To prevent the two from fighting until the end of time and the destruction of the Great Dao, they had to make a gentleman's agreement not to use the power of the Ajin first.
But the somewhat arrogant and smug Suzuki Jun probably didn't know that Rhode would soon continue to grow stronger...
Whether her physique could be enhanced, however, still depended on Rhode's will!
Suzuki Jun tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a gentle smile on her lips.
"Just don't completely forget about me in the future. If you occasionally think of me, I'll be very happy!"
"Speaking of which, what are we going to do next?"
In fact, even though they had become intimate, Suzuki Jun didn't really understand Rhode's origins, only feeling that he was like a god, possessing various mysterious methods.
Rhode got up and dressed with Suzuki Jun's assistance, stretching comfortably as he looked at the clearing sky outside.
"I'm going to find more people like you."
Suzuki Jun's hands, which were dressing Rhode, paused.
"Are they all girls?"
Rhode saw through her thoughts and shook his head.
"They don't have the qualifications to be taken in by me, at most there's one more girl. By the way, what kind of work are you good at and enjoy?"
Suzuki Jun felt a secret relief when she heard there was only one girl.
Good, the competition isn't too fierce, and I might even have a helper....
She tilted her head, thinking carefully.
"I'm a klutz when it comes to sports. I studied management in university, so I'm probably... good at some corporate work?"
"Then I understand."
"Huh? You're not going to heavily rely on me in that area, are you? No, no, I only know a little bit!"
"Don't worry, you won't just know a little bit anymore."
".....Ah?"
Suzuki Jun had many personal belongings, and considering her potential nostalgia, Rhode simply moved the entire room into Kamui Space.
As for what the landlord would think, that was none of his business.
Rhode put his arm around Suzuki Jun, who had finished washing up, and instantly teleported to the top of a tall building in Maryland.
The view here was extremely open.
The wind on the high-rise made Suzuki Jun's clothes flap loudly.
She cheered, excitedly leaning on the railing, taking in the entire city with great joy.
"Wow, this is my first time appreciating a city view like this! I never dared to do it before because of my fear of heights!"
After admiring the scenery for a while, Suzuki Jun leaned on the railing, tilted her head, and asked curiously.
"But Master, you still haven't said how we're going to find other Ajin."
"It's almost impossible to directly find Ajin who are carefully hidden, but...."
Rhode narrowed his eyes, pointed to an inconspicuous building in the distance, and a slight smile played on his lips.
"Haven't people already gathered targets for us in advance? I'll just go to the research institutes in various countries and 'borrow' them."
"Uh, are you here to abduct people?"
"What kind of talk is that? I'm here to liberate them~"
Rhode showed an expectant smile.
According to his speculation, the birth of a Wish was related to the other party's situation, their deepest desires, and their current true thoughts.
But humans are complex beings, and their thoughts can change constantly; one moment they might be tearfully grateful, and the next, coldly hostile.
The more intense the desire and the greater the crisis, the higher the level of the Wish would likely be.
His second step of the plan required a large number of Wish Points.
Rhode disdained doing ugly things for his own benefit, but he could certainly amplify and guide the emotions of others.
For this, he had carefully prepared a good show, using a bit of the suspension bridge effect and a tiny dash of acting~
Inside the bright, white laboratory, under the cold lights, precise instruments gleamed menacingly.
Several researchers in white protective suits surrounded the central dissection table, each busy with their tasks.
On the table lay a robust demi-human, his entire body tightly bound in layers of yellowish cloth strips, leaving only his mouth and nose free to breathe.
His eyes were also covered with thick cloth, on which a stark and cold number, 012, was written with a black marker.
The scent of disinfectant hung in the air, and on a table nearby, a container held piles of severed body tissues and large bloodstains.
When the dissection began, the demi-human's vocal cords were violently removed, without even a single dose of anesthetic.
The central researcher dropped the blood-stained scalpel, his voice sounding impatient.
"Ah, finally some peace and quiet. These guys clearly can't die, but they always scream so loudly."
He casually tossed the surgical instruments onto a tray, his eyes filled only with weariness and disdain, as if he were dealing with an annoying experimental consumable.
Another slender, young researcher squatted beside the table, seemingly making a considerate gesture, gently holding the demi-human's right hand, slowly straightening the arm, as if comforting a frightened patient.
"Don't be scared, it'll be over soon~"
His words carried concern, yet his actions were cold and decisive, pressing the saw blade against the inside of the elbow without hesitation.
Creak, creak, creak—
The saw cutting through the bone and flesh mixture produced an ear-grating, uncomfortable sound that echoed throughout the laboratory.
The grating, unpleasant sound of the saw filled the entire research room.
"Wuwuwuwu!!!!"
