SS 43: Post-war Reorganization

The Demon Control Lock is effective against half-demon bloodlines.

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Feng Lianzhu did not like Laurie. During their first transaction with the interstellar pirates, he just wanted to exchange goods in a proper manner. It was Laurie’s behavior during the communication that made Feng Lianzhu uneasy. He made preparations for both scenarios, which led to the double-crossing outcome later on.

This time was no different. Laurie attempted to capture the Fat Dragon during their cooperation and even initiated a war without regard for the original planetary environment and the safety of the Atavists, causing all of Laurie’s actions to displease Feng Lianzhu.

Laurie was still of use and had to be utilized, forcing Feng Lianzhu to endure. He was capable of enduring; Feng Lianzhu had grown accustomed to it.

However, with a heart now, enduring was truly painful.

The golden brocade pouch at his waist moved, and Feng Lianzhu swiftly waved his sleeve, pushing down the little dragon that popped its head out from the wide sleeve.

“Take me to see the wounded,” Feng Lianzhu ordered Lind, ignoring Laurie.

He glanced at Dolphin 66 without showing it. Dolphin 66 nodded. Having been eavesdropping on everyone’s thoughts, Dolphin 66 knew that Lind and the others could be trusted. They were already dumbfounded by the combat power of the golden dragon earlier and wouldn’t harbor any thoughts of resistance.

Lind led Feng Lianzhu to visit the wounded. Among the Atavists sent by the Underground Alliance, 400 who grew up in welfare institutions were in good health. A small number of them had minor injuries from their escape, which could be easily treated with some bandaging and disinfection, posing no serious issues.

The remaining 100 had severe problems. Their bodies were battered and covered with countless scars, mostly old wounds, with many Atavists having undergone inhumane modifications.

In the interstellar world, body modifications had become commonplace. Whether it was dissatisfaction with one’s appearance, height, or physical constitution, modifications within a normal range to improve oneself were permitted, including the use of expensive gene evolution agents as a form of bodily modification.

The Alliance laws had clear regulations regarding body modifications: ordinary individuals wishing to undergo modifications had to visit official hospitals, and the surgeries had to be conducted by medical institutions certified by the Alliance. The law prohibited private modifications and the implantation of various devices in organs to enhance one’s strength.

The modifications on these 100 Atavists were extremely cruel, not aimed at improving their health or excellence but almost turning their bodies into weapons, into war machines.

One of the bee-type Atavists originally had a somewhat large stomach and a pair of small, transparent wings on her back that couldn’t lift her into the air. Her stomach could release needles like a bee’s sting with anesthetic effects. However, after modifications, steel needles could be shot from her navel, coated with poison. The small wings on her back were embedded with numerous metal alloy frames, forcibly extending the transparent wings to twice their length. The framed wings could support her weight, allowing her to fly.

“Lord Kirates, they are beyond saving,” Lind said with difficulty. “This bee-type Atavist has steel needles artificially implanted in her stomach. She has a gland that secretes anesthetic, which has been injected with poison, enabling her to secrete poison that automatically coats the needles. However, this poison is also harmful to her body, essentially leading to a slow suicide. She must be in great pain. There is a pain-relief pump in her spine, which injects painkillers into her spinal cord whenever the neural pain exceeds a certain threshold, allowing her to survive.”

The bee-type Atavist had been modified less than five years ago, but her vitality was completely drained. Even if she were rescued from the clutches of the underground arena, she only had a few days left.

A total of 100 Atavists, all nearly scrapped modifications, were not desired by the underground arena to be kept alive. On the arena, Kirates appeared soft and gentle, unwilling to harm his opponents. The underground arena brought these “waste products” to leverage against Kirates, preparing for all contingencies.

Among these individuals, Feng Lianzhu saw the crocodile and the wild buffalo he had once fought. They were glorious in the arena but were already broken beyond repair behind the scenes.

