Chunyu Hu was incredibly fast. He was gone in the blink of an eye.

Qi Suian hadn’t pushed the Wind Master aviation system to its limits, and by the time he arrived, the entire Ring Island had already been sunk to the bottom of the sea.

The sight made Qi Suian’s heart ache.

He’d always wanted Watchman Dawn’s servers, but now there was no way he could get them.

The entire Ring Island had been smashed straight to the bottom. After being soaked in seawater, the servers would be useless even if they could be salvaged.

His gaze then fell on the two battling Chunyu Hus.

The original used his time-based abilities to completely dominate the clone, leaving it powerless to resist.

"To fuse with the Source of Profound Virus so smoothly... Destiny is truly on your side!" From his tone, it was clear Zombie Chunyu Hu believed the clone was the true mastermind.

But Clone Chunyu Hu was suffering in silence. True, he had taken the Source of Profound Virus, but he had no idea what this "Destiny" even was.

As a clone, he didn’t possess Zombie Chunyu Hu’s complete memories—only those from the modern era.

As for the past, he wasn’t Watchman Dawn’s first-generation Chunyu Hu. He was the eighth.

The lifespan of each generation varied. Some lived long, while others died young.

He was one of the long-lived ones, partly because he had successfully guided the Watchman Morning Company out from under the Divine Prayer Association’s control.

[The clone’s body contains a higher-order energy form, which provides it with sufficient power.]

"That must be the Source of Profound Virus." Qi Suian felt none of the usual urges this time. Evidently, the fused Source of Profound Virus no longer broadcast its influence.

"Better hide a little deeper."

The fight was growing more intense. Clone Chunyu Hu’s skullcap had been torn off, yet he hadn’t even managed to touch a scrap of Zombie Chunyu Hu’s clothing.

The moment the skullcap was ripped open, the intense urge flared up once more.

Beneath Clone Chunyu Hu’s torn-off skullcap, one could see a mass of black, writhing, fleshy tendrils.

These fleshy tendrils weren’t the actual Source of Profound Virus, of course. They were what was left of Clone Chunyu Hu’s brain, mutated by it.

The true Source of Profound Virus was a crystalline, translucent black jade.

And just like that, Zombie Chunyu Hu ripped it out with one hand.

’The color, the texture... it’s incredibly similar to the Ancient Dian Kingdom Jade Seal.’

’The Ancient Dian Kingdom Jade Seal must have been crafted from a piece of this tainted jade.’

’Or maybe it was just a scrap piece. Otherwise, how could it possibly have held Destiny?’

As the jade that was the Source of Profound Virus was extracted, Clone Chunyu Hu instantly went limp, plummeting from the sky.

The tenacious life force granted by the Immortal Surgery kept him from dying instantly.

Zombie Chunyu Hu, however, had no intention of letting him go. He blasted the clone into dust, leaving not a single trace behind.

"Strange... why didn’t Destiny return to its source?"

The words were an unconscious murmur from Zombie Chunyu Hu’s second consciousness.

He himself couldn’t tell who possessed Destiny. His second consciousness might be able to, but he kept it suppressed.

It could only slip out a few words every now and then.

"Impossible. Could it be Destiny wasn’t in that traitor?" The expression on Zombie Chunyu Hu’s face shifted.

If it truly wasn’t, then he was in big trouble.

The world was vast; finding it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"If it wasn’t in the traitor, then perhaps... the archaeologist who was funded for the excavation project." Zombie Chunyu Hu quickly locked onto a new target.

"Most likely, he’s already turned into a zombie. I must find him and devour him as soon as possible. Otherwise, once he starts to grow in power, he’ll become comparable to..."

The whispered murmurs of his second consciousness surfaced once more.

The favor of the Profound... naturally, only a zombie could withstand it.

Humans and other species are incapable of receiving it.

"Dammit. This is even more trouble." Zombie Chunyu Hu believed it.

His second consciousness would fight him for control of his body, but they were on the same side for the most part.

More importantly, they were two sides of the same coin. Even if the second consciousness won, he wouldn’t disappear. At worst, he would suffer the same fate his second consciousness currently did: imprisoned and suppressed within his own body.

Eradicating it was impossible. After all, the second consciousness was born from his body’s instincts. He couldn’t just get rid of his instincts, could he?

If he did, he’d probably have to consciously control every muscle and bone just to take a single step.

"Whoever has Destiny is bound to rise quickly. It’s a pain, but not without a solution."

All I have to do is find the zombie that stands out from the horde, and there’s a good chance it will be the archaeologist.

He appeared at Qi Suian’s hiding spot in an instant. "You seem to be quite accomplished when it comes to networking," he said immediately.

Qi Suian’s heart skipped a beat. ’He’s not going to make me look for myself, is he?’

He had been too far away to hear the exchange between Zombie Chunyu Hu and his second consciousness, but his AI could read lips and had translated everything for him.

"I know a little," Qi Suian admitted. "I can mobilize satellites to screen a certain area." He didn’t deny it; when you’re under someone’s thumb, you have to bow your head.

"Excellent. Find that special zombie for me." Zombie Chunyu Hu was very pleased with Qi Suian’s cooperative attitude. "Do this well, and I can reserve a spot for you as one of my divine vessels. Once you understand the benefits, you can undergo the transformation."

He was just making a promise for now. But if Qi Suian actually succeeded, granting him a spot wouldn’t be out of the question.

By then, with both Destiny and the Source in hand, he would become another Profound God. No one else would stand a chance against him.

In fact, he would need plenty of talented individuals to serve him. That way, when he ruled the world, his subordinates wouldn’t just be a horde of mindless zombies. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"I won’t let you down!" Qi Suian declared, thumping his chest.

’It’s better for this job to fall to me than anyone else,’ he thought. ’I can just send him a list of random Mutated Zombies every now and then.’

’If someone else were in charge of the investigation, who knows? They might end up finding me.’

"Start with the information you previously provided on that archaeologist."

"I want all the information within three days. Can you do it?" Zombie Chunyu Hu demanded.

"I can, but about reporting for duty in seven days..." Qi Suian trailed off, clearly hesitant to go.

"You don’t have to go, but I want results." Zombie Chunyu Hu didn’t care whether Qi Suian reported for duty. He had left a time imprint on Qi Suian; there was no escaping his grasp.

"Do this well, and your future rewards won’t be limited to just time, either."

Qi Suian heard this and rolled his eyes internally. ’What the hell good is that?’

His expression, however, remained unchanged. He put on a look of utmost loyalty and said, "A brilliant decision, Leader!"

’It costs nothing to say it, and being flexible is better than being suspected.’