Catastrophe Containment Facility
Chapter 653 - 643: The Lurking Chains

Chapter 653: Chapter 643: The Lurking Chains

With Ais Wakaz’s departure, the matter seemed to have come to a temporary close, and Wen Wen could finally take a breath.

But the crisis was still very present. In three days’ time, the sixteen timed bombs left by Dr. Feng would detonate, and terrifying plants would burst from their hidden spots, bringing catastrophe to the city.

Merely sixteen plant monsters were not scary; Wen Wen alone could single-handedly deal with them. What was terrifying was the possibility that these plant monsters could be contagious, infecting humans to become like the crazed zombies in horror movies, wildly spreading the virus to others. At that point, if the streets were full of virus-carrying plant monsters, controlling the situation would be difficult.

From what Dr. Feng had said, his goal was probably as Wen Wen had guessed. After all, he had once caused a ’plant zombie crisis.’ The plant zombies he created then had the fatal weakness of only being active during the day, but according to Dr. Feng’s words, this time he seemed to have overcome that weakness.

Fortunately, a few days prior, Wen Wen had already handed over all the viruses he had collected to the Association for research, and with the Association’s capabilities, they should quickly find a way to cope.

Furthermore, after Wen Wen reported the exact timing of the outbreak to the Association, sixteen emergency teams, each composed of Demon Hunters and Supporters, arrived in Tongling City. They were ready to control the situation as quickly as possible when it erupted.

For Zhu Qipei and Master Feng Bei, it was a failed hunting plan. Dr. Feng was ultimately consumed by Ais Wakaz and not killed by their hands.

But they chose not to leave; instead, they decided to stay in Tongling City for a few more days. Master Feng Bei wanted to remain to solve the problems left by Feng Rao, while Zhu Qipei stayed purely because he felt he had incurred Ais Wakaz’s enmity, and he might face retaliation. Without the protection of the Hunters Association, it would be safer to stay with others until Ais Wakaz was dealt with.

After returning to the hotel, Wen Wen entered the room Zhu Qipei had booked for him, released Tao Qingqing, and then went into the bathroom to enter the Sanctuary.

Now, Wen Wen needed to check the condition of the chains inside Ais Wakaz. If lucky, he might be able to drag Ais Wakaz into the Sanctuary along with them, but Wen Wen knew this was just wishful thinking.

Since Ais had consumed Dr. Feng, the condition of the chains had become somewhat strange. Although still connected to Wen Wen, the link was much weaker than under normal circumstances. That’s why Wen Wen needed to perform tests.

The test was simple but could not alarm Ais, so Wen Wen had to put in quite an effort before he could draw a conclusion.

Wen Wen could confirm that the chains were indeed inside Ais Wakaz, but they did not occupy his entire body, only part of his shoulder. If Wen Wen forcefully recalled the chains, he would only pull back the part of Dr. Feng’s consciousness and the flesh of Ais Wakaz’s shoulder into the Sanctuary.

This would inadvertently help Ais to resolve the big problem of Dr. Feng being defiant, for as long as the chains remained, Ais could not completely eliminate the lingering consciousness of Dr. Feng.

The other functions of the chains were also retained. Wen Wen could communicate with Dr. Feng through the chains, but Ais Wakaz would overhear, so Wen Wen only used this feature to listen in.

Moreover, Wen Wen should still be able to use the chains to torture those who had merged together. However, this would alert Ais Wakaz, so Wen Wen refrained from acting for the moment. He wanted to save this trump card for a critical moment...

...

On the outskirts of Tongling City, an abandoned quarry.

Stepping past the sign that read "Danger - No Entry," and into a pitch-black mine shaft was like entering an utterly dark labyrinth with no distinguishable direction.

After a century of mining, such complex subterranean tunnels were commonplace, and no one dared claim complete familiarity with the underground world surrounding Tongling City.

Occasionally, someone would mistakenly wander into these mine passages and, unable to find the right direction and with their cries unheard, would ultimately be trapped in the darkness until death. Some bodies were discovered, whereas others were never found again, lending a horrific atmosphere to these abandoned pits.

According to a survivor who had narrowly escaped from this place, when he was most helpless, he heard heavy breathing and footsteps getting increasingly closer, unlike any animal he was familiar with. However, no one verified his claims, as the abandoned mines were dangerous enough, with or without the presence of mysterious creatures.

At this moment, deep within the mine, there was such a strange creature with a body covered in black bristles, but it had long been dead, suspended mid-air by bizarre plants, while a man in loincloth had taken over its nest.

"I never thought I’d end up like this, but I guess you had this in mind from the start when you first sheltered me and Feng Bei," he said.

The blood-colored face on Ais Wakaz’s shoulder, the lingering consciousness of Dr. Feng, showed a resentful expression. In his nearly two-hundred-year life, he had regarded Ais as both mentor and friend, only to be crushed when he needed help the most.

"It was even earlier than that. I began my planning thirty years before I took you two in," Ais replied.

Ais Wakaz realized he couldn’t kill Dr. Feng in a short time, so he started a conversation:

"At that time, my power had reached a bottleneck. Continuing like that, even a thousand years would not advance me to Catastrophe Level. I didn’t want to live in confusion like the others; only by becoming Catastrophe Level could I gain true freedom."

"My ability is just as you know. As long as I thoroughly research a lifeform, I can possess its powers. However, my own talent and knowledge are finite. Even giving my all, I only possess Disaster True Sequence strength."

"So, I split myself into three parts: one is my body, one is my plant-related abilities, and one is my animal abilities. I disguised the two abilities as the semblance of powerful Remnant Spirits, searching for suitable inheritors."

Wen Wen, who had been eavesdropping through the chains, suddenly realized why both he and Master Feng Bei sensed Ais’s presence as weaker than Lower Sequence; it was because the former Ais was only left with some of the body’s preserved abilities, not truly being a high-ranked superpower user.

"So we are the inheritors?" Dr. Feng said bitterly.

"Exactly," nodded Ais Wakaz.

"You and Feng Bei are actually using my strength. You have an unusual passion for plants, and Feng Bei has a sickeningly broad love for various animals. You two can use my powers better than I ever could."

"Once the two of you have sufficiently cultivated your abilities, I will merge with both of you, breaking through the original limits... and become Catastrophe Level!"