Chapter 113-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
A priest in a white robe and hooded headdress hurried along, only to halt abruptly at a sudden howl from beyond the stained-glass window. He turned to peer outside, but a sharp pain struck the back of his neck, and consciousness slipped away.
The limp body was dragged into a nearby alcove. Moments later, a taller figure in white emerged.
The white hooded headdress and loose robe concealed long black hair well. Unless one looked closely at the face, every passerby in haste would see only a tall, slender priest brushing past.
Distant unnatural noises kept most of the base in a state of unease, with people constantly reassigned to various sectors—nearly everyone was occupied to the extreme.
Ye Zheng paused for a moment at a floor-to-ceiling window in the corridor. Outside lay the central courtyard garden, where flowers and grasses swayed quietly. But she knew that farther out, the base was under relentless assault.
Why had Zhou Yun sent her here? To expose her to the truth? Was she anticipating... what decision Saintess Ye Zheng might make upon learning everything?
Ye Zheng withdrew her gaze and pressed on.
Following her rough memory of the map, she turned into a narrow passage. At its end, a heavy iron door barred the way.
She produced a metal card scavenged from the corpse, marked with the identity "Incubation Chamber Supervisor." The card's lower edge was jagged and irregular. Ye Zheng scanned the doorframe carefully, her hand finding a subtle indentation.
Aligning the card with the slot and pressing it in, the door emitted a low rumble and swung open.
She slipped inside and shut it behind her. Her dark eyes widened upon taking in the room's contents.
A row of glass tanks lined the white walls, each about two meters tall and one meter wide. Three held black organisms suspended within.
The largest, in the central tank, nearly filled the entire vessel, its soft black mass pressing against the glass as if ready to burst. Tentacle-like appendages clung stickily to the inner walls.
Ye Zheng stepped closer. She hadn't been mistaken—in the middle of the black, clay-like body, indistinct human features seemed imprinted into the dough, shifting and distorting with the undulating form.
This was the Incubation Chamber.
Approaching the other two tanks, she saw one small black organism floating lifelessly in the center of the liquid, while the other resembled a tiny lizard, its body rising and falling rhythmically, as if asleep.
Ye Zheng stared at the tanks, backing away until she bumped into an experimental table.
One end of the table held syringes and vials of fluid; the other, slender chains, black cords, glass domes, and other restraining tools.
She rummaged through the room for a bit, occasionally glancing back at the tanks as if something inside was watching her in return.
She laid out all the experimental logs on the table. The handwriting was erratic, with multiple pens, and many terms she'd never heard. Finding a sheet of white paper and a black pen, she took notes while reading.
After about ten minutes, she compiled her understanding of the three organisms in the tanks.
D-3823, Dragon Bone dosage 20g, survived 27 days, not transferred to Holy Vessel, suspected cause of death: insufficient Dragon Bone to sustain full life.
Note: Is the power of the [Mother of All Things] weakening badly, or did Wen Jian skimp on it? Don't tell me it got jostled weak during transport.
D-3822, Dragon Bone dosage 50g, survived 30 days, current status stable, ready for transfer to Holy Vessel for next phase.
Note: Dragon Bone failure rate is climbing; must select sufficiently robust and healthy Holy Vessels.
X-305, made from S-rank Demonic Domain organism Corus, dosage one tentacle, survived 178 days, transferred to Holy Vessel for one month of gestation, failed, returned to Incubation Chamber, current status stable, rapid growth.
Note: After all that, only a single face grew out—it's creepy as hell. Tell security to destroy it pronto.
And are you all even working seriously lately? Don't get complacent just because D-3633 and X-366 succeeded. D-3633 has obvious flaws, X-366's abilities are questionable, performance mediocre—far from our expectations.
From the compiled data, Ye Zheng grasped the experimental process.
Far away in the Upper District, Wen Jian used the Pope's inherited ability [Mother of All Things] to imbue Dragon Bones and other materials with life. These bizarre entities were shipped to this Incubation Chamber for observation and cultivation, then implanted into carefully selected women's wombs to nurture them into true human births.
"D-3633, X-366."
These codes piqued Ye Zheng's interest. She suspected D stood for Dragon Bone base material, X for other organisms, and the numbers for sequential test subjects.
