The "ghost ship" ripped through the night mist of Manila Bay, leaving the Gene Alliance island, a festering wound, far behind. The atmosphere on board wasn't entirely one of triumph, but rather one of exhaustion and heaviness after surviving. Buakaw leaned against the side, silently wiping the burn marks on his arm from the energy beam. Aisha's face was pale, nearly exhausted from the excessive psychic energy consumed to maintain long-range resonance. Nguyen Thi Mai controlled the currents and steered the ship, her breathing more rapid than usual. Even the weathered Danilo, watching the fading outline of the island, his eyes filled with mixed emotions—a mixture of joy at having rescued some of his companions and concern for those still trapped.
Lin Xingyun sat in the center of the boat, tightly clutching the cold data storage module he had brought from the island. This small piece of metal weighed a ton; it might contain innumerable pieces of evidence of the Gene Alliance's crimes, or perhaps even point to the unsettling "Reaper Project." Without wasting a moment, he signaled to Danilo that he needed a relatively safe place where he could connect specific equipment. Danilo understood and, instead of returning to the perilous city of Manila, steered the boat towards a more secluded fishing village on the other side of the bay. This seemingly ordinary place was actually a key secret base of the "Sons of Barangay." In a shack reeking of fish and motor oil, Danilo unloaded a crude terminal device modified to bypass conventional network monitoring.
A storage module was plugged into the port, and data streamed across the screen like a stream in the darkness. Cracking the Gene Alliance's encryption protocol took some effort, but once the first layer of defense was breached, the information that poured out made the onlookers gasp.
A vast amount of experimental data, genetic sequence analysis, and records of psychic fluctuations...all pointed to one core point: the Gene Alliance was systematically studying and attempting to "optimize" and even "control" the Awakened in Southeast Asia. The report described the abilities of the local Awakened as "a valuable resource imbued with primal wildness," but also emphasized their "uncontrollability" and "low obedience." Fragments of information from the "Reaper Project" indicate this is far more than simple enslavement. Its ultimate goal appears to be to counter a massive extraterrestrial or higher-dimensional threat known as "cyclical ecological adjustment." Southeast Asia's "primitive psychic energy" is viewed as a crucial "buffer resource" or "sacrifice"!
"They...they use living people as...batteries? Or sacrifices?" Aisha's voice trembled as she stared in disbelief at the cold data and photos of the miserable test subjects on the screen.
"Just to counter a so-called threat, we can arbitrarily deprive others of their lives and freedom? What a bullshit!" Buakaw punched a nearby wooden box, shattering it instantly.
Lin Xingyun's face darkened with a terrifying gloom. He recalled the ancient will he had sensed at Borobudur and the vague references in the "Star Spirit Atlas" regarding cosmic psychic energy tides and civilization cycles. The Gene Alliance's actions were extreme and evil, but the "threat" they spoke of was likely not groundless.
However, even more chilling discoveries lay ahead. Deep within the ocean of data, a set of records, repeatedly encrypted and labeled "abnormal interference," caught Lin Xingyun's attention. These records revealed that a distinct, cold, and obscure energy had been detected in certain Awakened individuals of specific bloodlines captured by the Gene Alliance. This energy had interfered with the Gene Alliance's experiments, even leading to several serious accidents. The report tentatively named it "Ghost Coding" and suspected a third party was secretly coveting or sabotaging their "harvest" operations.
At the end of the data was a brief warning memorandum, noting that the energy signature of this "Ghost Coding" closely matched certain ritual energies of the "Shadow Snakes," an ancient and mysterious sorcerer group active in the Cambodia-Thailand border region. The memorandum suggested that the "Shadow Snakes" might also be screening or marking specific Awakened individuals. Their purpose was unknown, but it recommended that senior management pay attention and, if necessary, implement strategies of "elimination" or "cooperation."
Shadow Snakes!
Lin Xingyun's pupils constricted, and a faint phantom pain recurred on his arm, where the "ghost eye mark" had recently disappeared. Everything connected! The Gene Alliance was the predator in the open, while the Shadow Serpent was the lurker in the shadows! They were both vying for the "resources" awakened after the Spirit Rain!
"We must go to Cambodia," Lin Xingyun raised his head, scanning his companions. "To Angkor Wat. Not only to stop the Gene Alliance, but also to understand the Shadow Serpent's true intentions. It's a focal point of ancient energy and may be the core of this mystery."
This decision was universally agreed. Danilo pledged to lead the "Sons of Barangay" to continue to contain the Gene Alliance's activities in the Philippines and provide them with follow-up support.
After a brief rest in a fishing village overnight, replenishing their water and food (primarily grilled dried fish and bananas), Lin Xingyun and the other three set out again at dawn the next day. They boarded a cargo ship bound for Vung Tau, Vietnam, from which they planned to travel overland to Cambodia.
The journey was initially uneventful. The four of them hurriedly recovered their psychic energy and digested the astonishing information they had gleaned from the data. Lin Xingyun even attempted to further comprehend his newly acquired "Compassionate Buddha's Hand Pattern," hoping to more quickly grasp its essence of purification and protection.
However, just as the cargo ship reached the central Gulf of Thailand, something unusual occurred.
The previously clear sky suddenly darkened without warning, and a gray mist drifted over the sea. This mist was not naturally formed, carrying a cold, soul-sickening aura. The sea breeze grew silent, even the crashing of the waves seemed to be absorbed, and a dead silence fell all around.
"Something... is nearby," Nguyen Thi Mai was the first to notice. The silver ring on her earlobe trembled uneasily. She was most sensitive to the element of water, but now the water beneath her feet felt "viscous" and "unfamiliar," as if something had contaminated the waters.
Ayesha also felt a palpitation. The aura of the pattern on the batik cloth she carried with her grew dim and uncertain. Buakaw stood up warily, his muscles tense. His bestial instincts told him to sense extreme danger. Lin Xingyun's eyes snapped open, sensing a familiar, sinister, and cold psychic surge. It was the unique energy of the "Shadow Serpent"! Furthermore, it was far more powerful than the previous encounters with the Shadow Serpent and the old man who cast a spell!
The fog thickened, and visibility plummeted. The crew on the cargo ship also noticed something was amiss, their cries of terror distant and distorted in the mist.
Suddenly, a faint sound, like the low sobbing of countless people or the crawling of insects, emanated from the fog on all sides. This sound had a direct impact on the human mind. Aisha and Nguyen Thi Mai's faces turned pale, and Buakaw felt a wave of disarray.
Then, from the dense fog, several blurry, distorted black figures slowly emerged. These figures, devoid of facial features, seemed composed of pure shadow and resentment. They floated on the sea, silently approaching the cargo ship—spiritual creations more advanced than the Shadow Serpent. An army of "ghosts"!
Behind these "ghosts," a more solid figure, clad in ancient black clothing and holding a small puppet emitting continuous black smoke, loomed. He raised his head, revealing a pair of dark eyes, completely devoid of white, as dark as the abyss, and locked directly with Lin Xingyun on the deck!
Cold, malicious mental waves surged like a tide:
"Star seeds... carrying stolen knowledge... Your soul is the best sacrifice to the 'Sleeping God'... Stay..."
The Shadow Serpent's pursuit was far faster and more treacherous than that of the Gene Alliance! A fierce battle atop the fog and sea had begun!
(End of Chapter 14)