460: Chapter 457 Collective

Lu Jianchuan stood on the edge of the rooftop, his gaze passing over the dense crowd of figures to land on a fleshy tentacle and a giant eye deep within the building.

Ye Ouyang leaned out from behind him and saw it too.

The crowd suddenly moved. The controlled people didn't pounce; instead, they slowly parted to the sides, clearing a straight path leading into the building. Flesh surged and tentacles writhed slowly as a figure stepped out from the tangled bodies and fascia.

It was an adult, appearing to be in his twenties or thirties, with ordinary features. He wore no armor or weapons, only a shirt stained with an unknown liquid. The moment he stepped out from the flesh, the tissues behind him healed automatically, as if nothing had happened.

Lu Jianchuan didn't hesitate and jumped straight from the rooftop.

Ye Ouyang was stunned for a moment. "Senior is so fast?"

He followed and jumped down as well. The two landed at the start of the path and walked forward along the way cleared by the crowd. The controlled people stood quietly on both sides, heads bowed, like two rows of silent lampposts.

Lu Jianchuan stopped in front of the building.

The young man also stopped, standing opposite them with a gentle smile on his face. He spread his arms as if embracing something.

"Then, let me introduce myself formally." He spoke, his voice not loud but echoing clearly across the open space. "I am the collective, and also the current leader of the New Federation—the sole leader."

He lowered his hands and tilted his head.

"Before we fight, shall we have a word or two?"

The controlled people around them began to walk away silently, retreating further into the distance.

Lu Jianchuan watched the dispersing figures and suddenly spoke.

"I thought you would use them to stop me. Using their lives."

the collective shook his head, the smile on his face unchanging.

"To be precise, their consciousnesses haven't integrated into my body yet. This is just a rather hasty control." He paused. "The reason I used those people to block you before was because their consciousnesses were already completely on my side. But these ones are different."

He pointed to those who had retreated.

"They aren't yet. I have to ensure they stay alive. After all, I am a very benevolent fellow."

Ye Ouyang couldn't take it anymore.

"Benevolent?" His voice was a bit loud, his golden armor reflecting the sunlight. "Where exactly are you benevolent?"

the collective looked at him, his smile fading slightly, replaced by an expression of slight grievance.

"I just... I just want everyone to no longer have disputes or barriers. When everyone's consciousness merges together, with no misunderstandings, no hatred, and no war—isn't that peace? Everything I do is for the sake of peace."

He spread his hands as if showcasing a perfect masterpiece.

"I preserved their consciousnesses; I didn't destroy them. When it's all over, they will be happier than before. Is this not benevolence?"

Ye Ouyang stood firm, staring at the guy calling himself the collective.

"That's not benevolence at all." He took a step forward, his Golden Claws slightly splaying at his sides. "You are trampling on freedom. If this counts as benevolence, then what about their freedom? You keep talking about peace—what kind of peace is this?"

the collective took a step back, the gentle smile finally vanishing from his face, replaced by a serious expression.

"This is justice," he said, his voice deeper than before. "A justice that must be carried out for the sake of that great goal."

Lu Jianchuan spoke, his voice as cold as ice.

"Arbitrarily trampling on freedom—what kind of justice is that?"

the collective looked at him and suddenly smiled again, a smile carrying an uncomfortable sense of intimacy.

"It is justice for the sake of peace." He spread his arms. "My goal is to make all animals and humans coexist in peace—aren't you pursuing that as well, Lu Jianchuan? As far as I know, you've been doing exactly that. You should join me. Our thoughts are the same; our goals are the same."

He reached out a hand toward Lu Jianchuan.

"We are one."

Lu Jianchuan didn't answer. He threw a punch directly at him.

the collective didn't even dodge. He simply raised a hand and caught the punch effortlessly.

His palm firmly enveloped Lu Jianchuan's fist, without his feet moving an inch. Then he casually tossed him aside; Lu Jianchuan was thrown through the air, barely stabilizing himself to land after a half-flip.

The moment Lu Jianchuan stood firm, his pupils constricted slightly. This was the first time he had lost to an opponent in terms of pure strength.

Ye Ouyang pounced from the side, his Golden Claws tracing an arc—but the collective was faster. He kicked Ye Ouyang in the chest, sending him flying. Lu Jianchuan rushed over to catch him, and both retreated a few steps.

