Chapter 121: The Reason

"And after injecting a third-tier progenitor, he went ahead and injected another one," Ji Cheng said with a look of awe. "Chairman Zhang is really playing a dangerous game. Isn't this just like carrying a lantern into a latrine—looking for death?"

Shana laughed. "Is it possible he was under some kind of pressure, or perhaps he did it without being fully aware of the consequences?"

Ji Cheng pinched the edge of the paper without turning the page. "It was likely pressure, or perhaps some other unforeseen reason. Regardless, I find it hard to believe he was unaware."

"After already having one progenitor injected, injecting another of the same tier—even someone with absolutely no knowledge would intuitively feel that something was wrong."

Zhang Sheng had climbed the ranks from his youth, step by step, realizing his talent to become a third-tier ability user. He had single-handedly built the current New South Harbor City and established such a vast legacy—how could he lack the virtue of caution?

If he had truly been so reckless, he would have died in some mining zone long ago, his bones chewed and swallowed by mutated beasts.

Ji Cheng preferred to believe there was a reason for it.

Shana’s beautiful eyes shifted as she offered her analysis. "There is a possibility that the phrase 'beware of coincidences' influenced him."

"Speaking of which, do you think he might be related to those people in the video footage?"

Ji Cheng felt uncertain.

Shana paused for a moment before continuing, "The probability is less than 10 percent. The time gap is too vast."

"True, but I haven't fully grasped the meaning of that phrase either. Let's keep reading."

Ji Cheng clicked his fountain pen open and closed once more and continued reading.

***

Eight
My body is truly failing. I cannot help but cough every time I speak, and each time I cough up a great deal of blood.
I must speak less. As Chairman, I cannot show signs of weakness in front of my subordinates.

Nine
Two supply depots were destroyed at the end of last month. Although there were no casualties among the ability users, the nearby mining zones are inaccessible until they are rebuilt.
Damn mutated beasts.
Fortunately, the new genetic progenitor is highly combat-effective. In comparison, the previously injected progenitor—"Blue Algae"—is absolute trash.
Aside from granting me sensory perception through its flesh and blood, Blue Algae has no other features.
However, I could try to combine the two.
Those... monsters, they should count as my own limbs and flesh, shouldn't they?
Once the clearing of the city outskirts is finished this year, I must take a long rest.

Ten
An old friend from the Old City called, but I had actually forgotten who he was. My apologies.
Still, I had someone handle that mess for him.
This world is not easy; since I have the power, I should help where I can.
Also, I haven't spent time with my daughters in a long time; we seem to have grown distant.
I am simply too busy.

Eleven
New South Harbor City is still too small.
I proposed at the council meeting to expand the western and northern defensive lines, but to my surprise, they all disagreed!
Traitors!
This is my city, mine!

***

"The handwriting in this section seems to have some issues," Shana suddenly interrupted Ji Cheng’s reading.

"What kind of issues?" He raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp as blades. "It looks the same as the writing above to me."

Shana leaned in closer to Ji Cheng before saying softly, "When a normal person writes, whether it's a horizontal or vertical stroke, the movement is fast and fluid. But starting from this passage, many of the characters show signs of hesitation."

"You're right..." Ji Cheng leaned in to look closely and realized Shana was correct. Viewed with a magnifying glass, one could clearly see that some strokes were more deeply saturated with ink in the middle than at the beginning or end—this is highly abnormal.
Because he was using a fountain pen, these pauses became even more apparent.

"So, you're saying that while writing this, Chairman Zhang’s condition had deteriorated? That his rejection response was intensifying?"

Third-tier genetic progenitors and above possess the nature of "living things." Once rejection occurs and the immune system begins attacking the progenitor, the resulting backlash easily causes symptoms akin to schizophrenia.

Shana shook her head. "I’m not certain of that, but I can be sure that both in terms of content and handwriting, things changed starting from this diary entry."

"Oh? You read that quickly?"

***

Twelve
I walked home from the council building today on a whim.
In the Silver District, I encountered dozens of civilians rioting over the subway construction.
They believe that the underground excavation equipment will attract the Chalk Sandworms from outside the city.
I had the rioters executed. Some guards were injured.
But that is their job; bleeding for New South Harbor is expected. That is how things are.

Thirteen
A man claiming to be Shen Lin came to the council to see me. It seems we met before, but I just cannot recall.
He begged me not to send his mistress on such dangerous missions.
She must be some ability user's secretary, though I don't know why she would address her boss that way.
Naturally, I did not agree, nor did I even ask who the ability user was.
Mining is their duty.
Decisions must be executed; my will must be carried out!

Fourteen
How could I have such thoughts?
How could I have done such things?
That man named Shen Lin came to see me again, and I killed him.
When I dug out his heart, I even felt a trace of pleasure.
Something is wrong.
It is not a big deal, but it is worth being vigilant. I feel as if there is another me inside my body.

Fifteen
I want to kill again.
No, to be precise, I want to use that genetic progenitor to infect them. It has become a primal need, like breathing or eating.

Sixteen
I tried infecting a civilian with the new progenitor. Like the previous test subjects, he turned into a monster.
Very much like me.
Then, on a whim, I absorbed him.
I wasn't full.
I can change the state of my own flesh.
I even temporarily took on the appearance of that civilian.
It was exactly the same.

Seventeen
This genetic progenitor is simply too powerful. It can even infect inanimate objects—weapons, vehicles, buildings. It is truly fascinating.
The red and black veins... so beautiful!

Eighteen
Another wonderful discovery: my progenitor can even infect energy crystals, and I can use that to increase my assimilation rate!
I have never had such an experience; I have fallen deeply in love with this feeling.
The energy crystals in the council building's secret vault are nearly depleted.
I must assign more missions!
However...
The current batch of ability users are too weak and lazy. No matter how many tasks I add, the energy crystals they bring back are simply not enough.
The selection process for ability users must be stricter, more brutal. Filter out the real desperadoes and send them all to mine!

Nineteen
I can no longer increase my assimilation rate by infecting energy crystals; the stock must be nearly exhausted.
Fortunately, the energy crystal warehouse is controlled by Mr. Jian, otherwise they would have noticed long ago.
Come to think of it, there should still be a significant reserve at the city shield activation center.

Twenty
My physical condition has recovered somewhat recently, and my memory has improved a lot.
I remembered who Shen Lin was the secretary for—an ability user named Pang Weiwei under Yao Lun.
I will find a time to apologize to her.

Twenty-one
Preparing to depart for Ruins No. 5.
The situation has deteriorated again.
Sometimes I feel like I am not myself, and for some reason, I really do not want to look back at my previous diary entries.
I will just write this for now.