The humanoid monitor, seeing Ye Ling’s brow furrow slightly after he finished speaking, felt a jolt of apprehension. Fearing Ye Ling might silence him, he quickly pledged his loyalty. "Big Brother, truth be told, I’ve never wanted to work under the 'Brain' either! Rest assured, whatever you need, I’ll cooperate fully! I can even help you rally some brothers, and we can take down the organization together!"
Hearing the humanoid monitor’s words, Ye Ling couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise. "You're this bold?" In Ye Ling's eyes, the monitors were all absolutely controlled by the 'Brain,' incapable of harboring dissent. For a monitor to betray the 'Brain,' let alone leak even a sliver of classified information, would result in instant annihilation. Yet, this humanoid monitor, despite appearing timid, spoke with a ferocity that even made Ye Ling feel a touch of fear. This combination of fear of death and apparent fearlessness struck Ye Ling as highly contradictory.
The humanoid monitor hastily explained, "Big Brother, don't judge me by my appearance. I was once a candidate for the Seven Pillars, but for certain reasons, I was relegated to the second tier, responsible for an unimportant universe in the Primordial Chaos. Due to the nature of my work, I don’t leave this room and don’t directly face enemies, so the 'Brain' doesn't impose too many restrictions on me. After all, the 'Brain' wouldn't expect someone as formidable as you, Big Brother, to appear in its own headquarters."
Ye Ling chuckled at the humanoid monitor's words, seeing this as an opportunity to raid the monitor's base. However, Ye Ling didn't fully trust him and continued to probe. "According to you, the monitors in all the rooms along this corridor are not restricted by the 'Brain'?"
"Not entirely..." the humanoid monitor shook his head. "Only high-ranking monitors like us, who have been selected, have this privilege. Those who haven't been chosen, the lower-ranking monitors, lack sufficient cultivation and are easily exploited. Therefore, the 'Brain' imposes more restrictions on them. They can only carry out their assigned tasks and dare not overstep."
Bai Lan, standing nearby, chimed in, "So, you mean you're not easily exploited?"
Ye Ling continued, "We managed to infiltrate your headquarters and enter this place to hold you hostage. Don't you think you and those other monitors are no different in our presence? Your explanation is full of holes. The 'Brain' wouldn't, and has no reason to, treat you differently. It seems you're just a cunning and deceitful individual. If you're unwilling to speak the truth, then it's best to eliminate you to prevent future trouble!"
"W-wait!" Hearing Bai Lan and Ye Ling, the humanoid monitor's expression changed drastically. He quickly pleaded, "Big Brother, Big Sister! I'm telling the truth! I'm truly not restricted by the 'Brain'! I'm not like those seductive vixens outside!"
"Still babbling?" Bai Lan's eyes flashed with ferocity, and a terrifying spiritual energy materialized in her palm. Feeling the formidable energy emanating from Bai Lan's palm, the humanoid monitor felt a chill down his spine and hurriedly said, "Everything I'm saying is true! Only a select few chosen monitors possess dual memories, allowing them to hide their true thoughts from the 'Brain.' I rely on these two sets of memories to bypass the 'Brain's' surveillance!"
"What kind of ability is this?" Ye Ling's eyebrows rose slightly at the humanoid monitor's words. "Hiding true thoughts from the 'Brain' is something even the Seven Pillars and 'them' cannot do. How did you achieve this?"
The humanoid monitor no longer dared to conceal anything. "Actually, this isn't something I achieved on my own. It's a divine technique taught to us by a gentleman named Luo Yun. He's the one who made us awakened ones."
"Luo Yun?" Ye Ling's eyes flickered with curiosity. "Who is he?"
"I don't know," the humanoid monitor shook his head. "All I know is that he can travel freely throughout the monitor headquarters, and only the awakened ones he has contacted know of his existence. Within the headquarters, neither the Seven Pillars nor the 'Brain' are aware of Luo Yun's presence."
"I didn't expect there to be such a figure hidden among your monitors," Ye Ling's interest in Luo Yun's identity grew, and he continued to inquire, "What is his purpose in teaching you these things and making you the so-called awakened ones?"
"I don't know," the humanoid monitor shook his head again.
"You don't know? Or you don't want to say?" Ye Ling's brow furrowed.
"I truly don't know!" The humanoid monitor quickly explained, "That gentleman merely taught us the divine technique and helped us awaken. He didn't assign us any tasks, only instructed us to keep it a secret. After all, if the 'Brain' discovered we could hide our memories, it would bring about utter destruction."
"He only teaches divine techniques without seeking any reward? This Luo Yun fellow is truly interesting," Ye Ling chuckled, then asked the humanoid monitor again, "In this headquarters, how many awakened ones are there who are not controlled by the 'Brain'?"
"The ones I can contact number thirty-eight thousand, and that's just in the southern district. As for other districts, and those in the southern district who have hidden their identities and don't wish to reveal them, I don't know. But I estimate the number to be no less than a hundred thousand."
"There are so many awakened ones?" Bai Lan exclaimed in surprise. "Hasn't Luo Yun been discovered by the 'Brain' all this time?" Although the number of monitors active in this headquarters was in the tens of millions, here, under the 'Brain's' very nose, having a hundred thousand monitors turned was already an astonishing figure! From this alone... the internal structure of the monitors was not as solid as imagined.
"No," the humanoid monitor shook his head. "Mr. Luo Yun appears and disappears without a trace. Only the monitors he selects can awaken, and anyone who tries to report him mysteriously disappears. More critically... the higher-ups show no reaction to the missing monitors. Many times, I suspect Mr. Luo Yun is one of the higher-ups among the monitors, otherwise, there are many things he couldn't possibly accomplish."
"A monitor high-up secretly instigating the monitors? That's an interesting speculation!" Ye Ling laughed, his interest in Luo Yun growing. In fact, after hearing the humanoid monitor's speculation, a certain person's image surfaced in his mind. Bai Lan's father, one of the Seven Pillars of the monitors – Mr. Bai. To be honest, as one of the Seven Pillars, Ye Ling saw no trace of loyalty from Mr. Bai towards the 'Brain.' On the contrary, Mr. Bai's actions often subtly harmed the 'Brain's' interests. The description the humanoid monitor gave of Luo Yun perfectly matched Mr. Bai's situation within the monitors. However, this was all Ye Ling's own speculation, and he wasn't sure if Luo Yun was indeed Mr. Bai. After all, he had met Mr. Bai several times. While he couldn't fathom Mr. Bai's thoughts, he had a relatively good understanding of his strength. A top-tier among the Seven Pillars, but still below 'them'... Although Mr. Bai was exceptionally powerful in the Primordial Chaos, he was still somewhat inferior to Luo Yun, who could instigate the monitors under the 'Brain's' command right under its nose and simultaneously block the 'Brain's' perception. Unless... Mr. Bai had been hiding his strength all along.
"B-Big Brother..." Seeing Ye Ling lost in thought again, the humanoid monitor couldn't help but call out again. "This time, I've confessed everything I should. Can you spare my life?" "We truly aren't enemies! Although I work for the 'Brain,' I've been slacking off. This harms the 'Brain's' interests. From this perspective, we're comrades!"
Ye Ling snapped back to attention upon hearing the humanoid monitor's peculiar angle of defense. A plan was gradually forming in his mind. He looked at the humanoid monitor and asked, "How do you awakened ones usually contact each other?"