My Cell Prison-Chapter 1218 - 1217: Monster

"I can answer your questions about the monster," Han Dong said. "However, the issue of ’Locks and Locksmiths’ involves the court’s secrets. It’s also a matter I’ve been probing since descending into the Demon Region, and to this day, I have yet to find an answer."

Frozen Bone–Luo Gaocheng spoke with equal gravity when discussing this issue, he hadn’t been idle during his time below either. Apart from practicing "Corpse Collection: Assistant–Zombie Mortis," he was also covertly pursuing the truth of the world.

"Monsters are actually a side effect of the ’Decree of Corpse Transformation.’ Since the decree was issued, according to some folk records, a dense miasma rose from the skies above the Imperial City, even forming some fierce corpse apparitions... Since then, the world has been slowly undergoing transformation.

Decades have passed.

When the miasma in the air reached a certain concentration, corpses could resurrect ’naturally,’ without the need for ’corpse oil’ and ’corpse refining.’ As long as individuals absorbed enough miasma while alive, and were buried in a designated graveyard, they could rise from their coffins after a certain period of incubation, and reenter life with the identity of a corpse handler.

By then, the embryonic state of the Corpse Country had essentially taken shape.

Similarly, the non-human lifeforms around the world were also ’breathing,’ and as animals and plants absorbed the air, their bodies underwent an uncontrollable monster transformation... During this process, many lifeforms perished, while others successfully transformed into monsters.

They developed consciousness and also acquired the opportunity for ’cultivation.’

However, monsters lack the uniformity of the undead and do not have a shared experience like ’Corpse Collection,’ so their cultivation speed is more than twice as slow as that of the undead.

What they do have is a massive number, and through sheer numbers alone, they can produce Great Demons, or even beings of the Emperor monster level."

"Great Demon? Emperor monster? What levels do these correspond to among the undead?" Han Dong immediately inquired.

"A Great Demon is equivalent to a Black Zombie. They contain something similar to the ’Demon Pill’ within them, akin to the heart of a Black Zombie... In the Corpse Country, these are considered priceless treasures.

As I’ve said before, monsters lack uniformity and shared experience. Often, not one Great Demon can be found among ten thousand monsters. Those who can cultivate into Great Demons are all exceptionally talented or have survived thousands of battles, each powerful and leading a strong tribe.

As for the Emperor Monster, I’ve only heard a rumor.

It was said that during the early establishment of the Corpse Country, before the chains and levitation were accomplished, a particularly brutal battle erupted.

An Emperor Monster beyond the level of a Great Demon inflicted severe damage on humankind, even forcibly abducting the Emperor. It took Academician Du, betting his life on a strategy, to successfully rescue the Emperor with a secret team of undead. He was the very same who wrote the [Floating Corpse Internal Classic].

However, the rumor was something I heard from a mysterious storyteller in the market.

As for what followed, there was no continuation, whether the Emperor Monster lived or died is unknown... perhaps there was never an Emperor Monster or such a war at all; it could all be fiction concocted by the storyteller."

"That’s quite interesting." Luo Gaocheng’s narrative immediately piqued Han Dong’s interest... If there truly was an Emperor Monster, then it must be a [Mythic Body].

This would mean there’s an issue with the World Level.

"If there are multiple Mythic Bodies presiding, then the world’s status is definitely not that of a ’Medium-Sized World,’ but if it were an ’Upper-tier World,’ the Black Tower wouldn’t allow me access... It seems the current world is in a sort of ’transition period.’

There are still many secrets to uncover."

Han Dong continued questioning:

"Thank you, Mr. Luo, for sharing the information. I will incorporate this matter of monsters into my plans... Although Great Demons are interesting, I am more eager to make contact with my own kind first.

Do you know of any other fugitives hiding below, particularly those ranked among the ’Seventy-two Evil Spirits?’"

"I really don’t know," Luo Gaocheng shrugged. "In life, I wasn’t fond of socializing and mostly went my own way. After being wanted by the Ministry of Punishment, I was injured during my escape.

Upon arriving here, I immediately sought out this hard-to-find Demon Cave and hid in its depths, using the monsters’ bodies to practice ’Zombie Mortis.’

Shouldn’t you be asking this ’Dragon View Taoist Master’ for such information?"

The conversation shifted, and Chen Xinying pulled some spare tobacco from her Mechanical Body and began to roll it in Talisman Paper to smoke.

"I belong to the Ministry of War, not to the Ministry of Punishment... I mostly spent my time learning Taoist Skills and the art of making talismans. I’m not interested in wanted criminals.

The only thing I’m interested in, ’Frozen Bone,’ is also a result of memory tampering; the court deliberately planted hatred for ’Frozen Bone’ in my brain to presumably realize my individual value and ensure stability."

As neither could provide further information on other fugitives, Han Dong asked:

"Miss Chen, the Supply Officer who provided the ’Frozen Bone’ information at the barracks, he must know some other details, right?"

"He’s stationed in the barracks year-round. Although he’s in logistics, he also earns some extra money by trading in intelligence... He indeed holds a great deal of information about the Demon Region.

Even if he doesn’t know, he can suggest ways to gather intelligence.

After all, about eighty percent of matters related to the Demon Region are directly managed by the Ministry of War.

But with my current situation, won’t I be targeted by the court once I return to the barracks?"

Han Dong smiled slightly. "As long as he has enough information, there’s no need for you to return to the barracks.

I’ll handle the intelligence gathering.

However, I need ’two things’ to ensure he’s willing to share information with me.

First, the Dragon View Taoist Master’s waist token.

Second, your head tissue, Mr. Luo."

The first request was understandable, but the second was peculiar. Though curious, Luo Gaocheng didn’t ask further questions, "Head tissue... How much do you need?"

"The amount doesn’t matter, but ideally, it should include part of the skull and brain layers."

"Okay."

A finger pierced into his brain, and soon, Luo Gaocheng delivered a portion of his frozen tissue to Han Dong... His eyes glittered with white frost, curious about what Han Dong intended to do next.

Han Dong immediately took the head tissue to the brain laboratory for analysis. Utilizing his brain’s ’imitation’ power, he initiated cell culture and directed differentiation. Right on the tabletop, visible to the Meat Eye, he generated a head identical to Luo Gaocheng’s, even with a hint of frost on the surface.

"Oh man!" Having witnessed this eerie spectacle, Luo Gaocheng hastily felt his own head.

As Han Dong was about to leave with a white-haired head in one hand and the silver dragon token at his waist, Luo Gaocheng asked from behind:

"Mr. Han, did you once serve for the court’s Secret Department?"

"My identity is indeed related to ’secrets,’ but not the Secret Department here... If this operation is successful, I guarantee you won’t end up in the Demon Region leading fugitive lives devoid of rights like this.

Heal up, we’ll meet again later."