"God."
When these two words came out of Lin Mo's mouth, Child Emperor's mind went blank for a moment.
"God…?"
It was a long while before Child Emperor squeezed out these two dry syllables from deep within his throat.
His voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like his own, as if every word had drained all his strength.
"This is impossible…"
Child Emperor instinctively retorted, speaking more to himself than to Lin Mo.
"God" was simply impossible for a genius scientist like him.
"There can't be such… an omnipotent individual in the universe."
"Don't be nervous, Child Emperor, calm down. It's just a codename," Lin Mo said, trying to comfort him as he looked at Child Emperor's pale face.
"And the 'God' I'm talking about isn't the religious God you understand."
Lin Mo's eyes were incredibly profound, reflecting the humanoid silhouette in the holographic image as he continued, "Actually, compared to those 'omnipotent' Gods, I prefer to call it a higher-dimensional 'life form.'"
"Higher-dimensional life form…"
This phrase enlightened Child Emperor, and his scientific instincts began to awaken. He started trying to analyze this concept using logic he could understand.
"Thump… thump… thump…"
The sound of the Emperor Engine's heartbeat echoed in the silent laboratory once more, giving Child Emperor a strange sense of security.
Finally, Child Emperor stopped trembling.
He slowly raised his head, and the childish innocence on his young face had completely disappeared, replaced by a calmness and resolve beyond his years.
"I understand, Mr. KING."
Though his voice was still a bit hoarse, it had regained its clarity and coherence, with every word spoken forcefully.
"You are right. Whatever it is, it exists, it is hostile towards us, and it is trying to interfere with our world."
"These three points are enough."
Child Emperor walked back to the operating console, his hands flying across the virtual keyboard.
He quickly split the holographic image into dozens of small windows, retrieving and analyzing every detail of the mural.
A hint of approval flashed in Lin Mo's eyes.
As expected of Child Emperor, he recovered from the immense shock in such a short time and immediately entered a combat-ready state.
"That's right," Lin Mo affirmed his deduction, "So, there are two urgent matters."
"First," Child Emperor immediately picked up the conversation. He didn't even turn around, all his attention focused on the screen in front of him.
His brain had fully entered a wartime state, and his thought speed was astonishing.
"Completely eradicate the Monster Association."
"This is not only to eliminate the immediate threat but also to better cope with future crises, and… we need a live specimen, a live specimen related to 'God.'"
"And second?" Lin Mo asked, wanting to see the depth of the boy's thoughts.
"Second," Child Emperor's expression became extremely serious. He stopped his operations, turned around, and looked directly at Lin Mo.
"Initiate a top-priority analysis project on 'God' itself."
He extended a finger, drawing a large framework in the air.
"We need to develop new detection equipment to capture and identify 'God's unique energy reactions or mental fluctuations."
"And we need to establish targeted psychic defense technology. The contaminating effect of that spiral symbol must be cracked!"
The more Child Emperor spoke, the calmer his mind became. At this moment, he was no longer afraid or flustered; instead, he became somewhat excited.
"I need the assistance of all top psychologists and brain scientists from the Association, otherwise our heroes might not even have a chance to act before suffering mental breakdowns when facing it."
"We also need to analyze the essence of its power. If we can crack this technology, perhaps… we can not only find a way to counter monsters but even turn it around and use it!"
Lin Mo listened quietly and nodded.
Child Emperor's analysis had far exceeded his expectations.
He wasn't just thinking about defense, but also about how to counterattack and turn the enemy's weapons against them.
"Your ideas are excellent."
Lin Mo's gaze never left the holographic projection as he continued, "Regarding 'God,' based on my investigation underground and analysis of some special monsters, I've discovered a pattern."
Lin Mo's voice became even deeper, "This 'God' seems unable to easily manifest its true form directly in this world."
"It seems it can only indirectly interact with this world through others."
These words were half-truths.
Half were his summary based on the original manga plot, and half were improvised on the spot to make it all sound more convincing.
The information from underground was just a few scattered words recorded by Little KING in the game.
But he had read the original work and knew that "God" had never personally intervened.
What a pity… he had only finished the Garou arc.
Mainly, ONE-sensei updated too slowly, and he wanted to accumulate more chapters before reading, but then he transmigrated.
If he could have seen the later plot, perhaps he would have known more about God.
Just as Lin Mo felt regret over the lack of information, his words stirred up a storm in Child Emperor's heart.
Analysis of special monsters?
Could it be… that Mr. KING had known about the existence of "God" for a long time and had been secretly investigating, and even fighting, It alone for a long time?
In an instant, countless fragments of past intelligence, countless seemingly illogical details, flashed through Child Emperor's mind.
Finally, with a "click," they perfectly fit together, forming a picture that was overwhelmingly shocking.
If he remembered correctly, Mr. KING only became known to the public after he instantly defeated the Dragon-level disaster "Vaccine Man" previously.
Since then, he frequently visited the uninhabited zone of Z-City!
Association records showed he went several times each month! Wasn't that the Monster Association's main base, and also the location of this underground altar?
All the past doubts suddenly became clear at this moment.
He finally understood why KING always appeared at the most crucial moment in the most crucial place;
Why he always remained unfazed when facing any enemy powerful enough to destroy a city;
Why his eyes were always so profound, as if he had already foreseen the outcome of everything.
Because what he carried, what he gazed upon, was no longer the Monster Association entrenched on the surface, but the "God" lurking in the depths, looking down upon the entire world…!