Chapter 116: Titan Consciousness—Leviathan, Father of the Swarm

If Qin Fei’s inference was correct, then the true identity of this Sea Emperor should be none other than the “Father of the Shark Swarm, Leviathan,” mentioned in the main quest!

First, Qin Fei had already gathered several clues from the building imprisoning the Sea Emperor.

According to the scanner data, this building was not actually a virus research facility. In fact, it would be more accurate to call it a “prison.”

What kind of being would warrant confinement in a prison?

Naturally, it would have to be a creature of considerable value but extremely dangerous.

So, although the Sea Emperor appeared harmless on the surface, even capable of communicating with Qin Fei, it was undoubtedly problematic.

At this point, Qin Fei was only somewhat suspicious. It might be that the scanner mistranslated the building’s name... or perhaps the term “prison” was simply a designation arbitrarily assigned by the Precursors.

But there was a second thought-provoking aspect about this Sea Emperor prison: its location.

The lava zone was scorching, and aside from creatures like the sea dragons native to the area, no other life would willingly reside there.

If this prison were truly a virus research facility, why would the Precursors choose to build it in the deepest part of the lava zone?

The choice of such a location made the purpose clear.

The Precursors deliberately built the structure deep underground in the lava zone to prevent the Sea Emperor from escaping!

Qin Fei even speculated that the three sea dragons here—the Leviathans—were possibly creations of the Precursors.

Their purpose was similarly to prevent the Sea Emperor from breaking out.

Otherwise, with the Precursors’ technology far surpassing humanity’s, how could they allow massive creatures like the sea dragons to roam freely outside their virus research facility?

Besides these two points, the Sea Emperor also revealed several flaws in its communication with Qin Fei.

It had once asked Qin Fei to help eliminate the Leviathan sea dragons outside the prison.

This request was clearly absurd.

Anyone could tell by size alone that Qin Fei’s strength was insufficient to defeat a Leviathan sea dragon.

Unless he wielded the Stasis Gun.

The Sea Emperor’s request indirectly proved it knew that Qin Fei’s backpack contained the Stasis Gun.

Moreover, during earlier conversations, Qin Fei found that the Sea Emperor even knew about the scanner in his backpack.

It was intimately familiar with the scanner’s functions.

For a being that had never met you to know so much about the items in your backpack, this meant only one thing:

The Sea Emperor possessed a special psychic ability to remotely monitor every one of Qin Fei’s actions.

This was evident from its use of psychic communication with Qin Fei.

This explained how it was so well-informed about everything Qin Fei had taken out before.

Using this spying ability, the Sea Emperor had observed over time and concluded that Qin Fei and the game’s protagonist were complete strangers.

Hence, it repeated the same lines it had said to the protagonist earlier when speaking to Qin Fei.

The Sea Emperor had already been pregnant and given birth once when the protagonist arrived.

When Qin Fei came, it reenacted the pregnancy act.

But even for humans, gestation takes ten months.

Qin Fei easily deduced from the timeline that only a few months had passed between the protagonist’s return to Earth and arrival on Planet 4546B.

How could such a powerful creature as the Sea Emperor possibly conceive twice in so short a time?

And without a mate?

It was utterly implausible!

Furthermore, Qin Fei guessed that the protagonist’s smooth return to Earth was orchestrated by this Sea Emperor.

According to the main storyline, the protagonist had used the fertility enzymes produced during the Sea Emperor’s birthing process to cure the Kara virus inside him.

But the Sea Emperor’s birthing was a sham—how could such “fertility enzymes” exist?

The only explanation for the Sea Emperor’s ability to cure the Kara virus was that it was the Kara virus itself!

Or rather, the Sea Emperor was the Technological Primordial Serum—the collective consciousness of corrosion produced by that serum on this planet!

Only this explanation could account for why the Sea Emperor could completely heal the protagonist’s Kara virus.

And the reason it healed the protagonist was to enable his return to Earth, so he would spread the “Technological Primordial Serum” to all life there.

Thus, allowing the corrosion consciousness to take over the entire Earth...

Naturally, Qin Fei’s foresight about the game’s plot allowed him to easily discern the Sea Emperor’s lies.

If it were any other traveler, they wouldn’t have been able to deduce so much in such a short time.

As for whether the Sea Emperor—the collective corrosion consciousness on this planet—is truly the “Father of the Shark Swarm, Leviathan,” mentioned in the mission, it was easy to judge.

The diamond-shaped crystal on Qin Fei’s wrist was designed by future humans from the Ark dimension, specifically to combat the “corrosion consciousness.”

One might say the diamond crystal and the corrosion consciousness were mortal enemies, locked in eternal conflict.

Given this premise, the main quest “Eliminate the Father of the Shark Swarm, Leviathan” likely referred to the corrosion consciousness on this planet.

And that corrosion consciousness just happened to be the Sea Emperor.

Hence, Qin Fei could reasonably infer that the Sea Emperor was the “Father of the Shark Swarm, Leviathan” from the mission.

Of course, this was only speculation.

Qin Fei’s hypothesis might well be wrong.

But even if he erred, and the Sea Emperor were killed by the Leviathan sea dragons, it would cause him no loss.

Yet if he guessed correctly, the mission might be completed immediately.

Better to mistakenly kill ten thousand than to let one go.

If he missed this chance, Qin Fei might never again have the opportunity to kill the Sea Emperor.

Under the relentless assault of the Leviathan sea dragons, the Sea Emperor’s entire body soon became battered and scarred.

It roared angrily underwater, then its body began to writhe.

With the writhing, the Sea Emperor gradually transformed into a colossal shark over a hundred meters long, covered in dark purple skin and bristling with countless tentacles!

Was this the true form of the “Father of the Shark Swarm, Leviathan”...

Seeing this giant shark in the water, Qin Fei piloted the Sea Shrimp craft further away.

The Titan consciousness could change its form; transforming from Sea Emperor to shark was not surprising.

The Titan consciousness was a conceptual entity formed from countless corrupted beings gathered together.

It could manifest as the Sea Emperor, or as a Titan, or a giant shark in the water...

Perhaps the Titan consciousness felt the giant shark form too grotesque to deceive Qin Fei effectively, so it had taken the shape of the Sea Emperor Leviathan instead.