Chapter 85
Entering such a strangely tampered space always made Ark feel uneasy, because such places usually harbored very troublesome things.
What's even more frustrating is that I forgot to bring my weapon again.
Strictly speaking, he didn't bring his main weapon, but he definitely brought his short sword.
But no matter how you look at it, a short sword can't compete with a greatsword, even though they're suited for different situations. However, Ark still prefers wielding a greatsword.
In the instant he hesitated, Lady followed him and climbed inside.
She seemed to trust this guy, so she did as he said without much explanation. Ark, however, was still hesitating.
But the moment Lady stepped inside, the door vanished, and the painting returned to its original state. It looked as if Ark had stopped in front of a painting to admire its beauty.
Three seconds later, about five seconds later, it took Ark to realize what had happened. He then swung his hand and slammed it onto the painting, but apart from the entire research institute shaking, nothing else happened.
Riley snatched Lady away right in front of him. The more he looked at the child tonight, the more suspicious she seemed, but before he could confirm what was wrong with her, the unexpected happened.
"Damn it!" Ark cursed. He had only been distracted for a moment, and the situation had fallen far out of his control.
He genuinely didn't understand alchemy or the theories of mechanics; he was just a businessman who only knew how to make enough money.
As for Lady, she was also frightened by the sudden change.
The moment she entered, the entire passage suddenly compressed, and she was filled with something strange. When she opened her eyes again, she was submerged in a liquid tank.
When she came to her senses, she found herself in a strange laboratory. To be precise, she was now inside one of the glass containers.
Suddenly the surroundings brightened, and the light, which seemed to come from nowhere, made the jar filled with blue liquid look like a gemstone salvaged from the sea.
Lady tried to breathe, but only blue liquid rushed into her lungs. She curled up in the blue liquid in pain, staring wide-eyed at the guy standing outside in disbelief.
“You really aren’t my sister. She would know I wouldn’t say something like that.” Leili stood outside the jar, and after only a short while, she had already changed into a researcher’s white coat. “But you are indeed my sister. She left something with you.”
"What is this?" Lady asked, opening her mouth. This liquid, when passed through her lungs, seemed to supply her entire body with energy, just like oxygen. However, this also meant she couldn't muster any strength at all. It was as if all the bones in her body had been hollowed out.
"Ha, then let me keep you in suspense. All I can say is that you're a thief, and now I want you to return what you stole." Leili slowly backed away, then sat down on the chair next to her, sipping her tea. "That guy Krypton was really something, dying so casually. If I ever see him again, I'll personally make sure every single bone in his body is removed."
Riley seemed furious when she talked about her father, as if the researcher had a deep grudge against her. She felt the kind of person who would break his neck without hesitation if given the chance.
Of course, that guy was already taken care of by some nameless petty thieves, a truly infuriating outcome. Such a person died so ordinarily. It really makes one think he was destined for a short life.
But at least Lady is back here. Thinking this, Leili slowly blew away the steam from the cup.
"Who, who are you?" Lady stared at her sitting there drinking tea, suddenly stunned, an indescribable fear exploding in her heart.
For some inexplicable reason, I suddenly felt that this guy looked so familiar, as if I had seen him countless times before.
The feeling of discomfort was far more intense than the fear. Even now, curled up at the bottom of this container, I felt as if I were falling into an abyss.
"Sister, I told you I'm your sister!" Riley made a face at Lady and said mischievously, "Believe me, I'm doing all this for your own good."
She turned her chair around and sat down in front of the table.
“Of course, if you’re asking what I do, I can tell you. My collaboration with Krypton began a few years ago to research a new direction regarding alchemical dolls. It’s about how to make these things, which can only act according to fixed programs, more intelligent. Of course, my father doesn’t know that.” Leily paused and said, “He’s a very clever fool who completely refused to accept Krypton’s plans. After reading the submission report, I became very interested, so I often did some research with him in private.”
"A few years ago? But you're your age now..."
"Do you have any questions about my research into the combination of alchemy and mechanics since I was nine?" Leili turned her head and made a face again. "You shouldn't be surprised. Back then, your talent was even better than mine. Father valued you a lot, didn't he? But that was all. Otherwise, he wouldn't have shown the slightest interest when you died."
She slowly drank the tea in her cup and let out a long sigh.
"Honestly, I should have knocked that scumbag's head off back then. But you know what? Our research has been so close to success, even though the final material was my sister. So I didn't participate in the final step of production. I just did everything with a shotgun of sufficient caliber, watching the doll that represented our theory being put into practice, which is you, begin to function. It seems the theory was correct, it just lacked a soul, that's all."
Now that things had come to this, everything was out in the open, and Lady gave a somewhat helpless smile, feeling her whole body slowly stiffen.
This guy is his own creator, the one he created with his father.
She should have realized she shouldn't have been so curious about her origins; she should have known better than anyone that she might not be alone. And this guy's help just now seemed a bit too eager, as if he couldn't wait for her to learn the truth.
Indeed, she now knew the truth, but Ark was nowhere to be found. She was completely helpless; the blue liquid rendered her utterly immobile. That very substance, originally intended to harm her, now made her feel as if she were submerged in jelly. Forget about breaking through this seemingly fragile barrier.
It would be too easy for this guy to kill her now; he wouldn't need to waste any effort to extinguish all her life force.
