Embers of Embers

Chapter 252 The Experiment Begins
"So go get some rest, Lorenzo."
Looking at the departing figure, Merlin shouted again.
"Originally, this is preparing for a new experiment, and the subjects of the experiment are ordinary people, so many indicators are based on the standards of ordinary people. With you participating this time, in order to maximize the effect of the experiment, we have to reset everything."
"how long it takes?"
Lorenzo stopped. He didn't want to stay underground for too long.
"It won't be over for at least a while, and we have to readjust the power supply."
While Merlin was talking, someone came over and led Lorenzo to rest.
"Follow him, and you can take advantage of this break to write your will."
"Are you serious?"
Merlin didn't know what was going on, but he clung to the will to no end.
"Of course, life is so fragile. Maybe the invincible Lorenzo Holmes will fall this time?"
Merlin said this, and then ignored Lorenzo. He sent him away from the corner of his eyes, and then instructed people to connect the new cables. Electricity surged through, and dazzling sparks and thunder flashed above the space.
He is the person in charge here. Although Merlin still has to take orders from Arthur to a certain extent, but now Arthur is busy dealing with Anthony. This experiment was approved by Merlin privately. Everyone has their own pursuits. Merlin's The pursuit is undoubtedly this truth, and he is very close to it at this moment.
Merlin didn't care about Arthur anymore, but then someone came over with news from Arthur.
"Arthur wants to speak to you."
"at this time?"
Merlin felt that this timing was a bit surprising.
After hesitating for a while, he nodded, went to the control room, and answered the phone.
"Merlin?"
Arthur's voice sounded on the other end of the phone. He seemed a little unsure of the person on the other side of the phone, but according to regulations, the only person qualified to answer the phone was Merlin. His suspicion was strange.
"It's me, what's wrong?"
The time of Arthur's call was a little too accurate. Merlin began to wonder if his private experiment had aroused his anger. However, Merlin didn't care about that. Lorenzo finally cooperated with this extremely risky experiment. He said nothing. Gotta start.
This is one of the most annoying things about alchemists. They have a pathological paranoia about knowledge. If you exclude this, these alchemists are usually very reliable.
"I have confirmed Anthony's intelligence... at least partially."
Arthur's voice was full of seriousness.
Through Shermans' confirmation, it can be confirmed that Lorenzo did deceive everyone about his identity, but Arthur is still not sure about the fake Holy Grail.
Most of the people who knew about the strange thing died on the night of Holy Advent. Shermans was not present, so he survived. But because of this, he could not be sure whether Anthony's words were true or false.
"What... do you want to do?" Merlin asked directly.
"I don't know either. As for Lorenzo, I didn't realize until now that we have no means to check him. If he wanted to, he would become as dangerous a guy as Lawrence."
Arthur's voice revealed worry. The demon hunter's individual combat ability was terrifying. Even if he sent out the Original Sin Armor to encircle and suppress him, he would not have a great chance of winning against Lorenzo. After all, the Original Sin Armor needed supplies, and this hunter The devil doesn't need it.
The Evangelical Church has created the most perfect weapons, and even today with the proliferation of modern weapons, it still has strong combat power.
"But he is not Lawrence." Merlin defended Lorenzo.
"Arthur, you are a little too worried. Have you forgotten the original principles of the Purge Agency? The past is destined to be abandoned. If our past will also become the standard by which we judge ourselves, then Purge Half of the people in the agency will be sent to prison."
"But Lorenzo..."
"I know what you are afraid of. This is also a plan that needs to be vigilant, right?"
Arthur's voice sounded slowly.
"Yes, Lorenzo is a trustworthy guy, but we have to make plans for all possible scenarios, just like those we planned before, if Yin Erweg falls, if the spread of demons cannot Control, if I still have you, all managers of the purification agency will be wiped out... We should make plans for all possible dangers... Lorenzo is no exception."
No one knows how many plans the purification agency has for potential dangers, but what is clear is that with the help of these plans, the purification agency has survived to this day without any danger.