The demi-human beneath the cloth strips gritted his teeth, his body instinctively tensing, his clenched fists bulging with veins, and his legs subconsciously kicking, struggling against the restraints.
But all struggles were tightly held by the dense cloth strips, allowing only muffled, powerless whimpers to escape from deep within his throat.
None of the researchers showed any sympathy; their eyes were as indifferent as if they were observing a small white mouse.
The severed arm was casually handed to an assistant.
"Take it to the next department; they seem to be doing cloning research."
The assistant dared not look closely, hastily took the chunk of flesh, and quickly turned to leave.
The researcher then moved to the demi-human's left side, forcibly prying open the stiff fingers, while slowly cutting along the finger joints with scissors, all the while continuing to comfort him in a gentle tone.
"Be good, one by one, okay."
It was as if he were coaxing a child to take medicine, not even genuinely believing he was abusing someone.
Snip, snip. With each cut, the demi-human's body trembled violently.
"Wuwu!!!!"
As the experiment neared its end, the gentle researcher stood before the operating table, took off his gloves, and recorded the demi-human's physiological responses under extreme pain.
"Oh? Interesting. Based on his reactions to pain a few times, we can roughly deduce that this one has probably only died two or three times at most."
Subsequently, the research team cut open the demi-human's skull, exposing the still-pulsating brain tissue.
When the demi-human gradually became dull and slow to react due to blood loss and pain, someone spoke coldly.
"Kill him once, and let this one restart."
"Alright, kill him once. It's a good time for a break; physical labor is really tiring."
"Ugh, I'm so tired. Want to go for coffee together later?"
"No thanks, I'm still thinking about calling my wife."
"Haha, newlyweds really have a special kind of affection."
The researchers chatted and laughed around a disfigured body, even discussing a vacation to Hawaii together during the holidays.
One male researcher smilingly handed a blood-stained scalpel behind him.
"Could you please dispose of the trash?"
The only response he received was deathly silence.
He thought his assistant was slacking off again, so he impatiently turned his head, only to see a pair of eerily wide-open eyes staring directly at him from less than ten centimeters away!
Those eyes were filled with fresh red tears, flowing upwards and slowly down his cheeks, dripping onto the floor.
The next moment, he realized it was—a human head!
The assistant's head had been severed by a sharp blade and was impaled on a silver metal rod!
It was even held high like a specimen, being casually swung by a hand.
"Ah ah ah ah—"
The researcher's mind went blank, terror exploding his reason.
His throat worked, emitting a terrified scream, and he abruptly fell to the ground, then scrambled backward, using both hands and feet, rolling and crawling away.
The people in the laboratory turned their heads at his scream.
They saw the assistant's pale, bleeding head still swinging gently, as if it could fall off at any moment.
The next second, the tranquility in the room was completely shattered.
The usually calm researchers erupted in a succession of screams.
Some fell to the ground, their limbs weak; others screamed with pale faces, crying out for help.
Still others were breathing rapidly, stumbling and dropping the instruments in their hands.
In an instant, a panic akin to sheep entering a tiger's den permeated the entire laboratory.
"Wh-what's going on?! How did someone get in?!"
"Where are the guards! Are they at Akashi?!"
"Ah ah ah ah, open the door quickly!"
"No, the door is blocked by that guy…"
The one playing with the "head" was Rhode, who had transformed into Sato.
He leaned lazily on a chair, one leg casually propped on the other knee, his right hand swinging the iron rod with the impaled head.
His eyes, hidden beneath his eyelashes, were cold and unmoving, mockingly surveying everyone in the room.
"What? I thought you had no fear left. So… when your own people's bodies are separated, you get scared too~"
He exuded an invisible yet immensely oppressive aura of elegance, dangerous and mysterious, causing everyone to instinctively hold their breath.
The older researcher swallowed hard, gathering his courage to try and buy time.
"Who are you? How did you get in?"
Rhode's eyes curved slightly at the corners, a hint of mockery flashing in their depths, and he casually tossed the head in his hand.
The assistant's head rolled like a bowling ball to the researcher's feet, its terrified, bewildered eyes staring at them, still wide open in death.
"!!!"
"Me, well…"
Rhode smiled faintly, walking forward with a calm and composed demeanor.
"In your Bible, God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He brought down plagues and saved his people."
He stopped before the battered demi-human on the dissection table, looking down.
"And now, you have used blades against my people—the demi-humans, so I have appeared."
Rhode looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone like a sharp blade, his voice cold and full of oppression.
"The Bible proclaims that a savior will come to rescue the suffering. Unfortunately, what you await is only Judgment Day."
"And I am your Revelation, the liberator of the demi-humans, and your calamity."
