The Mimicry ceased in an instant, and the intense feeling of being watched vanished along with it.

"Damn it! What the hell is this thing?"

His heart hammered!

Thankfully, his Spiritual Vision had given him an early warning, allowing him to stop the process just before the Mimicry could fully form.

Lin Qi had a hunch that if the Mimicry had completed, he would have been in for some serious trouble.

Truly serious trouble.

’According to the intel, the chips being sent to major corporations in the various administrative regions are actually just sub-samples of this particular achievement by Ninghang Technology.’

’If they’re sub-samples, that means there’s a parent sample. Damn, this thing isn’t some kind of hive-mind organism, is it?’

He analyzed the intelligence he had while recalling the sensation his Spiritual Vision had just picked up.

It was similar to being watched, but not quite the same.

Perhaps it wasn’t a sense of being spied on, but rather a form of synesthesia that would occur once the Mimicry was complete.

The reason this chip exhibited biological traits, yet was so difficult to identify as an organism, might lie in... its consciousness.

This thing might not possess an individual consciousness. Instead, it could have a collective consciousness, similar to quantum entanglement.

This was the hypothesis Lin Qi formed based on the available intelligence and the feedback from his Spiritual Vision.

’If that’s the case, then the chip’s so-called learning method would make sense.’

’The learning of a single chip could contribute to a collective learning effect. All the data might be synchronized through this strange state.’

As Lin Qi contemplated the chip’s true nature, he also considered the specific details of its application.

He also tried to think like a researcher, reverse-engineering Ninghang Technology’s design philosophy for the chip.

’Is this a newly developed biomaterial, or is it something else entirely?’

’If it’s the former, that’s one thing. Ninghang Technology’s ultimate goal might be exactly what it appears to be: to forge an immense, intercontinental mega-corporation by partnering with major companies in every administrative region.’

’But if it’s the latter...’

Lin Qi’s thoughts turned to the Round Table Conference and the Witch Hunt.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that a much larger conspiracy was at play.

He just didn’t know its true purpose, or what role the chip was truly meant to play.

’After I go to the Doomsday World tonight, I’ll try to use Mimicry again.’

’The crossing facilitated by the Door can block quantum-entanglement-based communications. It also locks the temporal node when I travel. Theoretically, if I use Mimicry in the Doomsday World, I shouldn’t run into the same problem.’

Lin Qi needed to figure out this chip’s true nature.

This was no longer just a mission for the Mercenary Corps; it had become personal for Lin Qi.

The Round Table Conference, the Witch Hunt, the Moon, Ninghang Technology, Ning Xin...

As all the pieces started to connect, Lin Qi had a very bad feeling.

’After I cross over to the Doomsday World today, I’ll start with a simple test. By the time I arrive, the first stage of my analysis Ability will have worn off. I won’t be able to mimic this thing’s "Ability," only its physical form.’

’But that’s fine. I’ll start with a simple test and see if I can find any clues.’

After a moment of thought, Lin Qi went to the restroom and turned the faucet on full blast.

He was still shaken by the sensation his Spiritual Vision had picked up earlier.

The feeling was utterly terrifying, as if he had been targeted by some supremely horrifying entity.

Even when he had faced Baili Xueyuan, a Tier Four powerhouse, Lin Qi hadn’t felt such terror.

This meant the entity behind Ning Xin was far more than a mere Tier Four.

A Tier Five Extraordinary!

The true pinnacle of power in the Cyber World.

’That can’t be right. If a Tier Five was backing it, how could Ninghang Technology still be just a large corporation? It should’ve become an intercontinental giant by now...’

His thoughts were a mess. Lin Qi repeatedly splashed cold water on his face, forcing himself to calm down.

Only with a clear mind could he hope to untangle these chaotic threads and find the underlying truth.

After thinking for a long time, he concluded that the information he had was still too fragmented.

Lin Qi decided to wait for the Door’s cooldown to finish. He would go to the Doomsday World and try the Mimicry again to see if he could find more clues.

He continued splashing his face with cold water. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he didn’t leave the restroom until the last trace of that lingering fear had completely vanished.

By now, half of the "data" he had extracted through analysis was gone.

This meant Lin Qi could no longer use the subject’s "Ability," only mimic its physical appearance.

He checked the time. There were still just over ten minutes until the Door’s cooldown was complete.

At 12:31 AM on March 17, 2089, the Door’s cooldown finished. Lin Qi immediately activated its power.

Light and darkness intertwined before his eyes. When the scene stabilized, Lin Qi found himself already in the Doomsday World, seated in a conference room on the sixth floor of the Mo University Camp’s Club Activity Building.

The first thing he did upon arriving in the Doomsday World was change into local attire and remove his Exoskeleton Equipment.

Then, he sat back down in his seat.

After a moment’s thought, he made his decision. He activated his Mimicry Ability!

In the blink of an eye, Lin Qi’s body began to change.

His body seemed to collapse in on itself. Lin Qi’s human form gradually disappeared as he slowly became squarer.

In the end, he had transformed into a small, square chip.

This time, the intense feeling of being watched didn’t return.

Lin Qi’s thoughts also remained clear.

However, his current perception was strange.

His senses of sight and touch were completely gone.

In their place were the senses of the chip itself.

The Mimicry of its Extraordinary Ability had failed, but all abilities related to its "physical" aspects were retained.