On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

Dr. Loca kept grabbing at his already tangled long hair, and looking down from his position, one could see many more transparent rooms like the one before.

This is the most authentic scene inside the "factory," the most core and most secretive base of operations in Kaleva.

Besides these experimental rooms, in the very center of the factory, there is a strikingly large boiler-like machine that continuously produces the turbid liquid used for injection.

In the very center of the boiler, in the recess, is a mysterious object, a quadrilateral shape resembling a star, but shrouded in thick, reddish-brown mist.

It floats in the center of the boiler, isolated by several layers of special "protective shields," and rotates regularly at a constant speed inside the shields.

With each rotation, the turbid red mist that overflows becomes more intense. The machinery inside the boiler then extracts this mist, which is full of turbidity, and uses it as raw material for further processing and purification, ultimately producing reagents.

Therefore, it is not difficult to see

The square "Crimson Star" at the very center of the boiler is the foundation of everything, the key to the operation of the entire Kaleva secret factory!

"To improve stability, the concentration needs to be reduced. But if the concentration isn't high enough, the stimulation won't be sufficient. Isn't this a vicious cycle?! Damn it! Damn it!"

"How did the Ash Empire manage to consistently produce Calamities five hundred years ago?! And how did that 'Great Emperor' refine the Calamities?! Why can't we do the same now?! Damn it! Damn it all!!"

The thin, long-haired man frantically scribbled on the table, but like a scientist stuck in a dead end, he couldn't get the formula he wanted no matter how he calculated, and he became increasingly frustrated.

Some researchers behind "Dr." suddenly whispered a reminder, trying to pull the doctor, who was immersed in his research, back to reality.

Because all that could be seen was a new line of people slowly emerging from behind the doctor in the factory, and the most eye-catching among them was a burly man with a slicked-back hairstyle walking at the very front.

The burly man wore an eye patch over his right eye and was dressed in a Kaleva uniform. His broad arms and shoulders stretched the clothes so much that they bulged out, giving him the appearance of a monstrous humanoid figure with a dangerous and savage aura.

This is Farm, the powerful figure in the Black Hole, who can be said to have absolute power. He is the Lord of Kaleva and the leader of the largest gang.

"However, it wasn't entirely without results. The experiment just now showed that if the subject has a strong will to survive, it does increase the probability of evolution. If we could have more experimental subjects like those we just had..."

"Doctor! Doctor!"

The researchers behind were getting a little anxious seeing Dr. Loca still talking to himself. He was completely ignoring the leader who had come to visit late at night.

However, Farm raised his hand, signaling the others not to say anything, then turned slightly to the Kaleva subordinate he had brought and said:

"Did you all hear the experimental requirements the doctor just mentioned?!"

"Go back and tell those scavengers to stop sending us homeless people and scavengers. Instead, find some people with homes and bring them over. That way, we can produce better research data. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir! I'll make the arrangements right away!"

The gangsters stood up straight and responded loudly, and the commotion finally brought the PhD in the gray lab coat, who was immersed in his research, back to reality.

Loka: "Lord Falm? It's so late, what brings you here?"

"I heard from my subordinates today that you have successfully increased the concentration of the turbidity reagent by another five percentage points. Such exciting news! I was too busy during the day to come, so as soon as I had some free time in the evening, I had to come and see for myself."

As he spoke, Farm patted the man in the gray coat on the shoulder with his big, thick hand and said, "Dr. Loka, you've really worked hard. Our Kaleva's status today is inseparable from your efforts and outstanding research results."

"Thank you for the recognition, Chief, but let's leave aside the outstanding results." Loca shook his head self-deprecatingly.

"My current research achievements are nothing compared to those of the Ash Empire five hundred years ago. Even with scarce resources, the people of that wasteland era were able to produce reagents with a concentration as high as 70% using technology far inferior to ours. They even had the legendary 'crystallized' solid turbidity, something I can't even imagine now. What a beautiful, dreamlike product that must have been! Unfortunately, I'm afraid it won't be realized in my lifetime."