Nearly four thousand test subjects meant at least four thousand women selected as Holy Vessels, plus untold numbers turned into what they called Fallen Breeds...
Ye Zheng squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again, her dark gaze calm.
"One with obvious defects, one with dubious abilities and mediocre performance—Sykes and Percy?"
She slowly furrowed her brow. If Percy was X-366, it meant he wasn't forged from Dragon Bone but something else. So what exactly was Percy?
Suddenly, her grip on the documents loosened, papers fluttering down. A flicker of disbelief crossed her face.
The [Mother of All Things] ability could grant life. What if the God of Hope had left behind a fragment of himself back then? A bone, a lock of hair—anything could serve as experimental material!
"Ha... no wonder."
Ye Zheng let out a chuckle, propping her chin on one hand, her dark eyes gleaming with an odd light. "In a way, he really is the God of Hope's inheritor."
"And me, an ordinary human with no ties to the God of Hope—undoubtedly the vile usurper."
[Hey, you—]
The system, silent for so long, couldn't help but speak up at Ye Zheng's words. But seeing her expression, it knew she needed no comfort.
The youth's face bore a cold smile—she was mocking, furious, without a trace of fragility or remorse.
"Let's go. Next place."
Under the gaze of the black organism in the tank, Ye Zheng opened the heavy iron door.
She knew where Lucy would be. According to these people, every woman would, after their "guidance," "voluntarily" undergo Dragon Bone implantation, becoming either a Fallen Breed or a Holy Vessel.
That guidance spot was undoubtedly the Hall of Saints marked on the map.
"Bishop Kiran, why are we heading this way?"
Percy frowned at the map in his hand, puzzled.
To reach the "Hope Project" base Kiran had mentioned as quickly as possible, they'd risked the thick fog on a train, arriving in Lanxia County from Baiyun County unscathed in half a day.
The base was southwest of Lanxia County, but their current path looped around, entering from the back mountain. Why the detour?
The route was sparse on buildings, remote—save for them, not a soul in sight.
"Because Zhou Yun will definitely be guarding the main routes, hunting us. Circling around is safer."
Kiran led the way, the dense fog seemingly no hindrance; he navigated the path effortlessly.
Percy shook his head. "If she can manipulate space freely in the fog, we'll run into her ambush no matter which way we go."
A soft laugh echoed fleetingly in the mist. Kiran replied patiently, "Frankly, I'm impressed she's held out this long. Maintaining a three-week blockade puts her in the empire's top three powerhouses."
"Unfortunately, she's too obsessive—chose the wrong path."
Sykes's mocking voice came from behind. "So becoming one of your Holy Vessels is the right path?"
"She could choose not to—we never force anyone, Sykes. Your mother back then..."
"Shut up!"
Kiran blinked, making a sealing gesture over his mouth.
The group walked in silence through the white fog. Percy suddenly stopped. Kiran halted too, turning sharply toward him.
Percy's blue eyes were icy. He said expressionlessly, "Kiran, let me be clear upfront: we won't help you against Zhou Yun."
They'd agreed to travel with Kiran only because Lucy's hometown was near the base, and he wanted to go back and see.
"Even if I was born from the Hope Project, I absolutely reject your inhuman methods!"
"Zhou Yun's revenge—you deserve it... And I'll never forgive the pain and darkness you once inflicted on me."
In his memories, a nun whose face had blurred with time had pulled the four-year-old him from endless darkness, smuggling him onto a train to start a new life.
Was that nun still well? Had she been punished? And his birth mother? Percy didn't dare ask. Too many intangible sins weighed on him; the fog around him choked his breath.
His dangling hand twisted unconsciously, gleaming with cold, metallic sheen.
Sensing the killing intent, Kiran turned, his gaze calm and gentle on Percy's reddened eyes. Suddenly, he drew a small knife and plunged it into his own left eye!
A drop of blood splattered onto Percy's shocked face, his blue eyes reflecting Kiran's resolute, agonized expression.
Sykes frowned at the man who'd abruptly turned the blade on himself.
Kiran gasped in pain, slowly drawing the blade from his eye. Blood poured out, coating half his handsome face.
"W-When this is over... do with me as you will. I know everything I've done merits hell... Ha, but I have to do it."
Sykes's lips curled into a slow smile, his golden eyes glinting with icy sarcasm. "You think this makes us hesitate to kill you?"
