Chapter 410: Protecting the Love of All Living Beings (Part 2)
"Yes, our mission is to protect humanity. That's why I launched the project."
The aging king's eyes flickered, revealing deep fatigue and anxiety.
"The Earth will soon collapse."
"How is that possible!" a family head retorted. "Right now, the economies of all countries are on the rise, and technology is developing steadily. Intelligence manipulation is much smoother in a cyber environment, and secrets can still be safely maintained."
He had little respect for the old king because the king had concealed his identity and he only appeared in front of everyone in the name of another family head.
The head of the Ivanlenko family continued, "Our alliance has even survived the Cold War, and regional wars are still under control!"
"Have you noticed the frequency of abnormal weather events over the past decade?" the old king asked. "Average temperature? Sea level? Typhoons and earthquakes?"
The family heads all fell silent. Another one spoke with some fear: "It shouldn't be that bad..."
"The infiltration of the Scourge has intensified," the old king said confidently. "The birth rate is declining year by year, while the frequency of sightings of werewolves and other alien creatures is increasing proportionally. I don't think this is just a coincidence. The pollution of the funeral procession is intensifying."
"I'd like to add one point," Patriarch Velus said calmly. "Hedonism is on the rise worldwide, and the worship of evil remains popular among many young people. We thought the panic brought on by the 'end of the century prophecy' had passed with the turn of the century, but now it seems that corruption in action has made a comeback."
"It's unclear whether the source is a demon, a hedonist, or a fallen being... but it's likely a combination of all. In the information age, the infection of the outer sects is becoming complex and difficult to discern. This is a warning sign."
The old family heads' eyes flickered, and a young family head retorted: "Our technological weapons are far superior to those of 20 years ago-"
"This is exactly what worries me deeply. Our technology is advancing at an ever-increasing pace. The last fifty years alone have surpassed the previous thousand years," the old king whispered. "We haven't been targeted by the Empire in the past because Earth's technology is still too primitive. But with the current trend, how long will it be before we come into contact with the Empire? Are we already on the brink of danger?"
"Or have they already seen us?"
The silence in the conference room was suffocating. This was the greatest obstacle that had plagued the Blood Alliance for nearly 200 years. Advancing technology was an unstoppable trend. Hidden in the shadows of society, the Blood Alliance could not possibly halt the overall development of human civilization, especially since the Earth today was already dependent on technology.
Without science, how could they fight against the aliens? Could they return to the dark ages and raise the banner of the Inquisition?
"But this is no reason to use the Fallen," said Patriarch Velus. "Compared to technology, this is a more serious way to quench thirst with poison. At least we still have martial arts."
The old king shook his head: "Time has proven that this path is meaningless. Even a man like Chu Tongchen can't stand up to mass-produced machines. Unless we can cultivate a true martial artist."
Another tall, thin old man smiled bitterly: "How is that possible? We have no teachers and no inheritance, so we can't find that path."
"This is why I made this decision. Although we can't reach the path of ascension, we can at least easily reach the outer paths," the old king said. "The Fallen are different from the other outer paths. They are connected by love. Compared to machines or disasters, they are at least a life similar to ours... I believe that in this similarity of love, there lies hope for humanity."
"You are so old and yet you still speak so naively." A family head said disdainfully.
"We fight for the hope of humanity, so how can we not harbor some naive illusions?" The old man smiled. "If anything unexpected happens, the king will hold me responsible. This hearing ends here. If we really want to investigate further, how many similar meetings will we have to hold?"
The clan heads tacitly agreed, for all Blood Alliance members had considered targeting the Others, some for the greater good, others for selfish reasons. After two thousand years of inheritance, the alliance had long been ingrained with blood, and no one could clearly tell whether their forces existed to eradicate the Others or to compete for their own interests.
They stood up and left the meeting room. Wang Quan hid herself early, and didn't dare to breathe until all the footsteps disappeared. She broke out in a cold sweat because those unfamiliar words sounded familiar to her.
She seemed to know what the old men were talking about, something deeper than they knew, deeper than the Allies understood...but she had forgotten, her mind held no memories that should have existed. Only the occasional image flashed by like stardust, allowing her to see the moon singing in the deep sky.
She felt deeply terrified by the scene, but at the same time felt genuine joy.
·
Since that council meeting, Wang Quan's abnormality deepened. She often felt as if her heart and body were separated, her ugly body soaring into the moonlight, while her cold heart wandered the human city. Yet, she could not fully follow either side. Because she did not know the secrets of the Blood Alliance, the foggy secrets became a knot in her heart that she could not get around.
She applied for more missions, because at least she could enjoy the thrill of killing while carrying them out. But the backlash of her heart followed her like a shadow, and after each mission, the disgust multiplied. She almost split into two different people: one wanted to sing in the sea of blood, and the other wanted to kill herself.
