Chapter 604: Pursuit of Evolution

    cw: gore

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    Late in the evening, Noir received a summon from his cheap father.

    He had already anticipated this since Master Nasser showed him a dissatisfied look after he dealt with the sea witch, thus he was not particularly surprised.

    What irked him more was the fact that he alone was summoned to face this person, when the whole fiasco had originated from Jin Jiuchi to begin with. It felt like he was being forced to clean up after Jin Jiuchi’s mess, which displeased him so.

    However, he could tell that Master Nasser begged to differ. After all, his second son had just returned from a precarious expedition from the deep sea and brought back invaluable intel, plus he was suffering from the sequelae caused by the sirens’ magical ability, so it was justifiable to let him rest for a while.

    At this moment, Jin Jiuchi must be snoring away on his bed, thoroughly dead to the world.

    Bastard, Noir had lost count of how many times he cursed Jin Jiuchi inside his mind since they met in this Cycle, but he did it again anyway because he simply could not resist. Lucky bastard. He really got off too easily.

    With the novice tutorial controlling his body, Noir reached his destination in less than five minutes. The guide stated that this was an observation area, though he was unsure what kind of observation it was referring to.

    Blowing out a harsh breath, Noir schooled his features and made sure his external physical reaction betrayed none of his emotions before rapping his knuckles gently on the door. In the next second, the metal door slid open without a sound, revealing a warmly lit lounge. One wall was lined with one-way glass, offering an unobstructed view into the adjacent operating room.

    Master Nasser stood in front of the glass with his hands clasped behind his back, watching over the entire process.

    And like that, Noir finally learned what the ’observation area’ truly meant.

    On the other side, five men were strapped to the bed, while the researchers loomed above them, cutting their skulls open and removing their brains. They seemed to have been injected with partial anesthetic, for they remained conscious throughout the whole surgery yet unable to offer any resistance. Hopelessness, despair, fear and agony— only their eyes could reveal these intense emotions, setting a sharp juxtaposition against their limp and twitching bodies.

    Wherever the blade moved, thick blood spilled out. They resembled a row of fishes on the chopping board, utterly helpless against the torture and savagery that was inflicted on them.

    Noir’s steps paused. Even without the novice tutorial stating it out loud, he immediately figured out the purpose of this operation room.

    At eighty-eight percent degree of mechanization, he could be considered an armor without a single chink. Perhaps not even a bomb could take him down. Yet at the end of the day, he still retained 12% of humanity and could not escape from the constraints of mortality.

    And of course, Nasser wouldn’t stop his pursuit of evolution at this point. He kept searching for a way for humans to become perfectly indestructible.

    For the pinnacle of evolution was— immortality.

    Perhaps sooner or later, the one lying on the operating bed would be him, Noir mused. But for now, Lady Fortune still favored him because there’s no way his so-called father would risk his prized creation on a risky surgery. This explained why he was experimenting on these poor people first.

    Any other person would have turned pale in fright or even screamed out loud in horror upon encountering such an atrocious scene. But Noir’s mental fortitude was so good that he merely paused for a fraction of a second—too fleeting to be noticed—before stepping in with bold strides. His eyelids did not even twitch, befitting of the Eldest Young Master who would not falter even if the sky collapsed.

    He halted three steps behind Nasser, bowing in acknowledgement, "Father."

    Just then, an alarm blared inside the operating room.

    The second patient convulsed violently, blood foam frothing from his mouth. His eyes bulged in a horrifying manner as if they were about to burst out of the sockets, green veins flaring across his neck. One researcher worked hastily to stabilize his condition while the other continued with the process of extracting his brain—yet it was to no avail.

    Three minutes later, the man’s vital signs turned flat and he breathed his last, still with his eyes wide open in resentment.

    The researchers stepped back and shook their heads with pity. Soon, the dead person was wheeled away, and another one entered to replace him.

    Noir noticed something peculiar almost immediately. There was a fierce light in the new patient’s eyes beneath the well-concealed panic, reminiscent of a trapped wild animal preserving its strength for one last desperate fight.

    A player? He wondered. But he wasn’t given the chance to observe further as Nasser finally broke the silence,

    "Do you know what I called you here for?" he queried, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

    Noir deliberated for two seconds before giving a safe answer, "I can guess."

    Nasser’s gaze shifted to him, sharp and piercing. "Then I won’t beat around the bush. You’ve disappointed me, Mach," he stressed with clear disapproval.

    Noir’s lashes hung down, showing neither remorse nor displeasure at the other person’s remark. He stood there silently, just like a robot.

