Chapter 86: The Monster’s Plan

The director, having regained his composure, found Zhou Shu’s proposal quite reasonable—especially after learning that Zhou Shu commanded a “cat legion.” If the plan succeeded and the Ascension Society was brought down, perhaps even leading them to the headquarters of the Evolution Organization, humanity’s dire predicament might finally be resolved.

Were monsters truly stronger than humans? Individually, yes. But humans had technology—especially technology devoted to violent destruction. Controlled nuclear fusion for power generation was still out of reach, but uncontrolled fusion? There was no problem with that. Drop a thermonuclear bomb, and no monster could withstand the blast.

The greatest threat monsters posed was their ability to hide. It would be manageable if they simply concealed themselves alone, but the real danger was when they blended into the crowd. Even after the monsters launched a massive assault on human cities, humanity still had no clue where their lairs were. The biotech companies and research institutes that had been destroyed were not true nests, merely attack sites. Even when investigations revealed these places to be engaged in illicit research, they were nonetheless sovereign territory of their respective nations.

Previously, when beast-speakers had been deployed to search for monsters, it was manageable with first-level monsters—they were either foolish or driven mad by bloodlust, and their hiding attempts were easily foiled. But once monsters reached the second level, they regained their wits. Though still influenced by their bloodthirsty instincts, they could restrain themselves, hiding with great effort and masking their presence in myriad ways.

Whenever a beast-speaker’s animal companion tracked an original scent to a certain area, the target would invariably slip away, forcing investigators to resort to painstaking manual searches. And they had to be careful not to alert the enemy.

But what if it was a legion of cats instead? There were so many stray cats in the city; no one would pay them any mind.

Still, the scale of this plan was vast. The director needed to convene a meeting, perhaps even report to headquarters.

As for Zhou Shu, he was instructed to take 47 and seek out 11, to see if they could find the “territorial cat”—a crucial component of the plan. If they couldn’t locate this cat, perhaps the dozens back in Zhou Shu’s hometown would be willing to help? But whether they would be willing was one matter; if they came, there might be turf wars with the city’s other mutant beasts. Would such unusual battles draw their adversaries’ attention? That, too, was a concern.

The grander the operation, the greater the need to mind the details. Caution was wise, and Zhou Shu was extremely cautious. Thus, he agreed to the director’s plan.

47 explained that the special scent would only fade to an undetectable level after three days, so there was still plenty of time. Leaving the director’s office, Zhou Shu was in no rush to take 47 to look for 11. Instead, he headed first to the cafeteria. Since they were already there, how could he not let 47 have a good meal? The cat would have to work hard later, so it deserved a reward.

After eating a heap of high-energy, high-nutrition food—courtesy of the cafeteria—it was already past noon. By then, the Central Secretariat of Great Qin had finished its press conference, and the public was abuzz with discussion.

“I think humanity can win!”

“The Peacock Dynasty held a press conference too. They claim to have super soldiers as well, all of whom got their powers through yoga. They’re calling on everyone worldwide to take up yoga.”

“That’s not all—they also say bathing in the Ganges can cleanse the soul and turn monsters back into humans.”

“Well, I still have more faith in Great Qin’s powered exoskeletons. After all, there just aren’t that many natural-born super soldiers; arming special forces with technology is far more reliable.”

“I agree. Powered exosuits are products of technology; they can be mass-produced. With the huge military manpower of every nation, picking out a hundred thousand or even a million exosuit soldiers shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“I think the key isn’t humanity’s fighting strength, but the monsters’ ability to hide. They lurk in the shadows, and we can’t find them at all.”

“Exactly. Without a target, how can we attack? We can’t just throw bombs at random, can we?”

“I wonder if scent hounds like police or military dogs could track down monsters?”

“There must be some way. If there are superpowered humans, there should be superpowered animals too…”

Everyone voiced their opinions, and the previous atmosphere of panic had largely dissipated.

After eating, Zhou Shu took 47 to get registered, and while he was at it, picked up a small collar from the equipment depot—one with tracking and identification functions.

Earlier, while eating, 47 had insisted that it should go alone to find 11; Zhou Shu was too conspicuous for stealthy tracking. Zhou Shu couldn’t even argue with that. Then again, this was his own cat; its abilities were his abilities, so he gladly accepted.

That left him with more time to review materials. With major events looming, he decided to forgo sleep that night and instead open a new virtual battlefield to strengthen himself.

As time went on, more and more countries that had suffered attacks held press conferences, and more superpowered organizations were revealed to the public. Those watching the livestreams suddenly realized how unfamiliar the world had become.

Life had been ordinary, until monsters appeared out of nowhere. People had thought humanity was doomed, yet superpowered individuals emerged as well. It was as if a transmigrant, after living in a modern city for over twenty years, woke up one day to discover the world had been refreshed, and he’d always been living inside a game.

From another perspective, monsters were killers while superpowered individuals were protectors—one negating the other, so in a way, the world hadn’t truly changed.

As night fell in Great Qin, dawn broke on the other side of the globe. The people of the Eagle Federation, having spent the night watching other countries’ press conferences, were eagerly anticipating their own, hopeful for something extraordinary.

Superpowered people surely existed in the Eagle Federation—the world’s most powerful nation. Superhumans were like nuclear deterrents; their absence would be inconceivable. And surely there would be sci-fi tech as well. The Eagle Federation, after all, produced more science fiction films than any other country—surely they had plenty of high-tech gear by now.

Not only were their own citizens watching, but so were people from other countries. Great Qin had already unveiled its “Super Commando” powered exoskeletons; the Eagle Federation couldn’t possibly come up short.

As everyone awaited the press conference, a man in a black suit respectfully pushed open the door to the top-floor office of a metropolitan skyscraper.

With a look of reverence, the man in black entered—not as though stepping into an office, but into a temple’s sanctuary. He gazed at the figure standing by the desk, back turned, looking out over the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Leader, the ‘Welcome Gift’ plan has been largely successful. We’ve only lost one bronze-level supervisor,” he reported.

“All the covert superhuman forces hidden beneath the surface in every nation have now been revealed. Our headquarters is in the Eagle Federation, so we know the details without needing to watch their press conference.”

“Based on present data, aside from the unexpected appearance of Great Qin’s powered exoskeletons, the total combat power of the world’s superhumans is about seventy percent higher than we previously estimated.”

“Although the exoskeletons took us by surprise, they’re not yet in mass production. Some adjustments on our part should be sufficient to handle them.”

Finishing his report, the man in black looked up with fervor at the leader’s back and said passionately, “You were right, sir. We did underestimate humanity. Before launching a major operation, we must fully understand the depths of Earth’s capabilities. ‘Evolution’ should be led by you. The Earth should become your domain! Even the Prophet—”

“That’s enough. Leave,” said the figure at the window, not turning around. “This is not for you to discuss.”

The man in black immediately fell silent and withdrew respectfully, leaving the person at the window alone to contemplate the view.

PS: Thanks to “Epilogue’s Blue Eucalyptus” for the reward.