Yama Reborn-Chapter 444 - 441: [A Place Absolutely Impossible to Find]
I have sinned; I am sorry, everyone. I really lacked inspiration and couldn’t figure out how to write. I thought I had it figured out, but then I discovered a huge BUG in that line of thought, and my morale completely collapsed. I’ve truly thought it through this time; a long stretch of the upcoming plot is now smoothed out and problem-free. Starting today, I will resume regular updates. Really, I swear!
Chapter 441: A Place That Cannot Be Found
Firefly and Hummingbird looked at each other.
"Actually, if we could go back... I mean, if we went back to our previous life and checked whether that woman named Lemi Yao died or not..."
"Too bad we can’t verify that anymore," Niveer sighed. "We’re already dead... and it’s impossible to go back to our previous life."
「The elevator was descending.」
The base’s power supply system was functioning well. Of course, this elevator had strict electronic access control—but this base was as if it had been sliced from another world and dropped here, minus the people. So, Chen Nuo and Xicheng Xun easily found an access card inside the base, breezing through the security lock of its most secret core area.
"Are you sure that kind of creature you mentioned won’t appear again here?" Xicheng Xun watched the numbers decreasing as the elevator descended, her hand gripping the hilt of her knife.
Chen Nuo shook his head. "This world only transfers matter, not life, so that kind of monster won’t exist here."
Xicheng Xun nodded, but her hand still didn’t let go of the knife’s hilt. Instead, she subtly stepped half a step forward, placing half of her body in front of Chen Nuo.
Seeing this gesture, Chen Nuo chuckled, then grabbed the girl by the shoulder and pulled her back. "Behave yourself. Hide behind me if anything happens; don’t try to show off."
"...Hmm..." The swordswoman looked at Chen Nuo with some dissatisfaction.
DING.
The elevator doors opened.
Soon, the energy-saving lights in the ceiling lit up one by one, illuminating the entire corridor.
And as Chen Nuo took his first step out of the elevator, his expression suddenly changed!
This... this wasn’t the Red Circle base he had visited a year ago!!
He remembered every detail of the adventure he and the Captain took, following the Octopus Monster’s mercenary team to this place last year! This most secretive underground bunker... was actually not that large. After coming down from the elevator, there was a chamber, a sealed room made with very sturdy materials—nothing more than a somewhat spacious warehouse.
But now, in front of him...
The corridor outside this elevator, by his estimate, was at least thirty meters long! And at the end of the corridor, there was a gate.
"Wait a second!" Chen Nuo grabbed Xicheng Xun’s hand. His gaze turned solemn as he looked straight ahead, taking a deep breath. "This place... is not where I was in 2001!"
The logic was actually quite simple. Chen Nuo had been here in 2001 in his current life. In his previous life, he would have been here in 2007. Moreover, the brochure he had seen in the lobby indicated that this Red Circle base, which had been transferred here, was from 2007. The problem was... had the 2007 bunker changed compared to the 2001 version?
Chen Nuo quickly voiced his doubts.
"Perhaps... after 2001, this place... the underground was expanded?" Xicheng Xun suggested with a frown.
Chen Nuo shook his head and fell silent.
It didn’t make sense.
The Octopus Monster was building bunkers here in 2001 to study the creatures left behind by the alien transport ship. But this 2007 base bunker had obviously undergone a massive construction project! This wasn’t a densely populated area for human habitation. This was Antarctica! To carry out such a large underground project here would necessitate many times more manpower, material, and financial resources.
Why?
Chen Nuo narrowed his eyes, carefully observing his surroundings as he moved forward step by step. Xicheng Xun followed closely behind him, turned sideways, vigilantly watching their surroundings, especially behind them.
Soon, they reached the end of the corridor and stood before the gate.
Chen Nuo suddenly felt a jolt...
This scene, it felt eerily familiar?
His heart tightened, and several images flashed through his mind!
A shattered gate!
Blood everywhere on the ground!
The hall inside the gate!
The seats on the high platform!
And... everyone he knew, lying dead on the spot!
That dream!!
In an instant, Chen Nuo’s breathing became rapid.
"Boss?" Xicheng Xun quietly asked from behind, sensing the change in his breathing.
Chen Nuo didn’t speak. He took a deep breath and then placed his hand on the gate.
