Chapter 26: All Returning to One?
The afternoon sun filtered through the briefing room window, broken into mottled shafts of gold by the lattice outside.
Eileen was holding a crystal panel in both hands, her expression bright with rare delight.
"Have you all seen the Empire's official statement? It says the joint operation between the General Administration of Mysteries and the Ministry of Magic rescued hundreds of Hybrids from the Black Bone Family. They've already been transferred to temporary shelters and will soon begin new lives."
She turned the crystal panel slightly so the others could see the image attached to the release.
In the picture, several Hybrid children sat in a clean room, wrapped in fresh blankets. Their smiles were faint, cautious, almost disbelieving, but they were there.
Baron, who was nearby testing the weight of his new shield, did not even bother looking up.
"Hmph. That's the propaganda office doing what it does best. They only show the clean part of the story," he said. "Properly settled? I'd be shocked if even a third of them actually become free citizens. The rest will probably be shipped to mines or repackaged as 'long term research assistants' for one institute or another."
Loyi, as usual, spoke in the calm tone of someone dissecting a specimen rather than a tragedy.
"From a governance perspective, their approach is understandable. Releasing a large number of traumatized Hybrids into society without screening or evaluation would create risks. The issue is not the process itself. The issue is that the people in power also decide what 'properly settled' means."
Hodell's eyes twitched.
The news should have been reassuring. Instead, it left behind the familiar bitter taste he had known ever since arriving in this world. In the Erhai School, Hybrids were experimental material. In the Black Bone Family, they were fuel. Once the uniforms changed, the language changed with them, but the people inside the cages rarely seemed to matter.
Eileen's smile faded as well. She looked over at Hodell, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since reading the report.
"Ryan, are you going to rest this afternoon? You still look exhausted."
He came back to himself and offered her a mild smile.
"No. I'm going to the archives."
That answer caught the room off guard.
"The archives?" Baron finally looked up. "You just crawled out of a battlefield and you want to go bury yourself in dusty files? That's not diligence, that's a personality defect."
Hodell had already prepared his excuse.
"There were too many things in that mission I didn't understand. Black Bone's experiments. The Hybrids. The teleportation array." He kept his tone calm and matter of fact. "I want to fill in the gaps."
What he really wanted was to search for more Superpower System knowledge, but that explanation would have been somewhat harder to sell.
Kyle gave him an approving glance.
"That's a good habit. Curiosity keeps people alive longer than arrogance does. Go, but don't overdo it."
Loyi added, "If you find any references related to energy instability or hybridized ritual structures, bring them back. I've been building a separate file."
"Got it," Hodell said, then left the room.
…
A while later, he let out a quiet sigh in front of a shelf.
"Nothing."
Everything tied to the Esper System was basic level knowledge he had already learned. It was disappointing, but not surprising. Liuli Star's mainstream path was still magic. Advanced knowledge from another system was never going to be sitting on a public shelf waiting to be borrowed like a gardening manual.
Since he was already there, he simply kept reading.
If nothing else, the archives were useful for one thing. They revealed the shape of the world behind the official slogans.
He had been flipping through a thick volume titled Compendium of Major Ethical Review Cases in Imperial Magical Research [Last Fifty Years] when a familiar name suddenly appeared in the index.
Reed.
Hodell straightened and turned the pages at once.
The portrait showed a much younger version of the man he knew. He was pale and gaunt even then, his eyes fixed forward with the obsessive intensity of a scholar who had long since stopped differentiating between curiosity and worship.
The text beneath it read:
[Reed, former Chief Researcher of the Seventh Research Institute of the General Administration of Mysteries. A recognized genius in Gene Lineage Studies and Life Energy Theory. Former lead researcher of the Bloodline Origin Project, with major results in the study of Hybrid genetic traits.]
[Later resigned in Star Sea Calendar 678 after repeated conflict with the General Administration's ethical restrictions, publicly stating that "rigid moral dogma suffocates the possibility of touching the truth of life." Current whereabouts unknown.]
[Note: Portions of his unpublished work have been classified as restricted knowledge.]
Gene lineage. Life energy. Hybrid traits. Ethical conflict.
