thenovelthief Chapter 700: Hunting Ground
Chapter 700: Hunting Ground
The moment those words were spoken, many of the others silently nodded in agreement.
Just then... Scratch... scratch...
A horrifying screeching sound suddenly echoed from outside the door, as though sharp claws were dragging themselves against metal.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the entrance with unreadable expressions.
Soon, the heavy door slowly creaked open.
A zombie staggered inside.
Its body looked horrifyingly patched together, with rotten flesh crudely stitched across different areas.
If Jeff had been present there, he would have recognized the zombie immediately. It was Patrick.
The very same zombie connected to him.
Patrick’s lifeless eyes remained dull as he slowly approached the table carrying trays filled with food.
Watching him obediently serve them like a slave caused Tammy to suddenly let out a mocking laugh.
"See?" Tammy sneered while resting her chin against her hand lazily. "Humans are naturally destined to remain beneath us."
Her voice gradually became filled with ambition and greed.
"I’m waiting for the day when every human on this planet will have no choice but to kneel before me."
The moment Tammy openly revealed her desires, silence filled the room.
Everyone understood something very clearly.
Although Tammy constantly used the name of the Imperial Faction and claimed loyalty toward it, the truth was that she herself was equally greedy for power.
Perhaps even more than the others.
Recently, more and more rebellious factions have begun emerging within the superior being society due to food scarcity and internal instability. The empire itself was no longer as united as before.
And then came the most important discovery of all. Soul transfer.
The superior beings had finally realized that they could transfer their souls into human bodies.
This discovery completely changed everything.
After all, the superior beings had conquered countless planets over the years, yet humanity remained the only species compatible with their souls.
Which also meant one terrifying thing.
Whoever successfully conquered Earth would essentially gain control over the future of Planet Astra itself.
As these thoughts circulated within everyone’s minds, Tammy slowly stood up once the meeting regarding the portals concluded.
"Continue opening more portals," Tammy ordered coldly. "As many as possible."
Patrick immediately lowered his head respectfully before leaving.
Then Tammy turned back toward the others.
"Now," she spoke seriously, "let us discuss our next important matter."
Her silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"What kind of human bodies should we occupy?"
The room became quiet once more.
"We cannot carelessly occupy weak vessels," Tammy continued. "Doing so would greatly reduce our power."
Everyone silently agreed.
Soon, one by one, suggestions began emerging.
"The problem," Barrett muttered while rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "is that most of the strongest humans are already heavily protected. Many of them are high-ranking officials or important figures."
"Getting close to them won’t be easy."
Tammy suddenly chuckled softly. "I already have a better idea."
Everyone immediately looked toward her.
"Why not directly target the hybrids instead?" Tammy proposed. "Their bodies should possess far greater compatibility with our souls."
A cruel smile slowly appeared on her face.
"And if my assumptions are correct... their lifespan should become nearly immortal after the transfer."
The moment Tammy finished speaking, many of the others immediately became interested.
After thinking for a while, they gradually began choosing their targets one after another.
Tammy was naturally the first to speak. "I want Ivy’s body."
There was no hesitation in her voice whatsoever. Soon afterward, Coco smiled lightly.
"Then I’ll take Bella’s body."
Jerry remained silent briefly before finally speaking. "I’ll choose Mona."
Haku thought quietly for a long moment before muttering, "Then I’ll go with Maxi."
Soon, almost every target had already been assigned.
Only Barrett and Nanami remained undecided.
Barrett slowly glanced around the room before narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.
"I’ll take Silas’s body," he declared.
However, midway through his sentence, Nanami suddenly interrupted him sharply. "No."
The atmosphere instantly stiffened.
Nanami’s gaze became frighteningly cold.
"Silas’s body is mine."
The moment he made that declaration, nobody dared to oppose him.
Everyone clearly understood one thing.
Even though Nanami doesn’t like to show his authority openly, none of them could deny the overwhelming contributions he had made to their faction so far.
Although several members secretly felt dissatisfied by his increasingly domineering behavior, they still swallowed their frustration silently.
"Then I will go with Jade." Barret sighed
Once everyone finalized their chosen targets, the meeting slowly approached its conclusion.
However, their true problem still remained unresolved. How exactly were they supposed to eliminate all those hybrids?
Especially now that the hybrids had most likely already become aware of the superior beings’ presence on Earth.
Just as the superior beings finished discussing and finalizing their plans, there was another individual secretly preparing his own scheme from the shadows.
Silas
Unlike the others, Silas had already expected that the superior beings would never remain inactive for long.
The moment he learned that they had descended onto Earth, he immediately understood what their first objective would most likely be.
Human bodies.
As long as the superior beings discovered how compatible human bodies were with their souls, they would inevitably begin hunting suitable humans down one by one.
And once they succeeded in obtaining human vessels, everything would spiral completely out of control.
’They will definitely search for a gathering point first,’ Silas thought calmly. ’Somewhere humans are concentrated.’
A dangerous idea soon formed inside his mind.
Without wasting time, he secretly contacted several trusted subordinates scattered across different regions of the country.
Soon afterward, rumors suddenly began spreading rapidly across the internet and underground communication channels.
According to the rumors, the SiIvy Base possessed a hidden underground prison area where thousands of humans were secretly being detained.
The rumor was intentionally exaggerated and twisted to make the SiIvy Base appear cruel and suspicious.
Naturally, ordinary civilians immediately became outraged and fearful after hearing such claims.
However, the true target of the rumor was never humanity itself. It was the superior beings.
And just as Silas expected, when news of the supposed "human prison" reached the superior beings, many of them instantly became interested.
An ideal hunting ground.