie Ping, his breath stopped abruptly, his face pale. On the connected heart rate monitor, all indicators instantly surpassed the threshold, emitting a piercing alarm.

“I won’t kill you.” Song Ke glanced at the blank screen transmitted from the central hub, casually waved her hand, “You’re about to die.”

Killing Xie Ping now would be too easy for him. Song Ke realized he wouldn’t live much longer. Since the central hub didn’t have what he wanted, Xie Ping would despairingly witness his life come to an end in the countdown to death.

Song Ke stood up. In the unbelieving eyes of everyone, all the wounds on her body healed at a visible speed. Blood vessels connected, muscles renewed, scars faded, and even the concave abdominal cavity slowly rebounded. She transformed from a near-death state to a normal person.

With the second ability plus powerful sealing agent, her body’s recovery speed was far beyond the understanding of an ordinary person.

Song Ke stepped back, opened her hands like a light feather, and her entire body fell out of the cabin. Just as she was about to leave, she kicked fiercely with her toe. The entire starship lost control and plummeted. With a loud crash, smoke rose.

With the user dead, the “blood-red building blocks” collapsed.

The scene spun before their eyes. The starship formation in the sky was disrupted, with some even moving elsewhere. The fragmented scene restored, and the real scene emerged. They were right at the junction of Lozan and Fenak, not far behind was the sea connecting the north and south of the Alliance.

Song Ke landed rapidly, stumbled back a couple of steps, and a pair of slender hands steadied her back.

She turned around, met Zhuang Qingyan’s deep eyes, and smiled with curved eyelashes, “It’s empty!”

“Yeah, empty.” Zhuang Qingyan nodded.

“Where did you hide the thing?” Song Ke asked curiously.

“Nowhere.” Zhuang Qingyan held her hand and slowly placed it on his slightly cool forehead, “From the beginning to the end, it has always been here.”

Song Ke was stunned. For some reason, this answer gave her a somewhat uneasy feeling.

The wheelchair glided across the ground, and Lu Xiaoyu’s hoarse voice said, “One bad news, the domain is broken, but the signal hasn’t been restored.”

Those isolated from communication were not only Xie Yinquan. Lu Xiaoyu looked towards Lu Qiusuo, his icy pupils faintly flickering. After all, there was still a puppet controlled by super artificial intelligence on the scene.

*

Within the group of starships, the command channel fell into complete silence.

The central hub left behind by Vincent was empty, rendering the existence of the Key meaningless. All the Alliance’s efforts over the years seemed to be in vain. Could it be that all the achievements had truly been buried in history? No, it was impossible. Vincent’s obsession with the Eternal Life Plan was too deep. How could he destroy his own hard work?

After a moment, the people came back to their senses, and discussions ensued:

“There must be backup copies of the data. How else was the research on Ning Rong’s organ regeneration conducted?”

“Yes, Vincent left something behind. That kid must know!”

“Find a way to open the Key. Maybe the central hub has been transferred…”

“It’s difficult. He’s a mental-type awakener, and even Sofia failed.”

Key… central hub… mental-type awakener…

The mixed clues gradually connected, and a scholar from Liuponi frowned in contemplation. Suddenly, he raised his head and exclaimed:

“I know! Without the central hub, from start to finish, Vincent has been using illusions to conceal the truth!”

“The key is the central hub!”

“What do you mean?”

The scholar’s chest rose and fell. He had to take a deep breath to calm his excited emotions. “The Key… Xie Zhuo was once a famous young genius from Liuponi. In less than a year after enrolling, he finished reading all the books in the library.”

Liuponi was the cultural center of the Alliance, housing countless physical and electronic ancient books and publications. Most people, even if they didn’t eat or sleep, wouldn’t be able to finish reading everything in a lifetime. However, Xie Zhuo browsed through all the books in just ten months, effortlessly answering questions about any book or page selected.

The youth with a tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye, who graduated early with unparalleled memory skills, had dazzled the entire District A4.

The scholar muttered to himself, “After Xie Zhuo dropped out, he followed his father into the Qinglan Research Institute. Vincent must have been well aware of his son’s abilities. Why bother putting the data into the machine when he could use his son…”

“The Key is not just a key; it’s the real ‘central hub.'”

