Time always passes quickly.
With the Inquisition's production capability, creating the directional radiation device was not difficult in itself. But for Rebecca and Shirley, there were far more things to worry about.
"Big Uncle… should we wait a little longer? Maybe we should hold off until everyone is cured before we… activate it?"
Shirley asked timidly as she looked at Duanmu Huai.
They had already run a series of tests on the directional radiation system. The results proved that as long as a living organism wasn't infected with Imulsion, exposure to this radiation would cause no real harm—at worst, it was like having several extra X-rays in one day.
But for organisms infected with Imulsion, it was completely different.
Their bodies would collapse entirely, and crumble into ash.
The directional radiation device affected infected organisms so dramatically that the two couldn't help feeling uneasy. Unlike the vaccines in Resident Evil, which suppress viral infection and allow recovery, this system simply kills the infected outright.
"No need to wait."
Duanmu Huai stared at the monitor, shaking his head.
"Remember this—even gods cannot save everyone. 'Everyone' is a false proposition. You two should know this already. It's the same with the T-virus. Some can be saved, some can only die. You might save some people in a short time, or save more over a long time. But you will never save all of them. The so-called 'perfect' solution is a false ideal, and perfection itself is poison."
He frowned slightly.
"There is no such thing as flawless success in this world. Every victory carries regret. War destroys enemies, yes—but it also leaves people who will never see their loved ones again. That is reality. Humanity must walk through pain in order to move forward, not sink into fantasies of perfection and utopia—because no true paradise exists in this cruel world. And yet, humans still march on, living for their dreams."
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai raised his hand.
"Activate the directional radiation system."
"Okayyy~~♪"
Sitting at the control console, Mia answered in her usual feather-light, lazy tone—so casual it almost sounded like she was announcing the opening of a gala. Then the artificial angel pressed the button.
The next moment, a white beam blasted out of the warship, firing directly at the planet below.
The radiant waves glittered as they spread outward—expanding like ripples on a pond, wider and wider, flowing across the entire planet from the outside in.
The white radiation wave swept through every human, every creature, every plant, and every piece of land. Most people simply stood there, dazed, staring up at the giant beam descending from the sky.
But those infected with Imulsion were instantly undone. Their bodies shattered within moments, turning into pale ash that scattered into the wind, disappearing from the world forever.
Soon, Astral Soldiers all across the planet sent back reports—every trace of Imulsion, and every mutated Lambent creature infected by it, had been completely destroyed under the radiation.
"With that, this chapter is finished."
"So… does that mean this world is safe now?"
"Of course not."
Duanmu Huai gave a bitter laugh at Anne's curious question.
"In fact, what they must face next is the real problem."
"Eh???"
The girls stared in confusion.
"But… Knight-sir, the Beastmen are gone, and the Imulsion infection is solved. What else is left??"
Lorelai blinked, puzzled.
Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes.
"It's simple—an energy crisis."
"Energy…"
"…crisis??"
Anne, Gureya, Falin, Lorelai and the others all wore baffled expressions.
But Rebecca, Shirley, and Ranni either nodded in understanding or fell deep into thought.
No surprise there—Anne and Lorelai lived in worlds where "energy" as a concept barely existed. For them, lighting came from candles or magic. In winter they chopped firewood for heat; in summer they cooked with firewood too. And even magic devices, once drained of magic, simply stopped working—an inconvenience, sure, but hardly something that could collapse a civilization.
So how could that become an "energy crisis"? The girls had no idea.
Anne, despite studying STEM engineering, was also confused. Even with the commercial district she was supervising in Manaria nearing completion, the idea of an "energy crisis" was still totally foreign—because her world had not progressed to this stage.
But Duanmu Huai was completely correct.
The radiation had killed all Imulsion—meaning Imulsion energy was gone too.
And now, this world had absolutely zero usable energy reserves.
From here on, they would either return to a medieval level—cutting wood and mining coal—or reinvent renewable energy systems: wind, hydro, solar. As for petroleum or nuclear? Forget it. The raw materials had long been exhausted.
And since nearly all of this world's technology had been converted to run on Imulsion, that meant…
All of their machines were now junk.
Without Imulsion, every one of them became scrap metal.
Let them figure out their own future from here.
With that thought, Duanmu Huai pulled up his system interface.
[Hidden Mission "Survival and Destruction" — Complete]
[Mission Rating: Unremarkable]
[To humanity, the end of one hardship is merely the beginning of another. Yet humanity continues forward.]
[Reward: Random Loot Box ×1]
The rating wasn't great—likely because Duanmu Huai hadn't discovered the Imulsion threat early enough, only acting after it evolved into a plague.
By Inquisition standards, his performance was only mediocre. An Inquisitor was supposed to detect any threat to humanity early and uproot it entirely. Duanmu Huai hadn't realized Imulsion itself was dangerous—and acting too late naturally lowered the score.
By the Inquisition's logic, once a dangerous sign is seen, it must be burned out immediately.
