AWB Chapter 417 [Empire] It’s time for us to go.
Chapter 417 [Empire] It’s time for us to go.
At that moment, the scene before me deeply shocked me. Nightingale's steps were light, as if accustomed to such horrific scenes. He approached the half-tree, half-human corpse without hesitation. A green light surged through the air, as if with an irresistible attraction. The branches and roots continued to slowly wriggle, as if telling of some twisted life. Yet, an inexplicable wave of deep sadness welled up in my heart. Perhaps it was seeing this body fused with plant life, realizing that it had once been human, that a deep heaviness in my heart arose.
Nightingale cut open the corpse's chest, revealing a pulsating, green, energy core. The core had a strange shape, resembling a heart, yet also a seed of some plant. It was enveloped in an indescribable light, and as it pulsed, the energy in the air fluctuated. The intense aura of life made me take a deep breath, and my mind couldn't help but recall the similar core I'd seen beneath the stone slab.
"It turns out that they really were hearts." I whispered to myself, and the sadness in my heart became more intense.
Nightingale seemed accustomed to all this. He showed no emotion as he silently placed the essence core into his bag. "This is their essence," he said calmly. "These human experiments were once intended to fuse the power of humans and plants, creating a 'perfect' organism. The existence of such a life form is beyond our comprehension. Their hearts were once true human hearts, but they were forcibly transformed into the power cores and essence cores of plants, losing all their will."
I remember the memories of my life, but I have forgotten that I am a human being.
I stared at him in silence, my heart filled with questions: "What about the 'people' they once were? Aren't they worth saving?"
Nightingale slowly turned and looked at me with a complicated expression. "Perhaps they were once sacrificed as part of this experiment, but they are no longer human. Now, they have long been consumed and controlled by the power of plants. You could say that their bodies retain their human form, but their souls have long been lost. Their souls have become power itself, and they are no longer the humans they once were."
There was a hint of indifference in his tone, but I could sense the conflict within him. After all, who wouldn't feel a sense of unease and grief when faced with such an experiment?
I stared at the luminous green core, anger and helplessness swirling in my heart, forming an indescribable emotion. "Do they really have no choice?" I murmured.
Nightingale shook her head slightly. "Sometimes, fate is not in our control. The experiment is directed by the higher-ups, and we can only be a part of it. Whether we like it or not, this is the truth."
That statement left me somewhat bewildered. I knew what Nightingale said was true, though despairing, but it was reality. In the pursuit of power, humans often relentlessly pursue it, and those sacrificed individuals ultimately become monsters in our eyes, creatures from which there is no return.
I gazed at the essence core once more, my heart swirling with emotion. I didn't know if we could truly change this, if we could find a way to liberate everyone. But I knew my mission wasn't just about fighting. At least this time, it wasn't just about fighting.
To understand the stories behind these sacrifices, to find the answers. To find that person.
Nightingale seemed to sense my deep thoughts and whispered, "Don't be too sad. The rules of this world are no longer under our control." He turned and looked around, as if searching for his next move. "We still have a mission to complete."
I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Yes, the mission." My voice calmed. Though my heart was still turbulent, I knew that this situation wouldn't be thwarted by my emotions. We had come this far, and we had to keep moving forward.
And all of this, to some extent, is already a thing of the past.
The most we can touch are the present and the future. As for the past, it is indeed beyond our reach.
Nightingale nodded and put the sperm core away, a hint of vigilance in her eyes. "This is only part of it. Next, we have to face greater challenges."
I looked at him, knowing full well that his words weren't just empty threats. This world is far more complex than we imagine, and I'm already deeply entangled in it, unable to extricate myself.
"Let's go." I whispered, taking a step forward, ready to go deeper into this unknown darkness.
Nightingale's gaze was calm and sharp, his brow furrowed slightly, seemingly undeterred by the discovery of the sperm nucleus. Clearly, while we've found important clues within this bizarre half-tree, half-human form, that's not our ultimate goal. That person—or rather, that being corrupted by plant power—is not our target for this experiment.
"It's not the experimenter we're looking for," Nightingale said in a low voice, as if pondering something important. "But its existence demonstrates the extent of this experiment—their plans have long surpassed the imagination of ordinary people." He paused, turned, and looked around. The twisting and twisting tree roots were like endless tentacles, swaying slightly with the flow of air, as if warning us not to act rashly.
I nodded, my eyes fixed on the half-man, half-tree monster, a deep confusion welling up in my heart. This body was clearly no longer human, yet it still possessed human memories, appearance, and even emotions. Perhaps these experimenters were once human like us, their bodies transformed, their souls devoured, and ultimately transformed into this hybrid, lost in the endless power of plants.
"Keep searching," I whispered, a hint of determination in my voice.
Nightingale said nothing more. He took a step forward and led me deeper into the dilapidated experimental base. The air was filled with the smell of decay, and the silence was filled only by the whisper of tree roots and the echo of our footsteps. The abandoned equipment and instruments continued to run tirelessly, as if time had stopped here, and only we continued to travel through this rift in time and space.
