Off to the side, Leng Wanbai's face twitched. This was a bit much.

The crowd of Spine-eating Gu cheered, while at the center of the laboratory, the black-robed girl's eyes shimmered with an unusual glint.

Is this what the stories describe as... love?

The Void smiled with satisfaction. "Don't worry, we're counting on you to become our king, to lead us in defeating the Chairman and forging a brighter future."

"Defeat the Chairman?" Qin Shou was dumbfounded.

The Void sneered, "That's right. The Chairman is selfish and self-serving. Out of fear of the Perfect Spine-eating Poison, he completely erased our evolutionary potential. No matter how hard we try, we can only ever stagnate at the Nightmare Level."

Qin Shou pondered this for a moment before replying, "Then why do you think that once I become a king, I wouldn't do the same?"

The Void glanced at Leng Wanbai and smiled. "Because you're human, and even after fusing with the Spine Gu, you still have human connections and emotions.

These connections and emotions are things we Spine Gu lack. They are also your weakness.

But to us, a flawless king would be a disaster, just like the Chairman.

However, you're different. Your talent is something unprecedented on Earth. Though your personality is... cowardly, greedy, afraid of death, foul-mouthed, and afflicted with a severe narcissistic complex—"

Qin Shou's forehead vein throbbed as he hurriedly interrupted, "Wait, stop! I'm writing down these slanders against me in a little notebook for later. Alright, what do you want me to do now?"

The Void thought for a moment and said to Qin Shou, "Right now, the only Perfect Spine-eating Poison we have is Lord Leng. But Lord Leng has already completed parasitization. To fuse with you, she would need to detach from her current human body.

However, we've discovered that Lord Leng's body has mutated, merging more tightly with the human form. Detachment is impossible in the short term.

Therefore, the only option is to first transfer Lord Leng's consciousness into your mind. After the fusion of consciousness, you will no longer view us as alien threats and can retain the emotional ties of humanity."

"Qin Shou, during this process, you must not resist. If the consciousness transfer fails, Leng Wanbai will never return to her original state."

Just as Qin Shou was about to respond, Leng Wanbai abruptly stepped forward, wearing a sinister smile as she made a throat-slitting gesture at him.

"Qin Shou, remember, the moment you resist, I won't hesitate to bury her with you!"

"You... you..."

Qin Shou's expression changed drastically. This wretch has learned to steal the spotlight!

The Void made no effort to stop Leng Wanbai. After all, once they became "one," Qin Shou couldn't really take revenge on himself, could he?

Qin Shou's expression gradually returned to calm. He snorted coldly and said, "Fine, prepare everything. I need to take a quick bathroom break."

"Don't try any tricks. This experiment won't harm you," the Void warned him.

Qin Shou shot them a frosty glance. "Relax, Xiao Bai's still in your hands. I'm just going because I've never undergone surgery in my life and don't want to wet myself out of fear later."

The Void: "..."

Leng Wanbai: "..."

Is this the pinnacle of cowardice?

...

Soon, under the watchful eyes of two Spine Gu, Qin Shou returned to the laboratory. Two enormous, transparent "capsules" were already prepared.

Leng Wanbai now lay in one of the capsules, her head connected to a dense network of strange devices.

"Our future king, please." The Void gestured invitingly, his tone turning respectful.

"Hmm!"

Qin Shou nodded impassively. Scratching his arm, he walked into the transparent capsule, allowing the human-shaped Spine Gu to attach the devices to his head.

After a series of preparations, the Void pressed the button in front of him.

"Zzzzz..."

In an instant, a bizarre gray current connected both head-mounted devices. The Void stared intently at the scene, his fingers continuously emitting the Power of Void, merging it into the gray current to send both participants into deep sleep.

Consciousness-transfer machinery?

Hah, as if such a thing could exist.

The Void's grin twisted into something malevolent. He stepped forward and opened the capsule door, nodding slightly at the technical staff.

"Begin!"

"Yes!"

The gray current stabilized both subjects' lives. The human-shaped Spine Gu deftly picked up a scalpel, slicing open the backs of both individuals and carefully moving one particular segment of Leng Wanbai's spine into Qin Shou's.

This segment contained the consciousness of the Spine Gu itself. Without extensive research, not even the Spine Gu truly understood its own workings.

After transplanting the Spine Gu consciousness into Qin Shou, the Void subtly moved his fingers. The Power of Void burst forth, enveloping Qin Shou's spine and head, forming an intangible conduit. The entire operation was simple and straightforward.

This invisible conduit could last for about a year, accelerating the subtle transformation of Qin Shou's mindset by the Spine Gu consciousness. It wouldn't replace his identity but would dissolve his hostility toward the Spine Gu, allowing him to retain his humanity while mistakenly believing he had become one of them.

Meanwhile, the Void's power could indirectly influence Qin Shou's thoughts, ensuring he acted in line with the Void's intentions.

Compared to consuming Qin Shou, making him a "kindred" would yield far greater benefits.

Consuming Qin Shou wouldn't guarantee inheriting all of his talents.

After all, the potential of the Spine Gu was limited. They couldn't endlessly devour humans to acquire their abilities.

But controlling Qin Shou allowed the Void to use Qin Shou's power to defeat the Ultimate Spine-eating Poison and replace it by consuming it!

The future king wouldn't be Qin Shou—it would be him!

...

It was unclear how much time had passed before Leng Wanbai suddenly awakened, springing upright with a shiver.

"Come out!"

She scanned the empty laboratory, her mind echoing the command.

"Come out!"

But there was no response from within. The excitement in her heart swelled as she shouted again.

This time, the Frozen Bone Eater's consciousness remained completely silent.

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