He murmured the word, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth that was neither joy nor anger, but the excitement of having found the ultimate prey.
"Dr. 062, you were right. Evolution doesn't need God's mercy, but you were also wrong. We need to... understand and 'use' this power. If 'Miracle' truly exists, then isn't making it serve 'evolution' its most extreme application?"
He turned to 32, his voice returning to its usual calmness and authority.
"Clean this up. Dr. 062 was right about one thing: this power cannot be known by others in the organization, especially those old fellows on the Council."
32 nodded, his eyes gleaming with a fanaticism akin to a martyr's.
"As you command, Dr. 077."
His finger unhesitatingly pressed the final button on the precise instrument that glowed with an ominous red light.
"Zzz—Puff!"
Inside the nutrient tank, dazzling white light accompanied by a high-frequency energy flow instantly engulfed Dr. 062's sole remaining brain.
Complex circuits and tubes burst with a series of tiny electrical sparks, and the pale yellow nutrient solution in the tank quickly became turbid and charred.
The brain tissue, which had pulsed for countless years, visibly atrophied and carbonized, eventually turning into a small, suspended mass of meaningless residue.
Dr. 062's consciousness, filled with fear, anger, and unwillingness, along with his deeply hidden secrets, was completely erased from this world at that moment.
No last words, no room for struggle, like a segment of erroneous code being deleted.
Mission accomplished.
32 slowly withdrew his hand, his face devoid of any discomfort after completing a bloody task, only the solemnity of a mission fulfilled.
He turned his head, looking at the retreating figure of Dr. 077, who was walking towards the door.
The command was absolute: this information could not be known by anyone else in the organization. Of course, that included 36 himself.
For the evolution of all humanity.
This thought burned in his heart like the most unwavering faith. He unhesitatingly pulled out his issued pistol, the cold metal muzzle precisely pressed against his right temple.
His movements were fluid, without a trace of tremor, as if this was not self-destruction, but the final step of a sacred ritual.
"For the evolution of all humanity!"
He murmured, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable resolve.
Dr. 077, already at the door, did not pause his steps, nor did he look back.
He simply responded blandly, as if confirming a perfectly ordinary fact:
"Indeed, for the evolution of all humanity."
"Bang!"
A muffled gunshot, softened by a suppressor, echoed in the room.
32's body swayed, then fell heavily to the ground.
A small charred hole was on his temple, blood slowly seeping out, yet the expression on his face was frozen in a peculiar state, a mixture of fanaticism and serenity, as if he had truly seen the path of evolution unfolding before him.
Dr. 077 expressionlessly pulled open the heavy isolation door. In the corridor outside, a young man in the same uniform happened to pass by, his codename blurry, perhaps 73, perhaps 105; it made no difference to Dr. 077.
He casually stopped the person, his tone as flat as if asking for a glass of water:
"You, go clean up the trash inside."
The young member paused, his gaze instinctively falling inside the door, seeing 32 on the ground and the smoking nutrient tank, not with fear, but with the same fanaticism as 32:
"Yes, Dr. 077! Executing immediately!"
Dr. 077 said no more, stepping away, leaving the death and cleanup behind him.
Sacrifice was necessary. Whether it was 062's brain or 32's loyalty, they were merely stepping stones on the path to ultimate evolution.
And Victor Black, the walking "Miracle" itself, was the key he needed to truly confront and "use" next.
Cleaning up trash is to keep the path clean. And his journey is the sea of stars, the other shore of evolution, the divine realm... where "Miracles" are held in his grasp.
The last day at Nevermore Academy.
Summer sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting dappled light and shadow on Nevermore Academy's ancient corridors.
The air was filled with the commotion of farewells and the anticipation of holidays.
"Victor! You absolutely have to come to my house for summer vacation! My mom said she's prepared a whole cupboard of chocolates for you! Plus, we can go camping in the forest, I know a spot where you can see swarms of fireflies at night!"
Enid chirped like a happy bird, flitting around Victor, her sapphire eyes sparkling, while she busily stuffed neatly folded clothes into her slightly messy suitcase.
Victor responded with distracted "uh-huhs," wearing his usual, slightly goofy smile, but his gaze was firmly fixed on the laptop screen in front of him.
Beside him, Wednesday Addams's packing was a silent ritual.
Every black garment was folded with sharp creases, like a specimen awaiting burial, precisely placed into her antique suitcase.
Her movements were elegant and efficient, the only sound throughout the process being the crisp "click" of the suitcase clasp closing.
Finally, only the dark codex remained in her hands.
After everything was done, she raised her deep, pool-like eyes to Victor, her voice calm and unruffled: "What are you looking at?"
The screen displayed rapidly changing images, vaguely an interface for some surveillance system, with clear traces of illegal intrusion.
"Oh, this," Victor said without looking up, his fingers flying across the keyboard so fast they blurred, "I was just looking for some fun, trying to hack into that newly established US military base nearby to see if they had any new toys. But it turns out..."
He hit the final Enter key, and the screen froze on an image of an area that looked exceptionally heavily guarded and stylistically distinct from other military facilities. The interface flashed with the words "Section 13 - Top Clearance."
"Who knew, I just happened to find something more interesting," Victor grinned, revealing his signature smile, a mix of madness and excitement. "Have you heard of 'Section 13'? Or... talismans?"
Wednesday and Enid both looked bewildered. Enid tilted her head, while Wednesday merely raised an almost imperceptible eyebrow.
Seeing his two girlfriends' reactions, Victor's smile grew even brighter, almost blinding. He snapped his laptop shut with a "snap," stretched, his bones cracking crisply.
"Looks like this summer won't be boring," he announced, his eyes gleaming with the discovery of a new toy. "Fun just delivered itself to our doorstep."
(Volume 1 ends, Volume 2 begins with Hotel Transylvania 3 plot, crazy vacation, Atlantis trip, taking two girlfriends on a luxury cruise)
✿✿ヽ(°▽°)ノ✿)
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"