Chapter 174 - 171: Cautious Contact
Although Cui Ying and Mo Shaoge's injuries varied in severity, they regained consciousness at roughly the same time.
While they were unconscious, medical personnel had already examined their wounds. Most of the injuries appeared scorched, but their overall conditions were no longer deteriorating.
Upon waking, they were naturally no longer as numb as before.
To be precise, they were jolted awake by pain—the kind of excruciating pain that made them feel like they were dying.
Cui Ying was better off. Her wound wasn't large and was on her arm, so she could still cry out when the pain hit.
Mo Shaoge was in a much worse state. His wound was larger, with a significant portion on his chest. The pain was so intense he didn't dare take a deep breath. Even the slightest sound would pull at the injury. He lay motionless in bed, daring not to move, only twitching occasionally. The sight was both pitiful and somewhat comical.
The medical staff first administered painkillers. Then, they retrieved the Life Flower Petals from the refrigerator in the preservation room and had each of them chew and suck on one. The remaining residue they spat out was carefully collected and stored.
The residue was collected by the research institute, and studies on both the Flower of Life remnants and the two patients' recovery processes began simultaneously.
Although the Monkey King was ultimately taken away, they still had Lü Bing. He was a comparatively safer and more controllable subject for research.
This was an invigorating time for Tao Xingzhi and the entire Special Security Team.
Confirming that the Dawn Association was still active in the world was a discovery of monumental significance. At the very least, all available information indicated that Dawn was a genuine supernatural organization of Earth humans—perhaps even the origin of many legends throughout history.
Its ranks were undoubtedly filled with archetypes from the myths and legends of various nations. Judging by their interest in the Monkey King, it was quite possible that a real "Sun Wukong" had once existed.
Furthermore, the five Sound Transmission Flower Seeds and the business card taken by the mysterious person represented a good start to establishing communication.
In Tao Xingzhi's opinion, the woman who had visited earlier was arrogant, but also remarkably straightforward. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, making no effort to hide her disdain for them, the current holders of power.
Her threats, made while teasing them yet simultaneously worrying about being reported, could even be described as somewhat childish.
When paired with her immense and dangerous power, this behavior certainly made her seem unstable.
But such a person wasn't actually scheming; she was like an overgrown child. 'Hmm, a child whose age might be beyond imagination!'
She seemed difficult to handle, but once you got past the initial aversion to her straightforward personality, any goodwill earned would be that much more impactful.
Besides, people like her had one distinct advantage: their pride.
Once she gave her word, she would never easily break it. This would ensure the effective transmission of information within the Dawn Association.
In contrast, the two by her side—who seemed like attendants but were more likely her chaperones—were far more composed. 'The Dawn Sage probably feared this Witch would stir up trouble and sent them along to keep an eye on her.'
During a video conference with Huang Jiutian, Xiaoliu, and other members of the Special Security Team, the conclusions reached by Tao Xingzhi and the team of psychologists were rather optimistic.
As Tao Xingzhi summarized:
"We haven't encountered many members of the Dawn Association so far, and each has a distinct personality. Some are unfathomable, others are simple and direct with their emotions, and some could even be described with that internet slang term, 'adorably clueless.' But based on our analysis, it seems we can reason with all of them."
Of course, for an organization that has spanned history and the globe, its internal complexity was surely not so simple. One couldn't grasp the full picture based on surface-level observations alone.
Now that they had made direct contact with the Dawn Association, the gravity of the situation had likely escalated to a new level following the "Monkey King Wukong" incident. They had to seek new breakthroughs in intelligence and technology.
Therefore, the subsequent research seminars and discussions delved deeper into issues that had been raised before.
If an unimaginably powerful "Dark Tide" had truly erupted in the past, then the very fact that Earth and human society were now so peaceful made it easy to infer the staggering depth of Dawn's power.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the power to destroy nations was likely not an empty boast. Or, to put it in more scientific terms, using a law of conservation...
...anyone capable of protecting the world from destruction must, by extension, also possess the power to destroy it!
This was no laughing matter.
After another series of internal team deliberations, expert consultations, and briefings with the central government...
