You don't even want to call me godfather

From the moment he entered Rhine's life, he had been moving forward on the path of his own choice, the chimera experiment, forgetting the emotions he once had, abandoning the morality that he regarded as an obstacle, and ignoring the remarkable achievement he had achieved with his own hands.

He wanted to gather all the pride and satisfaction of the past fifty years and become a leader in science.

But he was old, and when he found that he could not even remember the basic structure of his central nervous system, he knew that he could only be dust chasing the stars.

Caprini, who once had the upper hand in everything, is now left with only the path of a follower of science.

He wanted to achieve one last unmatched accomplishment before his total failure, so he asked General Kristen to initiate human experiments.

The application was approved, and he invested all his energy and time into those experimental projects, hoping to achieve results within a few years.

But things are not always as planned. The child sent by the current president did not have much potential, and the subjects of the Flame Demon experiment have just reached the age where they can be formally involved in the research.

Not long ago, he restarted the Angel Experiment at all costs, but unfortunately he angered the monarch of Syracuse. Even the Garuda Experiment, which had just shown signs of improvement, was forced to be terminated due to the loss of contact with the subjects.

He didn't understand why all kinds of unfavorable situations always happened at such critical moments.

Is he too eager for quick success? Is he working in the wrong direction? Or is he taking the wrong path altogether?

Or maybe he is just a hateful and sad old goat who worships science.

"Arendz Parvez," just as Arendz lowered his head in the corner, recalling his past, two figures stood in front of him, blocking the light, "It seems that we have to talk."

"Ah, it's Mr. Cascade," Arends raised his head. When he saw that it was Koshe and Kristen, he narrowed his eyes and tried to stand up. "And General Kristen."

But unexpectedly, Koshe stretched out his hand to stop him from getting up, then pulled the chair from the table next to him and sat opposite him.

"Let's stop talking nonsense. I don't want to waste anyone's time either." Koshei crossed one leg over the other, holding the wine glass with his fingers while lighting a cigarette for himself. "Or, maybe we can get straight to business and speed up the conversation. What do you think, Mr. Parvez?"

"...Hu..." Arends exhaled deeply after hearing this. He glanced at Christen, who was sitting next to Koshei and smiling. He looked at Koshei in the latter's calm eyes and said, "Then I will speak frankly, the monarch of Syracuse."

"please."

Koshe leaned forward slightly, stretched out the hand holding the cigarette, and motioned for Ahrendts to continue.

"First of all, I want to know, what do you hope to gain?"

Arends closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then asked.

"You are...trying to negotiate terms with me, Mr. Parvis?"

Koshe leaned back, the chair creaking under him, and he raised his head slightly to look at Arends.

"I am a serious person, Mr. Cascade," Arends narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was dissatisfied with Koshe's arrogant attitude, "I just want to understand the reasons behind all this."

"Hmph... I see." Koshe smiled maliciously. He took a puff of his cigarette and then slowly raised a finger. "The subject of the Angel experiment, codenamed Ω. I hope you can return her to me."

"That's not—"

"Secondly," Koshei interrupted Arends before he finished speaking and raised his second finger, "Shipka Osvid, I hope you can give her freedom."

"..."

Ahrendts didn't say anything. He didn't think there was any connection between Koshe and Shipka, and he was still sorting out his thoughts in his mind for a while.

"Third," but what was even more unexpected was that Koshe raised a third finger, "When I went to Lateran to attend the Universal Conference, Rhine Life led people to attack Syracuse, destroying the streets and hurting the people. I hope to get a satisfactory explanation for this."

Arends was completely speechless. He admitted that his actions in restarting the angel experiment were indeed inappropriate, but he was also surprised by Koshe's appetite.

He looked at Kristen again, but she still looked as if she had nothing to do with it, which made him grit his teeth.

"First... I can accept the matter of Shipka Osvid. She is no longer of any use to me. If you want her, just take her away." Therefore, Arenz could only weigh the pros and cons of Koshe's conditions according to his own judgment criteria. "Then there is the matter of the attack on Syracuse. Apart from a few casualties, the only loss of Syracuse was the destruction of the streets. For this, I can provide funds for repairs and compensation. As for those casualties... If I remember correctly, Garuda should be in your hands now, right? With her ability, it is not difficult for her to get away, but since she has not returned to Columbia until now, I guess... she has switched sides to your side. A successful experimental subject that can be used as a combat force is enough to make up for what I just said."

