Chapter 587: A Blade to Save People

“What do you think the Black Calamity is?” Ladi suddenly asked.

Mo Ling thought for a moment before answering, “Clay?”

“Why clay?” Ladi didn’t quite understand.

“Because it can be ‘molded’ into all sorts of shapes. It’s just that the ‘molding’ method is a bit special. You have to use observation to change its form and properties.” As he spoke, Mo Ling held out his hand and made a squeezing gesture.

“I see what you mean… You don’t think it’s a weapon?”

“I used to think that, but my perspective changed after learning about its properties.” Mo Ling paused to think, then replied, “If I were suddenly hit by a ball made of clay, I’d initially think it was some kind of weapon. But once I came to my senses, I wouldn’t see it that way anymore.”

“Its essence is clay. Someone just used it as a weapon. It could be used to make sculptures, to construct buildings, to create pots and pans… or to do nothing at all, just sitting there, providing an environment for microorganisms to thrive.”

“The Black Calamity is the same. Its essence is just a mass of black ‘clay.’ Someone just molded it into giants, into rabbits, into high walls, into a plague capable of affecting the minds of Healers…”

As Mo Ling was explaining his view, the flame on Ladi’s head suddenly flickered, and he abruptly leaned in close to Mo Ling.

“You’re right… Have you ever considered that if the mastermind can control the Black Calamity, maybe we can too?”

“The mastermind has turned the Black Calamity into a blade to stab us. Can’t we turn it into a scalpel to treat wounds? Make it work for us?”

Hearing Ladi’s idea, Mo Ling began to ponder. The idea was indeed feasible, but putting it into practice would be no simple task.

Although “observing” the Black Calamity was very simple, establishing “parameters” for it in one’s mind was difficult.

Thoughts are inherently chaotic. Just now on that black plain, even though the Healers understood the Black Calamity’s properties, they still couldn’t control their own minds. They couldn’t stop themselves from thinking about the giants, the high walls, the Wall Builder…

They had experienced the crisis brought on by the Black Calamity, so when they observed it, they were inevitably influenced by those “terrifying memories.”

“Since the Black Calamity can be changed by observation, we can definitely use it too. But we can’t make it change precisely. It might not turn into the shape we want,” Mo Ling told Ladi his thoughts.

But Ladi wasn’t worried about that.

“We’ve been at a stalemate with the Black Calamity for a long time. During this period, I’ve also been studying it constantly.”

“If you want to make it take a specific shape, you need two conditions.”

“First, specific parameters: appearance, size, density, abilities… The more detailed these parameters are, the better. The more specific, the faster the Black Calamity will transform.”

“Second, a pure mind. When observing the Black Calamity, your thoughts must be free of distractions. The purer your thoughts, the smaller the deviation in the transformation.”

“Once the first template is generated, the Black Calamity will remember that form. Afterward, you only need to think of it casually, and the Black Calamity will automatically generate the fixed form according to that first template.”

“I suspect this is how the giants were produced. The mastermind set this form—one that automatically attacks Healers—into the Black Calamity’s ‘program.’ Then, he had certain Healers observe these giants. Once they remembered what the giants looked like, their minds would start imagining them automatically, and through this, the giants were produced in an endless stream…”

Mo Ling nodded. This was probably how the mastermind was using the Black Calamity:

First, he created some “templates.” Then, he released the Black Calamity onto the Hua Sheng Islands, using the Healers’ observations to spread it.

And that plague targeting the minds of Healers was also specially created and released unknowingly on different islands. But because the plague has no concrete form, it doesn’t appear everywhere like the giants and rabbits. Instead, it remains hidden in the shadows, difficult to detect.

“It seems the turmoil on the Hua Sheng Islands was indeed long-planned…” Mo Ling couldn’t help but sigh.

“Then how do we use the Black Calamity? Specific parameters, a pure mind… neither of those is easy to achieve, are they?”

“No, it’s very simple.” Ladi slowly reached a hand behind his back.

“What are you planning to do?” Mo Ling asked curiously.

“Create a pure mind, add the specific parameters to it, and finally, grant it the ability to observe.”

As he spoke, Ladi grabbed forcefully and pulled out a small section of his own spine. Before Mo Ling’s shocked eyes, Ladi held the segment of spine in the palm of his hand.

“Don’t worry. My current body was also simulated by the Healing Space.”

“…”

Even after hearing this explanation, Mo Ling still felt a chill run down his spine.

The piece of spine was dripping with fresh red blood, which seeped from Ladi’s palm and fell to the ground. The flesh still clinging to the bone was twitching slightly, looking very fresh.

“The nerves within the spine are incredibly dense, and the spine itself has a certain ‘capacity for thought.’ It’s perfect for creating a pure mind…”

Ladi extended a finger and tapped the edge of the spinal segment. The surrounding flesh immediately enveloped it, forming a ball of flesh.

“And now, to tell it the parameters I’ve already prepared…”

As he spoke, Ladi shoved the ball of flesh directly into the light on his head. After the ball twitched a few times, Ladi pulled it back out.

“There. It has now memorized the specific parameters. As a ‘newborn,’ its mind should be very clear. The last step is to grant it a means of observation…”

“What means of observation do you think would be best? Eyes? Ears? Or a nose?” Ladi suddenly asked Mo Ling.

“Anything works… You decide…”

At this point, Mo Ling’s voice trembled as he stared at the fleshy spinal mass.

‘He realized that whether it was Xi or Ladi, these Healers were all incredibly ruthless with their own bodies, as if their bodies weren’t their own but could be modified or destroyed at will.’

‘To them, their bodies were more like interchangeable parts that they could ‘disassemble’ and ‘reassemble’ at any time.’

‘Then again, their powerful abilities allowed them to do so…’

Ladi stood in place, thinking for a moment.

“Smell is too limited. Eyes would be more suitable, but the depth of observation might be insufficient…”

“How about we use sonar.”

As he said this, Ladi once again gripped the fleshy spinal mass. As the light shone upon it, a large node slowly grew on the mass. This, it seemed, was the sonar Ladi had created.

After the node formed, a thin membrane within it began to vibrate violently.

“Let’s go. We’re going to forge a suitable scalpel.”