Where are they going?

How much longer do I have to go?

The endless mountain roads answered Merka's doubts.

Sometimes he felt like he was going uphill, and sometimes he felt like he was going downhill.

Pale moonlight passed through the mountains and engraved itself on the lonely treetops. They appeared like thin and mournful ghosts grieving for something.

The moon had climbed over the mountaintop, but Merka was still lingering halfway up the mountain.

Why not use magic to speed things up?

That's obvious - because magic would disturb any potential competitors nearby.

Diana wanted to keep the hiring of outside help a secret.

"..."

The silent crowd moved like a group of monks on a pilgrimage to a holy place, walking steadily like lambs.

The front of the line had vanished into darkness, and the people behind seemed to disappear into thin air.

In the illusion, the drowsy scent of wormwood came from the ancient past. Merka was starting to feel tired.

He didn't know how much longer he had to go or where he was headed.

He didn't even know if Mulan was still leading the group ahead. He couldn't sense any vitality from this team.

These were truly a group of suicide soldiers, Merka thought.

"You will die."

Merka, who was like a walking corpse, suddenly opened his heavy eyes. His unfocused pupils quickly adjusted, but he couldn't see anyone in his field of vision.

A drop of cold water called fear entered Merka's tormented heart, causing it to explode.

Merka widened his eyes. His trembling pupils and shaking body couldn't capture the turmoil in his heart - he saw a creature that looked like a devil slowly emerging from the shadows of the trees.

Its jet-black skin made it appear as if it was wearing an invisible cloak, creating a contradictory and conspicuous image.

Lines composed its muscles, clear as the judgment day.

The joints had wheels, and some internal transmission structures were visible beneath the muscle shell.

Merka realized that while this creature evoked a traditional fear, its mechanical body was extremely modern.

It walked towards Merka with a strange and eerie gait.

Merka tried to speak out to stop it, but he found himself unable to make any sound.

"...You can't defeat Mulan."

The shadow spoke.

"...And you can't win the competition."

"But you're not that different from them."

"All you need is a little help."

"Why don't we make a deal?"

"I can help you win the competition."

"And in return, you'll do something for me."

"What do you say?"

Merka was dumbfounded. He thought he had encountered something supernatural, but the shadow's mundane tone slightly reduced his fear.

Yet, new questions emerged.

What was this creature exactly? How could a normal person find him? After all, he was disguised as Victor.

"..."

Merka wanted to ask what exactly the creature was, but his throat wouldn't produce any sound.

"Have we met before, Mr. Merka?"

"If it weren't for my hint, would you have figured out the function of this thing so quickly?"

The shadow stretched out its emaciated left hand, and the black USB-like stone appeared in its palm.

He said my name? And he even understood what I was thinking!

When Merka saw the stone, he immediately remembered the shadow he had encountered when he first got the stone.

Merka had thought that the shadow he encountered that time was just an illusion.

He quickly reached into the pocket where he had hidden the stone, only to discover that the stone was gone.

"Next time, remember to keep such important things safe."

The shadow's arm flipped mechanically, and Merka quickly and respectfully received the stone.

"If you must address me, you can call me Aside."

"The person who named me died thousands of years ago."

"My name has long lost its meaning."

...Too eerie.

That was Merka's first thought.

But then he remembered that it seemed to be able to read minds, so he could only smile apologetically.

"It doesn't matter, I don't have the human concept of honor or disgrace."

"The key question is, what do you think about working together?"

Merka pursed his lips and shook his head helplessly.

"Alright." The devilish shadow nodded with a touch of humanity.

"Take your time to think about it, I believe you will agree."

"I can't help you much; my combat abilities are weak, but I have the ability to communicate with mechanical creations."

"Although its uses are limited, you should be able to think of how to use it."

The shadow reached into its abdomen and pulled out something. Only then did Merka notice that its abdomen had a large hole in it.

"To prevent you from accidentally dying."

"Let me give you a farewell gift."

A column-shaped object pierced with three silver needles was handed to Merka.

Upon closer inspection, Merka realized that it was unmistakably a human finger!

"It was taken from the remaining stock in the arsenal of the laboratory before it was destroyed."

"This is Abdiel's little finger."

"In a crisis, you can pull out the needles and throw them at your opponent."

"It can help you escape and save your life."

Frowning, Merka carefully examined the severed finger but didn't find anything special about it.

"Well then, let's part ways for now."

"If you change your mind, just summon my name."

As soon as the shadow finished speaking, the darkness around it seemed to flow like water. The flooding darkness wrapped around the shadow, seemingly intent on taking it away.

Wait a moment...at least tell me what you want me to do?!

Merka shouted in his mind.

"I won't tell you about this matter for now."

"I'm afraid having too big a goal will drain your strength completely."

The shadow gracefully performed a noble gesture and disappeared again into the darkness.

The tides of darkness rushed over Merka, and he instinctively closed his eyes, but the feeling of suffocation did not come with the flowing water.

As Merka opened his eyes, the darkness had all disappeared. A spectacular machinery appeared before him.

A huge water tank with a pink glow; thick needles like towers; the exposed engine, indicating violence, all seemed familiar yet strange to Merka.

"Just stay here," Mulan said in a sentence, and the black-clothed people around found places to sit down.

But Merka couldn't sit down for a long time in surprise.

"What's wrong, Victor?" Mulan looked at the stunned Merka in confusion and walked slowly towards him.

So that's it!

So that's it!

I should have thought of it long ago...

When Merka saw the words written on the water, his lips trembled.

Epinephrine

Others may not understand these foreign languages, but Merka could.

Combining with their current location—the back of the mountain.

According to Mammon, it was not another mountain range there, but a recumbent Jade.

It is easy to deduce one fact from these.

They... these cursed children, planned to awaken Jade through modern medical means!