The long-haired doctor's face showed a strong longing and regret. For someone as obsessed with scientific research as he was, to the point of being somewhat crazy and obsessive, wealth, power, or even women were far less attractive than the research on the Turbid Calamity.

It was precisely because of this that Farm trusted Loca so much that he was so trusting and friendly towards him, even offering a lighthearted reassurance:

"There's no need for such self-doubt, Doctor. Five hundred years ago, the concentration of turbidity in the air in the wasteland was dozens of times higher than it is now. People in that era practically grew up breathing turbidity. But now, with the end of the wasteland era, turbidity is becoming increasingly scarce, almost completely disappearing. And your achievement in 'liquefied turbidity' is absolutely a remarkable technology, even on a global scale!"

Faced with Falm's praise, the doctor stopped being modest and instead turned his attention to the "Crimson Star" that was quietly floating and rotating in the center of the factory, which was very conspicuous in the boiler core.

"What a pity about this 'Emperor's Relic.' I can sense that its actual function is far more than what we're using it for now, as a 'Turbidity Radioactive Source.' If only we could find a way to truly activate it..."

"I have a feeling that it will be another technological breakthrough that rivals, or even surpasses, our current [Turbidity Reagent], and will allow us to better utilize Turbidity!"

Loca's sigh stirred a fire in the heart of the leader of Kaleva, who trembled with excitement. He followed the doctor's gaze with greedy and longing eyes and also focused on the "Crimson Star".

"It's okay, if one decade isn't enough, then we'll study the next decade! And the decade after that!"

"I believe that with your wisdom, Doctor, one day we will be able to transform this 'Emperor's Relic' into a true treasure belonging to us [Kaleva], so that this 'relic' can serve us!"

Listening to Farm's impassioned speech, Roca pretended to nod in agreement, but inwardly he sneered with disdain.

What he didn't tell Falm was that as they continued to steal the power of the turbid calamity from this "Emperor's Relic," the relic's strength had become far lower than when it was first unearthed.

Although it doesn't look the same as before from the outside, in reality...

Loca roughly estimated that, let alone the next ten years, it would be good if it could survive for another three or four years.

When the turbidity within the "Crimson Star" is completely exhausted, this "Emperor's Relic" passed down from five hundred years ago will completely lose its power and become worthless trash. This is why he was so regretful earlier.

It's like having a top-of-the-line sports car in front of them, but they don't know how to start it. The only thing they can do is pry open the fuel tank and steal fuel from it. The key is that they don't know how to put it back in. They can only wait for the car to run out of fuel and become a useless lump of iron.

And when that time really comes...

Dr. Loca shook his head inwardly.

For him, the Kaleva gang no longer held any value for him. The only reason he was serving Kaleva now was because of the "Emperor's Relics".

As for future plans, Roca does have some ideas.

Because he had already learned through Kaleva's connections that the priest in the "church" of the Black Hole had also secretly hidden an "Emperor's Relic" deep underground within the church.

Moreover, rumors suggest that the "Imperial Relic" in the priest's possession is far more precious, rarer, and more powerful than their current "Crimson Star."

Thinking of this, Loca quietly licked his dry lips.

"Alright, that concludes today's experiment. It's getting late, so let the leader go back and rest! Turn off the boiler!"

With Falm's personal presence, Roca could no longer concentrate on the experiment, so he decided to leave work early and relayed his instructions to the gang members in the factory, especially to shut down the boiler.

By consuming less of the turbid energy within the "Crimson Star," he was able to continue his research in Calevado for several more years.

Farm frowned slightly, clearly sensing a hint of displeasure, but out of politeness, he didn't say anything more, simply nodded, and prepared to leave.

However, at this moment

"Dr. Bo! Something seems wrong!" the researcher operating the boiler exclaimed in a panic.

The Kaleva team members on site could already do tasks like shutting down the boiler with their eyes closed, but this time, when they tried to operate it as usual, they found that the equipment seemed to be "malfunctioning".

