Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

The warriors representing their cities in the competition were all revealed to have been transformed from insects. Now, he didn't even dare to imagine how many people in his own city had turned into insects in disguise.

The Imperial Capital didn't keep everyone waiting long. Their biotechnology was equally advanced, and the autopsy reports on the corpses were quickly finalized.

The vice marshal of the Imperial Capital Military District, with a heavy expression, conveyed the report through the extensive sound system, ensuring it reached the ears of every participant from all allied cities—

"The report results indicate that these ten warriors from Eternal Night City indeed match the genetic profile network of the Bug Race. Although there are some differences compared to the genetic profiles of all Bug Race types currently known to us, the discrepancies fall within the range of variations expected from different species. Among these, the captain of the Eternal Night City team possesses a higher genetic tier, while the other nine warriors, from the perspective of the Bug Race, appear to be his subordinates. They... are undoubtedly insects."

As the vice marshal of the Imperial Capital Military District delivered this conclusion with a stony expression, the faces of the entire Eternal Night City diplomatic team turned pallid and lifeless in an instant.

"Traitors!"

"Could they also have been controlled by insects? Turncoats?"

"I always felt something was off about them. How could humans be so cruel to their own kind? So, they weren't human at all, but insects!"

Hearing the tumultuous chatter around them, the diplomatic team from Eternal Night City collapsed into their chairs, murmuring, "We… didn't know either."

How could perfectly good humans turn into insects?

The vice marshal of the Imperial Capital Military District cast an apologetic look at the members of the Eternal Night City diplomatic team, nodding slightly. "Although it's possible you have also been deceived, for the safety of everyone, you will need to be placed under temporary surveillance. I hope you understand."

With that, the vice marshal coldly waved his hand. "Take them away."

Immediately, Imperial Capital soldiers, already on standby, escorted the dazed and unresisting Eternal Night City diplomatic team away.

The vice marshal, presiding over everything, then turned to address the representatives from the other cities still waiting for answers. "Due to the unforeseen events in the exhibition match, the match is now terminated. Please stay calm. Imperial Capital and the four Supreme Council cities will address this matter promptly and propose an appropriate solution. This will serve as the first challenge we face as an alliance. Please await further updates."

After speaking, the vice marshal paid no mind to the grumblings echoing across the thousands of city factions. He turned to Bai E and said, "Mr. Bai, I must trouble you to come with us. Certain matters… are unsuitable for public discussion in this setting."

"Understood." Bai E complied with a nod.

The vice marshal then looked toward other Supreme Council members and said, "I'd also ask the representatives from Tech City and Thousand Facet City to join us."

"Sure."

"No problem."

...

Half an hour later, representatives from the five Supreme Council cities gathered in a small conference room within the Imperial Capital.

Imperial Capital's research department had worked in record time, providing as detailed an experimental report as possible on the newly discovered humanoid Bug Race. The results of this report were presented in a straightforward manner for the five city representatives in attendance.

"The new type of insect has been tentatively named the 'Lurker.'

"Their method of transforming into humans is akin to parasitism. The parasite insect gradually replaces the original human host while inheriting their appearance and traits. They cannot change their appearance at will, and the roles they assume in society remain relatively fixed. Thus, there's no need to worry about these insects morphing into every familiar person around us. This is a significant discovery."

"These insects operate with a 'parent entity,' and among the deceased warriors from Eternal Night City, their captain was identified as the parent entity. Its origin is unknown, but it possesses superior strength. The subsidiary entities within the other warriors were implanted by the parent entity. However, the death of the parent entity does not result in the simultaneous death of its subsidiaries."

"This type of insect exhibits considerable intelligence. Whether parent or subsidiary entity, once they successfully replace a human host, they can seamlessly adapt to the host's prior lifestyle, making them nearly indistinguishable to outsiders."

"Currently, there are only two methods to identify these insects: kill them… or examine their spinal fluid."

"Directly killing them is obviously unrealistic. Only the examination of their spinal fluid provides a definitive method to distinguish them."

"The parasitism process in these insects begins in the spine, progressively replacing and controlling the entire body. During their latent phase, other detection methods may result in false negatives. Only by extracting and analyzing spinal fluid can we truly distinguish them from normal humans."

At the conclusion of the briefing, the vice marshal of the Imperial Capital Military District turned to Bai E, sitting on his left, and said gravely, "Now, could we trouble you, Mr. Bai, to reveal how you identified these insects? Honestly, conducting mandatory spinal fluid tests across an entire city is an enormous resource drain, even for the Imperial Capital, not to mention the absolute control over residents required to enforce such measures. I highly doubt that all of the thousand allied cities are capable of resolving this issue with ease. If you have a more efficient method, I sincerely hope you can share it for the survival of humanity."

Bai E shook his head and replied in a low tone, "The public setting earlier was too sensitive; casual disclosure might inadvertently alert the insects, leading to unpredictable consequences. But in this private setting, I have no intention of withholding information. Truth be told, my ability to sense these insects stems from my personal experience gained during prolonged confrontations with the Bug Race. It's an instinct honed over time, a skill I cannot impart even to the warriors of my own city. Thus, I'm afraid I can't offer much assistance when it comes to identifying the insects hidden among humans."

"What is your range of detection?" the representative from Tech City, seated beside Bai E, asked. "If it's reasonably efficient, I believe utilizing you as a kind of human radar to assist cities unable to bear the testing burden could serve as a supplementary solution."

"I have no objections. That's exactly what I was planning to suggest," Bai E said, turning toward the vice marshal of the Imperial Capital Military District. "I propose creating a prioritized list of cities based on resource availability and governance capacity, along with categorizing them by their proximity to Blackwater City. After I return to handle any immediate issues in my own city, I can systematically begin clearing potential threats in other cities. As for my detection range… it's around 10 kilometers. For a large city, my reach isn't extensive, so spinal fluid tests must still proceed concurrently. Relying solely on me will be far too slow."

"That's a reasonable approach. Our research team is already working to accelerate the development of spinal fluid testing kits, ensuring even the most under-resourced cities can quickly produce machines to scan their populations. Next…" The vice marshal nodded solemnly, then fixed an uneasy gaze on Bai E. "On behalf of the Imperial Capital, I have one more immodest request…"

"What immodest request!" interrupted the War God, who had remained silent until now. He glanced at Bai E with a playful smirk and said nonchalantly, "They want you, our human radar, to sweep through the Imperial Capital as well. Saves resources where we can, eh? Besides, you're already here—won't take much of your time."

Bai E responded with a radiant smile. "Of course."