「"Waiting like this really is boring."」
Seed sat cross-legged under a tree, gently stroking the Gray Cat’s back with his fingertips. The Gray Cat curled up and squinted, seemingly enjoying the affection.
Kamisou Ichiro stood with his arms behind him, looking off into the distance, and said indifferently, "Waiting... isn’t that what we spend most of our lives doing? I thought you were used to it by now."
Seed took an oatmeal biscuit from his pocket, broke it in half, popped one half into his mouth to chew, and offered the other half to the Gray Cat. The Gray Cat sniffed it, clearly uninterested, but Seed carelessly stuffed the biscuit into its mouth anyway.
"MEOW!!" The Gray Cat protested discontentedly. "Cats like to eat meat!"
Seed ignored the Gray Cat, instead looking at Kamisou Ichiro’s back. "Hasn’t that guy finished yet? How much time has passed?"
Kamisou Ichiro shook his head. "Almost. Half an hour has gone by."
"So how long do you plan to hold me back here?"
Kamisou Ichiro turned to look at Seed and smiled. "What a coincidence, the time is just right. My promise to him was to block you for half an hour. If he hasn’t finished what he needs to do by then, it’s his own problem, not mine. I fulfilled the terms of the deal."
Seed nodded slightly. "So..."
"So now, whatever you want to do, I won’t stop you," Kamisou Ichiro said with ease, extending his hand in a "please go ahead" gesture. Then he added with a smile, "However... please allow me to stay and watch the show. That’s not too much to ask, is it?"
Seed considered for a moment, then shook his head indifferently. "Very much so!"
Then, Seed suddenly made his move! Originally seated cross-legged beneath a tree, the very moment the words "Very much so!" left his mouth, he had already broken through space, appearing directly in front of Kamisou Ichiro! His finger lightly touched Kamisou Ichiro’s forehead.
BANG!
With a burst of explosive force, Kamisou Ichiro’s figure seemed to explode on the spot! But in the next moment, Kamisou Ichiro reappeared, hovering more than ten meters in the air, looking down with a bitter smile. "If it’s not okay, just say so. I can leave."
Seed wasn’t angry at all. He looked up with a laugh. "You schemed against me once; you have to pay a price for that."
Kamisou Ichiro sighed. "That’s... somewhat reasonable."
Then, Seed vanished again, and when he reappeared, he was once again right in front of Kamisou Ichiro! He thrust one hand straight into Kamisou Ichiro’s chest. Kamisou Ichiro instantly disappeared and reemerged behind Seed, kicking out.
Seed teleported once more...
The two figures continued to flash in and out of existence in midair, attacking and evading each other...
If Chen Nuo were here to witness this, he would undoubtedly be incredibly shocked! Because Kamisou Ichiro, currently fighting Seed, was clearly on a completely different level in his use of space compared to when he fought Chen Nuo! The spatial control abilities Kamisou Ichiro exhibited now were on par with Seed’s!!
After several consecutive teleports, Seed paused, then swiftly pulled away from Kamisou Ichiro. Floating in midair ten meters away, he laughed. "So you came fully prepared."
"What else could I do? Against a guy like you, a little carelessness and I could die," Kamisou Ichiro said with a bitter smile.
"The fiercer the resistance, the greater the price," Seed commented, taking another biscuit from his pocket and biting into it fiercely. He suddenly glanced downwards. His gaze quickly swept over an area of the ground.
Seed smiled, raising his open palm towards the opposite side. "You’ve exposed yourself."
BOOM!!!
On the ground, not far from the small grove, a wild lake suddenly erupted! Water sprayed everywhere, the explosive force creating spirals in the surrounding air.
Only then did Kamisou Ichiro’s expression truly change. His form flashed as he rushed towards the ground!
Seed teleported directly in front of him, launching a kick that connected! Kamisou Ichiro took the full force of the kick with his back. As he soared through the air, his spine shattered! His broken body flew more than twenty meters before crashing to the ground! He rolled over and jumped to his feet, his mutilated flesh and shattered spine rapidly healing, as he looked up at Seed, who had already landed in front of him.
Seed’s gaze, however, didn’t rest on him; it went past Kamisou Ichiro’s figure to what lay behind him! Where the wild lake had exploded, the lakebed was now exposed. Various aquatic creatures—fish and shrimp—were scattered everywhere, flung about by the blast.
