The Ascension to Godhood Begins with the Blacklight Virus

Chapter 10 Keys and Locks

On the open ground before the gate lay many figures scattered about. They weren't monsters, but humans dressed in tattered combat suits or lab coats. Some were already skeletons, while others still retained a semblance of freshness. Their deaths were gruesome, suggesting they had endured fierce battles and desperate acts of fratricide. Judging from the remaining fragments of clothing and equipment, many of them were players.

Anvil crouched down, examining a relatively intact corpse, and tore a badge from the man's tactical vest—it depicted a blood-dripping, twisted scythe, wreathed in thorns and flowing data patterns. "The Reaper? His men died here?"

Secret Eyes lightly touched the ground with the tip of his staff, his eerie green eyes flashing: "The times of death vary, the earliest being over a month ago. The fragments of their souls bear the immeasurable fear and...betrayal. They weren't all killed by players...many died from ambushes by their own comrades, or...suicide."

Ah Qi's gaze was drawn to a relatively clean control panel next to the gate. The control panel screen was still lit, displaying constantly fluctuating biological data and complex arrays of runes. Scattered nearby were some data panels and an open, blood-stained log.

Cheng Song cautiously approached the control panel, with A Qi and Mi Tong immediately following, subtly flanking him from the left and right. Iron Anvil, meanwhile, vigilantly held his shield, keeping watch over their surroundings.

Cheng Song picked up the diary; the handwriting was messy and frantic, as if it had been written in extreme fear and despair. He quickly skimmed through it, and the more he read, the heavier his heart became.

We have failed. The Reaper has deceived us. The Father's gift is not evolution, but... devouring.

The maternal nest is not a petri dish; it is a living tomb! It is the anchor that the loving Father casts into this world! All our experiments are to provide it with nourishment and pave the way for the loving Father's arrival!

What ultimate life template? What glory in conquering reality? It's all lies! What the Reaper wants is to open a passage so that the true form of the 'Father,' or a part of Him, can descend completely through the Mother Nest! At that time, everything infected by the Seed of Corruption, including us, will become His nourishment and puppets!

By then, we won't be able to go back to the real world, and we won't even have the chance to take another look.

There's no escape... The gate is locked from the inside, requiring extremely high purity of source blood resonance or the mother's life signal to open... We've all been deceived, we're all sacrifices...

If you see this later, destroy the console! Don't try to open the door! What's behind it—

The diary ends abruptly here, the last page covered by a large patch of dried blood.

Cheng Song silently handed the log to Tiezhen. Tiezhen's face turned ashen after reading it. Aqi and Mitong also read it in turn, and the air was so heavy it seemed to drip water.

"The merciful father... has descended?" Ivan's voice trembled with tears. "The being who provided the seed of corruption...?"

"It seems our mission description wasn't entirely accurate," Mi-pupil said hoarsely. "Destroying the Corrupted Mother Nest isn't just about cleaning up the contamination; it's also about... stopping the descent ritual of a higher being."

"And the key to opening this door," Ah Qi's cold voice rang out, his gaze like an ice pick piercing Cheng Song, "is extremely pure source blood resonance... or, the mother's life signal."

All eyes were once again focused on Cheng Song.

Cheng Song could feel that behind the gate, the enormous, living star-like entity resonated with the virus within his body. A primal urge, a mixture of longing and trembling, assaulted his nerves. The virus screamed, urging him to approach, to merge, to… sacrifice? Or to devour?

He raised his head, meeting Ah Qi's cold, scrutinizing gaze, his unfathomable, inquisitive eyes, and the heavy, complex look of the anvil, before glancing once more at the alloy gate that isolated him from ultimate terror.

"It seems," Cheng Song forced an awkward smile, his voice dry as sandpaper, "that I, this unstable factor, am now going to become the key to unlock the door."

He paused, looking at the fluctuating data on the control panel screen that represented the life signs of the brood nest, and the pulsating biological tissue on the gate lock.

"However, before deciding how to use this key..."

He pointed to a deliberately hidden, shimmering recess next to the control panel. The shape of the recess was almost identical to the "Indecent Cult Badge" in his pocket.

