Chapter 456: Speculation on Rune Energy
"Bite him." Xiao Ran tossed the unconscious Dolcia Military State soldier he had been carrying onto the ground and calmly said to the hesitant Haruto, "What you lack is an energy called Runes. On Earth, humans carry the most of this energy. Runes are the power source for the machine you pilot. To maintain sufficient power, you have to regularly absorb Runes from the Outside World."
"But first, I need to tell you this: if you refuse to absorb Runes from the Outside World, then every time you pilot the machine, it will draw upon your own Runes. And if someone has no Runes left, it means they are headed for death. So whether for yourself or for this country, you have to harden your heart and absorb other people's Runes."
Haruto stared blankly at Xiao Ran, then lowered his head to look at the Dolcia soldier lying on the ground. He unconsciously took a step back and asked hesitantly, "Does this mean that as long as I pilot Unit 1 in the future, I'll have to absorb other people's Runes like a vampire? Trade other people's lives for the power I gain?"
"More or less. You should understand equivalent exchange. You have already become something beyond human without paying any price. But if you want to keep piloting Unit 1 and obtain the power you desire, then you must pay something in return for that power."
Watching Haruto's flickering eyes, Xiao Ran continued, "But don't worry. Even if you absorb this prisoner once or twice, nothing will happen to him. We captured more than a dozen prisoners. Rotating among them will last us quite a while. Right now, we need to absorb Runes like vampires because we know too little about Rune Energy