I am a female swordsman.

End of Chapter Thirty-Five

"The company has arranged a psychologist for you..." After reviewing Genesis's shared combat logs, Angel's first reaction was to have his friend see a psychologist.

"I haven't gone crazy yet!"

Genesis frowned and waved his hand, directly rejecting his friend's suggestion. It wasn't that he was averse to medicine, but rather that a warrior of his caliber had a firm grasp on his own body and mind, even better than a doctor. His mental strength, the depletion and loss of control from the previous battle, were all within acceptable limits.

“It’s the rule, you know. The Speaker is very cautious about the power of forbidden items.” Angel turned and glanced at the company soldiers and follow-up members who were cleaning up the battlefield. He then leaned closer to his friend.

"You don't want to upset the Speaker, do you?"

"..."

Recalling Huang Quan sitting at her desk in a white coat, her face as cold as frost, her beautiful legs crossed, certain strange memories from Genesis' childhood flooded back, and his usually steady hands trembled slightly. Although he didn't speak, his tone clearly shifted from a firm refusal to casualness.

Upon seeing this, Angel's lips curled up slightly, and his resolute and reliable face inexplicably became somewhat cunning.

After all, we've been friends for so many years.

Angel knew a little about Genesis's situation. Although he kept referring to the Shinra Chairman as "old woman," he actually cared a lot about the Chairman's opinion of him. Then again, how many children adopted by Shinra would disrespect Yomi, the Shinra Chairman?

Genesis cooperated and walked towards the helicopter.

Zack, who had just finished dealing with the remains of a monster, returned to find his instructor staring at Genesis's back. He sniffed and said with some regret that he hadn't been able to talk to Shinra's No. 1.

You should know that Genesis is the idol of many Shinra warriors!

With a casual wave of his hand, countless female employees in the company would yearn for a night of passion with this powerful, young, and handsome warrior. A true man is nothing more than that; that's probably what Genesis is all about. Zack is no exception, and he desperately hopes that one day he too can be as powerful as No. 1.

"Angel, this mission is so boring."

Zack, looking utterly defeated and listless, idly swung his greatsword. He had been excited about fighting powerful monsters, but upon arrival, they were all already dead. He thought to himself, "What a thrill to challenge such terrifying monsters!" Gazing at the giant snake being sliced ​​into pieces, with only the area around its brain remaining, Zack felt a pang of longing.

"Concentrate!"

Angel, watching the overly lively Zack, habitually reprimanded the soldier. Zack was very talented in learning and combat, but his only flaw was his personality. You see, on a dangerous battlefield, a moment of lapse in concentration could mean your death.

"Understood!"

"Alright, stop joking around. Help me write the report later about the interrogation..." Angel was a bit of a headache. This was something Genesis should have been in charge of, but now it was his responsibility, and he figured it would be a bit troublesome. "...Never mind, you'll come with me this time to interrogate the monster."

"Huh?! Really?!" Zack was just showing off his lightning-fast change of expression when he was pouting. Angel had never let Zack come into contact with some of the more cruel and dark things.

"It's time for you to get acquainted with some of Shinra's secrets."

………………

"Achoo!!... Ah, achoo!!"

Huang Quan, who kept sneezing throughout the night, rubbed her slightly red nose. Her body told her that there was nothing wrong, but a certain seemingly unethical radar detected that someone was talking about her behind her back.

"Don't let me find out who's talking badly about me behind my back."

Somewhat distressed, she shook her head helplessly at the air, then sat down at her work desk in her room, still sporting her signature braided pigtails and black-rimmed glasses. Compared to the various high-tech and convenient work desks in Shinra, her work desk in the ghost town residence, though unassuming in appearance, had all the necessary work tools.

Huang Quan pressed some hidden button on the workbench.

A blue light rippled and spread like water, instantly engulfing the entire room. Sitting in his seat, Huang Quan's dark red eyes seemed to be filled with a waterfall of data; under the correction of parameters provided by the system, Huang Quan's facial muscles showed slight adjustments.

It changed from its original dignified and gentle demeanor to a cold and ruthless one.

