"Reduction drugs?"
Li Yao thought about the name. "'Restore' what?"
"Restore genes to their original appearance," Fire Demon Ant said calmly.
"The arts of training of the demon race are more focused on the direct strengthening and modification of genes. However, gene strands and cells are a precise whole. One moment of carelessness and mental derangement, and the gene strands will be excessively stimulated, resulting in the collapse of cells and all kinds of terrible changes.
"The organization of Chaos has mastered all kinds of secret techniques to modify genes. They boast all kinds of bizarre viruses that are highly dangerous.
"Just now, in the Mausoleum of Chaos, one of my subordinates was accidentally scratched by the claws and teeth of a corpse from forty thousand years ago. Although the wound was as thin as a hair and did not even bleed, the weird virus still snuck into his body and overstimulated his cells!"
Li Yao frowned. "What will happen if the cells are overstimulated?"
"Let's say that your soul is a general, and all the cells and genes inside your body are your soldiers," the Fire Ant said coldly.
"Under normal circumstances, you naturally want to slightly stimulate the soldiers so that they will be more hot-blooded, excited, and fearless of death. Only in such a way will their combat ability be higher.
"You even hope that some of the 'soldiers' will mutate and grow into vanguards, captains, and enemies of a hundred people, right?
"However, if the stimulation is too much, and all the 'soldiers' fall into extreme madness and do not listen to your command at all, what will happen?
"Your 'army' will collapse and turn into bandits who commit all kinds of crimes. Very soon, they will be destroyed in their own madness.
"That's exactly what will happen if the cells go out of control and act on their own. The energy around the body will be drained instantly, and they will be on a rampage like a volcanic eruption. Even when the master is dead, the cells are still alive and will attack the surroundings with their natural instincts!
"People are dead. The cells are still alive? "
Li Yao was greatly alarmed.
"Exactly."
The Fire Ant said, "The people in such a state cannot be called 'dead bodies' but an amalgamation of a lot of cells. An amalgamation of ravenous demonic cells!
"Their only instinct is to multiply, expand, and infect. Every living thing around them is their target. Through biting, they spread their crazy will!"
Li Yao sucked in a breath of cold air. "The reduction agent can restrain such a cell mutation?"
"Yes."
The Fire Ant said, "The Reduction Agent can restore over-activated genes to their original state. It allows the boiling cells to return to calmness, so it is the antidote to all genetic mutations. "
"To concoct the poison, one must first concoct the antidote. Since Chaos is conducting large-scale research here, of course, they have to prevent the virus from going out of control and spreading. Therefore, they have concocted a reduction medicine in advance."
"I knew that I would run into unexpected dangers during the exploration of the Mausoleum of Chaos. Should I be infected by the virus, only the Reduction Drugs could save my life. That was why I tried everything I could. They all wanted to snatch the Reduction Elixir from You Quan's research lab, but they were intercepted halfway. "
Li Yao's eyes flickered. "How many Reduction Elixirs are there?"
"As far as I know. Only one bottle. "
The Fire Ant said, "However, You Quan seems to be synthesizing the Reduction Elixir artificially. There's no telling whether or not he has succeeded. Thankfully, only one gram of the Reduction Elixir is needed every time. It is enough to calm the boiling cells. "
Li Yao thought for a moment and asked, "What will happen if … a bottle of the Reduction Elixir is absorbed?"
The Fire Ant blinked quickly and wriggled his demonic energy. He said slowly, "The cells and genes will be restored to their original state. If a demon absorbs too much of the Reduction Elixir, he will probably turn into a human being, just like … you, sir."
If it were not for the dead silence and darkness, Li Yao would've exclaimed aloud. But on the surface, he was as calm as ever as he shook Neltharion peacefully. "What do you mean?"
The Fire Ant still looked like a piece of burnt wood. But Li Yao sensed the delight of having gained the upper hand from the vibration of his demonic energy. "I've been wondering since the very beginning. Even if you are really an expert in the level of a demon emperor, how come You Quan didn't notice anything?
"Right now, I've finally figured it out. Elder Nether Spring was indeed very cautious and searched for every trace of demonic energy nearby.
"However, what you released was not demonic energy but feeble spiritual waves. No wonder Nether Spring ignored it!
"Although I couldn't see the real form of the magical equipment, my demonic energy enveloped it tightly and allowed me to perceive every detail of it.
"The overall shape and the style of the magical equipment are similar to the crystal warships of human beings. It is definitely not in the style of the demon race. Also, the shell in the shape of dragon scales is in the style of the Star Ocean Imperium at its peak ten thousand years ago.
"If my guess is correct, it should be a piece of magical equipment similar to a 'training starship', right?
"Although I can't tell its specific model, it must be a certain multipurpose exploration starship of the Star Ocean Imperium!"