Her lies were so skillful that no one could see her abnormality, except for the old man who was still worried. The old man began to frequently come into contact with items related to dark wizards, and she knew the reason. This was not only to correct her mistakes, but also to fulfill the old man's plan.
She is the old man's most successful experimental subject so far. If even she fails, all the efforts he has made will be meaningless.
"Child, don't be stressed. If you feel painful, stop working," the old man said to her.
He thought his actions could be concealed from the king, and acted as if he didn't care: "You are still a child, don't look at those big responsibilities, don't think about things you don't know."
"If I can't complete the mission, what's the point of being created?"
The old man pondered for a long time and then smiled.
"Maybe you won't be the best killer, but you can be my best granddaughter. Go read some books, play the piano, find a handsome young man to live with, and when I'm old and worn out, say goodnight to me for the last time, and live an ordinary life like many people you've met."
"But it's meaningless," Wang Quan said.
"Who said that?" the old man scoffed. "If this is meaningless, what are we protecting?"
He patted Wang Quan's head and said gently, "You must remember that a happy life is the meaning."
·
Wang Quan doesn't quite understand the meaning of "happiness".
According to common belief, happiness means a sufficient material life, abundant spiritual enjoyment, a certain social status, a sense of identity among peers, and self-satisfaction. However, in her eyes, all human beings are the same, the same objects provide the same boredom, and the flavor of the "love" they contribute is no different.
She could easily lie to humans to gain their "love," but torture and killing could bring her satisfaction more quickly. For Wang Quan, a happy life might be a pleasant living mountain of flesh and blood, from which she torments humans at will, and the tortured humans, in turn, offer her sincere love.
The day this idea came to her, she was tormented by a mixture of nausea and elation for a long time. She couldn't wait to put her fantasy into action, and she tried to strangle herself but failed. She decided to delve into human life—to emulate a perfect, happy life. That way, the old man would at least be relieved, and she would be worthy of his love.
Wang Quan had become adept at observing humans, and this time she began to imitate them. She disguised herself as a child to approach their parents, and as a young man to approach their lovers. This mimicry, strangely enough, gave her a brief moment of relief.
Because she acted so well, so well that she could even deceive herself, break away from the identity of the king, and become another person wholeheartedly. At that time, even the struggling heart would calm down, and she could stay away from self-loathing and the pleasure of killing, and truly become an ordinary "person".
But the price was that after she was freed from her disguise, her hatred exploded exponentially. This was because she vaguely realized her true nature: a manufactured, abominable being, knowing full well that she enjoyed a hypocritical existence. Since it was fake from the very beginning, there was no point in saying anything real.
Yet Wang Quan knew she must not reveal this abnormality. The old man placed his trust in her, and if she showed any signs of failure, he would spend even more time in his ancient books and laboratory. She vaguely sensed the danger, and though she couldn't articulate the reason, she knew she couldn't let the old man reach out to the "fallen" again.
So Wang Quan meticulously planned a perfect performance. She made a small cake, bought candles, and threw a small birthday party for the old man one evening. Her performance was as sincere as any kind-hearted granddaughter, and even she was moved by it.
Her lie finally succeeded. The old man believed that she was cured, and he shed turbid tears and couldn't stop laughing with relief.
Wang Quan also smiled. She was intoxicated by her performance and believed that the old man could finally live a peaceful life.
·
However, the reality was completely contrary to her expectations. After the abnormal disappearance of the royal power, the old king's obsession only intensified. From that day on, the old man became even more obsessed with the experiments on the fallen. He immersed himself in ancient books for long periods of time and invested more and more funds in the experiments.
New experimental subjects were constantly activated, and then erased due to accidents. Even Wang Quan didn't know why he was so anxious. It seemed that the old man knew more than the other heads of the family, but no matter where he searched, he couldn't find his secret.
She was determined to stop the old man from taking any more risks, even resorting to violence. But the old man got to her first, like an incompetent and foolish old father.
The old man wanted her memory.
"Why?"
"You are the most outstanding child so far. You understand love better than anyone else," the old man said. "Therefore, I believe that your memories...your diaries and data may help others understand. They may find it difficult to teach, but they can understand 'love' from you, their outstanding elder."
Can't.
Absolutely not.
Wang Quan instinctively objected to this request. It wasn't about her preferences or her nature, but rather her intuition that it wasn't a good idea. She told the old man that she didn't mind continuing to be a killer. She had recovered and could handle any task perfectly. But the old man stubbornly refused. He had made up his mind not to let this child's hands be stained with blood again.
"Just live your ordinary life without worrying about it. Don't worry about missions anymore. I will definitely train a better killer." The old man said firmly, "I won't let you do something you hate."
Only on this point did he display such resolve. Yet, he couldn't remain so resolute forever. Ultimately, he had ideals, and he had to shoulder the weight of his power as king. So, he humbly pleaded with the royal power, hoping for her help, hoping for her support in his experiments. His already graying hair was thinning even further, and the old man was approaching the end of his life. He didn't have much time left to realize his ideals.
