Infinite Terror: Infinite Reversal

Chapter 397 The Pain of Being Sober

"Brother, there might be a demon living at the bottom of my consciousness..."

When Zhao Zhuikong first heard the little girl say this, his reaction was to facepalm: "What novels have you been reading lately? They're all so mystical..."

"What?!" The little girl exclaimed in a huff, slapping Zhao Zhuikong on the waist. Then she said angrily, "This is what I felt myself. You don't have any talent for spiritual power, and your strength is very poor... It's one thing if you don't understand, but when I tell you, you still dare to laugh at me?"

Zhao Zhuikong raised his hands in surrender; he had no temper at all after being told that by his sister.

He lacked Zhao Yingkong's speed advantage in unlocking the gene lock, and he also lacked Zhao Ruikong's talent in mental strength... Among the new generation of the Zhao family whose names ended with "Kong," his strength was absolutely bottom-tier. While Zhao Yingkong had reached the fourth-tier gene lock, he was still struggling with the first-tier gene lock.

If it weren't for their physical abilities being far superior to those of ordinary people and even regular assassins, Zhao Zhuikong would have suspected that he would have died when he unlocked the first-tier gene lock... In fact, many of his peers had laughed at him for this.

But there was nothing he could do; assassin families ruled by strength, and he simply didn't have it...

“I have a talent for mental power. When I was helping Sister Yingkong improve her strength, I could sense the danger of entering the fourth-order gene lock…” the little girl said with a frown. “All of you… including me, your mental power is only on the surface. But when you touch the fourth-order gene lock, a deeper level of consciousness will emerge, and there is great danger hidden in it.”

Zhao Zhuikong became serious. He had never experienced anything like this before and could only hear his sister's description: "Hmm... Is it possible that we, as assassins, have killed too many people, thus accumulating negative emotions?"

“Unlikely.” The little girl shook her head. “I’ve read quite a few books on psychoanalysis, and based on my experience, this kind of danger seems more like something innate, a bit like animalistic instinct? A madness lurking in our genes and consciousness…”

Zhao Zhuikong reached out and ruffled her hair: "Alright, alright, I know our Ruikong is well-read... but don't mention the Sea of ​​Consciousness, it sounds weird... uh, weirdly cringeworthy?"

Zhao Ruikong was taken aback, then kicked Zhao Zhuikong in the butt: "You're focusing on the wrong thing! When I read novels you say I'm being childish, when I read poetry you say I'm pretentious, it's infuriating."

As she spoke, she shook her head: "You're still unreliable. Never mind, I'll talk to Sister Yingkong, she'll understand."

Watching his sister leave, Zhao Zhuikong's expression turned serious. Zhao Ruikong was right; he truly didn't understand. Putting aside how fantastical and bizarre these descriptions were, he could tell this was extremely dangerous… The family elders' respectful yet wary attitude towards them, the difference in treatment between the new generation with "Kong" in their names and their peers, and their strange abilities all pointed to one thing…

"Do we really have a problem?"

Later, Zhao Zhuikong and Zhao Ruikong learned the truth while infiltrating the family... Everyone whose name ends in "Kong" was a product of a project called "Kong." They were never meant to exist; born with the genes of that deceased powerful figure copied, they were always experimental subjects and sacrifices...

After erasing the elders' memories, Zhao Zhuikong and Zhao Ruikong prepared to leave.

"I'm sorry... I can't be of much help." Zhao Zhuikong's handsome face was full of gloom. "I promised to protect you, but in the end, you're the one facing these enemies."

Seeing the shame on her brother's face, Zhao Ruikong's heart stirred. She smiled and took her brother's hand, just like when they were little: "Don't worry, how could Sister Yingkong not know how powerful I am? Asking you to protect me is to protect your pride, brother... Look, I'm fine, aren't I? Those two monsters combined can't beat me."