And there, on the lakebed, stood a figure! Nolan was gravely injured, blood filling his hooked nose. He stood there, wobbling, his exposed skin covered in scratches!
Kamisou Ichiro moved to block Seed’s gaze and gave a wry smile. "Was it necessary to be so absolute? I didn’t lift a finger during the whole process."
Seed thought for a moment, then lowered his hand. "I don’t care. Without a price, if you won’t act, I will!"
Kamisou Ichiro appeared somewhat helpless and took a breath. "What price do you want me to pay?"
"I don’t know. You try something first; it has to satisfy me."
After pondering for a moment, Kamisou Ichiro suddenly nodded. "Fine!"
CRACK!
He pressed his right hand onto his left shoulder, and his entire left arm detached from his body, falling to the ground! Despite such a severe injury, not a drop of blood flowed from the severed shoulder.
Then Kamisou Ichiro squinted at Seed. "Is this price sufficient?"
Seed rolled his eyes in thought and shook his head. "Not enough."
Kamisou Ichiro reflected briefly. "This body serves me well. The loss of an arm, if I wish to recover it, would require substantial power from my true self... You and I both know this is an avatar I use; it cannot be easily restored with Life Element."
"I said, not enough," Seed stated firmly.
Kamisou Ichiro gave Seed a slightly resentful glance and then, without hesitation, slapped his own right knee with full force!
CRACK! CRACK! With several sharp sounds, his kneecap shattered! The bones in his lower leg fractured!
Kamisou Ichiro’s expression remained unchanged as he stood on one leg. "How about now?"
Seed still shook his head. "Not enough. You can always recover this body by expending some power."
Kamisou Ichiro shook his head. "You truly are greedy."
"The pot calling the kettle black," Seed said, biting into his biscuit. "Will you give in? If not, I can take matters into my own hands." As he spoke, he smiled at Nora, who was standing in the mud of the lakebed behind Kamisou Ichiro. "Is this our first meeting?"
Nolan clenched his teeth tightly and said nothing.
"Alright, alright." Kamisou Ichiro finally relented. He turned his head to glance at Nolan, his eyes flashing with resolve.
POP!
He jabbed a finger directly onto his own cervical spine at the nape of his neck. After a series of CRACKLING sounds...
Kamisou Ichiro, who had been standing there, collapsed to the ground. His body was as limp as a mound of mud.
Lying on his back, Kamisou Ichiro gave a bitter smile. "Is this enough? I’ve shattered this body’s cervical vertebrae and spine; the spinal cord and all nerves are ruined. This body is completely useless. If I were to try to recover it, the energy required would be better spent finding a new one. If you’re still not satisfied after this... Seed, then I’ll have no choice but to declare war."
Only then did Seed nod, a hint of satisfaction on his face. "Good. You can go now."
Kamisou Ichiro rolled his eyes and then said coldly to Nolan, who was standing in the lakebed, "Come here."
Nolan bit his lip hard and walked with faltering steps to Kamisou Ichiro’s side.
"Pick me up, Nolan-san." Kamisou Ichiro took a deep breath. "I don’t have the strength for many words. No nonsense, no questions."
Nolan looked at Seed, who stood there, his face pale. Then he squatted down and picked up the completely paralyzed Kamisou Ichiro.
"Alright, then... so long. I hope the next time we meet..." Kamisou Ichiro smiled at Seed, then his eyes shifted to Nolan. "Forget it. This human habit of making threats is too boring; let’s not bother. It might be very painful in a moment. Just bear with it, but make sure to hold on to me tightly and don’t let go."
Nolan took a deep breath. "...Okay."
WHOOSH!
Nolan, holding Kamisou Ichiro, vanished from the spot, leaping out of this space!
Seed showed no intention of stopping them. Instead, his gaze drifted into the distance, toward Chen Nuo’s residence, lost in thought.
「BANG!!」
Nolan felt his body crash to the ground! The hard floor sent jolts of pain through his already injured body. His grip involuntarily loosened, and Kamisou Ichiro, whom he had been holding, dropped to the ground and rolled to the side.
At that moment, the motion-sensor lights on the ceiling began to activate one by one. Soon, Nolan could see his surroundings clearly. This was a place resembling a laboratory or a warehouse. In front of him was a row of equipment, and right beside him stood tall containers! Each container was cylindrical, nearly five meters high, with a diameter of about two meters. The transparent glass vessels were filled with a pale, light green liquid!
