[Pneumonia Progenitor] Imperial Crown (II)

The Hua Family's underground prison—Bone Physiognomy Collection, underground eighteenth floor.

The entire place looked nothing like a prison.

Instead, it gave off an exceedingly strange, artistic feeling.

At the same time, Twenty-Three swiftly spoke within Zhou Zhi's body.

"An... extremely powerful Power of Pestilence is entrenched here."

"No, it shouldn't be called extremely powerful, but rather..."

"Indescribable."

Twenty-Three seemed to be considering what adjective to use. "I cannot confirm whether it is truly a [Crowned at Birth], but one thing is certain: the creature imprisoned here must surpass dragon class."

Every cell in Zhou Zhi's body, from his cerebral cortex to his spinal gray matter, was sending warning signals.

As though he had encountered some incomparably terrifying monster.

"Imperial Crown..."

Zhou Zhi silently repeated the name.

Back then, Zhou Zhi had revealed the Vermilion Bird phantom and pretended to be a symbiote precisely to draw the Hua Family's attention.

He had thoroughly built up his persona along the way.

A genius Plague Exterminator who pursued power above all else, had inherited Twenty-Three's genetic arts, and sought revenge against the Medical Department.

There was a strong possibility that Hua Qianqiu would recruit him again—or, even if not recruit him, at least make use of him.

Zhou Zhi simply had not expected Imperial Crown to truly be here.

That progenitor-class entity the Hua Family's expedition had encountered on the Dark Continent a century ago.

Zhou Zhi's expression held greed, ambition, and caution all at once.

Hua Qianqiu noticed the look on Zhou Zhi's face.

To it, this was a particularly beautiful human expression.

"Senior Hua Qianqiu."

Zhou Zhi looked at Hua Qianqiu. "What exactly do you mean by bringing me here?"

Hua Qianqiu spoke calmly. "The meaning... is very clear."

"Just as you thought."

"[Imperial Crown] is selecting its own symbiote."

"And