Chapter 920: Compound No. 3
Zhang Yi inquired, "You must be Xuanwu?"
The young man slowly took a sip of coffee.
"I could be."
Zhang Yi: "..."
The young man gestured toward the sofa beside them, indicating for Zhang Yi and Linghu Feixue to sit down.
Zhang Yi and Linghu Feixue exchanged glances.
They had already reached Xuanwu's territory, so they might as well make themselves comfortable since they were here.
Thus they took their seats on the sofa.
Only then did the young man leisurely explain: "I am Xuanwu, but what you're seeing isn't my true form. As for my actual body, it's right outside you.""Well, strictly speaking, you're currently inside my stomach."
Seeing Zhang Yi's astonished expression, the young man clarified:
"This giant sea turtle is my true form, while what you're seeing is my spiritual body. That's all there is to it."
Zhang Yi hadn't expected things to be like this.
This was his first time witnessing what people called a spiritual body.
However, his gaze fell upon the coffee in the young man's hand.
"Can spiritual bodies still drink coffee?"
The young man smiled slightly and released his grip—the coffee cup actually transformed into a cluster of pixels and vanished.
Even the coffee table before him disappeared along with it.
"Although my spiritual form cannot drink coffee, I can experience the pleasure of drinking coffee through data transmission."
"The texture, flavor, aroma—all directly transmitted to my brain."
"And I don't even have to worry about the side effects of overindulgence!"
Xuanwu even crossed his arms somewhat proudly as he added: "I can even get the pleasure of orgasms directly through data! Pretty convenient, don't you think?"
Zhang Yi was utterly amazed upon hearing this.
"I never imagined... such things were possible?"
"But if this is your body, then..."
He glanced around at the various furnishings in the room.
Then he recalled those fortress-like steel structures within Xuanwu's body.
"Does that mean you can't return to human form?"
Xuanwu's eyelids lowered slightly. "Ah, that's correct."
"My mutation is irreversible. My true form can only maintain this giant sea turtle appearance, and I have to remain in the icy deep sea most of the time."
"But this doesn't seem so bad—I was originally a diver anyway. By the way, I also have an English name: Dave."
At this moment, Linghu Feixue crossed her legs and asked Xuanwu:
"Where exactly are you taking us?"
Zhang Yi and Linghu Feixue were already under Xuanwu's control with no means of escape.
Zhang Yi could potentially try taking drugs to fight desperately.
But that would involve extreme risk, and even if successful, might leave him severely injured.
He wouldn't take such chances.
Hearing this, Xuanwu curled his lips into a mocking smile.
"Is that even a question? Of course I'm escorting you back—to the East Sea Region Naval Base!"
Linghu Feixue's gaze sharpened noticeably.
Zhang Yi maintained his usual composure, though his eyes grew more profound.
Just as he had suspected.
When dealing with external threats, the Jiangnan Region and East Sea Region could act like brothers.
But once external conflicts were resolved, competition between them would inevitably emerge.
Zhang Yi possessed intelligence about the Divine Source, so naturally the East Sea Region wanted to pry open his mouth and obtain that information.
Given that circumstances were currently against them, further discussion seemed pointless.
They could only wait to see how Zhu Zheng would communicate with the East Sea Region.
However, expecting Zhang Yi to keep his mouth shut and maintain secrecy under harsh interrogation was completely unrealistic.
For now, Zhang Yi needed to test the East Sea Region's stance.
Linghu Feixue stared at Xuanwu, then helplessly pulled down her hat brim.
In the face of absolute power, futile rage served no purpose—it would only bring unnecessary trouble.
Xuanwu snapped his fingers.
Soon, those giant crustacean insects came clattering over.
Two insects approached them, opened their carapaces, and surprisingly produced two blue syringes.
"I don't want unnecessary trouble, but I'll need you both to cooperate with my procedures. Agreed?"
Xuanwu smiled cheerfully at Zhang Yi and Linghu Feixue.
Zhang Yi glanced down at the syringe and asked, "May I ask what this is?"
Before Xuanwu could answer, Linghu Feixue spoke first.
"Compound 3!"
"A drug that temporarily strips superhumans of their abilities, turning them into ordinary people."
Zhang Yi considered for a moment.
Trying to fight Xuanwu desperately at this juncture would clearly be unwise.
The East Sea Region only wanted the intelligence he possessed—they weren't likely to harm his life.
So Zhang Yi directly took Compound 3 and injected himself.
Linghu Feixue glanced at Zhang Yi, then injected herself as well.
They were both intelligent people who understood that pointless resistance achieved nothing.
Linghu Feixue suddenly said, "Since we've fallen into your hands, we have nothing more to say. But could you at least let us contact our region? To report our current situation?"
Xuanwu spread his hands: "Don't be nervous—we're allies. And you two don't need to view me with hostility. I'm just following orders. Besides, I did save your lives, didn't I?"
"According to our agreement, the intelligence in Chaos's possession should be shared with the East Sea Region anyway."
Zhang Yi smiled: "If that's the case, then why resort to these methods?"
Xuanwu rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a second.
"Hmm... That's headquarters' decision. Perhaps the higher-ups feel it's better to maintain the initiative themselves."
"You're right about that."
Zhang Yi responded calmly.
He could already feel the power within his body being rapidly suppressed.
Compound 3 was a rare drug that even he couldn't obtain through regional exchanges.
He never expected it to have such potent effects.
No wonder it wasn't available to the public—this was clearly a weapon controlled by headquarters specifically for suppressing powerful superhumans.
He closed his eyes, secretly attempting to connect with his Dimensional Space.
Unexpectedly, it worked!
Zhang Yi thought to himself: Compound 3 can suppress the flow of supernatural energy within the body, but it seems ineffective against certain special zero-consumption abilities.
After all, it's only been developed for about a year—its capabilities aren't that comprehensive yet.
Zhang Yi now understood the situation.
As long as he could still use his spatial abilities, even if his offensive capabilities were weakened, his strongest defensive powers remained intact.
Xuanwu suddenly laughed: "Don't be so tense! I'm just following procedure with these measures."
"Perhaps someday, we'll all be fighting on the same battlefield for a common goal."
"Hmm... We still have some time before we arrive. Do you play cards?"
A strange light flashed in Linghu Feixue's eyes.
"Why not?"
Zhang Yi looked at Xuanwu.
"But what's the point of playing like this? Let's make it more interesting with some stakes."
Xuanwu looked at him curiously. "Oh? Are you up to something sneaky? But let me tell you upfront—I'm the most tight-lipped man in the world."
Zhang Yi smiled slightly: "Think of it as exchanging intelligence! As the highest-level combatants from our respective theaters, we each already possess information that would interest the other."
"Just as you said—we're allies, not enemies."
"Don't worry, you can refuse to answer any overly sensitive questions."
Xuanwu found Zhang Yi's proposal quite appealing.
He smiled and nodded. "That sounds excellent. Then let's begin!"
Author's Note