Absolute Gate

Chapter 96 A Bizarre Way of Awakening

By the afternoon, everyone had basically come to a complete understanding of the characteristics of the Rain God's fake water.

The Rain God is a unique life form composed of numerous artificial waters. It is one of a kind, and only the largest one is the Rain God, possessing life-like properties.

Other separated waters possess all the properties of absolute water except for Rain Prayer and Active Pursuit, hence they are called fake waters.

Whether it's a living rain god or a dead fake water, both possess the absolute characteristic of prohibiting swimming.

Perrin's eyes lit up as he said, "This can be considered a special weapon. If you splash this water, the enemy will be unable to swim, rendering naval warfare useless."

Wu Zhong glanced at him sideways: "I don't recommend using it like that. The weapon isn't very effective, but the risk of it getting out of control is very high."

Onion thought for a moment: "Actually, it's alright, brother. I feel like it's probably not an infection from contact."

"Think about it, if even a tiny bit can cause infection, then I was enveloped in it underwater, and you rescued me, and you also came into contact with me. Wouldn't you have gotten a little bit of that water on you?"

"After I get ashore, I take off my wetsuit and equipment. They're all wet. What if a small amount of fake water gets cut out from some gap?"

“But you’ve all been in contact with them, and Perrin has touched them a few times. She still went into the water today and nothing happened.”

Wu Zhongyi thought to himself, "Yes, he must have come into contact with Onion to some extent when he was rescuing him underwater."

If fake water, no matter how small, even if it's just a single water molecule, could cause infection upon contact, then he would have been infected long ago.

“Yes, it’s not triggered by just touching it. Let’s try it with a fish.” Wu Zhong strived for rigor.

They asked Gray Ring to send more fish and tested it repeatedly.

Sure enough, if the small fish only encountered artificial water and were then put back into a regular tank, they swam happily without any abnormalities.

They verified step by step that even if the fish's tail was exposed above the water's surface and Wu Zhong held it in his hand without submerging it, it would not get infected.

Once completely covered, they immediately become unable to swim and will drown.

"So you have to be completely covered up, huh? Oh right, I was completely covered up by the Rain God underwater, which is why I couldn't swim," Onion said.

Perrin was a little disappointed and pouted, "Then this fake water is really useless. Using it as a weapon is too troublesome; you have to soak the enemy completely..."

Wu was not surprised but delighted and breathed a sigh of relief: "This is great! I originally thought that once it flowed into rivers, lakes and seas, it would cause a large-scale ecological collapse."

"It doesn't seem so now. Well, that makes sense, since Mayan mythology doesn't mention it."

He looked at everyone and said, "This thing is inconvenient to use as a weapon, since it only makes people unable to swim."

"So this is more like poisoning someone and trapping them. In that case, it's definitely better to be as safe as possible and not always think about using them as an immediate fighting force to improve strength."

Wu Zhong didn't value the item's combat applications; his thought was that since he had taken it in, he had to keep it safe and not cause any major problems.

Now that we fully understand the characteristics, the rest is simple.

Just store most of the fake water in one place; it doesn't need to be too secure, just discreet.

As for the Rain God, he divided it into about one liter and carried it in a metal water bottle.

In this way, it's like carrying a rainmaking tool with you; if you need rain, you just ask it to send some rain.

If you want a storm, find a place and shout for it!

"You're right, Brother Jianglong, we'll listen to you." Seeing that Wu Zhong had set the tone, Pei Lan immediately stopped mentioning weaponization.

Wu Zhong smiled; this kid has a good eye for things.

He patted Perrin on the shoulder: "You crave power too much, that's true. I also want to become stronger, and actually I'm even more eager than you are."

"But maybe I've seen too many calamities. I can only say that the name of this thing is really not wrong. They are all 'calamities'. I don't know which organization spread this saying."

"In short, in my experience, all kinds of strange objects have both advantages and disadvantages, and most of them are very dangerous. When you see an underwater statue, you turn around and run away in fear. Isn't that because you are afraid of its characteristics?"

Perrin said bitterly, "Turning around and running away is advice from the mercenary forum. Some veterans have said that if you encounter unknown or unpredictable monsters during a mission, don't be greedy, just stay as far away as possible."

Wu Zhong pursed his lips. McGer was clearly following this experience as well, but...

