Chapter 517: Chapter 512: Only Fools Would Believe That, Right?
Devices similar to transparent jars were neatly arranged, filling half the room.
Inside were boys and girls, looking about fifteen or sixteen years old.
It was the prime of youth when they should be enjoying a brilliant life but were confined in these jars as experimental subjects.
"They are all host bodies that failed but did not die immediately."
Ji Ning’s voice was extremely cold as she turned to look at Ye Xingyan, "Do you really know nothing about what the Left faction is doing?"
Ye Xingyan slightly lowered his head and remained silent.
He knew, and had known for a long time, but for mutual benefits, he pretended not to know, a behavior Ji Ning detested the most.
He knew he was now on Ji Ning’s blacklist.
Ji Ning saw his silent acknowledgment, and her anger grew.
"What kind of experiments are they conducting?"
Ye Xingyan finally stepped forward, walked to her side, and said, "They are researching mutated corpses."
Ji Ning abruptly turned her head, "Mutated corpses? Do you know how many people we sacrificed back then to eradicate mutated corpses? And now you’re researching them?"
Feeling the dangerous aura emanating from Ji Ning, Ye Xingyan quickly soothed, "Commander, I know very little about this. I only heard snippets from other researchers. They are researching mutated corpses to find that special energy in the Pollution Zone."
"Special energy?" Ji Ning clenched her fist, sneering, "Aren’t they afraid it will kill them?"
Ye Xingyan paused for a moment and continued, "Commander, that special energy in you can make the back-of-the-head chips in the Immortal People run more stably. The Josen Family is desperately seeking treasures that can generate this special energy, which is why they’re scouring your belongings across the Hua Continent to acquire this energy..."
Saying this, Ye Xingyan’s voice lowered significantly, his spine shivered, but he pressed on, "We speculate it’s related to places you’ve been, so..."
"So, you tacitly agreed to let them research mutated corpses and prepare to explore that area?"
Ye Xingyan fell silent again. In the early research stages, he contributed by providing ancestors’ records on studying mutated corpses. Later, as the Ji Family Army split, and relations between the Left and Right factions soured, he paid no further attention to the situation.
Seeing his silent acknowledgment again, Ji Ning, furious, punched him right away.
"How did Ye Jianxiu produce such unworthy descendants like you? Had I known back then that their offspring would turn out like this, I shouldn’t have saved them!"
Ye Xingyan covered his face, softly defending, "Commander, our intentions were good. Who would have thought they’d experiment on living people?"
"You’ve never used living people for experiments?"
"Mine were all voluntary. They volunteered to undergo experiments to become stronger..."
"Voluntary? What about the hallucinogens in Anhe’s underground trade? Ye Xingyan, stop making excuses with your intentions and righteousness. You’re just a bunch of lunatics who stop at nothing to achieve your goals."
Ji Ning’s aura grew increasingly dangerous. Ye Xingyan, turning pale, forced his voice steady, "And what about you? If you’d told my ancestors the truth about that area, they wouldn’t have sacrificed so many to explore. Isn’t the root of all this you?"
Ji Ning’s body tensed, looking at Ye Xingyan with murderous intent, "Is it my fault for not letting you send people to their deaths?"
Ye Xingyan dared not say yes, diverting his gaze to the people in the jars, sighing, "Anyway, humanity is already in the countdown to extinction. In less than two hundred years, we’ll be extinct. You might as well wake up then..."
"Insolence—"
Immense spiritual power suddenly surged into Ye Xingyan’s brain, the pain dropping him to the ground, curling up like a shrimp, clutching his head.
His face turned as pale as paper, veins pulsing as if ready to burst through the skin any moment for freedom.
Just as the scene before him blurred, that overbearing force abruptly vanished.
Ji Ning shot him a fierce glare, then vented her anger on the instruments before her.
Countless metal devices instantly deformed, various circuits emitted black smoke, and the locked transparent jars opened, releasing foul, rancid liquid.
