Awakening X Blood Cocoon

Inside the Ant Nest.

The Loyalist Faction Chimera Ant were scattered everywhere, and apart from Rukira, no one else could get close to the Queen's residence.

The Queen was essentially under house arrest here.

The Chimera Ant had their own ideas about this, but they still needed to wait.

As time went on, true Loyalist Faction became fewer and fewer.

"It's a bit boring, but lying here like this isn't bad, don't you think?"

A Chimeric Ant, resembling a crab, lay crookedly on the ground, its enormous pincers slowly turning the pages of the book in front of it.

Previously, Chimera Ant would sometimes bring back items used by humans while hunting, including these books.

Previously, apart from Peggy, few Chimera Ant would read, but now these have become objects of amusement for the Chimera Ant.

Beside them, a Lobster and a toad-like Toad Chimeric Ant sat cross-legged facing each other.

The two men each held a twig and were drawing on the floor in the middle of the room, seemingly playing chess.

"You're still the same as before, a lazy bum," the Chimeric Ant, which resembled Lobster, cursed.

"Hey, you looked like you didn't understand when we were talking about it yesterday, how come you know now?"

The Lobster's words startled the crab, who quickly scrambled up and approached, asking with great interest.

"You remember now? Your mind is much clearer."

The Lobster Chimeric Ant tapped its head with its pincers and said with a hint of helplessness.

Suddenly, the Toad raised its head and looked at the two. "So—are you still loyal to the Queen? After regaining your memories?"

These words immediately created a subtle tension between the three of them.

Through their conversation, the crab and Lobster confirmed the Toad's identity and learned that it had awakened its memories, but one question remained—

The crab, nonchalant and unconcerned, said directly, "Loyalty doesn't matter anymore, does it? The Queen is useless anyway, and besides, how did we die? It was her fault."

The meaning is self-evident.

The Lobster nodded its head.

Although he is a Loyalist Faction, once he fully awakens his memories, it's hard for him not to hate the Queen who turned him into this.

Although they have become much stronger than when they were human, not everyone can accept the complete change in their appearance and race, let alone the family and friends who died during the Chimera Ant attack.

With power comes hatred.

"Don't speak, the monitors are here."

Toad suddenly said.

The Lobster and crab fell silent instantly, as if by instinct.

Sure enough, from the entrance upstairs, a Nen Beast dressed in a maid outfit walked over slowly and silently.

The face has no features, so its expression is invisible, but one can very clearly sense the other person's so-called "gaze."

The maid bypassed the three people and went to the dwelling of some other Chimera Ant. She pointed to one of the Chimera Ant, waved, and gestured for him to follow.

The Chimera Ant that looked timid stood up, somewhat panicked, but still followed.

The other Chimera Ant watched silently.

"Who is that?" the crab asked.

The Lobster examined it closely, then shook its head. "Looks like a Logistics Soldier, no, he really is a Logistics Soldier, a guy who can't even talk."

"Huh? Can't it even speak? Well, that makes sense, it doesn't really look human. But it was taken away, what does that mean?"

"Who knows? Maybe they have connections with outsiders, or maybe they were trying to do something and got caught. Anything is possible."

The Toad glanced at it and lost interest, saying casually.

He was just a lowly Logistics Soldier, nothing worth paying attention to, especially considering his appearance.

Like an upright Chimera Ant, it clearly lacks human genes, can't even speak, so it has no interest whatsoever.

Chimeric Ant, which cannot speak and resemble Chimera Ant the most, are often discriminated against within the Chimeric Ant colony and belong to the lowest rung of society.

Ultimately, the number of humans they hunted was actually limited, especially during their earlier developmental stages.

Humans are the most nutritious species, but initially, they couldn't rely solely on humans for nutrition, so they also needed to supplement their diet with various wild animals.

There are far more wild animals than humans.

But sometimes, when nutrition is insufficient or genetic reserves are inadequate, they can breed the kind of Chimera Ant that can't speak human language.

