“Dar… Darwin?! Dr. Darwin Wilson?!!!”
Te Ye’s voice was distorted from being squeezed, filled with incredible horror.
That was Darwin Wilson, a global top-tier biologist whom he deeply respected!
Half a year ago, his private research vessel mysteriously went missing in the South Pacific; the authorities announced all personnel were lost, and not much wreckage was even found!
At this moment, Darwin looked completely unharmed, even a few years younger, wearing the same white research suit.
Only his eyes… were a dead, blank space, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, not even a hint of recognizing Te Ye.
Hearing his name, Darwin slowly turned his stiff neck, those eyes that once shone with the light of wisdom, now like two cold glass beads, indifferently sweeping over Te Ye’s contorted face.
There was no ripple of old friends reuniting in his gaze, no fear of being in a desperate situation, only a complete, bone-chchilling emptiness and obedience.
He walked over to Yuan Mei, his lips moving, quickly saying something at a volume only the two of them could hear.
Te Ye was pressed to the ground.
He could only deduce from the lip movements and Darwin’s occasional glances at his helmet recorder.
It seemed to be saying: “…top global adventure streamer… huge fan base… sudden complete disappearance… will cause excessive attention and investigation… risk of information leakage… not suitable for exposure… suggest transformation… supplement research samples…”
After listening, Yuan Mei’s gaze, sharp behind his glasses, fell on Te Ye and his helmet recorder, as if evaluating an item’s potential value and risk.
He nodded, then raised his right hand again, this time making a more definite gesture.
Inside the platform, two researchers in fully sealed silver sterile suits pushed a half-human-height, low-temperature sealed box emitting chilling white vapor, walking quickly.
The box opened, revealing over a dozen independent, transparent small compartments filled with pale blue liquid.
In each compartment, a peculiar creature the size of a fingernail lay quietly dormant!
They were translucent all over, like jellyfish, but inside, a constantly flowing, eerie blue light, like a neural network, flickered—Mind Control Demon Bug!
“No! No! Don’t! What the hell are those things?! Let me go! Let me go!!”
When Te Ye saw those tiny things wriggling slightly in the liquid, an ultimate fear, surpassing death, erupted from the depths of his Soul!
He instantly understood what Darwin’s “transformation” meant!
He burst forth with unprecedented strength, struggling wildly, his helmet scraping against the metal floor, emitting a piercing screech, his roars almost tearing his vocal cords.
Billy was being choked to the point of near unconsciousness, only able to make dying “gurgling” sounds, his body convulsing like a fish out of water.
Mike was held down by two Lizardmen, letting out bestial roars and curses, his eyes bulging with rage.
The researcher expressionlessly put on special insulated gloves, opened one of the compartments, and precisely pinched a Brain-Controlling Demon Insect with two fingers.
After leaving the liquid, its translucent body subtly contracted, and the eerie blue light inside accelerated its flow, as if awakened.
The researcher ignored Te Ye’s eyes, which were almost bursting from their sockets, filled with extreme fear and pleading.
He ignored the broken, near-collapse desperate roars squeezed from his throat, his movements stable, precise, and efficient as he gently pressed the cold, slimy, jelly-like creature.
Lightly pressed it onto Te Ye’s right temple!
“Ugh ah ah ah ah ah—!!!”
Te Ye’s scream was so shrill it surpassed the limits of human vocal range.
Like being thrown into boiling oil!
His body suddenly arched backward, as if struck by high-voltage electricity!
The face beneath his helmet instantly contorted beyond human recognition!
He felt two streams of icy, bone-chilling, highly corrosive “consciousness flow” like red-hot branding irons.
Instantly piercing his skin and skull!
Countless cold, barbed “neural tentacles” brutally stabbed into his cerebral cortex, savagely tearing at his thoughts, memories, and emotions!
The excruciating pain did not come from the physical body, but from the terror of his Soul being torn apart!
A vast, cold entity, carrying absolute will and an irresistible command of worship!
Like a tsunami, it instantly overwhelmed all his personality barriers and will defenses!
His past memories, knowledge, and even his love for exploration were completely packaged and archived.
But the core “self” named “Terence Johnson” was instantly overwritten, erased, and replaced with an absolutely loyal Bug Clan Family!
His struggles ceased, and his stiff body went limp.
In his hollow eyes, that extreme fear rapidly receded like a tide, replaced by an empty calm.
Immediately, a fanatic, devout, and unreserved light of worship ignited deep within that calm.
The same process quickly unfolded on Billy, Mike, and the other team members.
Screams rose and fell, then quickly subsided into silence within a mere dozen seconds.
The platform became quiet again, leaving only the faint hum of the low-temperature sealed box operating and the heavy breathing of the Lizardmen.
All the people pressed to the ground no longer struggled.
Their movements were slightly stiff, yet with a strange fluidity, they stood up, quietly tidying their disheveled cold-weather suits, brushing off ice shards, and picking up fallen guns and scattered equipment.
Their expressions became incredibly calm, even their lips slightly upturned, with a sense of ease from completing a task and… a strange satisfaction.
“Clear the traces. Mission brief clear?”
Yuan Mei’s voice was completely unruffled.
The Parasite Te Ye immediately straightened his body, his face instantly switching back to Te Ye’s signature smile, filled with the excitement and charisma unique to an adventure streamer.
His voice was loud, full of Qi, and infectious: “Completely clear, Dr. Yuan! The studio visit live stream exceeded expectations! Audience interaction was unusually enthusiastic! The ‘Ice Age’ special effects team’s technical prowess is simply invincible! We’ll go out now and conduct the next ‘real’ glacier crevice exploration live stream to divert public attention! Mission accomplished, guaranteed!”
His tone, demeanor, and even his habitual gestures when speaking were exactly the same as the Te Ye on the verge of collapse minutes ago; only the subtle fanaticism deep in his eyes revealed a hint of inhuman coldness.
Yuan Mei waved his hand.
The Lizardmen silently retreated.
The Parasite Te Ye, along with the similarly Parasite Billy, Mike, and others, coordinately slung their equipment, checked their firearms, picked up their cameras, and finally, facing Yuan Mei and the hybrid research team, neatly bowed slightly in salute.
Then, they walked with steady steps, turned, and headed towards the dark passage they had come from.
The rhythmic footsteps sounded again, but without the previous fear and heaviness, only a programmed stability.