A soft, yellow light illuminated the entire room. Gu Changqing sat quietly cross-legged on the sofa, while Marshal Morris silently read a document opposite him.
The members of the eerie squad stood like statues, maintaining their upright posture from the moment they entered the room.
After a long while, a slight shaking and jolting sensation came from the room.
Marshal Maurice put down the documents he was reading, walked slowly to Gu Changqing who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, and said softly:
"Sir, we have arrived."
Upon hearing Marshal Maurice's words, Gu Changqing slowly opened her eyes, her cold gaze fixed on Marshal Maurice standing before her.
Staring so closely into Gu Changqing's eyes, Marshal Maurice felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
"Then take me to see the king of this empire."
Gu Changqing's indifferent voice came over as always. Marshal Morris was also brought back to his senses by the voice and quickly turned his head away from looking directly into Gu Changqing's eyes.
"Then come with me, sir. Once you arrive at the palace, you can rejoin your teams. Someone will assign you new captains."
Marshal Morris responded to Gu Changqing first, then turned to the eerie team members standing on either side of the door and spoke.
"Yes, Marshal Maurice."
Upon hearing Marshal Morris's order, several members of the eerie squad also straightened their chests and agreed.
Seeing this, Marshal Maurice nodded slightly and then walked towards the door.
After taking out the pure white card and gently inserting it into a groove in the center of the door, the door slowly opened.
"Although this door requires special personnel to open from the outside, it can be opened directly from the inside using this ID card."
After taking the pure white card from the door and putting it in his pocket, Marshal Maurice explained to Gu Changqing.
Gu Changqing did not answer his words, but stood up and slowly walked towards the door.
Marshal Maurice did not pay any attention to this. After leaving the room, he walked side by side with Gu Changqing toward the place where the emperor was.
The members of the strange squad bowed to Marshal Morris as the door opened and left. Even after they had left the palace, they did not dare to look back at Gu Changqing.
Marshal Maurice was leading the way while telling Gu Changqing about some things inside the palace.
"Sir, is this your first time visiting the Empire? Please allow me to tell you about the history of the Empire."
After saying that, seeing that Gu Changqing did not refuse, Marshal Morris continued to speak.
Strangely, only Marshal Maurice and Gu Changqing were present in the vast palace passageway.
The floor was covered with blocks of dark blue marble, while the walls on both sides were made of huge, unidentifiable black stones. There were no curtains or any openings in the walls to allow people to see the outside world.
Only the torches placed every few meters on both sides emitted a dim light. Although the laboratory contained technology, it revealed the structure and organization of a primitive society.
Inside the quiet yet oppressive dimly lit passage, Marshal Maurice was telling Gu Changqing the story of the empire in his uniquely deep voice.
"Sir, the continent we are on is called the Solo Continent. Fifty years ago, before those strange creatures descended, this continent was not like it is now, with many different forces. There was only one force on the entire continent, and that was the Solo United Kingdom. At that time, we did not have to worry about the strange invasion."
"However, all of this was destroyed by the disaster fifty years ago. At that time, the entire continent was covered by dark clouds, and even the sun, which had always shone brightly, was swallowed up by the clouds."
"If it were merely the absence of the sun, the Solo United Kingdom wouldn't have fallen apart. However, what came with those dark clouds were the things we called 'monsters.' We don't know if they have life, but we do know that they possess their own consciousness."
"On that day, a black dragon, seemingly descending from the abyss, descended upon the royal palace of the Solo United Kingdom. According to those who survived, anyone in the palace who merely glanced at the black dragon would be assimilated into a high-level infected."
"And just one day after the black dragon descended upon the palace, tens of millions of people in the entire palace, except for those who managed to escape, were either killed by the infected or assimilated into the infected."
"With the fall of the royal palace, the lords and vassal states that were granted fiefdoms in various places declared independence one after another, but they did not expect that the black dragon was only the beginning."
"At the same time after the fall of the royal palace and the capital, all sorts of strange creatures fell from the dark clouds across the continent. However, each royal palace and lord fought their own battles and did not unite with other forces to stop the invasion of those strange creatures."
"As expected, within just a few months, two-thirds of the human population on the continent had perished, while the remaining third continued to form their own factions, hoping to secure a small corner of the world."
"Unfortunately, while humanity was still embroiled in internal strife, those strange creatures, led by that black dragon, formed an organization—an organization with a consciousness structure no less than that of humans. We call them the Strange Creature Aggregate!"
"At the same time that the collective of strange creatures appeared, strange creatures on the continent, for unknown reasons, headed towards the palace where the black dragon was located, and under the leadership of the black dragon, launched an attack on the remaining human forces."
"Twenty years have passed since the black dragon descended upon this continent, and humanity has been wiped out by it and the forces it controls, leaving not even one-tenth alive."
"Humans often only unleash their will to survive and their spirit of resistance when faced with a life-or-death situation. At this time, it is as if the dark clouds heard the prayers of humankind and sent down all sorts of strange creatures that humankind can use to fight back against."
"At that time, three humans appeared who controlled strange creatures that could rival the black dragon."
"They are the current rulers of the empire, the directors of the Bureau of Mysteries, and the saviors of the human community of shared destiny."
"At the same time, some strange objects that are neither harmful nor beneficial to humans are also falling from the dark clouds. These strange objects have no other use except for the research institute to study their characteristics."
"Under the leadership of those three people, this continent was divided into four major powers."
"They are: a collection of strange creatures that control half of the continent."
"An empire that controls two-tenths of the continent."
"The Mysterious Investigation Bureau that controls one-tenth of the continent."
"A community with a shared future for mankind that controls two-tenths of the continent."
...
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