Chapter 244: Hymn Project

The moment Wu Chang took the button off Mo Ke and was about to stand up, Mo Ke suddenly erupted, grabbed a fountain pen from his pocket, and stabbed toward Wu Chang's neck, shouting at the same time:

"Give up resisting!"

Wu Chang only felt a faint, barely perceptible mental impact strike his solid Will attribute, not even a ripple, and quietly dissipate.

The mental impact was a bit stronger than Lei Mengde's, but only marginally so.

Since the mental attack failed, relying on his body alone, Mo Ke couldn't even touch Wu Chang.

Wu Chang easily stepped back, dodging Mo Ke's pen thrust, smoothly tripped him with his foot, and with his right hand yanked the back of Mo Ke's collar, lifting Mo Ke's whole body up.

"Had enough?"

Mo Ke: …

Having made such a scene, he had no face to keep struggling, and resignedly said, "You win, let me down."

Wu Chang: "No need, this way I feel more at ease."

He carried Mo Ke back to the car, stuffed Mo Ke into the passenger seat, then drove back to where Buck and the others were fighting.

When he returned to the scene, the fight was not yet over.

The black greatsword duo had been acting as Mo Ke's bodyguards before encountering Buck's group of three, and they were somewhat stronger than the others.

Combined with their Essence Arms, the two were adept at coordinated strikes; if both of them landed a slash at the same time, even Buck's group would lose an arm or a leg.

With the Iron Armor Gang watching covetously from the side, no one could afford to take injuries of that level.

Buck's three were momentarily timid, while the greatsword duo fought desperately for their performance metrics, and the situation was at an impasse—especially since Buck's class-change skill was about to end, making the battle only increasingly unfavorable.

If they got held up by the two, causing Mo Ke to call for reinforcements, the loss would outweigh the gain.

The three exchanged a glance, a hint of retreat in their eyes.

Just then, a car accelerated over, and with a sharp fishtail, stopped beside them.

Wu Chang dragged Mo Ke out of the car, swept his gaze across the group, and said:

"Oh, you guys aren't done yet?"

"Mo Ke?" Buck's three looked at Wu Chang, surprise plain in their eyes—hadn't Mo Ke escaped in an armed helicopter?

Of the three, only Veronica, who was most sensitive to energy, had sensed an energy wave firing toward the sky in the distance; she hadn't expected it was really Wu Chang's doing, and that he'd actually pulled it off!

Buck said excitedly, "As long as we've got him, these two are tough—let's get out of here first, don't get tangled up with them."

Seeing Mo Ke captured, the greatsword duo abandoned defense and charged at Wu Chang, desperate to rescue Mo Ke.

Wu Chang rubbed a bolt of lightning into his palm and casually flung it, electrocuting one of them.

Then he waved his hand and said, "Don't just stand there, finish this one off—we still need to get to City Hall."

Buck's three took a moment to react, then swarmed forward, unleashing all their abilities at once, taking over a dozen seconds to send the other greatsword wielder into an infant-like slumber.

In the car, Buck couldn't help asking first, "Brother Wu Ming, how did you do that just now?"

Wu Chang held up the Electromagnetic Controller in his hand and said:

"Essence Arms contain a special kind of power—extremely powerful on both offense and defense—but if you also use an Essence Arm, you can cancel out that energy."

Buck toyed with the Essence Arm he'd taken from the heavy-cannon bruiser and asked, puzzled, "Why don't I get that effect when I use mine?"

Wu Chang shrugged. "Then it must be your problem."

The car stopped in front of City Hall. From the moment the city's unrest began, sensing Buck was coming for them, City Hall had been emptied out at the first opportunity.

What a joke—if even Hymn Company couldn't handle these thugs, how could they possibly hold out?

In front of the empty City Hall building, only the made-up Lei Mengde stood guard. The moment Wu Chang captured Mo Ke, he had notified this partner to head to City Hall.

Lei Mengde had infiltrated the Second Laboratory once and knew where the lab's entrance was.

He led the group to a freight elevator, opened a hidden elevator panel, swiped Mo Ke's ID card to light up the panel, then tapped sublevel five.

As the freight elevator descended, the group passed through a corridor and entered Hymn Company's Second Laboratory.

Inside the lab, Lei Mengde didn't rush to the Hive, but first activated the lab's automatic defense system, sealing the entire laboratory shut.

Then he turned to Mo Ke and said:

"Mr. Mo Ke, no one's going to disturb us now. There are some questions I hope you can answer."

Mo Ke shook his head and said, "Lei Mengde, drop the act. I knew it had to be you."

Lei Mengde peeled off the simulated skin on his face and said noncommittally, "Are you really sure?"

Mo Ke said, "I can basically confirm it. The moment we met earlier, I used mind control on you, but the ability didn't take effect, which means you possess a similar ability. And the Hymn Hunters who infiltrated the Second Laboratory and stole the Delinquent Monster Conversion Agent most likely used hypnosis or mind control to do it."