To some extent, the Queen, influenced by human genes, also disliked this type.

100% of them are from the bottom class.

The talking Chimera Ant don't even consider them among their own kind.

Kevin stood alone upstairs, silently watching the situation below through the large hole.

Next to him was Peggy.

His current role is to handle communication between the two sides, which makes it easier to conduct discussions. He is also highly trusted by the Chimeric Ant.

"You know, human genes are really interesting, aren't they? They completely destroyed the Chimera Ant social system, even the institutions rooted in their genes. And all of that happened in just a few months."

Kevin said with a hint of sarcasm.

Hearing Kevin's teasing, Peggy was just a little helpless. "To be honest, I've never thought about the soul before, after all, I'm considered to have some wisdom."

"Who would have thought that humans possess a soul, and one so steadfast and powerful that even being ground into dust and swallowed cannot erase it?"

This is the biggest feeling that Peggy has had in becoming the way she is now.

He had just finished his exclamation when he couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Human genes really are a kind of pollution."

"Pollution? That's a very apt word."

Kevin thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

For Chimera Ant, isn't this gene pollution?

The underlying genetic logic, formed over millions of years, was instantly contaminated and completely destroyed simply because it incorporated human genes.

To be honest, if we wait another year, these Chimera Ant will be no different from humans in essence, perfectly inheriting human nature.

The two chatted idly until the maid brought the Chimera Ant over.

The Chimera Ant looked timid, although its appearance resembled a giant, upright Chimera Ant, which was somewhat unsettling.

Kevin looked at the other person and communicated with him in Chimera Ant manner. "When did you fully awaken your memories?"

"Ah?"

The Chimera Ant was startled, never expecting that Kevin could communicate with her in this way.

Then she realized what was happening, and though she was a little scared, she still answered tremblingly.

"About half a month, or a very long time."

"Half a month—that's really impressive."

Kevin turned to look at Peggy as he spoke.

"Why do you think she was able to fully regain her memories so quickly? After all, she was just a child before she died."

You can't say that children have a strong will, although that might be true.

Peggy pondered for a moment.

"The analysis is quite simple: children's memories are somewhat vague because their brains are not fully developed in early childhood."

"But after reaching a certain age, their memory becomes very clear, and even after a long time, they can recall some details."

"But when they were very young, even a single fragment was difficult to recall."

"So all things considered, if she was young enough before she died, then she didn't actually have many memories. Those few memories, combined with her current state, might be the reason she was able to recall them earlier."

After saying that, she thought for a moment and then said in more detail, "Like her current pure Chimera Ant form, it looks like she has almost no human genes, but that also proves that she doesn't have any other genes either; Chimera Ant genes make up the vast majority."

"Humans have fewer genes, which limits the potential of this Chimera Ant and slows down its memory recovery. But similarly, without other memory interference, as a pure Chimera Ant, it might actually accelerate memory recovery."

This can only be guessed at.

Peggy possesses that Nen ability, which allows her to analyze a large amount of data and known information to arrive at a relatively reasonable answer.

Kevin nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

After all, they couldn't get any accurate information.

Moreover, the soul, memories, and brain are all things that hide great secrets; they are not so easy to discover.

"I know you want your brother to regain his memory, and I know you have an incredibly strong desire to go home, so—let me help you, little girl, to make you feel like a human being again."

Kevin's message was conveyed.

Perhaps because the other person's original soul was that of a little girl, she was almost unable to control her emotions. Therefore, from the moment he met her, Kevin was able to perceive her emotional expressions very clearly.

Kevin chose the other person to be the first to experience the [Cocoon of Rebirth] Nen ability.

Because the other party is arguably the most Chimera Ant to the body of a Chimera Ant.

Other Chimera Ant, at their most extreme, might simply feel disgust or aversion.

The little girl in front of me felt a deep fear of the Chimera Ant's body.

When willpower plays a crucial role, the more one rejects the identity of Chimera Ant, the easier it may be for them to change their form after the Cocoon of Rebirth, leaning towards becoming human.

