NOVEL WEB Chapter 56: A Fateful Meeting (Part 1)
The twins were overjoyed when I suggested that we venture outside of the cell today, despite the fact that they arrived at this facility two months after me. They had been confined to this room for a grueling eight months straight, and it's not surprising that such prolonged imprisonment would drive anyone to the brink of insanity.
I settled into the wheelchair, preparing to put on my act. I asked the twins to push me while I called for Ryuji to grant us access to the prison courtyard.
With the twins pushing me and Ryuji trailing behind, we made our way to a spacious courtyard. Despite its size, it felt strangely empty.
I guess not a lot of test subjects were able to come here since they weren’t capable. They were not capable due to the state they were in, which is the state I'm acting to be in right now: damaged, soulless puppets, husks. Call them what you will, because it's all true. With the experiments, and the torture they endured, whether weak or strong, they all suffer the consequences.
As we traversed the courtyard, the atmosphere was heavy with dullness and desolation. It reeked of death, despair, and solitude. The people in the courtyard seemed to be on the verge of death or close to it. Perhaps they ventured out to spend their final moments in open space. Maybe they were reminiscing about their past, their lives, or their families.
I empathized with them, I felt their pain, but I wasn't obligated to help them. I am no saint. The Xeno who wanted to save everyone, to become a hero, is long gone. The one who remains is the humanoid Xeno. Though I still possess a good heart, I have come to accept that I cannot save everyone. The only people I should focus on helping are those who are close to me, those who are dear to me.
You may call me selfish; you may call me shallow, but I couldn't care less. Being in this facility, enduring torment and experimentation, witnessing the true ugliness of humanity, taking lives, being close to death... it has changed me.
Now, in order for me to consider someone worth saving, and worth helping, they must prove themselves to be fighters, survivors, individuals with purpose and strong will. And most importantly, they must show me loyalty.
Why would a person in their right mind help another, only to be betrayed in the end? My father helped countless people, yet when we were in need, no one came to our aid. My mother had to work tirelessly, and when the burden became too much, she remarried to spare us from further torment. Raising a family in this world was harsh. This cruel world didn't even guarantee that we would live to see tomorrow. Life in the settlements was a constant struggle. With limited resources, limited incomes, and limited lives, there wasn't much humans could do to survive.
As these thoughts raced through my mind, the twins caught sight of someone who piqued their interest. When I followed their gaze, I realized it was the old butler. The one whose profile we had seen before. The one the twins had taken a liking to.
He sat in a composed and elegant posture, engrossed in a book on politics and philosophy. The air around him was filled with sorrow and solemnity. His eyes held anger, regret, and rage. To be honest, I saw myself in him. I saw a person who had been betrayed by those close to him. A person who had placed unwavering faith in the concept of family, only to have it shattered. A broken soul, betrayed and lost. I couldn't stay away any longer.
Through Eve's screen, I communicated with the twins and instructed them to bring me closer to the old man. As we approached him, he lifted his head from the book and directed his gaze towards us. He was clearly agitated at being disturbed, but I paid it no mind. The twins wheeled me closer until there was only a few centimeters separating us.
They left me there and went off to explore the courtyard, understanding my intentions toward the old man.
I remained still and silent, but I commanded Eve to display a screen in front of the old man with the following words written on it: "What price would you pay for power?"
The old man, taken aback, looked at me, but I didn't budge or show any emotions.
I continued the conversation on the screen: "You still haven't told me, old man, or should I say, Albert, what price are you willing to pay for power? What price are you willing to pay for revenge?"
Still in a daze, the old man responded in a low voice: "Who the hell are you? And how the hell do you know my name?"
"The details are not important right now. Just answer my questions."
With a sour expression on his face, the old man took a deep breath and answered with fire in his eyes: "I would pay my soul. Is that answer enough for you?"
"It's what I expected you to say. If you desire power and freedom, I can give it to you. But I have no interest in your soul. It means nothing to me."
Growing angrier and more frustrated, the old man demanded: "Who do you think you are? How can a soulless husk of a human, who can only communicate through a screen, give me power? How can a person incapable of movement or confined to a wheelchair offer me power? And if you don't want my soul, what do you want?"
Internally, I chuckled at the old man's frustration and anger, thinking that I was playing games with him. But I continued our conversation: "Old man, what you see before you is just a facade. It's a character I've adopted to deceive the guards and the chief of this facility. As for my power, let me prove it to you right here, right now."
With those words, I channeled my chi to my fingers and subtly moved my hand towards the metal table, pinching it between two fingers. With the power of chi, the table dented and took on the shape of my fingers.
Shocked, the old man looked at me with amazement in his eyes, and I pressed on: "Old man, as you can see, I possess plenty of power. However, I have yet to make my move for certain reasons. Now, as for what I want, it's simple. I want you to join my family, and my soon-to-be crew, and serve by my side. Essentially, I want your loyalty."
The old man, his face contorted with bitterness, replied: "No one deserves my loyalty."
"Well, if that's what you desire, old man, then so be it. I won't force my will upon you. I only came here to speak with you because I see myself in you. A betrayed and lost individual with revenge burning in their heart. Though I don't know your story, I can infer it from what I've read about you."