Yama Reborn-Chapter 427 - 424 [Trade] (Today is the 4th, updates resume~)
[I only came back in the evening, and after a quick meal rushed to write, at last not breaking my word~]
Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-Four [Transaction]
Outside the small farmstead in Iceland, a figure slowly walked from the distant path.
With a pace neither hurried nor slow, he leisurely arrived at the farm’s fence gate, gently lifted the gray hat on his head, and smiled, revealing his teeth to the surveillance camera.
"You know I’ve arrived. Open the gate."
After a few clicks, the electronic lock disengaged, and the fence gate slowly slid open.
The person nonchalantly put his hat back on, then adjusted the brim over his black hair.
In front of the wooden cabin, he stood quietly under the porch, gazing at the artificially created vibrant life within the farmstead, a strange smile playing on the corner of his mouth.
He gently reached out, turned the doorknob, and pulled the wooden door open.
Inside the living room, the fireplace burned fiercely.
A thick carpet was laid out in front of the fire. The Electric General sat cross-legged on it, with some drinks and food arrayed on a low wooden table before him.
Looking up at the newcomer, the Electric General simply smiled. "So you’ve acquired an Asian physique? Huaxia, or Neon?"
Kamisou Ichiro casually tossed his hat onto the sofa and slowly walked over, his gaze discreetly scanning the living room.
On the sofa, Bai Jing appeared to be sleeping quietly, her eyelids closed.
"Neon," Kamisou Ichiro shook his head. "Is there a problem?"
"A pity, I didn’t prepare any sake," the Electric General said with a smile. He took out a cup, poured some, and pushed it toward Kamisou Ichiro. "I brewed it myself. I’ve tried it; the flavor is quite good."
Kamisou Ichiro slowly sat down, mirroring the Electric General’s posture, cross-legged opposite him. He picked up the cup, sniffed it, and then said, "You’re hiding here, just doing these kinds of things?"
"What else? Should I go out and engage in a massive battle with all of you instead?" The Electric General seemed entirely unconcerned. "I’m not in a hurry. But why have you suddenly rushed to see me?"
"I’ve seen it," Kamisou Ichiro remarked, lifting the cup to take a sip, raising his eyebrows. "Not bad. Have ten barrels sent to me."
"I only have six barrels left, but you can take them all," the Electric General replied casually.
Then, the Electric General quietly observed Kamisou Ichiro. "It... what happened to it?"
"It’s pulling ahead, and..." Kamisou Ichiro suddenly sighed and continued slowly, "Just a few days ago, I went to see it, and then... I almost couldn’t resist making a move."
The Electric General remained silent, just listening quietly.
"I deceived it. It shouldn’t have seen through my disguise at the time; otherwise... it definitely wouldn’t have let me leave. No, I even suspect it might not have noticed the issue itself! Otherwise, it wouldn’t have allowed me to leave so easily! So, I believe that perhaps due to some special reason I can’t comprehend, even it itself did not perceive it."
"What are you saying?" The Electric General frowned.
"I’ve just made it very clear... it’s ahead!"
The Electric General’s expression shifted!
Kamisou Ichiro sighed, his eyes intense, and said slowly, "Its Chosen One has a problem."
"What problem?"
Kamisou Ichiro’s hand held the cup steadily. He sipped a little more and then spoke in a low voice, "Its Chosen One is quite an interesting little fellow. I’ve met him twice. The first time, I recognized he was a Chosen One and guessed he was its... but I didn’t notice anything unusual beyond that. The second meeting was a few days ago, and that little fellow had already grasped the concept of space."
The Electric General listened attentively. "Grasping the concept of space... obviously, this Chosen One has good potential. But it’s still a long way from the final round, isn’t it?"
"No." A strange light flashed in Kamisou Ichiro’s eyes. "If that were all, I wouldn’t have come to see you so quickly."
After a pause, he shook his head, his tone becoming much more serious. "We are all very clear that after understanding space, oneself will be reflected within space... And I observed him very closely! He... is not on the scale of this space!"