Mado Yomi's gentle and elegant face quickly vanished, replaced by the exquisite and aloof features of [Shinra Chairman] Yomi. Her once jet-black and lustrous hair also rapidly transformed back into brilliant silver under the influence of some force. Slowly loosening her braids, Yomi stared blankly at the suspended light screen.

"Compared to the last revision, the efficiency of the host Huang Quan has increased by 54.35 percent."

"With your help, it's taken so long to improve efficiency to this extent. There's no need to say it out loud to discourage me."

Before undertaking the three-horse chariot body modification, one must be extremely cautious. Huang Quan created several aliases and transformed into different images, which was a way of gaining a deeper understanding of the changes in his own body.

Unread messages today.

"Presented".

Information arranged according to priority was presented immediately. During this spare moment, Huang Quan personally brewed a cup of hot black tea before crossing his legs to see if there was any important news he had missed.

First, in the biology department of the seven basic sciences, Dr. Genos has begun deep human cloning experiments using himself as a model. Huang Quan already knew about this beforehand, but the official start was only today.

Taking a small sip of black tea, letting the astringent sensation spread through his mouth, Huang Quan continued reading the following information.

Secondly, there are the daily reports from various research departments, compiling noteworthy breakthroughs and attempts. Currently, each department is eagerly anticipating obtaining more Mako resources. However, dissenting voices have begun to emerge, suggesting that the exploitation of the River of Life might have some impact on the natural environment.

In addition, the treatment of magma flue gas generated by magma combustion should also be put on the agenda.

You can't say that the area controlled by the Shinra turned into London, which was heavily polluted by early industrialization.

Logically speaking, this shouldn't be Shinra's concern. However, many governments in this world have long lost credibility and essentially shut down due to the impact of the monsters; otherwise, Shinra wouldn't have had the fertile ground to grow so powerful. Although there's a lot of information, fortunately, Yomi's sleep time has been greatly shortened, giving her ample time to process it.

Time ticked by as the Shinra Chairman tapped on the keyboard.

Night fell quickly.

After an unknown amount of time, Huang Quan finally read Genesis's feedback on the mission. The enemies of Shinra, the so-called Earth Mother Cult, were becoming clearer through the interrogation.

Chapter Thirty-Six: On the Edge

The Earth Mother Cult is a sect that personifies deities.

As the name suggests, the personified deity they worship is naturally the Earth Mother. Expanding on this slightly, considering Shinra's ever-increasing extraction of Mako energy, the so-called Earth Mother should be the planet itself. And the enemies of the Earth Mother cult, currently, appear to be primarily humans who have been immersed in Mako fluid or use Mako energy.

The reason it is said to be the main reason is that it was derived by cross-checking and patching loopholes based on the information obtained from the interrogation of the two strange people.

After the primary targets have been eliminated and destroyed, it is predicted that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the goals of the Earth Mother Cult will be further expanded to encompass the entire human race.

"So low-class?"

This was Huang Quan's involuntary remark as he perused the material. After all these years, it was astonishing that anyone would still believe in such a near-foolish belief. No, if the target were eccentric individuals, perhaps it would actually find a market.

The formation of the Earth Mother Cult proves this point.

There is no pope, nor are there any clearly defined doctrines. The formation of this spiritual drug is also quite mysterious. It is born directly within the consciousness of some special and eccentric individuals; there is no reason why it would be generated so spontaneously. Moreover, as members of the Earth Mother Cult, even if they have never met before, they can recognize each other's identities upon their first meeting, as if guided by an invisible deity.

In the words of the eccentric, that feeling was unusually warm.

Being able to overcome the numbness and brutality of the mind after becoming a monster is like returning to the womb, experiencing a precious sense of security and warmth. Under such emotional conditions, looking at the members of the cult is like looking at brothers and sisters born from the same womb, and the goal naturally becomes unified.

"This is the unconscious influence of planetary consciousness."

On the suspended light screen, the system assessing the level of harm caused by the Earth Mother Cult provided the answer.

Dealing with planetary consciousness is a required course for higher-dimensional life forms like transmigrators and systems. Some worlds have docile planetary consciousness, while others are exceptionally violent, and some are even beyond redemption.

Planetary consciousness is also a form of life, and all life forms share commonalities.

Get ill!