It fit too neatly.
Hodell kept reading, then turned back to the index.
Another name appeared a few pages later.
Xavier Moore.
This entry was longer, colder, and carried the unmistakable tone of an institution trying to erase a man while still being unable to deny that he had once mattered.
[Xavier Moore, former youngest tenured professor in the history of the Imperial Central Magic Academy. Great Mage. Founder of the theoretical hypothesis known as the Law of All Returning to One.]
[Core theory summary: All currently separated power systems, including the Magic System, Mechanical System, Esper System, Pugilist System, and Psychic System, are in fact divergent external manifestations of a single underlying source.]
[Moore argued that by analyzing the fundamental structure of life through what he termed Life Source Code and identifying the key capable of resonating with original source energy, it would be possible to break the barriers between systems, achieve true convergence, and ultimately promote the ultimate evolution of intelligent life.]
[Subsequent review: This theory was judged to be in fundamental conflict with the established foundations of contemporary power studies. Its proposed research direction involved extensive lifeform restructuring and genetic resequencing, and was deemed ethically prohibited. The Imperial Academic Committee, together with the General Administration of Mysteries and the Ministry of Magic, jointly ruled that the theory contained "serious directional error" and that its associated methodologies "grossly violated the code of research ethics."]
[Moore was stripped of all honors, expelled from the Empire's core academic circles, and his research materials sealed. Current whereabouts unknown.]
[Danger classification: Extreme. Any unauthorized continuation of Moore related research is illegal.]
Hodell slowly closed the book and leaned against the cold metal shelf behind him.
The five power systems.
In The Legendary Mechanic, even the late story had never fully settled the question of where they truly began. There were only scattered hints, old legends, and interpretations grand enough to sound almost religious.
And here, on a surface civilization barely peeking into the greater universe, Xavier Moore had tried to force that mystery open with a knife and call it science.
He almost laughed.
Not because the man was wrong.
Because the man had been insane enough to try.
Reed and Xavier.
One was the zealot who abandoned ethics for knowledge. The other was the visionary who wanted to smash all walls and call the rubble dawn. Put together, it was not difficult to imagine how the Erhai School had been born.
The so called New Human project was not just about strengthening bodies or surpassing limits. It was a complete theory of civilization, grotesque but internally consistent, with its own logic, its own faith, and enough cruelty to keep moving forward no matter how many bodies it had to step over.
Simple evil was easier to deal with.
A monster with a doctrine was much harder to kill.
The archive lights shone down in pale strips, making the room feel colder than before.
…
That night, he went to bed with his head still full of Reed, Xavier, and the maddening elegance of a theory that might have taken root in the wrong hands.
Sleep came slowly.
Then came the knock.
Knock, knock-knock.
Hodell's eyes opened at once.
The rhythm was familiar now.
He got up, crossed the room in silence, and opened the door.
Lamia stood outside, still dressed in the oversized Logistics uniform that swallowed her frame and made her look smaller than she was. Her head was lowered. Her fingers were clasped in front of her like a timid clerk who hated speaking above a whisper.
"Specialist Ryan…" she said softly. "I'm sorry for disturbing you so late. There are some details in the previous report that need further confirmation."
Hodell stared at her for half a second.
Then he stepped aside.
"Come in."
She slipped inside quickly, closed the door, and the soundproofing array activated.
The change in her bearing was immediate.
Her shoulders straightened. The shrinking, hesitant air disappeared. When she spoke again, her voice was still quiet, but no longer weak.
"You still haven't relaxed your guard. Good."
Hodell remained by the window, looking out over the warped silhouette of Oluson's buildings.
"What does the organization want now?"
"Your request was approved."
That pulled his attention back to her.
She continued.
"The higher ups have agreed to give you advanced Esper System knowledge. But first, you need to prove your value again."
Of course.
There was always another collar hidden behind the carrot.
Lamia stepped closer, her face half lit by the starlight.
"The General Administration recovered an encrypted shipment list from Black Bone. It points to an intermediary known only by the codename Phantom."
She paused.
"The organization requires you to take the initiative in pursuing this target. During the arrest or kill operation, there is one object on his person that must return to us. The key."