"Commander... these liquids are toxic..." Ye Xingyan struggled to speak, trying to get up, but the prior suffocation had left him powerless.
Ji Ning raised her hand, tossing Ye Xingyan out of the room.
Her pitch-black pupils suddenly lightened as she saw the bodies in the toxic liquid slowly rise, entering one bubble after another, disappearing into the air.
These children must not die here.
Ji Ning snapped her fingers again, and not far away, a transparent jar suddenly ignited into a blazing fire.
The three quickly left the Josen Clan Leader’s residence, just as the Captain came rushing with joy.
"K, we found the item."
Ye Xingyan, at this moment wishing for death, quickly signaled with his eyes, but Ji Ning’s gaze had already shifted, "What item?"
The Captain, catching Ye Xingyan’s glance, nervously realized he misspoke, hesitantly said, "Some research data."
"The Josen Family’s, or the Left’s?"
"Both..." The Captain’s throat tightened slightly.
"Hand it over, let me see."
The Captain immediately looked at Ye Xingyan, seeing him ghostly pale, like someone recovering from a severe illness, weak all over, quickly asked, "K, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"I’m fine, give the data to the Commander," Ye Xingyan weakly replied.
The Captain hastily retrieved the communicator, intending to contact Shi Er, but Ji Ning said, "Take me there."
The Captain’s body paused, intuition told him K had angered the Commander.
He quickly led the way ahead.
They passed through two streets, suddenly seeing a building resembling the Hua Continent’s Assembly Hall, a square structure that clashed with the surrounding architecture.
Ji Ning stopped, observed it for a few moments, eyes flashing with sarcasm.
Those expelled from the Hua Continent like stray dogs dared attempt to regain former glory with Outer Continent’s help?
Have they forgotten the idiom "Not of our race, their hearts must be different"?
Utterly disgraceful to her.
Being duped into becoming chips serves them right!
And those Outer Continent forces are unscrupulously trying to engulf the Hua Continent.
Ji Ning resumed walking forward, entering the seemingly grand building, heading confidently towards a certain hall.
Along the way, a dozen Immortal People in pitch-black robes and silver masks lay unconscious on the ground.
Ji Ning glanced them over, most bore faces from the Hua Continent.
Admittedly, the Josen Family put effort into their deception.
Ji Ning, expression stern, pushed open the door symbolizing "highest authority."
The young boy looked on curiously.
What met his eyes was a gigantic round table.
Around the round table were twelve chairs, with only five occupied, the other seats vacant.
These five appeared to be sleeping, eyes tightly shut, as if lifeless.
Ji Ning approached, pinching one of the [people]’s bodies, soft and pliant, texture akin to real skin.
Ye Xingyan noticed too, exclaiming, "This is... bio-simulation material?"
Ji Ning glanced at him.
The shrewd Josen Family wouldn’t use all real people for them.
The Left faction of the Ji Family Army, these big fools, were duped by the original Smart Brain and the Josen Family, believing they could still be decision-makers, control the Smart Brain, command all Ji Family Army members.
Unbeknownst to them, they were mere puppets under control, fulfilling others’ ambitions.
Otherwise, why would every failed decision result in suspended animation and await another chance at the table?
Through these [people] and the Smart Brain, the Josen Family controlled much intelligence of the Hua Continent.
Ji Ning glanced at another [person], surprised by what she saw.
There was actually a real person here.
Ji Ning noted his seat number and familiar posture.
Suddenly enlightened, this Immortal Person using a real human host was once a leader of a faction in the turbulent Twelve Round Table forces.
He had competed with her for territory, but after being subdued, became a member of the Twelve Round Table councilors.
If she recalled correctly, the Temporary Leader killed by the original Smart Brain in Ghost Valley was also a real human host.
So this group had undergone a body swap by the Josen Family once.
Ji Ning said to [Zero], "Wake them up."
```