We searched for a long time, the entire laboratory complex and confusing. Aside from the half-man, half-tree figure, we found no further clues. The lab was filled with strange equipment, with abandoned reagent bottles, documents, and fragments of data scattered across the floor. The air was thick with a pungent chemical odor, and with every step, I could sense some hidden danger.
Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of light from the corner of my eye. I was instantly alert, my eyes fixed on the faint glow. It was an indicator light on a device's control panel, flickering faintly, like some kind of signal.
"Nightingale, come and see." I whispered.
Nightingale walked over quickly, his eyes fixed on the flickering light. He paused for a moment, reached out and pressed a hidden button. The screen on the control panel instantly lit up, showing a damaged video.
The figure in the video was blurry, but it was clear that it was a figure in a lab coat. The video was unstable, the frame shaking constantly, but we could still see the man's face. He seemed to be having a final conversation with a system, his tone hurried and nervous.
"The project has failed... It cannot continue... It must be stopped..." The man in the image spoke incoherently, his voice filled with fear, "They... They have changed my body... No... I am not the person I want to be..."
Nightingale frowned and continued to stare at the figure on the screen. "This must be the experimenter we're looking for. It seems he was once one of the subjects, but he seems unwilling to accept this result."
I was startled, recalling the experimental data and the half-tree, half-human monster I'd seen earlier. Those changes were clearly not the subject's will. And the content of this video gave me a deep sense of crisis.
"He should be the last survivor, or... he is still here." I whispered, my eyes fixed on the figure on the screen.
Nightingale said nothing, merely nodded. His eyes revealed an indescribable complexity. Perhaps he had long understood the horror of the experiment, the fate of the victims, perhaps even a premonition, yet this feeling of powerlessness could never be completely soothed.
"Let's continue." Nightingale finally said calmly, with a determined glint in his eyes. "He's right here."
I took a deep breath and followed Nightingale's steps, continuing to search this strangely auraed experimental base. Every corner, every laboratory, could be hiding our target.
The chase between hunter and prey is far from over.
Each step feels heavy, as if treading upon an endless abyss of darkness. Our footsteps echo in the silence, yet deep within us we feel an inexplicable urge to turn and leave. With each step forward, the truth draws ever closer, yet it's a truth we dare not face. It's like a time bomb poised to explode at any moment, a deep black hole swallowing up all light and hope.
Finally, we arrived at the tree. It was the tree I had seen in my dream, a massive, ancient tree, its roots tangled between the ground and the air, its branches entwined and twisted, like the interweaving and accumulation of countless lives. But now, it was dying, lifeless and silent. The air around it seemed frozen, time stagnant.
It stood there, perhaps no longer a tree, perhaps no longer a person. The tree that once symbolized life, strength, and hope was now nothing more than a withered trunk, as if all its vitality had been drained away by some invisible force. It lacked any aggression, any human emotion, or even the slightest response to the outside world.
"Is it...really dead?" My voice was almost inaudible.
Nightingale stood beside me, gazing at the tree. His expression showed neither surprise nor sadness, as if he had long since grown accustomed to this loss and ending. However, as we approached, the oppressive feeling in the air grew stronger, as if the space around us were shrinking bit by bit.
"It... was once human," Nightingale said in a low voice. "At least, in a sense, it was. It, or rather its former 'human' self, was perhaps one of the core figures in these experiments. Now it... is no longer human, nor is it completely a plant. It is merely a wreckage ravaged by experimentation and power." He paused, lowering his head. "The dreams and aspirations of the past have ultimately been devoured."
I stared at the tree in silence, the endless emptiness nearly suffocating me. It might once have been a human, filled with dreams and aspirations, aspiring to create some great miracle. However, the shadow of the experiment and unknown forces had long since shattered those aspirations. The once-beating human heart had long since become nothing more than a withered root system and trunk.
"This is the end of it," Nightingale whispered. "The experiment failed. The combination of human body and plants cannot transcend the laws of nature. In the end, everything will collapse."
I closed my eyes, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. The tree before us seemed more than just the result of a failed experiment; it symbolized the tragedy behind all experiments—the lives toyed with by human and plant forces, ultimately returning to dust.
We stood there, speechless. The air was filled with an indescribable heaviness and oppression, as if everything had stopped at that moment. We could almost hear the tree breathing. Although it no longer uttered a sound, its silent pain was conveyed through every withered leaf.
"We should go." Nightingale's voice suddenly broke the silence. He turned around, his steps light but full of determination. "We have other things to do."
I nodded, a complex mix of emotions filling my heart. The truth of this laboratory remains untold, and what I see before me seems only the tip of the iceberg. That tree, that once human body, is but one part of a tragedies of its own. The experiments aren't over yet, and perhaps even more unknown forces are stirring behind the scenes.
We left the area shrouded in decay and death. Nightingale said nothing more, but I knew this long and heavy chase was far from over.
"Let's go." Nightingale looked back at me, a hint of unpredictable emotion in her eyes. "This road is destined to be longer than we imagined."