Chapter 127: The Undead and the Void (Part II)

"Technique is not bad!" Cang Mingyue gazed at her for a long time before suddenly speaking in a solemn tone.

"What?" The Skinner, who had stolen Alice's genes, wore a look of bewilderment, appearing momentarily lost.

"Alice possesses royal bloodline," Cang Mingyue said, unusually garrulous as she offered an explanation today. "The genes of such a lineage are incredibly domineering. Without obtaining the complete genetic molecular structure, even I would not dare to manipulate them recklessly. Even if I had the complete set, I would still need to unlock Silver-tier technology to utilize the various reagents required to create a method suitable for ingestion." She then looked at the other party. "You must have only obtained a single drop of her blood. To dare to transplant that directly into your own body—and to not have exploded on the spot—I must say, your method of formulating neutralizing agents is quite impressive!"

"I formulated it myself!" The other party’s face showed a look of pride, appearing almost like a young girl, even her personality seeming to have regressed into something more childish.

"Oh?" Cang Mingyue looked slightly surprised. "Did you study pharmacology?"

"I studied pharmacy in the past. Later, after the technology library appeared here, I went and learned some of the biological sciences of our Holy Clan!"

"The Holy Clan..." Cang Mingyue’s mouth twitched, but she nodded in appreciation. "Your talent is extraordinary. If it were possible to poach you, my base would certainly welcome someone like you. But what a pity!"

"What’s a pity?" the other asked, stunned.

"First of all, the cost of modifying a signed contract is too high. With your technological talent, it isn't something I couldn't afford to pay, but unfortunately... you are going to die!"

"Oh?" The other sneered upon hearing this. "You claim to admire my talent, yet you want to kill me? If you offered some sincerity, perhaps I might actually be swayed by you."

"I don't need to kill you; you won't live much longer anyway," Cang Mingyue shook her head. "You are dying... can't you feel it? You have at most one day left to live!"

"What?" The other was momentarily stunned, then wore a mocking smile. "Isn't this trick a bit beneath you? Is it even interesting?"

Cang Mingyue looked puzzled at this. "You can't actually feel it? That is unscientific!"

"Shut up!" A hint of ferocity appeared on the Skinner's face. For some reason, the other's expression always made her feel a sense of dread. She faintly felt that the other was not lying, and as soon as this thought surfaced, a profound sense of terror surged in her heart.

Her figure flashed, and in an instant, she lunged at Cang Mingyue, the military knife in her hand slashing toward the other’s neck with a cold, eerie glint!

Cang Mingyue simply took a tiny step back, dodging the blade by the narrowest of margins. Then, she caught the other’s chin, looked very seriously into the purple in her eyes, and nodded. "Light purple... the bloodline simulation degree is about thirteen percent, yet your speed is already nearly half of the original. Is that because your base agility was already high?"

"Huh?" Seeing the other’s analytical expression, the Skinner felt a sense of humiliation. She swatted away the hand and attacked again, only to find, to her despair, that the other could easily evade her attacks by mere inches, moving as if taking a leisurely stroll!

"Is the gap really that big?" Her heart sank like a stone.

"Actually, it isn't that big..." Cang Mingyue had become unusually patient this time. After dodging another strike, she shook her head. "Your attacks are too straightforward and lack any technique. This means you did not inherit the secret arts from the genetic source; you only inherited some basic attributes. In combat, while attributes are important, technique is equally vital!"

As she spoke, she gently flicked her finger against the oncoming dagger, and the other felt as if she had been struck by an electric shock, uncontrollably throwing the weapon away!

"For instance, regarding the analysis of weaknesses!" Cang Mingyue suddenly surged forward, her left hand pressing against a spot on the lower right of the other's cervical spine, where a faint green rune was glowing.

When pressed there, a violent panic flooded the Skinner's entire body. Just as she was about to struggle, Cang Mingyue’s presence turned cold, and she warned in a low voice, "Don't move!" That simple command actually left the other unable to move, frozen in place and trembling slightly.

"How strange..." Cang Mingyue looked at the rune with confusion. "Why would the weakness of a typical creature be in this position?" She then looked at the other’s face. "And your reaction is also strange. Although it appears to be a physiological response caused by fear, it is inexplicably a beat slow. This neural response is abnormal!"

"Could it be..." As she spoke, she gently pressed the mark!

The other immediately let out a piercing, miserable shriek. The scene looked like a bizarre woman torturing a little girl, appearing exceptionally perverse.