Not on the scale of this space! 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Once these words were spoken, the room suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
The Electric General’s head drooped, yet it was apparent that his eyelids were trembling slightly.
After a while, he looked up at Kamisou Ichiro and declared decisively, "A paradox! How could it not see the scale of its own Chosen One? And yet you observed it? And it still has no clue?! This might be some sort of disguise... No, maybe it’s a trick it played. Perhaps you were just being toyed with, and I don’t want to be fooled alongside you again."
Kamisou Ichiro, on the other hand, didn’t rush to refute. He even poured himself another glass of wine before slowly saying, "That’s why I’ve come to find you. My path does not concern life, but yours does. Maybe my observations aren’t accurate, but yours will surely be more precise than mine."
"You want me to take a look at that person?" The Electric General narrowed his eyes in thought.
"If I am mistaken... then consider that I owe you one. If even you confirm that I’m not wrong..." Kamisou Ichiro stopped there, leaving his sentence unfinished.
The Electric General took a deep breath and frowned. "If that’s the case... then it, indeed, is ahead. And by a substantial margin."
Kamisou Ichiro set down his glass. His tone sounded very frank. "We are not friends."
"Of course not. None of us are friends with each other. And moreover..." The Electric General suddenly smiled. "The so-called notion of ’friends,’ or such trivial emotions, are merely byproducts of lesser beings like humans. You and I should have none of them."
Upon hearing this, Kamisou Ichiro’s expression turned somewhat peculiar, and he uttered a sentence in standard Huaxia language, "Those who are near vermillion get stained red, and those who are near ink get stained black."
The Electric General understood and nodded. "You mean, we’ve stayed too long in the world of humans, so..."
"You’re no different," Kamisou Ichiro gestured with his eyes toward Bai Jing, who was sleeping on the nearby sofa.
"She is your subordinate."
"Yes, she is my subordinate, and one I appreciate highly," Kamisou Ichiro shook his head. "But ever since she foolishly began to treat you as Corot... I’ve started to think I might have misjudged her. A fool so blind no longer deserves my attention."
The Electric General laughed. "See, that’s what you meant by ’Those who are near vermillion get stained red, and those who are near ink get stained black.’ You’ve stayed in this world too long and have begun to be tainted by those emotions. What you’re feeling now is ’disappointment,’ isn’t it?"
Kamisou Ichiro scoffed unapologetically. "Then what about you? Aren’t you the same? Hiding here, what does it mean for you to be with this woman? Playing house like children? A lover’s life? Quite the loving couple indeed..."
The Electric General’s expression remained calm. "I have my reasons. I won’t develop such trivial emotions for humans."
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, Kamisou Ichiro gave a sly smile, then slowly reached out and grabbed Bai Jing by the neck. "So, if I kill her now, you shouldn’t have any reaction, correct?"
"Be my guest," the Electric General replied impassively, waving his hand. "If you wish to play this tedious game of testing me, then go ahead and kill her."
The two locked eyes for a moment. Kamisou Ichiro frowned, then slowly relaxed his fingers.
He stared at the sleeping Bai Jing for a few seconds. "I thought you would make her your Chosen One. After all, Bai Jing’s aptitude is quite remarkable. The humans I chose back then were all paragons of humanity. And she would be very obedient to you."
The Electric General, however, looked up at an old-fashioned pendulum clock on the wall and shook his head. "Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. State your purpose. You wouldn’t have come all this way just to kindly inform me that its Chosen One might be ahead, would you? What are you thinking, or what’s your proposal? I suggest you hurry, because I take a nap at this time every day, and there’s only half an hour left until then."
"Let’s make a deal," Kamisou Ichiro looked straight into the Electric General’s eyes.
"And your bargaining chip?"
After a moment’s thought, Kamisou Ichiro replied, "I can arrange for you to meet that young fellow... and I can contribute power to temporarily shield him from its ’perception,’ but I can only do so for half an hour. But... half an hour, if there’s an issue, is more than enough time for you to kill him a hundred times."
