Chapter 101: The Power of the Mind

Szczesny used his mind to control his ears, amplifying the sounds around him.

He heard the trembling sound of surgical instruments coming from the transformation chamber, and his eyelashes, which had turned from gold to black due to the influence of the Gene-Father, trembled slightly.

Szczesny felt somewhat dazed, as if he were still on the operating table.

Ever since he began receiving the Gaizao Shouhu, this feeling had occurred from time to time; even though he had recently advanced to the Sequence 8 "Fury of the People," he still could not adapt to this drastic change.

He was mentally dazed and did not know how much time had passed when the sound of footsteps rang in his ears.

"Szczesny, get up and move around; we are going to the 'Star Dome Deck'."

Bukayo's voice rang out; the "Midnight Poet" liked to imbue the things around him with poetry, and he called the deck where the Candidates moved about the Star Dome because they could see the stars of the void when they were active, allowing them to wake up from their half-asleep, half-awake state.

"Coming."

Szczesny's large hands pressed against the bed frame, and he sat up.

He paused for a moment and placed his hands in front of him; like the rest of his body, they were growing larger.

Szczesny knew that along with the food, he was swallowing stimulants and promoters, causing the muscles all over his body to swell and bulge bit by bit.

Sometimes, these disproportionate limbs and overly thick muscles made him feel like a rodent-octopus monster that deserved to be thrown into the Coral Sea to wait for death.

More often, he felt that he had become incomparably powerful and needed to find a way to vent the power and energy filling his entire body.

The way of the "Fury of the People" was the best way to vent; Szczesny sprang up from the bed, and there was no longer a trace of confusion in his eyes.

He pulled back the curtain, walked out of the cubicle, and then saw the equally tall Bukayo.

The two merged into the crowd; the twenty-eight former Vostonia Leaders enjoyed privileges and did not need to form groups of fifty like the others to go to the "Star Dome Deck."

A moment later, everyone arrived at the "Star Dome Deck," and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see the void.

While Bukayo was looking around, Szczesny could not wait to walk into a training cage.

Pressing the control key, a servitor slowly rose.

The "Fury of the People" let out a roar and took long strides to charge forward; his strength and speed surged suddenly.

Although the proportion of the increase was not as great as before, the degree of the increase was much larger.

The "Fury of the People" appeared in front of the servitor in an instant, swung his fist, and unleashed a "Fury Strike."

Boom, boom, boom!

Before the training servitor could even start its training program, it was smashed to pieces by the "Fury of the People" with a single punch, scattering all over the floor.

Szczesny took a deep breath and returned to calm.

Two days later in ship time, after tests showed no rejection, he immediately underwent the 12th Gaizao Shouhu: the implantation of the membrane.

The moment the flat, circular organ was implanted into the top of the cerebral cortex, Szczesny's body twitched, and then it began to tremble violently.

A moment later, the Chief Apothecary and the "Physician," having received the report, rushed to the transformation chamber.

Malena looked at Szczesny on the operating table with concern; he had not shown such a violent rejection reaction before.

The "Sailor" and "Fury of the People" that Szczesny had experienced in succession were both concentrated on the physical aspect; without having gained any mental reinforcement, he encountered the greatest challenge in the transformation process.

His long-solidified brain felt as if it had encountered a tsunami disaster amidst the violent changes.

Szczesny's complete memories were like a mirror smashed on the ground, shattering into countless pieces, and then they flashed rapidly through his mind.

Every single fragment stung him.

Blood could not help but flow from Szczesny's nose, and his trembling became more and more violent.

Just as he was suffering, a voice suddenly rang out in the depths of his mind.

"I believe that you will certainly be able to withstand the baptism of the Gaizao Shouhu and undergo a transformation."

That was the voice of the King he served, Ninglu, and also the voice of the Gene-Father!

Like a bolt from the blue, thoughts could not help but surge in Szczesny's mind simultaneously: 【Cannot let the King down, cannot let the Gene-Father down.】

His chaotic and shattered brain recovered its clarity in an instant.

Blood stopped flowing from Szczesny's nose, and his trembling body gradually returned to calm.

Seeing this scene, Malena breathed a sigh of relief; she knew that what Ninglu valued most were his old subordinates like Szczesny.

Although he did not show it much, the death of Luoersiliefu still made him feel sorrowful, and Malena did not want him to experience that again.

After Szczesny adapted to the membrane implantation, he opened his eyes and saw Malena.

"Malena, I am fine; thank you for everything you have done for me and the Sicilians."

Although Szczesny was not a Sicilian, he had integrated into that place ever since he went to the Cradle of the Sea, and his subordinates were all Sicilians.

Upon hearing this, the "Physician" suddenly felt as if the food in her body had been completely digested.

Having had a similar experience, she understood that she had fully mastered the power bestowed by Ninglu and had become a complete "Physician."

At the same moment, Vostonia.

Per Mertesacker was the first to walk out of the maze of the Lower Hive, heading toward the finish line, which was also the true starting point of the Road to Heaven.

He could not help but have the intensive assessment items of the past two months flash through his mind; the obstacle course was just the beginning, and the subsequent search for items in the factory was fraught with crises.

The maze he had just experienced was simply hell.

He had no food and no water, and he did not know how long he had stayed in that identical, endless maze.

There were even strange sounds and terrifying illusions; he had doubted countless times that he had already gone mad.

Per had wanted to pull out the Firework Bomb at his waist countless times to give up like the others, but he gritted his teeth and persisted.

He did not want to let his parents down, and he longed to serve the King Ninglu, but he did not want to be just an Auxilia; he wanted to be a superhuman Warrior like the black-armored giants.

Now, he had finally done it.

Staggering forward, Per's heart was full of joy and pride.

Thomas, standing at the finish line, had a flash of surprise in his eyes; as a master of the Mind, he had used the Psionic Crystal from the Crystal Illusion, bestowed by the Primarch, to set up a Large Psychic Illusion Array to test the will of the Candidates.

Everyone inside it would have their senses distorted.

Those with weak wills would soon give up, and only those with firm wills and keen perception could stand out.

This youth, who had consistently performed the best in previous trials, was once again the first to pass the trial, much faster than he had anticipated.

【He is, without a doubt, the best prospect in this trial.】

"Very good," Thomas walked in front of Peier and said approvingly, "You have passed the trial and performed excellently."

Peier, whose face was pale, could not help but smile; he had not let his parents down and had passed the trial.

Ten months after leaving Vostonia, Ninglu led the fleet back.

Upon arriving at the homeworld, Ninglu immediately realized that a large number of matters awaited his handling.

After the Primarch pondered, he decided, according to priority, to first meet with the representatives of the Adeptus Mechanicus to finalize the design plan for the Legion Monastery.

This was because the other matters were not urgently waiting to begin, but were already in progress; he only needed to listen to briefings and issue further instructions, so even if handled later, it would not affect their orderly progression.

(End of this chapter)