The planetary consciousness in which Huang Quan currently resides refuses to communicate. Driven by some unknown stimulus, it's attempting to destroy humanity in a frenzied and irrational manner. However, its rational side maintains restraint, hoping for humanity's survival, thus creating this absurd and bizarre world.

Based on the research and exploration of Huang Quan and the system over the past twenty years, it has been concluded that the planetary consciousness of this world has been infected, and the diseased consciousness is transforming towards the source of infection.

This transformation will not happen overnight, but may take decades or even centuries.

"The rating result is Class B3, which leaves some room for improvement."

"Grade B3, I thought you would give me a higher rating." Huang Quan was sipping her black tea, feeling that such a relaxed attitude was unlike the system's usual style. If she herself was a workaholic, then the system was an even more insane workaholic.

"Every year, based on Shinra's development, the system reassesses various ratings in order to allocate resources," the system explained casually. Those who still view things with outdated perspectives will inevitably suffer greatly sooner or later.

Both Huang Quan and the system are very wary of this idea.

"A bit difficult to deal with."

While pondering how to deal with the Earth Mother Cult, Huang Quan keenly realized that Shinra would face considerable difficulties in taking action against it. The recruitment and gathering of its followers were entirely dependent on fate, making them difficult to predict. Furthermore, no specialized instruments had yet been developed to detect Earth Mother Cult members, and the identities of the freaks presented another challenge. Unless it escalated to the point of war where any means were justified, Shinra currently lacked a good method to deal with the Earth Mother Cult.

Regardless, this sect is backed by planetary consciousness.

If you really want to eradicate the Earth Mother Cult completely, then at least the Shinra Cult must have the confidence and courage to leave this planet and lead humanity to face the cradle of destruction in the Dark Forest!

cradle……

Unable to resist, Huang Quan reached up and rubbed his temples, his mind drifting back to the world of Divine Comedy. In that world, humanity also faced an apocalyptic crisis—the destruction of their cradle—within a few decades. But the seeds of hope had been sown. How were the humans of that world now? Had they already stepped out of their cradle? Had his own actions been meaningful and valuable?

Distractions are only temporary.

Quickly regaining her composure, Huang Quan looked at the information about the Earth Mother Cult, a faint chill flashing in her scarlet, clear eyes. She noticed traces of human support behind the Earth Mother Cult.

It is precisely because of the support of certain humans that the Earth Mother Cult has been able to spread its teachings so smoothly among human groups.

That's right.

A cult aimed at destroying humanity has somehow managed to disguise itself within the human population and then openly proselytize under a legal guise. To those in the know, this is nothing short of a dark irony.

………………

"What are people who join cults thinking? I just don't understand!" Zack scratched his head in bewilderment. His brain, which was relatively simple compared to that of ordinary people, made it impossible for him to understand why humans would do such a thing.

As expected, humans are incapable of understanding each other.

"Zacks, is the file archiving complete?"

Angel's voice came from afar, and Zack, who had been dawdling, hurriedly uploaded the file to the database, shouting repeatedly, "Almost done, almost done!"

The instructor's authority made Zack feel both close to and somewhat afraid of Angel.

"Stop dawdling, hurry up!"

"OK!!"

On the other side, the strong and robust Angel stared resolutely through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the city was ablaze with lights, while in the distance, the eerie blue and emerald glow emanating from the Mako smoke made the sky appear exceptionally surreal. At times, Angel even had the illusion that this place was no longer a planet, but somewhere else entirely.

Beside Angel, Shinra's No. 1, Genesis, stood in the dim shadows. His handsome, fair face showed a slight irritation; he too knew some things about the Earth Mother Church, which naturally caused him to feel a strange emotion.

From its inception, Shinra has borne immense pressure that is difficult for ordinary people to bear.

To consider a mad planet as an enemy—what an arrogant idea!

It now seems that only arrogant ideas can challenge a crazy world. Shinra has never dealt with its own kind of humans before, because persecuting its own kind would inevitably give rise to a terrifying thought in people's minds: whether they themselves might one day become the target of persecution.

Shinra might be standing on the edge of a precipice right now.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Sects

"Human beings are rebellious children, born with original sin."