Gu Ya turned to the mecha's display screen. The vast ocean and sky merged into one, an expanse of blue that could truly broaden one's horizons.
"Is your 'Yongmeng' okay? Can they really not hear us talking?" Liang Yuwei asked, sounding concerned.
He waved his hand in front of the eyes of one of the Divergence high-ranking officials. The official showed no reaction.
Gu Ya affirmed, "You don't have to believe me, but trust Huiye's technology."
"I once thought 'Yongmeng' virtualized a piece of reality. But after I fully grasped the principle, I discovered it's a technology that infiltrates the nervous system. Simply put, it's like wearing a 'metaverse' helmet on your head, immersing you in a dream, making you unable to see reality."
"Everything you do in 'Yongmeng' cannot affect reality; it's truly like having a dream."
"But the fact that I used the consciousness space to bind Huiye's old main brain is true, which is why it could be killed by me."
Liang Yuwei nodded in approval, "Metaverse is already a thing of the past. Compared to your consciousness transmission technology, it's worthless. When do you plan to reveal the consciousness transmission technology to the world? The whole world will go crazy for you then, after all, the pursuit of eternal life is one of humanity's innate desires."
Gu Ya calmly stated, "Master, you are much smarter than I am. You should know what eternal life means. If that day truly comes, all wealth will be concentrated in the hands of a very few, and the fate of the remaining humans will only be enslavement, transformation, or death. I will not let such a thing happen."
Liang Yuwei nodded heavily, then suddenly smiled, "Hearing you call me Master still feels a bit strange."
"It's nothing, you taught me a lot. Once a teacher, always a father," Gu Ya said indifferently. He thought of someone, and a surge of unprovoked anger rose within him. "Compared to you, Wang Shangmeng is too disappointing."
"Ha! Xiao Meng, yes," Liang Yuwei sighed and said, "To put it bluntly, he had his own difficulties. Carrying the lives of eleven comrades and his girlfriend's dying wish, he was compelled."
Gu Ya's tone was icy, "You don't need to persuade me to forgive him. Betrayal is either once or a thousand times, even the slightest mistake."
Liang Yuwei patted Gu Ya's shoulder and smiled, "I'm not that kind. People, sometimes very complex, sometimes very simple. Think from his perspective, he doesn't think he did anything wrong. He didn't fail his comrades or his girlfriend, but he failed you."
"Gu Ya..." Liang Yuwei said meaningfully, "To be an excellent leader, one must use any means necessary, treating methods as tools and weapons. Methods are neither good nor bad; forgiveness, rewards and punishments, or even bloodless victories, depend on how they are reasonably utilized. I believe Xiao Meng will realize his mistake; why don't you try testing him again?"
Gu Ya's expression remained cold; he offered no reply.
In his heart, betrayal was unforgivable. But Liang Yuwei's vision and understanding were clearly a level above Gu Ya's. He had the makings of a leader, which was why he advised Gu Ya.
Perhaps, he could give Wang Shangmeng another chance. If he still didn't trust him and continued to help Xian Xia oppose him, then they would go their separate ways.
"Ah, we've arrived at Jinquangguo," Liang Yuwei said faintly.
A black dot appeared on the blue sea horizon; it was the landmass of Jinquangguo.
Gu Ya turned and walked towards the cargo hold, casually deploying his Du Mi space and inviting Liang Yuwei inside.
Liang Yuwei objected, "No, I've noticed your Du Mi space is becoming increasingly unstable. I suspect the equipment you're manufacturing isn't perfect."
Gu Ya smiled faintly and conjured ten new Du Mi space devices, saying, "Here, take them all. How about replacing them every hour?"
"Now that's more like it!" Liang Yuwei laughed.
An hour later, the mecha began to decelerate smoothly and landed.
The cargo hold was opened, and bright sunlight streamed in.
Inside the cryo-chamber, Gu Ya's corpse was deathly pale, a thin layer of ice crystals covering its surface, showing no signs of life.
A miniature mecha steadily carried the cryo-chamber out and into a tall building.
The mecha descended in the building's cargo elevator, eventually reaching the 20th underground floor.
The moment the elevator doors opened, more than a dozen people dressed in various attire immediately surrounded it.
Men and women alike, they gathered around the cryo-chamber and followed the mecha, proceeding into a large, cubic transparent laboratory chamber.