If someone is preaching heresy, you hang them right away—not after they've built up a cult.
Still, while the mission rating was average, Duanmu Huai considered the operation a perfect training run. The Astral Soldiers gained experience in ground-force joint operations and even got rare practice fighting inside a giant creature. Next up, he needed to raise them to the next tier—by letting them experience a full interstellar war firsthand.
Fortunately, this time he didn't need to search. Duanmu Huai had already located a suitable civilization—one advanced enough for space warfare, but not so advanced as to rival Chaos forces. Perfect for training the Astral Soldiers in space combat.
But before that, there were a few matters to settle.
"Well done, Miss Rebecca, Shirley."
Duanmu Huai nodded to the two women.
"Our cooperation ends here. What are your plans now?"
"Big Uncle, what are YOU going to do next??"
Shirley asked, eyes sparkling.
Duanmu Huai thought for a moment.
"We'll be heading to another battlefield to help humanity repel alien invaders. Just like I said—the Inquisition exists to protect humanity and eliminate all threats to it."
"Alien invaders!!"
Shirley's eyes practically glowed. She had grown up watching movies like that, so of course she was excited.
"Big Uncle, I want to join the Inquisition too! Can I??"
"You?"
Duanmu Huai considered it.
The Inquisition did lack a biologist. Shirley might not be a gearhead, but given her background, her purity and loyalty were something Duanmu Huai could trust.
"Of course. But this isn't simple. As a member of the Inquisition, you must obey every order—even ones that seem unreasonable. This is not easy. Many times, we must eradicate the source of corruption by killing tens of thousands of innocents. Can you accept that?"
"U-uh… that…"
Shirley hesitated instantly.
"I… I'm not sure…"
"Good."
Duanmu Huai smiled.
"You pass."
"Eh??"
Shirley stared, stunned.
Duanmu Huai reached out and patted her head.
"This was part of the test. Yes, the Inquisition sometimes accepts sacrifice. But sacrifice is not something to be used casually. Those who constantly say 'there's no choice, this is necessary for a brighter future' are already halfway into the abyss."
He snorted. As a player, he had met countless villains in Starsea Online who justified horrors as "necessary sacrifices for the greater good."
Players debated endlessly:
Do the ends justify the means?
Or must morality constrain the means, even for good goals?
Some players insisted that procedural justice must come before results—humanity is defined by morality and compassion.
Others said humanity survived through ruthlessness and pragmatism—ancient people didn't fight saber-toothed tigers "fairly," after all.
A third group took the middle road—flexible moral boundaries, walking the gray zone.
They debated forever, never reaching consensus.
That was why Starsea Online became a legendary game in Duanmu Huai's world—its freedom, and its brutal, realistic exploration of human morality, had no equal.
If the Inquisition were like doctors, each Inquisitor would have different philosophies—some amputate immediately to save the patient, others try conservative treatment first.
But methods can become corruption.
How do you decide who must die and who must live?
A single innocent civilian versus a thousand criminals—
do you kill the innocent to save the guilty?
This is why every Exterminatus order is reviewed.
Because who knows if an Inquisitor has already fallen while claiming it's "for humanity"?
Shirley's purity and loyalty were trustworthy. And Duanmu Huai did need someone in the organization who wouldn't just say "there's no choice" every time—a necessary counterbalance.
"Then, Miss Rebecca?"
Now he looked to Rebecca. He had never fought beside her and only knew her story secondhand—Resident Evil 0 was ancient, unsupported by modern systems. Duanmu Huai honestly wondered if she had injected herself with the T-virus. According to the timeline, at least twenty years should have passed since RE0.
But she still looked like a fresh twenty-year-old girl.
Completely unscientific.
"I… plan to return and continue overseeing anti-bio-terror operations."
Rebecca replied after a slight pause. After seeing the Inquisition's terrifying strength, she was even more determined to protect her world from bioterrorism—because if something else happened…
And the Inquisition decided to issue an Exterminatus…
What then?
"Hm… that's fine. But in that case, Miss Rebecca, I want to entrust you with a side business."
"A… side business??"
"Yes. As you can see, this planet needs rebuilding. Its entire energy infrastructure must be re-invented. I want you—under your own name—to import large quantities of renewable-energy equipment from your world. Solar, wind, anything. As for payment… we'll pay in gold bars."
After all, this world was full of abandoned cities.
The banks left in the wasteland still held gold bars no one could use. Duanmu Huai had already ordered all of them collected.
Using them to rebuild this world was perfect.
Otherwise, what use were gold bars? You can't eat them. You can't drink them.
"I understand."
Rebecca thought for a moment, then nodded.
"But I'll need to report this to my superiors."
"Do whatever you want."
Duanmu Huai didn't care.
After settling everything and sending Rebecca home, Duanmu Huai returned to his room—then rubbed his hands together.
Now…
It was time for the ten-pull.
Guaranteed gold!
(End of chapter)