Zhou Wenshan was stunned by Su Ze’s words.

He had just realized something: when the four Guardian Gods of Dongli were discussing candidates, they had completely forgotten about Yargha!

This was mainly because Mr. Ya’s current status was a bit odd. He was a student at Dongli University in name and held a post at the Secret Operations Department, but he had no close ties to either. This caused both Zhou Wenshan and Gu Chengguang to overlook the fact that he was at the Butterfly Stage.

As a result, Mr. Ya’s name never even appeared on the list the four Guardian Gods of Dongli discussed.

Seeing Zhou Wenshan remain silent, Su Ze thought it was because the matter was too difficult to arrange. He asked tentatively, "Mr. Zhou, have all four slots been filled?"

"More or less," Zhou Wenshan said with a nod. "Li Yongguan also successfully completed his third evolution a few days ago and absorbed a vial of Tier-4, B-Grade extract. You both achieved your goals, so the two slots we promised you will naturally be honored."

When Su Ze heard that two of the four slots were already taken, he knew it wouldn’t be easy for Mr. Ya to secure one of the remaining two.

Zhou Wenshan said, "I’ll discuss Yargha’s situation with Mr. Gu and the others. You can go home and wait for news."

After watching Su Ze leave the office, Zhou Wenshan immediately sent a message to the "Dongli Guardian Gods" group chat: "We missed someone when we were discussing the Divine Dice slots—Yargha!"

Soon, Ning Yushen and Li Fayi replied one after another, "Yargha? Who’s that?"

Zhou Wenshan: "He’s ’Mr. Ya.’"

Ning Yushen: "Oh, him."

Li Fayi: "Why didn’t you just say Mr. Ya in the first place? What’s with ’Yargha’? Who can remember those weird Luofan names!"

The two of them actually knew there was such a person around Su Ze and had even heard some of Mr. Ya’s "legends."

Gu Chengguang finally chimed in: "My mistake. Yargha is indeed an excellent candidate. His ability to protect Su Ze and the others is even stronger than Zhang Tai’s!"

Their original selection strategy was a "two-plus-two" formation: two young geniuses, Su Ze and Li Yongguan, leading the way, paired with two older, more powerful Butterfly Stage members to serve as their protectors.

And while Mr. Ya’s combat power was certainly no match for a Butterfly Stage evolver like Zhang Tai, his protective and escape abilities were far superior. It was no exaggeration to say that no one below the Saint-level could surpass him in that regard!

Besides, Mr. Ya had another huge advantage over Zhang Tai: he was nearly ten years younger!

The Divine Dice was more favorable to the young. Sometimes, the advantage of youth could compensate for a gap in strength.

Zhou Wenshan said, "It’s not too late to make a change. Let’s discuss whether we should swap Yargha in. If we do, who should he replace?"

The "Dongli Guardian Gods" group chat immediately plunged into a heated discussion...

......

After leaving Zhou Wenshan’s office, Su Ze headed straight for Liou Wenxin’s laboratory.

Liou Wenxin was already waiting for him. She had already taken out Su Ze’s headless doppelgänger and placed it on a bed.

Seeing his headless doppelgänger again, Su Ze still found it incredibly bizarre. A version of himself without a head was somehow still alive.

But its state of "living" was also strange. It had no heartbeat and didn’t need to breathe.

"Is there something wrong with this body?" Su Ze asked.

Liou Wenxin shook her head. "It’s not that there’s something wrong, but there have been some changes."

As she spoke, she took out a scalpel and, like a master butcher, skillfully sliced open the headless doppelgänger’s chest.

Su Ze stared at the gash, over ten centimeters deep, in the doppelgänger’s chest, stunned.

Not a single drop of blood emerged from the wound. Peering inside, he could only see a mass of pale flesh—no organs, no bones.

He immediately recalled the scene he had witnessed by the artificial lake at the university.

The young couple who had been hosts for the Pope’s parasite—the girl had punched the boy, causing him to explode into pieces of flesh that scattered everywhere. But there was no blood, only a mass of pale flesh, with no internal organs.

His headless doppelgänger had turned into the same state as that boy.

It seemed that anyone afflicted by the Pope’s Blood and Flesh Parasite would turn into this "pure flesh" state.

’It’s over. I’m tainted...’ This was Su Ze’s first thought upon seeing his own headless body dissected.

Then, he started feeling that this whole thing was a bit sketchy.

"Are you sure it’s okay for me to use this thing as a doppelgänger?" He turned to Liou Wenxin. "Won’t it contaminate my real body and devour my organs? 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Also, are you sure the Pope is really and truly dead? Could he still be lurking inside this headless body?"

Liou Wenxin gave him a reassuring look. "I’ve already conducted thorough examinations using various methods. There are no residual consciousness or spiritual remnants in this body, you can rest assured of that. So, if you’re only using it as a doppelgänger, you don’t need to worry about any spiritual dangers. There’s no risk of being parasitized by the Pope."

"No spiritual dangers... which means there are physical dangers?" Su Ze seized on the key point and pressed further.

Liou Wenxin patiently explained, "As I said, if you’re only using it as a doppelgänger and controlling it with your Spiritual Power, there’s no danger. However, if you insist on trying something... unconventional, like swapping body parts with the doppelgänger or exchanging bodily fluids, then I can’t guarantee your safety."

’Swap body parts with the doppelgänger? Exchange bodily fluids?’

’Why would I do that?’

