A Sinister Breakthrough

“Now do you understand why I must thank the God of Death?”

“Initially, I cursed them as an evil deity because of the curse, but after realizing you were a Chosen One and calmly reflecting on their actions, I find them incredibly benevolent.”

Hearing Yelica’s prejudice against the God of Death dissipate truly pleased Yodel.

If even an Inquisitor of the Orthodox Church considered his boss a good deity, then he could rely on them as a powerful patron, his mind now completely at ease.

Time flowed by amidst their casual conversation.

The plan was swiftly drafted, its details meticulously refined.

After a brief discussion, the four officially settled on the course of action.

Yelica and Yodel then departed the office to make their respective preparations.

****

While they meticulously laid their plans, the Everlasting Society was also setting its own insidious operations in motion.

In a dimly lit underground cavern, a balding man grumbled curses as he stormed into a laboratory.

Seeing the balding man enter without so much as a greeting, the elder frowned in palpable displeasure, chastising the man, “This laboratory is a vital research facility; unauthorized entry and exit are strictly forbidden.”

The man retorted, his tone devoid of politeness, “Hmph, don’t put on airs with me. All the medicinal ingredients for your lab come from me. Without my help, your pathetic research would grind to a halt within a week.”

Upon hearing this, the elder’s expression soured even further, his wrinkles accumulating in layers, making his face resemble that of a desiccated corpse.

While his experiments indeed required a substantial quantity of medicinal ingredients, he was not entirely dependent on the man.

Moreover, he utterly detested the feeling of being held hostage.

Yet, considering the greater interests of the Everlasting Society, the elder suppressed his anger, saying, “Speaking of ingredients, why hasn’t today’s batch of Spirit-Swapping Grass arrived yet?”

“What purpose do you imagine brings me here? That imbecile transporting the ingredients was apprehended by the Inquisitors. All the medicinal supplies are gone, and we even lost four living corpses in the process.”

The elder’s initial surprise quickly gave way to a thoughtful expression as he spoke:

“I recall all the Corpse Herders who transport ingredients fall under your management, do they not?”

“So what if they do? Are you worried about issues with ingredient transportation? You can rest assured on that front; there are plenty of people to transport them. Even if they were all caught, destitute laborers are abundant on every street. We’ll simply find a few to replace them.”

The elder subtly took a step closer to the balding man. “No, that is not my concern… Have you ever shown your face to those Corpse Herders? Do they know what you look like?”

“Of course they know! The cult is short-staffed, and I personally recruit and train all the Corpse Herders. Speaking of being short-staffed, it’s all thanks to your wretched experiments, isn’t it?”

With every sentence, the balding man cast blame upon the elder, his resentment palpably strong.

Drawing even closer, the elder clasped his hands behind his back, his hoarse voice sending shivers down the man’s spine:

“So, was the captured Corpse Herder executed on the spot, or was he taken away?”

“Uh… I’m not sure. Since it was the Church of Hymns who apprehended him, he was likely killed, wasn’t he? Wait, why should I answer you? This isn’t within your jurisdiction!”

“It’s nothing. I was just asking. You may leave now. Do not disturb my experiment.”

With a dismissive wave, the elder issued his order for the man to depart.

“Tch, what a faker.”

The man, utterly bewildered, turned to leave, wishing nothing more than to distance himself from this dreadful laboratory.

The very moment he turned and took his first step, he heard a whooshing sound from behind him, followed by the sensation of something cold piercing the back of his neck.

The balding man violently shoved away the person behind him, stumbling forward a few steps to create distance, then spun around, ready to retaliate with his supernatural abilities.

However, he found his spiritual energy utterly dormant, unable to muster even a fraction of its power.

“What have you done, do you even kno— (TL Note: The original text uses ‘捕子刀’ as a phonetic corruption of ‘知不知道’, meaning ‘do you know’.)”

To his horror, the man discovered his body was rapidly stiffening, making it excruciatingly difficult to even articulate a single coherent word.

The elder, a sinister smile twisting his lips, approached him.

“The serum I just injected into you is my latest research breakthrough. As you know, I’ve been experimenting on ordinary people, given how scarce supernaturals are… There’s no need to panic. You will achieve eternal life, and I will gain invaluable experimental data. It’s a win-win, isn’t it?”

“Wh-why?! (TL Note: The original text ‘违甚摸’ is a phonetic corruption of ‘为什么’, meaning ‘why’, indicating difficulty in speech.)”

“You have already been exposed. Allowing you to continue moving freely would only hinder our grand plan for eternal life. You might as well make one last contribution here.”

The man’s despair deepened.

As the one in charge of managing the Corpse Herders, he naturally knew what became of those injected with such serums.

He had always mocked their foolishness, how they became self-less zombies for a few paltry coins, never imagining that he, too, would face such a day.

Half an hour later, Balin, the leader of the Everlasting Society, watched the balding man, now a mere shell of his former self, as his fists clenched tighter and tighter.

“He was a member of the cult, our comrade! How could you do this?!”

“Indeed. He is still our comrade, is he not? He merely accompanies us in a different form now. He sacrificed himself for the benefit of the cult.”

The elder replied unhurriedly.

“Benefit? Very well, let us discuss benefits then!”

Balin was incandescent with a simmering rage.

If not for the elder being utterly indispensable to the immortality experiments, he would have long since cut down this madman.

“You should know that many of our brothers and sisters in the cult have blood on their hands. He, however, was one of the few without a criminal record. By killing him, the cult has lost an identity that could operate legally. Are you unaware of the immense impact this will have on our procurement of medicinal ingredients?”

“My Lord, you are mistaken. I did not kill him. I merely granted him eternal life.”

Balin snorted coldly, utterly unconvinced by such a facile explanation.

Seeing this, the elder continued, “This man’s identity was already exposed. Keeping him alive would only increase the risk.”

“Couldn’t you have simply confined him? Was it truly necessary to go to such extremes?”

“Heheheh, My Lord, you do not understand. The significance of this experiment is far greater than you imagine. I did not administer the serum after killing him, but while he was still alive. Do you comprehend what this means?”

The elder’s cackling laughter sent an unsettling chill through Balin.

Following the elder’s words, he pondered, and soon a terrifying realization dawned upon him, his features twisting in abrupt horror.

“My Lord, your thoughts are correct. Our serum can now affect living beings. If we disperse this serum throughout the city, both ordinary people and supernaturals alike will achieve eternal life! They will become one of us!”

The elder displayed an excitement unbefitting his age, like a fervent devotee claiming credit before a deity.

“This… but the side effects of the serum haven’t been resolved, have they? All those transformed lose their self-awareness.”

Balin still hesitated.

“No, precisely because of this, we must disseminate the serum even more widely! Only by infecting more supernaturals and acquiring more experimental data can our research truly achieve a breakthrough! This is a necessary sacrifice!”

Balin fell silent.

He supported the serum development experiments not only for the cult’s ideals but also for his own sake.

He feared death; he craved eternal life.

Had it not been for the loss of self-awareness, he would have been the first to drink that serum.

Now, with the opportunity to eliminate side effects and achieve a breakthrough in serum research right before his eyes, should he approve the elder’s proposal?

A heavy, suffocating silence descended.

The air crackled with unspoken, agonizing tension.

“I agree. However, all matters concerning the experiment must be reported directly to me.”

“What happened today, I will not tolerate a second time!”

The elder bowed his head. “As you command.”