Master of Kaidan
Chapter 180: Be Suiren rather than Hao Tian

Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Be Suiren rather than Hao Tian

The conference room of the Kaidan Countermeasure Bureau’s exchange group had been filled with two hours of discussion and summarization. Everyone meticulously dissected every word of this conversation, even using reading comprehension to unearth the potential meanings hidden within, and finally arrived at some conclusions.

However, these were merely interpretations of what the other party might have wanted to convey. How much of it was true and how much was false still required further discussion and confirmation.

Thus, after the basic interpretations, the members of the exchange group had no intention of resting. They promptly summoned several other key group leaders for the second round of discussion and analysis.

One by one, the group leaders took their seats. Only then did Mr. Wang stand up, simultaneously controlling his personal terminal to send the discussion content and previous call records to the tablets before them, and began to speak,

"The outcome of the first round of negotiations was quite decent. The other party did not display any substantial resistance, and through this conversation, we gained a lot of information, but!"

At this point, Mr. Wang slightly raised his tone,

"Whether this information is truly correct still requires our independent judgment. This is merely a disclosure of the exchange content, not an exposition of the truth."

"We understand, please proceed," the head of the Investigation Team nodded slightly. Lin Wenxue, serving as the intermediary, belonged to their Investigation Team, so he knew more than the other groups.

Seeing someone picking up, Mr. Wang immediately continued,

"First, regarding our biggest doubt prior, where did those captured Kaidans go? According to the individual codenamed ’Instructor,’ they died."

"Died?" This answer was anticipated but unexpected, causing peculiar expressions on many faces. They picked up their tablets, and then the members of the interrogation team spoke up,

"Are their lifespans exceedingly short? However, those concealed by the divine are often tormented for half a year or even longer, while the lower-level Kaidans we capture only last three to five days before vanishing, and higher-level ones often even less."

"This involves several subsequent questions." Mr. Wang pointed with a laser pen on the projection screen behind him and explained,

"According to the other party, they need an Ascension to extend their lifespan. From the current intelligence, most Divine Hiders are captured in an organized manner, which likely means that only a very few Ascended individuals benefit, while the remainder are akin to short-lived expendables like worker ants or soldier ants."

"Everything else can be explained, but the skills they possess are not something that can be mastered in a few days," the Tactical Action Group leader shook his head and said,

"Moreover, so far, most Kaidans can show signs of age, but from capture until disappearance, there’s no sign of aging. How do we explain this?"

"The other side didn’t provide an answer for this, but I have some records from thirty years ago." Mr. Wang switched the projection to scanned documents, detailing several accounts of the Infinite City—

"Back then, the Kaidans within the Infinite City didn’t have such a hostile attitude as they do now. From the accounts of several people who returned from being Divine Hiders, we also gathered some information about that world. A noteworthy point in all memories is that no children ever appeared. Based on the lifespan issue, we have reason to suspect that population growth in that world isn’t reliant on procreation."

...

As the meeting continued, most content had been conveyed. What remained was the final question, the one Feng Xue posed at the end—

"What kind of Kaidan can truly be at peace?"

"Gods." Suddenly, from the most inconspicuous, least present part of the conference room, a voice barely spoken throughout the entire meeting was heard.

The individual sitting there bore the "Archives Group" badge on the table before them.

The Archives Group was a rather obscure organization within the Kaidan Administration, typically responsible for organizing dossiers and archives.

However, due to the increasingly uniform behavior of Kaidans in recent years, the number of archives the group managed was pitifully small, like a library with only a hundred or so books where you could easily find what you were looking for by flipping through a directory. Compared to other groups, this department was mostly a welfare department for those involved in Kaidan incidents but lacking combat ability.

Thus, people felt somewhat unfamiliar with this department, which usually only handled document sorting. But hearing the member’s speculation, everyone couldn’t help but start pondering.

"Xiao Qian, it’s rare for you to have thoughts. Let’s hear them." Mr. Wang gave an encouraging smile to the speaker, who stood up nervously. She appeared about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, somewhat socially anxious, and then said somewhat haltingly,

"According to existing literature, Kaidans existed even before the Infinite City. Besides the Kaidan culture of the Eastern Country, the most renowned is the worship of various indigenous gods and totem gods, like the Aztec Feathered Serpent God. If it weren’t for Iberia, the Feathered Serpent God would probably still exist alongside the Aztecs."

Xiao Qian, the head of the Archives Group, started hesitantly, but as she delved into the topic, her words became fluid, even a bit fast-paced.

Listening to her speech, the head of the Inspection Group shook his head,

"It sounds reasonable, but the Feathered Serpent God ultimately still died. Not just the Feathered Serpent God, but Amunra, An, Zeus... they all perished."

"That’s because those countries perished! If one could become the god of a strong and prosperous nation, they could remain as long as the country did. Codenamed ’Instructor,’ he might be harboring this very intention; he desires to become the god of Yan Country," the head of the Investigation Team stroked the short beard on his chin, while the leader of the Tactical Action Group frowned and said,

"But we don’t need gods, nor do the people."

If such a statement were made in another country, religious organizations might storm in protest, but in this country where various incompatible religions could be convened together for a documentarians’ conference (homophonous character substitution), there was no issue at all.

At this moment, Xiao Qian spoke again,

"I think what the ’Instructor’ wants to become might not be a god."

"Huh..." The Investigation Team head had supported Xiao Qian to speak, but hadn’t expected her to overturn her own conclusion. However, seeing Mr. Wang’s expression, he quietly awaited her follow-up.

Xiao Qian then seemed to walk towards another extreme of nervousness, speaking at such a fast pace it almost left no room for thought,

"The faith in gods shifts with time, dynastic changes, and technological advancements, changing, diminishing, disappearing, but history doesn’t, civilization doesn’t! He wishes to become the source of Martial Arts, rather than a god of Martial Arts, likely wanting to integrate the element of ’Martial’ into our civilization. He does not desire to be Hao Tian, ruler of heaven and earth, but rather to become Suiren, the ancient sage who discovered fire through wood-drilling."