For the sake of his child, Fang Xinglong could only choose to submit to Feng Jun. Although Feng Jun was very curious about the difference between the gene seed in human bodies and those in Mutants, as long as Fang Xinglong chose to join Feng Jun, he naturally wouldn't kill him. For people like this, as long as their weakness is grasped, they can be threatened and used to do unexpected things.
After ransacking the Hongwen Gang's base, Feng Jun found three gene seeds in a laboratory, bringing his total to five gene seeds. He still needed six more to complete the mission objective.
Furthermore, in this room, many unknown devices and a large number of iron barrels spreading black mist were found. It seemed that Tian Jia had been researching and manufacturing the black smoke device that spread bacteria here. Coupled with the gene seeds found here, Feng Jun speculated that the black mist should have some connection with the gene seed.
Fang Xinglong's Blood Bell Gang had already been raided by Feng Jun, and so had the Blackwater Merchant Guild. Although Zhu Wenyao and Jiang Si Yuan each kept a missile silo, Feng Jun had sent people into their bases as well, taking away most of what could be carried, but not a single gene seed was found.
Recalling that Hei Qin had mentioned the White Lotus Sect once collected gene seeds, Feng Jun called Fang Xinglong and Jiang Si Yuan to inquire about the whereabouts of the gene seeds they had. After seeing the gene seeds, both of them gave the same answer: they had given them to Tian Jia. Originally, both of them had quite a few gene seeds, but they had all been given to Tian Jia before the war began. They had not held much hope for winning over Tian Jia, and had even considered eliminating him at one point. However, two months prior, Tian Jia suddenly secretly agreed to an alliance with them, on the condition that they hand over all the gene seeds they possessed.
For Zhu Wenyao and Fang Xinglong, this was not difficult. gene seeds had no use in their hands. Although they could also trade them with the White Lotus Sect for supplies and equipment, winning over Tian Jia as an ally was the most important thing at the moment. It seemed Tian Jia must have used the equipment in the laboratory, combined with the gene seeds, to create the black smoke capable of releasing piye bacteria.
That laboratory had been sealed off by Feng Jun, and he had Yan Xin bring people to slowly study the equipment inside. However, to understand the fundamental reason behind all this, the answer still needed to be found from Tian Jia.
However, three days had passed since Tian Jia was captured. Feng Jun had him locked up alone in a sealed laboratory, and to prevent his escape, he had dispatched Imperial Guard to watch over him. After subduing Fang Xinglong, Feng Jun finally had time to meet the mastermind behind the slaughter of the entire Huaicheng District.
Tian Jia was immediately locked up alone after being captured. Now, all his behavior was exactly like that of an ordinary person. He ate and drank normally every day, and his routine was very regular. Every day, he would wake up at six for breakfast, then stare blankly at the wall, followed by staring blankly during lunch, then dinner, and then sleeping. Song Peng had also conducted a simple interrogation of him, but after saying he wanted to see Feng Jun, Tian Jia hadn't uttered another word.
Finally finding some time, Feng Jun went to the cell where Tian Jia was held. However, compared to an ordinary cell, the place where Tian Jia was held looked more like a tightly sealed laboratory. After opening two heavy blast doors, Tian Jia was locked behind a thick blast-proof glass door. The cell contained only a bed and a set of table and chairs. Tian Jia was sitting on the chair, facing away from the blast-proof glass, lost in thought.
Before entering, Feng Jun reviewed the research reports on Tian Jia's body from the past few days. His body was at the level of an ordinary person; no mutation, no evolution. However, a bizarre Mutant was parasitic on his spinal column. A skull connected to a spine covered in tentacles was parasitic on Tian Jia's back. That strange head was hidden beneath Tian Jia's shoulder, not showing itself at this moment.
Feng Jun immediately thought of the parasitic Mutant, Centipede Head, he encountered last year when he entered the Shangqing City Wasteland with Li Lu. At that time, it was parasitic on a Roadblock, but it was somewhat different from the one parasitic on Tian Jia. That larger Centipede Head did not hide its head inside the host's body. At the time, Feng Jun thought Centipede Head could only parasitize within Mutants. Now it seemed there were also smaller Centipede Heads that could parasitize human bodies, and do so more covertly. After all, from Tian Jia's appearance, as long as he wore clothes, no abnormalities would be visible.
"You want to see me," Feng Jun said, standing in front of the blast-proof glass.
Hearing Feng Jun's voice, Tian Jia immediately stood up, walked to the blast-proof glass, and stared at Feng Jun with interest, sizing him up. Feng Jun also looked at Tian Jia in front of him. He appeared to be about the same age as Feng Jun, the kind of person who would be unremarkable in a crowd. He was neither as burly as Fang Xinglong nor as cunning as Jiang Si Yuan and Zhu Wenyao. Feng Jun also didn't feel any sense of an Evolver from him. Although he was parasitized, after testing, it was confirmed that Tian Jia's brain was still alive and had its own consciousness. The parasite would not completely kill and erase the host's consciousness.
Tian Jia turned around, his eyes regaining their luster, and he looked at Feng Jun with interest, seemingly very interested in Feng Jun as well.
"If you just want to look at me, then forget it. I have no interest in communicating with a parasitized puppet. Instead, I'd rather dissect you and then soak you in formaldehyde," Feng Jun said.
"Hee hee hee~ What an interesting fellow," Tian Jia stopped his scrutiny of Feng Jun, standing in front of him, their eyes meeting.
"I'm no puppet. If you think this thing can control me, then you're greatly mistaken," Tian Jia's body twitched a few times, his neck twisted to the side at a strange angle, and a fist-sized skull emerged from the back of his neck, its appearance making people shudder. And after this small head emerged, it even let out a cry similar to a baby's.
"This poor little fellow is crying; he's a bit sad. Because his mother was hurt by you," Tian Jia's head drooped to one side, blood also spilled from his mouth, and his speech was a bit slurred, likely due to pressure on his trachea.
Feng Jun didn't feel sorry for this small head at all; instead, he got goosebumps. "That's disgusting. Don't tell me you willingly let this thing parasitize you."
"Willingly parasitize? No, not at all. At first, I was unwilling too, but some things only become clear after being parasitized. Also, it has a name. Humans call it Centipede Head, but I call it 'Blood Child,'" Tian Jia said.
Feng Jun frowned. He was now very sure that Tian Jia was definitely affected by the Centipede Head's parasitism. If not, it meant he was inherently an anti-human pervert.
"I don't want to hear you introduce this. If you're still sane, tell me how you made that black mist, and where all the 'xin he (heart cores)' you collected went," Feng Jun no longer wanted to continue interacting with Tian Jia, but he still wanted to ask Tian Jia about the whereabouts of the gene seeds.
"No, no, no, you have to listen to me. And listen carefully," Tian Jia suddenly lunged forward, pressing directly against the blast-proof glass wall, and said with a ferocious expression.