...the consensus and guiding principle from the highest informed levels of Hua Country, relayed back to the Special Security Team, was this:
Dangerous! Dangerous! Exceedingly dangerous! Caution! Caution! Utmost caution is required! It is imperative that we demonstrate our good faith and a positive, cooperative posture!
All while maintaining a baseline of vigilance!
To a certain extent, the nation could set aside its "dignity," maintaining the necessary respect and the humility of a seeker of knowledge.
Strive to be the first to obtain information and advanced technologies that will put us ahead of the rest of the world. Establish a good relationship with Dawn. Fully prepare the world for the next "Dark Tide"!
Or, to put it another way, prepare for the next potential reshuffling of the global order!
...
Meanwhile, back at the home base, the Monkey King felt his situation was dire.
If the monster back in the mountains—the one he had harassed with swarm tactics before personally biting it to death—was comparable to a ferocious beast like a tiger...
...then that had been a challenging bit of fun. He never expected it would nearly cost him his life.
That creature, strong but slow, hadn't seemed difficult to handle in the Monkey King's eyes. It was just too foul-smelling and polluted the environment. After observing it for a few days, the Monkey King decided to lead his troop to kill the damn thing.
Everything had gone smoothly. Although the thing was strong enough to snap a small tree in a few blows and had a tough hide, it was too sluggish to withstand the Monkey King's fangs and strength. But he never, ever expected it to explode after it fell. A strange, black, smoke-like thing had shot out and latched onto his neck.
The events that followed linked up with Cui Ying and her group's expedition.
Not long after being rescued and brought to the research institute, the Monkey King came to. By then, he knew he had been saved by humans.
But rather than feeling grateful, he was far more concerned with how to escape.
Unfortunately, the opportunity he was waiting for never came. Instead, after a series of twists and turns, his situation only grew more perilous.
Now, the Monkey King felt as if he'd stepped into the dragon's very den. In this place, he couldn't afford to provoke anyone—forget the people, he couldn't even mess with a blade of grass!
While playing dead just moments ago, he had felt vines slithering past him like snakes. His animal instincts screamed that these were vastly different from the vines he used to sharpen his teeth on back in the mountains.
But what was the most dangerous thing of all?
For some reason, the Monkey King felt the greatest danger came from a tiny little thing!
Even while playing dead, every time he felt that little one's gaze upon him, all the hair on his body would stand on end, as if he were enveloped by an immense crisis.
Like right now!
In the garden of the Secret Realm, the group had been back for a while. The Red Demoness, like a beautiful Snail Girl from the folktales, moved gracefully through the garden, harvesting the various special fruits cultivated by Mumu.
Her red hair was like sharp tendrils, capable of extending, which made picking fruit incredibly convenient.
When she saw Qin Xiaoxia and the others return, her attention was first drawn to the state of Su Su's Magic Power, and then to the Great Macaque on the ground.
Doudou was hopping and skipping all around the Monkey King, and the Red Demoness also came over, squatting down to stare at him with curiosity.
"Why isn't it waking up? Why?"
Doudou pried open the Monkey King's eyelid for a peek, then gave his tail a little tug.
"Doudou, how should we cook this one?"
The Red Demoness smiled, covering her mouth. She was always happy to try new things.
"It's trembling! It's trembling! Cousin, it just trembled! Is it having a nightmare?"
Su Su, who was gradually coming down from her state of excitement, her lips returning to their normal color, couldn't help but mutter when she heard Doudou.
"You probably *are* its nightmare."
Qin Xiaoxia was also watching the Monkey King with great interest. The group had formed a circle around him, and with Mumu extending its branches and vines from a short distance away, it looked like they were all gathered to watch a strange spectacle.
This made the one on the ground break out in a cold sweat. Even though he had suppressed his heartbeat and bodily reactions, he got the distinct feeling that everyone around him knew he was faking it.
Putting away the business card he'd been toying with, Qin Xiaoxia nudged the monkey with his foot.
"Alright, get up, Wukong. If you keep playing dead, I'm giving you to Doudou."
The Monkey King couldn't understand the words, but some deep, primal instinct told him he absolutely had to get up.
So, he shot to his feet in an instant. He didn't dare make any sudden moves, simply standing in place and watching everyone warily.
PS: First chapter for Monday.