CHAPTER 452: CHAPTER 449 [SELLING IS SELLING, NO MATTER WHO IT IS]

Chapter Four Hundred and Forty-Nine [Who Else to Sell to?]

"Don’t you guys feel that, after hearing what Brother Noah said, his face didn’t look too good?"

"Yeah, who knows what Chen Nuo told him."

Brother Lei muttered, "Our Brother Noah’s mouth... truly can deceive without taking a life."

As soon as these words came out, everyone around, including Zhang Linsheng, Boss Guo, and the three girls, all had odd expressions on their faces, but none of them spoke up.

The only one who seemed completely indifferent was Zhu Dazhi.

Dazhi was holding a bottle of cola—he had casually taken it when they left the ramen shop—he sipped on it and then belched before stretching his neck to say, "I actually don’t think it’s anything big."

Everyone turned back to look at Zhu Dazhi: "?"

Zhu Dazhi shook his head, his expression full of indifference, "All this talk about deceiving or not deceiving, that’s just you guys overthinking it. I’m different—whatever the senior brother says, I just listen, whether it’s true or false, I never bother to think about it. Whether what the senior brother says is true or false, does it really matter? Anyway, the senior brother wouldn’t harm me. Following his words, there’s only advantage and no disadvantage, isn’t that enough?"

This statement, though seemingly foolish, made more sense the more any discerning person thought about it.

Who said this guy was a blockhead?

Calling Zhu Dazhi foolish might be true on some level.

But he went straight to the heart of the matter: identifying a person worth trusting with all your heart!

The key point is, how easy is it to find someone you can trust with all your heart?

"...So, you’re calling yourself Chen Jianshe?" The Fourth Seed spat the words out between clenched teeth.

"Exactly. Chen as in Chen of the East, and Jianshe as in construction bank," Chen Nuo replied with a smile.

Yun He’s face was as pale as iron: "..."

"Is this matter really that hard to guess?" Chen Nuo smiled faintly, then pointed at The Fourth Seed, "The body you’re inhabiting now belongs to the Electric General. The foster mother of the Electric General kept a pair of these Jade Rice Grains. Oh, which are remnants of the Seed. Isn’t it all about the idea of Body Seizing? The Electric General had found me before, so I knew about this. At that time, I had hypothesized that the Electric General’s foster mother obviously planned to keep this object for Body Seizing. It was just not clear who she intended to use it on. Not until I met you did I understand that it was intended for you to use."

The Fourth Seed shook its head, "I had an accident before..."

"The ’accident’ in Antarctica?" There was a hint of mockery in Chen Nuo’s tone.

Yun He nodded. "Yes, you’ve been to the base in Antarctica, so naturally, you’ve met Corot."

"You, in Antarctica, gained Corot’s trust and then seized Corot’s body to escape the sealed barrier of Antarctica. Then you went back to find Corot’s old lover and pretended to be Corot?" Chen Nuo said coldly.

The Fourth Seed replied indifferently, "I forcibly took Corot’s body. At that time, in order to escape the barrier, the body was severely damaged. It was useless to repair it, not worth using anymore. And just so happens, my Li Lang was also severely damaged and unable to seize a body on its own, so I had to use her..."

Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "So, you pretended to be Corot, tricked Corot’s old lover, and then... I guess, you somehow managed to..."

"I just told her how to save me, and I just happened to know where to find the remnants of the Seed. The rest, she would naturally do for me in order to save me."

"Ha! Pretending to be a woman’s lover, gaining her trust—and from beginning to end, she didn’t know that she wasn’t saving Corot, but... the enemy who harmed Corot, right?"

The Fourth Seed kept the same expression and said coldly, "You mean the moral accusation of humans? You know very well that such things are meaningless to me. First of all, I am not human; I do not follow your human morals. Secondly... even if judged by your human morals, that woman, in order to save her lover, harmed her own adopted son. What morality is there to speak of? Besides, the Electric General? A strong human? Laughable! If it hadn’t been for my guidance along the way on how to cultivate that woman, could the Electric General have grown into one of the top human powerhouses? All his achievements were given by me, and now that the fruit is ripe for harvesting, what is wrong with me taking it?"