"That’s not enough," the Electric General immediately shook his head. "Killing that young chap, killing a contestant’s Chosen One... such an act will provoke an extreme reaction from it. And even if there’s a problem with that Chosen One, killing him benefits both of us equally. It makes no sense for me to be the one to do the killing, attract its hatred, while you benefit for nothing. This deal isn’t fair."
Kamisou Ichiro considered for a moment and then actually nodded. "You have a point. Then, I will add another chip to the deal. I can tell you what really happened in Africa that year... the inside story. I can tell you that."
The Electric General suddenly laughed. "You don’t think I’m still in the dark, do you? Don’t forget, Bai Jing is with me now. Until this morning, she still believed I was that fellow named Corot. And Corot is a member of ’Noah’s Ark.’ You don’t think that after using this identity for several months, I still know nothing, do you?"
Kamisou Ichiro smiled. "What do you know?"
"I know Noah’s Ark was actually your creation. The so-called Captain of the Ark, walking among humans, selecting human elites, organizing people, searching for the Mother all over the world, hunting alien threats... was all your own doing. You use this method to select the crème de la crème, the strongest among humans. Though slow, I must say, it’s a clever move. The humans selected this way are all prime material. They possess resilient spiritual power, grand ambitions, tenacious fighting spirit, and a willingness to sacrifice—all embodying exceptional spiritual strength! So? Over the long years, you must have selected quite a few such prime materials to be your Chosen Ones, haven’t you?"
Kamisou Ichiro’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
If Chen Nuo or Vanel were standing here and heard these words, their expressions would certainly twist in astonishment.
The great "Noah’s Ark" was actually created by the Octopus Monster—to select humans with superior spiritual power.
Kamisou Ichiro said with a smile, "I’m not surprised you know these things. Corot’s ancestors participated in that battle in Africa. You’ve been impersonating Corot; you must have learned quite a bit about the history of Noah’s Ark over these months. But what if I told you that the battle in Africa had hidden details?"
"Such as?"
"For instance, who consumed the Mother in Africa after it fell. And furthermore..."
Kamisou Ichiro paused, his tone heavy, "The greatest mystery among us all this time. Where exactly... is ’Zero’!"
The Electric General’s expression immediately became solemn!
He said in a deep voice, "Zero?"
"Yes, Zero."
"Zero..." the Electric General murmured, "I’ve always been guessing who Zero could be. Of the remaining Seeds, only four are left now. I know very well I am not Zero. I have suspected you, suspected it... and even suspected that hidden fellow. Now you’re speaking to me like this... Are you trying to tell me you’re not Zero?"
Kamisou Ichiro looked at the Electric General, not speaking, just quietly smiling.
"Zero is still alive." The Electric General suddenly stood up. He stood before the fireplace, the firelight reflecting on his face, making it seem somewhat sinister despite the daylight. "Theoretically, Zero is the most powerful one among us! So it definitely isn’t among those who were eliminated. I’m convinced that even if Zero isn’t the final victor, it at least reached the finals. Moreover... it received the most inheritance from the Mother. It was ahead of us by a body length on this track from birth... To be precise, our competition is actually all of us against Zero alone! Someone we haven’t found for tens of thousands of years, and now you’re telling me you know?"
The Electric General shook his head, coldly looking at Kamisou Ichiro. "I don’t believe you."
Without hesitation, Kamisou Ichiro said, "I can tell you with my lifeline! A lifeline that holds no Negative Emotions! I can tell you with a lifeline devoid of any Negative Emotions!"
The Electric General’s face finally changed.
For a Spiritual Life Form, no matter how much one is "stained red by proximity to cinnabar," that is merely external "dust" acquired for concealment in this world. The true core self remains absolutely untainted. No matter how personable one might seem at times, when necessity dictates, a shake is all it takes to erase it all!
