Book 4 Chapter 17.7 - Country
"What is the current state of Frozen Throne? Why are you no longer at the research base, and instead choosing to stay here? I do not believe that the research base failed to withstand the nuclear explosions?" Su asked two crucial questions.
"The underground research base can stop an endless barrage of nuclear warhead bombardment, let alone the fact that in the war, our area wasn't even directly hit by any. Only, because the nuclear explosions destroyed all roads that led to the outside world, with radiation sealing up the mountains and great sea, this region was sealed up. Even several months after the nuclear warfare ended, the project was still continuing as normal. I sent out three troops to try and contact the outside world, see if they can learn anything, but not a single one was able to bring back the slightest bit of information. At this moment, the base's emergency alert appeared, stating that there wasn't much water left, and the amount of food stockpiled would only be enough to last another month. Fortunately, aside from a select few, the other researchers knew nothing about what was happening, so they only continued to work."
"What about the energy source?" Madeline asked.
"There are two underground nuclear power plants that supplied the entire base with energy. Because experiments often exhausted large amounts of electricity, the amount of fuel we had was enough to last us five hundred years." Conier explained.
"Then why would you choose to stay here? This is definitely not like the base where a project like Frozen Throne can be carried out." Su spoke with a rare humorous tone, but he discovered that his words were a bit cold.
Conier released a deep sigh, the wrinkles on his face seemingly deepening. He slowly said, "Danger happened unwittingly. At the very beginning, only a few researchers suddenly fell ill. The common symptoms were fever and weakness, but I didn't pay it too much attention, because at the time, the federation's best doctor was in that base, and many of those biochemical researchers were medical experts themselves. However, after a few days had passed, the ones that had fallen ill didn't show the slightest sign of improving, and another dozen or so people collapsed. The patients all had similar symptoms, but the doctors were helpless in the face of this crisis, to the extent where they couldn't even find the root of this illness! Just like that, more and more people fell sick, and on the third week, a third of the base had fallen sick. Isolation, sterilizing, closed ventilation, all measures that could be thought of were used. However, there was still no way to control the spread of this epidemic, so more and more people fell victim, yet we still couldn't find the source of this illness. This continued until one day, the computer's automatic microscope unintentionally recorded an unbelievable recording of a blood specimen!"
Conier's face was full of shock and horror. It was quite clear that his mind was now completely immersed in this terrifying memory. "That was originally the most ordinary blood cell, but then one cell suddenly split into several dozen atypical cells, and then these new cells moved with speeds hundred times that of ordinary creature cells, located the normal blood cells around it, and then began to devour them! What was the most inconceivable was that the speed at which they devoured normal cells that were several tens of times larger than themselves was less than a minute! After devouring the prey, they changed again, becoming no different from an ordinary blood cell. Unless one used the most advanced large scale genetic sensor, there was no way of detecting that they had already become another type of cell. Meanwhile, this process would repeat once every hour or so. This was to say, those researchers that collapsed several days ago, their bodies were full of abnormal cells. They… had already turned into a different organism!"
A word suddenly appeared in Su's mind: intruder cell? A trace of undetectable whiteness flashed past his face.
"Towards an unknown threat, the first reaction of humans should be to immediately eradicate it." Madeline calmly commentated.
Conier didn't notice the strangeness with Su. He nodded in agreement to Madeline's opinion and said, "That's correct. Back then, we decided to release poison gas through the ventilation system. Those patients, had, in reality, already become another species. Their drowsiness and weakness were only feigned. However, the moment the staff members were about to carry out my order, those… individuals, I don't know how they were able to sense danger, suddenly leapt up, moreover rushing out from the isolation area!"
The research base immediately became hell. These individuals who were originally patients suddenly developed inconceivable speed and beast like strength, easily tearing apart the few guards and then sweeping through the entire underground base.
Conier escaped through a secret passage, and fortunately, those abnormal creatures who were previously human never left the base. For some unknown reason, those abnormal creatures never traveled more than a kilometer from the research base.
Aside from the underground base' research and staff members, within the underground city lived several tens of thousands of soldiers, service personnel, as well as the staff members' family. Half of them passed away from the radiation and cold brought by the war, while the remaining half managed to tenaciously survive. Conier wasn't the only one that fled from the research base, because the survivors of the underground base all knew that great changes were taking place within the base, so they all began to scatter out in escape.
Several decades quickly passed.
Those that survived quickly underwent a mutation and evolutionary process, gradually adapting to their new environment. They established various inhabited areas, and they discovered new crops they could use as food. Smaller scale water treatment technology was gradually developed, because this place was close to the mountains after all, so there were large amounts of underground water resources with only trace amounts of radiation. With the issues of water and food solved, population naturally increased as well.
Meanwhile, the abnormal creatures that occupied the underground base began to display outstanding intelligence as well. They brought out the medicine and other goods stored within the base to exchange with nearby inhabited areas for food. Later on, those abnormal creatures even began to sell electricity! Regardless, the electricity those two nuclear power plants produced was far greater than what the base normally needed.
One had to admit that humans were great at adapting. When faced with truly intelligent species, they didn't obstinately hold on to their 'ruler of the world' attitude. A group of intelligent and daring individuals obtained the abnormal creatures' trust, and through trading with the abnormal creatures in the research base, acquired wealth. Then, from their monopoly of this trade, as well as the accumulated wealth, they quickly established a powerful military. Those people became this region's greatest power, as well as the agents of the abnormal creatures on the surface.
These people called themselves Greyhawks.
Conier wandered about for an entire year, but he couldn't find a path that allowed him to leave this country, and as such, he occupied this abandoned military radar station, concealed his identity, and then continued his research. He wasn't willing to, nor did he dare approach the research base, and so just like that, he continued to live here all this time.
When this long and heavy narration ended, the sky had already brightened.
"If you two want to obtain that organ, then you have to find the 'Ruler'. When he said the word ruler, Conier was clearly struggling and hesitant.
"Ruler?" This word gave Su an extremely uncomfortable feeling.
Conier buried his face deeply in his hands, and with a trembling voice, said, "Correct, Ruler. For the sake of researching that organ, Rochester used a human body to store that organ. The code name of this vessel was Ruler. If you all wish to obtain the organ, then you must find Ruler, and kill it. Promise me, young ones, that you will find Ruler and then kill it, free it! After all, it… used to be my own… son!"