Chapter 143: Apollo of the Psionic Federation Heads South

Watching Apollo's retreating figure, Lilith moved closer to Arrieta and asked with a puzzled expression,

"Queen, why did you just let Apollo leave?"

"The Psionic Federation has always been a massive threat to us!"

"With such a golden opportunity today, we should have slain him right here, just like the hydro-entity Asli!"

Arrieta shook her head, smiling as she replied,

"Apollo is much more useful alive than dead!"

"Unless Grandfather Tree undergoes his second evolution, granting him the ability to completely absorb Apollo's psionic energy down to the last drop..."

"Otherwise, given the sheer magnitude of Apollo's power, his death would cause his psionic energy to overflow and return to the psionic network..."

"And that would awaken even more members of the Psionic Federation who would absorb his power!"

"Right now, our primary objective is a race against time!"

"The absolute pinnacle beings of the Psionic Federation have already fallen into the slumber of their third evolution..."

"That is not something they can awaken from overnight!"

"This is our tribe's only chance!"

"We must drive Grandfather Tree to rapidly bypass his second evolution and enter the slumber phase of the third..."

"With Grandfather Tree's evolutionary speed far surpassing that of any other psionic lifeform..."

"Only by completing the third evolution ahead of them can we seize that sliver of a chance to survive against the Psionic Federation..."

"And ascend to the legendary realm of genetic deities..."

"Otherwise, we will all ultimately dissolve into psionic particles, absorbed by the psionic network to become mere nutrients for those titans of the Psionic Federation!"

Hearing Arrieta's explanation, Lilith could not help but feel a wave of shock.

She had originally assumed that because Arrieta had not awakened very long ago, she knew little about the overall situation across the Zombie Planet.

To Lilith's astonishment, Arrieta seemed to possess knowledge of secrets even deeper than her own.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Lilith asked,

"The highest-ranking members of the Psionic Federation?"

"Who are they?"

Arrieta offered a faint smile and answered,

"From the information I have gathered, the Psionic Federation is governed by four councilors!"

"Who three of them are remains a mystery to all..."

"But the final one is extremely familiar to us; in fact, we should thank him for creating us."

"That is Dr. Luo Wei..."

"Surely you have heard that name!"

Lilith's face filled with astonishment as the words slipped past her lips: "The overall director of the Sapient Mutant Project, the mastermind behind the AR series?"

Arrieta nodded, confirming, "Yes, precisely him!"

"However, he may not even hold the highest status among the four councilors of the Psionic Federation..."

"To my knowledge, the psionic network project that blankets the entire Zombie Planet was not his handiwork at all!"

"And this psionic network hangs like a sharp blade suspended above the heads of all psionic lifeforms..."

"The moment it falls, our entire tribe will be instantly annihilated!"

"It's just that this psionic network still serves a vital purpose for the councilors of the Psionic Federation..."

"It is the foundation upon which they complete their third evolution, which is why the psionic network is not currently being used to eradicate us."

"Even so, our situation remains terribly precarious..."

"In the grand design of the Psionic Council, our emergence was originally intended merely to provide nutrients for their evolution!"

"It was only the accidental leakage of the ART virus that introduced a variable into their plans."

Having listened to Arrieta's words, Lilith still harbored numerous questions.

Yet she chose not to press further.

Although Arrieta was almost entirely forthcoming when answering her, whenever Arrieta began explaining one concept she completely failed to grasp by using yet another mystery she could not comprehend...

Lilith felt as though she were listening to heavenly scriptures, utterly lost as to what Arrieta was talking about.

However, Lilith was acutely aware of the immense importance Arrieta attached to Tang Jie.

Even though that very Tang Jie had now transformed into a—egg!

Therefore, Lilith changed tack and inquired,

"What about Tang Jie?"

"I can sense how highly you value him!"

"Yet you have guided Apollo directly toward his location..."

"Why is that?"

Upon hearing this question, Arrieta's eyes narrowed into slits.

The corners of her lips curled upward slightly as she spoke:

"Tang Jie has embarked on a path entirely different from mine..."

"It's fascinating!"

"Though I do not yet know what kind of path that is."

"Still, just an egg, yet capable of infinitely absorbing psionic energy..."

"Isn't that utterly fascinating?"

"The last time I observed him up close!"

"He currently exists in a state of immortality; one could even say he is the natural nemesis of all psionic lifeforms!"

"Though I have no idea how that human who turned him into an egg managed to pull it off!"

"Nonetheless, Tang Jie is currently the only entity capable of slaying psionic lifeforms while ensuring their psionic energy is not absorbed by the psionic network!"

"Only when members of the Psionic Federation die at his hands can it be considered a true death!"

"Earlier, I failed to fully grasp this truth and rashly snuffed out the consciousness of the hydro-entity Asli... which inadvertently triggered Apollo's premature awakening!"

"And since Apollo has awakened ahead of schedule, the other members belonging to the same council as him will naturally awaken early as well..."

"So, you see, this is precisely what makes the psionic network so detestable."

"Fortunately, because Grandfather Tree successfully completed his first evolution and entered the second stage..."

"Our tribe now possesses our own entity capable of capturing psionic energy."

"Yet, for now, its intensity and coverage area pale hopelessly in comparison to the psionic network hovering in the skies above the Zombie Planet!"

"Only when Grandfather Tree reaches the third stage will there be any possibility of tearing open the psionic network... and thoroughly destroying the foundation of the Psionic Federation."

"This is the ultimate trump card left to me by Dr. Eville Schmidt!"

"Even so, Tang Jie's appearance has granted another human faction besides us the possibility of shattering the psionic network."

"Even though they are exceedingly weak right now... I can sense boundless potential within them!"

"In time, they might just become our partners in jointly fighting against the Psionic Federation!"

Observing Arrieta's beaming expression, Lilith finally realized that the Queen Bee held such colossal expectations for the bizarre egg in that young man's possession.

Yet the more she heard, the more perplexed Lilith became.

"Queen Arrieta, since you hold such high hopes for that human faction, why are you allowing Apollo to hunt them down?"

"Right now, Apollo is unquestionably beyond anything they can withstand..."

"Shall I contact AR-3 to provide them with some assistance?"

Arrieta shook her head slightly.

Shifting her gaze toward the southern horizon, she calmly replied,

"We simply do not have the time to wait for them to slowly grow up!"

"If they cannot erupt from within desperation..."

"It is better for them to perish sooner rather than later!"

"At least it will spare me from continuing to hold expectations."

"Apollo is a worthy opponent..."

"I hope Tang Jie enjoys the encounter!"