"It was here many years ago that we launched the Ranger program, and after the failure we created the Florent potion, the neural connections in the armor technology were also carried out here......"

Abigail whispered, his eyes looking through the gray glass at the Colosseum-like test bench.

An electric chair-like mechanical chair stood on a steel platform, with machinery and pipes extending outward like vines, cables entwined in between, and faint steam spilling through the cracks.

The logo of the Black Mountain Hospital is engraved on the iron wall above the chair, and the lancet that pierces through the brain seems to break through the constraints of the plane and pierce it along with the person in the chair.

They usually refer to it as a birdcage, and the subject of the experiment sits on a chair and is watched by the people behind the guardrail.

"It's still the same here, haven't you used it in years?"

Merlin came from behind, looking at this place with some nostalgia.

"After the teacher's death...... To be precise, it hasn't been used since that incident, and we haven't had a chance to use it anyway. Abigail said.

"Ah...... I really miss that at that time, Perpetual Pump and Montenegro Hospital worked closely together, instead of operating independently like now. Merlin gently brushed the surface of the steel, and although people came here from time to time to maintain it, the edges of the metal were still covered with rust due to the erosion of time.

"But the failure of Project Ranger proves the difference between us, the Black Mountain Hospital is trying to dig into the extreme of the human spirit, and your perpetual motion pump is just a machine, bigger and bigger machinery, more and more powerful explosives. ”

"But there's no way around it......," Merlin sighed.

"That incident changed a lot of people, and that's when Arthur made a decision," Merlin said, recalling the past, "and although Arthur had lost a lot of children, he was still a passionate guy who couldn't be defeated by anyone, until the demons found him." ”

Lorenzo used to tell me this, that the more we came into contact with demons, the more darkness we felt, and the clearer we were in the eyes of them, so that the strange things could find us, which explained why the demons found Arthur at that time. Merlin said.

"I only know what happened at that time, after all, I was not a dean at that time, I was just a student. Abigail asked.

Merlin hesitated for a moment, he just wanted to say something, but he took it back, and the whole experimental field was quiet, only the restless sound of the fan pumped out the old air.

"What else can happen, it's just a cliché story. ”

Merlin finally spoke slowly.

"Project Ranger began as an attempt to replicate the Demon Hunter's Secret Blood, but we took a completely different path, focusing on strengthening the spirit...... Actually, in retrospect, I kind of understand why Queen Victoria would have approved of this somewhat risky plan at that time, and she should have wanted to try to solve the royal curse with the product of Project Ranger.

After obtaining the armor technology, Arthur became one of the last Rangers, and at that time, Arthur was discovered by the demons because of the battle against the demons, and the hordes of demons attacked Phoenix Manor, and his wife, who was pregnant at the time, was also injured by the demons at that time. ”

"Is this the event that changed Arthur?" Abigail asked.

"It was almost after this incident that we discovered another nature of demons, but because there were so few cases, it was not until we met Lorenzo, with his affirmation, that this connection with darkness was established...... It's like a moth chasing light. ”

Merlin continued to reminisce about a long time ago, and he continued.

Arthur thinks that it is his own fault that caused the injuries of his family, and he thinks of the children he died before, and he thinks that the fault of all this comes from himself, from the demons, and it is after that that he has become what he is now, with a great hatred for demons, and Eve Phoenix has an almost pathological desire to protect his last child. ”

"So what's going on with Eve Phoenix? There's something different about her in the past few days. ”

Abigail looked suspicious, she didn't wear the heavy hazmat suit anymore at this moment, and looked at Merlin's hollow dark eyes unabashedly.

Although this was just an ordinary demon erosion event, Abigail detected a lot of strange things on Eve's body.

"According to her indicators...... Eve is also a product of the Ranger program, but wasn't the last Ranger Arthur?"

"Ah...... That's what I want to say to you next, don't worry. Merlin said slowly.

"At that time, the Phoenix Manor was attacked, Arthur's wife was not only injured by the demon, but also eroded at the same time, and she was pregnant with Eve at that time, although her injuries were serious, but with our current technology, it can be completely healed, and after mental testing, it can be determined that she is in the first stage of erosion, which can be completely cured, but the problem is ...... What about Eve?"

Merlin slowly turned his head, looking at the empty gaze, Abigail couldn't help but feel an unbearable coldness, as if there was some kind of strange and evil soul under this ageless body.

"It's not just her who is being eroded, it's the child in her womb, you can test and treat her, but not Eve, who is still a baby. Abigail said.

