Specter's Plan to Sabotage the Team Captain

"I didn't scare her. I just wanted a blood sample for testing. It would be even better if she was willing to give it to me. You should have some too."

"Then you have to promise me you won't do anything underhanded to the Doctor. Do you have IVF?"

It was just a little blood loss; if we follow the rule of "one part blood, ten parts blood," then Mizuki could be said to have suffered a massive hemorrhage last night.

"Really? Okay! I agree!"

Warfarin handed over the two test tubes directly. She was more than happy to get the Doctor's blood without having to worry about being hung up and drained by Kal'tsit. She had considered targeting Warfarin first, but after hearing Skadi Mizuki had caught Mizuki and Specter's attacks with one hand in the cafeteria yesterday, she gave up. She simply couldn't beat her.

If Mizuki asked, then the Doctor would certainly not refuse, mainly because Mizuki's blood draw was painless. He simply placed his hand on the Doctor's arm, which was a little itchy, and within ten seconds, Mizuki had collected about five or six drops of blood.

If it's just for research, then this is enough. Mizuki can now directly manipulate the water in other people's bodies without worrying about harming the Doctor or introducing any impurities.

Just as he was about to put the Doctor's blood into the test tube, he suddenly noticed that Warfarin's eyes were very strange. Her red eyes were filled with a greedy Illustrious, and saliva was unconsciously dripping from the corner of Warfarin mouth. She couldn't help but reach out to Mizuki, full of longing.

"I want to drink!"

Warfarin pounced on her, only to have her limbs entangled by Mizuki's tentacles and left suspended in mid-air.

"Didn't you say you could control it?"

Mizuki sealed the Doctor's blood in a test tube; the tiny, almost invisible wound on the doctor's arm had already healed.

The moment the test tube was sealed, Warfarin instantly snapped back to reality, scratching her head as she recalled her earlier behavior.

"Sorry, Doctor's blood smelled so good I almost couldn't resist... It's alright, I can calm myself down!"

Seeing Warfarin's confident expression, Mizuki thought for a moment and put her down, then gently ran her tentacle across her hand.

The pale blue blood turned crimson the moment it touched the air. Warfarin, who had been so confident and trying so hard to keep her composure, instantly lost the light in her eyes, grabbed Mizuki's hand with lightning speed, and started sucking on his fingers.

"Hmm!"

Warfarin couldn't help but squint and make some rather strange noises. Mizuki could even feel the tip of her tongue constantly teasing his fingertips. Although he was being bitten and Warfarin's teeth were quite sharp, they weren't sharp enough to pierce his skin. It just felt... kind of nice?

"Wasn't this just a case of not being able to hold back at all?"

Miss Doctor couldn't help but mutter to herself, not finding it surprising that Mizuki's blood could make Warfarin lose control. Mizuki was no longer even a known species, but it certainly wouldn't be any less powerful.

Hearing this, Warfarin, who had been sucking for a while, let go a little embarrassedly. The main reason was that Mizuki healed very quickly, and Warfarin hadn't been able to suck anymore after only a few times.

"I'm sorry... I can usually really hold back, but who would have thought Doctor your blood and Mizuki's blood would smell like this? Hmm, and this smell... isn't it really warm milk? It's a bit sweet."

Warfarin couldn't help but lick her lips, but these words made the Doctor frown and ponder.

"You mean, my blood and Mizuki's blood have the same fragrance?"

"Yes, but Mizuki's is a bit stronger."

"Then why don't you try it?"

The Doctor tossed the test tube from Mizuki's hand to Warfarin, who unceremoniously opened it and drank it straight away, even licking it with her tongue to make sure she didn't miss any.

Warfarin was right; she was indeed a Bloodfiend with exceptional self-control. Unlike most of her kind, she clearly understood the difference between food and patients, which is why Kal'tsit entrusted her with the management of Rhodes Island's blood bank.

It's just that the Doctor and Mizuki are such special people that this happened... Well, this guy is usually pretty shameless too.

"Delicious!"