This cannot be confirmed, but it aligns with the logic of Nen ability.

Kevin also needs to test this ability and let Peggy witness it firsthand.

"Come, sleep, and when you wake up, you will feel as if you have been reborn."

Kevin murmured softly, and a crack appeared in his palm, from which a pool of bright red blood welled up and was enveloped by his Nen Aura.

As the Nen Aura surged into it, the clump of blood, originally about the size of an index finger, began to churn, as if it had become scalding hot and boiling.

Peggy stood by, holding her breath and watching intently, unwilling to miss a single detail.

The surging blood swelled and writhed like a living thing, the entire mass of blood seemingly coming to life.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

A crisp, delicate hissing sound rang out.

A blood clot the size of a palm suddenly sprouted thread after thread.

These threads are like silkworm silk, but their blood-red color makes them stand out so much.

More and more thin, blood-red threads gushed forth, until they cascaded out like a waterfall.

They slid down in dense clusters, dancing and coiling like serpents under the influence of Nen Aura.

The Chimera Ant in front of me had fallen asleep, but it did not collapse; instead, it stood upright in place.

The silk threads began to wrap.

It's like binding the other person, sticking together layer by layer, starting to densely cover them.

The overall speed appears slow, but it is actually extremely fast.

A large number of silk threads are produced simultaneously.

In no time, a pink Cocoon appeared in front of me.

The original blood-red color has faded somewhat after being separated and entangled.

The oval-shaped Cocoon stood quietly in place, its pale pink color allowing the two to see more clearly inside through the translucent membrane.

A faint red glow began to emanate from within, illuminating the interior.

The black silhouettes of Chimera Ant could be seen, and their size did not seem to have changed much.

But the red light continued to glow faintly, so plainly.

The Nen ability has been fully activated. The Cocoon of Rebirth has been completed.

Kevin raised his palm and looked at the lines on his palm.

Even though there was nothing there, I could feel something connected to my hand.

This invisible thread entangled him with the Cocoon in front of him, drawing Nen Aura from his own body, surging and rushing towards the Cocoon.

"So that's how it is," Kevin said thoughtfully, "Just like the Queen needs a lot of food and nutrition to reproduce the next generation of Chimera Ant."

"After applying Nen ability, what's needed is Nen Aura, but I always feel like I can't be sure what amount is required?"

In other words, unless the other party breaks free from their cocoon, there's no fixed timeframe, and you don't know how long it will take or how much Nen Aura will be required.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, if you want to use such Nen ability, it is best to find a relatively safe environment and choose a stable time period.

Moreover, the other party might need some cooperation.

I don't know if it's because the Chimera Ant in front of me is weak, but the amount of Nen extracted is... well...

For Kevin's overall strength, it's really nothing.

It's dropping at a rate of about ten points per second.

However, Kevin is constantly replenishing his Nen Aura anyway, so this extraction doesn't completely negate the effect.

I don't know how much it would cost to change a more powerful individual.

"Are you going to stay here and watch the whole time?" Kevin asked.

Peggy nodded without hesitation. "These are the chips!"

Peggy believes that persuading the wavering Loyalist Faction Chimera Ant is the biggest bargaining chip.

So you need to watch it here.

For the Loyalist Faction Chimera Ant, with more and more memories now awakening, they may not necessarily be swayed by Kevin's actions.

It's not that they will protect the Queen, but rather that they may not listen to Kevin or approve of Kevin.

It's very simple: when their memories are fully restored, some people will find themselves disgusted with their current appearance.

In this situation, before one has even adapted, the urge to self-destruct begins to surge, leading one to think, "I might as well die."

If they had this real bargaining chip, many Chimera Ant would calm down and think about their future path.

Kevin nodded, not paying much attention.

After doing a quick calculation, I left.

The Chimera Ant in front of me shouldn't have to wait too long; it should be able to emerge from its cocoon tomorrow.

Perhaps it's because of their weak strength.