Embers of Embers

Chapter 335 Music starts
"It was here many years ago that we launched the Ranger Project. After its failure, the Florund potion was created. The neural connections in the armor technology were also made here..."
Abigail spoke softly, looking through the gray-yellow glass at the experimental platform that looked like a colosseum.
A mechanical chair like an electric chair was erected on a high steel platform. With it as the center, machinery and pipes extended outward like vines, with cables entangled in between, and a faint steam overflowing from the gaps.
The logo of Black Mountain Hospital is engraved on the iron wall above the chair. The lancet penetrating the brain seems to break through the constraints of the plane and pierce the person on the chair together with it.
They usually call this place a birdcage. The subject of the experiment sits on a chair and is watched by people behind the guardrail.
"It's still the same here. Haven't you used it in all these years?"
Merlin came from behind and looked at this place with some nostalgia.
"After the teacher died... to be precise, this place has never been used again after that incident. Anyway, we have no chance to use it." Abigail said.
"Ah... I really miss it. At that time, the Everlasting Pump and the Black Mountain Hospital worked closely together, instead of operating independently like they do now." Merlin gently brushed the surface of the steel. Although people would come here from time to time for maintenance, but in the Under the erosion of time, the edges of the metal are still covered with rust.
"But the failure of the Ranger Project proved the difference between us. Black Mountain Hospital tried to tap the extreme of the human spirit, but what you, the Perpetual Pump, have to do are just machines. The bigger and bigger the machines, the more powerful they are. of explosives.”
"But it's impossible..." Merlin sighed.
"That incident changed a lot of people, and it was at that time that Arthur made a decision," Merlin said, recalling the past. "Although Arthur had lost many children at that time, he was still a passionate person. This guy looked like he couldn’t be defeated, until the monster found him.”
"Lorenzo often told me this. The more we come into contact with monsters, the more we are tainted with darkness. The clearer we are in the eyes of those monsters, so those weird things can find us. This explains why the monsters would Find Arthur's reason," Merlin said.
"I only know a rough idea of ​​what happened at that time. After all, I was not the dean at that time, just a student." Abigail asked.
Merlin hesitated for a moment. He was about to say something, but he stopped it. The entire experimental site was quiet, with only the sound of the restless fan sucking out the stale air.
"What else could happen? It's just a cliche story."
Merlin finally spoke slowly.
"The Ranger Project was originally an attempt to recreate the secret blood of the Demon Hunting Order, but we took a completely different path, focusing on strengthening the spirit... Actually looking at it now, I somewhat understand why Queen Victoria did it at that time She agreed with this somewhat risky plan. She probably wanted to use the products of the Ranger Project to solve the King's Curse at that time.
After obtaining the armor technology, Arthur became the last ranger. At that time, Arthur was discovered by the demon because of the battle with the demon. Groups of demons attacked the Phoenix Manor, and his pregnant wife at the time He was also injured by demons. "
"Did this incident change Arthur?" Abigail asked.
"Almost, it was only after this incident that we discovered another nature of the demon, but because there were too few cases, it was not until we met Lorenzo, and with his confirmation, that this connection with darkness was established... Just like The same pursuit of light as a moth.”
Merlin continued to recall things from a long time ago, he continued.
"Arthur believed that it was himself that caused the injuries to his family. He thought of the children who died before him. He believed that all the faults came from himself and the demon. It was also after that that he became a He has become what he is now, with a deep hatred for monsters and an almost pathological protectiveness towards his last child, Eve Fenisque."
"So what's going on with Eve Phoenix? In the past few days of testing, there's something about her that's different from ordinary people."
Abigail looked suspicious. At this moment, she was no longer wearing the heavy protective clothing, and she looked at Merlin's empty, dark eyes without concealment.
Although this was just an ordinary demonic attack, Abigail detected many strange things in Eve.
"According to her indicators...Eve is also a product of the Ranger Project? But wasn't the last ranger Arthur?" None of this matched up in terms of time, which made Abigail suspicious.
"Ah...this is what I want to say to you next, don't worry." Merlin said slowly.
"At that time, the Phoenix Manor was attacked. Arthur's wife was not only injured by the demon, but also corrupted at the same time. She was pregnant with Eve at the time. Although her injuries were serious, with our existing technology, it was completely It can be cured, and it can also be determined after mental testing that she is in the first stage of erosion and can be cured completely, but the question is...where is Eve?"
Merlin slowly turned his head, looking at that empty gaze, Abigail couldn't help but feel an unbearable coldness, as if there was some kind of weird and evil soul beneath this ageless body.
"It's not just her who has been eroded, but also the child in her belly. You can test and treat her, but not Eve, who is still a baby." Abigail said.
"Yes, that was the situation at that time, a very difficult situation. We have never encountered such a case, but according to calculations, the child in the arms did not have a mature mind at the time, and it was very likely to be corroded and transformed into a demon. Merlin continued, "It seemed that we had only one choice at that time, which was to kill the child in our arms."