Wang Quan finally agreed, unable to bear to see the old man suffer any more. But things got worse and worse. After getting the data, the old man's obsession became even worse. He no longer even spared time to talk to Wang Quan, and devoted himself to the experiment almost like a madman.
Wang Quan realized that if she didn't know the secret, she would never understand the old man's madness.
She decided to take a risk.
Disguised as a young man, she kidnapped a family head and forced him to reveal the secret of the blood alliance.
In theory, leaking secrets was impossible. But she was a master of all interrogation methods. She used ambiguous inducements and hints, gradually guiding the man to reveal the secret. And so, amid the churning of blood and organs, she finally learned the truth. It was just a one-sided statement, full of the other party's assumptions.
Allies. Outer Paths. Pollution. Path of Ascension. The Dynamic Realm.
The First Abyss
Cradle of Forgetfulness
She recalled more things from her bloodline, memories she couldn't understand but could still feel. Deep space, the black moon, the twisted love of ugly beings. Her face paled, and she rushed home without even killing the head of the family. Because she knew she had made an unforgivable mistake.
She disguised herself so well that the old man actually believed that the fallen had love.
That's not the case at all.
Her appearance was just a coincidence, with a probability smaller than one in a hundred billion, a pure unpredictable miracle, because the fallen would not hesitate at all, the fallen just wanted to enjoy love.
It had nothing to do with love, environment, or education. Coincidence was just a coincidence, unrepeatable and impossible to replicate. Following the old man's method would not create a second kingship, but would only create countless monsters that delighted in killing humans. He could have sensed this, but she had deceived the old man...
She acted so well. So well!
She burst through the underground research facility, barely feeling her own heartbeat. She prayed that everything was still in time, that the old man hadn't yet given up on his sanity, that she just had to deal with the aftermath.
She pushed open the door of the laboratory and met the old man's astonished gaze. He was holding another young experimental subject, with white hair and a thin body, who looked almost the same as she once did.
"Ah... did you find out?"
The old man felt a little embarrassed.
"I've activated a new type of experimental subject. I think it's time to let new children join. They may not be very sensible yet and may make mistakes easily, but your experience will make everything better. Is this a good thing for you too?"
He said expectantly.
"I think you always long for your family."
Behind him, hundreds of sealed culture tanks have been opened, and the white-haired and red-eyed experimental subjects crawled out of the artificial amniotic fluid.
They raised their sharp claws. Their faces twisted like mud. They smiled pure and innocent smiles.
The baby in the old man's arms laughed loudly and bit his throat.
·
Cleaning up the mess was much harder than she had imagined.
For the first time, I felt hurt. For the first time, I felt pain.
When the last of the fallen perished, the laboratory was a sea of blood. The old man madly scolded her, demanding revenge for his descendants. She allowed him to beat and scold her until he was exhausted, then stabbed him in the heart with her own hands.
This kind of pain made the old man regain consciousness briefly. He raised his hand and wiped the blood off Wang Quan's face.
"I... failed. I was so stupid. You did well. Son, you..."
His eyes were filled with a huge fear, and he desperately grasped the king's hand, even though he could no longer speak complete words.
“Please… please…”
She knew what the old man wanted to say, she could always understand people's thoughts easily. So she nodded heavily and made a promise with tears in her eyes.
"I will love."
"I will love humans and I will definitely protect them!!"
The old man smiled and closed his eyes in peace. She hugged the body that was gradually losing its temperature and cried loudly.
The conflicting thoughts in her body merged into one at that moment. She made a promise, and she finally defeated herself.
She loves humans.
This is the meaning of her existence.
·
The secret of the Blood Alliance is a heritage that will never be broken.
After two thousand years of war, the tradition has been passed down to this day. Even when dynasties end and families decline, there will always be new people to become "family heads", and the seat of guardian of the covenant has never been vacant.
Because the covenant that binds everyone is the only miracle left in this powerless world.
Or, it would be more appropriate to call it "precepts."
The commandments are passed down through blood and emotion. When the head of the family dies, his chosen heir inherits the family secrets. That heir will naturally understand the secrets and know their responsibilities, but must never reveal them to anyone until he dies, at which point the commandments are transferred again.
If the head of a family has no children, the rules will be passed down through his affections to the heir he chooses. The person who inherits his power, wealth, and aspirations will become the next head of the family.
For the aging king, that person is the kingship.
On the day the king was buried, she inherited all the secrets the old man knew. The difference between the king and the other family heads was that he had more information.
Wang Quan immediately understood why the old man was so anxious and aggressive. It was a fear that could not be shared with anyone, and could only be borne by the king.
In the Blood Alliance King's commandments, there is a constantly rotating countdown and a simple line of text.
[13 years until the aliens invade the Earth]
(End of this chapter)
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