"I don't care about the taste, can you tell me what the difference is?"

Miss Doctor seemed to have some guess, but wasn't sure. Huang, on the other hand, was completely bewildered and had no idea what was going on or what had happened. Fortunately, Mizuki pointed to the cafeteria, indicating that she could go eat breakfast first. The big cat then gave Mizuki a thumbs up and mouthed something like, "I'm entrusting the Rosemary to you."

"Emmmm..." Warfarin savored the moment, barely suppressing the urge to pounce on the Doctor and Mizuki and force herself on them. For some reason, her body felt inexplicably hot.

"I drank it too fast just now and didn't taste it properly. Can I have some more?"

Looking at Warfarin's shameless behavior, the Doctor couldn't help but roll her eyes at her.

"Who are you trying to fool? You'd lick every last drop of blood clean. If you don't tell me, I'll have Mizuki keep you hanging in the sun. It's pretty hot today."

"Oh no, no, no, I was just kidding." Warfarin didn't want to be dried into a bat-like state. "Although this is just my personal opinion, how should I put it, Mizuki and Doctor, your blood... seems to be exactly the same."

Unable to resist clicking her tongue, Warfarin ignored the surprised expressions of the Doctor and Mizuki and continued speaking.

"But that doesn't quite make sense. Mizuki's blood has something more than the Doctor's, something like neurotoxin, but it didn't affect me. Apart from that, the composition is exactly the same. Are you two siblings?"

"How could that be?" The Doctor shook her head. Her compatriots were probably all dead by now, and those who were still alive would never wake up again.

Mizuki couldn't help but look at the Doctor. The same blood—could this be the reason for Doctor mutual attraction? He had thought they were Stand users.

"So, um, could I have just one more sip? Just one more!"

Warfarin rubbed her hands together, looking at Mizuki with a sly expression. The Doctor's blood was quite delicious, but Kal'tsit had strictly forbidden her from attacking the Doctor, though she hadn't said she couldn't talk to Mizuki.

"Well... let me finish eating first, then I can go to the Medical Department to have some blood drawn for you."

"You're even closer to me than my own father!" Warfarin exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. And she wasn't wrong; because of her unconventional ways, the Blood Devil Family didn't actually treat her well. But no one could deny that Warfarin was indeed a talented individual; even the Sarkaz Court was recruiting her.

Mizuki chuckled and quickly left with the Doctor, leaving Warfarin waving goodbye. But when she came to her senses, she couldn't help but lick her lips and touch her heart.

"Why does it feel so hot...? Could it be Mizuki and the Doctor's blood?"

Warfarin couldn't help but stare at the departing figures of Mizuki and the Doctor. Having been single for centuries, she suddenly felt an urge to find a partner.

The Doctor and Mizuki were unaware of Warfarin's reaction; they were simply stunned by the shocking news. If Mizuki's travel plans hadn't already been finalized, she probably would have gone straight to Columbia.

For no other reason than that beneath the Trimounts in Columbia lies a fellow countryman, not quite her compatriot, a spirit tormented by millennia of time and immense responsibility, unable to find release.

"Trevor Friston, are you not afraid of death?"

Looking at the enormous system before him, Kristen, the head of Rhine Lab, couldn't help but ask a question, and the surroundings lit up instantly.

"Death... Kristen, life and death are always relative, and I am somewhere in between. I still remember the determination I had when I chose to upload my consciousness to become part of the system. I never crave life, nor do I accept death."

Light illuminated the surroundings, and in this vast underground cavern lay countless Sarcophagus exactly like the one the Doctor had used. The being named Friston had a very hoarse voice.

"After my compatriots found me and earnestly made that suggestion, we all understood that there was no other choice... Our era has passed, and thankfully a new civilization has continued, at least someone remembers us, the losers."

"Do you know, Kristen, that for tens of thousands of years I shouted into space, but there was no echo, no destruction, and no salvation?"

