Chapter 348 - 19: Cleanup, Part 2

Chapter 348: Chapter 19: Cleanup, Part 2

"What a shame!"

"To think that with all our technological prowess, we still can’t suppress its mind-control abilities."

"Achieving universal Extraordinary status, turning everyone in the Empire into an Extraordinary Being to create an Extraordinary Empire... it’s truly not an easy task."

"Forget it. A creature this dangerous... we shouldn’t keep trying to find a solution through it. We can’t be shortsighted. We’ll eventually find a way for our Empire to become Extraordinary."

"Right. As long as the Empire endures long enough, we’re bound to find a method with less risk, or even one that’s completely harmless to us."

"The Cosmos is so vast. Full of opportunities, but also full of dangers! We must be cautious! Cautious!! And even more cautious!!!"

...

After some discussion, they reached a consensus: shelve all research on the Eye Demon and purge the remaining ones from Cuiwei Star.

Upon receiving the order, the military forces, already on standby, boarded their ships and flew toward the various cities.

Across Cuiwei Star, martial law sirens blared in every city.

Hearing the alarms, the city residents, with very few exceptions, all returned to their homes.

Meanwhile, as Liu Peng finished uploading the Eye Demon’s genetic identification marker, all gene scanners on Cuiwei Star received the update and were forced to install it.

Afterward, the IFF gene scanners in each city scanned every corner, searching for any potential Eye Demons and tagging those it found.

Then, the frontline personnel from various units of the Cuiwei Corps, who were still stationed in the cities on Cuiwei Star, followed these tags to eliminate the targets.

Whether it was a lone Eye Demon, a parasitized animal, or even a parasitized member of the Human Race or another alien species—all were killed and then flash-frozen to prevent the Eye Demon from escaping.

These frozen corpses would be transported away for standardized, hazard-free disposal.

In orbit above the planet, satellites equipped with large-scale IFF gene scanners began to meticulously scan the planet’s surface.

Similarly, any lifeform detected by the scan was tagged.

Military forces from outer space would descend near these creatures, eliminate them, and then cremate the bodies on site until nothing but ash remained.

...

At the GS8-F4 intersection in Black Salt City, the clamorous crowd suddenly fell silent as the city-wide alarm sounded.

In that moment, everyone knew that the higher-ups on Cuiwei Star had made their decision. Whatever had happened in Black Salt City, it would all soon be settled.

Regardless of whether they were "normal" or not, all they could do now was wait for the final outcome.

In the sky, a floating IFF gene scanner flew out from within Black Salt City, hovered over the crowd, and silently initiated its scan.

A moment later, the scan finished, and the scanner silently flew away.

"Is it over?"

"What in the world is going on? The IFF gene scanners are out. Was there a dangerous alien invasion?"

"Looks like we don’t have to flee after all!!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, assuming everything was fine. Generally, the appearance of IFF gene scanners was accompanied by professional cleanup teams. Since no cleanup team had appeared, did that mean the crisis was averted?

In the forest, Lin Yu and Li Hua received a message from Liu Peng. Their wristbands received a program he sent, and after the installation was complete, the information projected onto their retinas changed.

Everyone they saw was now marked with a simple indicator. For example, when Lin Yu and Li Hua looked at each other, a green marker appeared over their heads, indicating they were both law-abiding citizens who should not be harmed without cause.

If a marker was yellow, it meant the target had a criminal record with an outstanding punishment and needed to be apprehended. However, the two of them didn’t have the authority to make arrests, and thus no obligation to do so. They didn’t need to get involved, only to report it; the relevant law enforcement officers would handle it.

If a marker was red, it meant the target was a heinous criminal who needed to be killed on sight. All Cuiwei Star law enforcement and corresponding Cuiwei Corps personnel were authorized to execute them immediately, without repercussions.

They observed the markers on the injured five-person squad and the medical personnel treating them.

As they expected, all members of the five-person squad had yellow markers.

But among the doctors and nurses, there was, unexpectedly, a red one.

"You there, come here for a second!"

The middle-aged, bespectacled male doctor with the red marker pointed to his own nose. "Me?"

"Yes, you!"

The doctor shakily stood up. He knew his own situation best. Being singled out by the guards right after the scan could only mean his secret was discovered.

The people around him also realized something was wrong. Whether they knew him or not, they scrambled away from him as if he were the plague.

"Don’t come any closer! One more step and I’ll kill him!"

The doctor decided to make a desperate gamble. He snatched a scalpel, pressing its sharp blade against the neck of Lei Zhou, who was right beside him.

"I want to get out of here! Let me go, and I’ll release him!"

Lin Yu curled his lip. ’These people parasitized by the Eye Demon really aren’t very bright,’ he thought. ’A threat like this is completely useless against us. Besides, has he forgotten that the injured man he’s holding at knifepoint is one of his own?’

"Put down the scalpel. It’s useless. If you drop it, I can at least give you a quick death!"

"No, I don’t want to die! If I wanted to die, I wouldn’t have... AHH—"