Shackles of Humanity

After the burly man left, Su Chengbo gently tapped his fingers on the table, recalling information about creatures of destruction.

What were creatures of destruction? Among all living things in the current world, only one could be called a creature of destruction: the virus. The actions of all other organisms revolved around survival and reproduction, but viruses were the sole exception. They existed purely for destruction, with no other purpose.

From a biological standpoint, viruses weren’t actually considered living organisms. All living things are composed of cells, but viruses are not. They lack the cellular structure of other microorganisms, being merely a cluster of genetic material wrapped in a protein shell. A virus only exhibits characteristics of life once it enters a cell; outside of one, it is just a lump of organic matter.

While viruses might not be living, they are the ultimate culprit behind death. Aside from mutational diseases caused by internal genetic issues, all other illnesses are caused by pathogenic microorganisms. One could call viruses the terminators of all things.

However, viewed objectively and apart from life itself, viruses were also the ultimate weight on the scales of balance, curbing the reproductive speed of organisms to prevent the disruption of that equilibrium. But the emergence of human civilization destroyed this balance. It was rumored that the great cataclysm was nature’s way of correcting this error, just as the Extraterrestrial Creatures’ goal of destroying human civilization was also a form of correction.

"Father, are you resting?" Sister Su’s clear voice rang out, interrupting his thoughts.

Su Chengbo opened his eyes and looked at his beloved daughter as she walked in. "What is it? Where is Miss Xiaoxue?"

"Sister Xiaoxue went back to school. Father, I... I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"Hmm, I’ll have to think about it. For my little girl to ask for something, it must be quite the matter." Su Chengbo feigned a thoughtful expression.

Sister Su walked over and hugged Su Chengbo’s arm, wheedling, "Father."

Su Chengbo affectionately tapped the tip of Sister Su’s nose. "Go on, tell me. Even if my little girl wanted the moon from the sky, I’d pluck it for you."

Sister Su stood up, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, and said a bit sheepishly, "I want Sister Xiaoxue to come back to Shangjing with me. Can you help me?"

"Oh? You want Miss Xiaoxue to go to school with you?"

"Yes. What we’re planning to do is very important, and we need to look up some information at Shangjing University."

Su Chengbo furrowed his brow. "The children of Shangjing’s noble families are practically at each other’s throats for a single spot, and that bunch of old fossils on the school board aren’t easy to deal with..."

Sister Su said urgently, "Father, you must have a way, right?"

Su Chengbo grinned. "There is a way, but can you tell me what you two are researching?"

Sister Su hesitated. "We don’t know if it will work out yet. I can only tell you the name. It’s called the ’Intelligent Brain’."

...

Luo Kai was walking along a plank road that snaked around a cliff face. A bottomless abyss lay below his feet. The mountain peak was high and steep, and a faint mist permeated the air, making it feel as if he were strolling through the clouds.

He didn’t know how he had ended up on this mountain. Perhaps it was because the peak was beautiful, but more likely, his ever-mysterious Sixth Sense was guiding him in a specific direction.

His view gradually widened, revealing a building that looked like a temple situated on a large, flat clearing halfway up the mountain. The temple wasn’t large—just a simple, small courtyard house. The mottled gate and the moss-and-weed-covered walls indicated that no one had lived here for a long time. A faded plaque on the main gate bore two words: "Lianyun Temple."

Although humanity’s major religions had survived after the great cataclysm, they were no longer as prosperous as before. Buildings bearing religious symbols were exceedingly rare.

He stepped into the temple. Patches of weeds covered the courtyard and had even crept into the rooms. The tables and chairs had long since rotted away, and there were no signs of human presence. After a quick look around, he saw a statue of a Buddha with Three Heads and Six Arms enshrined on an altar in the central building.

The Buddha statue was very strange. Its entire body was carved with fine, black scales. All six of its arms ended in long, sharp claws, and a pair of bat-like wings sprouted from its back. Its facial features were not clearly carved, but its pairs of eyes were remarkably lifelike—cold and indifferent, like a deity looking down upon all living beings.

Unlike the solemn and dignified Buddha statues one normally saw, this one was suffused with a bizarre and evil aura. A single glance was enough to send a chill to the bone.

In his past life, Luo Kai had studied philosophy and was fairly knowledgeable about Buddhism. He was familiar with all sorts of divine figures and Buddhas, but he had never seen a statue like this one. He couldn’t help but step forward to examine it more closely.

Just then, the statue’s three heads slowly turned, and its six pairs of cold eyes swiveled in unison to look at him. His head felt as if it had been pierced by a needle as fine tendrils of frigid, sinister energy burrowed into his mind, attempting to assimilate his consciousness.

Luo Kai grunted. The situation felt familiar; the Evil Energy had done the same thing back then. But now, his will was as hard as steel. He rapidly unified his mind and body, instantly pushing his Qi and Blood Circulation to its peak. His muscles swelled as he drew the Severing Blade from his back and slashed down. The statue was cleaved in two, revealing a pitch-black, circular hole in its base. An extremely dense, cold aura emanated from within the opening.

A sharp screech seemed to echo in his mind as the frigid energy rapidly retreated. With a grim expression, Luo Kai walked to the edge of the hole. It seemed he had once again stumbled upon some unknown evil.

He hesitated for a moment before gripping the Severing Blade and cautiously descending. He walked down a long flight of stairs as the cold aura grew heavier and the darkness deepened. A faint green light ignited in his eyes, gradually bringing his surroundings into focus. The rock walls on both sides were covered in bas-reliefs depicting creatures like the statue he had just destroyed, battling against humans.

Continuing downward, he came to a vast, cavernous plaza. Rows upon rows of tightly packed cages stood in the square. On the other side were various glass test tubes and bulky instruments. Luo Kai was very familiar with one of these devices—it was a Centrifuge, used for separating blood. It seemed he had stumbled into the secret base of that blood-worshipping Cult Organization.

He spread out his Spirit, searching for any signs of life as he walked over to the cages to inspect them. The cages were sturdy. Inside were hairy corpses, all of them shriveled and dry. Their bodily fluids had been drained before death, which was why they hadn’t decomposed. He could vaguely make out that they had once been human.

Similarly, another Evil Buddha statue stood in this underground plaza, identical to the one above. The only difference was that this one’s facial features were much clearer—a collection of monstrous faces with long fangs, looking utterly ferocious.

Just as Luo Kai raised his blade again, preparing to shatter it, a hoarse sigh echoed in his ears. "Third Brother, I underestimated you after all. How did you find this place? I’m very curious."

Luo Kai’s expression changed. "You dare to show your face?" he said coldly.

"Third Brother, I was in the wrong last time. But you also received a great opportunity out of it. How about we call it even?"

The voice was unmistakably Li Gui’s. Luo Kai spun his head around, but the voice seemed to float through the entire space, its source impossible to pinpoint. It was as if it were coming from all directions at once.