Now that the truth had been revealed, it turned out this kid was the severed consciousness of the Stomach of Glat.
That meant certain things had to be re-evaluated.
What was the original intention behind this guy's series of actions?
According to the files, he was supposed to be avoiding the main body of S-099.
But with everything that had happened this time... what was he after?
Which parts were his true feelings, and which were just part of his performance?
Ren Yi made a silent assessment: as the rational core of S-099, Evans actually couldn't fully control himself.
This had been evident during the chaos on the land ship.
That night, S-099 had shifted between a black liquid form and a mindless sea of flesh. Clearly, the "brain" and the "body" were repeatedly fighting for control.
And today, after this physical form had taken a direct hit from a nuclear missile, his rationality had managed to use the shock of the blast to revert back to the weak form of a human youth.
Simply put, he could unleash his full power, but the consequence was that he would lose control once he used it all.
Based on his previous performance, Evans's acting was indeed brilliant; he truly deserved a Best Actor award.
However, Ren Yi could sense that the sadness on his face wasn't faked in the slightest.
It was quite ironic when you thought about it.
This Anomaly's will, classified as S-rank by the Sky Eye Organization, actually displayed a level of humanity that made him seem more like a flesh-and-blood person than Dr. Cyril or the Lord of the City, who had dropped a nuke without a second thought.
"I'll find a way..."
Ren Yi remembered the promise the boy had made to the old Tribal Chief.
In truth, he had done everything in his power, hadn't he?
He hadn't let S-099 completely destroy everything. During the fusion process, he had successfully destroyed the land ship.
And at the final moment while his reason still remained, he had even used what was left of it to spare the lives of the vast majority of survivors on the ship.
Like Ren Yi, he simply hadn't anticipated such a dimensionality reduction strike before that unreasonable nuke descended.
To be honest, with this hidden, mysterious power added in... wasn't this kid's script a bit too much like a "protagonist"?
Ren Yi sighed inwardly, but his vigilance didn't relax in the slightest.
Regardless, when facing a monster like this, the price of carelessness was a meeting with death—or rather, with 【Death】.
Not far away, the expression on Evans's face seemed to suggest he had completely given up.
He looked like a rogue who was ready to be killed or tortured as Ren Yi pleased, appearing as though he couldn't resist at all.
The two sides remained in a stalemate, one high and one low.
In the scorched air following the nuclear explosion, the only sound was the monotonous, piercing noise of the Red Tide hitting the rocks below the embankment.
At that moment, Evans suddenly saw the white Anomaly in front of him move of its own accord.
Then... it separated a fist-sized white fragment from its main body.
This fragment of white mist drifted tremulously toward him.
The youth's charred brow furrowed, and he tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
The white Anomaly didn't answer, but the separate fragment nudged closer.
This time, the movement was extremely blunt, pressing directly against his lips.
The meaning was clear.
Eat it.
Evans's face stiffened violently.
The white cloud pushed forward again.
Eat up. Didn't you always love eating? Why stop now?
Even if Evans's mind hadn't been entirely clear at the time, the massive explosion Ren Yi had caused—which had leveled half the land ship—had left a very deep psychological scar on him.
And as the brain of the Stomach of Glat, he knew very well where that explosion, which had nearly left him crippled, had originated.
It wasn't an external attack; it had come from inside his own body, specifically from the location where the piece of Ren Yi's body had shattered earlier.
This thing could explode!
"Uh... listen to me explain!"
Seeing the white fragment trying to force its way into his mouth again, Evans desperately pulled his neck back.
"I really didn't mean to eat you!"
"My real thought at the time was... I just simply wanted to 'swallow' you!"
"Think about it, you know that given the situation then, inside the stomach was the safest place!"
The youth defended himself hurriedly, his face full of grievance.
"There were too many people watching back then, and the Sky Eye Organization's surveillance was everywhere."
"Only by swallowing you could we have a proper, safe conversation!"
"I didn't expect you to shatter!"
"And! And I've been taking good care of the part of your body that shattered! I absolutely didn't try to digest it or do anything bad, right?"
"It was an accident, and you blew me up so badly afterward. We're even now, aren't we?"
Ren Yi remained silent, cold as ice throughout the boy's incessant explanations.
Then, he simply and silently manifested that crystal-clear "raindrop" in the void once more.
Evans's long-winded defense came to an abrupt halt.
Cold sweat slid down from his temples, mixing with the blood on his face.
Faced with an absolute crisis, this creature of unknown species finally submitted.
"Fine, fine, I'll cooperate..."
The youth slumped, looking at the pale fragment pressed against his lips with a self-mocking smile as he asked hoarsely.
"If I swallow this time bomb, will you finally talk to me properly?"
The white mist in the void remained indifferent, merely nudging the fragment forward.
Evans sighed and opened his mouth as if swallowing poison, looking completely reluctant yet obedient.
"Gulp." The fist-sized fragment of pale mist slid down the youth's esophagus and settled into his stomach.
Seeing the youth swallow that special self-detonation fuse, Ren Yi was finally at ease.
This way, even if the kid had any ill intentions, as long as he dared to move or resist, Ren Yi could use the Pain Bead to give him another brilliant "artistic self-detonation"!
Now that the insurance was in place, there were some things he could finally ask.
Ren Yi's white mist form expanded in the void, releasing its aggressive posture.
Evans was just about to force an exaggerated, fawning expression of misery onto his face.
However, just as his expression was forming, he suddenly froze.
Because a line of text had abruptly appeared before his eyes.
【Why did you say I'm kindred?】
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