"...Should we try to see if we have a backup key?"

The badge hummed in its groove, a dark green light flowing across the control panel like living veins. The biological tissue on the gate pulsated more intensely, its heartbeat echoing through the passageway, sending shivers down one's spine. Hope, like a tiny spark, ignited in the lifeless eyes of the crowd.

Then, it went out.

The console screen flashed a bright red light! A piercing alarm tore through the air! [Secondary-level access token detected. Insufficient permissions. Requirements: Source Blood Resonance ≥ 85% or Mother's Life Signal Verification. Secondary defense protocol activated.]

"Withdraw!" The anvil's roar sounded almost simultaneously with the alarm.

late.

Above the gate, the seemingly smooth alloy wall split open like flower petals, revealing six dark, shell-covered cannon muzzles. A ghostly green energy condensed deep within the muzzles, emitting a piercing shriek. Simultaneously, several hair-thin metal probes, their tips gleaming coldly, sprang from the groove containing the badge, plunging deep into its interior!

"Crack!" Cheng Song groaned as his hand, trying to pull back the badge, was gripped by a tremendous suction force. Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the badge's surface, and its dark green light rapidly dimmed. A cold, chaotic, and malicious stream of information flowed along the probe, attempting to erode his arm in reverse! It was a trap! This badge was not only a key, but also bait to activate the defense system and launch a reverse intrusion!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A green energy beam, like the scythe of death, shot out from the cannon muzzle, covering the entire area in front of the door! The energy beam touched the ground and walls, instantly exploding, corroding sizzling, charred pits, and releasing large clouds of dark green poisonous mist.

Ah Qi's figure shifted sideways in the blink of an eye, her moon-white outfit leaving afterimages as she narrowly avoided two crisscrossing energy beams. Instead of retreating, she faced the barrage of bullets and punched the wall below the nearest cannon muzzle! A burst of pale golden energy erupted, causing the junction of the alloy and biological tissue to cave in and deform violently, causing the cannon to veer off course.

With a swift swing of his staff, Mitong instantly unleashed a thin yet solid shadow shield that enveloped himself and the nearest Iron Anvil and Ivan. A beam of energy struck the shield, creating violent ripples; shadow and green light intertwined and annihilated, and the shield thinned at a visible rate. Mitong's already pale face drained of all color, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

The anvil roared and raised its battered heavy shield, taking two energy beams head-on! The shield's surface sizzled as it was corroded, and the newly formed dents almost penetrated it. The enormous impact forced it back, its boots carving two deep furrows in the ground.

Cheng Song was in the most dangerous position. His right arm was still restrained by the badge and probe, and his left hand barely managed to pull out a dagger, deflecting an energy beam aimed at his face, but another grazed his left rib. His combat suit instantly turned black and carbonized, and a burning pain shot through his skin. A cold, corrosive energy tried to penetrate his body. He groaned, and the virus's instinctive stress response caused the muscles around the wound to contract violently, forcibly enveloping and digesting the corrosive energy, but the excruciating pain did not lessen at all.

"Control panel!" Cheng Song roared, throwing his left-hand dagger with a sudden burst of dark light that shot directly onto the control panel screen!

Almost simultaneously, Ah Qi's second punch arrived! Instead of attacking the cannon muzzle, she chose the target of Cheng Song's dagger—the main control panel that was flashing red light!

"boom!!!"

The dagger pierced the screen, while Ah Qi's fist slammed solidly into the core processor of the control panel! Metal fragments, crystal components, sparks, and viscous green biological fluid scattered everywhere! The control panel emitted a short, mournful cry, the screen went completely dark, and the red alarm abruptly stopped.

The energy condensation at the muzzle abruptly ceased, and the half-fired energy beam lost its follow-up, dissipating crookedly into the air. The pulsating biological tissue on the gate also froze, and its light dimmed.

The suction of the groove on the badge disappeared. Cheng Song jerked the nearly shattered badge out, staggering back a few steps, the wound on his left side making him gasp. The badge had completely lost its luster in his hand, turning into a piece of cracked scrap metal.

