End-of-Volume Note (Finally Finished) / Chapter 143: Angel of Eden ...

"Bang!"

With a pair of blood-soaked fingers, Siegfried flung away the stones pressing down on him, and struggled to sit up. His eyes, obscured by blood, narrowed slightly, and the azure sky reflected in his pupils made him let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally, it's over...

But when will the reinforcements arrive...?

"Is anyone there? Is there anyone kind enough to help? Where have they all gone?"

"Hey there's a wounded guy here, could you come and help him up, bro?"

In the empty, silent, abandoned city, Siegfried, embedded in a pile of rubble, stared with lifeless eyes and weakly cried for help.

Meanwhile, in the city hospital's underground area, a fleshy mass, enveloping a purplish-red crystal, wriggled forward through the sewers it had cleared.

The moist, salty sea breeze blew in from the exit, causing the meat chunks to wriggle faster.

Hawaii, sunshine, beaches... the jumbled, fragmented information left Meatball bewildered, as if he had experienced all of these things.

P. S.: Done, dungeon complete. Currently, I have 280 recommendations, 21 monthly tickets, and 9 blades. I haven't reached the standard for an extra chapter, so I'm skipping it (hehe, I'm perfectly justified).

Chapter 150 Closing Remarks (Finally, it's over)

It's finally over. Managing three projects simultaneously— Highschool of the Dead Honkai Impact 3rd, and Guilty Crown —was exhausting and killed a lot of brain cells.

Along the way, I went through many things, including changing jobs, finding a place to live, and losing readers, but in the end, I did not fail in my mission.

It probably didn't crash, but I wonder how satisfied everyone is.

The next volume will lean towards slice-of-life, requiring a buffer-style storyline, but it should be as interesting and thought-provoking as possible.

Thanks to everyone who's followed me this far; I guess you're all true fans.

Let me tell you what happened next.

Volume 3: The Poison of Machines (This leans towards reflections on Artificial Intelligence and human evolution.)

Biohazard Crisis 5

NieR: Automata

Terminator (By the way, Cameron's new movie is coming out soon, right?)

And a surprise guest, Hatsune Miku be making an appearance.

The rest is pending; you can add them yourselves, and I'll oversee the process.

If the plot allows, you can come over for a visit.

Chapter 143, Section 151: The Eden Angel

"Speak, what is it..."

Kevin was grumpy from just waking up, his eyes were sinister, and he was extremely displeased with the uninvited guest in front of him.

Just three minutes ago, he was a seriously injured patient being cared for by everyone. Alice was massaging his bones, Countess Lara was serving him a fruit platter, and Policewoman Jill was bringing him a bowl of oatmeal...

A harmonious family, it's like paradise...

But now, all the effort he put into feigning illness for half a month has gone to waste!

At that moment, the look in those people's eyes when they realized they'd been deceived made them want to skin him alive!

That bastard Siegfried! He's back, fine, but why drag him out of his hospital bed and then have to pretend to discuss "philosophy of life" with him...?

"How dare you say that! You bunch of ungrateful bastards! You all ran off like idiots, leaving me stranded in a refugee camp for half a month!"

"Do you have no conscience?! Do you have no law?! Do you have no moral bottom line?!"

"Do you know that in order to hold off the gravedigger, eighty percent of my bones were broken to varying degrees? If I weren't so tough, I would have died ten times over!"

The young patriarch of the Kaslana Family was overflowing with anger, and her almost tearful accusations actually made Kevin feel a tiny bit of guilt.

"Cough cough, an accident... an accident..."

"The new recruits under my command have performed poorly; I will definitely discipline them more strictly from now on!"

Kevin knew he was in the wrong, so he coughed and laughed awkwardly, hoping to get away with it.

However, seeing Siegfried's still bitter and resentful expression, the commander knew that he wouldn't act until he saw results, so he had no choice but to surrender.

"Alright, tell me your requirements quickly..."

Siegfried immediately beamed and grabbed Kevin by the neck, making the two appear extremely intimate.

"I knew it! We brothers are as close as father and son!"

Kevin suppressed the urge to draw his gun and shoot the bastard, responding with a forced chuckle.

"I heard you found some interesting little gadgets in Toko City..."

"It's just a broken rock, you're useless with it, you might as well..."

Siegfried's smile was even somewhat obsequious, and his finger-crossing gesture was extremely lewd.

Kevin smiled slightly, then turned away with a stern face.

"Hey you, ME Company agent, someone's trying to steal our business!"

The young master of the Kaslana immediately pulled Kevin back from his feet, then covered his mouth to stop his cries, his expression anxious.

"No, let's talk this out!"

"That thing is really dangerous. In your hands, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. I'm doing this for your own good!"

Kevin noticed that Siegfried seemed to be wrapped in layers of bandages, and the smell of disinfectant and blood hadn't dissipated yet, so he awkwardly shut his mouth.

After a brief exchange of glances, the two returned to their seats, their expressions becoming somewhat serious.

"First, Schicksal must acknowledge my existence, grant political asylum to my organization, and provide dedicated funding..."

"Anyway, it's not my money being spent, and it's all being used for practical purposes. I'll help you get a good deal..."