But what shocked Nolan even more was that each container held a floating human body!
Every one of them... was a... Kamisou Ichiro!!
"Don’t just stand there," the Kamisou Ichiro on the ground said, blood starting to trickle from his mouth, though his tone was composed and calm. "Go to the first one on the left. There’s a button marked with an Octopus Monster emblem. Just press it."
"...Yes."
Nolan dared not say more. He struggled to his feet and walked over. Under the first container, there was indeed a square button marked with a golden Octopus Monster emblem. As his hand reached out to press it...
Suddenly, Nolan pulled his hand back. He turned his head to look at the Kamisou Ichiro on the ground—his body broken, limp as mud, continuously spitting blood...
Nolan’s expression suddenly became complicated. He took a deep breath and asked in a strange tone, "Mr. Kamisou Ichiro... you’re very weak now, aren’t you?"
Kamisou Ichiro, facing Nolan’s strange gaze, which held a hint of danger, showed no surprise. Instead, he started laughing. "Hahahahaha... Truly Mr. Nolan. At a time like this, you certainly wouldn’t lack the appropriate thoughts." Kamisou Ichiro lay still, letting the blood flow from his mouth, and said lightly, "You think I’m so weak that I’m about to die... So, you’ve developed other ideas, have you? No, no, don’t deny it. It’s perfectly normal for you to have such thoughts; after all, you’re the one I selected. If you were still foolishly loyal at this moment, it would only mean you’re useless, and I was blind in my judgment."
Nolan looked at Kamisou Ichiro lying there, spitting blood, and felt his courage growing. He took another deep breath and looked at the rows of containers... at the human bodies within them.
"These... are they bodies cultivated using cloning technology? Your... spare parts? Your condition is very bad right now... so you need to quickly switch to a spare part? Otherwise... you’ll die, right? You... will die!"
As Nolan spoke the last words, he couldn’t help but clench his fists tightly!
Kill him! Then... the Octopus Monster would be completely dead! This Emperor who loomed over the Octopus Monster organization... would be gone forever! The opposing factions within the Octopus Monster had already been purged... If this man died... then... I would be the true BOSS...
Before this complex thought could fully form...
Suddenly... Nolan screamed!
He watched in horror as the thumb of his right hand snapped off at the base and flew from his palm! Then, the detached finger swiftly floated over and pressed heavily on the Octopus Monster-marked button beneath the container!!
Nolan instinctively clutched his bleeding hand. Amidst the intense pain, he was even more terrified to see that the Kamisou Ichiro on the ground had stopped breathing! And from his body, a vague shadow floated up, forming a comical face in midair, as if making a mocking expression at him.
A hatch opened at the bottom of the container, sucking the body inside downwards. Soon, an opening automatically appeared below the container, and the human body slid out!
The shadowy figure swiftly attached itself to it...
WHOOSH!
On the ground, an identical Kamisou Ichiro slowly sat up. He turned his head to glance at Nolan, who stood rigid and trembling. He looked away after a single glance.
Then Kamisou Ichiro stood up and, still naked, walked past Nolan. "I’ve just possessed this body. Its current strength is equivalent to that of the weakest ordinary person. If you want to revolt, you can still try."
Nolan said nothing, pressing hard on the wound on his hand.
Kamisou Ichiro walked to a row of cabinets on the side of the room and pulled one open. Inside hung a neat array of men’s clothing: from underwear to outerwear, watches, and accessories... everything one could need.
A few minutes later, Kamisou Ichiro was impeccably dressed. Adjusting his cufflinks, he walked over to Nolan.
"Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. As I said, it’s perfectly normal for you to have thoughts of rebellion. Foolish loyalty would make you useless. Now, go dispose of that corpse on the floor. There’s an organic matter recycling chute in the room; just toss it in."
Nolan didn’t dare utter a sound and limped over...
A moment later, after cleaning up, Nolan cautiously walked back. He found Kamisou Ichiro standing there, toying with something in his hand... It was his own severed thumb!
Kamisou Ichiro lifted his eyelids to look at the pale-faced Nolan, then with a wave of his hand, the thumb flew to Nolan’s hand. In less than three seconds, it reattached to the stump, and the wound healed rapidly!