A prompt flashed across his vision.
[You have triggered E rank mission: Phantom]
[Mission Hint: Phantom is a courier of dangerous goods and unexpected trouble. The Erhai School wants the key he carries.]
[Mission Requirement: Capture or kill Phantom and retrieve the key]
[Mission Reward: 20,000 EXP, one piece of advanced Esper System knowledge]
[Special Reward: Character Summon Card Phantom]
Hodell turned fully toward her.
"You want me to hand over something valuable to the organization and present the rest to the officials as my contribution."
"The only way to gain advanced knowledge is through exchange," Lamia said. "As for Phantom himself, alive or dead makes no difference."
Then she took out another gene specialization potion and placed it in his hand.
"Take your medicine on time. This mission is your proof."
Once she had said that, the old performance returned. Her shoulders lowered. Her eyes softened. By the time she reached the door, she was once more the nervous Logistics woman who looked as if she might apologize for breathing too loudly.
"Sorry for disturbing your rest," she whispered, and left.
The door shut softly behind her.
Hodell looked down at the potion, then at the night beyond the window.
The donkey and the carrot. Ancient management wisdom. Truly timeless.
He yawned.
…
The next morning, the team room was closer to a lounge than a command post.
Baron had one arm over his eyes, half asleep in his chair. Eileen and Loyi were playing a slow game over a crystal board. Sasha sat in the corner maintaining her weapons in silence. Kyle was reading through a stack of reports.
Hodell stepped in.
"Captain."
Kyle looked up immediately. He had a way of becoming alert in a single motion, like a man whose rest was always temporary.
Hodell did not bother circling around the point.
"I want to take the Phantom pursuit mission."
The room went still.
Even Baron moved his arm and opened one eye.
Kyle set the report down.
"You know that file just went up this morning. We've barely had time to breathe since Black Bone. There's no reason to rush this."
"There is for me," Hodell said.
That much was true, even if not for the reasons they thought.
He took another step in.
"If Phantom really supplied Soul Dust to Black Bone, then he is tied directly to everything we just uncovered. The experiments. The Hybrids. The outside channels Black Bone used to keep operating. If we leave him for someone else, we might lose the thread."
His tone sharpened very slightly.
"I don't want to let that happen."
It was a good performance because it was built on something real. He did want Phantom. Just not only for justice.
Baron snorted and pushed himself upright.
"If he's going, I'm going. I still owe him."
Eileen sighed, but nodded.
"I understand why he wants it. And if Ryan goes, he shouldn't go alone."
Loyi tapped a piece on the board, then said, "A coordinated team has a better chance of success than a single operative. That should not even be a debate."
Sasha said nothing, but she gave one short nod.
Kyle looked from one face to another, then back to Hodell.
After a few seconds, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"So much for rest."
He stood.
"Fine. Third Action Team accepts the Phantom pursuit mission."
Hodell felt a flicker of guilt he had not expected.
They had just survived one disaster. Now they were volunteering for another because of him.
Or perhaps because that was simply what they were.
Kyle began assigning priorities, but for a brief second Hodell had the uncomfortable thought that these people trusted him more than they should.
…
The wind chasing skiff waited for them at the launch platform, sleek and lean under the sun.
Even at rest, it looked fast.
Its hull was built from layered materials that shimmered with subtle runic grain. The lift array beneath it hummed at a pitch low enough to be felt more than heard. The fins at the rear were folded in, like a predator not yet interested in showing its teeth.
Hodell studied it with the same fascination he would once have reserved for a battleship or an advanced piece of machinery.
A vehicle on Liuli Star.
A spell formation in the shape of a blade.
The system tagged it automatically.
[Wind Chasing Skiff Streamlined Variant]
[Type: Transportation]
[Quality: Dark Green]
[Armor: 3600]
[Defense: 184]
[Power Level: 5637]
[Max Speed: 2802 km/h]
[Energy: 4480/4800]
[Control Method: Magic induction helm, programmed auto navigation]
[Core Features: Anti gravity array, overload wind guidance array, silence barrier, phase shift generator, emergency wind ring]
[Note: Speed is existence. Everything else is the price.]
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 10–50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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