Wei Huan's divine sense surged forward. With a scream that cut off abruptly, he effortlessly ignited the fire of death within the creature's soul.
The process was even simpler than recruiting the Thought-Parasite Beast, thanks to Wei Huan's 33 points of Dark Dominion. This unique attribute was a mystery to him, but he knew one thing for certain: it allowed him to suppress and control high-level undead with natural ease.
Once the recruitment was successful, Wei Huan commanded this new, high-ranking undead to come forward.
There was a squelch within the pile of sludge, and a small object hopped out, stopping before him. Wei Huan stared at the thing, momentarily stunned—but before he could get a closer look, a powerful tugging force seized him.
His time in the Profession Temple was up. An irresistible force evicted him.
As he watched the new undead and the Great Tomb recede, he didn't vanish instantly this time. Instead, he felt as if he were strapped to a rocket, pulling him toward the sky. It was fast, but not so fast that he couldn't see.
He saw the world shrinking below him, confirming that the realm was indeed shaped like a tomb. Then, he saw the neighboring Great Tombs. As his gaze fell upon them, a terrified roar seemed to echo from that direction. The undead on those neighboring tombs—creatures he could never see clearly before—were now sharp and distinct. He saw them sense his presence, looking up in his direction.
Wei Huan knew he had advanced.
He was now a Sequence 6: Plague Spreader. From this day forward, his name would echo across these endless burial mounds. He would infect them like a plague, assimilate them, turn them into his strength, and return to the living world as a walking catastrophe.
The title of Sequence 7: Apostle of Calamity found its true meaning here.
---
The energy of the advancement was contained within the Dark Source Chamber. No one on the vehicle felt it, yet the combat power of their vehicle had just undergone a qualitative leap.
Meanwhile, Mu Zhong and the other captains remained in a heavy silence.
Pandit, his vehicle, and his 999 crew members had been swallowed by the Divine Surge because of his greed. No one knew if they were still "alive," only that the power had hijacked their bodies and forced them into the deep sea. The Divine Surge acted like a safe corridor for them, and they swam away rapidly. Mu Zhong and the others could only watch, unable to intervene.
When the people from the command deck began jumping out, some observers could no longer bear to watch. Familiar faces appeared; Pandit's turn was coming. Pandit was only the captain, not the strongest person on his ship, so there was no chance of him resisting. If the others were lost, he was a dead man.
The captain of the Fence Country, who had been vocal and demanding even after being rescued, was now silent. Seeing the horrific fate of Pandit's crew had finally instilled true terror in him.
The Tula captain spoke up tentatively, "From entering the energy to the first person jumping out, it took less than a minute for the whole ship to fall. Commander Mu, tell us the truth—is General Josh in the same state? Are they even in their vehicle anymore? Is there any point in staying? We should leave."
Mu Zhong maintained his initial stance. "Whether General Josh met the same fate or not, we are here, and we must give Aosam an account. Did you notice that Josh's vehicle shows signs of aging? It looks like it has been here for centuries. This energy might hold the power of time, or perhaps it is eroding and absorbing the vehicle's energy. The interior is rusted, which is making our AI's intrusion very difficult. Three days is a conservative estimate; it might take longer."
The captains fell silent. 'Your fists are the biggest, so you're right,' they thought, though none of them were truly fooled. It was no secret that Mu Zhong possessed the Super AI Heart of Steel. How else could he have mapped the world? The idea that he couldn't crack a standard vehicle's system was laughable.
There was a secret down there, and Wei Huan was using this as an excuse to stay.
However, this time, no one dared to explore. The sight of Pandit's crew jumping into the abyss was a tolling bell in their minds, waking them up. Wei Huan could go where they could not.
When Pandit finally jumped, the sense of "grief for one's own kind" reached its peak among the captains.
Mu Zhong felt the weight of it too. He didn't like Pandit—he didn't even care if the man died—but the crew was innocent. He had tried to save them and failed. 'Let them settle their debts with Pandit in hell,' he thought.
Pulling himself together, Mu Zhong observed the Divine Surge through the Heart of Steel. After capturing its "prey," the outward-flowing energy began to retract. It was a retrieval mechanism. Once the group was "collected," the surge began to dissipate. Its state now mirrored how it looked when they first found Josh's vehicle.
