novelraw Chapter 602: It's Called Science
Chapter 602: It's Called Science
"A systematic body of knowledge."
"Hmm... I like that definition. There are always fools who confuse science with the church's silver relics and holy water for warding off demons," Albert grumbled without pause.
"How did you make sure it was humans who heard the broadcast?" Lu Li asked calmly. Without a view of the inverted city, it was impossible to determine if the person before them was a human or an anomaly.
"Question time is over, children. Now, listen to me," Albert cut Lu Li off, lifting a device from the table. It was the size of an adult's fist, with exposed gears and wires, looking like two identical contraptions fused together. "A prototype Anomaly Detector. Everyone knows that different evil spirits emit unique electromagnetic frequencies. You don't? Never mind, just remember the term."
Anna looked at Lu Li questioningly.
"Think of it as the unique signature left by different evil spirits," Lu Li explained.
Hearing this, Albert paused. "This device picks up the frequencies of certain evil spirits. When they get close, it sends out a signal. But this model is crude—it only reacts to the most powerful frequencies. I recorded the frequencies of the Shadow Stealing Fire and the Visible Song on two separate radios, took them apart, and reassembled them into one. When the Shadow Stealing Fire or the Visible Song approaches, the detector plays their 'lovely' frequencies. By the way, it also functions as a regular radio."
"So the frequency is the key? Could any two radios do the job?" Anna cut through the complex explanation to the core of the matter.
"Uh... correct. But 'one' sounds simpler than 'many'," Albert replied.
"What do you want? For us to help you finish it?" Lu Li asked."No, no. I've built the trunk of this tree, but I don't have the time to grow its branches or paint its leaves. Others will have to do that." Albert disconnected the wires from the prototype and placed the device in Lu Li's palm. "Take this outside. Give it to the Exorcist Association. My successors will perfect it. This will become one of the most important tools for human survival."
"You can come with us," Lu Li offered. A scientist always deserved respect.
"It's too late." Albert pulled aside his white coat, revealing a hollow abdominal cavity. There wasn't a single drop of blood. He let the coat fall back into place, speaking calmly. "The shadow of death fell upon me long ago."
His internal organs were missing... With an injury that severe, Albert could die at any moment. It was a wonder he was still breathing.
Lu Li fell silent. Anna asked, "Where do we find the Exorcist Association?"
"In the hollow of a large ficus tree in the village of Tuka."
Tuka was one of the towns surrounding Ellen Royal City, about twenty kilometers away.
"Do you know what 'four o'clock' meant in the radio broadcast?" Anna asked, recalling the message they had missed.
"You don't know anything?" Albert looked from Lu Li to Anna in bewilderment.
"When Paradise descended, we were outside the city."
Albert had no desire to waste his final moments on questions, but Lu Li's words changed his mind. He decided Lu Li must have entered Paradise to save people. "They were warning the survivors in the city to be in the Fifth Hour District by five o'clock. The exorcists from the united organizations will conduct one final evacuation before dawn."
He glanced at an alarm clock. "You have less than an hour and a half."
The Fifth Hour District—the same one they had used to enter the city.
"What happens if we don't make it?" Anna asked urgently. Time was running short. They needed to return to the clothing store immediately, gather the survivors, and somehow make it to the district in under ninety minutes without running into any trouble.
"That's too foolish a question to answer," Albert retorted, his face twisting into an expression of pure disgust, like a petulant child's.
"Was the Exorcist Council a trap from the very beginning?" Lu Li asked unexpectedly.
Albert froze. The disgust on his face intensified, but he answered grudgingly. "My time is running out, so listen closely. Yes. The Exorcist Council was a total lie from the very beginning."
"Why would they do that?"
"Not 'they,' but 'we'," the scientist corrected, refusing to separate himself out of a sense of scientific integrity. "Even a will stronger than stone cannot withstand the gaze of beings whose might rivals the countless stars. The mere mention of their names is enough to drive a person mad. The most terrifying part is that they aren't mindless. We can't even begin to comprehend their essence in our terms, so we can only call them... the Nameless Ones."
"Fortunately, their gazes are turned toward billions of other worlds. Our tiny planet holds no interest for them. They merely glanced our way for a billionth of a second as they passed by, and it was enough for their servants—and their servants' servants—to invade our world. That's why we must, like Hyena King I, show our submission and prove we are harmless."
"So it was a trap," Lu Li murmured, realizing the cruel and cold calculation behind the 'sham council.'
It was as if vicious bandits had attacked a town, and in order to save anyone at all, the elder had gathered the majority of the residents to be slaughtered, secretly hiding just a handful in cellars until the satiated murderers departed.
And if he connected this to Project Fire...
The three great organizations had been acting out of sheer desperation from the start.
"But they did leave a path to life. Any exorcist clever enough would have sensed the trap and avoided it. Only the foolish..." Albert suddenly glanced at Lu Li, then corrected himself. "...and the good, would walk in, even knowing it was a trap."
Lu Li, however, was a mixture of all three: he had entered out of foolishness, escaped with his wits, and returned out of kindness.
Anna's eyes narrowed, an icy glint filling them. Her aura flared, barely contained. She couldn't bear the thought of Lu Li being put in danger because of their trap.
"What about the residents of the city?" Lu Li asked.
"Sometimes... there is no other choice," Albert's voice wavered, though he was not the architect of the plan.
"My time is almost up. You can leave now."
"And you?" Lu Li asked.
"Someone has to bear the guilt. It's an insignificant price for me to pay," Albert murmured. "Don't worry, I won't act until after you've left. But... would you do me a favor?"
Albert stated his final request and walked over to the table.
"You're going to make us remember?" Lu Li asked suddenly.
Albert smiled back. "It seems you're not entirely ignorant. Of course, you will remember. Just... in a different form. I only believe in the truth."