âPuny human!â The moment Xiang Ning wrapped his mind around the Kaiser Aurumsaurâs beast core, he felt like his brain had been struck by a heavy hammer. He was completely caught by surprise, losing focus and his hold on the beast core.
âXiang Ning, are you alright?!â Alia looked at him, puzzled. The beast core had made some very strange sounds, but that shouldnât have been enough to startle him this much.
He was panting heavily. âI think I heard someone talking. Didnât you hear it?â
âThe beast core made some sounds, but no one was talking,â she said in confusion.
Xiang Ningâs brows furrowed and he shook his head. âNever mind, weâll carry on.â
Although she didnât understand, she cooperatively allowed him to proceed.
âYou puny human! Donât think youâll tame me!â the same voice rang once more. This time, Xiang Ning was no longer startled. Based on the clear words he heard and the notification in his system stating that Language Proficiency had been activated, he was sure that the voice came from the beast core. He was shocked. Initially, he hadnât thought much of Aliaâs description of the core as a beastâs second life; it was just a harder ball of flesh he could cut with a knife. He couldnât believe that it had a consciousness.
Xiang Ning read through the brief description of the Language Proficiency skill and found that it enabled communication with lifeforms that had a consciousness. Since the beast core was the second life of a beast, it was a lifeform. As for the consciousness part, it seems like the beast core indeed had one.
He remembered that, while waiting for Alia, he had casually browsed through information on beast cores. He didnât read much, but understood the basics. The introduction to the beast core also mentioned bioweapons, stating that since the core retains the instinct of a beast, it instinctively retaliates during the process of making a bioweapon. The resistance people witnessed was the nature of the beast itself; no one would have expected it to be capable of self-governance. If news of this spread, researchers would probably point and laugh because it definitely sounded a little too mystical.
âShut up, I understand what youâre saying. Iâve heard your lines many times in many different shows.â While Xiang Ning didnât speak loudly, Alia heard him.
âDid you say something?â Alia looked at him, confused.
âN-nothing.â Xiang Ning grinned. He had almost forgotten there was another person in the room.
âFocus, weâll start again.â Aliaâs brows knitted as she controlled the machine.
However, an audible gasp came from the beast core, then two seconds of silence before it blurted, âYou arenât human!â
âYOUâRE not human, your entire family isnât human!â Xiang Ning scolded on reflex. [1]
Alia had noticed Xiang Ningâs strange antics. She wrinkled her nose when she realized he was talking to the beast core and said, âWell of course its family isnât human!â
Xiang Ning was speechless. He was getting increasingly frustrated. It was ridiculous, because he thought beasts were merely killing machines, but based on the way the beast core spoke, they were capable of thought.
âHehehe. How would a human understand our language?â
âItâs called talent.â
âHehe, youâre a half-breed then? Then again, only half-beasts can have the appearance of humans.â
Xiang Ningâs cheek twitched. He turned to Alia with a stony expression. âAlia, can you please pass me the electric baton there?â
âUh⊠Iâm occupied with this machine, I canât get to it right now.â Alia looked in the direction of the baton.
Left without a choice, Xiang Ning diverted some of his Mental Power to retrieve the baton. He flipped the switch and it sizzled to life. Since this was a research facility, it was a higher-grade weapon with its highest voltage capable of cooking flesh.
To Aliaâs horror, Xiang Ning thrust the electric baton at the beast core, which caused a piercing shriek to emanate from it.
âYou damn half-breed!â the beast core furiously roared.
Fury Points +233
âThis is impossibleâyouâre no half-breed. Why can you understand us then?â
âHehe.â Xiang Ning sent the baton at it again.
The sizzling arc of electricity scared Alia so much she gasped with widened eyes, âWhat are you doing?! Canât you take this seriously? Use your Mental Power to guide it into the shell, will you?â
âOh, alright.â Xiang Ning looked at the beast core and decided to ignore it. Its consciousness would disappear once it was integrated into the shell anyway.
His extraordinary Mental Power was unleashed as he tightly wrapped the beast core with his mind despite its shrieks and protests. He stuffed it into the attachment on the weapon, clearly sensing through his Mental Power that the moment it entered the weapon, a small, sharp rod as thick as a manâs little finger pierced through the beast core.
âAHH! HUMAN!â
Fury Points +999
Xiang Ning clenched his teeth as he listened to the shrieks of agony, but his concentration didnât waver as he suppressed the beast core and closed the lid. Countless smaller needles appeared inside, densely puncturing the beast core.
The beast coreâs outer layer looked like a rock, but slowly, the core turned into a viscous liquid resembling sticky, grayish black crude oil. Gradually, small openings appeared at the tip of the needles, sucking out a portion of the black liquid. Then the black liquid re-appeared within small cracks on the weapon, spreading across its entirety.
Xiang Ning had wondered about the five-millimeter-wide cracks, but now he had a gist of what its function was.
âStay alert. This is the most critical moment. Expand your Mental Power across the weapon. If you sense strong resistance on any part, you must suppress it!â
Xiang Ning nodded.
1. Itâs a common playground-type childish insult in Chinese. As an example, if person A says, âYouâre ugly,â then B would reply, âno, YOUâRE ugly, your mom is ugly, your entire family is ugly!â â
Doge & Chacha's Thoughts
Xiang Ning be establishing dominance. Show it who's the boss here!