The passageway was a scene of utter chaos, filled with the stench of burning, poisonous fumes, and decaying biological fluids. Six cannons drooped listlessly, black smoke billowing from the control panels. The gate remained tightly shut, standing silently at the end, as if mocking the place.

Hope was shattered, and he almost lost his life.

Ah Qi withdrew her fist, the skin at the knuckles of her silver-gray wristband cracking and bleeding. She didn't even look at the wound, her cold gaze sweeping over the broken badge in Cheng Song's hand, then landing on his pale face and charred ribs, finally settling on his eyes that were suppressing pain, yet still burning with something indescribable deep within.

"The conventional methods are out of the question." Her voice was calm, yet carried an immense weight. "Now, it's your turn."

Iron Anvil leaned on his shield, panting heavily, his gaze heavy. Secret Eyes removed his shaky shield, coughing, his eerie green eyes fixed on Cheng Song, as if trying to dissect the deepest fluctuations of his soul. Ivan lay slumped in the distance, trembling like a leaf.

Cheng Song leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to the ground. The wound on his ribs was slowly stopping bleeding and closing up under the influence of the virus, but each breath brought sharp pain. He looked down at the shattered badge in his hand, then looked up at the heavy gate that isolated him from the ultimate terror.

He could feel that the thing behind the door was calling to the virus within him even stronger. It wasn't a temptation, but more like... a resonance of shared origins, and a natural call from a higher being to a lower being. The attempt with the badge seemed to have further stimulated this connection.

"The thing inside me," Cheng Song said, his voice hoarse, "is reacting to what's behind the door. A very strong reaction."

He paused, meeting Ah Qi's cold, scrutinizing gaze, and continued, "When I placed the badge, I felt... the biological tissue on the door probing me. The badge's permissions weren't sufficient, but my... presence seemed to have piqued its interest. Or rather, it met some of its... identification criteria."

"So, you can open the door?" Ah Qi pressed, without any beating around the bush.

"Possibly." Cheng Song didn't rule it out, "but the process is definitely not as simple as just placing the badge. It might require direct contact, or even... a deeper level of 'interaction.' There are two possible outcomes." He held up two fingers, even though his right hand was still trembling slightly.

"First, I failed. I was assimilated and devoured by that door or what's behind it, becoming a part of it. The door may open or it may not, but you will immediately have an even more troublesome enemy."

"Second, I've succeeded for now, the door is open. But I need to mobilize... its power to deceive or simulate the signal to open the door. During this process, I can't fully control myself, my state will be extremely unstable, and I might exhibit... aggression, or some other change that you don't want to see."

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Ah Qi, Iron Anvil, and Secret Eye: "If I can still maintain basic consciousness after the door opens, I will go in with you to complete the mission of destroying the 'Mother Nest.' That's why I came in, and it might also be one of the possible ways to resolve the troubles I'm in."

"What if you lose control after opening the door?" Ah Qi asked coldly.

Cheng Song revealed a maniacal smile: "Then you can push me in the moment the door opens, or... kill me when I'm at my most vulnerable. This should be a good opportunity for you, as it eliminates the threat and allows you to get in."

The passageway was deathly silent, save for the faint sound of a heartbeat in the distance and the heavy breathing of the people.

"A fair trade," Secret Eye spoke slowly, breaking the silence. "Your potential loss of control and death are exchanged for a chance to enter. But for us, the risks remain enormous—opening the door could trigger an uncontrollable disaster, and if you defect after entering, we'll have nowhere to retreat from inside."

"So, we need to add a little... insurance." He raised his bone-white staff, the black crystal at its tip pointing eerily at Cheng Song. "I can try to wrap a 'Shadow Soul-Eating Curse' around the surface of your soul. This isn't control, but a mark, and a trigger. Once the curse senses your soul's fluctuations have completely fallen, or you show any deadly intent to attack us... it will detonate on its own, severely damaging your soul. It might not kill you, but it will be enough to render you incapacitated at a crucial moment, or... worse."

A curse on the soul. This is a threat far more terrifying than swords and blades.

