This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!
Chapter 357: The Gene Paper

Chapter 357: Chapter 357: The Gene Paper

Chen Ke made a phone call to Li Moyang.

It was he who answered.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Li Moyang’s voice sounded very clear.

It was already 8 pm, conventionally a time to be at home watching TV in pajamas, though some workaholics might still be hustling in their office cubicles.

"I’ve made a contract," Chen Ke said, refraining from sending Li Moyang a multimedia message or delving into details over the phone, as all these could leave evidence in the communication network.

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"You’d better not be lying to me," Li Moyang said.

It had been less than three days since the contract was taken up, and Li Moyang probably found it hard to believe that Chen Ke could be so efficient.

In fact, when Chen Ke left Opportunity City, he had indeed planned to deal with Corrigan’s matter upon his return.

Unexpectedly, at the Spiritual Ability Research Institute in Norton City, he had stumbled upon it, as luck would have it.

What was more terrifying was that Corrigan had even transformed into a member of the Clan.

"I have photos and evidence," Chen Ke said.

"Come to Annie Roger’s Mansion," Li Moyang said.

A busy tone came from the other end, and Chen Ke exited the call interface.

Annie Roger’s Mansion was a name new to Chen Ke. After checking Google Maps, he found it was in the suburbs on Raffi Road, not too far from his current location—about an hour away by taxi.

Looking at his own clothes riddled with holes, Chen Ke, conveniently located on a commercial street, stopped by a discount clothing store next door to cobble together a new outfit.

Ruining an outfit every time he got into a fight was becoming a problem for Chen Ke; it couldn’t be that he had to end up tattered after every single brawl with a monster, but he didn’t have a better solution at the moment.

After all, the real world was unlike games and movies, where clothing remained stylish even when cut by a knife or pierced by a ray; even if tattered, it somehow looked good.

Each time he faced a sufficiently powerful opponent, Chen Ke’s clothes ended up either completely burned or torn in such awkward places that it was impossible to wear them out of necessity.

The taxi drove towards the suburbs along the highway without conversation. Chen Ke had been running all over the city lately and was becoming quite familiar with the scenery along the way.

Just then, his phone vibrated. It was Wang Ailin.

"Chen Ke?" Wang Ailin asked.

"It’s me. The Administration Bureau finally rescued you, right?" Chen Ke asked, assuming that if she had time to make a phone call, she must be safe.

"After you left, they sent someone to pick me up immediately. What about you and Parker, did the Administration Bureau catch you?" Wang Ailin inquired.

"No, we’re... doing well. Are you sure the Administration Bureau won’t eavesdrop on your call to me?" Chen Ke asked.

"I don’t think so. They have no reason to monitor my call, especially since you weren’t with me when they found me," Wang Ailin said.

"I’m glad you’re safe," Chen Ke said lightly.

"Uhm... is Parker still stable?" Wang Ailin asked.

"He’s... not exactly great, but at least he can switch states voluntarily whenever he wants. To integrate into normal life, he’ll need more time to adapt," Chen Ke said rather helplessly.

"That sounds so incredible! Can you give me his contact info? I really want to keep track of the changes in his body," Wang Ailin implored eagerly.

"I don’t think he wants to talk about this with you..." Chen Ke said.

"I will find a way to break down his mental barriers. Please, you must give me his number!" Wang Ailin urged.

"Sorry, Wang Ailin... in fact, I don’t have his number. Parker and I aren’t as close as you think," Chen Ke said.

He was not lying; he genuinely didn’t have it. But Parker did have Chen Ke’s number, given to him on the truck.

"Will you have a chance to see him again?" Wang Ailin asked quickly.

"I promise you, if I meet him again, I’ll give him your contact info, okay?" Chen Ke offered.

"We have a deal then... let’s keep in touch more often... okay?" Wang Ailin sounded somewhat disappointed.

"It won’t be long; I promise," Chen Ke said with a smile.

"Alright... then I’ll trust you. Oh, and regarding meme therapy, I’m going to send you a detailed research paper now. You should read it. Following the methods in it, it might be possible to completely eradicate the symptoms that you and your friend have," Wang Ailin said.

At the same time, Chen Ke received a text message.

"That’s very kind of you, I remember you previously mentioned that once infected by a meme, it’s best not to think about it," Chen Ke said.

"That was just a general statement, Chen Ke. In theory, it’s true, but it’s as meaningless as saying that hard work ensures success," Wang Ailin said earnestly.

"Shit," Chen Ke exclaimed in surprise; he genuinely believed Wang Ailin’s words were the solution, which was why he confidently returned to Opportunity City. Without this call from Wang Ailin, he might really have...

"You check the email. It has a detailed explanation of the meme. The one affecting you and your friend is quite a tricky type; it might take some time... But it was hard to explain clearly under the circumstances at noon... Anyway, if you don’t understand, call me back," Wang Ailin instructed.

"Okay, okay... I’ve got another issue to deal with right now, so I need to hang up..." Chen Ke said.

"Okay, bye," Wang Ailin replied.

After hanging up, Chen Ke immediately opened the text message, which contained a link to an online note-sharing software. The link pointed to a document meant for collaborative editing.

Chen Ke clicked the link, only to be greeted by a registration prompt.

"Damn it!" Chen Ke cursed silently, unable to view the document without registering. He quickly clicked the hyperlink for registration below the message, which redirected him from the SMS app to the phone’s native browser.

The United Federation’s 3G network in 2009 was not very fast, and for Chen Ke, who was accustomed to 4G, the pace felt painfully slow.

Once finally on the page, he had to fill in the small forms, moving back and forth on the tiny screen to register a username and set up a password.

With registration finally complete, Chen Ke accessed the shared notes.

The title of the article was "The Human Subconscious: Formation and Transmission of Memes," and a glance at the scrollbar indicated that it was a lengthy piece, taking at least half an hour to read through. Chen Ke quickly scrolled down, noticing that the article was accompanied by many diagrams.

The author was credited as Mansis, Wang Ailin’s mentor.

Right now, he couldn’t possibly concentrate on reading... Chen Ke rubbed his eyes, thinking that it was better to read this on a computer. Coincidentally, the taxi had just arrived at Annie Roger’s Mansion without him realizing it.

"We’ve arrived, Sir," the chubby driver announced.

"Thank you," Chen Ke handed over a 10-union coin note, waving off the change, and then got out of the taxi.

The mansion was concealed within a forest, but there was an imposing stone pillar by the roadside serving as a guide, making it not too difficult to locate.

Following the shaded path, you could see a huge, dark house standing in the woods several hundred meters away.