Chapter 550: Reversing the Situation

A voice of sudden realization escaped Ye Nan's lips; in an instant, he broke free from the alien's grasp, and his mental power surged violently, pinning the aliens firmly in place.

Aaoh! Oooh!

The aliens roared in fury, straining and writhing desperately to shake off the inexplicable restraint, but they could not escape the grip of mental power— their struggles looked laughable to Ye Nan.

"How could this happen?" Kardel stared at Ye Nan in disbelief; the shock shattered the arrogance that had just begun to rise in his heart.

"What's going on?" The syringe still clutched in Kardel's hand, his face was filled with astonishment as he gazed at Ye Nan.

"Don't look so surprised," Ye Nan's mental power surged forth, seizing the syringe in Kardel's hand and playing with it idly. "Is this the device you use to control them? Can you tell me in greater detail how it works?"

Ye Nan had always been torn—he never knew when to strike. Even after infiltrating Kardel's mind, he remained uncertain: he wanted to learn the method of control, yet feared becoming entangled himself, so he wavered.

Revealing his true fangs now was a last resort; if he waited any longer, Kaland would inject the substance inside the syringe into his body, and he had no desire to face such an unknown risk.

"By injecting it into the sacrifice's body, we use this genetic material to control the sacrifice," Kaland suddenly spoke. "They have no physical form—they are beings of thought. To unleash their full power, they must rely on a vessel."

"When they find a vessel, they surge in wildly, fusing with it, unable to leave at will. That way, we control them."

"Controlling thought by controlling the vessel? That's quite an effective method," Ye Nan's smile deepened. "So what should I do next, Kaland? Can you tell me?"

Seeing Ye Nan's smile, Kaland shuddered. He stole a glance at Kardel, then hardened his heart. "Inject this into Kardel's body. Use Kardel as the sacrifice."

"You…" Kardel never imagined his own brother would be so cruel. Seeing the tide turn, he immediately turned his weapon against himself.

"Don't blame me," Kaland glared fiercely at his brother. "Brother, you're too terrifying. You've concealed yourself so well I could never read you. I feared you'd manipulate me and turn me into your stepping stone."

"My brother, you have no other talents, but your will to survive is strong. Please forgive me."

"You…" Kardel was so enraged he could not speak. His entire body trembled like a sieve.

"Enough, Kaland," Ye Nan no longer wished to watch Kaland's performance. Though sibling betrayal was rare, he had more important matters to attend to.

"Tell me how to control him."

"Just inject the serum—it controls at the cellular level," Kaland replied, confused by Ye Nan's question.

"Are you pretending to be dense?" Ye Nan stared coldly at Kaland, his gaze like that of a man looking at a corpse. "I want to know how to control him."

Ye Nan repeated the words.

Kaland's face flushed alternately pale and red. Finally, he answered: "This is the innate ability of our Prometheus clan."

"Our Prometheus clan often injects various viruses, using them to control cells we ourselves have created."

"So in truth, you're doing all this for me?" Ye Nan sneered. "Tell me—if you were me, would you let someone else benefit from your work?"

"No," Kaland hurriedly added, "but if that person is loyal to you…"

"Think about it—if he's loyal to you, the ultimate weapon he controls becomes yours. There's no difference."

"There's a great difference," Ye Nan smiled faintly. "I will never betray myself, but you might betray me. And if you hold the ultimate weapon when you turn against me, it will be fatal."

"I can swear it," Kaland raised his hand. "I can take an oath—I'll use any means to prove my loyalty to you."

"Then kill yourself," Ye Nan said suddenly. "To prove your loyalty to me, kill yourself."

Kaland froze. He raised a syringe, aimed it at his own skull, and stared at Ye Nan, searching his eyes for any flicker of change—but he was disappointed. Ye Nan's face retained its faint smile, showing no trace of pity.

"He won't let me die like this," the needle tip slowly neared his skull; Kaland hesitated more. "He can't let me die—I still hold the method to control the ultimate weapon. If I die, he can't escape either."

A chill radiated from the needle's tip—not from actual contact, but from the skin's illusionary perception of the needle's presence.

"He definitely won't let me die," he muttered to himself, pressing the needle against his skull, his gaze fixed on Ye Nan, an unconscious hesitation creeping in.

From initial resolve to this moment of doubt, Kaland's heart had wavered. For him, nothing mattered more than his life. He had agreed only because he believed Ye Nan wouldn't let him die—but now, it seemed uncertain.

"Should I go through with it?" Kaland knew this was a gamble. Win, and he could control the ultimate weapon, perhaps even dominate the entire galaxy. Lose, and he was finished.

The choice between life and power paralyzed him. He treasured life, yet craved power. His lifelong dream was to become a god—worshipped by all. And a god must have power.

Facing this dual choice, Kaland was filled with agony. He wanted both—but wanting both meant risking losing both.

Just as Kaland was about to give up, Ye Nan spoke: "Forget it. I was only testing you. Unfortunately, your performance disappointed me."

Kaland's face changed. He knew he had failed—but he still clung to hope. "Give me another chance. Just one more chance—I'll prove my loyalty."

"Even if I gave you another chance, what would you offer to prove your loyalty? Stab yourself? You've already failed once—there are no more chances." Ye Nan waved his hand. "But I will give you one opportunity."

"Though you showed no loyalty, I saw your sincerity. Still, I need to understand a few things."

"Are they beings of spirit?"

"Yes," Kaland answered cautiously, daring not to hide anything. "After death, they preserve fragments of their consciousness through a special method. That fragment resides within this crystal."

Kaland lunged at the control panel, frantically pressing buttons. Soon, a crystal emerged from the remains of a Prometheus clan member.

The crystal was a hexahedral gem, appearing ordinary at first glance. But when Ye Nan's mental power swept over it, he was startled to find a force creeping along his mental stream, invading his mind.

Ye Nan immediately severed the connection, restoring his original state.

"This crystal must be the vessel for their consciousness," Ye Nan closed his eyes. His mental power churned within, annihilating the invading consciousness, quickly refining it. His mind now held strange new knowledge.

After a brief glance, Ye Nan's heart stirred with excitement—the knowledge was all from an ancient civilization, encompassing time, space, and energy-matter principles. Yet the knowledge was fragmented, scattered.

"A pity," Ye Nan gazed sadly at the crystal. Though he gained knowledge, some of his mental power had been consumed by the consciousness. To obtain complete knowledge, even risking all his mental power would not suffice.

"Looks like I must take the risk," Ye Nan's gaze settled on Kardel, his mental power locking Kardel firmly in place. "Kaland, inject that substance into Kardel."

Ye Nan had never intended to activate the ultimate weapon. Everything he'd done so far was to extract secrets. But now he would act—the knowledge was too great a temptation. A faint thought stirred in him: he wanted to use that power to devour them all.

"The crystal is their tool and their prison. To escape, to fully revive, they need a vessel. When their consciousness fuses perfectly with a body, I can use that ability to devour them all."

"Understood," Kaland's eyes lit up. He imagined himself wielding the ultimate weapon, sweeping across the entire galaxy.

"Fool. Once I control the ultimate weapon, you'll learn what it means to raise a tiger only to be devoured by it."

Kaland schemed in his heart to betray his master, yet bowed respectfully as he took the syringe from Ye Nan's hand, walked to Kardel's side, and snarled: "Don't blame me, my dear brother. This is your own doing." (To be continued.)