The cryo-chamber was placed steadily onto the platform in the center of the laboratory chamber. The lid slowly opened, revealing Gu Ya's corpse.
Soft, white shadowless lights illuminated Gu Ya, making him appear stark white and luminous. The surrounding temperature gradually increased.
The tiny ice crystals on Gu Ya's eyelashes began to melt, and soon, his body started to thaw.
Three hours later, the body was completely thawed. During this time, everyone stared motionlessly, like statues.
Several biologists picked up various small tools and instruments and began to examine Gu Ya's body.
They cut open and removed Gu Ya's clothes, then bagged them for removal.
Using sharp, slender scalpels, they also cut off Gu Ya's fingernails and hair, sealing them as well.
Next, with the scalpel pressed against Gu Ya's chest, they carefully made an incision towards the abdomen, cutting through the skin and fat layer to expose the internal organs.
As the experiment progressed, Gu Ya's body was thoroughly dissected. All the internal organs were removed and placed in jars filled with a pale yellow nutrient solution, leaving behind only an empty shell.
Gu Ya stood beside everyone, hands in his pockets, calmly observing their operations.
He had cast "Yongmeng" on all of them.
And that corpse was one of the dozen soldiers from the cave.
Knowing he had a terminal illness and didn't have long to live, the soldier had begged Gu Ya to kill him and to take care of his family.
Gu Ya had agreed, storing his body in the Du Mi space and impersonating himself.
The laughable Divergence members had all fallen into Gu Ya's trap and were now diligently conducting their research.
Finally, the corpse was divided into five parts and taken away, all frozen.
After everything was done, all the personnel present raised their hands and applauded bizarrely.
Gu Ya removed "Yongmeng" and smiled, joining them in applause.
"Praise the Divergence!!" one person shouted, "We have accomplished a world-shattering feat! We have killed a divine power user and restored the world to its proper course!!"
"Those two high-ranking officials, I've made them shut up forever, hahahaha!!"
"The credit will always belong to us!!"
Gu Ya loudly echoed, "Those dozen soldiers are also dead. Now, all who know are here!!"
No one noticed that another person had joined the scene, reveling in the moment!
Seeing that the fire was not blazing enough, Gu Ya added more fuel, shouting, "The fewer people who know, the higher the share of credit! We have more than a dozen people splitting one cake; what we can get is too little! I propose we kill some of the lower-ranking personnel! That way, the credit will remain in our hands!"
As soon as he spoke, the scene fell silent. Everyone's hands froze mid-air, their expressions petrified.
But immediately, gunshots rang out from not far away. A female biologist fell to the ground!
The second gunshot erupted! Then the third, fourth, fifth...
The bright, clean laboratory chamber instantly transformed into a bloody slaughterhouse.
Bullets, laced with humanity, flew alongside flesh and blood, screams and wails erupted everywhere!
Some laughed heartily, only to be pierced through the head by a bullet the next moment.
Some scrambled for cover, but they too could not escape death.
When silence fell again, only Gu Ya and one woman remained standing in the experimental chamber.
The woman shouted maniacally, "Kill you, and all the credit will be mine!"
"Tsk tsk..." Gu Ya shook his head and said calmly, "Your human ugliness is truly on full display."
The woman suddenly froze. After a few seconds of staring intently, she gasped, "The... the divine power user!! This is impossible! You were clearly dead! You were dissected!! How are you here?!"
Gu Ya spread his hands, dropped the small jar he was holding, and said calmly, "The Pot of Equilibrium helped me."
Hei Yang suddenly materialized, dagger in hand, and plunged it into the woman's chest, laughing, "Die, die~"
In despair, the woman slowly fell to the ground.
The smell of blood filled the entire hall. Gu Ya moved his feet, avoiding the dirty blood, and walked out of the laboratory.
"Master, let's go find the Divergence leader and end all of this," Gu Ya called out.
The Du Mi space deployed, and Liang Yuwei stepped out, following Gu Ya, smiling elegantly, "Bloodless victory, you're getting more cunning."
"You taught me!" Gu Ya teased.
Liang Yuwei wagged his index finger at Gu Ya, smiling helplessly, "You! With you around, I don't even get a chance to make an entrance."
"You will," Gu Ya said with a smile.
The two entered the elevator and ascended to higher floors.