"My words traveled through all the satellites and space, through every tunnel and the angle between the stars, but the universe offered no response. I prayed to the darkness of despair for tens of thousands of years, and the only thing I heard was the echo of destruction..."

What is more despairing than destruction is deathly silence; loneliness is more terrifying than death. Friston has been guarding this place tirelessly for tens of thousands of years, until recently when he took a short nap.

"Sami reports that the Demons are restless."

"They should be uneasy, of course. Iberia spies have reported Seaborn's silence, and it's clear that Mizuki has done something... But whatever it is, he is our only hope."

"To entrust the fate of the world to one person is a huge gamble."

Kristen could sense that Friston was watching her through those surveillance cameras, and she couldn't help but recall what a certain eccentric Doctor had once said: that she and Friston's long-dead daughter actually looked a lot alike.

"Not just an individual, Kristen. What I believe in is not only my fellow countrymen, nor just a Mizuki."

"I believe in them... Now, let's welcome our guests."

As Friston spoke, the ancient door was gently knocked on and opened, revealing a visitor wearing a black and white mask who concealed himself beneath a long robe.

"Greetings, great Preserver System, Trevor Friston. You may call me Mr. K."

Chapter 145 Specter's Pit Captain's Grand Plan

"Mr. K? Hmm, a strange form of existence. Your body is like various things randomly stitched together, yet it displays a subtle balance. You are not one of my kind, yet you know of my existence."

Friston's tone was calm and natural. Mr. K's arrival was indeed a surprise to him, but he was already aware of the other party's existence. After all, Mr. K had previously cooperated with the Columbia military. Someone who could use the Mizuki's original cells to develop such a near-rejuvenating drug would not remain unknown.

Moreover, Mr. K had also given the Columbia military a small run for their money. The system that Preserver Friston could detect him, or more accurately, the signal on her body. If we were to give Mr. K a specific gender, it would be female, but she deliberately concealed her voice, and her loose clothing made it impossible to tell her figure. Apart from Friston, most people really couldn't tell her figure.

"It seems you have inherited our legacy, or at least a part of it."

"..."

Mr. K was clearly somewhat surprised by Friston's guess, because it was indeed very close to the truth; in a reading comprehension question, it would have earned three out of five points.

"As expected of an ancient Preserver, such keen insight! This must be Ms. Kristen, the head of Rhine Lab. It seems I've arrived at the wrong time."

Clearly, Mr. K hadn't expected Kristen to appear here. He had originally anticipated that Kristen wouldn't arrive for at least several more years, but... well, perhaps this was due to error; with so many accumulations, the error had increased.

"You've certainly come at the wrong time; uninvited guests are not welcome here."

Because Friston and Mr. K were speaking in a language that Kristen had not learned, she could only understand the first sentence of Mr. K's self-introduction. At the same time, she sensed the increasingly tense atmosphere between them. This uninvited Mr. K was clearly not welcomed by Friston, and his visit was not well-intentioned.

"I apologize for disturbing you, ancient spirit, but I am simply curious about the role your Columbia played in the Mizuki incident."

Mr. K's tone carried a hint of bitterness, because in a way, he had been tricked.

"I thought Columbia was on the opposite side of Mizuki, but I didn't expect that he had already come here once before, and even went from here to Ursus, and then returned to Iberia from Ursus."

During this time, Mr. K investigated all traces of Mizuki's past. After realizing that Columbia might not be on the opposite side of Mizuki, he quickly realized that the open and covert struggles between the Melnade Foundation and the military could not have been kept from the Columbia President Mark Max.

However, Mark tacitly approved the actions of the military and the Melnade Foundation, deliberately misleading everyone's attention. In reality, both sides were merely used by Mark to attract attention.

"Columbia is not mine. I did not build a single brick of it, nor did I say a word for it. It belongs to the Columbia, and I am merely a ghost as you say. But you are also a ghost, a ghost that is tormented by its own sense of mission and responsibility and refuses to die. It is strange that I can actually sense the presence of a kindred spirit in you."

"... Your emotional and cognitive functions are both fully developed."

