Pangu's Blood

That night, several higher-ups from Qilin Headquarters dropped into Silver City. Yu Xian stayed by Jin Sheng's side and met several big shots whose auras were like demonic deities. Although these figures were all smiles when they met him, acting remarkably genial and approachable—even shaking his hand, patting his head, and praising him as a good kid—Yu Xian spent the entire encounter stiff-limbed with nerves, feeling very much like a chick that had tumbled into a pride of lions. It was worth mentioning that "dropped in" was meant in the literal sense: these heavyweights had flown directly from the capital, descending from the sky. The next day, Yu Wei's corpse and the aberrant worm Jin Sheng had captured were taken away by one of those luminaries. Presumably, Qilin Headquarters would conduct all manner of research on them next. Perhaps a method would soon be found to identify victims controlled by aberrant worms hidden among the public. *** Noon. The sun radiated scorching heat. Standing beneath the blazing sun, the soldiers held their military posture straight and upright despite being drenched in sweat. Yu Xian sat outside his tent, sunbathing while browsing his phone. This phone was a specialized model for internal Qilin use; not only was it waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, fireproof, and insulated against electricity, it also maintained a clear signal in virtually any environment. In addition, the phone came with several official apps. Among them, the Qilin app featured many interesting interfaces, of which Yu Xian liked the Archives tab the most. The main reason was that the Archives recorded a massive number of supernatural incidents that Qilin's various squads had already resolved. For example, there were criminals who had accidentally obtained abilities, or beasts that caused havoc after consuming Forbidden Fruits—the squads had engaged in battles of wits and courage against these extraordinary beings, ultimately resolving the crises. Of course, there were also cases where teammates clashed or a squad leader failed to trust their members, resulting in mission failure and casualties. The official reason for disclosing these cases internally was that the superhuman crime situation was grim and complex. Only through continuous learning and broadening one's horizons could one avoid being confounded by bizarre abilities and walking into mental dead ends when confronting criminals with complex powers. Yu Xian was having his horizons broadened right now, learning a tremendous amount. For instance, he had previously assumed that acquiring a Forbidden Fruit meant soaring straight to the heavens. Only after reading one of the files did he realize that Forbidden Fruits were not omnipotent either; they carried numerous restrictions. In one archive, there was a youth named Chen Xing who found a Forbidden Fruit on his balcony and became a "god" upon consuming it. However, as the price of gaining that power, his sense of self was completely eradicated. Now, Chen Xing was sealed in Qilin Headquarters' Transcendent Containment Facility, designated Number 006, code name: God of Fortune. Anyone who knelt and prayed to him would receive a blessing of good fortune. However, once you started kneeling to him, you had to pray sincerely every single day. If the prayers were interrupted, misfortune would strike; the greater the good luck before, the worse the disaster afterward. Another was Number 001, code name Pangu, who was in a similar state, except he had fallen into an eternal slumber. It was said that he would only awaken after this world was destroyed, whereupon he would split heaven and earth anew. In the Qilin app's Merits Store, the item known as "Pangu's Blood" originated from this being. The authorities had already found a way to extract his blood without harming his body. The more Yu Xian read, the better he understood how profound the government's foundations were. Compared to state power, the Blood Clan was truly nothing. "I wonder how nourishing it would be if I took a sip of Pangu's Blood?" Yu Xian's face showed curiosity after finishing one of the files. The captain of the squad that resolved the incident in that record had originally been an ordinary soldier. Thanks to outstanding meritorious service, he had been permitted to redeem Pangu's Blood, thereby becoming a Sparrow-rank Transcendent. A single drop of Pangu's Blood could forge a Sparrow-rank minor expert. Indeed, no one could escape the law of eating one's own words. Although Yu Xian had solemnly sworn never to drink blood again, to be completely honest, he was salivating a bit over this Pangu's Blood. In fact, there were warriors in Silver City who had ingested Pangu's Blood before. Namely, the Public Security Bureau's tactical police unit. However, most members of the tactical police had only taken Pangu's Blood that was diluted over and over again. Their strength was roughly at the lower Insect rank; other than having physical fitness superior to ordinary people, they possessed no additional abilities. Currently, the tactical police unit was operating alongside the Armed Police, combing through every building in Silver City one by one to purge any aberrant worms that might be hidden away. Silver City had a permanent resident population of roughly thirty million, so the screening was by no means an easy task. In