    "I thought you were better than this. You have modified 88% of your body. Is it so difficult for you to deal with a single siren? One who walks on land, at that! Such a shame... it’s really such a shame!" he shook his head in anger.

    Truth to be told, Noir had also realized his oversight as soon as he was done putting on a performance with the Divine Oracle.

    He was the Eldest Young Master, a living and breathing arsenal, and that title was not just for show.

    He had checked prior to coming here, only to learn a shocking fact— his body could actually be reassembled into seven kinds of gun, and the energy resource fueling his heart was enough for him to launch ten missiles. In other words, he could flatten the entire city right here and now if he wanted to. It was for this reason that even his heart had been mechanically transformed.

    When one held a huge power in his hands, it was best to get rid of any emotions that could cloud his judgments. Only when logic remained could he make a clear-headed decision in the most perilous situation.

    Putting it this way, it was indeed shameful for him to struggle so much when dealing with a siren, when he could simply overpower him within mere seconds. Taking one step further, he had been OOC. If it wasn’t because of his original temperament which was very similar to Young Master Mach, perhaps he would have been under suspicion by now.

    Alas, there was no medicine for regret, and he could only try his best to remedy the situation.

    It was all that damn bastard’s fault! Noir once again seethed silently. He didn’t even have the time to study himself and his environment thoroughly before Jin Jiuchi caused such a huge ruckus, forcing him to take action. Otherwise would he have been trapped in this mess?!

    Alas, there was no other way. To escape this predicament, he could only throw the two of them—Jin Jiuchi and XXX—under the bus.

    "I did it on purpose, Father," Noir remarked out of nowhere. "I didn’t want them to know our true strength."

    Nasser paused his furious tirade upon hearing that, his brow twitching. "What do you mean?"

    "The siren I caught is the sea witch," he revealed bluntly, catching the middle-aged man by surprise. "Of course, he didn’t admit to this, but I have my own reasons to suspect. This is the only explanation why a random siren could slip into our research facility and locate his kind without triggering the alarm."

    Nasser’s expression morphed into one of shock. "Do you mean to say..."

    "That’s right, the siren my brother captured should be none other than their Royal Prince," Noir continued seamlessly. Before Nasser could rejoice, however, he was quick to throw a wet blanket over him, all the while slandering his much despised younger brother. "But this is not good news. The sirens must have noticed that their Royal Highness is missing by now. If they found out that we are the one who captured him, confined him and treated him badly, it would only lead to one thing—"

    He spat out coldly, "—War."

    For centuries, the three factions had maintained a delicate balance despite their mutual hostility. The garudas could trade human slaves, humans could covet and devour siren flesh, and sirens could process garuda’s body into potions— all under one unspoken, inviolable condition.

    The nobles and royal family must not be touched.

    But now, Jin Jiuchi had broken the ironclad rule by seizing His Royal Highness by force.

    As expected, Nasser was so enraged that his face turned blue and black. His chest heaved as he ground out a roar through clenched teeth, "That imbecile—!"

    Noir let out a cold sneer.

    Consider this a payback, he thought. Unfortunately for Jin Jiuchi, he was just petty like this. Besides, he didn’t believe that this little trick would cause the other person any real harm.

    "Haa... I’m afraid the sirens will come knocking on our door soon," Nasser let out an exasperated groan while massaging his temple. "Tighten the security for the banquet tomorrow. We must not allow the sirens to catch wind of it. As for His Highness..."

    His gaze sharpened as he delivered a series of instructions, "Move him out of this facility and treat him as an esteemed guest. Find someone else to become the scapegoat. When the sirens come, throw him out and claim that we rescued him from wicked humans. As long as he doesn’t know your brother’s identity, everything will be fine."

    "Yes, Father," Noir complied courteously, knowing that he had dodged the bullet this time.

    With a sigh, Master Nasser patted him on the shoulder, feeling satisfied at the cold and metallic touch beneath. A proud smile crossed his face. "Good job, son. I should have known you would never disappoint me. Continue to do your best at the banquet tomorrow and make an impression on their Young Master. It’s best if you can charm him and rope him to our side. I’ve heard that he’s the quiet and nai?ve type."

    That will depend on the other person, Noir thought inwardly. Nasser wanted him to make the Young Master of the Garuda fall in love and be infatuated with him, but Noir believed there was a far more effective way to control someone— fear.

    After all, who wouldn’t cower under the threat of death?

    As for the consequences of doing so, he would just cross that bridge when he came to it.

    But he showed none of his calculations on the surface and simply offered an obedient nod, "I understand."

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    A/N: a little warning beforehand that this Cycle can get a little gory hehe also there will be drama coming soon! *cover face* *evil giggle*