In the Midst of Evil

Tang Chuan fell silent, deep in thought.

He understood Nokton's words and began to speculate. Perhaps some unknown entity had infiltrated the human world, meticulously mimicking the reactions humans were supposed to display in various situations?

This seemed incredibly bizarre.

Quintessa didn't have many Fantasy Attributes she could currently utilize.

But even if it was less than a fraction?

These were products created by deities.

Even a tiny bit was enough to detect many deeply hidden mysteries.

Yet, Quintessa's repeated explorations had yielded no clues.

However, that diary, combined with Nokton's investigation, everything pointed to the fact that something undetectable was shrouding the civilization of this planet.

It lurked in every corner. Perhaps even high-ranking officials, perhaps even the hotel staff, had been compromised.

But he still couldn't detect them, unable to identify their identities.

Fortunately, this kind of bizarre phenomenon was most likely a mental infiltration. With the Sovereign Spark guarding his mind, without the power of the Supreme Main Gods, there was no way to find an angle to invade.

There was also a small possibility: a cosmic mysterious creature adept at concealing its identity was secretly stealing this civilization.

Much like the Skrulls in the Marvel movies, they could transform into human appearances and go undetected.

Only those extremely close, who spent a long time together, might discover a slight clue.

If this were the case, he wouldn't have to worry too much. After all, if such a creature were particularly powerful, it would have already occupied this planet and wouldn't resort to such elaborate schemes, fearing detection by other cosmic visitors.

Fantasy Weapons, the Sovereign Spark, and the effects of the second treatment—these were his trump cards.

No matter how he looked at it, it wasn't something an evil entity lurking in the shadows could easily break through.

Tang Chuan asked Nokton, "How did you deal with those people? The ones who acted strangely."

Nokton replied, "I eliminated them directly. I don't want to leave any hidden dangers for us. I feel like it might not have been thorough enough. I have a feeling, deep down, that our investigation is being spied upon by something unknown. A lurking crisis that won't leave my mind."

Tang Chuan muttered to himself, "I have the same feeling. From the moment we entered this planet's orbit, we might have already been targeted.

The data on that evil riot has been completely erased. The entire planet is in a state of illusory prosperity, which means the higher-ups of Exile Star have likely fallen.

And Aivi, who was responsible for receiving us…

He probably has issues too. He asked too many questions, seemingly trying his best to probe our identities and thoughts.

He deliberately brought us to this area, and then in a hotel we randomly chose, there was an incident of secretly installed cameras for detection.

I have reason to suspect that this entire area has likely been occupied.

Perhaps the people I was drinking and playing cards with earlier tonight had that kind of power mixed in…"

Nokton's eyes flickered. "How about I go investigate again? Since we've already been treated as potential prey, let me be the bait to lure out the hidden entities."

Tang Chuan waved his hand. "It's almost dawn. Don't go out. We'll act at night. I'll give you some equipment then."

Nokton nodded. "Okay, what do we do now?"

Tang Chuan snapped back to reality.

Nokton didn't need to sleep.

Or rather, the useful genes that the Star Hunters chose to devour were usually those that were extremely sensitive and had strong regenerative abilities.

Their need for sleep was minimal. Even when sleeping, they remained in a semi-tense state, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

These were essential traits for a hunter.

Tonight's activity level was not much for Nokton at all, and he could maintain it for several more days without any pressure.

As for Tang Chuan himself…

He actually didn't need to sleep either.

But he was afraid of dying, so he had invested all his points into physical survival attributes. His mental attributes, relying on the Sovereign Spark, hadn't been enhanced at all.

Therefore, the characteristics of Azure Star humans still deeply influenced him.

For example, feeling uncomfortable after not sleeping for two days.

This was just a psychological effect, but it had become a habit.

Tang Chuan thought for a moment. "I want to get about two hours of sleep later. You do as you please. Watch TV, play games, clean the house… whatever you feel like."

Nokton was silent for a moment. "Could you lend me the remote for the cosmic television? I'll stand guard for you while you sleep."

Tang Chuan was surprised for a moment and casually tossed the cosmic television remote to him. "You like watching TV?"

Nokton caught the remote and shook his head. "I don't know how you do it. The cosmic television you conjure can search for free information from many mysterious civilizations that don't release their data, as well as expensive paid tutorials.

My hunting skills are still too weak. I want to watch advanced Star Hunter teaching videos to improve my hunter attributes."

Tang Chuan understood. Yawning, he lay down on the other sofa, snapped his fingers, and his Fantasy Attribute transformed into a large floral pillow, appearing beneath his head. A large red blanket materialized in the air and settled steadily upon him, covering him completely.

Beside him.

Seeing Tang Chuan lie down, Nokton nodded, retracted his gaze, and sat cross-legged on the floor, beginning to search for hunting videos of advanced Star Hunters.

In reality, a Star Hunter's genetic talent allowed them to devour five useful genes in a short period to complete their final evolution. Among them, the chosen ones could even devour a sixth, achieving a super-god evolution.

However, their civilization adhered to the philosophy of survival of the fittest. Fifth-tier hunters who were too weak had no human rights within the clan; even low-tier hunters looked down on you.

Furthermore, to devour genes each time, they either had to hunt advanced creatures themselves or complete clan assessments, after which they would be allocated the next stage of sequence cells based on their performance.

This also required time.

Therefore, when they didn't feel they had qualified for the next stage of hunter, they would typically not choose to devour and evolve.

Nokton felt he had reached the intermediate hunter stage, but he was still far from being a high-tier hunter, lacking much knowledge and cultivation.

Learning was a hurdle that all highly intelligent civilizations had to overcome.

As he was watching television, a large earphone suddenly appeared on his ear, startling him.

Upon realizing it was an earphone Tang Chuan had added because he found Nokton too noisy, he finally relaxed. He bowed apologetically towards Tang Chuan's direction and continued watching his television.

Tang Chuan, meanwhile, didn't fall asleep immediately. Covered by the blanket and leaning against the pillow, he held the diary in his hands, reading as he tried to drift off to sleep.