Chapter 350 - 325: Origin-Tracing Expedition

Chapter 350: Chapter 325: Origin-Tracing Expedition

"We’re finally out..."

Beyond North Star’s northern border, a few figures in hooded coats pulled back their hoods, revealing young faces.

"Good thing the authorities didn’t station many people here. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been easy to cross the border."

"Yeah. We did run away from the academy, after all. The authorities must be taking this very seriously, hunting for us everywhere."

"It might also be because a lot of border guards have been reassigned. I saw online that both Soloma and North Star have been mobilizing their armies frequently."

As they talked, they noticed one of their number remained silent, so they asked him.

"Lu City, what’s wrong?"

"Seriously, you haven’t said a single word since we left the academy. Don’t tell me you’re regretting this?"

"Surely you know what the consequences are if the academy finds out we’re spore addicts!"

Lu City met their gazes but remained silent.

He knew the consequences of being discovered. That was why he’d decided to flee the academy with these other addicts.

But thinking of how all his hard work had gone down the drain, he couldn’t help but feel a surreal sense of disconnect from his past life.

’All that time studying so hard, just hoping to graduate with honors and get assigned to a good department... Then I even heard I had a chance to be assigned to the Strategy Research Room...’

Lu City’s heart sank, and a sliver of resentment toward Dean Zhou Qinfeng stirred within him.

’If Zhou Qinfeng hadn’t told me about the Strategy Research Room assignment, maybe I could’ve pulled back from the brink. I could’ve sought help in time and not sunk to this level.’

But it was too late for all that now. He was a spore addict, and his condition was so severe he could no longer pretend to be a normal student attending class.

If he stayed at the academy any longer, he would surely be exposed. Fleeing was his only option.

"Whatever, just ignore him. He probably can’t accept reality and still thinks he’s the academy’s star student!"

"Once we get to the Seri Divine Kingdom, who cares about being a star student? No matter how smart you are, when faced with the Apocalypse Rules, all you can do is wait to die! But the Divine Kingdom is different. If we can make it to the home planet, we won’t have to suffer under the Fire Thief at all."

"Exactly!"

The group launched into an excited discussion about the Seri Divine Kingdom and the spore home world.

They believed the authorities’ narrative about spores and Parasites was just deliberate demonization—slander born from a backward society’s fear of a more advanced one.

That’s right. In their eyes, human society was the backward one.

The spore society, on the other hand—with its dream-like scenes of everyone gathered amicably before magnificent palaces, enjoying peace and happiness—was what an advanced society was supposed to be.

What they had to do now was escape their backward world and journey to that advanced land, the Seri Divine Kingdom.

They hoped that one day they could even leave Celestial Water Star and travel to the spore home world of countless magnificent palaces. There, they would finally escape the nightmarish rules created by the Fire Thief and find true liberation.

But Lu City was different.

He knew he was consciously sinking into depravity.

He didn’t try to romanticize it. He knew exactly what he was: a weak-willed addict who had lost his way.

He didn’t see the Seri Divine Kingdom as some kind of utopia or promised land, either. This wasn’t a pilgrimage for him; he just wanted to get more spores. That was all.

That was why he had nothing in common with the other fanatics in his group.

Just then, the others brought up the military mobilizations of North Star and Soloma again, their expressions filled with contempt.

"They’re biting off more than they can chew. As if mere mortals could bring down the great Divine Kingdom."

"If they really send an army, they’ll just be humiliating themselves!"

"Progress is bound to defeat backwardness and barbarism. Just you watch."

They hadn’t even reached the Seri Divine Kingdom, yet they were already acting like its citizens. Lu City had nothing to say to them. His body ached, tormented by the withdrawal from the spores. All he wanted was to get moving, so he set off without a word.

His arrogant, dismissive attitude thoroughly enraged the others. They quickly ran to catch up and surround him.

"Lu City, still putting on those airs from the academy?"

"Don’t tell me you’re planning to be a spy in the Divine Kingdom!"

Lu City looked at them. At first, his eyes were filled with anger, but slowly, his expression shifted to something strange and covetous.

He spoke to them for the first time since leaving the academy.

"How could I have forgotten...? Some of you are even more addicted than I am. It’s been ten days since the Apocalypse Rules ended, yet instead of trying to find spores, you have the energy to stand around chatting. One of you must be a Parasite by now, right...?"

He seemed to be talking more to himself than to them.

At his words, some of their faces paled, as if Lu City had hit the mark.

The next moment, blood sprayed through the air.

"SPURT!"

One of them clutched his neck and collapsed to his knees in disbelief.

The others were stunned. They hadn’t expected Lu City to attack without any warning, much less go straight for the kill!

"There has to be a Parasite among you... Yes..." Lu City snarled, clutching a sharp blade made of Psychic Power. His face was vicious. "Why should I go looking for a fix when I can get some spores from you right here and now!"

"St-stop him!"

"Lu City, have you gone insane?!"

"AHHH!!!"

The blood-curdling screams, thick with the stench of iron, lasted only a moment before falling silent.

All that remained were a few corpses sprawled on the ground.

...and the figure of Lu City, crouched down and seemingly inhaling something from them.

A short while later, Lu City stood up, his face a mask of satisfaction.

His guess had been correct. There really was a Parasite among them. Absorbing its spores had finally given him relief from the withdrawal symptoms that had tormented him for days, pulling him back from the brink of collapse.

"Gag... Retch!"

As his sanity returned, Lu City looked at the gruesome corpses on the ground and couldn’t help but dry heave.

But he quickly suppressed it, his eyes turning cold.

’These guys brought it on themselves.’

’They remembered I was a star student at the academy. They should have also remembered that a star student’s combat prowess far exceeds an ordinary one’s.’

