Starting from Prototype to Immortality

Chapter 26: The Ocean's Treasure Trove

Chang Wei was perplexed. Logically speaking, his Blacklight Virus organisms should be extremely alluring, especially to a prototype like Jason.

Yet, the wretch Jason could resist touching them. He couldn't have known about the traps, electrical signal mechanisms, triggering systems, and tracking pheromones embedded within. So why didn't he interact with them?

To prevent his Blacklight Virus organisms from being swapped or disguised as Jason's own minions, Chang Wei made it a daily routine to tirelessly traverse the globe, retrieving all his organisms and then releasing fresh ones.

The quantity remained consistent—he kept an exact count. His highly advanced brain ensured it.

And yet, all his efforts proved fruitless.

Having scoured nearly 10,000 meters underground, Chang Wei's attention turned to the ocean.

The seas were vast.

Humans had identified tens of thousands of marine species, which might account for less than 10% of all oceanic life forms.

Don't assume the remaining 90% are just tiny creatures hiding in obscure corners. In recent years, humans even discovered a new species of whale, a massive creature over ten meters long.

This suggests that the diversity of marine life continues to expand human understanding with each new discovery.

To the Blacklight Virus, the ocean was a treasure trove!

If Jason had fled into the ocean…

Humans, organisms, every fluctuation, pheromone, or scent—none could escape Chang Wei's detection. His mastery of trace analysis and tracking, coupled with his highly developed brain's incredible processing speed, allowed him to identify the source of any trace he observed. He could even construct detailed models in his mind.

"But he possesses all the abilities I do. The most troublesome aspect of the Blacklight Virus is its capacity for evolution and learning. Trace analysis isn't some rare discipline—absorbing any trace analysis professor would instantly make one a master. Hiding his tracks would be child's play for him. Intriguing. How is he this clever?"

Chang Wei owed much of his abilities to his imagination and his consumption of several intelligent individuals via the Hunter mechanism. After absorbing their memories and learning their thought processes, he developed even more capabilities. However, he remained limited, struggling to digest the immense information and knowledge he had acquired.

It might take thousands, even tens of thousands of years for him to fully integrate this data into his own consciousness.

He doubted Jason could grasp this point. Thought processes, cognitive speed, and intellectual capacity determine whether someone is brilliant or mediocre. Scientists are the epitome of excellence in this regard. This innate quality is akin to why there's only one Einstein, yet countless ordinary people.

If even Chang Wei, who didn't consider himself a genius, struggled to assimilate all this information, how could someone like Jason—who had been under control since birth and only recently escaped—manage it?

Jason hadn't systematically studied or developed his cognitive abilities and thought processes.

Would he recklessly devour memories?

Even Chang Wei felt his brain might explode from the strain.

While deploying the Blacklight Virus across the ocean, Chang Wei contemplated deeply. As he sifted through his memories, a vague hypothesis emerged.

Schizophrenia—or perhaps persona simulation and construction?

If he wasn't inherently smart and found memory assimilation so arduous, what if he allowed the original memory owners to form personalities and think on his behalf?

Of course, Chang Wei wouldn't risk such an experiment himself. He feared losing control. But Jason...

It all circled back to the fundamental question: Who am I? Who is he? Who are you?

Philosophy, psychology, metaphysical definitions—any of these could drive someone mad. On top of that, Chang Wei had read Wang Yangming's theories on mind studies out of curiosity.

If his hypothesis was correct, he might be facing a monster.

And perhaps not just one Jason.

While it had taken him a month to cover the sky, it only took half that time to blanket the ocean. Chang Wei was continuously evolving. Furthermore, his subordinates had located various nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel, and even nuclear weapons. With no energy shortage, he significantly accelerated the spread of the Blacklight Virus.

He even infected sharks and orcas, using their genes to engineer aquatic hunters that combined the best traits of both species, initiating large-scale searches.

But just as Chang Wei began his operations, Jason came knocking.

"So impatient?"

Chang Wei mused, wondering if Jason feared he would gain control of the ocean's treasures. The sense of Jason's overwhelming power set his blood boiling with excitement.

To be cautious, Chang Wei immediately entered his advanced Guyver armor state, enveloping himself in a more robust armor. Simultaneously, he discreetly sent a portion of the Blacklight Virus underground.

Moments later, the figure within Chang Wei's perception appeared before him at supersonic speed. The air was deafening with the alerts from countless microscopic Blacklight Virus particles floating around.