"Don't use your abilities so easily anymore." Zhao Zhuikong shook his head and said seriously, "Your mental talent will only harm you at this time... The consciousness of these monsters has been completely replaced by demons. For someone like me, at worst I'll be torn to pieces; but for you, they are like a source of infection, which will make you infected with evil thoughts as well."

Feeling the cold sweat on her brother's palms, Zhao Ruikong's mood also dropped a lot, but she still said nonchalantly, "There are always more solutions than problems. I didn't expect that you, who are usually so sunny and optimistic, would be the most pessimistic now."

Stealing a glance at Zhao Zhuikong's gloomy face, Zhao Ruikong clicked her tongue: "Don't go to see Sister Yingkong with that expression, okay? You're already ugly, and you're always wearing a sour face. What if she doesn't like you? Where will you go to cry then?"

"You don't know anything, and you're talking nonsense." Zhao Zhuikong tapped her on the head and couldn't help but say angrily.

Zhao Rui pretended to cry out in pain, her gaze sweeping over the two completely dead monsters at the doorway. One of them, besides its exaggerated size, was seven parts human-like; the other was only three parts human-like, practically a winged serpent, displaying various animal characteristics other than human.

This was the strongest resistance Zhao Zhuikong and Zhao Ruikong encountered when they infiltrated the forbidden area. From a physical standpoint, even the strongest Zhao Yingkong would have to avoid their sharp edge... Zhao Ruikong was not good at physical strength, while Zhao Zhuikong, who had only unlocked the first stage of his gene lock, was simply easy prey.

After Zhao Ruikong used her mental power, the two monsters were subdued, and she examined them, or rather, their consciousness. Their minds were almost entirely consumed by madness and violence, with only a few fragments of memory remaining—memories of when they could still be called human.

During the exploration of consciousness, Zhao Ruikong was also attacked by those violent forces... To her surprise, these violent attacks seemed to be merely distortions of the surface consciousness; the true terror remained hidden deeper! "Brother, I'm serious, there should be a way," Zhao Ruikong said earnestly, stopping her playful antics.

Zhao Zhuikong's expression was still very bad, but he still asked, "What do you mean?"

“I suspect that this so-called berserk consciousness is not a demon at all. We should distinguish between the two.” Zhao Ruikong pondered for a moment. “Because as my sister Yingkong and I have improved our gene lock levels, we can feel that the level of this berserk consciousness is actually much lower than the terror deep in the sea of ​​consciousness… It’s more like a relationship between source and flow.”

"Sister Yingkong is already very strong, but she is only at the early stage of the fourth rank as these old guys say... The first obstacle encountered at the early stage of the fourth rank is the berserk consciousness, and she is at this stage. As for the inner demon that I am wary of, it should be the obstacle to the next stage."

Zhao Zhuikong's expression changed: "Wouldn't that be even worse?"

“No, it is precisely because there is a source that there is room for new operations… I will think about this method first. You should tell Sister Yingkong that we don’t need to control these elders yet. I have erased their memories, so they won’t cause us any trouble,” Zhao Ruikong said.

Zhao Zhuikong paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, of course. Solving your problems first is the most important thing... I'm sorry, I can't be of much help."

“No, as long as you’re still here, brother, that’s the biggest help.” Zhao Ruikong smiled brightly. “Although your spirit is very similar to mine, you’ve never been in that kind of danger… That way, you’ll always be our reliable brother, right? I think Sister Yingkong thinks so too.”

The solution that the little girl Zhao Ruikong came up with was to split her consciousness... For a normal person, this would be called a split personality; but for a fourth-tier powerhouse who already possesses a split consciousness, this kind of split personality is relatively stable and controllable.

Since the source of danger cannot be suppressed and must be faced, it can only be channeled, not blocked... Separate one's consciousness, and use a new consciousness to carry the flow of inner demons, that is, a raging consciousness. This may avoid contaminating the original consciousness. Even if the original consciousness is distorted, having a new consciousness can still allow one to survive.

At that time, Zhao Zhuikong didn't understand these intricacies. He simply listened quietly as his younger sister recounted one imaginative idea after another, perhaps derived from her own deductions, or perhaps from reading novels...

