https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-652-Omega-Class-Aberration-Taotie/12852541/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-654-Disaster-Three-Days-Before-Dr-Ma/12852543/
Chapter 653: The Pocket Watch Embedded in Flesh
Chapter 653: The Pocket Watch Embedded in Flesh
Taotie didn’t ask too many questions, nor did he force Sun Zhen and the others to leave with him. After all, they had missions, and he had no reason to stop them. Instead, he left with the cage his parents and lover had forged for him.
"Taotie, that guy really can eat anything. Unfortunately, he gets full, he once said he ate a moon," Sun Zhen said.
"Oh, can he still do that now?" Qin Muye looked at the eleven moons in the sky. The Purple Moon’s fall was still three days away, so unless he stayed, he wouldn’t witness the massive impact when it fell.
"Those aren’t moons, they are anomalies. I’m talking about the real moon, our planet’s satellite." Sun Zhen rolled his eyes; there was a difference between moons and anomalies.
"He didn’t just eat the second moon, he also consumed the corresponding concept, and apparently, the knowledge people had about that moon. That’s why we only think there’s one moon, when in fact, there are two, or possibly more. Who knows what other bizarre anomalies might have done something similar."
"Also, there was someone who once shot down nine suns."
Listening to Sun Zhen, Qin Muye felt this sounded familiar. It seemed Taotie had also played the role of a celestial dog, otherwise why would he eat a moon?
Then he thought, Taotie looked like a canine, so being a celestial dog wasn’t a big stretch.
"Shooting suns? That sounds a bit far-fetched." Qin Muye was a bit skeptical. He could believe Taotie had eaten a moon, as the other had consumed something intangible like a concept or knowledge. But shooting suns seemed excessive, and from the wording, it sounded like a physical act.
"It’s true, though. Only a part of the suns remain. Prior records clearly state there were ten suns. The one who acted was a descendant of the human emperor, who is still alive. I’ve met him."
"Apparently, the backlash from shooting the suns caused severe burns to his entire body, including the loss of his left arm, part of his throat, a small portion of his face, and significant internal organs. The wounds were extremely hot but didn’t spread to other parts of his body or the surrounding environment."
"And he was fully conscious. I even conversed with him for a while."
Sun Zhen’s tone was calm. The anomaly’s confidentiality level was extremely high, and even its name wasn’t disclosed.
The person was only half of the entity. The complete form included the anomaly used to shoot the suns. Originally, they were two separate entities, but after the act, they merged into a new, singular entity, which is why he survived and lived for so long.
"The Global Defense Organization really keeps things hidden. Besides Taotie, there’s the sun-shooter, and even the First Emperor. For all we know, the Human Emperor might be in some containment facility," Qin Muye joked.
One wrong move, and the game is lost.
The Global Defense Organization had many aces up its sleeve, but having many aces was useless if they couldn’t be played.
"I don’t know much about these kinds of anomalies. Some can be linked to myths and legends. Those strange stories likely feature anomalies," Sun Zhen explained.
As for the people from the Academy of Physical Sciences or the Global Defense Organization? They would be erased, their memories wiped clean.
So, only the characters and stories passed down orally would remain, often altered.
Like modern ghost stories, they might be real, but under the Global Defense Organization’s management, the real could become false.
Through his conversation with Sun Zhen, Qin Muye learned a lot. It was entertaining for him, but of little use to his true self.
"If we revert the pocket watch to its cooldown period, it will take us back three days before the First Emperor’s loss of control. I’ll contact Dr. Ma first," Sun Zhen said.
"Oh, should you not get rid of these things? Otherwise, there will be trouble when we go back." Qin Muye pointed at the biological template in Sun Zhen’s hand, the mini-missile, and the various equipment he had brought along.
These items were taken by Sun Zhen, but once they returned to before the First Emperor’s loss of control, they would all be registered items, especially the mini-missile. Losing it would cause significant issues, let alone the biological template, which would be a containment breach.
"No, these items can serve as evidence. Besides, under normal circumstances, I would still be training at the original base half a month ago, so my appearance here itself is an anomaly," Sun Zhen knew that his actions could indeed cause misunderstandings.
But with insufficient evidence and the intelligence he had, there was little chance of anything going wrong.
"Alright, do as you please, but I still think it would be better to go back further. We would have more preparation time, and half a month is certainly more generous than just three days. Timing it to the exact moment isn't a good idea," Qin Muye said.
Sun Zhen was silent for a moment, acknowledging the reasonableness of Qin Muye's words.
"It's just your lifespan," Sun Zhen sighed.
Honestly, nine thousand years of lifespan was a significant amount. The Global Defense Organization might not be able to compensate for it, even if they could, they wouldn't fully cover it.
"It's a minor issue. I got it for free, and I'm not worried about it. Why should you be?" Qin Muye said nonchalantly.
For him, it was indeed that simple.
"Wait, why can't the pocket watch be taken off?" Sun Zhen suddenly noticed the problem with Qin Muye's hand. The pocket watch seemed to have fused with his flesh.
He hadn't noticed this before.
"Overuse. It can be removed with a small surgery once we're done."
"It shouldn't be a big deal. After all, the cost of using it is a deduction in lifespan. The other issues are just minor."
Qin Muye didn't take it seriously. The overuse had indeed caused the fusion, as he had been holding it in his left hand, and each overload would form a special force. After too many overloads, it had fused with his flesh.
Using it a couple more times might embed it into his bones.
But since he was just an avatar, even if it embedded into his skull, it wouldn't be a significant problem.
If there were any real issues, his true self would have intervened, as this decision was crucial for obtaining the information sea.
As for the matter of devouring the world, that could be discussed later.
"It's fine. If worse comes to worst, we can amputate. With the Global Defense Organization's technology, regenerating a limb for you isn't a big problem," Sun Zhen, though concerned, understood that it wasn't the right time to address the issue.
Limb regeneration was not a significant challenge for the Global Defense Organization. Sometimes, even resurrection was possible. Limb regeneration was already a standard benefit for special task force members, and Sun Zhen had experienced it several times.
Containing anomalies was a dangerous task, and it was impossible to return unscathed every time.
"You could at least say something nicer. Amputation right off the bat," Qin Muye was exasperated, this kid was definitely problematic.
"Ah, in your case, if we don't amputate, you'll be stuck with this pocket watch for life. One day, if the needle is turned, it could deduct a thousand years of your lifespan. Wouldn't that be a loss?" Sun Zhen was both amused and frustrated, this was indeed a peculiar situation.
"We need to solve this crisis first before we can deal with this," Qin Muye changed the subject, then looked at the pocket watch slowly returning to its original form.
There was about half an hour left. The cooldown period was rigid and couldn't be interfered with, and three hours was a strict limit.
"After this crisis is resolved, how about you join the Global Defense Organization? With your abilities, you could be a department head at the very least," Sun Zhen carefully worded his suggestion.
"Joining? That's not feasible," Qin Muye thought about it. If he joined, he would be contained rather than becoming a base supervisor. Even if he wanted to, the organization wouldn't allow it.
Who would let a nuclear bomb be used for experiments? Especially after the events involving the First Emperor and the Dragon Vein, the Global Defense Organization would certainly reform their containment methods to prevent such catastrophic failures.
This crisis had almost wiped out human civilization, and they would certainly learn from it to ensure it never happened again.
Such a major crisis usually only needed to be experienced once to be taken seriously, not repeated out of negligence.
(End of Chapter)
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