Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Nine: Who is Chen Nuo

Considering the balance of power, Chen Nuo did not think he was capable of contending with [It].

[It]'s previous words, Chen Nuo could not deny. In terms of strength, [It] indeed could easily kill him.

"It's impossible to complete fifty interactions right now," Chen Nuo thought of a reason. "I am an Earthling; my survival requires oxygen and food. But my oxygen will only last three more hours." (Chen Nuo had brought four oxygen tanks when he came in.)

"[It] replied casually, "This can be a long-term project. I have been waiting here for a very long time, so long that I have already lost count of how much time has passed. So, waiting a bit longer, I don't think that's a problem."

[It]'s response was very relaxed. "You could first carry out one interaction, then leave this place, and come back when you're ready for the next one."

"So, I can leave this place?" Chen Nuo asked. "Aren't you worried that after I leave..."

"Trust me, after a single connection with the Mother and one spiritual power interaction, once you have experienced that feeling of evolution, you will abandon the insistence of being a primitive and inferior organism."

"One last question, how do I leave this place? The same way I came in?"

"[It] replied calmly, "You could choose to go back the way you came, or you could use the enhancement in spiritual power you gain from interacting with the Mother to teleport."

"Teleportation?"

"Of course! The Mother, a pure Spiritual Life Form, can traverse countless galaxies in the vast universe to arrive at this planet. Such an application of spiritual power, you will be able to master after interacting with the Mother."

Chen Nuo originally had full confidence in himself, believing that he could refuse.

Lord Yanluo had no interest in becoming a "traitor" to humanity.

Fully defecting to an alien civilization?

So, he was definitely planning on some small acts of rebellion.

Thus, he decided to feign cooperation for now.

One interaction would at least double his current spiritual power.

First, connect with the Mother, then see what the situation is before proceeding. And... I have fifty opportunities; there's no need to rush. Fifty chances... if I can't find a way to take down the Mother within that time—then truly, I would deserve to lose. Chen Nuo believed.

However, during the first connection, Chen Nuo almost lost control!

The connection with the Mother was very simple, without any complexity.

Guided by [It], Chen Nuo let down his own spiritual power barrier, allowed the Mother's Spiritual Force Tentacles to come close, then extended his own spiritual power to greet them and complete the connection.

"[It] advised, "You don't need to do anything, just relax and quietly experience the blending of spiritual power."

[It]'s message landed word for word in Chen Nuo's mind, after which he closed his eyes.

Streams of unfamiliar spiritual power began to flow into Chen Nuo's Consciousness Space.

Chen Nuo carefully felt this strange spiritual power—the first sensation was of incredible purity!

Unlike those of the same Mentality Series on Earth, like the Wizards, whose spiritual power is often mixed—strong, but carrying the fluctuations of human emotions.

The Mother's spiritual power was extremely pure and tranquil, without a single ripple.

It felt like pure, unadulterated Spiritual Energy.

It flowed into Chen Nuo's Consciousness Space like a gentle stream.

He felt that, as the Mother's spiritual power poured in, his Consciousness Space quickly reacted.

Like parched earth being moistened by spring rain.

Without comparison, Chen Nuo would never have noticed anything wrong or inappropriate about his own Consciousness Space. But as the spiritual power of the Mother infused into him, Chen Nuo could feel that his own Consciousness Space was so "crude," as if between the barriers of the space, within the space itself, there were countless cracks that he previously could not see, touch, or feel, now being slowly filled and then blended together. The flow of spiritual power within the space had become more harmonious, smoother, without the slightest bit of obstruction.

This sensation was like someone had given his brain a gentle massage.

Chen Nuo quickly experienced an unprecedented pleasure!

Many people have had this experience. After a full, lazy sleep, completely sweet for more than ten hours, waking up just in time for the afternoon of the next day. Waking from a full sleep, that sense from deep in the brain, radiating from within, mentally fulfilled, full of energy. That softness, comfort, and fullness that permeated from the brain to the body, throughout every part, from the inside out... At that time, if you stretch lazily in the warm sunlight, people often let out a subconscious, comfortable moan.

