Great Emperor's Relic

"No, please, don't!"

"My daughter is only five years old. She can't lose her father."

"Let go! Let—let go of me!"

"Get that thing away, no!!"

Ignoring the man's desperate pleas, two Kalleva gangsters inside the transparent isolation room held his arms firmly, pinning him down as the test subject.

No matter how much the man struggled, he could only watch helplessly as a third gangster, holding a syringe, pushed the door open and walked toward him.

A moment later.

Squish!

The needle pierced his skin, and the ominous dark red liquid inside was slowly injected into the man's body.

[Corrupted Reagent]

This was the greatest research achievement of Kalleva.

Corruption exists in three forms: gas, liquid, and the theoretically existing solid crystal found only in legends.

Under normal circumstances, Corruption appears as a "gas," covering a wide area but with poor absorption. However, Kalleva now relies on studying the [Great Emperor's Relic] to master the technology of refining and concentrating "gaseous" Corruption into a "liquid" state. This is the [Corrupted Reagent].

It can infect the user with a massive amount of Corruption in a very short time, causing extreme stimulation. If the subject is an ordinary person, it will forcibly trigger their mutation into a [Corrupted].

Just as is happening in the room right now.

The gangsters, having finished their task, immediately released their grip on the man and quickly retreated, leaving behind only the man who had begun to curl up on the floor.

"Ugh, ahhh."

"So hot. So hot. Give me water."

In the first few seconds, the man's entire body began to convulse. The Corrupted Reagent injected into him flowed through his blood to his entire body, and blood-red veins soon faintly emerged on his skin.

He quickly scrambled up from the floor, began tearing at his own clothes, and then clutched his head, swaying back and forth like a madman.

"Stop it! No. Don't scream in my ears anymore."

"My brain is going to explode. Get out."

"Shut up. I told you to shut up!!"

The man used his fingers to claw at his eyes and ears. This was because Corruption induces intense hallucinations and maddening whispers. When the human mind cannot bear these, it attempts to negate the chaos by destroying its own senses.

Unfortunately, Corruption directly affects the mental plane, so no matter how much the man in the room clawed at his eyes and ears until they bled, it provided no relief.

Outside the transparent room, many gangsters resembling researchers stood by, holding various instruments and equipment as if they were recording data on the entire process.

Among them, clearly the leader, was a thin man wearing a gray lab coat with messy, long hair.

Dr. Loka adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

He narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the man in the transparent room who was currently struggling to merge with the Corruption.

The preceding processes were all much the same; the key was what happened next.

Could he recreate the miracle from this afternoon?

Dr. Loka was filled with anticipation.

"No, I don't want to become a monster."

"Anna is still waiting for me. Still waiting for her father to come home. I... I..."

"I can't lose. I can't!!"

"I have to... go home. Go home to Anna. Anna..."

The miracle appeared!

As the man roared, the blood-red veins flashing with eerie light on his skin actually stopped spreading and seemed to faintly recede.

Correspondingly, the man's mental state improved significantly. He stopped self-mutilating and instead gritted his teeth, as if he were putting all his strength into a final struggle against something.

Outside the transparent room, many researchers let out sounds of surprise, and some even cheered directly to the man in the gray coat:

"Doctor! It seems we succeeded! Your newly improved [D-01] Corrupted Reagent really has increased the concentration while greatly enhancing stability—"

Before this Kalleva researcher could finish his excited sentence, he was interrupted by a miserable scream coming from inside the transparent room.

"No, ahhhhhh!"

Everyone's gaze was drawn back. The blood-red veins that had shown signs of receding on the man's body were now surging back with lightning speed, crawling over his entire frame.

Immediately after, the man's body began to swell and twist rapidly. In just a few seconds, he had completely lost his human form, turning into an ugly, tumor-like monster.

This is the fate of all failed Corrupted.

Reduced to

a [Corrupted Corpse].

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A few quick gunshots finished off the newly mutated Corrupted Corpse, blowing its head apart. It was clear this had been prepared in advance; the entire procedure was practiced with chilling proficiency.

"Sigh," Dr. Loka let out a long sigh.

His brows were tightly furrowed, the previous joy having vanished. With a look of distress and frustration, he slammed his fist hard against the desk in front of him.

"Damn it! Is a 36% concentration still nowhere near enough? Looking at the current situation, to reach a success rate of over fifty percent, we need a Corrupted Reagent with a concentration of at least 45%, but..."

"How is it even possible to purify such a high concentration, you bastards!"

Dr. Loka kept tugging at his already messy long hair. Looking down from his position, one could see many other transparent rooms just like the one he was in.

This was the most authentic scene inside the "factory," the core and most confidential facility located in the deep rear of Kalleva.

Aside from these experimental rooms, in the very center of the factory stood an incredibly eye-catching boiler-like machine. The Corrupted liquid used for injections was produced here in a continuous stream.

Embedded in a groove at the very heart of the boiler was a mysterious, quadrilateral object that looked like a star, yet was shrouded in thick, reddish-brown mist.