Chen Nuo paused for a moment, then blurted out, "Like how you select your Chosen Ones? Have you ever asked them if they are willing?"

"I’ll say it again, such moral accusations are meaningless to me; a higher being does not need to be moral to a lesser being."

Chen Nuo frowned. "Even us humans, towards lesser beings... for example, if humans raise dogs..."

The Fourth Seed suddenly smiled. "Do you raise a dog?"

"...What?"

"I’m asking you, do you raise a dog?"

"I’ve never raised one, but I’ve thought about it," Chen Nuo answered.

"If you did raise a dog..."

"I would also treat the dog I raised well," Chen Nuo immediately responded.

The Fourth Seed didn’t argue back but just nodded. "I trust what you say. If you were to raise a dog, you would surely treat it well, give it good food, a nice dog house, and even take it to the vet regularly, walk it every day. Maybe even, you would play with it, throw a frisbee for it to fetch, take it on trips, play in the grass... I believe, you would do that, right?"

Chen Nuo nodded. "Of course! If it’s my own pet, I would definitely treat it well."

The Fourth Seed suddenly laughed!

After laughing for a while, it suddenly put on a serious face, then looked into Chen Nuo’s eyes and asked a question, word by word, "But have you ever... asked it if it wants to be your pet?"

Chen Nuo was taken aback, then quickly replied, "What’s wrong with being raised by me? It would always have a home, a master, food, drink, and shelter. If I didn’t raise it, could it have any better choices? Being like those stray dogs... Besides, a dog is just a dog; it doesn’t have the intelligence to understand any choices..."

At this point, Chen Nuo suddenly closed his mouth!

Suddenly, he realized something in his heart!

"See? In essence, what’s really the difference between you humans and us Seed? When dealing with creatures lower than yourselves, the approach is fundamentally the same."

It paused for a moment and The Fourth Seed smiled and said, "When mad cow disease appeared, a large number of livestock were slaughtered. When avian flu broke out, poultry was culled in great numbers. For what? Because diseases spreading among these animals could threaten human safety. To put it bluntly, if humans need it, then those animals have to die. If it were you humans... if you were sick, would you want to be treated or to die? Even if you knew your illness was hard to cure, would you want to live out your last moments in peace or have someone come at you with a butcher knife to finish you off?"

Chen Nuo was very aware that he... could not refute it!

Even those who work in legitimate ecological balance and species protection basically do it to preserve the ecological balance. The purpose of protecting ecological balance is to prevent the disastrous consequences of natural ecological imbalance, which is to protect human survival! Even those fans whose brains have gone haywire, who think a dog’s life is more important than a human’s—whether that’s really true or not. Among those who are truly extreme and mad, they also act from their own perspective, to satisfy their own twisted moral self-fulfillment. When it comes down to it, it’s all for oneself.

"Humans have always been like this. To be precise, life has always been like this," The Fourth Seed said indifferently.

Chen Nuo let out a long breath. "What you’re saying, I don’t want to refute."

"Then, let’s talk about something meaningful for now. Should I address you as Mr. Chen Nuo or Mr. Chen Jianshe?" The Fourth Seed asked coldly. "You know what will happen if you deceive me, right?"

"Deceive?" Chen Nuo shook his head. "This is my biggest secret. There’s no need to lie to you."

Now it was The Fourth Seed’s turn to fall silent.

Chen Nuo did not say much more, just quietly watched The Fourth Seed.