the past, Silver City had only had a population of ten-odd million. Later, when the Rongcheng Tragedy erupted in Rongcheng, a massive population migrated over, causing Silver City's population to skyrocket. At present, Silver City was one of only two cities in the country with a resident population exceeding thirty million. Speaking of which, because of the influx of Rongcheng residents, the few properties in Yu Xian's hands had even appreciated in value. After this incident, however, the remaining two apartments left in Yu Xian's possession would probably depreciate considerably again. Fortunately, now that he had joined the Evil-Slaying Squad, he had both an official salary and government payroll status; that minor loss was mere pocket change to him now. Just as Yu Xian opened the next file to continue reading, Zhang Shou, Chen Ling, and several other classmates walked over. Zhang Shou leaned in and asked with a conspiratorial grin, "Salty Fish, rumors are flying online that the government is preparing to roll out transcendent education to the general public. Is that true or fake?" "Universal transcendent education?" Yu Xian was taken aback, then shook his head. "I don't know. Haven't heard of it." In fact, the entire nation was currently monitoring the situation in Silver City. Major cities had once again begun universal physical checkups, leaving many people feeling as if facing a formidable enemy, unsettled and anxious. Then, when news leaked that the government would popularize transcendent education, netizens immediately shifted their attention, actively debating the pros and cons of universal transcendent education. "If only it were true! When the time comes, I'm definitely going to become an immortal cultivator—my fate is determined by me, not heaven!" Zhang Shou said with a look of longing. Yu Xian opened the contacts list in the Qilin app and said, "Let me ask. The captain might know." Over the past two days, he had finally come to appreciate the immense weight carried by a rank of 89. In all sorts of Qilin Headquarters meetings, Jin Sheng not only held a seat, but also possessed voting rights. Jin Sheng could learn about many policy updates in advance. He tapped on Jin Sheng's profile picture and typed away rapidly. [Salty Fish: Captain, are you busy?] [Lion Light: Just finished dealing with a piece of trash trying to stir up trouble in the chaos. What's up?] [Salty Fish: Rumors online are saying the state is going to popularize transcendent education. Is it true?] [Lion Light: It's indeed being discussed. In fact, it has been under discussion ever since the Rongcheng Tragedy; the Silver City incident just accelerated the process. After all, in both instances, aberrant worms were uncovered by students at school, and both you and that other classmate happen to be Transcendents. Still, I don't think it'll be rolled out everywhere so quickly. They'll probably select a few pilot cities first.] [Salty Fish: Ah, got it.] Yu Xian looked up at Zhang Shou and said, "The captain says it's true, but they'll probably select a few cities as pilot programs first." Since ancient times, martial prowess tended to defy the law. While universalizing the transcendent path could allow more latent geniuses to emerge, it would simultaneously grant power to many with crooked minds. Therefore, the authorities certainly harbored deep concerns and could not possibly make a rash decision all at once. "That settles it! Whichever city the government announces as a pilot, that's where I'm going to school!" Zhang Shou cried out excitedly at once. Chen Ling, on the other hand, analyzed calmly, "I think our Silver City and Rongcheng have a very good chance of being among the pilot cities. After all, we're both victims of the aberrant worms. The country will definitely pay a little extra attention to our two cities." "If only it really were Silver City," another female classmate sighed. Over the past two days, there had been very few pieces of good news to hear, while bad news cropped up incessantly. Word had it that No. 1 High and No. 2 High had suffered even heavier casualties. The aberrant worms seemed to have centered their infiltration around schools, with students from every school bearing the brunt of the onslaught. Many primary schools in particular reportedly had not a single survivor. Who knew how many families would have their worlds come crashing down? "..." Looking at his classmates, who were both anxious and full of anticipation, Yu Xian felt a faint pang in his heart. Speaking of which, before contracting ALS, he had been just like them, looking at transcendent power mostly with wistful longing. Later on, he had gradually accepted the fact of his own mediocrity. Clearly, after narrowly escaping death, his classmates were just like he had been when stricken with ALS: yearning all the more desperately for transcendent power. The essence of that yearning was truly an unease about the future, a terror of death. In truth, none of them were any different from one another. Even after obtaining supernatural power, he had merely grown "stronger." His heart was still the heart of a human, and his feelings were cut from the exact same cloth as theirs. That female staff member had been right: as long as he considered himself human, no matter what transcendent race he became, he would always be human. Vampire was merely a bloodline.