Li Yao was unmoved. He said coldly, "Even if what I'm using is truly a piece of magical equipment from the Star Ocean Imperium, it cannot prove my identity. Too many demons use the magical equipment of human beings."
"Exactly."
The Fire Ant said unhurriedly, "Of course, demons can use the magical equipment of human beings, too. But your control over the 'training starship' is amazing. Both the turrets and the stabilizing fins are moving as if they are your own arms. That is not something that can be achieved by just anybody. You must've obtained the highest clearance to control the training starship.
"In the age of the Star Ocean Imperium, demons were the mortal enemies of human beings. A training starship of the Star Ocean Imperium would never allow a demon to obtain the highest clearance to control it.
"Besides, despite your immense strength, you did not know much about the basic concepts that I intentionally threw out just now. I found it difficult to come up with a second conjecture because of your repeated questions."
Li Yao secretly spat. The Fire Ant's relatively weak performance in the battle against Elder Nether Spring had misled him and made him underestimate the leader of Void Turmoil City subconsciously. He had been too careless!
The Fire Ant's demonic energy was still shivering crazily. "Look. Information communication is always two-way. The party who seems to be raising a question may also be offering the answer voluntarily.
"Things are getting more and more interesting. An expert of human beings has snuck into the depths of the Blood Demon Sector and participated in the excavation of the Mausoleum of Chaos. What do you and the force that you represent want exactly?"
Li Yao neither admitted nor denied his identity. Taking a deep breath, he raised the question that he considered to be the most important one. "According to you, the Blood of Chaos can 'revert' demons into human beings. It means that the 'same-origin theory between human beings and demons' is correct. Demons have always been human beings. Or rather, did they mutate from human beings?"
The Fire Ant admitted frankly, "Yes. Demons did not evolve from demon beasts but mutated from human beings. This is the conclusion that I reached after decades of research. Nether Spring must've reached the same conclusion as me, too."
Li Yao felt that his head was dizzy. The turrets and stabilizing fins of Neltharion were shivering quickly. "Why? “
"I want to know 'why', too," the Fire Ant said. "That's why I've come here to look for the answer."
"Do the members of the Blade of Chaos not know the truth?" Li Yao asked again.
The Fire Ant King rolled his gray eyes and said, "I don't know yet. My original plan was to reveal the truth to the public after I excavated the sacred body of God Chaos and found the answer to the mutation years ago.
Li Yao took a deep breath and said, "If demons were really mutated from human beings, and we were of the same species in the beginning, I don't know why the Blood Demon Sector and the Tian Yuan Realm were at war and even wanted to die together."
With a hint of mockery in his eyes, the Fire Ant said casually, "It was exactly because we were of the same species that we needed air, water, land, minerals, and other resources that the war broke out.
"If we were really 'demons', a life form that was entirely different from human beings, and what we lived on were rocks and electromagnetic waves, there would've been no need for a war at all."
Li Yao was lost for words. Pondering for a moment, he asked, "Is the Blade of Chaos going against the Xing Yao Federation?"
The Fire Ant smiled bitterly. "Is the Blade of Chaos qualified to be an enemy of the Xing Yao Federation right now?"
The answer was unexpected, but on second thought, it could not have been more correct. Whatever was on the Fire Ant's mind right now, Chaos …
"Alright!"
Li Yao said. "I can save you on the condition that you tell me everything you know, especially everything about the Mausoleum of Chaos. Then, we can discuss how we can get more benefits from Elder Nether Spring!"
The conversation between the two of them was conducted through the shivering of demonic energy and the rotation of the turret. For every word they exchanged, the demonic energy had to be shivered dozens of times and the turret rotated several times.
Also, the Fire Ant was tied up by highly-sensitive synthesized nerves and did not have the courage to shiver too much. Therefore, the speed of their communication was extremely slow.
The conversation just now seemed to be a battle of words, but it actually took them several hours.
Thankfully, Elder Nether Spring and the Nether World Watch were too busy excavating and exploring the Mausoleum of Chaos to care about their younger brother. Therefore, they were able to communicate freely.
However, after more than ten hours of communication, their luck seemed to have run out. Powerful demonic energy came over from outside of the tusk cage.
"It's Nether Spring!"
The wriggling demonic energy of the Fire Ant suddenly vanished.
Li Yao's heart was in his throat. He maneuvered Neltharion and hid behind the Fire Ant.
Crack! Crack!
The tusk cage opened slowly like a bloody mouth. Elder Nether Spring lowered his head and crawled in. The white tusks closed behind him one after another without leaving any gap.
Elder Nether Spring seemed to have returned from a great victory. He looked at his younger brother in front of him, whom he had risked his life to save, with glittering eyes. There was no telling what was on his mind.
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