Chapter 84: A Thousand Pieces of Gold Cannot Buy Foresight

Ji Cheng curled his lips noncommittally.

“When the monster attacked for the first time, I saw from my angle that one of its arms was human—more precisely, it belonged to a well-maintained human female.”

“You mean, Pang Weiwei is that monster?” Zhang Lingfei was startled by his words.

A hush fell around them.

Ji Cheng’s gaze swept over the rows of windows, observing carefully. “I think it’s highly probable. Judging by its build, the monster’s silhouette is close to human. And as the Centipede just said, its defensive capability doesn’t match its lethality, whereas mutated animals are usually thick-skinned and tough.”

“I want to clarify—this isn’t a challenge, just a point of confusion.” Tian Gang adjusted his tactical goggles, lowering his voice. “That monster moved incredibly fast, and the lighting here is terrible. How could you see that clearly?”

“My genetic template is from a feline species. My dynamic vision and night vision are relatively better,” Ji Cheng answered truthfully.

Sitting near the front, Lei Junming unclipped his seatbelt and stood, loading custom rounds into his shotgun with a click, then asked, “So this monster was once an ability user of your Southport? How did that happen? Because of the mines? Or is it something from inside the Hive?”

“For now, I don’t know.” Ji Cheng shook his head, raising his gun and slowly sweeping the muzzle past the window.

“But in any case, it’s dangerous—lethal.”

Bang.

He pulled the trigger at a fleeting shadow.

The round tore through the air with a shrill screech, and the monster spewed a spray of thick, dark red blood, droplets splattering into the carriage.

“It’s vanished again,” Ji Cheng said, helpless.

In truth, a suspicion was forming in his mind; he sensed things were not so simple.

They had circled around for quite some time to avoid unauthorized passages. Pang Weiwei had reached the Synapse Hall at least an hour before the four of them—either she had headed straight for the central sector, with a clear goal and no delay, or she had another way that didn’t require such detours.

In other words—

Pang Weiwei might possess a higher-level access card.

That would also explain why, after leaving the Synapse Hall, she didn’t need to sneak through the refuse disposal room into the Small Hive like they did.

She could simply use her higher clearance and take a more convenient route to the central area.

So where did her access card come from?

Ji Cheng’s thoughts drifted to that eccentric Speaker—Zhang Sheng, the only third-tier ability user in New Southport.

It was possible Pang Weiwei’s access card came from him.

Not a certainty, but the odds were three or four out of ten.

Did this also mean her transformation might be tied to the Speaker’s machinations?

“No matter what scheme Zhang Sheng has, the tide has turned in my favor now. Over a dozen ability users await my commands—unless he comes in person, I’ll storm the Central Hive with my team.” Ji Cheng felt a surge of satisfaction.

Disrupting another’s plan was always a pleasure.

Lei Junming, aiming ahead, asked without looking back, “But there’s a question—how did she get ahead of us?”

“Why assume she’s ahead? Couldn’t the monster be behind us?” asked Wu Ping, an ability user from Silence City, her voice tense.

“Remember that fresh bloodstain back on the platform?” Ji Cheng said. “If I’m right, Pang Weiwei left it. She was definitely ahead of us and stayed on the platform for quite a while. As for how she looped around, maybe she used some unknown shortcut.”

Ji Cheng deliberately steered their thoughts elsewhere, not mentioning the possibility of an access card.

A joke—if there’s a card, it’s mine.

“I see what you mean,” Lei Junming said, enlightened. “You’re saying Pang Weiwei transformed into that monster right there on the platform?”

It was always easier talking to the sharp ones.

Ji Cheng nodded. “From the traces left in the Synapse Hall, she was at least an hour ahead of us. But the blood was fresh, which means she lingered there for a long time and only coughed up that blood as we neared.”

“Coughed up?” At least half the ability users who had been staring out the windows now turned to look at him.

“Stay alert!” Ji Cheng ordered them back to watching outside before continuing, “Blood from different parts of the body smells slightly different. That stain was unmistakably from internal organs.”

“Think about it. She reached the platform, was just about to board when something happened—she collapsed, howling, and slowly turned into that monster. Isn’t that a reasonable deduction?”

“Maybe,” Centipede rumbled. He knew Pang Weiwei.

The conversation faded again. The maglev train continued, its rhythm as steady as a metronome.

Ji Cheng matched his breathing to the beat, ready for battle at any moment.

But before long, the friction between wheels and rails increased sharply, and the carriage began to slow with a solid, deliberate momentum.

The carriage hummed and shuddered lightly as the tracks leveled out.

They had arrived.

The train stopped at the platform. The lighting remained dim. Ahead was a circular waiting hall with a diameter of seventy or eighty meters, supported by metal pillars and walls. Several wide corridors stretched from the far side, leading into the Central Hive.

At this point, Ji Cheng ordered a small area cleared. The group quickly established a makeshift base, stacking unused tools, medication, and equipment.

“All right, everyone, gather round.” Ji Cheng projected a formation on his computer, and the ability users got up and came over. “In a moment, we’ll explore in the formation shown here. Everyone, hold your position—understand?”

“Also, the risks in this formation aren’t distributed equally. By the rules of the mines, if you find your own genetic template, that’s yours. But those we find together, all genetic samples are handed to me for safekeeping, and divided later based on contribution and risk.”

Ji Cheng wore a serious expression. “From now on, maintain absolute vigilance. Be ready for mechanical sentinels or another attack by that monster. And report immediately if you notice any abnormalities concerning the Brain in the Sand.”

“Understood.”

The arrangements were sound, and the ability users assented loudly.

“We’re pressed for time. Move out immediately and explore the Central Hives in a counterclockwise sequence.”

More than ten people formed a double-arrow tactical formation as required. Ji Cheng and Luo Rao, who lacked combat ability, brought up the rear. The Zhang sisters and several lower-assimilation ability users made up the central columns, while Lei Junming, Tian Gang, Centipede, Liu Fangjian, and a few others protected the front and flanks.

Their footsteps faded in neat, dense rhythm.

...

As Ji Cheng and his team entered the Central Hive’s ring, Zuo Hao had already reached the edge of the Main Hive.

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have wasted time collecting those high-grade energy crystals. I just couldn’t resist—what a loss,” Zuo Hao muttered, breathing lightly, his cropped hair giving him a sharp, efficient look.

“The closer I get to the Main Hive, the more gene vats, gravity wells, and various culture tanks I see. All this equipment is related to genetic templates. I suspect the Hive Laboratory’s main research is on producing gene templates!”

If that was true, the Main Hive must hold plenty of second-tier templates produced by the Empire, stored as experimental material.

He deeply regretted not knowing this sooner—had he known, he’d have headed straight for the Main Hive, not wasted a second on energy crystals.

The floating boy beside him nodded in agreement. “If we hadn’t lost that hour or so, we might already be on our way back.”

“Too late for that—let’s get into the Main Hive.”

Zuo Hao had entered the central zone early on. The radiation had cut off his communications with the outside, so he was unaware of Ji Cheng’s reports or that Ji Cheng’s group was, in fact, not far behind him.