The Light That Follows Darkness

As I scanned the profiles, I began noticing some unexpected patterns.

To start, this facility houses 150 test subjects spanning various age groups, with a notable concentration of children and young adults. Surprisingly, around 112 of these individuals - roughly 75% - were once death row inmates. Instead of execution or life imprisonment, they were selected as experimental subjects. The remaining 25% of test subjects, including myself and the twins, were either abducted, sold, or taken from orphanages.

What's more, the number of staff members at this facility matches the test subjects exactly - 150 individuals in total. Of those, 50 are scientists, nurses, chefs, and technicians while the rest served as guards.

Notably, Ryuji has managed to rally 25 allies among the staff and guards who share his disdain for the facility's operations and experiments.

This realization presents a significant challenge: if I were to take control of this place, I would need to contend with approximately 100 people.

Considering my reluctance to resort to mass murder, as I require them as test subjects for my planned awakening experiments, the task at hand seems increasingly daunting.

I was lost in thought when the twins suddenly interrupted me, holding a profile in their hands.

They handed me the profile, and Hana said: "Check out this old man! He seems like such a nice guy. He reminds me of this other old man who was good to us when we had nobody else. He took care of us, gave us food when we were desperate, and helped us buy stuff for school when he could. Sadly, he passed away from old age, and we were so sad when it happened. He was the only one who showed us kindness when we had nobody else. We miss him. Oh, and guess what? The old man’s profile indicates that he used to be a butler! Can you believe it? He must have worked for some fancy family before. It makes you wonder how he ended up in this place, right?"

Hana's observation was spot on.

What could a former butler be doing in this particular facility? As I inspected his profile, I discovered his name was Albert, and he had reached the remarkable age of 100. The profile indicated that he had dedicated his entire career to serving a single family. So, what circumstances led him to his current situation?

Nevertheless, dwelling on that matter is not productive at this moment. If Albert were still alive, despite the challenges he may have faced in this facility, I would be genuinely interested in engaging him in conversation and potentially forming a friendship. Individuals who have lived as long as he, has often possessed a wealth of knowledge and offer invaluable advice. Furthermore, the fact that the twins hold him in such high regard speaks volumes about his character.

You may find it intriguing how the twins can form such strong impressions of people based solely on a photograph, but they possess an uncanny ability for such discernment.

As I perused the profile, lost in thought, the folded piece of paper caught my attention.

I reached out, unfolded it, and to my pleasant surprise, discovered a hand-drawn blueprint of the facility. The blueprint included labeled rooms and markings indicating the important areas within the premises.

This discovery could prove invaluable in helping me map out a plan to take control of the facility. But first, I needed to take control of the power within me before thinking of any further planning.

Having decided on my course of action, I made up my mind and quickly hid the blueprint and the other papers in a plastic bag.

I taped them to a secret spot under the toilet lid, hoping they would stay safe there. I then turned to the twins and said: “I need to meditate again. Don’t interrupt me unless it’s urgent or if someone other than Ryuji comes here.” They nodded and smiled at me indicating their understanding and support which made me feel relieved.

I then sat down in the lotus position and dove deep into my subconscious.

I could feel the chi stream pulsing in my body, like a river of energy. I could feel the whirlpool under my belly button, eager to be used, as if calling to me.

I breathed deeply and tried to direct the chi to my muscle fibers, but it was still not working. The chi was not being absorbed by my muscles, and I could not control it as I wished. I felt frustrated, but I did not give up.

I kept trying different methods to infuse my muscles with chi, but none of them worked. I felt like I was hitting a wall, and I was about to lose hope again. Surprisingly at that moment, Eve’s voice interrupted my attempt.

She spoke to me in my mind and said: “Young master, I can sense your frustration and I don’t know how helpful this will be, but I want you to remember something you read in your meditation books and your martial arts manuals. Chi is not only a form of energy, but also a form of consciousness. Chi can be influenced by your thoughts, emotions, and intentions, and it can be shaped and molded by your will. So young master, why don’t you try to communicate with your chi instead of forcing it? And if it helps you, I can also project a mental map of the human anatomy to help you visualize where you want the chi to go.”

What a brilliant suggestion. Eve always came to the rescue when she was most needed. I couldn’t think of anyone better than her as a partner or an assistant in this world.

I thanked Eve warmly: “You are amazing, partner. You are the best.”

Eve replied with an embarrassed tone: “No need to thank me, young master. I’m always here to serve and help you.”

I ended my conversation with Eve and decided to give it one more try, but this time, I changed my approach. Instead of forcing the chi to move in my muscles, I tried to communicate with it. I tried to make it understand what I wanted to do, and why I wanted to do it. I tried to make it feel my determination, my desperation, my desire. I tried to make it trust me, and cooperate with me.

To my surprise, it worked. I felt a subtle shift in the chi stream as if it was listening to me. I felt a warm sensation in my muscles as if they were welcoming the chi. I felt a surge of power in my body as if I had unlocked a new potential.

I had finally done it. I had infused my muscles with chi.