It floated in the center of the boiler, isolated by several layers of specialized "protective shields," rotating at a constant speed within the enclosure.

With every rotation, the red Corrupted mist it emitted grew a bit denser. The machinery within the boiler then extracted this mist, using the Corrupted-saturated vapor as raw material to continue processing and purification, eventually yielding the reagent.

Thus, it was not hard to see.

The quadrilateral "Scarlet Star" at the center of the boiler was the foundation of everything; it was the most critical component that allowed the entire secret factory of Kalleva to operate!

"To increase stability, I have to lower the concentration. But if the concentration isn't high enough, the stimulation isn't sufficient. Isn't this a dead loop! Damn it! Damn it!"

"How on earth did the Ash Empire five hundred years ago manage to stably produce Corrupted ones! How did that 'Great Emperor' refine the Corrupt Calamity! Why can't we do it now? Damn it! Damn it all!!"

The gaunt, long-haired man scribbled frantically on his desk, but like a scientist who had hit a dead end in his research, he couldn't derive the desired formula no matter how he calculated, and he began to grow increasingly irritable.

"D-Doctor..." some of the researchers behind him whispered, trying to pull the doctor, who was immersed in his research, back to reality.

For they could see that behind the doctor, a new group of figures had slowly appeared in the factory. The most striking among them was a burly man with a slicked-back hairstyle walking at the very front.

The man wore an eyepatch over his right eye and was dressed in a Kalleva uniform. His broad shoulders and arms stretched the fabric to the point of bulging, giving him the appearance of a hulking, humanoid monster, and he exuded a dangerous and savage aura.

This was the man who could cover the sky with one hand in the Black Cave Settlement: the master of Kalleva, the leader of the largest gang, Falmu.

"However, it's not like there were no gains at all. From the recent experiment, it's clear that if the subject possesses a deep obsession for survival, it does indeed increase the probability of evolution. If only we could have more experimental subjects like the last one..."

"Doctor! Doctor!"

The researchers behind him were getting anxious seeing Dr. Loka still talking to himself; he was treating the leader who had visited late at night like an invisible person.

However, Falmu raised a hand, signaling the others not to speak, then tilted his head slightly to address his Kalleva subordinates:

"Did you all hear the experimental requirements the doctor just proposed!?"

"Go tell those Scavengers, stop sending us nothing but drifters and Scavengers. Find more people with families and drag them here; only then can we produce better research data, understand?"

"Yes, yes! Lord Leader! I will arrange it right away!"

The subordinate gangster stood straight and responded loudly, and the commotion finally pulled the gray-coated doctor, who had been immersed in his research, back to reality.

Loka: "Lord Falmu? It's so late, what brings you..."

"I heard from my men today that you successfully raised the concentration of the Corrupted Reagent by another five percent. Such heartening good news—I was too busy during the day, so of course, I had to come and see for myself as soon as I had some free time tonight."

As he spoke, Falmu patted the shoulder of the man in the gray coat with his thick hand. "Dr. Loka, you've really worked hard. Kalleva's status today is inseparable from your efforts and excellent research results."

"Thank you for your recognition, Leader, though 'excellent results' is a stretch." Loka shook his head self-deprecatingly.

"Compared to the Ash Empire era five hundred years ago, my current research results are nothing at all. People in that Wasteland era, despite the scarcity of resources, could use technology far inferior to ours to produce reagents with concentrations as high as 70%, and there was even the legendary 'crystallized' solid Corrupt Calamity that I don't even dare to dream of now. That must have been such a beautiful, dreamlike product! Unfortunately, in my lifetime, I'm afraid..."

A look of intense longing and regret appeared on the long-haired doctor's face. For someone like him, who was so obsessed with scientific research that he had become somewhat crazed and paranoid, wealth, power, or women were far less attractive than the study of Corrupt Calamity.

And it was precisely because Falmu saw this in Loka that he was so trusting and friendly toward him, even comforting him with a light laugh:

"No need to be so self-deprecating, Doctor. In the Wasteland five hundred years ago, the concentration of Corrupt Calamity in the air was dozens of times higher than it is now. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that people in that era grew up breathing Corrupt Calamity. But now, the end of the Wasteland era has made Corrupt Calamity increasingly thin, almost to the point of disappearing entirely. Your achievement in researching 'Liquefied Corrupt Calamity' is an incredible technical feat, even by global standards!"

Faced with Falmu's praise, the doctor did not remain humble but turned his gaze toward the "Scarlet Star" quietly floating and rotating in the center of the factory, the eye-catching core of the boiler.

"It's a pity for this 'Great Emperor's Relic'. I can feel that its actual function is far more than just being used as a [Corrupt Calamity Radiation Source] like we are doing now. If only we could find a way to truly activate it."

"I have a premonition that it would be another technological breakthrough comparable to the current [Corrupted Reagent]—no, even more advanced than 'liquefaction'—in terms of how we can better utilize Corrupt Calamity!"