When it came to Garuda, Arenz made his choice almost with gritted teeth.

Garuda is a successful experimental subject. Although she is still in the early stages, her potential is endless. Using her as a bargaining chip is the last compromise that Arends can make.

"How you settle the bill is your business," Koshe didn't seem to care about what Arends said. He cleaned his nails while glancing at him. "But I can accept these conditions for now. The last question is Ω..."

"This alone is absolutely not enough," Arends was very determined. He ignored the look Christen gave him and said resolutely, "The Angel Experiment has lasted for more than ten years, almost as old as you are. Not to mention the importance of this experiment to chimera technology, as well as the investment and sacrifice made on it. I admit defeat in the case of Garuda, which was an accident derived from it, but Ω... In the final analysis, she has always been the property of Rhine Life, not your personal property. I hope you can understand this, the monarch of Syracuse."

Seeing Arends suddenly become tough, Koshe couldn't help but be stunned.

He sorted out the logic behind Arends' words in his mind and found that it was indeed true. Garuda could barely be considered as compensation for Syracuse's casualties, but apart from this factor, Koshe was not in the right in the matter of Ω.

"Mr. Cascade, Director Arends," Kristen finally spoke up as the atmosphere between the two became tense, "I suggest that we take a long-term view of this matter. Before a reasonable arrangement is made, Mr. Koshei can take Shipka Osvid away and place him there first. Director Arends has no objection to this, right?"

"...Of course not, Commander Kristen."

Arends sighed secretly. He realized that he was too excited just now and neglected the identity of the person in front of him. Christen's step came at the right time.

"It seems that this is the only way for now." Koshe also knew that arguing with Arenz now would not lead to any results, and it might even lead to further conflicts. So he could only put aside the issue of Ω for the time being and turn the topic to another matter. "However, since we are talking about this, I also have a question for Ms. Kristen."

"Please go ahead, Mr. Cascade."

After seeing that both of them had calmed down, Kristen breathed a sigh of relief and responded with a smile.

"Excuse me, do you know someone? He is a friend of mine. He seems to be connected with Rhine Life. His name is..." Koshe stared into Christen's eyes, and after a moment, he said the name, "Providence."

Chapter 65 "Providence"

"What the hell did you do!"

"Don't fucking touch me! You clearly promised me that you wouldn't attack those who have families, you clearly promised me!"

"Everyone will know what good things you have done. People should know the truth. The families of those who died should know the truth!"

"Of course, you have to maintain a brand new Syracuse, a Syracuse without a government, a Syracuse without real peace and disputes, a Syracuse that belongs only to you. So what if one more person dies for this?"

"No need to say more. You know you can't persuade me. Go ahead. Someone has to make a sacrifice."

"Do it!"

"boom!"

With a gunshot, the man's body twitched violently and he woke up from his dream.

He raised one hand and touched his forehead with lingering fear. There was a bullet-hole-shaped scar there.

"..."

The last scene he saw in his dream was a young boy pointing a gun at him, but the boy's hand holding the gun was shaking and his face was full of reluctance.

“To this day, I still can’t understand it…”

The man muttered to himself in confusion, and reached out to adjust the direction of the desk lamp so that the light was directed at the open book on the table in front of him.

[What does death, whether it's your mother's, yours, or my own, matter?]

He picked up a pen and made a mark before this sentence.

But then the man frowned, put down his pen, and moved his wrist which had become stiff for some reason.

"It seems you didn't get enough rest again."

Just as he was worrying about the uncoordinated movements of his body, a figure opened the door of the room with two cups of coffee in his hands.

"Doctor Hemer," the man stood up immediately when he saw the newcomer, "Why are you here?"

"I heard from White Owl that you don't seem to be in a very good mental state recently," Hemer glanced at the book the man was reading, and then placed a cup of coffee on the corner of his desk. "Although you volunteered to be a subject of the experiment, we experimenters are very grateful for this, but if you continue like this, your body will collapse first."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Hemer, for making you worry." He lowered his head and bit his lips in confusion. "I just can't figure out who... am I?"

"Huh...are you having self-perception problems again?"

