MOGHA Chapter 123

The underground cavern was vast, with the lower level divided into different sections. Standing on the curved platform, Ye Shanshan looked toward the corner Lenny had pointed out, feeling a bit concerned. “Could Durant’s people suddenly appear or be hiding in the shadows?”

“No, he closed that door, which means he’s completely isolated himself from the outside world. He’s locked both us and himself inside here.” Lenny was assembling a weapon using the parts he carried, and Ye Shanshan watched his hands with curiosity, fascinated by the way he worked.

Noticing his interest, Lenny chuckled and asked, “Want to learn?”

“Yes, I do.” Ye Shanshan seemed a little embarrassed but was also genuinely curious and sincere. “You’re really skilled.”

“If you handled guns and weapons every day, you’d become just as skilled as I am,” Lenny replied as he continued working on the weapon.

Ye Shanshan glanced at the calluses on Lenny’s fingertips and the base of his knuckles before casually shifting his gaze away. When he met Gong Yue’s eyes, both of them silently reached an understanding.

Within a few minutes, Lenny finished assembling the weapon and handed it to Ye Shanshan, teaching him how to use it. He then added, “According to the intel my employer has gathered, Durant has been continuously taking the second-generation Alpha Agent to prevent his body from aging. Although his appearance has remained stable at around forty years old, his body is definitely deteriorating, and his brain has also suffered damage. When he is at his weakest, that’s our best opportunity.”

Ye Shanshan nodded in understanding. He took the weapon from Lenny and fiddled with it a few times—at first a little clumsy, but quickly becoming proficient. He keenly noticed a brief shift in Lenny’s gaze as the man watched him, just for a few seconds.

After some thought, Ye Shanshan removed the wristband he was wearing and fastened it onto Lenny’s wrist. “Wearing this will keep you safe—it’s very useful.” Smiling, he added, “We will definitely get out of here safely together.”

Seeing Ye Shanshan’s earnest expression, Lenny, like an elder looking at a child, shifted his wrist slightly, feeling a bit awkward but not rejecting the gesture. After Ye Shanshan secured the buckle for him, Lenny’s tone became firm. “We will get out of here together.”

Next, as the three had planned earlier, Lenny stayed behind to guard the area in case anyone tried to enter through the door. Meanwhile, Ye Shanshan and Gong Yue moved quietly down the passage beside the curved platform, heading toward the spot Lenny had indicated.

Once Gong Yue and Ye Shanshan disappeared from sight, the warm smile on Lenny’s face suddenly froze, as if he were trying to adjust himself. About ten seconds later, his expression twisted into a warped grin, making his features look unsettling.

His eyes burned with excitement as he gazed toward the lower-level corner, his hands trembling with exhilaration. Unable to restrain himself, he clawed at the back of his left hand with his right, digging in until blood seeped out. Dark red droplets fell one after another onto the floor, stark against the cold surface.

His excitement grew, his eyes slightly bulging, the tiny veins in his sclera swelling with blood. His lips trembled as he silently mouthed the words—”God-making, god-making, god-making…”

He repeated the phrase several times before muttering Gong Youli’s name. His expression teetered between euphoria and rage, shifting unpredictably. He no longer carried the composed demeanor he had before.

Muttering under his breath, his gaze landed on the wristband he was wearing, his twisted smile now tinged with mockery.

Meanwhile, Ye Shanshan and Gong Yue had reached the lowest level. The dim lighting cast long shadows, and the faint hum of electricity was impossible to ignore, grating on the nerves. Ye Shanshan rubbed his ears, then reached for Gong Yue’s hand and wrote two names and a symbol in his palm—”Lenny, Durant, ?”

Gong Yue tightened his grip on Ye Shanshan’s fingers and gave a soft “Yes.”

With that confirmation, Ye Shanshan patted the weapon Lenny had given him—then, in one swift motion, disassembled it entirely. His hands moved so fast that it seemed almost instinctual, requiring no thought.

He tossed the pile of disassembled parts onto the ground, then continued forward with Gong Yue toward their destination.

About twenty minutes later, with a loud “click,” all the lights on the lower level suddenly turned on. Ye Shanshan stepped out of a rectangular laboratory, lifted his head toward the platform above, and made a “success” gesture toward Lenny, signaling him to come down.

Lenny wiped the blood from the back of his hand, casually tossing the bullet he was holding into the air before stepping away from the platform and heading down.

