The native he faced clearly lacked combat experience. Their previous battles likely relied on technological superiority, rendering skill irrelevant.
However, against a survivor like Zhang Chen, who possessed both strength and extensive combat experience, Maglan's boasted capabilities appeared laughably weak.
The instant Xiao Ruan drained the handbag's energy, Mo Ran transformed into a black fluid and infiltrated Maglan's body. Without the protection of an energy grid, a native was nothing more than an ordinary person.
Maglan stood frozen, his eyes vacant. The briefcase in his right hand clattered to the ground. From his left hand, a metal sphere dropped.
Zhang Chen held the metal sphere, covered in unfamiliar symbols and intricate patterns. It seemed designed for operation via various hand gestures using different fingers, a stark contrast to typical joysticks and buttons. This device offered more complex control but greater flexibility once mastered.
"Truly a delicate little thing!" Zhang Chen remarked, examining the sphere.
A line of text slowly materialized beside the metal sphere:
[Controller 2.0, the crystallization of the Progressive faction's technology. Standard survival equipment for non-combat personnel, requiring an external energy source for use.]
"Controller? What an arrogant name. Does the Progressive faction truly believe this trinket can control everything?" Zhang Chen scoffed. He then stored the Controller 2.0 in the Progressive faction's armory.
"Alright, Dad, ask away if you have any questions!" Maglan suddenly regained his composure, speaking with a pleasant smile.
Even knowing Mo Ran was inside, the way he spoke, coupled with his peculiar demeanor, still made Zhang Chen uncomfortable.
"Ask him to introduce himself!" Zhang Chen requested.
"He's called Maglan, a researcher for the Progressive faction!" Maglan replied casually.
"Why did he come to this world? And did the natives visit this world before, leaving behind beacon transmitters for the humans here? What was the purpose of that?" Zhang Chen inquired.
Though it appeared only Zhang Chen and Maglan were present, in reality, it was Zhang Chen and Mo Ran, with Maglan serving as a mere tool for memory storage. Mo Ran could control Maglan, mimicking his voice and habits, but retrieving memories required an additional step. He hadn't achieved a complete impersonation, nor did Mo Ran desire to become someone else entirely. Thus, their conversation was conducted using third-person pronouns.
"Mmm... In previous spatial experiments, the natives did visit here, causing this world to be invaded by the apocalyptic virus," Mo Ran stated. "Furthermore, through repeated spatial traversal experiments, the natives discovered that if they actively crossed over, their stay would be very brief. However, if people from a parallel world opened a portal and allowed the natives in, their stay in that world would be much longer!"
"Many natives now view parallel worlds as their sanctuaries and paradises. With their power, they can kill and indulge without restraint. After all, there are countless parallel worlds; destroying one simply means finding another. It's no great loss."
"However, many scientists in the Progressive faction have maintained their rationality. While enjoying themselves in parallel worlds, they haven't forgotten their research! Maglan's area of responsibility was the research into human baselines," Mo Ran explained in detail using Maglan's vocal cords.
"Researching human baselines? Doesn't this world have psychology? That doesn't seem like high-end research!" Zhang Chen frowned.
"Psychology... What is that?" Mo Ran asked with a bewildered expression.
"It's... studying the relationships between people, how individuals with different personalities behave in various situations, the relationships between organizations, and so on..." Zhang Chen struggled to articulate, "I can't explain it perfectly, but that's roughly the idea!"
"Mmm... It seems there's no information on this topic."
"Because the natives discovered that controlling轮回者 (reincarnators) via rings wasn't 100% effective. Some powerful individuals had low-level rings, weakening their control!" Mo Ran continued. "To ensure their absolute dominance over the轮回者, they began conducting human experiments, seeking to understand the choices and behaviors of轮回者 under extreme conditions."
"What a strange world. They possess such advanced genetic technology, yet psychology is so underdeveloped that it requires research!" Zhang Chen shook his head in exasperation. "Watching a few movies or TV shows could provide a general understanding of human nature."
"Scientific research requires rigorous data, not subjective feelings. Therefore, extensive experimentation is necessary, as Maglan believed."
"Additionally... I discovered from his mind that he was supervising another experiment called the 'Newborn Plan'!" Mo Ran's brow furrowed slightly at this point, as if encountering something unsettling.
"Newborn Plan? What does that mean?" Zhang Chen pressed.
"The Newborn Plan is a project by the natives to study the performance of newborns between轮回者," Mo Ran explained. "This includes the offspring of natives and轮回者, as well as offspring from the same or different generations of轮回者..."
"They captured many women from parallel worlds and among the轮回者, conducting reproductive experiments in other parallel worlds. However, the outcome was that no newborns were successfully born—both the mother and fetus died..." Mo Ran said, her expression conveying great pain, as if she had absorbed related data and visuals during the memory retrieval. Shortly after, she began to vomit.
"No newborns were born?" Zhang Chen exclaimed in shock. If humanity were to have no descendants, no matter how powerful the current generation, the only outcome would be extinction. No monsters or beasts would be needed; this alone was cause for despair.
"That's right. Therefore, the Progressive faction plans to restart the previously abandoned 'New Human Plan,' beginning to create cyborgs again. They intend to adapt to the apocalyptic world by possessing cyborgs and thereby reproduce and continue civilization!" Mo Ran replied.
"Possessing cyborgs? Have these guys set their sights on Xiaobai again?" Zhang Chen pondered for a moment before asking the most crucial question.
"Next question: Where is your headquarters?!"