To contain the calamities, we ultimately have to rely on a stubborn guy like Onion.

McGonagall was precisely misled by this experience, which caused him to miss out on the Rain God.

Therefore, the forum's advice is geared towards mercenaries, prioritizing survival. Avoid non-mission-related anomalies; just run.

However, if we want to contain them, simply thinking about not touching them or just thinking about self-preservation is definitely not enough.

Ultimately, we must take the initiative, requiring caution coupled with unwavering courage, and wisdom tempered with a reckless madness.

"Perrin, there are many ways to pursue power, but you can't be impatient, and you can't pursue it without any bottom line."

"Especially for calamities, if they want to join my clan, our first goal for any future calamities will be to figure out their mechanisms."

"Only after we have thoroughly understood it should we consider using it."

Wu Zhong spoke earnestly, genuinely feeling that the monstrous creatures were too dangerous.

Perhaps it was due to his different experiences or preconceived notions, but he didn't think at all that strange and unusual objects were something that would lead humanity to extraordinary achievements, strength, and development.

It is a real disaster.

There were so many; after entering this circle, he saw all sorts of strange and monstrous things.

I encountered them even on a casual diving mission. How many strange and monstrous things have there been throughout history?

According to Blue and White Society, this thing is constantly multiplying and increasing in number.

Moreover, they appeared out of nowhere, full of malice. For example, the Everlasting Plum, which was a plum sold normally in the market, suddenly became a calamity, causing the deaths of more than a hundred people. Where can we find justice in this?

A complete mess, a happy zombie – these are probably the kinds of things.

What does this mean? It also means that the source of the calamities cannot be found.

Thus, two axioms emerge: First, the number of calamities and strange phenomena has been increasing continuously since ancient times.

Second, strange objects appear mysteriously, and their source cannot be found.

This, combined with the danger and diversity of catastrophic objects, naturally leads to a result that is even more unsolvable and terrifying than entropy increase.

Is it really possible to continuously use the benefits of calamities to counteract their harms, and maintain this balance indefinitely?

Relying on intelligence is not impossible, but the premise is that it cannot be used for fighting or abused for personal gain. Otherwise, humanity will become the greatest destabilizing factor.

Wu Zhong didn't want to believe the prophecies of the Blue and White Society, but his experience and logic told him that it seemed to be only a matter of time.

Given the current power structure, one day, natural disasters will exceed the capacity of human civilization, reach a critical point, and then erupt into an uncontrollable catastrophe.

However, there was nothing he could do about it; someone else would take care of it, and it wasn't his place to worry about it.

Perrin was the same; upon hearing this, he was startled: "What did you say? Is it possible? Can I join your clan?"

Wu deliberately brought this up, saying, "Otherwise what? You already know that I am the first generation of the Mad Blood Clan. If I don't take you in, and if this gets out, it means that the 'life box' of all of us will be exposed."

"Others will know that we share this one life with several of us."

He pointed to Yangchunsha, Yake, and onions.

Onion gave Perrin a disapproving look, and Perrin realized he had to join in.

“Yes, I’d love to join! I’d love to!” Perrin nodded hastily.

His currying favor with Wu Zhong was actually based more on Wu Zhong's strength than on the mere effect of the Mad Blood Clan.

Of course, becoming a member of the Mad Blood Clan would be even better, as it would bind them even more tightly.

As a low-level mercenary, he was nothing but an Awakener. Becoming a member of the Berserker Clan was a significant step forward for him.

He couldn't get it even if he begged for it.

Many people don't want to become members of the Mad Blood Clan for only one reason: the True Ancestor betrayed them.

Most of them don't even know who the True Ancestor is; they feel too insecure and don't even know how they died.

But Wu Zhong was different; he had already worked with him before, and only then did he learn of this identity.

It's clear that Wu Zhong is a very cautious person, and he's also very approachable. He's practically a hidden true ancestor, and this kind of clan is the most secure clan.

In the realm of calamities and anomalies, the spots would be fiercely contested.

Because these clan progenitors are kept secret and not just accepted by anyone, outsiders have no way of knowing about them. Otherwise, the unfortunate members of the Florida clan wouldn't have been left without any way to seek help.

Therefore, the opportunity to join is all the more precious.