Lei Mengde said, oddly, "Since you already had your suspicions, why did you still come out? Weren't you afraid I'd trace your location from our phone calls?"

Mo Ke sighed and said, "You were tracking me—wasn't I tracking you too? I just happened to be one move behind, that's all."

"As for why I came out, you know better than I do."

Lei Mengde frowned and looked questioningly at Wu Chang. Wu Chang shook his head, signaling he didn't know either.

Lei Mengde asked, "What do you mean?"

Mo Ke was a bit baffled by Lei Mengde's question. Seeing that Lei Mengde's expression didn't seem fake, he said, puzzled:

"Just yesterday, a powerful hacker infiltrated the Hymn Building, broke into the company's servers, and tampered with a Level 9 clearance, using it to steal a large amount of classified data. If he strikes again, only my Level 9.5 clearance can suppress him—force him into the laboratory and make it impossible for him to escape."

"That wasn't your guys' doing?"

Lei Mengde raised his head. Wu Chang and the others all shook their heads in unison. Colton said, "Hymn Company's firewall uses a special encryption method. I've tried many times and couldn't even find a vulnerability—it must have been the group hunting us."

Mo Ke understood now—these supernaturally powered fellows seemed to be two separate groups.

The ones who kidnapped him and the ones who hacked into Hymn Company were not the same group.

Lei Mengde laughed upon hearing this. "Then we should thank them. Without his actions, getting you to come out wouldn't have been easy."

Mo Ke sat in the chair, his face dark.

He had originally assumed that among Lei Mengde's group there was that mysterious hacker, who, by infiltrating the server, already knew about the Sid Town incident back then, and knew that he was the one who orchestrated the Sid Massacre.

So he had prepared to walk into the trap himself, deliberately exposing his location, letting Lei Mengde know he had come out.

Lei Mengde, seeking revenge, will surely re-enter the Second Laboratory, using the method of entering the Nest to force him to show himself.

At that time, he will use his second-highest Level 9.5 clearance, after Schulz, to lock Lei Mengde inside the Second Laboratory, then eliminate them through the Nest.

Even the earlier deployment of Gold Employee and Booker and others to engage in combat was assumed to be due to Lei Mengde's cowardice—he needed enough Gold Employees distracted before daring to strike the Second Laboratory.

Thus, Mo Ke decided to play along, openly letting Lei Mengde know that all his Gold Employees were already tied up—it was time to infiltrate the Second Laboratory.

But he never expected that Gold Employees equipped with Primal Armor would be subdued "bare-handed" by Booker and his group, who had no Primal Armor.

By the time he realized something was wrong and tried to leave, he encountered Wu Chang—and that's how he ended up captured.

Lei Mengde had no intention of wasting time and asked:

"Mr. Mo Ke, what does the Hymn Project mean?" Mo Ke sneered. "Did Farrell tell you?"

Lei Mengde said nothing.

Mo Ke said: "Do you think I'll tell you? Your hypnosis doesn't work on me—don't waste your effort. If you want revenge, just act."

Lei Mengde used his hypnosis ability; just as Mo Ke's mental control failed to affect him, his own ability could not influence Mo Ke either.

As Lei Mengde was at a loss, Wu Chang said: "Maybe I can try."

He removed the Electromagnetic Controller, activated Mind Resonance, and launched a psychic strike at Mo Ke.

Psychic users cannot affect each other unless one's psychic power is stronger—Wu Chang's psychic strike, driven by 162 points of Inspiration, easily pierced Mo Ke's mental barrier; if he wished, he could have destroyed Mo Ke's will outright, turning him into Bai Chi.

Having pierced the mental barrier, Mo Ke was instantly controlled by Wu Chang, who said: "From now on, you cannot lie or remain silent. You must answer all our questions formally and completely."

"I ask again: what is the Hymn Project?"

Mo Ke's face twisted in struggle, but soon he was fully controlled, his gaze dull as he said:

"The Hymn Project is a demonstration of ability, designed to showcase the power of finished Primal Armor and secure global investment for rapid development of second-generation Primal Armor."

Wu Chang said: "Give me details."

!

Mo Ke seemed to abandon resistance and revealed the full Hymn Project.

The Hymn Project began with the Disqualified Monsters and Primal Armor; after Schulz developed both technologies, he and the senior executives of Hymn Corp discovered that combining Primal Armor with Psychic Activation Surgery could awaken latent extraordinary powers already present within the human body.

This power transcended human limits, enabling feats only gods could accomplish in myth—meaning, mastering this power could turn humans into gods themselves.

But the problem was that current Primal Armor could only trigger extremely weak special abilities; though powerful individually, their impact and destructive force were far inferior to those of Disqualified Monsters.

In a sense, Disqualified Monsters were more like the true form of divine existence.

If the controllability of Primal Armor could be fused with the Disqualified Domain of Disqualified Monsters, wouldn't that make one a true god?

