"Strange feeling..."
In his haze, Li Si drifted between dream and wakefulness, gradually becoming aware of a strange new sensation.
He felt as though he had grown additional limbs... no, more accurately, as though he had gained several extra brains.
It was a very strange feeling. He could sense several brains within himself, each possessing its own independence while seeming to be linked together. They thought collectively, divided their tasks among themselves, and ultimately formed "me."
Unlike when he wore the Doctor Octopus Arms, which left him distracted and clumsy from trying to do too much at once, these "brains" and "limbs" moved as naturally as his own arms and fingers. Or rather, they had always been a natural part of him.
Beyond that, countless hazy and indistinct connections lingered in Li Si's mind. They were not as intimate as those "limbs," yet they were far more mysterious. They too seemed like extensions of himself, densely scattered everywhere. Li Si felt as though he had become a vast spiderweb stretching across the sky, with those vague connections serving as nodes upon it.
"These are connections based on genetic similarity..."
With several brains working together, immense processing power, and his preexisting vague understanding of the serum's effects, Li Si quickly reached an epiphany.
These were genetic connections. The closest, as intimate as his own limbs, were the seven clones. The hazier ones belonged to other humans.
"A power akin to usurping divine authority... Is this truly an effect that the so-called Collective Man Serum can achieve?"
Li Si's intelligence and knowledge allowed him to look beyond the superficial manifestations of its abilities, comprehending its essence from an entirely different perspective.
As he carefully experienced the changes within himself, his thoughts refused to settle for a long time.
Looking at the lives