They had clearly pulled the control lever to shut off the boiler, and the "Crimson Star" should have fallen as usual, ceasing its rotation and releasing the murky red mist. But what they saw before them was something that not only remained floating in the air, but also…

As if stimulated by something, the "Crimson Star," which had been blocked by layers of [isolation shields], appeared before the eyes of hundreds of Kaleva members inside the factory.

It began to tremble violently.

This strange phenomenon not only stopped Falm, who was about to leave, but also left Dr. Loka speechless, his face filled with disbelief.

He has studied the "Crimson Star" for decades, but he has never seen this "relic" as active as it is now.

If the Kaleva gang members in the factory were merely surprised and intrigued at the moment...

Then in the next moment.

The expressions on everyone's faces in the factory, including Dr. Loka and Chief Farm, instantly turned to one of terror and panic.

because

Click. Click!

It was a tiny crack that sprouted from the [isolation shield], like the beginning of a calamity. It quickly evolved into a dense web of cracks, and the murky red mist surrounding the Crimson Star resembled a beast finally breaking free of its prison, baring its fangs at everyone in the factory.

It's important to understand that the "Crimson Star" was initially identified as a Class B pollution source. Even though they've stolen a significant amount of its turbid energy, rendering it far weaker than before, without the protection of the [Isolation Shield], the released turbid pollution...

It's definitely not something they can withstand!

It could even cause most of the people with weak immune systems in the entire factory to be severely infected in an instant, just like those failed test subjects, who would instantly turn into murky corpse monsters!

How could this be?!

Dr. Loca even forgot to run away. His eyes were fixed on the crimson star that was vibrating at a high frequency. Loca knew that it was not the [isolation shield] that was malfunctioning, but that this "Emperor's Relic" seemed to have become abnormally strong in energy in an instant, even stronger than the peak energy of the Turbidity when it was first unearthed!

It was as if... as if they were "excited"!

in the end

what happened!!

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(P.S.: Sorry, I got up at 5 a.m. this morning to watch JD play T1, and then, well, you know what I mean, so this chapter is a bit late. I'm really sorry.)

Chapter 38 Do you... crave power?

"Doctor."

"Loka! Loka!!" The continuous shouts from Falm pulled Dr. Loka back to reality from his shock.

The current leader of the Kaleva has completely lost his leadership qualities, and he is no longer as kind and gentle to Roca as he was just moments before. The burly man is now grabbing Roca's collar with great anxiety.

"Stop spacing out! Wake up! What are we going to do now!" Farm shouted in the doctor's ear.

Although Farm had already prepared himself for the consequences of playing with fire when they began secretly building factories in Kaleva to study the "Emperor's Relics".

But when that moment actually came, he still tried to salvage the situation.

The "Crimson Star" at the core of the boiler trembled more and more violently, and the innermost layer of the isolation cover had been completely shattered.

Although there are several spare isolation shields on the outer layer struggling to hold on, judging from the cracks that have already appeared on the shields, collapse is only a matter of time.

After an initial period of confusion and bewilderment, the Kaleva gang members at the scene quickly came to their senses and began to flee towards the exit as if their lives depended on it.

If there is anything more terrifying than nuclear radiation in this world, it must be the leakage of turbid fluid.

Once the "Crimson Star" contamination spreads inside the boiler, a high concentration of murky red fog will instantly envelop the entire factory. These gangsters have seen countless times what tragic fate awaits those inside.

The body of the unfortunate man who went mad and became a "muddy corpse" in the transparent experimental room was still warm.

The massive factory was now in complete chaos. Dr. Loca shuddered and immediately shouted angrily at the researchers at the control panel:

"Idiot! What the hell are you doing! Activate the emergency escape devices and sink the 'relics' underground!"

When Loca designed this boiler system, he must have considered such unexpected situations, which is why there is an emergency button on the control panel.

Once pressed, a tunnel connecting to the underground, several meters deep, will open beneath the boiler, allowing the "Crimson Star" to fall directly down.

"I've pressed the button so many times, Doctor! But it's not working! Not just this button, the whole control panel is malfunctioning!"

The researcher was almost in tears.