“No, it can’t be…” Someone hesitated and raised doubts.

The vast research data, highly classified reports – any mistake in a decimal point or a seemingly insignificant letter could lead to immeasurable losses. Even the storage capacity of the central hub had its limits; how could the human brain be stronger than a computer?

The scholar refuted vehemently, “Why not? Don’t forget, Xie Zhuo participated in the genetic selection program. If he concealed his identity as an awakened individual and possessed abilities back then?”

“But… what is his ability?”

There was no information in the Alliance database regarding Xie Zhuo’s awakening. Whether it was the level, category, or specific type, everyone remained ignorant of his capabilities. They had only recently confirmed that he was an S6-level mental-type awakener. If mental attacks were not his ability but merely an expression of his highly condensed awakened energy, what was his true ability?

“…Photographic memory?” a possible answer emerged.

“No, it’s ‘Omniscient and Omnipotent,'” Mr. Gu, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke in a low voice.

The attendees displayed a look of astonishment.

“Photographic memory is not frightening, but Xie Zhuo is too special. Born into the Xie family in Beijun, he enjoyed the top resources and privileges. Due to his extraordinary intelligence and mastery of multiple disciplines, he could assimilate and apply any knowledge he acquired at will, even knowledge related to the Eternal Life Plan that he had never encountered before. He could restart it from any point.”

Mr. Gu sighed deeply, swallowing the latter part of his sentence. Xie Zhuo was the “Fire Seed” left by Vincent, and he held the fate of all humanity.

“I want to talk to him alone.”

*

After breaking the domain of the “blood-red building blocks,” the mysterious attacks from the opposite side strangely ceased. The awakeners surrounding Song Ke and the others retreated, creating an open space.

A drone descended from the sky, hovering in front of Zhuang Qingyan, carrying an encrypted communicator. He received it with an unchanged expression.

“Xie Zhuo.” A deep and authoritative voice came through.

Song Ke keenly noticed that Zhuang Qingyan’s eyes turned extremely cold upon hearing the voice.

“Gu Hongyi? So it’s you. Should I address you as ‘Director Gu’? Oh, I forgot, you’ve stepped down from that position, haven’t you?” Zhuang Qingyan’s tone sounded indifferent, but his words carried a hidden edge.

Gu Hongyi, the former head of the Central Court Council, was once one of the most influential figures in the New Asia Alliance. He had been a strong advocate for restarting the Eternal Life Plan. Due to his advanced age, he voluntarily stepped down from his position and became a citizen of the Elderly People’s Nation.

In Zhuang Qingyan’s impression, Gu Hongyi was only a few years younger than Ye Zheng. Unlike General Ye, who suffered from old injuries due to years of war and was plagued by illness, Gu Hongyi enjoyed a life of luxury and good health during his tenure.

Gu Hongyi seemed indifferent to Zhuang Qingyan’s sarcasm and calmly stated, “Vincent’s data is in your head.”

Zhuang Qingyan remained silent. With the revelation of the central hub’s secrets, it was only a matter of time before it was discovered. He was mentally prepared for it.

“I can let you go,” unexpectedly, Gu Hongyi changed his tone and casually extended an olive branch, “I won’t hold you or your friends accountable.”

Song Ke and Lu Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, pointing at their heads in silence, signaling that this person must be crazy. One moment he attacks them, and the next moment he wants to let them go?

Lu Xiaoyu nodded in agreement with a deep understanding.

Zhuang Qingyan chuckled, “Oh? What are your conditions?”

Negotiating with smart people was convenient, and Gu Hongyi didn’t beat around the bush. He directly stated his purpose, “The Eternal Life Plan has faced bottlenecks for many years. Even with those data, success is impossible in a short time.”

“You retired many years ago, yet you still ‘care’ so much about the project,” Zhuang Qingyan sarcastically remarked.

“I only want one thing.” Gu Hongyi remained unmoved.

“—LAK0017.”

Zhuang Qingyan’s pupils slightly contracted.

“I know that before the Eternal Life Plan, Vincent already had a perfect experimental subject, LAK0017. I want its entire genetic sequence, detailed logs of the fusion process, and also…”

Gu Hongyi’s voice became hoarse, and a subtle greed emerged in his tone, “Its current whereabouts.”

