Game: Civilization Paradise

"Ge-General, I have something to report."

Hopka stumbled over his words, all his previous arrogance gone.

"The mission failed?"

A terrifying figure in the darkness asked in a cold voice.

"Yes! But this time, it really wasn’t my fault. The item was already gone when we went inside."

Hopka hastily explained.

"General, my reconnaissance was flawless. I saw it with my own eyes!"

Major Geert quickly defended himself.

"Show me the footage."

the figure said, his voice hoarse.

"Yes, sir!"

Hopka immediately raised his bracer and tapped it a few times, projecting footage of his fight with the Alien and the Red Ghost, along with the video from after they entered the laboratory.

Everyone carefully watched the footage as it played.

"See? The item was gone by the time we got inside."

Hopka said to everyone present.

"Shabelle, run a match on that red monster."

the figure ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir!"

Shabelle raised a hand and swiped. A series of holographic interfaces appeared, and she began to run a match on the Red Ghost from the footage.

"Military database match: Failed!"

"Potential match found in Civilization Forum database."

"Comparing..."

...

Instantly, combat footage of Long Ming being mistaken for a monster and snatching the 3x3x3 appeared.

Match: 99%!

"It seems this ’monster’ is actually a person. And a troublemaker, at that."

Major General Shabelle said icily.

"I knew it! There’s no way it was just gone. Officer Hopka, you let someone walk away with the item from right under your nose!"

Geert said excitedly to Hopka.

’I’m screwed.’

Hopka instantly wished he were dead. The humiliation was immense.

"Hopka, you are dismissed. Go and receive your punishment."

the figure said in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir!"

Hopka gritted his teeth and withdrew.

At this, Geert quickly spoke up.

"General, I will take my leave as well."

"Go."

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Shabelle said coolly.

Geert let out a sigh of relief, backed out, and closed the door.

"General, what do we do now? The Gene Solution is gone. It will be difficult to explain this to the higher-ups."

Shabelle asked, looking toward the blurry figure.

"How interesting..."

The terrifying figure’s deep voice echoed throughout the room.

...

「Several days later, in Room H4562.」

Long Ming groggily woke up and slowly sat up in bed.

He didn’t know how long he had been asleep, and his head felt heavy and muddled.

Long Ming walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet.

SPLASH!

Clear water flowed out.

Long Ming cupped the water in his hands and splashed it on his face. The cold shock sobered him up considerably. He then lifted his head and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

His reflection in the mirror showed a pale face, as if he were recovering from a serious illness.

Long Ming’s expression shifted as he stared at his reflection. ’So it’s true. My stats didn’t change for no reason. That guy Hilic really is awake.’

’But I have no idea how to communicate with him.’

’After all, I wiped out his entire race.’

’If I said there was no grudge between us, who would believe it?’

’But with him inside my body, he’s a ticking time bomb if we can’t communicate.’

Long Ming had a massive headache over it, but he finally spoke aloud.

"Hilic!"

Seconds ticked by.

Long Ming heard no response.

"I know you’re awake. Let’s talk!"

Long Ming said again.

But there was still no reaction. The other being simply ignored him, so he muttered to himself.

"Don’t tell me the idiot fell asleep again."

Just then, Long Ming’s right hand flew up uncontrollably and slapped him across the face.

SLAP!

Long Ming was stunned.

At that moment, Hilic’s furious voice boomed in Long Ming’s mind.

"You’re the idiot, you foolish ant!"

"You’re finally willing to talk. Let’s have a discussion."

"I have nothing to discuss with you!"

"That’s not the right way to look at it. While it’s true I’m responsible for the destruction of your Blood Breath race, and I’m the one who killed you, your people also killed many of ours. You also nearly got me killed, so I’d say we’re even!"

"Hmph!"

"There’s no real personal hatred between us. It was a war between civilizations; we had to fight to the death. The real culprit is Civilization Paradise, the one who makes the rules. Every injustice has a source. If you’re really that angry, you should seek your revenge on it."

Long Ming replied calmly.

"Do you take me for a fool? As if I could ever take revenge on *it*?"

Hilic retorted furiously.

If he were capable of taking revenge on the rule-maker, would he be hiding out in Long Ming’s body?

"I’m just stating facts. Whether or not you want revenge is your own business. But right now, we’re in a symbiotic relationship. We flourish or perish together. Therefore, I hope we can coexist peacefully and help each other."

Long Ming said to Hilic with sincerity.

"Hmph. Foolish ant, do you really think I don’t know what you’re after? You’re simply coveting my power. But my power isn’t something you can use whenever you please. It comes at a price!"

"What price?"

"Blood. The blood of powerful creatures, or Energy Crystals!"

Hilic replied coldly.

"Fine. Then it’s a deal."

Hearing this, Long Ming immediately agreed.

"Hmph! Don’t bother me unless it’s important!"

After saying his piece, Hilic fell silent once more.

Seeing that Hilic had gone quiet, Long Ming raised his bracer to check his character templates.

His own template was unchanged, but Hilic’s had definitely transformed.

Template Two.

Name: Hilic (Mature Form) (Symbiotic State)

Race: Blood Breath Beast

Genetic Level: Type III

Template: Monarch-Class

Power: ???

Agility: ???

Physical Strength: ???

Intelligence: ???

’He actually reached his mature form and even evolved into a Type III being. No wonder he could go head-to-head with a fourth-generation Mechanical God.’

’But why did his template drop a rank?’

Long Ming looked further down the template. He was also very curious about Hilic’s stats, but unfortunately, he couldn’t see any specific numbers.

However, he restrained the impulse to ask about it. The creature’s temper didn’t seem to be the best.

At that moment, Long Ming suddenly remembered his Red Demon Bio-Armor. It seemed to have changed as well, so he immediately checked its status.

As a result, Long Ming discovered that the Red Demon Bio-Armor’s name had changed.

Third Generation Bio-Armor: Blade Blood Demon.

"Holy crap! Hilic evolving is one thing, but bio-equipment can level up, too?"

A look of utter astonishment appeared on Long Ming’s face.

But he quickly accepted this new reality. In any case, the bio-armor evolving was a good thing.

Long Ming then glanced at the items stored in his safe. Besides the twenty vials of unknown liquid, his other gains were quite substantial.

The high-grade mechanical wings and the high-end custom Third Generation Mechanical God were especially valuable.

But Long Ming didn’t dare to list them to be fenced just yet. Too few people from the Haiyun had logged into Starry City. Trying to sell them at the auction house here would not only be difficult but would also make him an easy target.