Chapter 688: Mysteries of the Deep Summoner

“We don’t know what that thing is either.”

“But we do know that ever since the base was built, that thing hasn’t moved an inch.”

“It’s like a plant—flesh that can breathe and writhe…”

….

Ten minutes later, Yenir furrowed his brows as he stared at the Rebel Third-Stage Awakener, who had asked the same question repeatedly with no new answers.

Although Yenir had done his best to preserve the other’s consciousness, it seemed this guy genuinely didn’t know what the Summoner really was. No matter how he prodded, the only responses were those same few words.

Inside the metallic hemisphere was nothing but a mass of flesh—a bundle of life force at its peak, yet completely devoid of consciousness.

It was more like a plant, or even better, a flesh-and-blood machine.

Of course, after some deep thought, Yenir began to realize even more.

1. This thing has existed for ages—at least for ten years, if not longer.

2. In its early days, no one really knew about it. According to the controlled Rebel Third-Stage Awakener, they only discovered this oddity within the past year.

Before then, Base Two only had eighteen floors; anything beyond that was kept secret, even left unbuilt.

3. This thing needs to feed, too. The pair of White Bones that Yenir saw were merely the leftovers from the Deep-Sea Summoner’s feast. For that reason, a vast, unimaginable tunnel was constructed beneath the entire base, leading straight to the Yellow Sea Area.

…

“So, this thing isn’t a Sea Beast or even a mutant. Then why call it the Deep-Sea Summoner?”

“That title clearly carries a historical weight…”

Exhaling a long, weary sigh, Yenir rubbed his brow, feeling that the mystery was deepening.

Beside him, Ming Luo and the others were equally puzzled, their brows knitted in confusion.

“Lord Yenir, could it be that this thing is the product of some extraordinary event? Something like a meme or a special life form?”

“Years ago, the Rebel High-Ranking Officers discovered it and eventually built this base atop it. Perhaps even all the conspiracies can be traced back to it?”

Ming Luo pondered hard before voicing his theory.

No sooner had he spoken than Yenir hesitantly nodded, acknowledging his idea.

But Yenir’s thoughts ran even deeper than Ming Luo’s. He suspected that the secrets of the Mother were intrinsically linked to this thing. The term ‘Deep-Sea Summoner’ always evoked an air of another realm.

“Summoner… but who exactly is being summoned?”

“The Rebels invest so much effort in nurturing this creature—it can’t possibly be just a lump of inert flesh…”

As if struck by a new thought, Yenir raised his eyebrows and revisited one of Ming Luo’s earlier questions:

“By the way, what did you mean by ‘fish’ earlier?”

“What did you see when you lost control? Why did you lose control?”

His tone was laden with doubt.

Yenir recalled clearly that before entering, he had witnessed survivors in a similar state—their minds utterly shattered.

At his query, Ming Luo was momentarily stunned before he quickly answered:

“Lord Yenir, ‘fish’ refers to what we saw before we stepped in.”

“During the first round, some survivors went haywire; a few of them were writhing on the ground like fish. And for us, after entering, it felt as if we caught a glimpse of something before we lost consciousness.”

A flash of memory crossed Ming Luo’s eyes as he hesitated, then added a remark that even he found odd:

“I felt… during the test, I almost turned into a fish. But it wasn’t that I was controlled—I wonder if I was one from the very start!?”

After he finished speaking, Ming Luo took a deep breath, and the other Military Third-Stage Awakener nodded in bewilderment.

“That’s right, Lord Yenir.”

“It’s hard to put into words—we felt as if we’d returned to our original form, and that form was… a fish!”

“And the loss of self-awareness—no, not a loss of self, but a reversion—seemed to make us even more prone to uncontrolled bursts of mental power!”

“It was as if our mental power turned into a force that controlled us!”

Yenir was momentarily stunned by this description, struggling to grasp the state they had experienced.

A reversion?

He noticed that Ming Luo and the others were eager to emphasize that they hadn’t been controlled—they really had been transformed into ‘fish.’

That realization sent a chill crawling up Yenir’s spine.

“So, the stronger your mental power, the more vulnerable you are to being controlled?”

Furrowing his brows even tighter, Yenir immediately recalled the anomalies his own test had caused. It seemed his excessive mental power had drawn the Rebels’ attention.

“Zombies, fish… what exactly are these Rebels up to?”

The truth remained elusive. Yenir had hoped to uncover some clues, but the deeper he delved, the more it felt like an unfathomable secret was just beginning to emerge.

At first, he thought the Rebels intended to create a batch of artificial mutants. Later, he even suspected they were trying to manufacture someone like him.

But now, it appeared they were producing a whole bunch of fish.

“Lord Yenir! Please be extremely careful! Your test tomorrow is bound to be far more troublesome than ours!”

“By then, all the Rebel High-Ranking Officers will be present—I really think the risk might be too high!”

Before Yenir could connect the dots, Ming Luo looked at him with worry and warned him.

In hindsight, their loss of control seemed inevitable.

Had Yenir been present, the commotion would have been even greater!

Frankly, Ming Luo could scarcely imagine the scale of chaos if Yenir lost control during the test. If the Rebels discovered his true identity and struck while he was unconscious, the consequences would be unthinkable!

That’s why Ming Luo even contemplated advising Yenir to call it quits!

“The test is just too bizarre! Frankly, your personal safety is more important than any strategic objective of the Military!”

“I understand your concerns. I promise I’ll be cautious.”

Noticing the worry on Ming Luo and the others, Yenir showed no sign of backing down.

He knew full well that tomorrow’s test would be no small matter, but having come this far, Yenir refused to give up.

If he were to quit now—vanish immediately and return to the Capital—the Mother would surely know that Yenir had once infiltrated this place.

(I won’t get into trouble that easily unless there are over a dozen Peak Third-Stage individuals present during the test. And that, only if they all act decisively the moment I lose control. Otherwise, given my physical condition, I should stay awake long enough to regain my senses.)

Yenir had plenty of cards up his sleeve, so he wasn’t worried about his own safety.

Especially since he always felt that his test was completely different from what Ming Luo and the others experienced.

There was a strong possibility that he was the Rebels’ experimental subject for creating someone like ‘him’!