Loka's sigh made the Kalleva leader beside him feel a surge of heat in his heart, his whole body trembling with excitement. He fixed his greedy, longing eyes on the "Scarlet Star," following the doctor's gaze.

"It doesn't matter. If one decade isn't enough, then we'll study for the next decade! And the one after that!"

"I believe that with your wisdom, Doctor, one day you will be able to turn this 'Great Emperor's Relic' into a treasure that truly belongs to [Kalleva], and make this 'relic' serve us!"

Listening to Falmu's impassioned speech, Loka pretended to nod in agreement, but in his heart, he sneered with disdain.

Because what he hadn't told Falmu was that as they continuously stole Corrupt Calamity power from this "Great Emperor's Relic," the strength of the "relic" had already dropped far below its state when it was first unearthed.

Although it didn't seem any different from the outside, in reality...

Loka had estimated that, let alone another decade, it would be lucky to last another three or four years.

By the time the Corrupt Calamity within the "Scarlet Star" was completely exhausted, this "Great Emperor's Relic" passed down from five hundred years ago would become completely inert, turning into worthless trash. This was why he had been so regretful earlier.

It was as if a top-tier sports car had been placed before them, but they didn't know how to start the engine. The only thing they could do was pry open the fuel tank and steal the fuel from inside. The key was that they didn't know how to put it back; they could only wait for the car's fuel to be drained until it was completely scrapped and reduced to a useless hunk of iron.

And when that time finally came...

Dr. Loka shook his head inwardly.

The Kalleva gang would no longer have any value for him to remain. The only reason he was working for Kalleva now was entirely for the sake of the "Great Emperor's Relic."

As for his future plans, Loka was not without them.

Because he had long since inquired through his connections with Kalleva, he knew that over at the "Church" in the Black Cave, that priest had secretly hidden a "Great Emperor's Relic" deep within the church's underground.

Moreover, rumor had it that the "Great Emperor's Relic" in the priest's hands was even more precious, rarer, and more powerful than the "Scarlet Star" they currently possessed.

Thinking of this, Loka quietly licked his dry lips.

"Alright, let's end today's experiment here. It's getting late, let the leader go back and rest early! Shut down the boiler!"

Falmu's personal presence meant Loka could no longer focus on his experiments, so he figured he might as well clock out early, issuing his instructions to the gang members in the factory, especially regarding the shutdown of the boiler.

Consuming even a little less of the Corrupt Calamity energy within the "Scarlet Star" would allow him to continue his research at Kalleva for a few more years.

At this, Falmu frowned slightly, clearly showing a hint of displeasure, but out of consideration for their relationship, he didn't say much and simply nodded, preparing to leave.

However, right at that moment.

"Dr. Bo! Something seems wrong!" the researcher operating the boiler cried out in a panic.

For a task like shutting down the boiler, the Kalleva members on-site could have done it with their eyes closed, but this time, when they went to operate it as usual, they found the equipment seemed to have "malfunctioned."

They had clearly pulled the lever to shut down the boiler, and the "Scarlet Star" should have descended and stopped rotating to release the red Corrupt Calamity mist, but what stood before them now was something that not only remained floating in the air, but even...

As if it had been provoked, the "Scarlet Star," blocked by layers of [Isolation Shield], began to vibrate violently in the eyes of the hundreds of Kalleva members in the factory.

Such an anomaly not only made Falmu, who was just about to leave, stop in his tracks, but even Dr. Loka stood dumbfounded, his face filled with disbelief.

He had studied the "Scarlet Star" for nearly decades, yet he had never seen this "relic" act so active?

If the Kalleva gangsters in the factory were only surprised and curious at this moment.

Then in the next instant.

The expression of everyone in the factory, including Dr. Loka and the leader Falmu, instantly turned into one of terror and panic.

Because...

Crack. Crack!

It was a tiny fissure that sprouted from the [Isolation Shield]. It was like the beginning of a catastrophe, quickly evolving into a dense web of cracks. The red Corrupt Calamity mist surrounding the Scarlet Star, like a beast finally about to break free from its cage, bared its fangs at everyone in the factory.

One had to know that the "Scarlet Star" was originally classified as a B-level pollution source. Even though they had siphoned off much of its Corrupt Calamity power, making it far weaker than it once was, without the protection of the [Isolation Shield], the released Corrupt Calamity pollution...

Was absolutely not something they could withstand!

It would even cause most of the people in the factory with weak resistance to be severely infected in an instant, turning into Corrupted Corpse monsters in the blink of an eye, just like those failed test subjects!

How could this... how could this happen!

Dr. Loka even forgot to run. His eyes were fixed on the high-frequency vibrating Scarlet Star. Loka knew clearly that it wasn't the [Isolation Shield] that had failed, but that this "Great Emperor's Relic" seemed to have become abnormally intense in an instant, even stronger than its peak Corrupt Calamity levels when it was first unearthed!

It was as if... as if it were "excited"!

What on earth...

Happened!!

(ps: Sorry, I woke up at five this morning to watch JD play against T1, and then, well, you know how it is, so this chapter is updated a bit late. I am truly sorry.)