With the departure of Aisuakaz, this matter had temporarily come to an end, and Wen Wen could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However, the crisis still loomed. In three days, the sixteen time bombs left by Dr. Feng would detonate, and terrifying plants would surge out from hidden places, bringing disaster to the city.
Sixteen plant monsters alone were not frightening; Wen Wen could handle them single-handedly. What was terrifying was the potential contagiousness of these plant monsters, which could turn humans into something like those in zombie movies, frantically spreading the virus to others. If the streets were filled with virus-carrying plant monsters, it would be difficult to contain.
From Dr. Feng's words, his objective was likely as Wen Wen had guessed. After all, he had caused a "plant zombie crisis" once before. Back then, the plant zombies he created had the fatal weakness of being active only during the day. According to Dr. Feng's words, he seemed to have overcome this weakness this time.
Fortunately, Wen Wen had handed over the collected viruses to the association for research a few days ago. With the association's capabilities, a solution should be found soon.
Furthermore, after reporting the precise detonation time to the association, sixteen emergency teams composed of demon hunters and assistants had arrived in Tongling City. They would be able to control the situation with the fastest speed once it erupted.
For Zhu Qipei and Master Fengbei, this was a failed hunting plan. Dr. Feng was ultimately devoured by Aisuakaz, rather than dying by their hands.
However, they did not choose to leave. Instead, they decided to stay in Tongling City for a few more days. Master Fengbei intended to resolve the troubles left by Fengrao, while Zhu Qipei stayed purely because he felt he had made an enemy of Aisuakaz and might face retaliation. Lacking the protection of the Hunter's Association, he felt it would be safer to stay with others until Aisuakaz was dealt with.
Upon returning to the hotel, Wen Wen went to the room Zhu Qipei had booked for him, released Tao Qingqing, and then entered the bathroom before proceeding into the containment facility.
Now, Wen Wen needed to check the condition of the chain within Aisuakaz. If he was lucky, he might even drag Aisuakaz into the containment facility along with it. However, Wen Wen knew this was just wishful thinking.
After Aisu devoured Dr. Feng, the state of the chain became somewhat strange. Although it still had a connection with Wen Wen, this connection was much weaker than normal, which was why Wen Wen needed to perform a test.
Testing was simple, but it could not alert Aisu. Thus, Wen Wen spent a considerable effort and finally reached a conclusion.
Wen Wen could confirm that the chain was indeed inside Aisuakaz, but it did not occupy his entire body, only a part of his shoulder. If Wen Wen forcibly recalled the chain, he would only drag the part of Dr. Feng's consciousness and the flesh from Aisuakaz's shoulder into the containment facility. This would, conversely, help Aisu solve the big problem of Dr. Feng's disobedience, as Aisu could not completely eliminate Dr. Feng's residual consciousness as long as the chain remained.
The other functions of the chain were also retained. Wen Wen could communicate with Dr. Feng through the chain, but this would be overheard by Aisuakaz, so Wen Wen only used this function for monitoring.
Additionally, Wen Wen could also use the chain to torture the combined entity, but this would make Aisuakaz vigilant. Therefore, Wen Wen had not acted yet; he intended to use this trump card at a critical moment...
...
On the outskirts of Tongling City, at a废弃矿场 (abandoned mine).
Crossing the "Danger: No Entry" sign and entering a dark mine shaft was like entering a pitch-black labyrinth where direction could not be discerned.
After centuries of exploitation, such complex underground tunnels were everywhere. No one dared to claim complete familiarity with the underground world around Tongling City.
Occasionally, people wandered into the underground passages of these mines and, unable to find the correct path, with their voices unable to transmit, they would be trapped in the darkness until death. Some bodies were found, while others were never discovered, lending a terrifying atmosphere to these abandoned mine shafts.
According to a survivor who had narrowly escaped, in his most helpless moments, he had heard heavy breathing and approaching footsteps. Those footsteps were unlike any animal he knew. However, no one had verified his account, as the abandoned underground mine shafts were dangerous enough, regardless of whether there were mysterious creatures or not.
Deep within the mine shaft at this moment, there was indeed a strange creature covered in black, hard fur. However, this monster had been hung in mid-air by a strange plant and had been dead for a long time. A man wearing only a loincloth occupied its lair.
"I never imagined I would end up like this. I suspect you had this plan in mind from the start when you took me and Fengbei in."
The blood-colored face on Aisuakaz's shoulder, which was the residual consciousness of Dr. Feng, revealed a resentful expression. Throughout his nearly two hundred years of life, he had considered Aisu as both a teacher and a friend, only to be kicked while he was down when he needed help the most.
"Even earlier than that. My planning began thirty years before I took you two in."
Aisuakaz realized he could not kill Dr. Feng in a short time, so he began to converse with him:
"My strength had reached a bottleneck then. If I continued like that, even after a thousand years, I wouldn't be able to advance to Disaster Level. I was unwilling to remain in a daze like others. Only by becoming Disaster Level could I gain true freedom."
"My abilities are as you know them. As long as I thoroughly understand a life form, I can possess its abilities. However, my talent and knowledge alone are limited. Even with all my efforts, I could only reach the strength of Disaster True Order."
"So, I divided myself into three parts: one for my body, one for my plant-related abilities, and one for my animal-related abilities. I disguised the two ability parts as remnants of powerful beings and sought suitable inheritors for them."
Wen Wen, who had been eavesdropping through the chain, suddenly understood. No wonder both he and Master Fengbei had sensed Aisu's aura to be weaker than the lower order. It was because Aisu, previously, only had some abilities preserved within his body; he was not fundamentally a high-level super-powered individual.
"The inheritors are us?" Dr. Feng asked bitterly.
"That's correct," Aisuakaz nodded.
"You and Fengbei both use my power. You have an extraordinary passion for plants, while Fengbei has a disgusting affection for all sorts of animals. You two can utilize my power better than I can."
"When the two of you have cultivated your abilities to be strong enough, I will then merge with both of you. That way, I can break through the original limitations... and become Disaster Level!"