What monsters need are shackles, even Arthur themselves.
"I understand. At least Lorenzo has not shown a hostile side yet. The plan against him has actually taken shape. I will report it to the scavengers after it is completed."
Merlin replied before hanging up the phone.
A comfortable life will always make people forget those difficult moments. In the early days of the establishment of the purification agency, it was a cruel time. The knights fought with the monsters with weapons. They not only had to be wary of the monsters, but also were always wary of the possibility of being killed. Eroding teammates, as well as yourself.
There is no absolutely safe mind, only absolutely safe response plans.
……
"How's your rest?"
A few hours later, when the debugging of the Black Angel experiment was completed, Lorenzo walked over from the other side.
"It's not good, it feels like I'm a mole, there's no light, there's digging everywhere, and electricity."
Lorenzo's day was indeed a bit too busy, and he wanted to take a rest, but the environment here was really not comfortable.
Although the environment in Old Dunling was not much better, the sky was gloomy and the air was filled with dirty particles, but when Lorenzo was lying alone in the room, he could hear the faint breathing next door, Mrs. Van Rude downstairs. Snoring, close to the window, you can see the busy traffic.
Lorenzo does not belong to such a world, but looking up to see such a peaceful world always makes people feel a little more comfortable. And here, Lorenzo feels that the soil above may be affected by it in the next second. An experiment exploded and collapsed, burying everyone here alive.
"Can anyone really live in this damn place?"
Lorenzo found it hard to accept that he couldn't see the sky here. If he didn't have a pocket watch, he wouldn't know what time it was at this moment. It might be late at night, or the sun might have risen the next day.
"Of course, not only can people live here, in many of our plans, if the surface of Old Dunling is destroyed, this is our last refuge. There are sufficient supplies here and a complete underground production chain, which is enough for us to stay here Live for years.”
"It seems that you have built this place into a fortress during the time you took over it."
After hearing what Merlin said, Lorenzo responded.
In fact, now it seems that this place is also an unbelievable miracle. Lorenzo can't figure out how they dug so deep. Even the stasis temple under the Cathedral of San Naro is based on the huge underground It was expanded from the cave.
"We have to thank the progress of industry here."
Merlin did not answer directly, but praised this cold machine.
"You need to stay awake for a long time and inject the rest."
As he spoke, he handed over several more Florund potions. Now the potion was taking effect in Lorenzo's body, and he was very energetic.
"Aren't you afraid of death from overdose?"
"Ordinary people may die, but you are a demon hunter after all. It is always right to increase the dose."
Merlin said.
"Actually, your arrival is an unexpected surprise. Although I really hope that you will participate in the experiment, you are also aware of the current situation in Old Dunling. Scientific researchers like us are grounded to a certain extent and can only stay here. , to avoid being killed or kidnapped by unknown forces."
Sometimes scientific researchers are more important than leaders. Fortunately, Merlin has been carrying out technological reforms for so many years. Once the alchemist dies, important technologies will be directly obsolete. This kind of thing will never happen again.
The voice of instructions echoed through the loudspeaker in the underground space. The machine slowly rotated and lifted the heavy steel. Then a lifting ladder was built. Countless lights fell down. Everyone was vigilant around them. Prepare for the upcoming experiment.
"Aren't there any security forces? If I lose control, you may not survive."
Lorenzo put on a layer of clothing covered with electrodes, and thin wires were intertwined and connected to the machine. It was said that this thing could roughly reflect Lorenzo's basic physiological condition.
"Think about it differently, if you lose control, is there anything that can stop you?"
Merlin said helplessly, just as Arthur was vigilant, the purification agency currently does not have the ability to check Lorenzo, or to control him at a small cost. As the first echelon of combat power against demons, it can The only thing that could rival it was the Original Sin Armor.
"So in order to ensure that we will not be killed by you, you must control yourself as much as possible."
Merlin warned again.
"I will...you don't know exactly what will happen, do you?"