As if he was already accustomed to the man's self-contradictory state, Hemer just sighed and then took a sip of the coffee in his hand.

"Please, Dr. Hemer," the man lowered his head even lower, and said to Hemer in an almost pleading tone, "I really need to know who I am."

"...Okay, but this is the last time I remind you. My behavior itself has gone beyond the scope of the experiment." Hemer pondered for a moment and finally agreed to him, "Savitar, Providence, or... Frankenstein, these are all your names. If you want to clearly understand who you are, the key depends on which of these names you remember most deeply."

At this moment, the image of the young man holding the gun with trembling hands appeared in the man's mind again.

"Perhaps... I would rather call myself Providence."

The man said this almost without thinking.

"Then this is your answer."

Hemer closed his eyes, chuckled, and gave the hint.

……

"Providence."

After Koshe said this name, not only Arenz, but also Kristen's expression changed for a moment.

For a moment, an eerie atmosphere of silence filled the space between the three people, which undoubtedly told Koshei that the two people in front of him did know something about the inside story.

"…Please follow me, Mr. Cascade."

After an unknown amount of time, Kristen was the first to regain her composure. With her usual smile on her face, she led Koshe to a door inside the hall.

Arends also stood up from his seat and followed them silently.

"Don't you care about the others?"

Before leaving the hall, Koshe glanced at the directors and asked Kristen.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cascade," but Kristen just smiled and said softly, "This is a freestyle cocktail party. When they have drunk enough or have had enough fun, they will naturally leave, and there will also be people to clean up the venue."

Looking at Christen, whose appearance was slightly different from what she had just shown, but he couldn't explain why, Koshe frowned slightly.

He became a little alert and followed Kristen and the silent Arends into the door.

……

"Providence..."

After Hemer left Providence's room, he sat at the table, looking at the palm of his hand, repeating the name over and over again.

The harder he tried to recall the memories of this name, the more his brain resisted the waves of intense pain.

But in this severe pain, he could vaguely see some scenes and hear some words.

"Don't forget our friendship, Providence. You know me, and I know you just as well."

Fred...

'Those who walk the path of justice will go through hardships and finally receive the reward, but if they fall, they will fall into hell like Lucifer. I remember seeing this sentence in a book before... It's a bit like you.'

Kosh...

Thinking of this, the young man with the gun appeared in Providence's mind again for some reason.

"Heh..." After the pain in his head gradually subsided, Providence couldn't help but laugh. He slowly raised his head, and his hair, which had drooped due to his patience, blocked his eyes. He seemed to be relieved and said to himself, "So, that's how it is... Koshe..."

Chapter 66: Be Frank

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is..."

Providence left his room, muttering to himself.

"Government, the International Conference, military commanders," he walked quickly in the corridor with great emotion, and a series of memories began to emerge in his mind. "Everything is connected. So this is it, Koshei, so you have chosen this path."

At this time, Providence was concentrating on organizing the memories in his mind, completely unaware that these constantly appearing memories did not belong to the identity of "Providence".

He was still obsessed with the confrontation between him and Koshe on the snow on that winter night half a year ago.

At that time, he chose to commit suicide through Koshei's hands.

Because Fred was his best friend, and so was Koshei, and if he left out the political factors, he really couldn't think of which side he would help.

Until Koshe killed Fred and overthrew the government, Providence, who had always regarded Koshe as a hero, could not accept this fact. He could not bear that his friend killed another friend of his, and he could not bear that the person he admired became the evil party.

So he chose death, without even giving Koshei any chance to explain. He gave up struggling and extinguished his heroic dream for Koshei.

But now, he understood everything and knew what happened after that. He now understood Koshe's thoughts and understood Koshe's actions.

That's right, Koshei did not become a tyrant as Providence had imagined. On the contrary, he became more rational and decisive. Even when facing the Lateran military commander, he never thought of giving up. He was even able to turn the tables and put the commander in jail.

Providence couldn't remember why he reappeared in the world. Of course, he would solve this mystery, but before that, he had more important things to do.

……

Walking in the white corridor, the endless incandescent light above his head made Koshei feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Where is this?"

He asked, looking at the backs of Kristen and Arends.

"This is one of the most important institutions of Rhine Life, Mr. Cascade."

Christen turned her head slightly and did not reveal any specific information to Koshei, but just spoke ambiguously.