Chapter 376: Talent Circuit Experiment
Xu Zhi pondered in her mind for a brief moment and arrived at a conjecture.
This laboratory might have achieved some milestone research result not long ago—a result related to talent circuits. That [Lantern] aspect Extraordinary had come to inspect or claim a portion of those experimental results. Since this “result” was likely something that couldn’t see the light of day, it had to be transported out in a highly covert manner to avoid drawing attention. Thus, only that single [Lantern] aspect Extraordinary had been dispatched.
Of course, there was another idea, and it was a hypothesis that Xu Zhi felt was much more probable.
There were very few candidates who could come to take away the “experimental results,” perhaps only a select few. Furthermore, these individuals must have participated in the “experiment” beforehand, and it had to be an experiment related to talent circuits.
The reason Jiang Qing had been the one to intercept and kill him was naturally because she was also a past participant in the experiment. Ordinary Extraordinaries probably had no way to devour another person’s circuit the way she did.
But this raised a new question. Assuming this place really was conducting shady experiments concerning talent circuits, and both Jiang Qing and that [Lantern] individual were former subjects who could thus achieve circuit devouring, then on what grounds could she, Xu Zhi, do it?
Unless… the extraordinary circuit she had blundered into constructing just happened to share striking similarities or commonalities with the circuit being researched here?
If her circuit truly shared some similarity or even a common ground with the research being conducted in this underground experiment, it would explain why she could smell the “enticing” fragrance wafting from Jiang Qing’s circuit, and why she could even absorb it.
So, what should this direction of experimentation be called?
Xu Zhi suddenly thought of the name [Pantheon Heavy Industries] and the core philosophy of the organization she had heard of before.
The core philosophy of [Pantheon Heavy Industries] was “Creation.”
Mastering all methods of creation, attempting to construct all things in the world, pursuing the more powerful hidden places, and manufacturing the stairway to the sun.
Combining the facts she already knew with [Pantheon Heavy Industries]’ obsession with talent circuits—such as how they tried to obtain her own talent circuit pattern when she first appeared—could she boldly guess that the experiment this underground laboratory was conducting was “creating talent circuits that could devour one another”? Or rather, “creating a circuit capable of devouring other talent circuits,” utilizing continuous devouring to supplement and expand one’s own extraordinary circuit, thereby creating infinite possibilities?
“This actually sounds like it has some potential.”
It was just far too heterodox.
Moreover, this experiment was definitely not something that had cropped up overnight. At the very least, it hadn’t started after the Ding Chan incident. Did the inception of this experiment have anything to do with certain big shots being curious about the [Grail]’s painless advancement?
“In other words, Lingzhou, Ding Chan, Bright Academy, and Pantheon Heavy Industries are all interconnected?”
She suddenly thought of Jiang Qing’s reputation for peerless talent and her exceptionally rapid advancement compared to her peers. Did the “experiment” play a role in that?
The CPU of Xu Zhi’s brain spun rapidly, organizing all the clues piece by piece into her current hypothesis.
If the hypothesis was true, then Ding Chan’s “self-detonation” in the recent league tournament might have been entirely intentional.
The research for this experiment had definitely not been deployed over a short period. For it to suddenly self-detonate now could only mean that the experiment had already yielded a certain result. The self-detonation was merely a preview, showcasing a portion of this result to the world, as there would always be people tempted by it.
Just like how the [Grail] suddenly materialized in the league tournament.
It was quite a coincidence that the two clashed, or perhaps one side knew what the other intended to do in this tournament and deliberately stepped in to meddle?
If so, the sudden change of rules in this league tournament seemed to carry a profound subtext as well.
Meanwhile, that [Lantern] individual was likely there to “inspect the goods.” He had come to integrate a portion of the results onto his own circuit, intending to take it out for the big shots investing in this project to verify. Only after confirming everything was correct would the next step of the plan initiate.
By killing him, Jiang Qing was preventing the experimental results from leaving the Lost Lands. But this was futile. If one inspection failed, there could always be a next time. Killing just one person couldn’t stop anything, unless…
Xu Zhi thought of Jiang Qing’s “last words,” and how she had insisted on making this trip despite knowing she would die by Xu Zhi’s hand.
She had known all along that she would die. Did she also know all along that Xu Zhi would be interested, follow this clue to investigate the laboratory, and ultimately destroy the entire lab along with its data?
She knew Xu Zhi wouldn’t let her live. Furthermore, she was the only one who could take the experimental results from that man’s body and catch Xu Zhi’s attention, thereby piquing Xu Zhi’s curiosity about all of this and leading her to find the underground laboratory.
If this was her reason for willingly going to her death, did it mean the experimental results here were something Jiang Qing didn’t wish to see? She didn’t want this result to leave the Lost Lands and subsequently be used on more people.
Did she learn from a “prophecy” what the results of this experiment would bring upon the world?
Xu Zhi had no way of knowing. She had to enter the laboratory first to find the answer to this question.
But why her?
It couldn’t possibly be a mere coincidence.
Xu Zhi instantly thought of a reason.
Her background was sufficiently “clean,” or rather, sufficiently bizarre—bizarre to the point that no one could uncover how exactly Xu Zhi had appeared in Lian City.
She seemed to have no strong connections to anyone. Her “older sister” was nothing more than a bottom-tier citizen. Her actions wouldn’t implicate any big shots behind the scenes.
She was a “variable” who had suddenly appeared in this world, stepping completely outside the chessboard.
This world was perhaps already entangled by various threads, a mesh of power and authority beneath the surface where pulling a single hair would move the whole body. Only the suddenly appearing Xu Zhi possessed the necessary strength while maintaining a perfectly clean background.
As for her being a student of the Bright Academy, that didn’t matter. She was just a student, far from being deeply bound to the Academy. Besides, the hand of the Bright Academy might very well be lurking within the shadows of this entire affair.
“Did Jiang Qing’s prophecy already reveal that my strength would be sufficient to break into this underground laboratory by the time I came to the Lost Lands?”
No.
Jiang Qing’s prophetic ability alone shouldn’t be enough to foresee this much, right?
Perhaps behind Jiang Qing stood a far more capable [Lantern] or [Enlightenment] practitioner who possessed true foresight.
And that “Great Prophet” had conveyed the foreseen images to Jiang Qing through some medium. After Jiang Qing learned of this “destiny,” she chose to face her death calmly for a certain reason, such as “not allowing the experimental results to leak out.”
In that case, Jiang Qing and that “Great Prophet” should both be part of the “opposition.” However, they had no way to stop it openly, and might even look like “supporters” on the surface; otherwise, they wouldn’t have participated in the experiment or known so much.
If this experiment truly succeeded, the benefits it would bring were undoubtedly colossal, perhaps even enough to change the world—but not necessarily for the better.
Xu Zhi let out a sigh and raised a hand to rub her temples. She truly detested these machinations and had no desire to care whether the experimental results were good or bad for the world. Yet, as fate would have it, she really did have to make a trip to the laboratory.
Because she knew absolutely nothing about her own talent circuit, and this experiment seemed to bear some connection to it. She might be able to understand her own circuit a bit better through this experiment.