This meant Josh's accident hadn't happened that long ago—perhaps just before they arrived.
Mu Zhong ordered the Heart of Steel to track the direction the surge was taking the survivors. The AI's permissions were heavily restricted, but Mu Zhong constantly issued commands to test the boundaries, hoping to unlock more intelligence. That direction would be their next battlefield.
Just then, the Heart of Steel notified him that Wei Huan had advanced. The turbulence in the Dark Source Chamber was a telltale sign. As a Seven-Star Awakener, Wei Huan didn't need to worry about potions until he reached Sequence 8.
The Butler AI added, "The Commander has gone directly to the Undead Ranch. He asked me to inform you that everything went smoothly. He will see you in three days."
The AI then noted, "Energy in Xia Yu's room is also becoming unstable. Xia Yu has requested a Level 6 advancement potion from the warehouse."
Double good news. Mu Zhong was delighted but slightly concerned. "Is there any issue with Dark and Holy Light energy advancing on the same vehicle simultaneously?"
Both AIs replied: "No." Light and Dark were opposites, but in terms of advancement sequences, they merely countered each other without catastrophic interference.
Mu Zhong decided to stall for three days. He told the waiting captains, "Regardless, we must open that door and see for ourselves."
He ordered the vehicle back to General Josh's vessel. The others had no choice but to follow. They were terrified of this place, but they knew that without Wei Huan's vehicle, they wouldn't survive a single day. They had essentially "given up" and were content to let Mu Zhong lead as long as he got them home safely.
---
"Three days..."
Wei Huan frowned as he watched the durability of his Six-Star Pasture grass deplete. His undead were returning to the tree burls, reverting to embryos to be reborn.
As his army grew, the "queue" for the pasture would only get longer. Choices had to be made.
The Hero-level undead and the Double-Headed Hidden Demons—his primary combat units—were the priority. But he couldn't ignore ground forces. The Asura Horses, though cannon fodder, were much more useful when they were 'durable' fodder. The Howling Wolf army needed enough high-level numbers for their leader, "Gut-Ripper," to be effective. The Grizzly Bear Legion, his "tanks," had to be Sequence 6 to withstand enemy fire.
Looking at the list—Magic Eye Lords, Flying Monkeys, Kobolds—Wei Huan realized he needed twice as much pasture grass. Even with what he had, upgrading everyone to Sequence 6 would take nearly a year.
His gaze fell behind him to the low-level pasture. Every newly recruited undead started at Level 1. Today, he had twelve new Double-Headed Hidden Demons and... 'that' guy.
The Level 1 upgrade finished quickly. The Hidden Demons burst from their burls, their auras noticeably stronger. They flapped their wings, shaking off the sticky fluid, and moved to the Two-Star Pasture as ordered.
Finally, the One-Star burl he had been watching began to move. It took longer than an elite.
The burl split open, and a cloud of white mist drifted out. Wei Huan beckoned it over.
Looking at the cloud-like mist, he wondered if this was truly the "Aosam Royal" undead he had expected. But considering their shapeshifting abilities, a cloud made sense. The "Cloudball" had no features, but from a different angle, it looked like a turtle.
Looking closer, Wei Huan's skin crawled. It looked like a biological brain.
The left and right hemispheres, the grooves, the textures—it was an exact replica of a brain, including the brainstem. Not just human; Aosam brains looked like this too.
'So the true form of the Aosam Royals is just a brain?'
What were the Aosam, then? As a hive civilization, were the lower ranks controlled by these brains? It was a leap from a carbon-based physical species to a purely psychic entity.
Wei Huan recalled the cryptic intelligence from the Heart of Steel: '"Twin Pillars of Heaven," "Trench of the Abyss," "Shadow of the World," "Brilliance of the Stars."' He thought he was powerful enough to break the game, but the further he went, the more secrets appeared.
He snapped out of it. The "Brain" was still floating there. With a thought from Wei Huan, the mist swirled and transformed into a wagging Bichon Frise dog, which then hopped happily into the Two-Star Pasture.
Regardless of its form, the Royal's star rating was high, meaning its strength was immense. Its ability to create "Giant Dharma Bodies" using other Aosam was particularly interesting. Wei Huan had plenty of undead; a Legion of Giants sounded like a fantastic way to win a fight.
