This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 344: Where Did Your Clothes Come From?

Chapter 344: Chapter 344: Where Did Your Clothes Come From?

"You still haven’t told me what’s inside the Great Void," Wang Ailin pushed up her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"It’s very cold inside... That’s all," Chen Ke gave a perfunctory response.

It indeed was cold in Fan Hede... so cold that Parker had to crouch beside the campfire to roast a fire to get by.

"Is that it?! No, how did you get in there? And how did you get out? What did you experience inside? Did you get anything else? What I want to know is this!" Wang Ailin urged, waving her notebook.

"Well... Let me think." Chen Ke saw the anxious and angry look on Wang Ailin, resembling a child who hadn’t gotten candy.

For Chen Ke, everything that happened in Fan Hede wasn’t much of a secret, but thinking a few steps ahead would make anyone hesitant to share.

Certainly, both the research institute and the Administration Bureau had sent people into the Great Void, and it was only through the use of the Blasphemous Dagger on death row inmates that they had the opportunity to open the doors.

Each Great Void had a different environment and landscape, and every Great Void consisted of several cycles. Without the ability to complete these cycles, it was impossible to obtain the final artifact.

In Chen Ke’s mind, the existence of the Great Void seemed to be for the sake of that final artifact, such as the Ashes of An Helei in Fan Hede.

That’s the theory, but Chen Ke was certain that given the current level of knowledge the Administration Bureau and the research institute had on the Great Void, they definitely didn’t know these things.

They didn’t even have a unified definition of what the Great Void was, after all, these people lacked the ability to complete the cycles.

Even the H.C.P. canned head that Chen Ke encountered in Fan Hede didn’t know what one would get after completing the entire cycle.

The Great Void couldn’t possibly be a part of time; it seemed more like a trial, a checkpoint. At least that was Chen Ke’s experience.

He definitely couldn’t reveal all these things; Wang Ailin was Diana’s friend, and while Chen Ke trusted Diana, it didn’t mean he had to trust her friend as well.

Moreover, even if Chen Ke wanted to trust Wang Ailin, it was better to be safe than sorry, and the best way to keep a secret was to share it with as few people as possible.

If the people from the research institute and the Administration Bureau knew he had completed a cycle, they would try every means to secretly capture him.

Ultimately, Chen Ke was afraid of being taken by state power for dissection.

Humans are social animals, and no one can disconnect from the services society provides, even non-human entities like Chen Ke who didn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep still couldn’t detach from the psychological needs of human society.

"Chen Ke, I’m also curious about what you did after you left to cause such a big change there," Parker interjected at an inopportune time.

"Change? You mean the Great Void can change?" Wang Ailin quickly asked.

"Indeed, it can change. But time is at a standstill," Parker said.

"That’s impossible; the research reports from the institute over the past 40 years have indicated that it’s an automatically restoring eternal realm, and the Black Box Space was established on this premise," Wang Ailin stated.

"I have no interest in black boxes or spiritual products, let’s end the topic of the Great Void. Think about how to get out," Chen Ke interrupted their conversation and made a sign with his eyes to Parker.

The three of them each had their own stance.

Chen Ke, of course, wanted to keep the secret of the Great Void and maintain a proper distance from official institutions.

Parker was completely bewildered, saying whatever he knew.

Although he hadn’t been in contact with Wang Ailin for less than an hour, Chen Ke could tell that she was the kind of academic fanatic who wouldn’t give up until she got to the bottom of things.

In this strange world, knowing too much wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

The three fell silent for a while, as if testing each other’s attitudes. Wang Ailin was the first to break the silence.

"We can wait for the Administration Bureau’s people to come, or we could try heading to the researcher’s power station through the passage from the 1/20th scale laboratory at the bottom, and attempt to restart the containment protocol," Wang Ailin suggested.

If they waited for the Administration Bureau to arrive, Chen Ke wouldn’t be able to escape. He would either surrender himself to be dissected or cause a major incident and become a global fugitive.

"It sounds like waiting for the Administration Bureau is the safer option, there are enough of them, and they’re professional. Not only could they get us out, but they could also take care of restarting the containment protocol. Look, we just wait here, how does that sound?" Parker nodded.

In reality, Parker’s idea was indeed the optimal solution. The Administration Bureau always managed to handle everything, and they should be the ones to clean up the mess at the research institute.

"We need to find our own way out; waiting for the Administration Bureau isn’t a good idea," Chen Ke said.

Parker looked at Chen Ke, full of confusion.

"Listen, Parker, if you don’t leave now, when the Administration Bureau’s people arrive, you won’t be able to get away," Chen Ke said.

"Why? I’m only an investigator," Parker said, puzzled.

"No, you are not an investigator anymore... Parker, you still don’t understand the situation..." Chen Ke shook his head.

Parker still didn’t understand. He looked blankly at Wang Ailin, hoping for an answer.

Wang Ailin had of course understood Chen Ke’s implication and had also realized what Chen Ke was worried about.

"I don’t quite follow you, Chen Ke. And why are you two looking at me so strangely?" Parker asked, feeling unsettled.

"You’re not human anymore, Parker... if you stay here and wait for the Administration Bureau’s people, you’ll have to live in a containment facility for the rest of your life, probably with tubes inserted all over you..." Chen Ke spoke calmly, trying not to upset Parker too much.

"We’ll definitely have him full of tubes..." Wang Ailin glanced at Chen Ke and then at Parker, caution in her voice.

Parker gave an awkward smile, looking at the serious faces of the two, not knowing what expression to wear in the face of this uncomfortable atmosphere for a long while.

"Stop messing around; I’m standing right here, just fine, the same as I always was," Parker said.

"No... you’re not the same; you’ve died, and now you are but a clump of ash..." Wang Ailin looked at Parker with the eyes of someone observing an experimental sample.

"I don’t feel any different from before... look, watch me walk a few steps..." Parker said as he began walking, but his expression was one of increasing panic.

"Parker, calm down. I have a question for you," Chen Ke waved his hand.

"What do you want to ask?" Parker said.

"Where did your clothes come from?" Chen Ke asked.

Wang Ailin nodded, "Your body was lying here without any clothes..."

Parker was startled, touching his blue shirt, suddenly remembering that he should have brought a gun.

He looked bewildered, pinching the skin and clothes on his body. He pinched hard, and with a snap, turned into a pile of ash...

"Have you realized it now, Parker. You are practically the embodiment of ashes, a living ember!" Chen Ke said.

"This is just too absurd... it shouldn’t be like this! I should be a complete human..." Parker was having trouble accepting the changes to his body.

Even in the epoch of the Transcendants, not being human anymore was something not just anyone could accept. Those with powers weren’t necessarily able to change the world. Instead, they would often end up as subjects for research and control.

Unless one’s powers were strong enough, no one could stand against the tide of the era and the societal order established by humanity over thousands of years.