Zhuang Qingyan replied nonchalantly, “Thirteen years ago, during the Loak incident, all experimental subjects of the Fire Seed project were destroyed. This is publicly known information. If your memory fails you due to old age, I can kindly remind you.”

Gu Hongyi shook his head with a wry smile, “Young man, you can’t deceive me. A successfully created Fire Seed won’t die.”

“As you said, with eternal life, powerful abilities, and clear consciousness, how could it be destroyed by a mere nuclear explosion?”

Zhuang Qingyan raised his eyes to the sky, “Your target has always been LAK0017 from the beginning. Do your followers behind you know?”

Gu Hongyi pressed on, “Whether they know or not is not important. What matters is, do you know where it is?”

“No, I don’t know,” Zhuang Qingyan answered decisively.

Gu Hongyi fell into a moment of silence, then spoke, “Aren’t you curious where I got the information?”

“Your father was a great scientist, highly respected and admired. Making him speak voluntarily, whether from a legal or moral perspective, would be difficult. But fortunately, he died. Dealing with the dead has fewer burdens.”

“After Vincent’s brain death, his consciousness remained remarkably active. I had Aaron use ‘Knowledge Deprivation’ thirteen times to get what I wanted.”

Zhuang Qingyan, usually smiling and calm, displayed an unusual expression – a complete lack of emotion. His hand’s veins bulged, trembling uncontrollably. Song Ke’s heart felt a sudden jolt, and she tightly held his fingers.

Next to Gu Hongyi stood a mystic awakener, Aaron, an S3-level awakener with a unique ability: “Knowledge Deprivation.” Aaron could forcibly extract the “knowledge” from living or deceased individuals. The deprived individual would experience confusion and intense pain, becoming almost like an imbecile after multiple extractions.

Vincent was the greatest scientist in the Alliance, dedicating his life to his work. After his death, enduring such humiliation was unbearable, especially for Zhuang Qingyan.

Gu Hongyi’s threat was almost imperceptible, “If you disagree, I’ll have no choice but to kill you. As an S-level awakener, I can obtain more information than your father, but this is the worst-case scenario. If you follow in your father’s footsteps, it will cause significant losses to the Alliance.”

Zhuang Qingyan raised an eyebrow, “Gu Hongyi, you’re near death, right?”

There was silence on the other end of the communicator.

“Even Xie Ping managed to stand in front of me after enduring, and yet you can only resort to voice threats. It seems that you have a harder time surviving than him.”

“Don’t worry, after you die, I’ll set off a few more strings of firecrackers in celebration.”

“As for LAK0017, forget about it. You will never get it.”

“Xie Zhuo—!!” Gu Hongyi roared in anger.

Zhuang Qingyan crushed the communicator.

Inside the starship, Gu Hongyi, furious beyond measure, coldly issued an order:

“Kill the Key.”

“Give his body to Aaron. No, even the remains will do. We will get what we want.”

“Um… what about… Song Ke?” Someone stammered.

They had witnessed Xie Yinqi’s scene before his death through the screen. Healing from such severe injuries and being virtually impervious to harm, it rendered their numbers useless. They couldn’t do anything against this seemingly invincible figure.

While Gu Hongyi was pondering, the command channel suddenly lit up.

“Mr. Gu, Lord Simon requests access to communication. He says… he has a way to kill the S8.”

*

Zhuang Qingyan lowered his eyes to look at Song Ke, his gaze shadowed. “Sorry, this is one of my few failed negotiations.”

“It’s okay,” Song Ke nodded understandingly, embracing him proactively. “With me around, whatever 007, you don’t need to tell them.”

Zhuang Qingyan lowered his head, gazing at her, slowly returning the embrace. “Hmm, I’ll listen to you, won’t tell them.”

Lu Xiaoyu’s mechanical arm extended between the two, coldly interrupting their intimate atmosphere. “Wake up, look ahead.”

In front of them, the armed fleet raised its densely packed barrels, and the pursuers who had retreated regrouped.

Zhuang Qingyan glanced to the side, “Hey, waste, at this point, don’t tell me you haven’t prepared any backup plans.”

Lu Xiaoyu rolled his eyes in disdain, “How is that possible? Just care more about yourself.”