Yes, they had absolutely no experience; they had to figure everything out on their own… Those old folks were completely unreliable because they had never mastered the methods to suppress rage and overcome inner demons. Call them short-sighted or selfish, but from beginning to end, they treated the children of the Empty Plan as mere expendable resources.

Before being consumed by the rage, they were outstanding new generation members who could easily unlock their genetic locks. Even Zhao Zhuikong, who was the slowest at unlocking, was a genius among geniuses in the two major assassin families of the East and West. After being consumed by the rage, they became the most loyal walking corpses to the Zhao family. Completely transformed into monsters, they were an unstoppable force.

When Zhao Zhuikong finally learned the truth about the fourth-order gene lock, what rage and inner demons were, and that they, as experimental subjects, were born with flaws and almost impossible to overcome their inner demons, it was already too late... By then, he too had already succumbed to his inner demons, with no possibility of escape...

"Brother, if one day I really do this... will that new me still be able to call you brother?" Zhao Ruikong asked seemingly casually.

Zhao Zhuikong smiled and said, "What are you talking about... Well, when that time really comes, we'll be the only ones who can rely on each other, right? If we really do that, no matter how you perceive it, you'll always be my sister."

Reaching out to pat Zhao Ruikong's head, Zhao Zhuikong said gently but firmly, "As long as you don't fall into depravity, no matter what consciousness you live in, we will always be family... But if you are replaced by that demon, I will definitely make Yingkong kill that demon before that demon completely destroys you and everything..."

As Zhao Ruikong's head was being stroked, she revealed a delicate expression, like a kitten: "Yes, this is our agreement... Whoever fails to overcome their inner demons, whoever will fall into becoming such a demon, let them sleep peacefully."

Soon after, the upheaval that changed everything occurred... During the special training on the deserted island, Zhao Ruikong hastily received too much violent consciousness, and was finally pushed past that critical point, transforming into the greatest demon.

It wasn't until then that Zhao Zhuikong realized what their gene lock really was... For them, the gene lock didn't lock the legendary power that reached the fifth rank and was comparable to gods and Buddhas, but rather the power of a fourth-rank demon!
Within assassin families outside of Project Void, a few individuals can unlock their genetic locks… but those geniuses outside are much slower at unlocking their genetic locks. This is because their genetic locks are fundamentally different from others; every product of Project Void is essentially a fourth-tier being!
Therefore, Zhao Ruikong's fighting style is completely different from the others, yet she can unlock the gene lock at the second fastest speed because absorbing the berserk consciousness allows her to reach that level more quickly; thus, although Zhao Ruikong is ostensibly at the second level, she can step into the fourth-level gene lock in one step through her exploration and understanding of the physical body...

Because they were all at the fourth tier from the beginning, only the degree and speed at which they were activated differed...

Much later, Zhao Zhuikong realized that he was the most talented person in Kong's plan... Ironically, the elders needed them to enter the fourth tier as soon as possible, and they all wanted to become stronger, but the real difficulty was not becoming stronger, but suppressing their own strength and not becoming a victim of forcing growth.

“Little sister… as you said, my spirit is very similar to yours… if one day I were to fall like you, I truly hope that someone could end the suffering of those replaced by demons as easily and decisively as I do now… although my thoughts may have changed by then, this is indeed my truest thought, the thought of the me before I fell…”

In the final moments of the island ordeal, Zhao Zhuikong pushed Zhao Yingkong to kill Zhao Ruikong, who was consumed by her inner demons. At that time, Zhao Yingkong was struggling between mental control and a berserk consciousness, while Zhao Ruikong was almost completely replaced by the demon. The only one who remained conscious was Zhao Zhuikong, who was furthest from the demon.

The more lucid one is, the more painful it becomes... Confused people die unknowingly in their chaos, and corrupted hearts avoid all sorrow in their evil thoughts. Only the lucid ones will live on, bearing such pain and sin, until they fall into the same depravity...

(End of this chapter)