Bennett's eyes lit up; he was overjoyed.
"However, this will take a lot of time, and I need to ask others for help, so we can only take it slowly." Han Xiao continued, "In interstellar space, I also found out exactly what the Mutation Virus is and how it works."
Although you call it a virus, its official name is the Mutation Source, a very special and extremely rare biological weapon. The reason it broke out on Planet Aquamarine is because someone released the Mutation Source there.
Upon hearing this, Bennett was greatly surprised.
The Mutation Disaster was actually man-made!
Unbelievable!
What force would do such a thing on Planet Aquamarine? With such power, it must be a force from the universe. To them, Planet Aquamarine is just an indigenous planet. Why would they deploy rare biological weapons here?
"I understand your confusion. The reasons are quite complex and cannot be explained in a short time. In short, you just need to know that Planet Aquamarine suffered an undeserved disaster and became an innocent pawn in the struggle between two interstellar powers."
Han Xiao paused, allowing Bennett and everyone present to process the information, before continuing, "I know the performance of the Mutation Disaster has led you to believe that the Mutation Source operates on a mental level. You're completely wrong. The Mutation Source is not a simple virus; it is conscious, and could even be considered a special kind of life form. And its only ability is to influence microorganisms."
"Microorganisms?" Bennett was taken aback. Han Xiao's explanation of the principle behind the Mutation Virus was far beyond his expectations. All the infected people's distorted personalities and mental changes were actually unrelated to their minds?!
Han Xiao thought for a moment and asked, "When you feel like eating, is it that you want to eat, or does your body want to eat?"
"... It must be my body. Why would I eat if I wasn't hungry?" Bennett suddenly paused, as if he understood something.
"That's the principle. Many times, your thoughts actually come from your body's needs, not from what your conscious mind wants. It's your gut microbiota that tells you what they want. The microorganisms carry out a series of activities, producing hormones, and your brain receives the signals. This is the origin of basic desires such as eating and breathing."
You may think that your consciousness is in control, but in reality, many times it is the microbes in your body that are in control of your consciousness.
Many physiological conflicts are based on the needs of the body's microorganisms and bacteria. The body's condition is actually a response of the microbiome. If they are fine, your body is fine. However, microorganisms are not conscious, and your behavior also affects them. You can suppress basic desires and then become unhealthy. Therefore, the relationship is equal. You may seem like an individual, but you are actually a complete ecosystem.
The Mutation Source controls the microorganisms within your body, essentially taking control of your basic desires. It secretes hormones several times or even dozens of times more, causing your thinking organ—your brain—to generate strong impulses. While it is unrelated to the mind and cannot control your thoughts, it can influence you on a physical level. Destructive urges, lust, appetite, sadness, and other emotions guide your thoughts, resulting in a drastic change in personality. You might even believe these are your own thoughts. Therefore, in a healthy state, you remain the same person; once the illness manifests, you become a completely different person.
The reason why the virus cannot be detected in infected individuals is because it doesn't actually exist. The so-called 'virus' is simply a colony of microorganisms essential for survival within every living organism!
Han Xiao understood the Mutation Source, having experienced it in his previous life and leaving a deep impression. From his current perspective, consciousness could be independent, but the organs used to operate consciousness would be affected. Want to become immune to the Mutation Source? It's simple, just transfer your consciousness into the machine, abandon your body and senses, separate your consciousness, and live in the mechanical brain. The machine will not be affected by the Mutation Virus.
Everyone on Planet Aquamarine, including Hila, wore expressions of shock.
"So this is the principle behind the Mutation Virus..." One Leaf Green murmured, "What about the specific parameters, such as the transmission method, the intensity of manipulation, and so on? Also, why are the Ridean Fan Leaf so special, immune to the Mutation Virus?"
Han Xiao snapped his fingers, summoning the Volga Brothers. "Show them that Ye guy's photo."
One Leaf Green did as instructed, Volga's Eldest, glanced at it with an expression of utter indifference.
"Isn't this Tranquility Grass? It's the raw material for the Focus Decoction."
One Leaf Green was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"That means Ridean Fan Leaf is a material used by the magic side, and only mages can utilize the effects of this plant. The effect of Focus Decoction is to put the mage into a state of focused spellcasting, in a state of high calmness, where all emotions are suppressed, cutting off the brain's channels for receiving various emotions. This is the reason for immunity. No matter how much hormones the Mutation Virus produces, it cannot make your brain feel desire. This is the principle behind your inhibitor."
Everyone suddenly realized, Aurora exclaimed in surprise, "There really is magic in this world?!"
Han Xiao looked helpless. He didn't want to complain, but this was common knowledge in interstellar space. People from technologically advanced surface civilizations were indeed a bit fragile in their ability to accept such information; in other words, their perspectives were too narrow, and they urgently needed to be educated about their worldview.
He paused, then continued, "The Mutation Source doesn't actually spread. It has a core that can hide anywhere. Centered on this core, its consciousness can cover a vast area. Within this area, it can sense living beings and manipulate the microorganisms within them—similar to the range of superpowers. Besides terrestrial life, marine life can also be controlled. Superhumans have resistance and are less affected, but the range and intensity of their control will increase rapidly as the Mutation Source grows."
The area controlled by the Mutation Source... is actually a new ecosystem. One is the whole, and the whole is one; the whole is the individual!
The full-scale outbreak has only been going on for about a month. The Mutation Source has just transitioned from infancy to childhood. The global, unpredictable riots are merely its subconscious activity, without any specific purpose. As it matures and its intelligence increases, it will gradually develop a purposeful approach. At that point, even I will be powerless against it; it will be a true catastrophe. Therefore, time is of the essence.
Han Xiao stopped. His words had made everyone realize the gravity of the situation. Bennett's expression was grave, and he said in a deep voice, "What should we do... no, what are you planning to do?"
He knew he couldn't solve the problem on his own; his only option was to pin his hopes on Black Phantom... no, he's called Black Star now.
"I have my own plan, but there's a priority before implementation. I need to take people to the inhibitor raw material cultivation nursery and have my mages cultivate it for you, which will greatly increase production capacity." Han Xiao smiled slightly. "Those millions of knocked-out refugees need to be dealt with first, and more will keep arriving in the future. I understand you; you can't just ignore them."
"You understand me, that's why I knew we were the same kind of people."
Bennett smiled, a huge weight lifted from his shoulders, and he felt the unspoken understanding they once shared.
Meanwhile, just as Han Xiao was explaining the Mutation Disaster, his return had already been detected by the satellites of the Six Nations, and all the footage was transmitted back without any omissions.
The top leaders of the Six Nations were in an uproar!
Terrified!