"But Eve survived."
"Yes, Arthur tried his best to reject all this. After experiencing all this, his mental state at that time was already a little weird. Under this stalemate, the then Director of the Perpetual Pump, who was also my predecessor, he did He made a decision to experiment on Arthur's wife and use the last legacy of the Ranger program before it was sealed."
Merlin said, with a slight fluctuation in his calm voice, whether it was fear or shock.
"Arthur has no right to choose, he can only accept it, otherwise Eve will be forcibly killed, or even worse, turned into one of our specimens. After all, Arthur at that time did not have as much power as he does now.
We performed injections of Ranger potions on Mrs. Phoenix, as well as some surgeries, and she would act as a mother to pass these potions to the fetus in her belly. "
"This is impossible..." Abigail couldn't believe it.
"Of course it's impossible. One of the reasons why the Ranger Project was sealed was the destruction it caused to its users. Even if Arthur is not careful, he will die, let alone a woman who has not experienced this."
Merlin's voice gradually lowered, and suddenly the deep voice roared.
"But human beings always create some miracles, don't they? In fact, it is precisely because we can create 'miracles' that are beyond imagination that we are called humans.
She was put in a special ward, and her room was filled with Geiger counters. As long as there was any abnormality, the child in her belly would die. But a few months later, she successfully gave birth to Eve, an extremely healthy child. children.
The medicine was injected into the mother's body congenitally, and she was born smoothly the day after tomorrow... This is such a taboo. Even if we conduct experiments, under the so-called ethics and morals, it is difficult for us to do such a thing, but It was successful at the time, but with the birth of Eve, she seemed to have drained away her mother's life force, and she died a few years later... This is normal, not everyone can bear the Ranger potion, she can It was a miracle to bring Eve to life. "
"Is Eve stable after that? If this injection can create stable rangers..." Abigail looked a little excited, this kind of taboo experiment can completely open a new door.
"Abigail!"
Merlin snapped, breaking her out of her wild reverie.
"This goes against the bottom line of ethics and morality, and the scavengers will not allow this," Merlin said. "And to this day, I still feel that Eve's survival is a special case, a special case that is difficult to replicate... This is a miracle."
"Is that so... But you can tell me this. This story is also related to what we are going to do next, right?"
This was a story that was sealed in the files. If it wasn't necessary, Merlin wouldn't have to tell her so much.
Merlin nodded and continued.
"Actually, there were many doubts about the incident at that time, such as why someone would allow this experiment. But now I know clearly that it was Queen Victoria who acquiesced to the experiment... This is also the reason why I was late for so long. I received a message directly from Queen Victoria’s orders.”
"What does she want to do?"
"Copy everything we did back then, but this time the secret blood will be injected, and we will use this innate experimental method to get rid of the shackles of the King's Curse. But don't worry, after the initial success of our experiment this time, we will directly experiment on the members of the royal family. , it will not involve ordinary people." Merlin said frightening words.
"Does that mean she was planning all of this many years ago?" Abigail asked.
"Almost..." Merlin said and sighed, "She has been bound by the King's Curse for too long, so long that she doesn't even expect to be able to get rid of it. She wants to cut off the King's Curse in this generation, which also contributes to the current situation. s reason."
"This is the second cooperation between our Forever Pump and Black Mountain Hospital since then. I wish us a happy cooperation."
Merlin said after a brief silence, and at the same time, the sound of a pulley sliding sounded, echoing in the silent birdcage.
……
Lorenzo raised his head, the lights above his head flashed one by one, and the annoying sound of the fan could be heard in his ears.
"Actually, I can walk by myself." He raised his head and tried to look at the guy pushing the wheelchair.
"It's all here, just settle down, Lorenzo." Arthur said, looking ahead.
The corridor seemed extremely long, and there were only two people left in the long space.
"The New Order is not to be trusted, Arthur." Lorenzo broke the long silence.
"I know."
"I didn't lose control."
"I know."
"..."
"You...Arthur, what on earth is going on with you."
This mechanical answer made Lorenzo feel uneasy, and he asked again, but at this moment Arthur suddenly stopped. He stopped in place, but still looked ahead.
"Do you think I'm conflicted? I know it's a trick, I know they're enemies...but in the end I still made this decision, right?" Arthur said.
"Don't you...have you believed the information of the New Order until now?"
Arthur nodded stiffly, not sure if it was because of fatigue or something else, but his eyes were a little dull.
"Lorenzo, sometimes I feel that human beings in this world are like a lonely person walking in the dark night... We always have to believe in something to live, and sometimes it doesn't matter whether the thing we believe in is correct or not. .
In fact, you are like this too, aren't you? "
"What are you talking about?"
Lorenzo felt that Arthur's state was a bit strange, and Arthur smiled and replied.
"It's just that I looked back at the old records and thought about those sad things again... Actually, when I think about it now, all we are doing now is just repeating those things.