Chen Nuo's feeling at that moment was exactly like this.

Perhaps even magnified a hundredfold!

This intense pleasure, which made one's entire spiritual being feel extremely comfortable, almost made Chen Nuo lose his will in an instant!

He even wished that this process could continue indefinitely, without stopping!

Then, what finally brought him back to a trace of clarity, was when he realized that his own spiritual power began to ebb away!

As the outside spiritual power infused, Chen Nuo's original spiritual power started to slowly drift away!

This exchange generally maintained a two-to-one ratio. The spiritual power flowing into the Mother was two, and the spiritual power Chen Nuo was losing was one!

Chen Nuo had no way of knowing how the Mother precisely controlled this ratio.

But when Chen Nuo's own spiritual power began to drain, that feeling of pleasure suddenly changed!

How should one put it...

It was like scratching an itch.

In the process where Chen Nuo's spiritual power flowed away, in his Consciousness Space, every bit of his spiritual power that disappeared immediately induced an intolerably itchy sensation. It felt as though it reached the deepest parts of his soul. However, before that discomfort could really be felt, the Mother's spiritual power quickly infused and filled that void, then soon replaced the itchiness with a comfortable sensation.

It was like idly scratching a certain itchy spot on your back when you have nothing to do. You scratch one spot, it feels comfortable, then maybe another spot starts itching, so you scratch, then itch, then scratch, then itch again... The whole person becomes more and more comfortable.

Chen Nuo felt his Consciousness Space quickly beginning to expand!

The expansion occurred gradually, but every minute change was palpable!

This ability to clearly feel one's Consciousness Space expanding and growing stronger with every moment—this sensation, too, was addictive!

Chen Nuo knew that as his Consciousness Space grew, it meant that his spiritual power was also increasing!

It only took a short moment.

The first exchange was already more than halfway complete!

Chen Nuo felt that [It] had not deceived him.

As the exchange passed the halfway mark, he had lost half of his spiritual power, but his Consciousness Space had also increased by nearly half! Moreover, the Mother's spiritual power had filled the missing parts satisfactorily.

It was like a deflated balloon being filled with air, propping up his Consciousness Space and beginning to swell!

Chen Nuo immediately realized a very serious problem!

Forget fifty chances to slowly find a way to scheme against the Mother. Fifty chances? Impossible!

Just from this single interaction, Chen Nuo felt that, after maybe two or three more times, no matter how resolute his will, no matter how strong and certain... He would have to surrender to this overwhelming sensation of intense pleasure!

This feeling was beyond his control; it was that irresistible taste that comes from deep within the soul, the insatiable desire for this nourishment and evolution!

It was a matter of two lifetimes. Two lifetimes of experiences had allowed Chen Nuo to navigate through darkness and violence, through bullets and bloodshed for far too long, forging a will as strong as steel!

Had it been anyone else, they probably would have surrendered during this very first interaction!

Chen Nuo already felt his unwavering will begin to falter!

No! There aren't fifty chances! One more interaction like this, and I might actually surrender!

At that thought... He began to react.

The expansion of his Consciousness Space had already exceeded its original size by over eighty percent... Meaning, Chen Nuo estimated, the level of his spiritual power had increased by about eighty percent compared to before. And with each second of interaction with the Mother, his strength continued to grow.

But he was reaching his limit! Chen Nuo felt his Consciousness Space becoming unstable. The expansion was thinning out like a balloon, becoming more precarious as it was inflated too much!

Chen Nuo carefully detected the direction in which his spiritual power was leaking and observed it closely...

Then, he made a move.

In a corner of Chen Nuo's Consciousness Space, there originally was a cocoon, wrapped layer by layer by Chen Nuo's own spiritual power. A gigantic cocoon.

As the spiritual power from the Mother finally reached this corner and began to squeeze out Chen Nuo's original spiritual power bit by bit, frantically occupying the space...

An energy burst forth within Chen Nuo's Consciousness Space!

Following the explosive release of spiritual power, something within the cocoon was completely exposed! And as Chen Nuo detonated his own spiritual power, that thing instantly shattered!!

This was...