Overwhelmed with remorse, she lost consciousness and fell into a coma inside the container.
Leili glanced at her, then shrugged and continued fiddling with the things in front of her.
She had been preparing for what she was going to do for months, and now that she finally had the opportunity to put it into practice, she was determined to give it a try.
Whether it succeeds or not is irrelevant. As a researcher, success or failure makes little difference; it's just something that's interesting.
......
"Is anyone else here? I need help." The door was pushed open, and Ark saw Ghost Duke sitting there combing the girl's hair.
Both of them looked like they had just taken a shower; their hair was still soaking wet.
The reason I helped comb her hair was because it was long enough to be the length of a person.
This scene was extremely awkward, and Yak hesitated whether to close the door again.
"Well, there are still a few minutes left." Ghost Duke scratched his head. "Could you let the child rest here for a bit? I can sleep on the street outside."
"If I cause any trouble..." The girl was stunned when she heard that Ghost Duke was going to leave his room empty so he could sleep on the street, and quickly turned around to say.
“If you want, I’ll book her another room. Although I have a lot of questions to ask, but not now.” Ark rubbed his eyes. “Is anyone else here? Where are Spider-Man and the priest?”
We searched the entire second floor for a long time but couldn't find anyone who could help. It shouldn't have been like this, since there are quite a few capable fighters in the team right now. Apart from Ghost Duke, any one of them would be enough.
The sun was always watching him, and he couldn't let his guard down even in the dark.
That guy doesn't seem like a very powerful one; he doesn't even need a priest, either Denos or Dedeline would suffice.
But now it seems only Ghost Duke is here, and he's brought a strange girl with him. Although he doesn't know where he found her, it's certain this is a long story. He doesn't have that much time to find out.
Although, given my meddlesome nature, I would definitely need to settle this guy who doesn't seem to be in good shape first, Lady has now been captured and placed in some inexplicable place.
He could only pray that Denos had studied alchemy, and that he himself knew a little alchemy, but only at the beginner level. The last alchemy master he knew wasn't in this city, and he couldn't even guarantee whether he was still alive.
However, he quickly realized that Lady was not in immediate danger. The fact that the guy seemed to have feelings for Lady gave him time to find a hiding place.
The door was closed again, Ghost Duke's comb remained halfway down his hair as he watched the hurried fellow.
"Don't worry, he's a good person." Ghost Duke hesitated for a moment before saying to the girl, "Although I don't know why I'm a little impatient right now, it's probably because I encountered some very unpleasant things today."
The girl lowered her head and didn't answer; she looked at the little mouse resting on her lap.
The clutter in the storage room was a great help; it was just enough to create a small path leading from the sewer to the surface.
Ghost Duke had originally planned to help the priest, but things didn't go as planned. Besides, this guy looked really bad, so he brought him back. The stench almost made the boss kick him out, so he took a bath after returning home.
The girl was currently wearing Ghost Lord's clothes, a linen outfit. Although it was too big for her, she could still secure it to her body with the help of ropes.
Ghost Duke himself was also wearing such clothes, but Yak still prepared a change of clothes for him.
Although it's very, very late now, no one has gone to sleep or come back yet.
So many things happened today, and they all happened so suddenly. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be the only one here taking care of this girl tonight.
He had already found out about the girl, and there wasn't much to say—she was just someone who had been imprisoned for a long time. Now that she was finally out, although she had that expressionless face like Ark's, she was actually very happy. Just now, Ghost Lord had seen her tearful expression of joy at regaining her freedom.
That's so nice. That's how Ghost Duke always thinks whenever he encounters situations like this. Just helping others makes Ghost Duke feel warm inside.
Although he had pondered for a long time and still couldn't figure out what the girl's rescue had to do with him, and even if he wasn't sure how long this guy would live, Ghost Duke was still genuinely happy.
Perhaps helping others can bring this simple joy; it doesn't require a complicated reason, it's just about feeling happy.
Of course, this is a very relaxed place. Someone's busy right now.
Karl wiped the blood from his face with his wrist and slowly walked toward the palace in the distance.
It's been four hours, and I still haven't gotten there.
Ultimately, it's because I'm now inexplicably entangled with a team, and one after another, guys who look just like Lady appear out of nowhere to obstruct me.
Although this thing wasn't difficult for him to deal with—it was a piece of cake—he was constantly being held back, preventing him from finding an opportunity to quickly get past it.
But this is good too. Carl rubbed his neck. He had indeed been a bit tired lately and needed to find a way to rest his bones.
Just then, an explosion erupted on his back. The immense force of the explosion even caused Carl to stagger.
He looked up at the "Lady" standing there. He had seen so many that Karl was starting to doubt whether the Lady was really there.
The guy was carrying an iron bucket on his shoulder, with white smoke billowing from it.
Not just him, Karl slowly looked around.
He then realized he had wandered into a strange, deserted street area, and looking up, he saw several Lady-like figures staring at him. This place, with its buildings and gardens, was quite far removed from normal living conditions, and seeing this scene here made him realize he was surrounded.
Being surrounded by a bunch of weirdos was a bad experience, but Carl was furious. He had just finished asking God for instructions and offering a simple prayer, and he figured he should let these guys know why the Church was the absolute representative of force.
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