---
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The three vehicles that had left returned. They had clearly consulted each other. General Klitov of Great Bear found Mu Zhong.
"We aren't leaving until we uncover the secret here, correct?" Klitov asked. "I mean no offense, but Commander Wei hasn't appeared for three days. We heard he was on the verge of a breakthrough. Does this mean humanity's first Sequence 6 is born?"
Great Bear and Daxia were strategic allies. Klitov was friendly with the Daxia leadership, though he had to adjust to being "subordinate" to a younger generation like Mu Zhong. He had handled the transition well.
Mu Zhong treated the General with more warmth than the others. "Yes. The Commander hasn't just broken through; he is successful and is currently organizing his gains. We found something unusual on the seabed, but it's too dangerous for anyone below Sequence 6. We must wait for him."
Klitov nodded understandingly. "Tell me if you need anything."
"Not curious about the seabed?" Mu Zhong smiled.
"Am I allowed to know?"
"Not yet."
Klitov raised an eyebrow, unfazed.
"However," Mu Zhong added, "I can tell you this: there truly are Gods in this world."
Klitov's expression changed instantly.
After the conversation, Xu Qingqiang, who was picking his teeth nearby, joked, "I thought we weren't telling? You're teasing the old man."
Mu Zhong laughed. "True allies are different. We can't tell all the secrets, but we shouldn't keep them entirely in the dark. Being too rigid leaves you with no friends."
"Ugh, politicians are annoying."
"It's called networking, Brother Qiang."
"Whatever," Xu Qingqiang waved him off. "When is the boss coming out? I heard he hasn't eaten in three days. Don't you feel bad for him?"
"I do. I was just about to go check on him."
"Doesn't the AI butler have eyes on him?"
"I miss him," Mu Zhong smiled.
"Gross!" Xu Qingqiang made a face.
Mu Zhong ignored him and took the elevator to the living quarters. He missed Wei Huan, and he knew the man would be exhausted. According to the time, he should be finishing. Wei Huan was punctual; if you remembered the time, he would be there.
Mu Zhong brought food to their room. It was empty and pristine. He set the food on the balcony table and, after a thought, placed a blooming red rose in a vase.
He heard a movement behind him. Wei Huan had stepped out from the Undead Ranch, looking visibly haggard.
"You've worked hard." Mu Zhong hugged him, then led him to the table. "I know you're tough, but a lot has happened. Let's eat and talk."
Wei Huan nodded, his heart warming at the sight of Mu Zhong, the food, and the rose. He kissed the back of Mu Zhong's hand. "You've worked hard too. Give me a moment."
After a quick wash, Wei Huan returned to the table. By then, he had been briefed on Pandit's death. His appetite vanished. "So, you saw Pandit's people being taken by the Divine Surge?"
Mu Zhong joined him for the meal. "Yes. The surge that is lethal to us was harmless to them. Is it possible humans 'can' touch the surge?"
Wei Huan shook his head. "We can't use people as lab rats. What does the Heart of Steel say?"
"That iron shell? It won't say much. I've gathered that the Divine Surge isn't a living thing, but a 'residual mechanism.'"
"Residual mechanism?"
"Like an instinct. When a person dies, the body continues to function for a short time. A God is the same, but the instinct lasts centuries and is more complex. It might capture 'food,' seek out 'beneficial bacteria,' or control 'remnant tribes' to act as its limbs. But the entity itself has no consciousness."
"I see. Even though it's a God, it's dead. We can't 'talk' to it to learn its secrets."
"Exactly. But we can study it. And I have to praise you—insisting on bringing researchers into the challenge worlds was visionary. Who would have thought we'd be studying a God?"
"I didn't think that far ahead," Wei Huan said. "I just thought we couldn't just have warriors. Brawn and brains must complement each other."
"That's vision."
"It's only been three days—are you flattery-bombing me?"
"Haha, just making you happy. Don't you like it?"
Wei Huan looked at Mu Zhong's playful smile. "It works. I feel better already."
"Seeing you happy makes me talkative," Mu Zhong said softly. "Since reaching Sequence 6, your aura has become even more distant and unfathomable. I prefer you joking like this."
"I am still me. I will never change."
"I know," Mu Zhong said. "And that's why seeing you like this gives me peace."