"Move it. It might be a little stiff at first, but it should fully recover in two days at most."
Ignoring Nolan’s surprised finger movements, Kamisou Ichiro turned, pulled a chair over from the instrument table, and sat down.
"Now... see that empty container? Take off your clothes and jump in."
Nolan’s complexion changed dramatically. "You..."
"Don’t get any wrong ideas," Kamisou Ichiro shook his head. "The green liquid inside has very strong organic repair capabilities, and you’re covered in injuries. I don’t want to expend energy healing you, so please, just jump in and soak for a few days. There’s one thing I didn’t lie about: having just switched to a new body, I am indeed very weak right now, so I don’t want to waste extra energy on you. By the way, based on your abilities and strength, if you were to attack me now, this new body of mine would have no power to resist you. There’s a ninety-five percent chance you would kill me. Well? Do you really not want to try again?"
Nolan hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath...
Then, without any further hesitation, Nolan began to strip off his clothes! He undressed with impressive speed! Finally, he ran to the container, fumbled for a moment to find the lid on top, flipped it open, and jumped right in!
SPLASH. His body was submerged in the green liquid.
"The green tube inside is for oxygen; you can bite on it to help you breathe. Yes... yes, just like that."
After giving his instructions, Kamisou Ichiro sighed.
"Rest assured, Mr. Nolan... I won’t kill you. After all... you are my Chosen One. Although, a bit weak. But who else made the choice..."
「"How did you guess he would bring his Chosen One?"」
The Gray Cat, lying at Seed’s feet, asked.
"That guy always overthinks things. He wanted to block me for half an hour—but he also had to consider that I might actually take action. If he didn’t bring his Chosen One, what would he fight me with? Although there’s a ninety percent chance I wouldn’t make a move, he would certainly guard against that ten percent possibility."
Seed laughed heartily. "But it’s good... Now I’ve actually confirmed one thing."
"Confirmed?"
"Yes! He finally chose another Chosen One. That guy really is decisive. Yes, makes decisions on the spot, without hesitation. Very good."
The Gray Cat looked at Seed with confusion. "I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about?"
Seed glanced at the Gray Cat. "Want to know? I’ll tell you a secret, but you have to exchange it with a secret of your own."
The Gray Cat immediately stepped back. "I have no secrets to exchange!!"
Seed looked at the Gray Cat with a hint of disappointment. "So... you really don’t know anything about ’Zero’?"
"I have no idea," the Gray Cat shook its head. "If I did, I would have definitely made use of it. Why would I withdraw if I knew something so important?"
"So you really aren’t Zero?"
"Even Zero doesn’t know..." the Gray Cat casually replied, then suddenly realized what it had said and clapped its paws over its mouth!
Seed smiled. "You do know something after all. So... Zero doesn’t even know they’re Zero, right?"
Seed suddenly burst into joyful laughter. "Does this mean... any one of us could be Zero! And we just don’t know it? Hahahahahahahaha..."
The Gray Cat, looking annoyed and a bit fearful, stepped back gradually.
"Alright, whether you let that slip by accident... or... you intentionally revealed it to me!" Seed’s eyes bore into the Gray Cat, then quickly retracted. He waved his hand. "Either way, you’ve told me a secret. So, I’ll tell you one as well."
The Gray Cat immediately looked at Seed with wide, curious eyes.
Seed crouched down, leaned in close to the Gray Cat’s ear, and whispered with a sly smile, "I’ve always wanted to know who this Octopus Monster’s Chosen One is. I put in some effort to look, and I studied it in detail... but I still didn’t find out."
The Gray Cat frowned. "How is this a secret?!"
"I’m not done yet," Seed gestured with his hand and continued, "Although I didn’t find out who it was specifically, I narrowed it down to a few people. I’m sure his Chosen One is among them! And then... I captured all these people, took them away, and locked them up somewhere. Hahahahaha! Isn’t that an interesting secret?"
The Gray Cat was shocked! "It’s against the rules to take action against the Chosen Ones of other competitors!!"
"I didn’t attack those people." Seed spread his hands. "Those people just had the misfortune of running into danger, and I rescued them! So, I didn’t break any rules."
The Gray Cat gulped. "You... where did you lock them up?"
"That place... that stupid Octopus will never find."
