………According to the report from the Zerg biologist, Dr. Rose, this parasite possesses formidable intelligence. They even instigate internal strife and conflict among us, plunging us into civil war—that is the terrifying danger posed by this parasite. Not only that, the intelligence of these bugs allows them to identify vulnerabilities within our own systems…” “Dr. Rose’s report indicates that these creatures often infiltrate human society inadvertently, then assassinate key figures within humanity to crush our morale, or provoke chaos and civil war… Recognizing such a creature is not easy, but it is not impossible. One of the most crucial methods of identification is observing their reactions, as intelligence suggests that the primary means of communication for these parasites is through psychic abilities…”

The moment Chu Xuan’s image appeared on the main screens of all the battleships, Neos instantly sensed that something was terribly wrong. He was currently aboard the Information Network Vessel, the ship responsible for relaying Earth’s network signals to the various vessels and managing inter-ship communications. Logically, as long as the main server room he occupied was not compromised, only his signals should be transmitted. How could Chu Xuan’s signal possibly reach every ship? What stunned him most was that Chu Xuan’s image wasn't just on his ship; even the information feed for Aya’s vessel was entirely dominated by Chu Xuan! When Chu Xuan mentioned psychic abilities, Neos’s heart hammered in his chest.

He finally grasped the step he had overlooked—no, if this was the overlooked step, then countless previous actions had been fundamentally misguided. Though he had only heard this much, Neos’s mood plummeted into near despair. If his guess was correct, Chu Xuan’s next words would be the death sentence for their team, and they likely wouldn't even have the strength left to resist.

………Given these circumstances.

When we realized the terrifying destructive potential brought by this parasite, Zheng Zha personally visited Dr. Rose to inquire in detail about the harm and habits of these creatures. On his way to the doctor's office, Zheng Zha noticed a suspicious high-ranking military officer lingering near the location. This was the officer’s profile… As Chu Xuan finished speaking, the middle-aged man appeared on screen, along with footage of him brushing past Zheng Zha; the two appeared entirely indistinguishable.

However, when this middle-aged man returned to the ship where Neos and the others were located, he was observed moving his lips silently, and at other times, though his mouth was still, his facial expressions seemed to indicate he was communicating with someone. Only after he entered his private quarters did the surveillance recording conclude.

“This man was the first high-ranking officer we suspected of being parasitized by the Zerg. Following that, I tracked their movements. Over several days, I repeatedly observed them communicating without uttering a sound, and this applied only to these six individuals. The following footage highlights their suspicious activities…” “Therefore, I specifically instructed several squad leaders stationed on the flagship to remain vigilant in protecting the high-ranking military officials who were due to arrive. Finally, today, the high command arrived, but two of these six individuals immediately approached them. As these two positioned themselves near the officials, the officials also behaved abnormally; without any suspicion or authorization, they attempted to arrest the soldiers who had been deployed to the Zerg planet en masse. The dozen or so squad leaders I instructed have now been disarmed aboard the flagship…” “Below is the recorded footage from when two of these six individuals issued the order to arrest us…”

Chu Xuan ceased speaking, and with a few taps of his finger, two smaller screens appeared on the main display. These screens showed the blond youth Neos and the beautiful mixed-race girl Aya, engaged in the very conversation Neos had just held. However, as they spoke, the accompanying time stamps—the exact moment each word was uttered, even without a script—showed them saying identical things, as if they were two sides of the same person. They spoke the same content, made the same gestures, and used the same tone simultaneously. This was the signature of telepathic communion!

The soldiers watching the screens erupted in murmurs, pointing at the two perfectly synchronized images and discussing animatedly. Every soldier looked perplexed, especially when the screens displayed the dozen disarmed soldiers standing beside the high-ranking officials and the two suspected officers. A full-scale uproar ensued among the troops.

