Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 177 - 170: Brain Domain Matrix, Mysterious Descent of the Gods

"Chip number sixteen... the person in charge of Modu?"

Dr. Beretta slowly picked up a controller from his desk and tuned the frequency to channel sixteen.

The controller, however, was unresponsive. It was as if chip number sixteen’s signal had vanished from the face of the Earth.

But Dr. Beretta knew that if the chip’s host had died, the controller would have certainly received a signal before the chip was destroyed.

After all, as one of the most critical special chips, he had crafted that one with his own hands. It was vastly different from the mass-produced, standardized chips implanted in the brains of the other Super Warriors.

Based on the faint Mind Sensing he was getting, things weren’t that simple. Chip number sixteen was likely in the process of being removed.

’Then I’ll have to take a look myself and see what’s happening with chip number sixteen.’

Dr. Beretta slowly rose to his feet and walked to a corner of his office.

There stood a smooth metal wall, which at first glance appeared to have no seams or abnormalities.

Dr. Beretta reached out and placed his palm against the wall.

VMMMM!!

A fiery brilliance gathered in his palm, pressing into the wall.

All at once, lines of light flared to life on the wall, crisscrossing in a pattern that seemed to hold both an ancient, mystical charm and a futuristic, technological aesthetic.

BOOM!

The wall vibrated faintly. A seam appeared down its center, and the metal panels slid apart to reveal a spacious secret chamber.

The chamber used Dr. Beretta’s personal magnetic field as its key. No one else could open it.

The essence of a living being could not be truly imitated, making it the most secure locking mechanism in the world.

Dr. Beretta stepped into the secret chamber, and the metal wall slid silently shut behind him.

The scene inside the chamber was unimaginable.

Rows of metal instruments blinked with electronic lights. Transparent culture vats hung from the walls, connected by a web of metallic devices.

Inside the viscous, bright yellow fluid of those vats, individual brains, pierced with sensory probes, bobbed and drifted.

In the center of the room was a metal chair, with a multitude of cables and interfaces extending from it.

’I wonder how many brains I’ll burn out this time?’

Dr. Beretta muttered to himself as he strode forward. He shrugged off his white lab coat, baring his upper body.

His physique was incredibly muscular, nothing like that of a typical researcher. On the smooth skin of his arms and along his ribs, one could see a series of small pores.

He sat down in the metal chair, took hold of the interface cables, and plugged them one by one into the pores on his body.

Finally, he picked up a metal helmet from beside the chair and placed it over his head.

VMMMM!!

The next moment, a searing brilliance erupted from his body, instantly illuminating the entire dimly lit chamber.

But it didn’t stop there. The light seemed to spread. In the transparent vats along the walls, the floating brains began to vibrate faintly, and then they too began to emit the exact same brilliance as Dr. Beretta.

It was as if a string of light bulbs was being switched on, one after another.

Inside the chamber, the intensity of the magnetic field grew stronger and stronger, to the point that the surrounding environment began to distort.

At that moment, propelled by the immense magnetic field, Dr. Beretta’s consciousness began to rapidly ascend.

He felt as if he were rising out of a vast, boundless river.

The river surged onward, a torrent of countless flashing images and a cacophony of terrifying, overlapping sounds that were nearly unbearable.

Dr. Beretta looked down and could faintly see points of light shining within the river.

’Chip number sixteen... I’ve found it.’

Dr. Beretta’s consciousness locked onto one of the points of light in the river and slammed into it.

「In a hospital in Modu.」

The brain chip extraction surgery had reached its critical stage. Lei Chenfeng was under immense pressure; an assistant had to wipe sweat from his brow nearly every minute.

But just then, something unexpected happened. "Hm?" Yi Beidou’s half-closed eyes snapped open, a sharp light flashing within them as he sensed a change.

At the same time, Lei Chenfeng saw the chip in Yao Lingfeng’s brain suddenly emit a faint glow. Immediately after, Yao Lingfeng’s brain tissue began to throb violently.

’What is this?!’

He was startled, thinking his own mishandling had triggered some special mechanism within the chip.

BOOM!!

But at that moment, Yi Beidou suddenly stood up. The entire operating room plunged into darkness. A sky full of stars materialized, with the Beidou Seven Stars shining brightly among them.

Then, the stars actually began to move in reverse.

Celestial Demon Chaotic Star!!

A terrifying Evil Qi surged through the operating room. At such close range, even Lei Chenfeng couldn’t resist it. He staggered backward, and the scalpel fell from his hand, clattering to the floor.

The other medical personnel fared even worse. Many of their legs gave out, and they collapsed onto the floor amidst the CLANG and RATTLE of falling instruments.

"What’s going on?!"

Outside the operating room, the faces of the assembled experts and scholars changed drastically. The staff from the Special Security Bureau also wore grim expressions, having no idea what was happening.

But none of them dared to enter. After all, in Yi Beidou’s presence, they were practically defenseless.

The director of the Special Security Bureau team quickly ran off to call for the Saint Experts stationed nearby to come at once.

"So even this couldn’t stop you?"