The original lifeline of a Spiritual Life Form cannot be tainted by any emotions. Of course, this includes "lying." The essence of the lifeline must be clean and Pure—that is the ultimate evolutionary goal of Spiritual Life Forms. It is also the most agonizing lesson learned after the Mother was killed by the "spiritual virus."
So, the Electric General immediately believed him.
If Kamisou Ichiro intended to deceive him by bringing out his lifeline, allowing it to be tainted with "lying" and "deception"—Negative Emotions akin to viruses for Spiritual Life Forms—it would be equivalent to self-mutilation, or even suicide for him. Even if not suicide, it would be like crippling his own power. All just to deceive him? Even if it could lead to his own demise, Kamisou Ichiro wouldn’t benefit. A mutually destructive tactic? Impossible.
"Alright, speak," the Electric General said in a low voice.
"I can tell you, but by doing so, my bargaining chips have increased, and yours are no longer sufficient," Kamisou Ichiro replied, shaking his head.
"What do you want?"
"I want to know the truth about Antarctica," Kamisou Ichiro said, looking intently at the Electric General. "Why did you go back to Antarctica in the first place, and how did you deceive Corot into coming out? And... what exactly is there in Antarctica! Similarly, I need you to answer with your original lifeline! Otherwise, I can’t trust you either."
After pondering for a moment, the Electric General nodded. "That’s fair. Alright, I accept this trade proposal."
But he shook his head, saying, "However, regarding Antarctica, I cannot tell you... I can only take you there and let you see for yourself. Similarly, I can make a pledge with my lifeline as well."
"You can’t speak of it?"
"Here," the Electric General pointed to his head. "It has been locked here. I cannot speak of it, but I remember it and can take you there. I just cannot verbalize it."
Kamisou Ichiro took a deep breath. "So... you found something in Antarctica, didn’t you?"
The Electric General remained silent, just quietly watching Kamisou Ichiro.
The two men looked at each other and nodded almost simultaneously. "Then, it’s a deal."
They stood apart and, with nearly identical movements and postures, quickly drew something from their consciousness.
It resembled a thread, yet it looked completely different from the Mentality Tentacles released by Telekinesis users. It was faint, as if visible yet not truly existing in this world, causing space itself to seem to warp.
"I shall receive the information from him regarding the old events in East Africa and the secret of ’Zero,’ on the condition that he neither conceals nor deceives. I, in turn, will fulfill my promise to guide him to the old site of Antarctica on Earth and, to the best of my ability, reveal the old secrets of Antarctica, without concealment or deception!" The Electric General gently pinched the ’lifeline’ in his hand after speaking, then stared at Kamisou Ichiro.
Kamisou Ichiro, however, was extremely cautious. He released countless Spiritual Force Tentacles that coiled around the other’s ’lifeline,’ as if writhing, struggling, and probing.
Eventually, they were all retracted.
"Alright, confirmed no issues," Kamisou Ichiro sighed with relief.
Watching the Electric General retract his ’lifeline,’ Kamisou Ichiro also ’pulled’ out a seemingly identical thread. It appeared to drift outside of space yet could be perceived by sight.
Amidst that sense of spatial isolation and distortion, Kamisou Ichiro began to speak.
"What I am about to say is without concealment or deception! To fulfill the conditions of this trade, I will share what I know with you! Regarding Africa’s secret, I know Zero was involved. However, I don’t know which of the participants was Zero. I only know that Zero left something for those who participated in the battle of Africa. That item might be some new path Zero discovered. The specifics are unknown to me. And, regarding information about Zero... I have never known who Zero is. However, based on the clues about Zero I have gathered over time, I have reached a largely credible conclusion. That is..."
At this point, Kamisou Ichiro suddenly paused. He took a deep breath and, with an extremely serious tone, slowly completed the last part.
After the Electric General heard this final part, his expression also changed.
Kamisou Ichiro had said:
"The path Zero walks may be different from all of ours.
And...
The real Zero may not even know that it is Zero.
Perhaps this was the rule the Mother established when creating it."