"Yes, it was a very difficult situation, we never had a case like this, but according to the calculations, the child in our arms did not have a mature mind at that time, and it was very likely that it would be eroded and alienated into a demon," Merlin continued, "and we seemed to have only one choice at that time, to kill the child in our arms. ”

But Eve survived. ”

"Yes, Arthur tried his best to refuse all this, and after all this, he was already in a strange state of mind, and under this stalemate, the then chief of the Perpetual Motion Pump, who was my last officer, made a decision, he was going to experiment on Arthur's wife, and try it with the last inheritance of the Ranger Project before it was sealed. ”

Merlin said, with a slight fluctuation in his flat voice, I don't know if it was fear or shock.

"Arthur doesn't have the right to choose, he can only accept it, otherwise Eve will be forcibly killed, or even worse, become some specimen of us, after all, Arthur at that time did not have as much power as he has now.

We gave Mrs. Phoenix an injection of Ranger potions, as well as some surgeries, and she would act as a mother to pass these potions to the fetus in her womb. ”

"This can't ......," Abigail couldn't believe it.

"Of course it can't be, one of the reasons why the Ranger Project was sealed is because of the destruction of the user, even Arthur will die if he is not careful, let alone a woman who has not experienced this. ”

Merlin's voice gradually lowered, and suddenly a deep voice roared.

"But human beings always work miracles, don't they? It is even because we can create 'miracles' beyond imagination that we are called human beings.

She was locked up in a special hospital room with Geiger counters all over her room, and the child in her womb would die if anything went wrong, but after a few months, she gave birth to Eve, a remarkably healthy child.

The drug was injected into the mother's body, and the birth was carried out smoothly the day after tomorrow...... What a taboo it was, even if we experimented, it would be difficult for us to do such a thing under the so-called ethics, but it was successful, but with the birth of Eve, she seemed to drain her mother's life force, and she died a few years later...... This is normal, not everyone can afford Ranger potions, and it is a miracle that she was able to give birth to Eve. ”

"Is Eve stable after that, if this injection can create a stable Ranger ......" Abigail looked a little excited, this forbidden experiment could completely open new doors.

"Abigail!"

Merlin snapped, freeing her from her frenzied fantasies.

"It's against the ethical bottom line, and the scavengers won't allow that," Merlin said, "and to this day I still feel that Eve's survival is a special case, a special case that is hard to replicate...... It's a miracle. ”

"Is that so...... But you can tell me this, this story is also about what we're going to do next, right?"

It's a story sealed in the archives, and Merlin wouldn't have had to tell her so much if it wasn't necessary.

Merlin nodded, and he continued.

"Actually, there were many doubts about the events at the time, such as why someone would have given permission for this experiment, but I now know that it was Queen Victoria who acquiesced in the experiment...... That's why I was so late before, and I received an order directly from Queen Victoria. ”

"What does she want to do?"

"Replicate everything we did back then, but this time it will be injected with secret blood, and we will get rid of the shackles of the royal curse in this way of innate experiments, but don't worry, after the initial success of this experiment, we will directly experiment on the royal family, and will not involve ordinary people. Merlin said frighteningly.

"So she was planning all of this years ago?" Abigail asked.

"Almost ......," Merlin said and sighed, "she's been bound by the royal curse for so long that she doesn't even expect to get rid of it, and she's going to cut it off in this generation, which is what has contributed to this situation." ”

"This is the second cooperation between Perpetual Pump and Montenegro Hospital since then, and we wish us a happy cooperation. ”

After a brief pause, Merlin said, as the sound of pulleys sliding echoed through the silent birdcage.

......

Lorenzo looked up, the lights flashing overhead, and the somewhat irritating sound of the fan in his ears.

"Actually, I can walk on my own. He held his head high and tried to look at the guy pushing the wheelchair.

"It's all here, settle down, Lorenzo. Arthur said, looking ahead.

The corridor seemed incredibly long, and only two people were left in the long distance.

"The Protestant Order is not to be trusted, Arthur. Lorenzo broke the long silence.

"I know. ”

"I didn't lose control. ”

"I know. ”

“......”

"You...... Arthur, what the hell is going on with you. ”

Lorenzo was unsettled by this mechanical answer, and he asked again, but only then Arthur suddenly stopped, he stopped where he was, but his eyes were still looking ahead.

"You think I'm conflicted, don't you? I know it's a ruse, I know they're enemies too...... But in the end I made that decision, didn't I?" said Arthur.

"Do you ...... Do you still believe the information of the Protestant Order?"

Arthur nodded stiffly, not knowing if it was exhaustion or what, his gaze a little glazed.

"Lorenzo, sometimes I feel that human beings in this world are like a lonely person walking in the dark night...... We always have to live by believing in something, and sometimes it doesn't matter if what we believe in is right or not.

Actually, you're like that, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

Lorenzo felt that Arthur was in a strange state, and Arthur smiled and replied.

"It's just that I turned to the previous records and remembered those sad things again...... In fact, when I think about it now, all we do now is just repeating it.