Now the evident facts: Jade Rice Grains, this great instrument of Body Seizing, was in his hands—why should he, of all people, possess such a thing? And indeed, this thing had been used before!! What’s most crucial is that for humans, this thing can only be used by direct blood relatives! And he, of all people, had something weird about his life essence! Putting all these elements together... The Fourth Seed had no choice but to believe! As for investigating... Go ahead! When the Star Sky Empress, Lu Xixi personally led a team and spent so much time searching for Chen Jianshe, she couldn’t find him at all! Chen Nuo didn’t believe that a foreigner like The Fourth Seed could come to Huaxia and find Chen Jianshe? If they truly managed to find that old scoundrel Chen Jianshe... good! Find him and slap him dead in one hit! And besides... even if it was a lie, it was just about getting through today! As long as he got out of here and was free from this predicament, The Fourth Seed would naturally have Seed to contend with. If The Fourth Seed still could find him so easily and cause him trouble after being fooled this time... Then Seed truly didn’t deserve to be called the strongest Seed. Does Seed only exist to be a freeloader?

The Fourth Seed slowly said, "I have seen your home... there are some people living with you. A woman..."

"She is the biological mother of this body I’m in," Chen Nuo hastily said. "There’s nothing strange about that."

"It’s only natural," The Fourth Seed nodded. "I’m not surprised you would provide for the fondness for a previous partner by offering her some good living conditions."

"That little girl..."

Chen Nuo said indifferently, "A backup body for Body Seizing. This current body I’m in is doing quite well, but I always have to plan for the future. The girl is the direct blood sibling of this body I’m inhabiting. I’m a person with no sense of security—Is it strange for someone who almost died once to feel that way? Having a body I can switch at any time right by my side, I worry about any sudden events that might come up. In case this body becomes unusable, I need to be able to switch immediately. However, I already have a daughter now... that gives me double insurance. That little girl, I can use at any time. The body of that daughter can be taken over after several decades."

The Fourth Seed was silent for a moment, then nodded, but the look in its eyes towards Chen Nuo was filled with disappointment.

"So, I originally thought that I would get some valuable answers from you..."

"That’s what you thought." Chen Nuo shook his head and spread his hands. "I told you a long time ago, I can’t give you the answers you need. My way of life, though special, doesn’t really offer you any useful reference."

The Fourth Seed’s expression changed several times, and Chen Nuo was actually on alert. Even though he appeared nonchalant, he was secretly prepared.

He was worried this guy would become desperate. After all, if one comes with great expectations but finds everything comes to naught, in case of a fit of rage... Fortunately, a Seed is still a Seed.

After pondering silently for a while, the expression of The Fourth Seed gradually became calm.

"I can believe what you’ve said."

Chen Nuo’s heart relaxed for a moment, but he quickly braced himself again. This guy... Sure enough, he fell for it! Did he really think Chen Nuo had casually switched the conversation to "raising dogs" out of boredom, to make a moral accusation against a Seed? Of course, Chen Nuo wasn’t that naive or bored! Chen Nuo had deliberately brought up the topic to provoke a counterattack from the other party using the concept of human morals! Humans have always been like this, did Chen Nuo himself not know? It was just psychological suggestion! With this small argument, to deepen The Fourth Seed’s impression in its mind. To reinforce in The Fourth Seed the notion that [Humans have always been this way, all for themselves]. With this psychological impression reinforced, then the act of "Chen Jianshe" Body Seizing his own son "Chen Nuo", would be much easier for the other party to accept! First, throw out a topic intentionally, making you deepen the impression in your consciousness that [humans are inherently selfish]! Then you wouldn’t doubt the sins committed by me, a human. To deceive someone, you have to mix seven parts truth with three parts lies! The series of facts presented by Chen Nuo had evidence, be it the Jade Rice Grains or the signs of usage, all were true. Only at critical points did he tell lies—and these critical points were ones that couldn’t be verified for the time being. The most crucial part was, he deliberately raised an accusation regarding human morals, which made The Fourth Seed think about rebutting—that thought, once conceived, would force it to further deepen the impression of [human selfishness and evil] within itself. In the end... Part of it was Chen Nuo deceiving The Fourth Seed. The other part was The Fourth Seed deceiving itself.