Seeing Lenny hurrying over, Ye Shanshan beamed, clearly pleased. “Just like you said, maybe because of the drugs, Durant wasn’t hard to subdue at all. He wasn’t as formidable as I imagined.”

His dimples deepened as he spoke. Struggling to find the right words, he ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know how to put it, but Gong Yue is inside watching over him. Let’s go in together.” Then he asked, “How’s the situation up there?”

“No issues. The people outside haven’t broken through the door yet.” Lenny patted Ye Shanshan’s shoulder in praise before stepping past him, taking the lead as he strode toward the lab.

Holding his gun at the ready, Lenny pushed open the half-closed door and stepped inside—only to find Gong Yue standing alone in the corner.

His throat felt dry with excitement, but he tried to keep his voice steady. “Where is he?”

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a conspicuous pool of blood on the floor. His pinky and ring finger twitched uncontrollably.

Gong Yue remained silent, simply watching him.

Lenny’s expression gradually stiffened as he sensed something was wrong. His instincts flared, and he reflexively raised his gun, intending to aim at Gong Yue.

But in that instant, his body froze. It was as if every muscle and bone in his body had locked up, refusing to obey his commands. At the same time, he felt something cold pressing against his back—a metallic barrel.

Then, he heard Ye Shanshan’s voice. “Right here.”

Lenny’s pupils shrank. He tried to move again, only to find that even his fingers wouldn’t budge. His heartbeat pounded in his chest, but his voice remained calm, masking his growing panic. “What’s going on? You—”

Ye Shanshan let out a soft chuckle, an eerie sound. He raised his left hand and dangled an object between his fingers. “Looking for this?” He swayed it slightly. “Let me guess… is it a key? A switch? Or maybe… something that controls the surrounding weapons?”

In his hand was the very bullet Lenny often toyed with. Somehow, at some point, Ye Shanshan had taken it.

Lenny’s gaze locked onto the bullet, his face darkening. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly. “When I walked past you at the door.”

At that moment, when they brushed past each other—there had been a brief instant of contact.

“Yes,” Ye Shanshan confirmed. Stepping around to face him, he pressed the gun to Lenny’s heart while his other hand effortlessly removed the gun from Lenny’s grip and tossed it aside.

Seeing Lenny still struggling to break free from the stiffness overtaking his body, Ye Shanshan’s tone turned mocking.

“You can try,” he taunted. “See if you can still move.”

He deliberately pulled the gun back slightly, giving Lenny a moment to attempt it. His voice was almost serious, as if genuinely curious.

After several failed attempts to move, Lenny’s expression suddenly shifted. His voice trembled slightly, not entirely clear. “What… what did you do?” Then his lips moved again, barely forming the words—”The wristband… it’s the wristband!”

Hearing that, Ye Shanshan smiled sweetly and nodded. “That’s right. It’s the wristband.”

His gaze fell on Lenny’s wrist, and he explained earnestly,

“I spent three days and nights making this. It has an excellent paralysis effect, works extremely fast, and even has a remote-control function. You’ve been injected with three milliliters of the drug. You probably won’t be able to move for days. But don’t worry—your mind will stay perfectly clear.”

After finishing his explanation, Ye Shanshan suddenly paused. He tilted his head toward Gong Yue and asked, “Ge, don’t you think what I just said sounded exactly like a villain? I feel like I’m breaking character here!”

Feeling a little wronged, Ye Shanshan started walking toward Gong Yue, seeking some comfort. After taking a step, he paused, reconsidered, then stood still and untied a rope from his ankle. He used it to bind Lenny’s hands while casually explaining,

“I got the idea for this rope after watching a movie. It’s impossible to break free from—very high quality and extremely sturdy.”

After tying the knot, Ye Shanshan clapped his hands in satisfaction, signaling that the job was done.

Standing up straight, he noticed Lenny glaring at him with eyes full of rage. Without hesitation, Ye Shanshan glared right back, then, feeling pleased, turned to find Gong Yue. He stretched out his hand in front of him, “Ge, my hand hurts.”

Gong Yue took his wrist and noticed two red marks on Ye Shanshan’s knuckles, likely from tying the knot. He lowered his head and gently blew on them.

The cool breath brushed over his skin, soothing and comfortable. Ye Shanshan’s eyes crinkled with a smile.

At that moment, the stiff-bodied “Lenny” suddenly collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air in deep, labored breaths. Ye Shanshan glanced over and kindly explained,

“The paralyzing needle extends from the inside of the wristband. You don’t feel it when it pierces your vein, and soon after, the drug takes effect, making your whole body stiff. In three to five minutes, the drug fully activates, your muscle strength disappears, and you won’t be able to move—only lie there.” He shrugged, as if helpless in the situation.