"Yes, although I suffered greatly because of this, you must have suffered too. Although I don't know which compatriot shaped you, you must have been created with some kind of expectation placed upon you."

Time, time is the most tormenting thing. The longer life is, the lonelier it becomes, especially for beings like them who are burdened with a mission and have no choice but to continue living.

"Your understanding of me is incorrect, but... you are not wrong, perhaps I came here precisely to see you."

If anyone could understand him, it would only be the Preserver System Trevor Friston before him, but Mr. K wasn't there seeking comfort.

"If it were before, I think I would be happy to talk to you, but now please leave."

"Is there not even a possibility of cooperation?"

"Since you mentioned Mizuki, you must have investigated further. Why ask me?"

One of the lights behind Mr. K flickered twice, seemingly due to years of disrepair, but he didn't notice. Kristen, however, squinted and clenched her fists, assuming a fighting stance. Although she didn't have Saria's fighting power, she was never weak.

"Even if I could tell you what will happen in the future, it wouldn't matter?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and Kristen's expression showed a rare surprise, while Friston remained silent for only a short while.

"For a dead person, the future is left to be shaped by those who come after."

With a "bang," Mr. K's heart was pierced through. Somewhat surprised, he turned around and saw the figure standing in the distance. The Sarkaz, wearing a hat and sunglasses, was holding a long gun and still in an aiming posture.

So that's how it is. He was too confident and impatient, and didn't even think of this point. No, he was influenced by his own fixed mindset.

Mizuki was not the origin of the anomalies in this world; he was simply the one most affected. Long ago, this world was already different from what he remembered.

Having figured this out, Mr. K's consciousness faded, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Don't come any closer."

Friston called out to Kristen and the Sarkaz sniper who were about to approach and check the wound. Something seemed to be writhing beneath the pierced robe, and black blood seeped from the wound, staining the surrounding ground. Red warning lights flashed instantly.

The corpse burst into flames, burning away the contamination along with it, as if it didn't want anyone to remove its mask.

"It's pollution... It's unbelievable that she could remain sane under such pollution, or perhaps she was already insane?"

The equipment inside the facility started up quickly. Even after tens of thousands of years, these ancient devices still maintained their most basic functions. More than a dozen floating devices, similar to sweeping robots, quickly cleaned the site.

"What a strange person."

She's not dead yet.

"Her?" There are many ways to be immortal, so the Sarkaz sniper wasn't surprised by his opponent's immortality. "She's a woman?"

"It's just a disguise. A mysterious person, yet I always feel like I've met him before."

Friston's words drew attention, while Kristen turned his gaze to the Sarkaz sniper.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Scout."

"What the heck? Rhodes Island has been cooperating with Rhine Lab since its inception?"

The Doctor couldn't help but scratch her head. This wasn't quite what she had initially thought. Rhodes Island and Rhine Lab's cooperation wasn't going to happen so soon, was it?

"Ah, Doctor, you've lost your memory, so you don't know, right? It's said that Rhodes Island had dealings with Rhine Lab even before it was established. Didn't you say that yourself?"

Closure ate her breakfast, she recalled the Doctor's expression at the time and tried her best to imitate that tone.

"Rhine Lab has great potential, mainly because they have a lot of talented people here, and we can recruit them all to our side in the future."

These are indeed words that Doctor. Shi would say, Mizuki has no doubt about them. But now it seems that Doctor. Shi's judgment can only be described as quite accurate. Although Rhine Lab is not the most prestigious research institution in Columbia, it is definitely a rising star.

"That's why Ace and Scout still frequently go to Columbia for missions, but apart from Kal'tsit, nobody knows what those missions entail."

Regarding the classified mission to Columbia, the Doctor seemed to have grasped a glimpse of something, but couldn't quite figure out what it was, so she simply stopped thinking about it. After all, what she was most concerned about now was that Warfarin believed her blood and Mizuki's blood were the same, which could no longer be described as simply bizarre.

"Never mind, Mizuki, are you still going to the Medical Department today?"