“Let me take their photos,” Laurie approached and said, “This is also part of the evidence. We can upload it to the Alliance’s network, letting everyone see this scene. Many in your videos are Alliance officials, planetary governors, and wealthy capitalists with control over resources. Without public support, it’s hard to bring them down.”

“You politicians are truly disgusting,” Lind said unhappily, “They are already in such a state, yet you want to expose their suffering to the public.”

Laurie smiled and replied, “It’s not us who are disgusting. It’s that only when evil is exposed to the world can it be justly dealt with. If these things are not made known, who would realize how terribly they suffered? How malevolent some of the higher-ups in the Alliance are? They are going to die anyway, so why not let their painful lives speak before they do? Let me record their videos and upload them. Even in death, they can be of value, right?”

Lind, feeling helpless, grabbed Laurie by the neck and shouted towards the sky. He knew Laurie was right, but as an Atavist himself, only they could understand the feeling of being looked down upon and not treated as human.

No matter how much Laurie spoke, his attitude made one thing clear: he did not see the Atavists as his kin. His indifference and ruthlessness were the best evidence.

The brocade pouch at Feng Lianzhu’s waist moved again. He covered it with his sleeve, feeling something sharp hooking onto it, crawling up along the wide sleeve.

“The video will be given to you,” Feng Lianzhu said calmly, “but not now. You take the Imperial troops to interrogate the people from the underground arena. Leave the rest to us.”

Major General Laurie shrugged, and Lind ordered a few pirates to push him away.

“He’s right,” a familiar voice sounded, “It’s best to also record our agony before death. That’s making the most out of it.”

Feng Lianzhu looked towards the voice and saw a person whose flesh was a blur.

Lind quickly explained, “He’s a lizardman, modified in his hematopoietic stem cells. He has the ability to regenerate his tail; if cut off, it can grow back, and his scales are hard, providing strong defense. The people from the underground arena modified his hematopoietic stem cells that grow his tail, enhancing his recovery ability. His limbs and scales gained the same regenerative ability as his tail, allowing him to recover from severe injuries. The cost was his lifespan. The number of cell divisions in a lifetime is limited. He traded his vitality for regenerative ability. Now, the wounds on his body cannot heal, indicating he’s at the end of his strength. His cells can no longer divide, and no amount of injected drugs will help.”

These were the things the interstellar pirates’ doctor told him, Lind said while looking at the medical report.

Lizardman… Feng Lianzhu remembered the friend he made in the underground arena, who he knew for only three days. He walked over, crouched down, and quietly looked at the lizardman.

Sunlight shone on Feng Lianzhu’s golden robe, adorned with patterns of feathers that shimmered brilliantly under the sun, making him appear divine from the lizard’s perspective.

“Hehehe,” the bloodied man let out a self-mocking clownish laugh, “Kirates, you really are Kirates, hehehe~”

He was laughing, yet his eyes betrayed a glint of hatred.

Knowing his end was near, he wasn’t afraid to anger the giant golden dragon, speaking weakly, “I hate you, hate you! Do you know why we Atavists exist? It’s because of humans! Humans, in their folly to obtain Kirates’ power, forcefully underwent genetic fusion. The initial children born were indeed powerful, the first S-classes, leading humans to widely adopt genetic modifications. Finally, 1000 years ago, Atavists began to be born. Over the years, the birthrate of Atavists only increased, yet genetic modifications never ceased, never!”

The little golden dragon that climbed from the sleeve to the shoulder stiffened its tail. Feng Lianzhu felt it clinging to his robe, motionless.

“That’s not Kirates’ fault,” Feng Lianzhu said calmly, “It’s humans. You’re hating the wrong entity.”

He was neither human nor the naive Fat Dragon, the only one who could impartially assess the situation.

“Hah, say whatever you want, I’m dying anyway.” The lizard closed his eyes, refusing to look at Feng Lianzhu.

