The new phase was called "Guided Integration."
Overseer Yan, now confident in his control over me, no longer just gave me "food" to absorb. Now, he actively guided me to interact with the consciousnesses within me, summoning specific memories and knowledge he needed for the Resurrection Project.
Today, we were in his laboratory. Spread out before me was a large spiritual map depicting the layers beneath the mine, far below the Poison Tunnels and the Lower Chambers. An area no slave should ever know about.
"This section," said Yan, pointing to a intricate circular formation on the map, near what was labeled the 'Stone Heart'. "I need its energy structure. Ask those who were construction workers on that level. Or... Liang Jie. He must have infiltrated there."
I closed my eyes, pretending to concentrate. Inside, I asked our collective, Does anyone recognize this place?
A silence. Then, a voice I believed was Liang Jie answered, full of hatred. It is the Containment Formation. They built it after my rebellion. To imprison something... or to hold back something that wants to get out. He gave me memory fragments—shadows of slave workers forced to install spirit stones with blank stares, supervised by tense-faced elders.
I relayed this information to Yan, omitting the part about "holding back something that wants to get out."
Yan smiled contentedly. "Good. Now, the structure of its energy flow. What is the best way to... manipulate it?"
This was a more dangerous question. He wasn't just asking for knowledge, but for a way to unlock or weaken the formation. For the Resurrection Project.
Don't give him the real method! urged a voice skilled in formations. Give him a false path! One that will cause feedback and blow up in his face!
No, countered a calmer voice, a former overseer I had absorbed unintentionally. He is too smart. He will know. We must give true information... but incomplete. Like giving a key without mentioning the mine behind the door.
I agreed. Giving false information was too risky. But misleading information... that could be done.
I opened my eyes. "They say there is a nodal point here," I said, pointing to a spot on the map that was indeed the formation's core. "By channeling pure spiritual energy there, one can gain temporary access."
That was true. But what I didn't say was that the nodal point was also the core of the formation's defense. Anyone trying to manipulate it without the proper protective rituals would attract the attention of the entire security system—and the Elders guarding the place.
Yan took notes neatly, his eyes gleaming. "Pure spiritual energy... like what you produce?"
I nodded slowly. "Perhaps. But I am not strong enough to produce that much energy yet." That was a lie. With the collective power inside me, I could do it. But I didn't want him to know.
"We will strengthen you," he promised, immediately. "We will find more 'resources' for you."
That was what I was waiting for. In "strengthening" me, he would give me access to more slaves, more areas of the mine. More opportunities to observe, to seek allies.
For the next week, the routine continued. Yan gave me questions, and I gave him true but misleading answers. Meanwhile, my "Seed" and I grew stronger with every "resource" he provided—other slaves with nearly collapsed Seeds, or partially processed souls from the Lower Chambers.
With each absorption, our collective grew larger. And with each addition, our intelligence network expanded. I began to hear whispers from low-level overseers who disagreed with the Resurrection Project. Some out of fear, some because they felt it was an insult to Clan traditions.
One name that kept appearing was Overseer Shen—an old veteran in charge of the outer perimeter security. He was known to be strict but fair, and was rumored to disagree with Yan's "unorthodox" methods.
One night, while I was being "strengthened" by absorbing the soul of a rebellious slave, I felt something different. This soul belonged to a young woman who had tried to escape. Before she was captured and turned into a "resource," she had hidden something—a small rolled note, hidden in a crack in the rock near her cell.
Where? I asked in my heart, as the last of her energy flowed into us.
Sector 7, she whispered, before her consciousness dissolved. Block C. Third stone from the floor, crack underneath...
It was information. Real information I could use.
The next day, while Yan was busy with a meeting with other Elders, I seized the opportunity. I pretended to experience "spiritual exhaustion" from last night's absorption and asked permission to walk in the corridor near the laboratory to "stabilize myself." A bored low-ranking guard watched me.
Using knowledge from souls who had been maintenance workers, I found an unsupervised ventilation shaft leading to Sector 7. With the speed and silence granted by my new strength, I slipped inside.
Block C. Cells mostly empty, waiting for the next "filling." I found the stone, and in its crack, was a small, dirty roll of animal hide.
Unrolled, its contents made me freeze.
It was a simple diagram of the Containment Formation at the Stone Heart. But with an added note in a language only understood by overseers: "Seal weakening. Energy leak detected. Report to the Elder Council immediately."
The note was signed by Overseer Shen.
He knew. He knew the Formation was weakening. And he was trying to warn the Elder Council, who were clearly ignoring it—or worse, deliberately accelerating the process for the Resurrection Project.
I hid the scroll inside my clothes, my heart pounding. I had found it. A potential ally within the enemy's camp.
When I returned to the laboratory, Yan was waiting for me with an impatient expression.
"Where have you been?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I felt unstable, Master," I replied, bowing my head. "The energy from the rebellious soul... it was strong but chaotic. I needed air."
He observed my face for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Tomorrow, we will try to stabilize you by absorbing a more 'docile' soul. Now, back to work. I need your analysis of the energy patterns in the northeast tunnel of level 12."
I sat down, fulfilling his request, while the scroll of hide felt like a burning ember against my chest.
The game had changed again. I was no longer just dancing on a snake pit.
I was starting to dig a secret tunnel next to it.
--------
As I analyzed the energy patterns for Yan, my mind raced.
The scroll was concrete evidence. Overseer Shen hadn't just disagreed; he'd actively tried to warn of danger.
But he'd been ignored. That meant he was probably isolated within the Clan hierarchy. A lone wolf, like us. But how to approach him? A slave approaching a senior overseer? That would be suicide.
He'd drag me into the Lower Chamber without asking. We need a go-between, Liang Jie's voice whispered, reading my thoughts. Someone who had access to him, but wasn't completely loyal to Yan. Who? I wondered, as I continued to feed Yan the data he'd requested. Images and memories of the souls inside me swirled.
A young overseer who'd been frequently beaten by his superiors for being "too weak." A logistics officer caught smuggling extra rations for dying slaves. A gatekeeper whose eyes always shone with exhaustion and regret. They existed.
People who hadn't completely lost their conscience within this cruel system. But finding the right one, and taking the risk to approach them, was like walking a tightrope over a cliff.
Yan suddenly put down his notepad. "That's enough for today," he said, his eyes still fixed on me with an analytical stare that made me uncomfortable. "Your energy is still unstable. I sense... disturbances." Did he sense my excitement? Or the whispers in my head? "I need to rest, Master," I said, lowering my head. "Stay in your cell tonight," he ordered. "We can't take any chances." Back in the dark cell, the leather scroll burned like it was burning in my chest.
This was an opportunity, but also a time bomb. If Yan found it, everything would be over. I had to act quickly. But first, I had to make sure that Warden Shen was a worthy ally. And for that,
I needed more information. I needed eyes and ears in places a slave couldn't reach. I glanced at Old Man, who sat quietly as if meditating. He must have connections. His network of decades in this place must be more extensive than I thought. "Old Man," I whispered, breaking the silence. "Do you know anyone... trustworthy?" He opened one eye, and in the darkness, I thought I saw a faint smile play on his lips.