“Ancestor, please take my sister and me into your clan. From now on, your life will be our life! We are willing to serve you like dogs and horses.” Perlan knelt on one knee and solemnly swore.

Wu Zhong smiled and said, "No problem."

Without hesitation, he immediately transformed Onion, Perrin, and Acorus into members of the Berserker Clan. ...

Two days later, everyone ate a whole fish feast in the main hall of the house, which was a funeral feast.

They have already stayed at Havel's Estate for three days and have had a good rest.

During this period, he repeatedly went underwater to retrieve gold and jade artifacts from the ruins at the bottom of the cave, and then had Havel sell them on his behalf.

Gold items sold best, and for those that couldn't be sold immediately, Havel also paid a good price on their behalf.

In the end, including the statue, the money given by McGonagall, and the money from the Grey Ring mission settlement, the total came to 3.5 million RMB.

In addition, Yang Chunsha also received 250 Bitcoins, and Pei Lan and Shi Changpu also received 20 million from McGill.

They've made a fortune; it's safe to say they've hit the jackpot. Making money is definitely the fastest way with 'exploding gold coins'... all thanks to McGill.

For this reason, Wu Zhong even went so far as to erect a tombstone for McGonagall and bury him, after all, he was a 'sugar daddy'.

Ginger, Onion's brother, was also buried at the same time. A proper funeral was held, so everyone was having a feast.

There was another person present at the banquet, none other than Havel's son, McGonagall Havel.

On the very day Wu Zhong took refuge in the Rain God, he took the time to perform a couple of divinations and found him. The place where he was imprisoned was not far away; he was buried alive in a small hill not far from the manor.

Trapped in a locked shipping container, buried 20 meters underground, with no water and no food.

When Wu finally found him, the oxygen in the container was almost gone, and he nearly suffocated.

McGonagall was incredibly grateful to Wu Zhong for saving her life.

His body was badly injured, clearly from inhuman torture. Coupled with the long period of imprisonment in the suffocating underground waiting for death, this experience made him realize the danger and horror of the supernatural world. He no longer dared to venture out and decided to properly inherit the family business.

Even after learning of Wu Zhong's victory over McGer, he felt little excitement; instead, his gaze towards Wu Zhong was filled with awe.

It was thanks to Wu Zhong who saved his whole family that he felt respect. He knew that Wu Zhong was not a ruthless person like McGer, otherwise he would not have felt awe, but fear, and might have even persuaded his father to sell their property and move away overnight.

"The world of supernatural disasters is tough. I advise you to just stay a rich kid and be a safe bee."

"It's best not to reveal that you are an enlightened one in the future; just behave yourself."

Wu Zhong advised McGonagall.

The latter bowed and nodded with great awe: "Lord Jianglongmu is right, my host body is too weak."

“If I hadn’t been born an enlightened being, I would have wanted to relinquish my status as an enlightened being.”

Wu raised an eyebrow. If he didn't know that McGonagall was really scared out of his wits, he would have thought that the guy was in Versailles.

Good heavens, he wants to become an enlightened being, but he doesn't even have the chance.

He was momentarily distressed and looked at Perrin and Onion: "How did you obtain your status as Awakened Ones?"

Perrin sighed, “My sister and I are both extreme sports enthusiasts and are quite well-known in the community. As a result, the Tijuana family approached us and asked if we wanted to step into the other side of this world and possess extraordinary powers.”

“I initially thought they were crazy, but after they showed me some tricks, I was shocked and went with them.”

"After arriving in Costa Rica, they told me a lot about the rules, and then I went through a series of tests before I met the Tijuana couple."

“They are the common parents of the entire Awakened Family. Through local channels, I also became their child, and thus entered the circle of calamities.”

Wu was taken aback: "The Tijuana family?"

He didn't expect to run into this family again; it seems this family really has a lot of people.

Sure enough, Perrin told him, "The Tijuana family is more like a company, and we outsiders are just employees."

“Every year we have to ‘do business,’ which means completing mercenary missions. However, after the platform takes its cut, the family also takes half of it as the family’s common funds.”

"This money did not end up in the Tijuanas' pockets, but was all injected into a multinational investment holding company."

"To put it simply, the money is actually used for investment and financial management, and the returns are distributed annually by all family members according to their contribution ratio."

"Of course, management and law enforcement members will receive a larger share, even if they don't perform any tasks, they will still receive a fixed amount of income each year."