In the underground arena’s lab, considered the Atavist closest to the dragon race, he underwent countless experiments to test if he could release life energy from his body. For this reason, he knew more than others and harbored even greater hatred towards Kirates.

The experimenters kept whispering in his ear, “If only you had Kirates’ power,” “Can you produce a gene evolution agent like Kirates?” “The remaining body of Kirates’ juvenile dragon taken by the rebels, we need an Atavist closest to Kirates”…

Such words haunted him every second, making the lizard wonder why he had to be an Atavist, why he couldn’t become Kirates, the strongest race in the universe. Why was Kirates captured by humans, where was your greatest dignity?

Kirates, Kirates, Kirates… The name entangled him like a nightmare, the source of all his suffering.

Until a few days ago, a contender claiming to be Kirates arrived at the underground arena.

The lizard laughed, his rootless hatred suddenly finding a tangible target. He hated this man, he had to.

But Kirates was so powerful, he saw it with his remaining eye. Even with hatred, what could he do?

“Anyway, you live, and I’m dying,” the lizard said.

His single eye reflected Feng Lianzhu’s figure, whose appearance gave him a sense of sanctity, in stark contrast to the lizard’s wretched state. He felt like a clown, just as when they first met.

“In this life, I’ve been nothing but a clown,” the lizard said slowly.

“Don’t speak too soon,” Feng Lianzhu said coldly, “Hate or be a clown, I hope you can hold on to whatever future you may have.”

Future? Did he even have one left?

Lind, hearing the lizard utter so many provocative words, quickly diverted Feng Lianzhu’s attention with something else, fearing that Lord Kirates, in a moment of anger, might kill this Atavist who was already on death’s doorstep.

“Dog 16 is also in bad shape; his injuries are too severe, with 1789 fragments of armor embedded in his heart. If it weren’t for the Atavists’ strong vitality, a normal person would have died long ago,” Lind said. “Our doctors can’t perform such delicate surgery.”

The medical pod sustaining Dog 16’s life was lined up with other Atavists. This large dog, with eyes wide open, watched Feng Lianzhu through the pod, absorbing all the surrounding light, full of admiration.

Among all the injured Atavists, his eyes were the cleanest. Even knowing his end was near, he didn’t despair.

Feng Lianzhu approached, opened the medical pod, and saw Dog 16’s fur all scorched, half of his face charred, his tail gone, and his heart area soaked in blood.

Seeing Feng Lianzhu looking at him, Dog 16 mustered his courage and said intermittently, “Lord… Kirates… I… am… dying. Could you… pat… my… head?”

Feng Lianzhu reached out, patting where Dog 16’s fur used to be, and said, “The Atavists you saved, they’re all on borrowed time.”

Dog 16’s eyes dimmed for a moment but then brightened again, “It’s… okay, even if… 400… couldn’t be saved, saving… others… is still possible…”

With many fragments in his lungs, unable to speak, Dog 16 raised his hand to point at his heart, showing Feng Lianzhu a smile uglier than Dolphin 66’s.

Not being able to save those 100 Atavists’ lives, he could still save the hearts of 400 others, letting them know someone was willing to save them.

Dog 16 believed his sacrifice was not in vain.

The light in his eyes gradually faded, and Feng Lianzhu grabbed his hand, saying, “No one will die.”

That’s right, not a single person.

Feng Lianzhu opened the brocade pouch at his waist, which contained countless elixirs and talismans gathered by the sisters of Phoenix Arrival to give the Fat Dragon a sliver of vitality.

Among them, the healing talismans were the most abundant. Feng Lianzhu grabbed a handful of Qingming Talismans, used in the game to remove abnormal statuses, allowing players or summoned beasts to break free from all control skills and items. Anything not belonging to the entity could be cleared.

Perfect for the modified Atavists and Dog 16, with fragments in his heart and lungs. Blood-boosting buffs were also essential, along with hemostatic talismans to stop continuous bleeding and Huanyuan Talismans for healing.

The Fat Dragon had spent ten thousand points to bring back these talismans, which was truly fortunate.