The Tree of Misfortune!!

As well as those mature or immature Seeds of Misfortune that had accumulated on the tree over these days!

In the moment of the explosion, the Tree of Misfortune was reduced to countless particles that merged with Chen Nuo's spiritual power...

Then, it was abruptly squeezed out by the Mother's spiritual power! Lost!

Chen Nuo instantly felt a huge shock of spiritual power, and his mind seemed to experience a surge of intense emotion! This emotion was probably fear, shock, anger, despair... And perhaps something else. Chen Nuo couldn't identify each one.

Suddenly, a Spiritual Storm hit Chen Nuo, and he felt his body being lifted, then violently hurled far away!

The connection with the Mother's spiritual power was severed in an instant!

And Chen Nuo, while still in the air, showed a fierce smile on his face!

He sensed the panicked retreat of the Mother's Spiritual Force Tentacles. Chen Nuo, however, did not hesitate to unleash his own spiritual power in a frenzy!

Remnants of the Tree of Misfortune and the Seeds of Misfortune lingering in Chen Nuo's Consciousness Space were continuously flung out by him. He launched what was essentially a suicidal attack, transforming into a spiritual storm that swept back towards the Mother!

The clash of their spiritual power occurred repeatedly and invisibly!

With each collision, Chen Nuo felt as if his head would explode!

In terms of the power balance between the two, it could be said to be an egg striking a rock.

But, to Chen Nuo's satisfaction, with every collision, the Mother's spiritual power, playing the role of the rock, continued its frantic retreat!

After several collisions, Chen Nuo fell heavily to the ground, his mouth and nose gushing with fresh blood.

A headache so splitting he nearly passed out, yet Chen Nuo continued to frantically widen his eyes, squeezing his Consciousness Space to the limit, madly releasing his spiritual power!

In the space, there seemed to be omnipresent, inaudible wails of agony—this might have been Chen Nuo's hallucination. But he truly believed he had heard something.

A series of clear messages came through, in languages, scripts, and consciousness beyond Chen Nuo's comprehension.

It was as if the other side had plunged into utter chaos.

Finally, [It] seemed to regain clarity for an instant, sending out an angry and fearful cry using Chen Nuo's own language.

Chen Nuo collapsed to the ground and closed his eyes, passing out.

When Chen Nuo woke up, he found himself still lying in this underground space.

Without any watch or the like, but judging by the scale on the oxygen tank, Chen Nuo estimated that he had been out for no more than half an hour.

Chen Nuo struggled to his feet and looked around, eyes wide.

"Hey!!"

After shouting, there was no response.

That [It] did not react at all either.

The sensation of being watched by an omnipresent, powerful spiritual power in this place had vanished.

Chen Nuo crawled up, sneering, and walked over to the central stone pillar.

He was still bleeding from his nose.

In his Consciousness Space, the wild spiritual power, like riotous steel blades, ceaselessly sliced viciously at his brain.

The intensity of the pain forced Chen Nuo to clench his teeth hard to keep from collapsing.

The stone pillar no longer had any fluctuations of spiritual power.

Does this mean the Mother has been finished off? Chen Nuo didn't know.

He spurred his spiritual power to probe, but there was no response; this place was like a dead zone.

A vague rumbling came from the cave walls...

Chen Nuo looked back and saw on the distant cliff, on the mountain wall, the tunnel entrance through which their group had entered earlier. After a rumble from inside...

A raging torrent of water cascaded down like a gigantic pipe, madly pouring seawater into the cave!

Chen Nuo took a breath.

So... the Mother is... finished? Was its self-destruct mode activated? Or did the seawater outside pour in because it lost the support of the Mother's spiritual power? I don't know. But it's clear the Tree of Misfortune had a miraculous effect. That was an attack made with the resolve for mutual destruction.

Chen Nuo exhaled.

The water from the tunnel rushed in furiously, and soon, it flowed down to the stretch of black rocks below the cliff.

It looked as if the cliff had become a waterfall.

Chen Nuo approached Ishii Hisako and her two companions first.