The cold laboratory seemed to experience a sudden drop in air pressure, and in Rhode's shadow under the light, a demon seemed to be chuckling, the entire space seemingly trembling because of his terrifying words!
needed···
Bang bang bang bang bang—
Countless bullets suddenly shot in from outside the window indiscriminately, seemingly not caring about the lives of the researchers at all.
The gunfire lasted for ten minutes before the cold voices of soldiers came from outside the door.
"Fuck, how did that guy get in? The losses this time are huge!"
"The surveillance showed nothing, it's like he appeared out of thin air."
"Are you high last night, you damn idiot? Are you telling me he can time travel? Watch fewer X-Men movies!"
"Stop arguing, be careful, go in and retrieve them."
A leisurely voice sounded behind them.
"Retrieve who?"
"!!!"
The fully armed soldiers skillfully rolled to the ground, pulling out their guns to shoot, but Rhode, standing still, merely snapped his fingers elegantly.
"I'll return your gifts to you~"
Countless bullets shot out from the distorted space instantly engulfed them.
The soldiers had just witnessed this incomprehensible scene, and the next second, they completely lost their breath in shock and panic.
Having dealt with this batch of mobile guards, it seemed no reinforcements would arrive for a short while.
Rhode hummed a tune, walked back into the laboratory, and his gaze fixed on the area next to the unharmed researchers.
"You can come back now."
Under the bewildered gazes of the researchers, only the demi-human could see the IBM eagerly retracting its bullet-blocking wings, obediently guarding Rhode.
She preferred to be by Rhode's side rather than protecting these strangers!
Rhode took out a camera and placed it on the table with a thud.
"Come, tell me one by one the evil deeds you've done to my people~"
He narrowed his eyes with a smile.
.... .... A
"Don't even think about hiding anything."
All the researchers involuntarily trembled, as if they were being watched by some chilling, inhuman, terrifying entity.
The researchers exchanged glances, and finally, suppressing their fear, one by one they tremblingly stepped forward and began to recount the numerous experiments, so gruesome that merely hearing about them was enough to scare a person to death.
After a long while, the feigned pleasant smile on Rhode's face was almost impossible to maintain.
As a shut-in in his previous life, he hadn't truly witnessed darkness after transmigrating.
After the battles in the Dungeon, his psychological threshold had been continuously raised, but the experimental contents these guys described were truly challenging his psychological defenses.
"We did everything you asked, you… what more do you want?"
The researcher asked tremblingly, but Rhode only looked at the dissection table.
"Only my people have the right to decide your fate. So, after listening for so long, do you have any thoughts?"
"....."
The man on the dissection table's finger twitched, he sighed softly, and slowly sat up.
He removed the cloth covering his face, revealing a weathered, resolute face, and looked at Rhode with a complex expression.
Rhode met his gaze calmly, casually tossed him a pistol, and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"!!!"
The man took the pistol, looked down at it blankly for a long time, the emotions of excitement and gratitude almost overwhelming him, even giving rise to an impulse to die for the person in front of him.
He took a deep breath, skillfully checked the magazine capacity, then cocked it with one hand, and walked expressionlessly in front of the researchers, slowly raising the pistol.
"I originally wanted to retaliate with the same methods you used on me, but after thinking about it, I decided against it. After all, I am human, and you are the monsters."
The researcher turned frantically to Rhode and shouted.
"You, stop him! We've already done what you said!"
The man turned to look at Rhode. If Rhode told him to stop, he would probably obey, despite the overflowing hatred in his heart.
However, Rhode just smiled and shrugged, a benevolent smile on his face.
"Oh, I don't think I ever promised to let you go, did I?"
"!!!"
"Things I didn't promise you don't count as me lying or breaking a contract, do they? After all, I'm a man of my word."
One of the researchers looked at him with extreme resentment and malice. Rhode suddenly turned to him, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"I remember you said you had a newlywed wife earlier, didn't you?"
His eyes widened instantly, and he panicked.
"Wait… what are you going to do?! If there's any sin, it's all my fault, don't involve my family!!!"
Clap, clap, clap—
Rhode showed an appreciative expression, clapping his hands vigorously.
"What a touching and righteous argument, but… did your families not benefit at all from the money and status you gained by torturing my people?"
The researcher's eyes were bloodshot, and he clenched his fists, but he was speechless.
"If there are benefits, then one person's success brings prosperity to all their relatives. If there are drawbacks, then misfortune doesn't extend to the family. There's no such good thing, is there?"
Rhode smiled and put his index finger to his lips.
"Don't rush to beg for mercy, relax. Unlike you, I won't torture your families. After all, I'm a righteous person."
However, just as those researchers breathed a sigh of relief, they immediately heard words that always sent shivers down their spines and made their hands and feet cold.
"Not only will I not abuse them, I will also generously and benevolently bestow blessings upon your families."
The God of the Demi-Humans, with the ability to turn people into Demi-Humans at will!