Petru, unaware of what they meant by the research vessel, asked, "Ms. Su, please tell me clearly, who are these people chasing me? What do they want?"
Su Huilan sighed and said, "This is not something that can be explained in just a few words."
Fearing she wouldn't speak, Petru hurriedly said, "I have patience, please tell me, I don't want to die without knowing why."
"Alright, for the sake of these nautical charts, I'll tell you," Su Huilan said, "But on one condition."
"What are the conditions?" Petru asked eagerly.
Su Huilan said, "I want to rent your boat."
"No problem!" Petru readily agreed. "You promised to save Lawiye, haven't we already settled that?"
Su Huilan shook her head and said, "Not only do you want us to get on your ship, but you also have to get on ours."
"Your ship?" Petru paused for a moment, then understood. "You mean, you want me to join you? But I need to know who you are and what you want?"
Su Huilan smiled and said, "Our official identities are very simple, as you already know. My name is Su Huilan, and I'm a professor at Columbia University." She then pointed to Qingmu and said, "This Mr. Qingmu is from China and is an important partner in Mei Yiqiu's laboratory."
"Our other identity was originally something we couldn't reveal to you, but we've already proven your human identity through your subconscious, so we can consider you a comrade and naturally explain it to you. We are both members of the Third Space Foundation and the United Nations Space Management Committee. I've told you before that Mr. Qingmu holds a very important position in the United Nations, and that's not an exaggeration. It's just that our identities are not convenient to disclose. Even high-ranking United Nations officials may not know about us, especially Mr. Qingmu's existence."
Not to mention Petru, even Qingmu was completely confused by her words. The Third Space Foundation was clearly an organization of scientists like them, while the United Nations Space Management Committee, although established based on the Space Foundation, was ultimately an official organization with many other members.
Qingmu simply considered preventing alien invasion as an obligation that every human being should fulfill, and often helped out because of his personal relationship with the professor. How did he become a hidden figure in the United Nations?
Petru, even more confused, said, "Could you explain?"
Su Huilan had anticipated his reaction and asked, "Do you know about the alien consciousness invasion?"
Petru nodded. Although he was on the run, he still knew about the major events happening in the world. When the Cat-Killing Order came out, he had taken in a few stray cats, but in the end, because he himself had no place to live, he released them into the wild. Anyway, cats have a strong ability to survive in the wild, and as long as no one hunts them, they will survive.
"We don't know exactly how many humans have been invaded by consciousness, or how many are already aliens. The Third Space Foundation is the only one whose innocence has been proven, and the United Nations established the Space Management Committee based on this. Now you should understand who we are, right?"
Petru was beginning to believe that the two men in front of him might be able to rescue Lawiye even without resorting to force.
"You mean you want me to join your Foundation?" he asked.
Su Huilan said, "Joining as a member is just a formality; resisting invasion is humanity's shared responsibility. What we need you to join is not an organization, but a sense of responsibility and determination to jointly defend our home."
Petru asked, "Why choose me?"
Su Huilan said, "Because you are Awakened. Awakened must bear the responsibilities of Awakened. These aliens invading Earth have no physical form and are not materially composed. We can only resist them spiritually. Therefore, we need more Awakened. Only those who have awakened their spiritual abilities can resist the invasion and protect themselves and their loved ones. Think about it, if your Lawiye were invaded by aliens, her consciousness would die, and her body would be taken over by another person, what would happen? Would you still love her?"
Petru's expression visibly darkened.
Su Huilan continued, "Or, on the other hand, one day another consciousness unfortunately inhabits your brain, and you become a walking corpse for aliens to parasitize, while your Lawiye is completely unaware. You sleep in the same bed, and years later she gives birth to a child. Do you think that child is yours or the alien's?"
Petru groaned in pain, then gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, alright, I'll join you!"
Qingmu suddenly realized that Su Huilan was very suitable for political work. Only an excellent political worker could so patiently and skillfully persuade a pirate to join a great cause concerning the fate of mankind.
Seeing that Petru agreed to the book, Su Huilan giggled and said, "Don't worry, from what we understand, people who are invaded will become sexually frigid because the lifespan of alien consciousness may be much longer than ours, or their reproductive methods may be completely different from ours, so they don't need sexual reproduction. Under the mutual influence of consciousness and physiology, people will gradually lose their sexual function, so they won't give birth to alien children."
Petru nodded, and said with some worry, "Could Lawiye have already been...?"
"No, that won't happen," Su Huilan said. " Lawiye is in prison now, which actually protects her. Those aliens won't be interested in someone who might spend the rest of her life in prison."
"What happens after we rescue her? You said you would rescue her. Compared to you, my Mental Power is too weak. How am I supposed to protect her after this?"
"Of course you can protect her. Your Mental Power is already very strong, and there's great potential to be tapped; you just haven't found a master to guide you."
"Famous teacher?"
Petru thought of the Pastor, his first teacher. He had once thought the priest was very capable, but now it seemed that he might not have been a great teacher. Nevertheless, he was still grateful to him.
"From now on, Mr. Qingmu and I can help you train your Mental Power. And don't worry, after we rescue Lawiye, we will take her to a safe place," Su Huilan said.
Petru said, "Ms. Su, you still haven't told me who those people are who are chasing me, why they want to kill me, and whether these nautical charts and that the Mummy are really that important?"
Su Huilan stood up, gently smoothing her slightly damp long hair with her hand. She walked to the cave entrance, gazing at the misty scenery outside, before slowly saying:
"This requires us to start with the origins of Mental Power."
This topic was not only something Petru was eager to know, but it also piqued Qingmu's interest. Even the Crow on the Qingmu and Hanran, who had been eating as if no one else was around, perked up their ears, waiting for Su Huilan to continue.
Qingmu was very curious about how much this mysterious woman who had come to him and left that symbol knew. Even the learned Professor Mei Yiqiu and Duwa, a descendant of the Alliance, couldn't explain things clearly regarding Mental Power and the Awakeners' Alliance Alliance; what could Su Huilan possibly say?