The final linkage that detonated the Tree of Misfortune, along with the frenzied Spiritual Storm from the Mother, affected not only Chen Nuo but also Ishii Hisako and her two diver subordinates.

At this moment, all three were still unconscious.

Chen Nuo walked over with a cold sneer and, without hesitation, grabbed the necks of the two divers, one in each hand. CRACK! CRACK! He twisted and broke their necks.

Killing these cultists and traitors to humanity gave Chen Nuo not the slightest mental burden.

When it was Ishii Hisako's turn, Chen Nuo had just grabbed her neck when the woman actually woke up!

"Please, spare me..." Ishii Hisako begged in a weak but pleading tone.

Chen Nuo didn't speak.

"I, I still have my uses," Ishii Hisako said softly. "I can..."

Chen Nuo shook his head. "You indeed still have your uses. I even considered using you to control the vast industry of the Truth Society... but the situation here is too significant, so big that I dare not leave any risks."

Having said that, Chen Nuo kicked Ishii Hisako's head hard. The woman's body jerked once and then lay still.

Chen Nuo knew very well that his kick had shattered the woman's brain completely. Devoid of life!

After killing the three members of the Truth Society, Chen Nuo turned to look at the cliff that had become a waterfall.

The flow was fast, but to fill up this space, it would likely take a long time.

The way they had come was definitely not an option anymore... Chen Nuo admitted he didn't have the ability to swim upstream through a turbulent tunnel and out.

So... Teleportation?

Chen Nuo exhaled and sat down on the ground, then entered his own Consciousness Space.

He painstakingly recalled the method of spiritual power infusion from the Mother, experiencing it bit by bit, very carefully.

He even stretched out his hand, and a golden Rune quickly appeared in his palm.

This Rune was the one he had gotten from the Wizard. It was the track of spiritual power application that the Wizard had studied for half his life.

Chen Nuo carefully recalled, compared, and corroborated...

Several hours passed by unconsciously.

Water had already started to flow to the base of the stone pillar, and Chen Nuo's pants were soaked through. He sat in the water like that.

Then, at a certain moment, Chen Nuo suddenly opened his eyes!

He vigorously grabbed the two oxygen tanks left behind by the Truth Society divers from the ground and smashed them hard against the stone pillar!

After several dull thuds, the stone pillar began to crack! Then the cracking lines spread... After about ten seconds, that pillar completely collapsed and broke.

Chen Nuo was relieved.

There were no fluctuations of spiritual power.

I've done all I can.

The next moment, Chen Nuo seemed to smile...

His body disappeared into thin air.

As for the teleportation of objects, or instant movement—whatever the term might be.

Scientists have made many hypotheses and conjectures. One of the most popular is quantum teleportation. It's generally described as a process where an object is completely broken down at location A, then teleported and reconstructed at location B. Theoretically, that's how it works.

Chen Nuo had also heard of this theory and speculation.

So when the teleportation ended, Chen Nuo found himself immersed in water... He immediately struggled fiercely, trying to swim upwards.

The moment he surfaced, Chen Nuo's eyes widened as he started to look around, urgently trying to catch any visual references in the vicinity.

When he saw Mount Fuji in the distance... Chen Nuo breathed a sigh of relief!

This "Teleportation" was a skill belonging to a higher Spiritual Life Form, brought about by the spiritual power infusion from the Mother.

It was Chen Nuo's first time using it.

And even though his current level of spiritual power had nearly doubled since entering the space under the sea—about seventy to eighty percent stronger—still, for him, this ability belonging to higher Spiritual Life Forms was not fully accessible.

For Chen Nuo, his "Teleportation" was random and chaotic.

He could only use all of his spiritual power for this one teleportation.

The farther, the better!

As for the exact destination of the teleportation, he was powerless... he could only roughly control a general direction.

Chen Nuo was very worried that if he emerged in the vast ocean after teleporting, that would be a dead end for me!

The one teleportation had exhausted Chen Nuo's spiritual power; he had no strength left for another.

If it were the vast ocean, then there really would be only death waiting for him.

Fortunately! The moment he saw Mount Fuji, Chen Nuo let out a silent cheer in his heart.

