Chapter 505: Recognized
"I stopped feeling tired. I could work for an entire day without resting. My wounds healed faster. I could hear voices from far away."
Chief Gao’s eyes shone as he remembered the power.
"The others experienced the same changes. We thought the people from the sky had truly saved us."
"But the parasites began controlling you," Leng Pan said.
Chief Gao’s expression became distorted.
"At first, the Mother only spoke to us in our dreams. She warned us when zombies approached and showed us where to find supplies."
"Then?"
"She became hungry."
The passage fell silent.
"What did you feed her?" Lu Zhen asked.
Chief Gao lowered his head.
"Zombies."
That explained why there had been so few zombies around the village.
The villagers had captured them and thrown them into the underground chamber.
However, if the queen had consumed infected flesh, why had the eggs inside the well remained free of the zombie virus?
The creature was either immune or capable of separating useful energy from infection.
"Did the zombies satisfy it?" Leng Pan asked.
"At first."
"And later?"
Chief Gao did not answer.
Lu Zhen tightened his grip.
"Later?"
"She wanted living people."
"Did she control you into feeding them to her?"
Chief Gao remained silent.
His refusal was an answer.
He had not been completely controlled in the beginning.
He had made the decision himself.
"Who was the first person?" Leng Pan asked.
"A stranger."
Chief Gao replied quickly, as if that made the act less terrible.
"He arrived alone. He was injured and wouldn’t have survived anyway."
"So, you decided to feed him to the creature?"
"The Mother protected the entire village!"
Chief Gao’s voice rose.
"One life for dozens. Was that wrong?"
"Did you ask the injured man whether he agreed to be sacrificed?" Blaze would have asked if he were present.
But neither Leng Pan nor Lu Zhen needed to speak.
Their expressions showed exactly what they thought.
Chief Gao looked away.
"The Mother became stronger after consuming him. The people from the sky returned and praised us."
"Did they give you anything?" Leng Pan asked.
"They gave us medicine, weapons, and instructions for directing travellers towards the village."
"The destroyed road was their idea?"
Chief Gao nodded.
"They taught us how to make explosives."
The aliens had not simply planted the queen and left.
They had deliberately helped Chief Gao create a system for capturing human test subjects.
"What was the purpose of the experiment?" Leng Pan asked.
"I don’t know."
Chief Gao hesitated.
"I heard them talking once."
"What did they say?"
"They wanted to know how much control the Mother could gain without destroying human intelligence."
Leng Pan’s expression became cold.
The village was a testing ground.
The aliens were experimenting with parasites capable of controlling humans while allowing them to speak, think, and interact normally.
Unlike the emotionless soldiers they had created before, parasite-controlled humans could infiltrate survivor bases without immediately exposing themselves.
If the experiment succeeded, the aliens would not need to attack openly.
They could contaminate water sources and turn entire human settlements into obedient puppets.
"How many places are conducting this experiment?" Leng Pan asked.
"I don’t know."
"Where are the people from the sky now?"
"I don’t know."
"When will they return?"
"I don’t know!"
Chief Gao’s voice broke.
"The Mother stopped letting me remember. Every time they visited, the memories became unclear afterwards."
"Convenient," Lu Zhen said.
"It is true!"
Chief Gao struggled against his grip.
"I only remember pieces. Silver clothes. A symbol that looked like an eye. Something about a second stage."
"What second stage?"
"I don’t know!"
Before they could question him further, a violent impact shook the passage.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Leng Pan felt the mist around Sonny and Vanish weaken again.
"We have to move," she said.
They hurried down the remaining steps.
Pale roots attacked from the walls, but Little Vine moved ahead of them.
The green tendrils wrapped around the roots and tore them apart.
Lu Zhen burned any that escaped.
As they approached the underground chamber, the scent of blood became unbearable.
The screams of the queen echoed through the tunnels.
Sonny and Vanish were still fighting.
Inside the chamber, Vanish’s invisibility had completely failed.
Blood covered one side of his face where a tendril had grazed him.
Sonny stood beside him, holding his remaining blade.
The mist Leng Pan had attached to them had become so thin that it could barely destroy the smallest parasites.
They had retreated into a narrow section between two groups of sacs.
The queen’s roots surrounded them.
"I don’t think we can hold out much longer," Vanish said.
"We don’t need much longer."
"You sound confident."
"Commander already knows."
"How do you know?"
"Because the creature is angry."
The underground queen had become increasingly restless after Sonny released the mist towards it.
Its attention repeatedly shifted towards the tunnel, as if it could sense something approaching.
A wave of fire suddenly erupted from the passage.
The pale roots blocking the entrance ignited.
The queen released a deafening shriek.
Lu Zhen emerged through the flames.
His face became terrifyingly cold when he saw the injuries on Sonny and Vanish.
Leng Pan entered behind him with Chief Gao trapped inside the mist barrier.
"You two look miserable," she said.
Despite the dangerous situation, Vanish laughed weakly.
"We were beginning to think you had forgotten us."
"You disobeyed orders and entered the underground chamber."
"Technically, we were forced inside."
"We will discuss that later."
Leng Pan released a wave of purifying mist.
The parasites surrounding Sonny and Vanish dissolved.
At the same time, the wounds on their bodies stopped bleeding.
"Can you walk?" Lu Zhen asked.
"Yes," Sonny replied.
"Move behind us."
They did not argue.
The queen lowered its enormous body from the ceiling.
Hundreds of white eyes turned towards Leng Pan.
The blue crystal inside its translucent abdomen pulsed rapidly.
Chief Gao collapsed inside the mist barrier.
"Mother," he whispered.
The queen ignored him.
Every eye remained fixed on Leng Pan.
A strange energy swept across the chamber.
It felt like a mental probe trying to examine her body.
Leng Pan blocked it with her spiritual power.
The queen recoiled.
Then its circular mouth opened.
Instead of the broken human words it had used before, a clear mechanical voice emerged.
"Energy signature confirmed."
Leng Pan’s expression changed.
The queen’s white eyes became red.
"Primary target located."
Lu Zhen stepped in front of her.
The creature continued speaking.
"Leng Pan."
The entire chamber became silent.
"Specimen designated by the High Command."
Its mouth stretched wider.
"The woman from the previous world."