"Conveniently, you reminded me—I already know the base's location. You're no longer needed."
He tossed his black glove aside casually. His right hand, laced with thick killing intent, tore through the fog, lunging at the hunched, suffering man—
"Zhou Yun has kidnapped fifty thousand people."
"Crown Prince, are you sure you want to kill me now?"
Kiran straightened gradually from his pain, one hand over his bleeding eye, the other intact eye showing no fear—curved gently toward the golden-haired prince.
Percy strode forward, incredulous. "What did you say?"
"Aren't you curious why even the bustling Baiyun County in the West District feels so empty?"
"Because Zhou Yun relocated fifty thousand people to Lanxia County, where the base is."
"She threatened us: unless the empire hands over Percy, Sykes, Ye Zheng, and the entire Hope Base, she'll slaughter those fifty thousand innocents right in front of the base—before our eyes!"
"Besides, she released over a hundred Fallen Breeds—the kind you saw outside the cathedral, where a dozen knights barely drove off one after dying."
Kiran's face grew somber. He turned to Percy, voice soft. "Now, can you still dismiss Zhou Yun's revenge, Percy?"
Percy clutched his dizzying head, pupils trembling in turmoil. Why had things spiraled like this?
He and Zhou Yun were both victims of the Hope Project. They could unite to dismantle this evil scheme—perhaps negotiation was still possible?
Sykes's lips pressed thin, golden eyes darkening on Kiran. More than the kidnapped fifty thousand, one detail gripped him.
"It wasn't Zhou Yun—you're the one who cut off communications between the West District and the empire."
At the prince's affirmative tone, the man clutching his eye chuckled noncommittally.
No disaster, however sudden, should leave no time for alerts to the higher-ups, especially with special channels between central and local authorities. Kiran was clever—how could the delay have gone unnoticed by the royals?
Only one possibility: someone deliberately concealed the West District's catastrophe. It couldn't be Zhou Yun, bargaining with fifty thousand lives—it had to be the mad bishop before him!
Sykes rotated his right wrist. He truly wanted to kill the man now.
"Once the empire learns, forces could be dispatched here. I couldn't risk you three. So many sacrificed in the experiments—if you died, their sacrifices would be meaningless."
"My decision was correct. Zhou Yun's ability can't sustain long-term; compared to the start, the fog has thinned considerably. Your timing to enter is perfect."
"Next, come with me to the base. I have clearance for maximum defense mode—deal with Zhou Yun first, then you can judge me."
Kiran lowered his hand from his eye. Half his face remained handsome, the other a bloodied demonic mask. He spread his arms, voice trembling with fervor.
"Children, this is the most prudent solution right now, isn't it?"
"Go save those innocent fifty thousand—the empire's finest young heroes of hope!"
Percy's head spun. Staring at Kiran, like a tempting devil in the white mist, he retreated two powerless steps.
In this moment, he inexplicably missed Zhao Mei.
He yearned for someone to gently stroke his bewildered head and say: You don't have to bear this alone.
A gentle mountain breeze stirred, thinning the fog slightly. Percy forced his eyes wide, clearing his mind a bit.
He couldn't remain a coward. He couldn't change his painful, dark origins, but there was still a chance to greet a brilliant future for the world—and himself.
"The God said, darkness and light coexist, hope and despair walk hand in hand. If we cannot endure darkness and despair, how shall we welcome true light and hope..."
A middle-aged man in a white robe, with an unremarkable face, opened a copy of Divine Revelation on the podium. Below, four rows of girls in loose white robes sat, nearly every desk bearing an open Divine Revelation, read with focus.
The man's gaze swept over them, nodding in satisfaction—until it landed on the fifth row, where a girl slumped over her desk, seemingly asleep.
"Fifth row—yes, you. Stand."
"I know knowledge can be dry, but it's also invaluable. Without coming here, you fortunate children might never glimpse Divine Revelation in your lifetimes."
At the priest's earnest guidance, a girl in the front row clutched her book's spine, her face resolute.
Divine Revelation was accessible only to clergy, chronicling the God of Hope's deeds and sayings in elegant prose beyond common grasp.
Of course, they could only half-understand it with the priest's aid—most were orphans, illiterate before arriving.