At that moment, Yi Beidou’s gaze was razor-sharp as he stared at Yao Lingfeng on the operating table and spoke in a low voice.

Lei Chenfeng’s expression flickered with uncertainty, completely lost as to what was happening.

Just then, the unconscious Yao Lingfeng’s eyes suddenly opened, his sharp gaze falling upon Yi Beidou.

"So, it was you, Yi Beidou."

A strange smile touched Yao Lingfeng’s lips, as if he couldn’t quite control his facial muscles. His voice was equally strange, wavering and distorted like static from a radio with a poor signal.

All the while, Yao Lingfeng remained lying on the operating table, apparently unable to move.

The combination of all these factors was deeply unsettling and eerie.

"Your true self is far away, yet you were able to break through my screen and perform a Borrowing Body to Manifest Divinity? Just who are you?"

Yi Beidou’s eyes narrowed. The Demon Flame covering his body flared intensely as he tried to sever the signal connecting to that consciousness.

"It’s merely a trivial piece of technology. Compared to the power we seek, it’s not even worth mentioning."

"This world is vast. Both humanity itself and the planet beneath our feet hide secrets you can’t possibly imagine. Human society, even at its current stage of development, has only touched the tip of the iceberg."

"Yi Beidou, I’ve been watching you for a long time. As the disciple of the Wandering Immortal, you have earned the right. Are you interested in joining us and becoming a member of the ’Pioneer’?"

The bizarre voice continued to issue from Yao Lingfeng’s mouth.

"Since you know who I am, you should also know that my master’s death was related to your group," Yi Beidou said calmly.

"Hahaha! The Wandering Immortal! The most brilliant developer of the Brain Realm in recent human history. If he didn’t want to die, who could possibly have killed him? In a sense, he’s one of the founders of our Pioneer Group. Most of the initial technical data I have on the Brain Realm came from him. Frankly, it wouldn’t be out of line for you to call me your senior."

"Besides, whether he’s alive or dead is still an open question. If you’re willing to come and meet me, I can give you all the files related to him," "Yao Lingfeng" said with a loud laugh.

"How do I meet you?" Yi Beidou asked calmly.

"I can give you a way to meet, but there are too many eyes and ears here. This information cannot get out. You don’t have to kill them. Just use your True Intent to shatter their consciousness and ensure the information stays safe. Then I’ll tell you."

"A mishap during surgery, our True Intents clash... it’s perfectly normal for ordinary people to be turned into idiots. No one would suspect a thing, would they? You’re still in Donghua, after all. I’m thinking of your best interests. Otherwise, dead men tell no tales."

The smile on Yao Lingfeng’s face was utterly bizarre.

To shatter someone’s consciousness with True Intent would turn them into an idiot from the intense psychic shock. That way, their conversation would naturally never be revealed.

Hearing this, Lei Chenfeng’s expression changed drastically. The surrounding medical staff looked as if they were scared stiff, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Yi Beidou said nothing. He remained perfectly still, but this profound silence exerted an even greater psychological pressure on everyone present.

No one knew what choice he would make.

He was like a god who held their lives in his hands. Their survival depended on his whim.

"Looks like there’s no need for more pointless talk. It doesn’t matter. Even if you don’t tell me, I’ll find you myself and see what secrets you’re really hiding."

Yi Beidou’s expression was placid. He had only been trying to trick the man into revealing more, buying time while he tried to use his Celestial Demon Sensing to lock onto the speaker’s true location.

However, he failed.

Although his Mind Sensing had been greatly enhanced, it wasn’t strong enough to lock onto a target across an entire ocean.

BOOM!!

The Demon Flame flared and swept toward Yao Lingfeng’s head.

"Tsk. You were born a demon, yet you’re still so merciful? How can you ever pursue the ultimate limit like this? How can you ever explore the final mysteries of life? You disappoint me."

The muscles on "Yao Lingfeng’s" face twitched, making it difficult to even form a smile.

"We will meet someday."

As he spoke, the chip in Yao Lingfeng’s brain suddenly flashed with a brilliant light.

Performing a Borrowing Body to Manifest Divinity across an ocean was already an incredible feat. Even Dr. Beretta couldn’t maintain it for long.

Now that he could no longer hold on, he decided to activate the chip and make this body die completely.

Only the dead can keep all secrets.

"You don’t get to decide if he lives or dies in front of me!"

Yi Beidou let out a low growl. Everything around them seemed to twist and turn upside down. At that moment, even Lei Chenfeng could no longer remain standing and collapsed to the floor with a THUD.

And the light emanating from the chip abruptly dimmed.

Yao Lingfeng’s brain was still throbbing.

Yi Beidou had stopped him from dying.

"Interesting."

A murmur escaped Yao Lingfeng’s lips. His eyes slowly closed again, and his breathing became calm and steady.

Yi Beidou clearly felt the strange presence disappear. The imperceptible connection had been completely severed.

The Demon Flame within the operating room receded. Yi Beidou’s expression was grave.

’This world,’ he thought, ’never ceases to surprise me.’