Just like when I first came into contact with these, this is a heavy problem. With the spread of demons, human sanity is at stake. The only way to solve this problem is to kill all the demons.
Lorenzo, do you believe this?Can all this be ended by killing all the monsters? "
Lorenzo was silent. As he explored the past, he also realized that the demon was far from being as simple as it seemed. Arthur did not give Lorenzo a chance to answer. He continued.
"There is no other way, we can only believe, so that we can release the hatred and anger brought by the demon, just like the only light in the dark night, we can only move towards that light, we can only believe, even if this There are deeper mysteries and loopholes behind everything... but we can only believe."
Arthur pushed the wheelchair again, and said to Lorenzo as he moved forward.
"I made this decision many years ago. My wife and daughter were going to die, but the only way to save them was taboo and absurd... But I could only believe that this was the only way. In fact, I was also escaping at the time. Well, I never thought about what would happen if I failed. I was going crazy at the time, and I just wanted to have something to deceive myself so that I could keep going. Fortunately, I succeeded in the end."
"Just like the New Order, I know that they have evil intentions, but now that our knowledge has reached the border, I can only believe it. Don't blame me, Lorenzo. I believe that if you were me, you would do the same. decision, just like the rage that has been driving you.
You believe that eradicating the demon will bring you revenge, you believe that eradicating the demon will end all this, you believe that eradicating the demon will end your pain...
In fact, these have always been your own imagination. No one told you that eradicating the demons will end everything. This is just a reason for you to deceive yourself so that you can continue to have the motivation to go on. "
Arthur's voice echoed in the empty corridor, and a faint light lit up at the end.
"The world sucks," Lorenzo said.
"Yeah...but..."
Arthur did not continue to say anything, but Lorenzo felt a cold feeling, and the touch fell along his wrist. He tried to move his bound arm, and felt a slight sting when he moved.
"Arthur..."
"Shh..."
Arthur covered Lorenzo's mouth and whispered in his ear.
"She is going to restart the Ranger Plan... No one is absolutely trustworthy, not even her. Eve survived because of her order many years ago, but now, in order to be freed from the king's curse, I can't guarantee that she will What to do to Eve.
It felt really bad then and I couldn't do anything, but it's different now.
So let me take advantage of it again, Lorenzo. If the next enemy is the New Order, then destroy the New Order. If it is Lawrence's remnants, kill them quickly. The one who comes is the Queen's order, then take Eve with you. leave. "
Lorenzo remained silent, twisting his wrist slightly to adjust the lancet inserted into Arthur's sleeve to an appropriate position.
When the corridor came to the end, Arthur pushed Lorenzo into the birdcage and left without looking back, but at this time there was a slight sound, which seemed to be laughter.
"You don't really think I lost, Arthur."
Lorenzo looked at Arthur with a strange smile.
……
Today's rain seems to be particularly heavy. Thick dark clouds cover the sky and the sun. Because it is too dark, the street lights on the streets are temporarily turned on during the day. The wind and rain carry leaves and debris, beating everyone who is covered.
The parked carriage was also shaken by the wind. The girl in the carriage looked out the window and then at the old guy sitting opposite her.
"So Lorenzo said to let us wait here?" Seliu asked. She suddenly received a letter from Lorenzo a few days ago, but when she went to find Lorenzo, he mysteriously disappeared along with his roommate. .
"That's what the letter to me said anyway."
Oscar looked at the damn weather outside the window, and his tone became a little uncertain. He couldn't figure out what Lorenzo was going to do.
Suddenly the door was opened, and a wet black figure walked in, cursing as he boarded the carriage.
"Wow, why is it raining so hard! Baby, are you okay?"
He muttered, but soon two pistols were placed on his head, and the atmosphere in this small compartment was a bit awkward.
"Depending on your strength, I suggest you use this lady's pistol."
Oscar said and handed Seleu a smaller pistol, and then put two pistols, one large and one small, on the man's head. He looked embarrassed, but then said.
"That... Seleucid Stuart? Oscar Wilde?"
He seemed to be recognizing the person, and Oscar also felt that the drowned guy looked familiar.
"Ah, you are the group of relatives and friends mentioned in Lorenzo's letter, right?"
"What group of relatives and friends?"
Seliu felt that the man in front of him was a little strange, but soon he became serious.
"Introducing Hercule Christie, this is Poirot."
As Hercule spoke, a big rat jumped out from the corner, one person and one rat. This combination seemed a bit too weird to Seleu.
"Oh, that guy Lorenzo is really troublesome. He has left so many things to us. Although this is the optimal solution, after all, he has involved everyone's attention, so that we can secretly plan these..."
Hercule vigorously combed his mustache that was hanging down due to the rain, and then said with a smile.
"So let's start Lorenzo Holmes's play now. The protagonist has stepped onto the stage and the curtain opens! The music starts! ...Wait, supporting actors! You should be ready, right?"
(End of this chapter)