The brown-haired girl at the front gazed at the erudite priest with shining eyes. Without this place, she'd have remained an ignorant wretch forever!
Here, they learned to read, delved into vast knowledge and grand ideas. She realized how narrow her old orphanage scraps-fights had been. Now, she was ready to devote herself to the great cause—like the mighty God of Hope!
"Fifth row, you're new? This opportunity is precious. Tell me, what was I just lecturing on?"
The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses. This newcomer was striking, if unstudious.
Not long ago, a kind-hearted priest had privately tutored a special girl, only for the ungrateful one to kill him. Now, he dared no private lessons.
The fifth-row girl didn't rise to respond. The man's face grew awkward, a flash of anger in his eyes—until another attentive student bailed him out.
"You lectured on Volume One of Genesis, page 36, paragraph four: 'If we cannot endure darkness and despair, how shall we welcome true light and hope? I shall devote myself to darkness and despair, burning to ash until I bring rebirth to all'!"
The brown-haired girl recited loudly from the front, without glancing at the text—familiar with the line.
The man nodded curtly. "Well done, Annie."
Though Annie had helped, he wouldn't tolerate classroom defiance. He strode to the fifth row; the girl finally stood, as if relenting.
"You're wrong, Annie."
All eyes turned to the back row. The tall girl let her long black braid fall over her loose white robe, her face kindly.
"I couldn't have misrecited! Flip to the page—it's exactly that!"
Annie shot back indignantly, frowning with the man at the unfamiliar girl in the last row.
"Child, check the book—Annie got every word right."
The middle-aged man approached the back row, only then noticing the girl had no book. His expression shifted.
"'If we cannot endure darkness and despair, how shall we welcome true light and hope? I shall live eternally undefeated in darkness and despair; I shall burn the old days to embrace rebirth!'"
"That's the original text."
The girl leaned forward slightly, her round dark eyes like those of a curiously inquisitive creature, fixed on the man's incredulous face.
She asked, "For better brainwashing, did you deliberately print your edited version of Divine Revelation?"
"Y-You... who are you?"
The middle-aged man gaped, then bolted, even losing his glasses in flight. The girls stared in panic.
Ye Zheng drew a gun from her loose white robe and fired three shots at the fleeing back. The man crumpled messily before the podium, twitching briefly.
The classroom fell deathly silent. Some girls covered their mouths, staring in terror at the sole standing figure.
She appeared their age, yet carried an intensely dangerous, alluring aura.
Ye Zheng glanced around—no one screamed. Relieved, she offered a soothing smile.
The girls looked even more alarmed; the one in front of her seemed on the verge of shrieking.
Ye Zheng quickly holstered the gun, raising her hands. "Sorry to interrupt your lesson. Maybe self-study for a bit?"
Under the girls' stares, Ye Zheng headed for the door. As she stepped over the man's thoroughly dead body, a voice called out.
"That line you said—'I shall live eternally undefeated in darkness and despair; I burn the old days to embrace rebirth'—is that really the original?"
"'I shall devote myself to darkness and despair, burning to ash until I bring rebirth to all'—that's not what the God of Hope said? It's fabricated?"
The brown-haired girl stood, eyes timid and sorrowful, bereft of her earlier defiance.
At the door, the black-braided girl turned. Looking at them, a trace of helplessness and sadness crossed her dark eyes.
"I'm sorry—knowledge redeemed you, yet betrayed you too."
"But remember this: 'I shall live eternally undefeated in darkness and despair; I burn the old days to embrace rebirth.' This won't betray you."
The black-haired girl pushed through the door. An urgent question followed from behind.
"Who are you? What's your name!"
"Ye Zheng."
The door closed gently; the mysterious girl's figure vanished completely.
The girls in the classroom exchanged bewildered looks, murmuring the name in disbelief. No one minded the teacher sprawled before the podium anymore.
Ye Zhen? Ye Zhen? Or... Saintess Ye Zheng!
Ye Zheng exited the Hall of Saints. Lucy wasn't there, so only one place left—
The underground laboratory.
That's where they'd implant Dragon Bones into women. Those who retained sanity became Holy Vessels; failures turned into mindless Draconian Hybrids, or as they called them, Fallen Breeds.
Recalling that manga's spoiler scene, these madmen had surely used Lucy for a Dragon Bone experiment!
Comments
Post a Comment