As I did when I first came into contact with these, this is a heavy problem, and with the spread of demons, human sanity is at stake, and the only solution to this problem is to kill all the demons.

Lorenzo, do you believe that? Killing all the demons will put an end to this?"

Lorenzo was silent, and as he searched for the past, he realized that demons were far from being as simple as they seemed, and Arthur didn't give Lorenzo a chance to answer, he continued.

"There is no way, we can only believe, so that we can release the hatred and anger brought by the demons, just like the only light in the night, we can only move towards that light, we can only believe, even if there are deeper mysteries and loopholes behind all this...... But we can only believe. ”

Arthur pushed the wheelchair again, and he spoke to Lorenzo as he walked forward.

"I made this decision many years ago, my wife and daughter are going to die, but the only way to save them is absurd...... But I can only believe that this is the only way, in fact, I was running away at the time, I didn't think about what would happen if I failed, I was going crazy at the time, I just wanted something to fool myself, so that I could keep going, and I succeeded in the end. ”

"Like the Protestant Order, I know they have bad intentions, but now that we know that we have reached the border, I can only believe, don't blame me, Lorenzo, I believe that if you were me, you would have made the same decision, just like the anger that has been driving you.

You believe that by eradicating demons you will get revenge, you believe that eradicating demons will put an end to this, and you believe that eradicating demons will end your suffering......

In fact, these have always been your own imagination, and no one has told you that eradicating the demons will end all this, and this is just a reason for you to deceive yourself so that you can continue to be motivated. ”

Arthur's voice echoed through the empty corridor, a glimmer of light at the end.

"The world is terrible. Lorenzo said.

"yes...... But ......"

Arthur didn't say anything more, but Lorenzo felt a cold, the touch falling down his wrist, and he tried to move his bound arm, feeling a slight tingle as he moved.

"Arthur ......"

"Shh......h

Arthur covered Lorenzo's mouth and whispered in his ear.

"She's going to restart the Ranger program...... No one can be trusted, not even she, who survived many years ago because of her orders, but now, in order to be freed from the royal curse, I can't guarantee what she will do to Eve.

It was a really bad feeling, I couldn't do anything, and now it's different.

So let me use it again, Lorenzo, if the next enemy is the Protestant Order, then destroy the Protestant Order, and it is Lawrence's remnants who will kill them quickly, and the one who will come is the Queen's order, then take Eve and leave. ”

Lorenzo remained silent, twisting his wrist slightly, adjusting the lancet that Arthur had inserted into his sleeve to the right position.

The corridor came to an end, and Arthur pushed Lorenzo into the birdcage and left without looking back, but then there was a slight sound, what seemed to be laughter.

"You don't really think I'm losing, Arthur. ”

Lorenzo looked at Arthur with an eerie smile.

......

Today's rain is extraordinarily heavy, heavy dark clouds cover the sky, because it is too dark, the street lamps are temporarily lit in the daytime, the wind and rain carry the leaves and debris, beating everyone who is enveloped.

The parked carriage was also blown and swayed, and the girl in the carriage looked out the window, and then at the old fellow sitting across from her.

"So Lorenzo said let's wait here for someone?" asked Seleuc, who had received a letter from Lorenzo a few days earlier, but when she went to look for Lorenzo, he had mysteriously disappeared along with his roommate.

"That's what the letter to me says anyway. ”

Oscar looked at the hell outside the window, and his tone became a little uncertain, he couldn't figure out what Lorenzo was going to do.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a wet black shadow crashed in, swearing as he boarded the carriage.

"Wow, why is it raining so hard! ”

He muttered, but soon two pistols were pressed to his head, and the atmosphere in the cramped carriage was awkward.

"Based on your strength, I suggest you use this ladies pistol. ”

Oscar said as he handed Seleus a smaller pistol, and then two pistols, one large and one small, were pressed against the man's head, and he looked embarrassed, but then said.

"That...... Seleuce Stuart?Oscar Wilde?

He seemed to recognize people, and Oscar also felt that this guy who had been poured into soup was a little familiar.

"Ah, you're the group of friends and relatives mentioned in Lorenzo's letter, aren't you?"

"What group of friends and family?"

Seleuc felt that the man in front of him was a little inexplicable, but soon the guy got serious.

"Introduction, Hercule Christie, this is Poirot. ”

As Hercules spoke, a large mouse leaped out of the corner, one man and one rat, a combination that seemed a little too strange to Seleuc.

"Oh, that guy Lorenzo is really troublesome, he has entrusted us with so many things, although this is the best solution, after all, he has involved everyone's attention, so that we can secretly plot these ......"

Hercule brushed his rain-soaked mustache vigorously, and then said with a smile on his face.

"So let's now proceed to Lorenzo Holmes' play, where the protagonist is on stage, the curtain opens, and the music begins...... Wait, supporting characters! You should be ready, huh? ”