When they looked at the collective again, he was already being enveloped by something.

White, blood-red, black, blue—those colors surged from the flesh deep within the building, winding around him, climbing, covering, and solidifying like living things. Within seconds, a massive set of armor took shape. Flesh still writhed within the gaps of the armor.

His size increased several times over, towering over Lu Jianchuan and Ye Ouyang. Two massive limbs extended from his back, like the forelimbs of an arthropod or the mountings of some weapon, swaying slightly in the air.

He took a step forward.

The ground trembled.

Deep within the building, that giant eye remained open, its pupil locked onto Lu Jianchuan and Ye Ouyang, unmoving.

the collective's voice came from within that massive armor, echoing with a sigh of pity.

"How tragic," he said. "I thought you would understand me."

"Understand you?"

Lu Jianchuan's voice came from behind his silver-white visor, filled with undisguised mockery.

"It seems I'm completely incapable of that. To me, only a peace with freedom counts as true peace!"

He turned to glance at Ye Ouyang.

"Stay here. This isn't a battle you can participate in."

Ye Ouyang froze, his claws raising and then lowering.

"But—"

"You don't have a combat form," Lu Jianchuan interrupted. "In this battle, you can't help me. Don't make me worry about you. What you need to do is provide support from a distance. That's enough."

Ye Ouyang wanted to say more, but Lu Jianchuan had already charged out.

His right fist, carrying a blinding electrical current, went straight for the collective's face. One of the massive limbs behind the collective blocked the way; the current exploded upon contact, blue-white arcs crawling over the limb with a piercing crackle.

the collective didn't budge.

Lu Jianchuan didn't retreat; he kicked off, stepping on the limb to leap up. the collective raised an arm and threw him into the air. Lu Jianchuan adjusted his posture in mid-air, crossing his hands—

Explosive Combustion Form.

Dark red energy conduits lit up on the surface of his armor, and the thrusters on his back flared. He dove toward the collective like a burning meteor.

He smashed down a punch.

the collective crossed his arms to parry. The punch slammed into his crossed arms, the shockwave exploding and causing the ground beneath them to crack instantly. But the collective still didn't retreat, not even wavering.

Lu Jianchuan was repelled by the recoil. As he landed, he saw a thick blood vessel extend from the flesh deep in the building, precisely piercing into the back of the collective's armor to inject something before quickly withdrawing.

the collective's armor glowed faintly for a moment.

He moved.

His massive frame charged with a speed completely inconsistent with its size, each step making the ground tremble. Lu Jianchuan met him head-on; left punch, right punch—every strike in Explosive Combustion Form carried the full thrust of the propulsion nozzles, clashing against those two massive limbs.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—

Fist to flesh. Every collision exploded in a ring of shockwaves, and the cracks in the ground widened. The two moved as they fought, knocking over the surrounding ruins.

the collective's voice came from that armor, echoing with a sigh of pity.

"Ignorant. Foolish. Meaningless struggling." He swung a punch, which Lu Jianchuan dodged, counter-punching him in the ribs. "Do you think the peace you want can be achieved in the way you imagine? It's nothing but an idealist's dream. A flower in a mirror, a moon in the water—forever unreachable."

He grabbed Lu Jianchuan's parrying arm and violently threw him away. Lu Jianchuan flipped in the air, his thrusters stabilizing him as his feet plowed two furrows into the ground.

the collective stood in place, spreading his arms. The fleshy building behind him trembled slightly with his movements.

"But the peace I can achieve is the true peace." His voice was low, as if stating an indisputable truth. "Humans and animals—humans themselves are animals, yet they've separated themselves from that category, designating themselves as a completely new species. From that point on, they were destined to never coexist in peace with animals."

He lowered his hands and took a step toward Lu Jianchuan.

"The food chain. The ecological chain. For humans to live, they must eat other animals. For other animals to live, they must eat smaller animals. As long as the food chain exists, they can never truly be at peace."

He stopped and opened his palm.

"But I am different. By integrating with me, I can unify their consciousness, unify their instincts, unify everything about them. Only a single consciousness can allow all of this to achieve true peace."

Lu Jianchuan stood up and shook his numbed arm.

"But that kind of peace," he stared at the collective, emphasizing every word, "is only yours. It's meaningless."