A higher-dimensional incarnation, starting by leveraging the stars.

Chapter 73 The Remnants of Atlantis

Westhawk, SPACE X headquarters

Sitting in his office, Governor Ma stared at the screen in front of him, a silver cell phone beside him. He had just hung up the phone with Vic, and his gaze was somewhat unfocused, his mind wandering.

So many strange things have happened lately that he feels the world has spiraled out of control.

Yes, it's out of control.

Everything was fine at first, but when did he start to feel like he was losing control?

Yes, it all started after that exercise, when the giant sea monster made a fleeting appearance. After that, the world became abnormal, beyond their comprehension.

Recently, the abnormal events have intensified, and most importantly, these abnormal events seem to be directed at him, or rather, at the remnants of Atlantis.

Whether it's the earth-shattering blunder on Mars, the colossal collision with Prometheus, or the disappearance and slumber of Eric Sen, or the disappearance and death of Ledger, it all seems as if an unseen hand is manipulating things from the shadows, yet it remains unseen and incomprehensible...

"How many years?!"

Ma Dugong narrowed his eyes. It had been almost thirty years since the resurrection. Thirty years was not a long time for them, the remnants of Atlantis, but it was a long time for humans. So long that he sometimes forgot whether he was Ma Dugong as a human or Jack Ma, the little technician from Atlantis back then.

"Humans are ultimately different from those barbaric creatures!"

Compared to humans, the bodies they parasitized during the Atlantean era had much simpler minds and fewer emotions. They could almost completely control their hosts, but humans were different…

They have too many distracting thoughts!

Whether it was him or his other companions, they were all more or less affected by the host's emotions.

Putting aside other examples, Ledger, who just died, is a prime example. He neglected his proper duties and was not enthusiastic about his missions, but instead focused on making movies and creating art. He even used his own race as a blueprint to create a hugely popular science fiction series. Not only did he not have any sense of vigilance, but he was also complacent and even fantasized about attracting some fans through this series as a source of faith!

It's utterly speechless.

Of course, not many people cared when Ledger was doing these crazy things. After all, in their view, it was just because Ledger was influenced by the emotions of his host human. Moreover, no one would make any connection to them through this movie. After all, it was a science fiction movie, something imagined. Who would take it seriously?

Unexpectedly, this time, it was taken seriously.

The news from Vic not only made him uneasy, but also made everyone else uneasy.

Because the last person Ledger saw before he disappeared was the screenwriter of that damned sci-fi movie based on them, and while investigating that screenwriter, "The Prophet" gleaned some seemingly unrelated but chilling information. Nearly a month before Ledger's disappearance, someone had meticulously searched the internet for information on all the screenwriters of the show, using highly sophisticated methods to uncover almost everything about them. Furthermore, surveillance software was found on the computers and phones of three of them, meaning they had been secretly monitored until one of them made contact with Ledger, giving the other side the target to act decisively…

The trail ends here.

The computer used to search for information was also found; the address was Dongfan Island, the island that Dongguo (Eastern Kingdom) has not yet reclaimed and is used to lure the Western Eagles.

The computer's owner's information was also found, but it was clear that this guy wasn't the person they were looking for, because he wasn't home when the search took place. This meant that someone else had used his computer to track and search the screenwriters. Who was that person? There wasn't a single clue.

But no matter what, he was certain that this guy must know something about them, otherwise he wouldn't have done something like this in such a sensitive place as Dongfan Island. He probably knew that his people were wary of the Eastern Kingdom, a land they had never dared to set foot on. After all, who knew if there might be any hidden tricks left by their creators there?

Here, the silver telephone rang again.

Governor Ma glanced at the incoming call, a helpless expression on his face, and answered it.

"The prophet had no leads. All the leads went cold after we arrived at Dongfan Island. We need to be careful lately; we might be being watched."

A warning came from the other end of the phone. Ma Dugong just smiled and said, "You should warn Vic, not me. If I were being targeted, I would have been in trouble long ago."

"Keep a close eye on Vic. He's using himself as bait now, he's the obvious target. The Faith Pool has started to build up. As soon as the target is detected, unleash the Sword of Retribution. You also need to keep a close eye on the situation there."

"I know, but we're currently engaged in a battle of wits with an unseen enemy. Don't you have any targets on your side?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before a voice said, "That's exactly what I wanted to tell you. We suspect it's from the East."

"The Eastern Kingdom?!" Governor Ma straightened up abruptly. "Are you sure?"

"It's uncertain, but it's the only conclusion the prophet reached after calculating and deducing from various clues, including the sea monsters and the writing on Mars."

"Impossible. I've been to the Eastern Kingdom many times, and they don't have that kind of ability."

"I know that this matter should have nothing to do with the Eastern Kingdom government, but it is possible that it was done by some force within the Eastern Kingdom. The prophet's divination results show that someone within the Eastern Kingdom has obtained their true inheritance and is able to use it. Using their inheritance, they have caused so much trouble, so..."

"You're not sending me to the Eastern Kingdom, are you?"

"Your business in Dongguo is very large and popular. With the recent financial crisis, you might benefit from a trip there."

"Are you trying to use me as bait?"

"It's not that serious. Don't forget, you are the biggest source of faith for the Faith Pool. If something happens to you, many of our plans will be impossible to carry out. This time, we're just testing the waters. As you said, if the other side's target was you, you would have been in trouble long ago, not now."

"Now, I want to take back what I said."

"Jack, this is a critical moment for the Matrix's resurgence. We need stability, but the world is becoming increasingly unstable, and the target is vaguely pointing at us. This is not good. We need certainty."

After pondering for a moment, Governor Ma reluctantly nodded and said, "Alright, but I can't guarantee there will be any gains."

"It's alright, it's just a simple test. Besides..." The voice on the phone paused for a moment before continuing, "You and Vic aren't in contact, are you?"

"Aside from phone calls, there has been no other contact. Of course, the company has investments in Jinniu Street, so it's inevitable that there will be financial dealings with his company, which are all normal exchanges."

"That's good!"

"Do you know something?"

"It's nothing, just in case."

"I hope so!" Governor Ma hung up the phone, looked out the window, and let out a long sigh. "Things can't get any worse, can they?"