Lin Li studied the fifteen New Humans before him. Like Calhoun, each was a genius who had fully fused with a Symbiote through their own efforts alone, and could wield their newfound power without difficulty.
Their physical strength was more than fifty times that of an ordinary human. They could lift objects weighing over a hundred times their own body weight, run at speeds exceeding two hundred kilometers per hour, and shatter a light tank's composite armor with their bare hands. They were far stronger in combat than soldiers wearing Third-Generation Exoskeletons.
Over the past month, they had been given only ordinary human food, leaving their bodies in a low-energy state for a long time. Only after obtaining enough Black Crystal as an energy source could they show their true strength.
Watching them wolf down food to replenish the energy in every cell of their bodies, Lin Li smiled as he always did and said:
"Everyone here is undoubtedly a rare genius. You endured the emotional upheaval that comes in the early stages of fusing with a Symbiote. You have rational minds, sound judgment, and decisive instincts. I believe we can communicate amicably and work together in harmony."
Calhoun flicked his left index finger. The Cross necklace on his chest swung from side to side as he spoke in his usual insouciant tone:
"We've all seen this gentleman's strength with our own eyes. I don't think anyone here would dare cause trouble now."
The others nodded. That overwhelming display of force had surpassed anything they could imagine a living creature possessing.
The tentacles were a hundred meters long and only a centimeter in diameter. They weighed less than twenty kilograms, yet could slice through objects at more than ten times the speed of sound. Each tentacle could strike with a force of over five hundred tons, and its sharp, resilient crystal tip could cut an entire building in half.
If their strength let them destroy a squad of exoskeleton infantry head-on, then this black-haired man, with his eight tentacles, could take on an entire armored division.
Calhoun continued, "You're the mastermind behind all this, aren't you? What did you summon us here for?"
Lin Li shook his head. "Don't mythologize my power. I'm just one member of the Association. The chairman is far stronger than I am. He's the one driving all of this."
"In fact, the Symbiote inside me is no different in essence from the ones you have. Just as you're stronger than other New Humans, I've simply developed my abilities further. The Association calls people like me Awakened."
He explained in detail how Symbiotes worked. This new organ enabled ordinary people to gradually gain control over their conscious and subconscious minds.
Once an individual had complete control over their conscious mind, they became a New Human fully fused with their Symbiote.
Ordinary people couldn't control their emotions. Their minds wandered, making it hard to focus. In battle, sudden developments could distract them, and pain from injuries could weaken their fighting ability. Even soldiers who had endured years of grueling training couldn't ignore these bodily instincts.
Fully Fused individuals were different. They had complete control over their conscious minds and could focus completely at will. They could control the release of chemicals such as dopamine and adrenaline from their organs, and even block the pain caused by injuries.
"The next step is awakening. The Awakened can fully control their subconscious, read the thoughts in other people's minds, and gain control over their conditioned and unconditioned reflexes. They gradually master every organ and every tissue in their bodies, until they can finally control all tens of trillions of their cells. They're called Complete Sapient Lifeforms."
Lin Li had relied on his innate talent to skip the first hurdle and become Awakened. Achilles's Small Combat Angel body, meanwhile, had been modified by Li Heng, who directly operated on each individual cell. That gave him the same level of control as an Awakened.
Calhoun's previously nonchalant expression turned solemn. It meant they, too, might one day attain that terrifying power. But that wasn't what caught his attention most. He was focused on another detail in Lin Li's words.
"You said you can read people's minds?"
Lin Li nodded, then shook his head. "I can read the minds of ordinary people and New Humans who haven't fully fused with their Symbiotes, but not those who have."
Mind-reading, of course, had its limits. Once fully fused with their Symbiotes, New Humans could think dozens of times faster.
The complexity of their thoughts increased geometrically, and they could control their emotional fluctuations. Lin Li could no longer read their minds the way he once had.
An imaging device on the roof of City Hall projected a screen above the long table. It displayed information in both text and video.
"This is the Combat Power Scale devised by the chairman," Lin Li said. "You can use it to judge where you stand in this world."
Ten people were stronger than one, and a great nation was stronger than a small one. Although the details were more complex, when all was said and done, the whole world came down to the most fundamental thing: power. Power was the material foundation that allowed the will of all Intelligent Beings to be carried out.
Calhoun studied the information closely. Their extraordinary speed of thought let them absorb complicated information at a glance. He murmured the name at the very top: "Lee."
This document, called "Li's Combat Power Scale," used a method of measurement similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes. It was a base-ten logarithmic scale.
Combat power was measured entirely according to Li Heng's strength when he possessed the corresponding amount of information. With each level gained, total energy increased tenfold.
Combined with the increase in output, speed of thought, control, and other factors, the difference in combat power between each level was at least a hundredfold.
Level 0: An ordinary five-year-old child. Their combat power was practically zero, making them the weakest basic combat unit in a terrestrial civilization.
Level 1: A healthy adult who had received basic combat training and carried a pistol or knife.
Level 2: A soldier equipped with light weapons such as an Electromagnetic Rifle and grenades.
Level 3: A well-trained soldier wearing a Third-Generation Exoskeleton, a light tank, or a Xenomorph. Trained New Humans had combat power between levels 2 and 3.
