Chapter 483: The Pope, Chu Bamboo, the Big Orange Cat; Giant Beast No. 3, the Angel

His brow furrowed. Chu Bamboo stopped talking to the Big Orange Cat and paced back and forth. “So, what’s the current state of this world’s Master of Omniscience? Bearing this contamination, is she trying to destroy the world, or…?”

“Who the hell knows!” The Big Orange Cat rolled its eyes. “Who would dare disturb her? Three hundred years ago, she had a psychotic break and killed all ten billion citizens on Mars!”

“???” Chu Bamboo’s heart stopped cold.

“What’s with that expression?” The Big Orange Cat narrowed its eyes. “Though, I’m actually starting to believe you really are Secretary Chu now.”

Chu Bamboo remained silent. ‘Three hundred years ago…’ A peculiar glint appeared in his eyes as he mentally calculated the timeline. ‘If this were the Daqian World Line, wouldn’t that be around the time of Da Che’s invasion?’

“After all, Secretary Chu was just like that—soft-hearted and merciful!” the Big Orange Cat said noncommittally. “But strictly speaking, the Master of Omniscience wasn’t the one who killed them… You could say she lost control at a certain point, causing a massive outbreak of the contamination… and, well, that was that.”

“And another thing, ten billion deaths! While it is serious… it is what it is.”

“Since Secretary Chu founded the United Government… humanity’s off-world populations have been massacred no fewer than ten times… During the lowest point, the extraterrestrial planets were left with nothing but ruins, completely devoid of human life… Only the ancestral planet, Earth, retained some of its population.”

“It’s no big deal…” The Big Orange Cat was perfectly calm, as if discussing matters that had nothing to do with it whatsoever.

‘Perhaps it really doesn’t have anything to do with her. After all, she’s one of the Ten Thousand Races; her only connection to humanity is God.’ And yet… the Big Orange Cat’s description inexplicably reminded Chu Bamboo of something he’d seen before—the population dropping below one billion.

A thousand unspoken words dissolved into a single sigh.

“And Z?” Chu Bamboo asked.

“On Mars! Probably giving that one psychotherapy?” The Big Orange Cat held out a paw and waved it dismissively, adding brazenly, “I don’t know anything else! And don’t ask me how to get in touch…”

Chu Bamboo nodded. He closed his eyes to think for a moment, then suddenly asked, “What’s your relationship with Pope Fang?”

“…It’s so-so.” The Big Orange Cat gave Chu Bamboo a long, searching look.

“That’s good enough!” Chu Bamboo sighed in relief and pulled out his phone. “There should be… oh, there really is a signal! Then again, I guess that makes sense if you can play your mobile games here.”

Chu Bamboo tapped the screen and made a call.

To his surprise, the call connected instantly. Pope Fang’s voice came through, laced with urgency. “Dammit… where are you? That cat actually dared to kidnap you! The absolute audacity! Even if she…”

“You’re alone right now, aren’t you?” Chu Bamboo interrupted the Pope.

The Pope instantly fell silent. He seemed to understand something. After a few breaths, he spoke softly, “Okay… tell me. What help do you need?”

With that one question, the Pope immediately understood who Chu Bamboo’s potential enemy was…

“I need to become a Fourth… no, first, I’ll undergo the Third Realm Genetic Modification,” Chu Bamboo said in a level tone. ‘I wonder if I can exploit a bug!’

‘Based on my past experiences, even if the Genetic Modification affects my genes, dying once should reset everything and wipe the changes away! From that angle, it shouldn’t matter if I go straight for the fourth, right? Still, I should probably test it first.’

‘Once I’ve confirmed that it really does wash certain things away… I can proceed with the fourth modification without any reservations.’

“…I understand,” the Pope said, taking a deep breath.

Chu Bamboo picked up the Big Orange Cat.

“Hey, hey, hey, human, what do you think you’re doing?! This is an outrage!” the Big Orange Cat screeched, its paws flailing uselessly in the air.

“Jump us to the Pope!”

The Big Orange Cat pawed at its own face, clearly annoyed. “Fine! But I’m only helping you this one time!”

In the next instant, the world around them was turned upside down.

Chu Bamboo froze, his expression locked in a daze. He scanned his surroundings. It was a world of pure white where an ancient Celestial Court palace towered, radiating an inexplicable, Holy majesty—

“Behemoth Number Three, inside the body of an Angel?” The Big Orange Cat scanned the area, then said knowingly, “I see. This is the only place we can hide from that Emperor…”

Only the soil of a Divine Domain can interfere with the Right of Conquest. It can’t completely nullify the Emperor’s power—if he wanted to force his way in, he could—but it can at least block his ability to sense or scan this location.

Chu Bamboo quietly regarded the Pope. Compared to the old man he remembered, this Pope, though still dressed in Eastern-style papal vestments with graying hair, had a wrinkle-free face. A gentle smile played on his lips, making him look more like a middle-aged man.

The Pope watched Chu Bamboo for a long moment before letting out a wistful sigh. “…You’re awake.”

Chu Bamboo’s pupils constricted as his mind reeled. The sheer amount of information packed into that one sentence was overwhelming…

“…You know.”

“I only know a small part,” the Pope said, making a gesture to indicate a tiny amount. “Besides me, the Giant of the Mo Family knows as well. And even… the Emperor.”

In that moment, Chu Bamboo felt as if many things were falling into place. After a brief silence, he gave a knowing smile. “I figured as much.”

‘My other self made thousands, tens of thousands of memory Reproductions to build the United Government. Then there was the problem with the Time Club… And he left behind countless contingencies, all in a desperate attempt to help me in this era…’

‘With that many moving parts, leaks were inevitable…’

‘The only question now is, just how much do they know?’

“You’re either the reincarnation of the first Secretary, a ‘similar flower,’ or you’ve been reborn, right?” the Pope said calmly, waving his hand as if to say it was all self-evident. “No need to elaborate. It’s just a method to wash away the contamination and live another life, isn’t it? The Emperor is likely targeting you because he covets that very thing…”

Chu Bamboo: “…”

‘Well, that’s not exactly the truth… but Pope Fang’s theory is still a small relief.’ It seemed not too much had been leaked after all.

“So, who’s the person doing my surgery?”

Pope Fang gave Chu Bamboo a peculiar look. “I’ve already found someone… The one from the Life Divine Teachings. They’re in Shanghai right now, performing an unsealing procedure. I’ll get in touch with them for you…”

“…Hold on.” Chu Bamboo made a gesture to pause, his face a mask of astonishment. ‘It’s them again? If I remember correctly… isn’t this the same person Li Kang went to see?’

‘Is it a coincidence… or could it be!?’

In response to Chu Bamboo’s confusion, Pope Fang’s voice took on an extremely strange tone. “…You don’t actually think just anyone can perform the Third Realm Genetic Modification, do you?”

Chu Bamboo: “…”

‘So that’s it! It’s just that so few people are capable of it that everyone ends up going to the same handful of surgeons…’

‘Never mind, then…’

“Speaking of which, though,” Chu Bamboo suddenly realized something, his brow furrowing deeply. “Isn’t that person in the middle of a procedure right now? Something about unsealing a ‘frozen person’… What’s that about…?”