"However, I can still offer you something valuable—I’m not certain if it’s valuable, but I just want to show my sincerity. I’m just worried that the stakes I offer aren’t enough and you won’t agree to my demands." Chen Nuo said this, trying to appear as humble as possible.

The Fourth Seed raised an eyebrow. "Speak."

"It’s true that I’m the Chosen One. But essentially, I’m also human. I’m just being used by you Seeds, but fundamentally, I don’t stand with the Seeds. Which means, from my perspective... no matter who wins or loses in the war between you Seeds, I always end up the loser."

The Fourth Seed laughed. "Of course."

Chen Nuo sighed. "That’s why I now understand... why you told me so much about the rules between Seeds, about the exploitation relationship between Seeds and the Chosen Ones."

"A Seed would not disclose so much information to its Chosen One," The Fourth Seed admitted, nodding. "I told you intentionally."

"To drive a wedge between me and Seed?" Chen Nuo gave a bitter smile. "I understand... The competition between Seed and the rest of you Seeds, even if he wins, I still end up unlucky in the end. Even... from my standpoint, I’d prefer that he doesn’t win—though I don’t want him to lose either. After much consideration, the best scenario for me would be to maintain the current situation where you Seeds are at a stalemate, holding on to that, so I can live longer."

The Fourth Seed nodded. "Correct."

"Unfortunately... my Seed... he seems to be the strongest among all the Seeds at the moment, posing a threat to all of you. This situation is quite dangerous for me. If a war breaks out between you Seeds and Seed at a critical moment, the immediate priority in the war between Seeds would be to eliminate the opponent’s Chosen Ones, to weaken the physical strength of the Seed body—hence, if you start fighting, I’ll be the first to die! Even if you don’t fight or kill me... Once Seed finds the correct method for evolution, figures out the answer to complete that evolutionary defect... then I’m as good as dead; as a Chosen One I’m just meant to be harvested. So..."

At this moment, The Fourth Seed was actually somewhat curious. "You’re the most clear-headed Chosen One I’ve met—so, what are you trying to tell me?"

"Perhaps we could cooperate. Looking at the current situation, Seed’s strength poses a threat not just to you, but it isn’t good news for me either. If you are too weak, I die even faster. For me, the most favorable situation would be to narrow the power gap between you and Seed. Either, weaken Seed. Or, strengthen you. Am I right?"

"If you want to weaken Seed, dying by suicide right now, causing him to lose his Chosen One, would be the greatest weakening to him," The Fourth Seed said indifferently. "However, even if he’s weakened, he’s not someone I can immediately kill. He would also have enough opportunity to kill my Chosen One outside, who is Lu Xixi. Then, a major battle between him and me would erupt; he would kill me, and although he’d be badly injured and weakened in the process, the ultimate beneficiary would be that old Octopus Monster—sacrificing myself to weaken a competitor, only to end up benefiting another competitor, I’m not that noble."

"I see, it’s like the Three Kingdoms. You and that old octopus are secretly allied..."

"It’s not an alliance, but rather a limited cooperation under the premise of not breaking the three laws of Seeds," The Fourth Seed clarified.

"It’s the same thing." Chen Nuo waved his hand dismissively. "Seed is Cao Wei, and you and that old octopus are Wu and Shu." Chen Nuo said, and then asked, "You understand this analogy, right?"

"Go on, I can understand. I’m familiar with your Huaxia people’s Three Kingdoms tales."

Well, for an ancient creature that has lived who knows how many eons, understanding this wouldn’t be strange, Chen Nuo thought to himself.

Then, he continued, "Of course I won’t commit suicide. You’re not willing to sacrifice yourself, how could I be? Everything I’ve done is just to save myself."

"What exactly do you want to do? Just say it directly."

"Work with you," Chen Nuo said with a smile. "Wasn’t I clear enough?"

"Work together?" The Fourth Seed sneered. "I don’t see any room for cooperation between us—do you mean to say you want to tip me off? In this sort of competition, funny actions like tipping someone off are pointless."