He desperately paddled to the shore and forcefully pushed his body onto land. Only after feeling the firm mud beneath him did Chen Nuo flip over and lay on his back on the ground.

All that remained was the energy to breathe; beyond that, it seemed as if he couldn't move even a single finger.

The depletion of his spiritual power was one thing. But Chen Nuo was very aware that his body had also suffered great damage!

The Mother could use such teleportation to travel between star systems... on the one hand, because its own spiritual power was incredibly strong!

On the other hand, it was because the Mother had no physical body! It was a pure spiritual entity.

If the Mother had a massive physical body, Chen Nuo didn't think it could teleport across several star systems to Earth.

Chen Nuo, however, had a body.

After the teleportation was completed, Chen Nuo felt that his body, from head to toe, every inch of skin, every muscle, every bone was in extreme pain!

It felt as if his body had been torn apart by some invisible force countless times, then pieced back together again!

It was as if every cell in his body, after being twisted, was slowly recovering, all screaming in agonizing pain.

Unable to care about anything else, Chen Nuo lay on the muddy ground, his eyelids drooped, and he completely passed out.

When he awoke, Chen Nuo couldn't tell what time it was.

The moment he opened his eyes, he felt an intense pain throughout his body. Fortunately, this pain had lessened a lot compared to before he lost consciousness.

If prior to losing consciousness, it felt like his body had been torn apart countless times... Then upon awakening, although it still hurt, it felt more like having been battered.

Chen Nuo struggled to get up but quickly fell back down.

His body couldn't muster a shred of strength, and that feeling of weakness made Chen Nuo immediately realize something.

There was not a trace of saliva in his mouth; it was as dry as the desert!

Chen Nuo struggled to inch forward on the ground, managing to move a few inches, then turned his head and plunged it into the lake water beside him.

He couldn't care less whether the water in this wild lake was clean and began to drink greedily. GULP! GULP!

I've heard Japanese people are very environmentally conscious; I hope this water is clean enough.

After swallowing his fill of water, Chen Nuo finally felt alive again.

But soon, an intense hunger surged up; it wasn't just being hungry anymore—it felt as if an invisible hand in his throat was frantically grasping at something, trying desperately to snatch something into his stomach.

Chen Nuo was in luck; he could feel a fish swimming not far off in the water.

A strand of spiritual power shot out quickly, piercing the fish and pulling it back!

With trembling hands, he grabbed the fish and, not minding the raw taste, he bit ferociously into the fish's belly!

The rich, sweet flesh of the fish belly filled his mouth, and Chen Nuo chewed frantically before swallowing.

This bit of flesh, like sweet rain, moistened his parched stomach but was quickly swallowed by the dryness...

After devouring the fish, Chen Nuo didn't even spare the bones, crunching them to pieces before finally swallowing them down!

Having eaten, he lay back down on the ground, face up.

This time, I don't think I'm going to die, Chen Nuo thought.

Then, a wave of fatigue swept over him, and he once again closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The car shuddered and then came to a stop. Afterward, the van's door was opened. A man in a black jacket climbed into the cargo hold.

Zhang Linsheng's eyes had adjusted to the dark van. When the intense light from outside suddenly struck them, he involuntarily closed his eyes.

Then his chin was grabbed, the tape over his mouth was ripped off, and a bottle of mineral water was shoved into his mouth.

Zhang Linsheng immediately took several desperate gulps, but the bottle was quickly removed.

He wanted to struggle, but his hands and feet were tightly bound.

"Sun Keke, are you okay?" Zhang Linsheng yelled.

Sun Keke was also given water. After coughing a few times, she said intermittently, "I, I'm okay."

The man then picked up Boss Guo from the cargo hold's floor, who was also tied up like a zongzi, and gave him water.

"Who the hell are you people!" Zhang Linsheng asked hoarsely.

The man glanced at Zhang Linsheng and said coldly, "You'll find out when we get there. We'll have plenty of time to question you."

With that, he turned and jumped down from the back of the van.

As he closed the door, Zhang Linsheng saw that outside was a concrete road; there seemed to be fields by the road, and in the distance, there were green hills...