…Based on this series of evidence, particularly the telepathic characteristics just displayed, I have reason to believe these six individuals have been parasitized by the Zerg, and the soldiers I instructed to protect the high command have been disarmed. We have reason to believe these parasites are attempting to destroy us from within… We fought our way out of that swarm of bugs. Does anyone still heed the leadership of the four of us? Let us carve a bloody path out of the Zerg conspiracy once more!”

Neos knelt on the floor. Hearing Chu Xuan reach this point, his vision went black, and he nearly fainted. Then, he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood. Yet, he bit down hard on his lip, persevering so as not to lose consciousness from rage and shock.

With a trembling hand, Neos fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a piece of chocolate. He mixed it with his blood and placed the chocolate into his mouth, then sat there in silence, lost in thought, his mind relentlessly replaying the flaws in his own strategy and every unanswered question.

(…I finally understand. That’s why they made Zheng Zha fight with his full strength back then. It wasn’t just to make us hesitant; it was to make us believe our position had been compromised. It’s my fault; this Chu Xuan is terrifying. His goal wasn't to make us think Zheng Zha was strong; it was to make us believe we were exposed, forcing us to use our mental controllers. His objective from the very beginning was this…) (Then sending Zheng Zha to Rose—even though he didn't know Rose was a neutral third party, regardless of who Rose helped, he could use Rose’s theories to his advantage, perhaps by claiming Rose was parasitized by the Zerg. My biggest failure was letting Richard test Zheng Zha’s strength. I was too confident in myself; how could I commit such a foolish act…) (Then letting that recruit, Rogan Dao, be captured by us… Good grief, this guy must have been lying! He couldn’t possibly have received the warning days ago; it must have been yesterday or even today… But how did he manage to deceive me? Lying is useless against a probe from a mental controller. If it was the truth… Damn it, it’s my mistake. I forgot to ask him the method of warning. If the information was given days ago, it could only have been through face-to-face conversation or text. But if the warning came while he was already held captive by us, then another method must have been used… I was too careless; I overlooked such a minor error!) (And then the final, fatal blow—he targeted our mental controllers from the start. From the moment we activated the mental controllers, our defeat was virtually sealed. Then he used Rogan Dao’s mouth to prompt me to ‘use’ the mental controllers for the final maneuver. Who knew that was the fatal trigger! When we engaged the Mind Chain of the mental controllers, it was precisely the moment for him to counterattack!) (And when I tried to quietly eliminate him from the upper command, he was launching a coup-like war from below. His true objective… was it to sink the battleships or rewrite the plot to gain massive reward points and side-plot progress? Such terrifying intelligence, transcending biology, emotionless, ice-cold, and utterly oppressive… like a god…)

Blood continued to stream from Neos’s mouth as he chewed the chocolate with a bitter smile. By the time that piece was consumed, his eyes began to lose focus. The chocolate wrapper slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor… Neos was dead in his seat…

As Neos died, Zheng Zha had already taken a shuttle to the flagship ahead of time. Just as the shuttle entered the battleship bay, missiles suddenly launched from two of the space battleships, targeting the other two vessels. These two targeted ships were part of the reinforcements brought by the high-ranking military officials. Upon missile launch, the two targeted vessels immediately executed evasive maneuvers. One ship evaded the incoming projectile just in the nick of time, seemingly by a hair’s breadth. The other battleship was not so fortunate; its port wing was struck by the projectile. With a deafening explosion, the left wing was blown open, leaving a gaping wound, and countless lives were undoubtedly lost in the blast…

“All battleships, issue an unconditional surrender signal. Any vessel failing to signal will be reasonably suspected of being parasitized. Furthermore, all flagship officials, including visiting high-ranking officers, will be placed in quarantine for investigation… In the face of a parasite with such terrifying reproductive capacity, parasitic ability, and destructive force! Our first priority must be the safety of Earth! We cannot allow a single battleship to slip from our sight or return to Earth!” Chu Xuan said calmly on screen, his hands clasped before him as he looked out.