But a new problem arose: researching Primal Armor and Disqualified Monsters had already consumed all of Hymn Corp's resources; to advance further, they needed expansion—and external support.

They needed the entire world, at least the entire Federation's backing.

To gain external support, they had to demonstrate sufficient potential, convincing the world that Primal Armor technology was humanity's future.

Thus, the Hymn Project was born.

"Hymn" originally referred to songs written to praise gods—but in Hymn Corp's Hymn Project, it chronicled humanity's impending ascension to godhood.

Sacrifice is inevitable on the path to success.

The Hymn Project mirrored the Sid Massacre, which once promoted psychic weapons—except this time, the event wouldn't occur in some small town, but in the Federation's second-largest city, Wildo City.

Or rather, Wildo City only became the second-largest city because it was deliberately destroyed—only through its annihilation could it attract endless investment, rising from obscurity.

Since ancient times, those who amassed great wealth and power sought immortality.

Schulz and several Level 9 partners traveled the world, convincing the tiniest elite of billionaires that Primal Armor could turn humans into gods.

Investing in the Hymn Project meant becoming among the first human gods.

Moretz, Cohen, and Caven were major shareholders; residents of Orens Estate and numerous companies along Second Street were minor shareholders.

They managed Wildo City to obtain firsthand information on the project and witness firsthand the power of Primal Armor and the destruction of Wildo City.

Supporting the Hymn Project, in some sense, ranked just below ascending to Lolli Island—wealthy elites abandoned all human morality for their own desires.

Since joining the Hymn Project, they no longer cared for wealth, reputation, or anything else—they only wanted to witness the power of Primal Armor.

All top billionaires in Wildo City were participants in the Hymn Project; they knew clearly that Disqualified Monsters originated from Hymn Corp.

Even after each Disqualified Monster rampage through the city, they received firsthand video footage and data analysis, watching as Primal Armor improved with every strike.

But video and data were indirect intelligence; to ensure shareholder safety, they rarely participated directly.

Thus, upon witnessing the horror of Disqualified Monsters, Moretz and others felt no anger over their villas being destroyed—they instead applauded excitedly.

Previous managers were too timid, always avoiding the wealthy districts.

To observe Disqualified Monsters up close, to experience their power to effortlessly crush entire armies, then witness Gold Employees equipped with Primal Armor effortlessly slay them.

What did this mean?

It meant that possessing Primal Armor was indeed the first step beyond ordinary humanity—their hope of becoming gods had become far more real!

How could this not move them?

As for the subsequent massive orders, Moretz and others didn't need them—they merely leveraged Xiao En's status to cultivate connections and increase investment.

The Disqualified Monster attack on Second Street was identical to the situation at Orens Estate.

Whether the Disqualified Monsters wandering near Wildo City, or Gluttonous Ants and Pressure Mushrooms, they were merely appetizers for the Hymn Project.

To capture global attention and secure worldwide support, they needed a disaster capable of threatening the entire world.

Ordinary Disqualified Monsters could never fulfill such a role.

Thus, the true antagonist of the Hymn Project was the Nest, stored deep within the Second Laboratory.

At the start of the Hymn Project, the Nest would emerge from the earth and attack all of Wildo City.

The Nest would fully display its power, plunging the world into terror—then Hymn Corp would deploy their strongest Primal Armor to destroy the Nest.

With the terrifying pressure of the Disqualified Monster Nest and the promise of Primal Armor for humanity acting in tandem, global support would naturally follow.

After hearing Mo Ke's description, Lei Mengde's face turned grim. Wu Chang clicked his tongue and said:

"This plan wasn't your idea, was it?"

Mo Ke nodded and said, "It was indeed my idea."

Wu Chang shook his head—he knew it well; the Hymn Plan, with its flashy name, was nothing but a rehash of the massive Sid Tragedy.

When Saint Song Corp first rose to power, making energy weapons known to the public, they pulled this very trick—now they were repeating it.

Mo Ke's explanation was reasonable, and since he was currently under control, he clearly couldn't be lying.

But Wu Chang felt something wasn't right—Mo Ke had a simple mind, always recycling the same tactic; the method was crude and shocking, yes, but times had changed. Saint Song Corp was at its peak, and with Schultz's style, there were ten thousand ways to advance Primordial Armaments—why choose this one?

Wu Chang had a premonition—the Hymn Plan wasn't as simple as it seemed.

But no matter what the true nature of the Hymn Plan was, resolving the Hive's threat was the immediate priority.

If Mo Ke's words were true, once the Hymn Plan began, the Hive would attack Wildo City, and their main quest three would surely fail.

The Hive wouldn't be like them, targeting only sparsely populated key facilities when causing destruction.

Fortunately, according to Mo Ke, the countdown Wu Chang had seen was the Hymn Plan's countdown.

With time still remaining, the Hive had not yet reached its optimal maturity—this was the perfect moment to eliminate it early.

(End of Chapter)