"I really want to become a Silver-ranked officer because I want to become a family law enforcement officer. At the very least, I need to be a Silver-ranked officer to be eligible for the assessment."

“Once I pass the exam, I won’t have to do any more tasks. I can just help the Tijuanas maintain family order and make money while lying down.”

Wu nodded in agreement. This Tijuana family really was running it like a company.

These enlightened beings are essentially in debt from the start, and in order to repay the 'kindness of their adoptive parents,' they must constantly perform tasks.

Then, the platform exploits one layer of compensation, and the family exploits another layer.

Wu Zhong looked at Onion: "And what about you?"

Onion scratched his head and said, "Ginger and I are both fishermen by the sea. We were living honest and law-abiding lives when one day Ginger came to me and told me that he had superpowers."

"I didn't believe it at first, but then he snapped his fingers and fish gills grew underwater to breathe, which amazed me."

“After that, he joined the club and made money by doing tasks. He didn’t forget me and even took me with him as his assistant.”

"Later, after learning that the Soford family could buy the status of an Awakened One as long as you had money, he saved up 100 million and helped me become an Awakened One as well."

As he spoke, his eyes reddened; Ginger truly had nothing but praise for him.

He was entirely raised by Ginger from the fishing village, so it's no wonder Onion was willing to risk his life to avenge him.

However, these words left everyone completely confused.

"Wait, wait, how did he become an enlightened being?" Wu Zhong asked, bewildered.

He knew a little about the Soford family's practice of buying spots as long as you had money, but these spots were very unstable and were frequently investigated by the US containment forces, who would then completely disqualify them.

It is common for members of this family to suddenly lose their status as enlightened beings during missions.

Therefore, it is best for a couple to join this family together and then have a child as soon as possible, so that the child will be a born enlightened being.

The Havel family's ancestors were such enlightened families.

Onion's quota was bought for him by Ginger, but what about Ginger's own? How did a poor fisherman, who didn't have the elite talent of Perrin, become an enlightened being?

“My brother… uh…” Onion found it a little difficult to say.

Perrin's expression was strange: "Could it be that he slept with Pavas? No... with his dark skin and skinny appearance, how could Pavas possibly be interested in him?"

Pavas is a Level 4 Awakener, the highest level of Awakener to date. How could he possibly have any connection with a poor fisherman?

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Onion's face turned even redder.

Wu Zhong was astonished: "Huh? Pavas really has taken a liking to him?"

After hesitating for a long time, Onion finally chased Javier and his son away before saying hesitantly, "I only found out later. When Brother Ginger went out to sea to fish, he found a small whale floating on the sea. He didn't know what kind of whale it was. It looked like a dolphin and was two meters long. So he dragged it onto the fishing boat to sell it."

"When we dragged it onto the boat, we found that the whale was still alive, but on the verge of death, and the crescent-shaped blowhole on the top of its head was still opening and closing."

"My brother has been at sea alone for a month now. He said he was so bored, so he..."

Everyone present was stunned.

Yang Chunsha was the first to react: "Huh?"

Perrin was immediately dumbfounded: "Wardfa? This is actually possible?"

Wu Zhong was also shocked: "No, this... ah? Holy crap, your brother is really a god, right?"

Finally, Shi Changpu still didn't understand what it meant, so she asked her brother.

But Perrin didn't want to say: "Don't ask, there's no need to know. I really didn't expect this kind of operation, it's too rare."

Shi Changpu got anxious and was too curious. When no one told him, he actually asked Yake, and even used Chinese.

Yak stammered, embarrassed: "He...he ate a whale."

Shi Changpu stroked her chin and looked out the window at the distant tombstone of Sheng Jiang: "So powerful? You mean that whale was actually a calamity, with the characteristic of passing on all its effects after death? There are indeed such calamities, like the recently famous God and Demon Master, who has such a characteristic?"

"However, that whale can also transfer other effects from its body to the person who eats it..."

"Wow, your brother is so lucky! He actually had this kind of opportunity? You're right, it's really rare."

Wu Zhong glanced at Pei Lan and asked repeatedly: Is your sister really that naive?

Perrin nodded bitterly, then pressed down on Acorus gramineus's head: "Yes, yes, you're right."

"He ate that whale..."

……

(End of this chapter)