"So that's it!" Cang Mingyue closed her eyes, sensing the faint energy ripple that had just passed by. When she opened her eyes, a flash of realization crossed her dark pupils. "So that is how it works!"

"What have you discovered now?" the other asked, feeling drained.

"I must first admit a mistake," Cang Mingyue released her and took two steps back. "You aren't going to die in a couple of days; rather... you are already dead!"

"You..." For some reason, hearing this filled the Skinner with a massive, inexplicable panic—a level of terror even greater than when the other had threatened to kill her!

"I finally understand the principles of your construction!" Cang Mingyue tilted her head. "Logically, your physical capabilities have evolved to such an exaggerated degree that your nerves should not be able to withstand it. From what I know, the technological threshold in the field of neurology is far more difficult than that of simple physical genetics. At the very least, your master's current Bronze-tier technology cannot analyze it. That is to say, your neural pathways have not been reinforced!" She paused here, pointing at the corpse of the white, soft-bodied mother entity. "Take it, for example... it doesn't even have a brain!"

"Although it cannot speak, I am certain it possessed human consciousness. But how did it achieve that without a brain?" Cang Mingyue’s originally cold face showed a hint of emotion. "It must be the soul..."

The Skinner: "!!!"

Cang Mingyue continued, "When I sliced it in half earlier, I felt an energy dissipating into the surroundings, which made me suspicious. It seems that when I split it open, I unintentionally destroyed the place where the soul imprint was recorded, which is why it died... or rather, dissipated!"

"Using dark matter energy to control the soul, forcibly binding it to mutated flesh, and then making you subconsciously believe you are still alive—that is why you are in this current state, possessing both powerful physical capabilities and human consciousness... This also explains why your expressions are always a beat slow and never seem entirely vivid; it is because this is not controlled by nerves, but by the soul!" She patted her head. "Actually, I should have thought of this sooner. Although the Undead possess powerful biological technology, their specialty has always been the realm of the soul!"

"What... what are you talking about?" The other stood up, her face twisted. "Are you telling a story? Souls? Do you take me for an idiot?"

"Whether my words are flawed or not, as a qualified biologist, you should be able to tell the truth from the false." Cang Mingyue looked at her, her habitually indifferent face showing a complex emotion—not pity, but something else entirely.

"Even if that is the case, even if what you say is true, by what right do you call us dead? Isn't this just a more advanced form of living?"

Cang Mingyue raised an eyebrow, looking at her with boredom. "You also come from a background in pharmacy, which falls under the category of medicine, right? Didn't your mentors teach you? Is brain death not true death?"

"Shut up! That is the theory of low-end technology!" the other shrieked at the top of her lungs. "That is an ignorant claim from immature science!"

Cang Mingyue glanced at her and ultimately chose not to debate it further, turning and walking away decisively.

"Why... why? Are you... not going to kill me? What does this mean? Are you pitying me?" She suddenly summoned the courage to stand up and shout.

Cang Mingyue didn't look back. "Your body cannot handle Alice's genes; it will collapse by tonight at the latest. You can't even feel that your physical form is about to disintegrate, and yet you dare to claim you are alive..."

These words choked the other. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but Cang Mingyue paused and continued, "Under normal circumstances, the survival instinct and intense emotional struggle would create a stalemate. But look closely at your state just now—did you struggle at all? While it is true that in this world, extreme emotional impulses can sometimes override the survival instinct, there is at least some form of struggle. Did you really have any just now?"

Faced with Cang Mingyue’s interrogation, she was stunned. Her throat struggled to produce a rebuttal, but she couldn't. She suddenly realized that ever since she learned she was bound by a soul, she had lost all sense of survival; she had only felt a violent urge to refute the claim. Her previous fear of death was merely a habitual cognitive reaction, but her body no longer possessed the instincts of a normal living creature!

Therefore, when Cang Mingyue left and she stood up to court death, there had been almost no struggle at all; she had simply stood up naturally!

By the time she regained her senses and wanted to say something else, she realized there was no one left in front of her. While she remained lost, the other had already left. With no target left for her frustration, she sat silently on the ground, seemingly indifferent to the impending death, merely muttering to herself: "Am I truly already dead?"

In truth, if Guo Lang were here, he would agree with these words. The Void is extremely bloodthirsty because they have a strong predatory nature toward living things. However, in the face of these mutated creatures, Cang Mingyue had never shown any excitement from beginning to end. There was only one possibility: they did not consider these things to be living organisms at all!

In a past life, the Void race, as a traditional biological faction, actually held the Undead in great contempt. Thus, even though both races belonged to the negative faction, their relationship was actually quite indifferent.