"Secondly, the freedom of Yuzuriha Inori and my group of Void Ability User..."

"No problem, but annual medical checkups are required. The specifics can be handled by our Kaslana Family."

"Thirdly, Soul Steel casting technology, Artificial Stigma cultivation and transplantation technology..."

"Wow, you really dare to ask for such an outrageous amount! You want money, fame, and people, you're even after the core technology..."

The two spoke back and forth with great tacit understanding, and with someone's deliberate cooperation, the negotiation proceeded very smoothly.

But this touched on a third core secret, which startled Siegfried, and he immediately shook his head.

"Research data on the Apocalypse Virus, and the specific parameters of the Tactical Mech..."

Kevin was extremely envious of the two powerful weapons, so he started to increase his bets.

"As one of the three great families of Schicksal, what is your foundation?"

Siegfried still shook his head. He wasn't stupid; this guy had his eye on two technologies, and if either of them were leaked, it would cause a major upheaval.

Moreover, research data on the Apocalypse Virus will eventually be available given enough time.

As for the so-called Tactical Mech, they are merely a branch product of ME Company's "Titan Mecha" and are not particularly advanced.

"Then tell me some news that interests you, like the Siberian snowfield, the Babylon Laboratory, the Second Honkai..."

Kevin smiled slightly and met Siegfried's gaze silently, whose pupils had constricted.

After a long while, the young patriarch of the Kaslana Family finally gave Kevin a deep look, his expression wary and cautious.

"It seems you know more than I thought..."

"It seems that being a BSAA agent isn't enough to justify such knowledge..."

Kevin tapped the table lightly with his right hand, his eyes seemingly recalling and tracing back.

"Because... I have seen an angel and received... revelation from him..."

"In my memory, it was a giant, over ten meters tall, with four pairs of wings of light on its back, wielding a blade of fire hotter than the surface of the sun, guarding the entrance to a garden at the confluence of the two rivers..."

"Moreover, he only said two words to me... 'Prepare...'"

"So, if the end of the world comes, I will be your friend, not your enemy..."

Eden, the Elysian Realm of life? Could it really exist?

Siegfried frowned slightly; the sincere tone and detailed description made him believe it most of the time.

After much hesitation, Siegfried finally made up his mind and gave a solemn reply.

"Giving you the technology of Stigmata and the method of forging Soul Steel directly is something your current level of technology simply cannot digest..."

"After some time, I will secretly hand over some of the derivative technologies to you..."

"BSAA is growing too fast; it's becoming too big for its own good..."

"If I hadn't taken on this hot potato of the [Origin Stone] this time, you would have been taken over by those people long ago..."

"Everything takes time, kid, take it slow..."

Faced with this somewhat earnest instruction, Kevin nodded seriously, secretly deciding to consolidate his sphere of influence and begin to digest his recent gains.

After reaching a tacit agreement, the commander watched from the backyard as Siegfried loaded the Origin Stone onto a vehicle and drove away alone.

Be careful on your journey, old friend...

As the outline of the truck gradually blurred and disappeared, Kevin waved with a sense of loss.

His disappointment didn't last long, as his phone rang with a number from an unfamiliar number.

"Captain, we've found the little girl from the Wolf Mom's family. She's in the Underground laboratory of a mansion in Paris, France, and is currently in good condition..."

"However, Chris, Barry, and I have caused quite a stir here..."

"Because they entered the country concealing their identity, the situation could be very serious if they get caught..."

"Could you get your genius hacker to change some of our identity documents right now? It's urgent!"

On the other end of the phone, Leon's magnetic voice sounded somewhat hurried.

"Where did it explode this time? No problem, as long as it's not the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, I can find a way to get you all out..."

Kevin, who had just gained the support of Schicksal, was in a great mood and naturally wouldn't take this trivial matter of fighting with the Umbrella Corporation to heart.

"Uh, we encountered a French Special Forces inside the castle; they seem to be there to reclaim Umbrella Corporation assets..."

"As it turns out, there was a mole inside, and a whole bunch of bio-monsters appeared along the way..."

As Leon rambled on, Kevin had a bad feeling, and his head started throbbing again.

"So what?"

Unable to stand his best friend's dawdling any longer, Chris snatched the phone, went online, and gave a domineering response.

"They're all dead, and the mole happens to be a high-ranking official, and we have no evidence to prove our innocence..."

"Therefore, after being surrounded and mistaken for terrorists, we had no choice but to ask you, Captain, for help..."

"If there's no other way, we'll fight our way out..."

At that moment, a warning sounded from a loudspeaker on the other end of the phone.

"Listen up, you thugs inside! You are surrounded! Drop your hostages and surrender!"

Leon, Chris... you son of a bitch!

Kevin closed his eyes in Affliction and fiercely raised his middle finger.

P. S.: Thanks to @{"reader_id":"1767192","reader_name":"Galaxy Emperor Belial"} for the donation.

I'll update one chapter now. I'm moving house today, so the second update will probably be tonight.

In addition, there are quite a few foreshadowing elements and references in this chapter, including old references to SCP and Biohazard Crisis. You can guess for yourself.

Chapter 144, Section 152: Killing Through Half a Street