Cheng Song's pupils contracted slightly. The virus within his body instinctively rejected and raged at this threat that went straight to the source. But he suppressed it. He knew that this was the most intimidating bargaining chip the other side could offer in this desperate situation.

"Okay." He nodded without haggling. "But you must guarantee that it won't be triggered while I don't show any hostility and fully cooperate to complete the mission. After the mission is completed, whether I live or die, you must remove the spell, or tell me how to remove it."

Secret Eyes' eerie green eyes flickered, seemingly assessing the truthfulness of Cheng Song's words and the feasibility of this condition. After a few seconds, he slowly nodded: "By the laws of the Spirit Realm as witness, I hereby make this pact: I, Secret Eyes, will cast the 'Shadow Soul Devouring Curse' on the Cleaner solely as a warning of loss of control and a last resort. It will not be triggered while the Cleaner does not actively harm the team and cooperates in completing the mission. Upon completion of the mission or confirmation of the Cleaner's death, I will provide a method to remove it. Violation of this rule will result in the soul suffering the backlash of the laws."

An invisible, chilling binding force descended between the two as he spoke. This was a contract between players witnessed by the laws of the spiritual realm, possessing a powerful binding effect.

"I need ten minutes to prepare." After saying that, Mi Tong walked to the side, took out some powder that exuded a cold aura and a small bottle of pitch-black liquid from his black robe, and began to draw a tiny, complex magic circle on the ground.

Ah Qi walked up to Cheng Song, looking down at him: "When you open the door, I'll be three steps away from you. If you make any move, I'll break your limbs first, and then let Secret Eye detonate the spell." Her tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable determination.

Cheng Song smirked: "Don't worry, I have no interest in becoming Lady Qi."

Iron Anvil began inspecting the equipment, replacing the battering ram's energy battery, and adjusting the tattered shield to the most effective angle for leverage. He was like a silent war machine, performing final checks before the decisive battle.

Ivan huddled in the corner, looking at this and that, before finally pulling a syringe filled with fluorescent blue liquid from his white coat and trembling as he handed it to Cheng Song: "This...this is a powerful analgesic and nerve stabilizer...maybe it can help you...feel a little better during contact..."

Cheng Song glanced at him, took the syringe, and without hesitation, plunged it into the intact muscle of his left arm and injected it. The cool liquid flowed into his veins, which did relieve the excruciating pain in his ribs somewhat, and his mind seemed to be forcibly calmed down. However, the virus in his body was agitated by this foreign chemical substance, which he forcibly soothed.

Ten minutes passed quickly.

Once Mi Tong finished drawing the magic circle, he gestured for Cheng Song to stand in the center. Cheng Song did as he was told. Mi Tong began chanting a difficult, hoarse incantation. The black crystal on his staff shone brightly, casting a solid, inky shadow that, like a living venomous snake, slowly coiled around Cheng Song's body and finally disappeared into his brow.

Cheng Song's body shuddered violently! A cold, slippery sensation, as if countless tiny insects were crawling on the surface of his soul, made him want to vomit. The virus within him roared wildly, and the dark red lines under the skin of his right arm throbbed violently, almost bursting out of his body. He gritted his teeth, using all his willpower, and with the last lingering effects of the "Soul Cleansing Incense," he desperately suppressed the virus's rampage, while forcing himself to "accept" this foreign, shadowy curse.

The process lasted about a minute. As the last wisp of shadow disappeared into Cheng Song's brow, an extremely tiny, complex black rune appeared on his forehead, flashing by in an instant. Mi Tong, on the other hand, seemed to have exhausted all his strength; his staff slammed shut, and he almost fell, only to be caught by the anvil. His already pale face looked even more ashen.

"The incantation... is complete," Mi Tong gasped. "I can feel... the agitation in that thing... it's astonishing, but the contract is formed."

Cheng Song felt a cold shackle had been placed on the surface of his soul, but he could sense that as long as he didn't violently trigger the "out of control" condition, this shackle would remain just a shackle, not a bomb. He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and looked at the gate.

"Well then," he moved his right arm, which was still sore but calmed by the medicine, and stepped towards the huge alloy gate, "it's time to test my 'backup key' and see if it works."