’Knowing the difference in our strength and still provoking me... they were just courting death.’

’The relief is only temporary. The symptoms will definitely be back in a few days... I need to get to the Black Banner Country’s territory as fast as I can. That’s the only place with an endless supply of spores.’

Lu City quickly composed himself and continued toward his destination.

...

After Guan Tong arrived in Sakura Prayer, he saw that the streets and alleys were filled with North Star soldiers and armored vehicles.

He figured that after the fall of the Mizusawa Clan, the number of people implicated was simply enormous. So many, in fact, that after throwing them all in prison, Sakura Prayer’s entire administrative system had ground to a halt.

What’s more, Sakura Prayer’s Parasite problem was equally severe. Although a portion of them had left for the Seri Divine Kingdom as soon as they heard of its founding, many still remained.

With all these factors combined, Sakura Prayer as a nation was now teetering on the brink of collapse.

One more misstep, and the country would follow the fate of most nations on Celestial Water Star: its government would dissolve, and its remaining citizens would become refugees, absorbed by other countries.

According to the Human Federation’s proximity-based absorption principle, if that were to happen, these refugees would undoubtedly be taken in by North Star, becoming New North Star People.

However, judging by North Star’s current closed-border policy, its leaders did not want this outcome.

Normally, a large influx of population should be a welcome development for any country in this day and age.

Guan Tong’s theory was that too many Parasites were hiding among Sakura Prayer’s population. ’If North Star absorbs them,’ he thought, ’it would be like swallowing a poisoned pill. The harm could very well outweigh the benefits.’

He met with Shangyuan Zi at Yuan Ba Song’s estate, which the two of them were now using as a temporary base for their little organization.

As soon as they met, Shangyuan Zi filled him in on the latest developments.

"Sakura Prayer was placed under martial law three days ago. It’s being enforced by a unit deployed from North Star."

"Mm, I saw them when I entered the city. That makes sense. The Mizusawa Clan basically controlled Sakura Prayer’s military, so there’s no way they could be left in power."

Shangyuan Zi nodded. "After the evidence came to light and the relevant personnel were arrested, Sakura Prayer’s military was disbanded. Only the Public Security Bureau remains, and its new director is Suzuki’s old boss, a man named Yoshino."

"Also, Suzuki was promoted to Head of the Forensics Division... I think that might have something to do with you."

"With me?"

"Since the people from North Star know the whole story, it’s natural they’d prefer to put people connected to you in power. Besides, Suzuki put in the work as part of the investigation team, so this is probably her reward."

"Hmm... Did she tell you what she wants to talk to me about?" Guan Tong asked.

Shangyuan Zi shook her head. "No."

"Oh well. I’ll find out when I see her this afternoon."

"Guan Tong, if she’s a Parasite, what will you do?"

"Eliminate her," Guan Tong replied without hesitation. "A Parasite is no longer human. It’s just a monster that retains its host’s memories. That much was decided the moment they started attacking humans."

In Guan Tong’s view, the Parasites’ aggression toward humans was a catastrophic blunder.

If the Parasites had been able, or had even pretended, to coexist peacefully with humans, they might have been able to lull humanity into a false sense of security and even cultivate some human collaborators.

But when Parasites started attacking humans simply for refusing to convert, any sane person would have abandoned all thought of coexisting with such monsters.

Humanity would not rest until every last Parasite on the planet was exterminated.

Shangyuan Zi let out a small sigh of relief at his words.

Seeing her reaction, Guan Tong asked curiously, "Did you think I’d make a different choice?"

"Yes. I was a little worried you’d go soft on her because you’ve worked together in the past."

"...You have to understand, the moment someone becomes a Parasite, the original host is already dead. Eliminating it isn’t ruthless—it’s avenging the host."

"If I became a Parasite, my body taken over by spores, and if I were somehow aware in the afterlife, I would be grateful to whoever destroyed the monster occupying my body."

Shangyuan Zi said, "I agree."

Guan Tong looked at her face, his gaze landing on the scales on her chin.

"Are they starting to spread up again?"

Shangyuan Zi noticed his gaze and touched her chin. "The scales hadn’t grown for a long time. But after Mizusawa Chun died, they started growing again, and quickly."

"...Some expressions of your bloodline ability are very similar to his. Could there be some unknown connection between you two?"

"I think so too. That’s why I want to get my hands on some of the Mizusawa Clan’s confidential files. There might be some relevant records among them."

"Those files should have all been confiscated. The relevant departments in North Star would have definitely made copies." Guan Tong thought for a moment. "I’ll contact someone at the Strategy Research Room and see if I can get a copy for you."

"Thank you so much."

"We’re in the same organization now. Helping each other is what we’re supposed to do. No need for thanks."

Hearing this, Shangyuan Zi asked, "This organization... have you thought of a name for it yet?"

"Not yet. Any suggestions?"

"You’re the founder. You should pick a name that reflects you, and the organization’s goals."

Guan Tong pondered for a moment. "Life is an arduous journey, and we are all hurried travelers. Since the end of the path we’ve chosen is the truth, let’s call our organization the ’Origin-Tracing Expedition’."

"The Origin-Tracing Expedition, huh."

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. I just thought you’d pick a name that suits you better, like the ’Shadow Legion’ or something."

Guan Tong was speechless. "I’m building an organization to find like-minded people, not to recruit my own personal bodyguards. That’s ridiculous."

Shangyuan Zi was clearly joking. Her expression turned serious. "From today on, I am a member of the Origin-Tracing Expedition. I’ll be in your care, Leader."

"’Leader,’ huh... I can live with that." Guan Tong accepted the title. "Alright. Then let’s do our best together."