Now a Level 90 boss, Feng Lianzhu was brimming with spiritual energy. He threw the talismans into the air, and the wind, fueled by spiritual energy, delivered each talisman to the injured Atavists. Miraculously, the modified parts of each individual were expelled under the influence of a mysterious force. This process, normally excruciating and bloody, might even result in death on the operating table despite transfusions and surgery.

However, the Atavists experienced pain only when the modifications left their bodies, without any bleeding. In fact, many who had lost blood were regaining their strength.

Dog 16 recovered the fastest. Without having overdrawn on his life force and only heavily injured, he was soon bouncing out of the medical pod and wagging his tail excitedly at Feng Lianzhu.

The other modified Atavists faced more difficulties. Even with their injuries healed, their vitality was nearly depleted.

Then, Feng Lianzhu felt the little dragon climb from his sleeve to his wrist, pushing a few items into his hand. Looking closely, he saw three black dragon scales.

Feng Lianzhu smiled, opening his hand. The black dragon scales disintegrated into countless tiny crystals, entering the bodies of the modified individuals.

Life energy flowed into the withered bodies of the Atavists, replenishing their lost vitality.

In just five minutes, those who had been at death’s door were restored to their former selves.

The lizard, swaying his long tail, was in utter disbelief at the changes in his body.

“Dog 16,” Feng Lianzhu instructed, “I’m leaving these people in your charge. They’re neither entirely innocent Atavists nor utterly irredeemable. They’ve been treated unjustly and have made mistakes. It’s up to you to devise a comprehensive plan for their treatment.”

“Yes!” Dog 16 said excitedly, thrilled to receive another task from Lord Kirates, determined to succeed no matter the difficulty.

Lind also approached, saying, “Um, Lord Kirates, could we also join here? I can bring the Atavists from the interstellar pirates to the primitive star, sever ties with the pirates, and focus on establishing the Kirates Atavist Empire. What do you think?”

Knowing the choice between the life-and-death wielding Kirates dragon and the interstellar pirates wanted by the Alliance, Lind was clear about which side was more suitable for them.

“Thievery, robbery, murder, arson, endangering the safety of people and property, organizing and participating in anti-social organizations…” Dog 16 listed the crimes of the interstellar pirates, reminding Feng Lianzhu that these were no good people!

The original Atavists of the primitive star, raised in welfare institutions and educated in basic moral principles, naturally did not wish to associate with the pirates.

“Bring them back, and let them serve sentences for their crimes,” Feng Lianzhu said, “You decide the specific sentences.”

Dog 16, set to take the law school entrance exam and possessing more legal knowledge than Feng Lianzhu, found himself overwhelmed. Feng Lianzhu, not wanting to rack his brains and following Lind’s proposal to bring the Atavists under the wing of the primitive star, was notified by the system that the mission to subdue the Atavists among the interstellar pirates was complete. The rest was up to Dog 16 to figure out, with Feng Lianzhu serving as the muscle.

After all, he was still someone who had to sit for elementary school final exams and attend middle school, hardly having the energy for team-building.

Dog 16: “…”

He felt utterly powerless against these individuals, unable to best any of them in strength.

Seeing Dog 16’s pitiful look, Feng Lianzhu also considered the issue of commanding respect. He then took out a specially crafted axe from his pouch, letting Dog 16 mark it with a drop of his blood. The system recognized the axe as a celestial weapon, acknowledging Dog 16 as its master.

Dog 16, now wielding a large axe: “…”

Feng Lianzhu pointed to a distant mountain and said, “Swing it.”

With a single swing from hundreds of miles away, Dog 16 cleaved off half of the mountain, demonstrating a power akin to that of shaping the earth itself.

The axe, named the Earth-Splitting Axe by Tu Qinyuanhua, paralleled the Heaven-Opening Axe or Pangu Axe.