Although he agreed easily, Lorenzo also felt the same psychological pressure.
Both he and the Black Angel have the flesh and blood of the Holy Grail, and no one knows what will happen next.
"It's an unknown, and what we have to do is explore it and turn the unknown into the known."
Merlin encouraged Lorenzo.
"This is considered an honor, Lorenzo. Just like how your Evangelical Church first created demon hunters, you don't know what will happen when humans master this forbidden power, right?
Trying will bring about change, but if you don’t try, you will always be like this stagnant water. "
Following Merlin's words, the machinery began to rotate and pull, and the black angel hanging in mid-air made a strange sound. As the electric current poured in, the muscle tissue instinctively tightened, and the iron feathers rubbed against each other, making an ear-piercing scream.
The experiment began, everyone stood ready, the indicator light turned red, and a tense atmosphere filled the underground space.
The dark evil egg began to deform, and the outer layer of steel was opened under the mechanical pull. The tightly wrapped wings unfolded little by little, revealing the inside of the core. At the same time, more liquid gushes out from the gaps. , like blood.
Lorenzo raised his head and stared at the evil thing that saved him, but then he saw the black angel's outer scales slowly rising and falling.
"It...it's breathing?"
Lorenzo couldn't believe it.
"Yes, from another perspective, the Original Sin Armor is just a demon fused with machinery. It also has the instinct of a creature, and this instinct has been greatly enhanced after the addition of the Holy Grail flesh and blood. In its final stage, In the first few experiments, the Black Angel even showed a certain degree of self-instinct."
Because he had seen it many times, Merlin's reaction was not as big as Lorenzo's.
The steam engine began to warm up, burning bright red under the steel, turbulent gas gushes from the exhaust hole, one after another indicator lights lit up on the surface of Black Angel's body, and the flesh and blood also lit up as the lights lit up. It started to squirm, but this time it was different from the one in the memory. As the wings unfolded, red shackles were revealed under the wings, as if they were several rivets, penetrating the armor.
"That is a restrainer, which can suppress the activity of the Black Angel to a certain extent. It is also connected to cables and pipes, and can inject current and suppression liquid into the Original Sin Armor. This is the safety device for our experiment."
Merlin explained to Lorenzo. While he was explaining, the several rivets embedded deeply in the flesh also started to rotate. The internal iron structure stretched out, and the cables were connected to the tail. At the same time, the low-temperature gas used for suppression was also ready.
Directly below the Black Angel, the ground began to collapse as the experiment began, and it was pitch black inside. As expected, Lorenzo might be thrown directly into here once he loses control.
"Are you ready? Lorenzo."
Merlin looked at Lorenzo, hoping to see some nervousness on Lorenzo's face, but instead the lunatic looked excited, not like a normal person at all.
It seems that for Lorenzo, the front is not a den of dragons and tigers, but a dream home.
"It's already ready."
Lorenzo replied that if nothing else happens, the Black Angel will help him reach the [Gap]. Although it is not clear what the principle is, but as Merlin said, this is a process of turning the unknown into the known. , he will be a heroic pioneer.
"By the way, about the will."
Lorenzo reached out and grabbed the cable, but just as he was about to rise, he suddenly stopped and turned his head and asked.
"Merlin, if you were to write a will, what would you write? It should be about the transfer of knowledge, right? So things like wills are things left behind by those of you who have unfinished wishes, right? You know someone will succeed you, and you are not alone.”
"What do you want to say?" Merlin asked.
Lorenzo seemed to want to say something, but in the end he swallowed it. He just gave Merlin a thumbs up, then tightened the cable, and with the rotation of the winch, it rose to a high place until the ferocious yet calm posture of the Black Angel appeared in front of him. Before his eyes.
As if to welcome Lorenzo, with Lorenzo's arrival, the pitch-black scales cracked open under the influence of flesh and blood, as if opening a big mouth and swallowing Lorenzo in one bite.
(End of this chapter)