Level 4: A regular force consisting of several exoskeleton infantry squads, supported by tanks, self-propelled artillery, and support drones. Fully Fused individuals had combat power between levels 3 and 4.
Level 5: A fully equipped Hong Alliance armored division, a Siege Heavy Licker, ten thousand Xenomorphs, or an Awakened. Lin Li and Achilles were at this level.
Level 6: The full military might of a great nation, including its nuclear weapons, or a Complete Sapient Lifeform.
Level 7: The combined power of all Human Civilization, including the Hong Alliance and the Commercial Alliance. This was Li Heng's current combat power.
Level 8: None for now.
Level 9: The full combat power of an Early Planetary Civilization.
The Association's Combat Power Scale currently went only as high as level 9, because Li Heng himself could only estimate what he would be like after his information expanded a hundredfold. The gap between three levels was too enormous, and he couldn't estimate how much more powerful he would become by gaining greater control over matter.
However, combat level wasn't the only factor. The specific abilities and nature of both sides mattered too.
For example, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions released tremendous amounts of energy, but because that energy was dispersed, they couldn't do much harm to Human Civilization.
A virus that spread through the air and targeted the RNA of Earthlings might be rated at level 8, yet be completely harmless to other lifeforms.
There were also enormous differences between individuals of the same level. On a conventional battlefield, a Heavy Licker was far more destructive than Lin Li. But in a complex urban environment full of civilians, Lin Li was better at assassination and sabotage.
Lin Li summed up, "In most cases, if the gap is one level, you might still be able to win against a stronger opponent or escape through luck. If the gap is two levels, you won't even be able to get away."
"To read someone's mind, you must first become Awakened. Your brain's processing speed and control must also be at least two or three levels higher than theirs."
The Combat Power Scale was meant to warn these New Humans who had just gained power. It would help them understand where they stood on this planet, so that someone with real talent wouldn't die for nothing because of pointless ambition.
Calhoun silently chewed over the information. Lin Li's strength was already the limit of what he could accept as possible for a carbon-based lifeform.
He couldn't imagine how powerful an individual would have to be to oppose Human Civilization alone. Perhaps a core inside that creature's body supplied it with Antimatter energy?
Lin Li didn't give them much time to be shocked. New Humans who had become Fully Fused on their own within a month wouldn't be fools, so he went straight to the next steps:
"From here on, the Association needs to rebuild the Laser Towers and anti-aircraft missiles that were destroyed, restore our air defense system, and complete the assessment and redistribution of one hundred million people's wealth. The fighting at the front will reach a stalemate."
"I need you to follow Ramiro McCarthy into the Commercial Alliance's territory and undermine the enemy's will to fight from within. You'll be paid in Black Crystal Coins, which you can exchange within the Association for supplies and weapons, or use to ask the chairman to make you Awakened."
As he finished speaking, an old man named Ramiro McCarthy walked in through a side door of City Hall. He was nearly eighty. Using the Association's technology, Lin Li had repaired some of his aging, damaged organs and cells, giving him enough energy to carry out this espionage mission.
Calhoun looked at the important figure in surprise. Throughout Europe, only a handful of people knew the influence wielded by this old man in the black top hat. As a priest with a tenuous connection to high society, Calhoun was one of them.
The priest, who had met the old man once before, asked in confusion, "You should've retreated with the main force more than ten days ago. Why are you still here?"
Ramiro replied amiably, "I chose to stay. I hoped to establish a partnership with the Association that would benefit both sides."
"I'm not the only one. Some old friends of mine also hope to coexist peacefully with the Association. No one wants a war. Unfortunately, a few stubborn people insist on having their way, costing countless innocent lives. I had no choice but to resort to this."
Calhoun scoffed. "You make surrender sound so noble. You hypocrites are as shameless as ever."
Ramiro didn't take offense. "We old men, left behind by the times, have reached the end of the road. In front of Mr. Lin Li, our schemes are like colorful bubbles in the sunlight. The slightest touch would burst them."
The moment he saw Lin Li, the old man had abandoned the plan he'd previously agreed on. No matter what price he and his scheming friends were willing to pay, he knew these terrifying beings who had surpassed humanity would tear them to pieces.
"We're doomed. Every pore in our bodies is stained with blood. But I can change the terms of the deal and offer up my grandson instead—a six-year-old boy who hasn't been tainted by the world."
Ramiro didn't hesitate to betray his old friends. He didn't even care about his own life.
In the old man's eyes, the days of controlling people through schemes and lies had come to an end. The new world would have no place for people like them. Only children who hadn't yet been corrupted had a future.
Lin Li nodded. "Just as I promised, when the Commercial Alliance in Europe falls apart from within and becomes part of the Association, the chairman will personally create a transcendent body tailored to your grandson, just like the angel you saw on the battlefield."
Ramiro said nothing more. He turned and left City Hall. Tomorrow, he would take the fifteen powerful New Humans back to the Commercial Alliance's territory and gradually dismantle the vast organization from within.
Lin Li watched the old man's hunched back. Even now, only he, Achilles, and the Hong Alliance's leaders knew that Li Heng's cells could live forever.
If Ramiro learned the secret, would he choose to resist to the bitter end, risking everything to seize the slim chance of immortality?
Perhaps that was the future of another parallel world. But here and now, convinced that he had little time left, the old man had indeed wagered his own life to secure a bright future for his grandson.
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