“It’s yours, to enforce the law,” Feng Lianzhu added, patting Dog 16’s newly grown fur, “The order of the primitive star is in your hands. If you fail, it can belong to someone else.”

“Yes, Lord Kirates!” Dog 16 almost wagged his tail in joy, feeling immense trust from his master.

The lizard watched Feng Lianzhu with a gloomy gaze, having thought he was on the brink of death and vented years of hatred towards Kirates, only to survive unexpectedly.

Now regretting his words, he wondered how Feng Lianzhu would deal with him, feeling the power coursing through his body, hinting at a potentially long life ahead.

Feng Lianzhu, however, paid the lizard no mind and went straight to Major General Laurie after saving the Atavists. Previously unaware of the many talismans and items in the pouch, Feng Lianzhu had formed a plan while treating everyone.

Major General Laurie, busy with the underground arena’s detainees, approached Feng Lianzhu in a secluded spot after being beckoned from afar.

“Lord Kirates, do you have any further instructions?”

“First, demand compensation from the underground arena for environmental damages to the planet, at least a hundred million gold coins, specifically in gold; second, compensate the modified individuals for years of torture and mental and physical harm, one billion star coins; third, expose the evils of the underground arena, rescue the remaining Atavists, and transport them to the primitive star,” Feng Lianzhu instructed.

As they spoke, the little dragon fidgeted annoyingly on his sleeve. Seizing the moment while retrieving items from the pouch, Feng Lianzhu stuffed the dragon into his waist bag and pressed down on its head.

For the sake of a hundred million gold coins, Pang Kirates endured!

“Lord Kirates, your demands are too troublesome. It’s feasible to rescue the Atavists and bring them to the primitive star, but the first two demands… The Imperial Army also needs to mobilize against the underground arena, possibly exposing forces that have been hidden within the Alliance for years. We need some compensation as well; it’s impossible to give you that many gold coins,” Major General Laurie said, troubled.

“I’m not giving you a choice,” Feng Lianzhu stated.

He opened his palm, and a purplish-red chain flew out, burrowing directly into Major General Laurie’s forehead.

“What is… this… Ahhh!!!” Major General Laurie, in agony, clutched his head and rolled on the ground.

Despite his A-level strength, he couldn’t evade the chain. What was it?

“Demon Control Chain,” Feng Lianzhu said indifferently.

Years ago, it was an item used by players against Feng Lianzhu.

This was an item from “Voyage into the Void” designed specifically to combat demons, available in various levels. Back then, Feng Lianzhu was Level 30, but the game had since progressed to Level 120. The Demon Control Chain, besides having levels, was also divided into types for combating bosses and players, with PVE and PVP modes.

The effect on bosses was temporary, expiring after a certain duration. For players, it required teammates to use a Qingming Talisman or other items and skills for removal. Otherwise, revival after death could remove the abnormal status, or one would remain under control indefinitely.

The sisters from Phoenix Arrival had haphazardly stuffed a bunch of Level 100+ Demon Control Chains into the pouch, suitable for both humans and bosses. The one Feng Lianzhu used on Major General Laurie was a Level 120 player-targeted Demon Control Chain.

Upon hearing the lizard’s tale of humans capturing a juvenile Kirates dragon over seventeen hundred years ago for genetic modifications and widespread promotion, it seemed that modern humans with high genetic levels mostly possessed Kirates dragon gene fragments.

The game developers considered the tyrannical dragon Feng Lianzhu a demon, hence humans with Kirates gene fragments were considered half-demon.

The Demon Control Chain was effective against half-demons.

Feng Lianzhu took a gamble, and it paid off.

After suffering for a while, Major General Laurie ceased his struggles. A flash of purple in his eyes indicated he was now a controlled half-demon.

“Yes, Lord Kirates, I will act as you command,” Major General Laurie said, bowing his head.

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Author’s Note:

The busy Feng Lianzhu: So tired

The Fat Dragon in the sleeve: Wants to climb to the shoulder and roar~

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