Durant, now sprawled on the floor in a twisted posture, struggled to look at Ye Shanshan, his voice broken and weak. “Why… why did you do this to me?”

Ye Shanshan blinked in surprise, looking at him curiously. “Did you really think I’d believe you were Lenny?”

He sighed, gazing at Durant with a hint of pity. “You did a really good job impersonating him. Your face, your body—everything was almost perfect. Your experience shows, even in the subtle details of your expressions and gaze. But there’s one thing you probably didn’t know—Lenny doesn’t play basketball. He never has, and he never touches anything related to it.”

Back on Mishus Island, Gong Youli had received a photo and mentioned Lenny a few times. Ye Shanshan distinctly remembered her saying that Lenny had always been talented in sports since childhood, except for basketball. He had never been good at it, so he simply gave up on it altogether. The photo she had sent was of him winning a swimming competition.

So, if the real Lenny were here, he would’ve noticed immediately that Ye Shanshan had made a mistake.

“Also,” Ye Shanshan continued, “your hands have no calluses from holding a gun—nothing like someone who grips a firearm daily. Your hands are very pale and a little dry. Hands like that belong to someone who has spent years in a lab or working as a doctor. Isn’t that right, Durant?”

After finishing, Ye Shanshan walked over and sat beside Gong Yue, lowering his voice. “Ge, they say villains die from talking too much. Am I talking too much?” He sounded genuinely worried, feeling like he might have overdone it.

Gong Yue lifted his gaze from the documents he was reviewing and ruffled Ye Shanshan’s hair. “No,” he reassured, then glanced at the time. “Lenny will be back in a few minutes.”

Ye Shanshan nodded. He was just about to ask Gong Yue if he had done well when Durant suddenly forced out a few words with great difficulty.

“You are… Experiment 111… You’re an experiment,” he rasped, his carefully concealed fanaticism finally breaking free, his expression twisted with unsettling fervor. “You didn’t die.”

“I’m not dead.” Ye Shanshan nodded, then firmly denied, “But I’m not Experiment 111—I’m Ye Shanshan.”

Durant stared at Ye Shanshan for a long moment, his voice strained and hoarse from exertion. “A human body always carries the records of its fate, talents, personality, and even diseases—all of it stored in its genes.”

Ye Shanshan nodded. “You’re right.” His expression was serious, as if they were having a normal conversation.

A flicker of hope lit up in Durant’s eyes as he continued, “You are the only experiment in which all genes have been perfectly expressed. Genetically, you are the most optimized state of a human. You must understand the benefits of genetic enhancement better than anyone.”

He gazed at Ye Shanshan like he was admiring a flawless masterpiece—an experiment without a single flaw. “I want to adjust human genes so that people are no longer controlled by fate—”

“But instead controlled by you,” Ye Shanshan interrupted flatly, showing no expression. “I know that one of the goals of the ‘God Creation Project’ is to produce a so-called ‘God of War’—essentially, a war machine. These experiments were meant to secure victory in warfare.”

“Isn’t that correct?” Durant’s expression grew even more frenzied. “Only war can bring ultimate power! Only war can subjugate those lowly, worm-like humans! I will rule over them, gather them together, modify their genes, and ensure they reproduce only superior offspring. The inferior ones will gradually disappear—they will no longer exist!”

He seemed lost in the vision of his ideal world, his lips parting as he let out a wheezing chuckle.

Ye Shanshan looked at Durant with a hint of sympathy. “For someone who claims to be a professor of biology, you clearly didn’t study it well. Your ideas are dangerous and completely contradict the fundamental laws of biology.”

His tone remained serious, as if discussing an academic topic. “A species that loses competition and desire will cease to evolve and progress. Do you really believe that people who are predetermined from birth—pre-programmed with set personalities, appearances, strengths, weaknesses, even friendships and love—will thrive? A life that has been completely mapped out before birth is meaningless. If everything is planned in advance, what’s the point of living?”

Durant gasped for air, his breathing short and rapid, but Ye Shanshan couldn’t comprehend his ideology.

Just then, footsteps approached, and the door swung open.

A man who looked identical to the Durant lying on the ground walked in. He handed a box to Ye Shanshan. “This is what you wanted.”

Ye Shanshan reached out, took the box, and opened the lid—inside was Gong Youli’s notebook.