BANG! The door closed, and the van was plunged back into darkness.

Why didn't he gag us again after giving us water? Maybe we've reached a sparsely populated area, so it's not necessary anymore? Zhang Linsheng wondered.

Zhang Linsheng's mind wasn't very clear, actually.

That night, when he saw Sun Keke being attacked, Zhang Linsheng had rushed in—he didn't know at the time that it was Chen Nuo's house. In the darkness, he fought a group of men in black. Although Zhang Linsheng's abilities had increased dramatically, with Chen Nuo even helping to enhance his strength, he had only been practicing martial arts for less than half a year.

No matter how dramatically his skills had improved, they were enough against ordinary people, but facing a group of well-trained fighters who had been practicing for years, Zhang Linsheng was a bit outclassed.

That night, after Zhang Linsheng was knocked out by someone whose kung fu was clearly much better than his own, he passed out.

When he awoke, he found himself and Sun Keke, along with an unfamiliar middle-aged man, confined in the compartment of a truck.

It was a freight vehicle.

On the road, they stopped twice; each time was to give them some water.

At least two days had gone by, Zhang Linsheng deduced.

But because his mouth had been gagged the whole time, Zhang Linsheng couldn't communicate with Sun Keke. It was pitch-black in the container; even if they tried to write words with their feet or gesture, nothing could be seen.

At last, his mouth was no longer gagged, and after taking a few breaths, Zhang Linsheng hurriedly said, "Sun Keke! Sun Keke!"

Sun Keke's voice came from the corner. She was also tied up hand and foot.

After the initial panic of abduction, and two days spent in the dark truck, Sun Keke's earlier terror and breakdown had given way to a numb sort of calm.

"What the hell is happening?" Zhang Linsheng gritted his teeth and asked.

"I... I don't know..." Sun Keke shook her head and said quickly, "That night, I was at Chen Nuo's place, packing my things to go home, when someone came to the door..."

A few minutes later, Sun Keke managed to briefly recount how Boss Guo had sought refuge, and then how attackers had arrived.

Zhang Linsheng fell into silence. Chen Nuo living opposite Qu Xiaoling... that's a surprise, but it's not the important thing now.

Zhang Linsheng was actually quite panicked, but being a boy, he still retained a bit of reason and courage — though not much.

He pondered carefully but couldn't think of any clues, so he could only ask, "So is it this guy lying on the ground who brought trouble? Who exactly is this guy on the ground?"

"He said he's a friend of Chen Nuo's," Sun Keke replied in the dark, biting her lip.

"Friend? What kind of friend gets you kidnapped and brings all this trouble? Pah!" Zhang Linsheng said angrily.

At that moment, Old Guo, the man on the ground, suddenly spoke out of the darkness.

"You two kids don't need to rush to curse me," Old Guo said, his voice tinged with bitterness. "It's my fault you're involved in this; I'm sorry. You have every right to curse and resent me... but now's not the time for that."

"Then what should we talk about?" Zhang Linsheng asked through gritted teeth, seething with anger.

"Conserve your energy and look for a chance to escape," Old Guo sighed. "I know these people too well! They haven't fed us for two days, just giving us enough water to keep us alive.

"When we get there and see the person in charge, I'll tell them my business has nothing to do with you two.

"But I'm not sure if they'll let you go. These people... they're completely lawless."

The truck's compartment fell silent again.

After a while, Zhang Linsheng mustered his courage. "Sun Keke, don't be afraid! Your family must be looking for you! If they can't find you, they'll definitely call the police! The police will find us!"

Sun Keke hummed softly.

Zhang Linsheng suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "And there's Brother Lei! Brother Lei is capable! He's someone Chen Nuo trusts, and if he realizes the two of us are missing, he will definitely find a way to tell Chen Nuo! As long as Chen Nuo knows we're missing... With Chen Nuo's abilities, he will definitely find us!"

In the darkness, Sun Keke remained silent.

After a moment of silence, the girl murmured.

"Chen Nuo... what kind of person is he really... I, it seems like I'm coming to know him less and less..."

After she finished speaking, the girl's sobs echoed in the dark.