"Weakening Seed would mean harming myself—that’s impossible. So, the only option is to enhance you."

Chen Nuo sighed.

The Fourth Seed’s eyes sparkled. "Enhance... me?"

"Why is Seed so powerful?" Chen Nuo hinted with a smiling face.

"Because it was the first to awaken its development path in the early days, then killed and devoured some other Seeds to gain a lead, and then... it was also extremely lucky to find a Mother Clone to absorb!"

The Fourth Seed quickly came up with an answer.

"So, why don’t you do the same?" Chen Nuo asked.

"How do you know I haven’t tried? What do you think I went to Antarctica for?" The Fourth Seed scoffed.

Chen Nuo pondered for a moment. "So there really was a Mother Clone in Antarctica, right? You came out from there... Can I understand that as you’ve actually benefited? Mother Clones are the best way to enhance your strength, aren’t they?"

"Why else do you think that old Octopus Monster is searching for octopuses all over the world? Even setting up an organization called Noah’s Ark to look for the Mother?" The Fourth Seed said indifferently. "It’s doing the same thing."

Chen Nuo was shocked! Noah’s Ark... was set up by the Octopus Monster? Alright, that was an unexpected piece of intelligence gained.

Chen Nuo’s face did not conceal his shock. Instead, he took a deep breath. "Noah’s Ark is the Octopus Monster’s... front? Alright then... so what’s the purpose of looking for octopuses?"

"To look for other potentially existing Seeds," The Fourth Seed said, shaking its head. "You might have gotten one thing wrong. As far as we know, only four Seeds remain within our knowledge. Me, the Octopus Monster, Seed, and the cat hiding in your home! But we can’t be sure that there are no other Seeds in this world—in fact, we’ve always suspected that there’s a fifth Seed out there, which we haven’t found yet. This planet Earth isn’t too big or too small. The land area, not only us, but even humans like you have almost exhausted it, leaving almost no places untouched by humanity. The only possible hiding place left is the ocean. The Octopus Monster searches for octopuses, which is merely a way to search the ocean areas. Moreover, if there’s another Seed hiding in the ocean, then it must need a body to exist... That old Octopus believes the most suitable body shape for the ocean environment, the best meaty form, is that of an octopus."

Chen Nuo’s face showed surprise. "There’s a fifth Seed?"

"Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. I’m not going to tell you, so give up on that thought. Even Seed might not be willing to tell you," The Fourth Seed shook its head.

Then, it stared at Chen Nuo. "Now, tell me your so-called idea of cooperating with me—if it’s not something valuable, then don’t bother."

Chen Nuo, with a smile, leaned in a bit closer and slowly said, "You see... with the current situation, Seed has absorbed a Mother Clone. But you have also absorbed the Mother Clone from Antarctica, right? No need to deny it; I feel certain you’ve indeed benefited. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be moving around so quickly! So Seed’s first advantage has been matched by you. Now, what you need is to find another Mother Clone to absorb. Or... you could devour other Seeds! Just like Seed did back in the day!"

"Seed devoured many Seeds back in the day—there aren’t that many Seeds left for me to devour now," The Fourth Seed said slowly.

"Yes, perhaps you’re right. The Seeds now are not the same as back then! When Seed first awoke, it devoured the other weaker Seeds. But the surviving Seeds now... you as well as Kamisou Ichiro, you’re all so powerful! During your rise to power, I don’t even need to ask to be sure that you must have devoured your own kind too, right? So..."

The Fourth Seed’s eyes narrowed.

"That cat at my home... well, it’s definitely out of your reach, as doing so would break the rules. So then... Mister Fourth Seed..." Chen Nuo slowed down his speech deliberately, smiling as he said, "What if, I’m willing to help you... take on that old Octopus?"

Well... it’s not like selling out changes much...

[Let me say something that might shock you:

There! Is! One! More! Chapter!]