Su Ze thought to himself, ’I’m not into that kind of perverted stuff.’

"So, you’re saying the Pope’s consciousness has been wiped from my doppelgänger, but that piece of his ’flesh’ is still inside it and could be dangerous?" Su Ze was beginning to understand what Liou Wenxin meant.

Liou Wenxin nodded. "This body of yours originally had no signs of life. It only became active because it was afflicted by the Pope’s Blood and Flesh Parasite. Although the Pope’s consciousness has been eliminated, the vitality of the flesh has not been erased.

"It’s like a beast that has lost its consciousness but still retains its instincts. The remaining instinct of that flesh is to transform its host. If you were to exchange limbs or bodily fluids with it, you might be transformed as well.

"The difference between you and the headless doppelgänger is that it has no brain, but you do. If you were to be transformed by the Pope’s flesh, I’m not sure what would happen. It’s possible the Pope’s consciousness could be resurrected in your brain."

Su Ze’s scalp tingled with fear. He instinctively took a step back from the headless doppelgänger.

’This thing seems more trouble than it’s worth, and pretty dangerous too.’

"Don’t be so scared. This is just my speculation. For now, just try controlling it," Liou Wenxin said comfortingly.

"Alright." Su Ze regained his composure, took a few steps forward to the headless doppelgänger’s side, and projected his Spiritual Power.

After evolving into a Butterfly Stage lifeform, Su Ze’s Spiritual Power had undergone another major boost. He could now project it a distance of several dozen meters from his body.

The moment his Spiritual Power touched the headless doppelgänger, it merged with it naturally. As expected, a body of the same origin was a perfect match for his Spiritual Power.

With a thought from Su Ze, the headless doppelgänger slowly sat up on the bed, then stood up and took a few steps around the room.

’It’s not hard to control, feels almost like moving my own body. But none of my skills work.

’Hm? Something feels a little off...’

Seeing the surprise on Su Ze’s face, Liou Wenxin asked with concern, "What’s wrong?"

"It feels like... the strength is off!"

This was a body Su Ze had shed during his Cocoon Stage. Since it couldn’t use skills, in theory, it should just be a slightly stronger Cocoon Stage body—an empty shell without abilities.

But after taking control, Su Ze could clearly feel that its strength was immense!

It seemed much stronger than he had been back then.

Su Ze then tested its attributes like strength and speed in Liou Wenxin’s lab. He was astonished to find that the headless doppelgänger’s physical capabilities were entirely on par with a Butterfly Stage evolver!

And a strong one, at that.

In that case, even though the headless doppelgänger couldn’t use skills, it still possessed respectable combat power, relying purely on fists and kicks.

"It must be thanks to that piece of the Pope’s flesh," Su Ze guessed.

The young couple at the university who had been hosts for the parasite could also display Butterfly Stage combat power, even though they didn’t possess that level of strength before being parasitized by the Pope.

However, even if this body could exhibit the power of a weak Butterfly Stage evolver, it was still of little significance to Su Ze. He began to explore other potential uses for it.

Su Ze tossed the Hundred-Change Mask to the headless doppelgänger.

The headless doppelgänger put on the Hundred-Change Mask, and its form shimmered as a head grew into place.

It was a head identical to Su Ze’s. Now, with the real Su Ze and the doppelgänger standing together, it was impossible to tell them apart.

However, this wasn’t a real head. It didn’t have a brain’s function and was merely a simulation created by the Hundred-Change Mask.

Otherwise, the Pope’s consciousness might have truly revived within the headless doppelgänger’s body.

"It could be useful as a body double," Su Ze muttered to himself.

With another thought, the doppelgänger’s form shifted again, transforming into Mr. Ya one moment, then into Mr. Zhou the next...

’When facing danger, I could even have it transform into a powerful figure to bluff people. But that’s not foolproof. A truly top-tier expert might see through the Hundred-Change Mask’s disguise, and a low-level one wouldn’t be a threat to me anyway.’

Su Ze took back the Hundred-Change Mask and then stored the headless doppelgänger in his Storage Pendant.

He decided not to use the headless doppelgänger unless absolutely necessary. At the very least, he wasn’t counting on it to provide any combat support.

Su Ze asked Liou Wenxin for a few vials of Nutrient Liquid. The headless doppelgänger couldn’t eat and needed regular injections to be sustained.

Just as he was about to leave the lab, he suddenly received a message from Zhou Wenshan.

"After a meeting and discussion with Mr. Gu and the others, we’ve decided to let Yargha represent Dongli in the upcoming Divine Dice trial. The four slots are now confirmed: you, Li Yongguan, Yargha, and Zhang Tai.

"I don’t have Yargha’s contact information, so please inform him."

A look of delight spread across Su Ze’s face. Mr. Ya had gotten a slot for the Divine Dice! Compared to other, unfamiliar powerhouses from Dongli, he would much rather have Mr. Ya as a teammate.

Plus, the other two, Li Yongguan and Zhang Tai, were also acquaintances he had interacted with before. It was always easier to communicate with familiar faces.

Before Su Ze could relay the news to Mr. Ya, a message popped up in the four-person group chat he shared with Mrs. Yun, Liou Wenxin, and Mr. Ya. It was from Mrs. Yun:

"I’ve finished absorbing the extract. I’m preparing to make my breakthrough to the Saint-level today!"

After nearly five months, Mrs. Yun had finally, completely absorbed the extract from the Wind Tiger and was ready to take that crucial step.