Deep in the Living

Chapter 682 The Essence of Relics

A minister's office that is almost devoid of any human presence.

A form titled "Relics Registration Form" was placed on the table. Although it was supposed to be filled out, most of the blank spaces were simply filled with the word "[Unknown]".

The young-looking Minister Matthew sat at his workstation, explaining simply:

"The headquarters requires any detective who obtains relics to register their information, so we'll just fill this out arbitrarily for now."

After all, your relics are too special, and there are still many secrets that haven't been uncovered. We can fill in the gaps later.

Anyway, the Exploration Bureau has reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with Vortex Town, so you can come over anytime. You can discuss any issues regarding the use of the relics with me.

However, I usually stay in seclusion in the [escaped room], so you'd better make an appointment in advance.

This last sentence sparked Roddy's deep curiosity, or rather, his curiosity had been present ever since he entered the secret chamber and lay down in the coffin.

"Minister Matthew, you're in seclusion in a secret room? It can't be a secret room used to retrieve relics, can it?"

"Of course not... The relics chamber is a very important area, and it is only accessible to agents who are retrieving relics, and they can only go there after passing a strict inspection."

Are there many other ancient secret chambers like this?

"There is only one secret room that can transform relics, but there are quite a few other alternative secret rooms."

The main task of the Technology Development Department is to decipher and analyze these ancient secret chambers, to obtain as much ancient knowledge as possible from them, and to combine it with modern technology.

During joint operations, the "combat suits" used to defend against external vulnerabilities are the result of our technological integration and refinement of ancient knowledge.

"I see! No wonder this combat suit capable of resisting divinity could be developed in such a short time..."

Roddy continued the conversation, expressing all his doubts: "Minister, the corner has only been here for a hundred years. Where did these ancient secret chambers come from?"

"Although the corner has only been formed for less than a hundred years, the 'thing' that brought about the corner has a history that far exceeds the development of humankind."

The secret room, the relics, and all the knowledge recorded within them all belong to 'that thing'.

In my view, these secret rooms are a medium, a medium for understanding 'that thing'.

The other party handed the medium to us, to humans whose minds have not been corrupted, clearly hoping that we could eventually understand its existence, rather than seeing it as a monster.

Therefore, I personally believe that humans have a special advantage when it comes to exploring corners.

Roddy, you should also make good use of your human identity. While experiencing fear from the monsters' perspective, you can also focus on understanding the essence of fear.

This "special relic" might be a personal privilege bestowed upon you by the corner; cherish it.

"Thank you, Minister. Once I learn more about the details of the unknown relics and how to use them, I will definitely come to report back and complete the file."

However, I have one last small request.

I'd like to know what typical relics look like, and what kind of boost they provide to an agent?

Minister Matthew shook his head. "With your senses, you should be able to tell that I am not my original self, but a cyborg body. This body cannot be used to display my relics."

My belongings are also quite special and not very convenient to use at headquarters.

Let me explain it to you simply.

Human development, like that of monsters, relies on the fear system between the pituitary glands to gain power.

However, agents who possess "relics" can, through deep engagement with these relics, seek the source of their fears and express their own 'ancient state' of fear.

While this 'ancient state' cannot be maintained for long, it can greatly enhance the agents' abilities.

"Ancient state?"

"That's right, a state of fear that is closer to the essence of the corner, a purer manifestation of power."

Think about it! Why would you take the pituitary gland of a mature monster to the "Five Fingers Palace" when making relics?

Rather than creating relics, it's more like proving our strength to the corner by handing over monster pituitary cells.

Once recognized, the relics can be obtained.

Relics are also more like a "medium" for contacting the essence of fear, allowing us to present a more ancient and intuitive form.

Although your relics are special, and the specific combination method is still unknown, they are essentially relics.

You're still young, and things are relatively stable in the corner right now. Don't rush things; take your time to uncover the secrets within.

"Thank you again for the minister's explanation."

With Roddy's departure,
Matthew's smile immediately turned back into 'expressionless', which may be the way androids change their expressions, as excessive expressions would consume the body's energy.

If you broaden your perspective and observe the entire Technology Development Bureau, you will find similar androids sitting inside many of the sealed rooms.

While Matthew appears to be here helping Roddy obtain the relics, his technological development work has never been delayed.

Following the energy source of these androids, we will leave the Technology Development Department and arrive at the floor where the Medical Rescue Department (Department Two) is located.

Inside a specially constructed all-metal ward, a man with only half a head remains sealed in a temperature-controlled incubator. The biotechnology inside the incubator is designed to sustain the life force of his remaining head.

Even so, the room is still filled with various monitoring devices, and if any abnormal parameter fluctuations occur, medical experts will arrive at the scene immediately to check the situation.

current,

The half-head smiled and said softly, "Being granted such a special relic by the corner is probably related to other reasons besides the special nature of the monster's pituitary gland itself."

Having been involved in the videotape incident and touched upon the essence of the underworld.

Roddy, you must be the real winner of the videotape incident, right? You may have already earned the "qualification," truly a formidable young talent.

With humans like you existing, it's truly possible that we can win the "final selection" and hold the initiative in our hands... Those sinful monsters don't deserve to win with us.

……

Roddy left the office alone and went to the rest area where his colleagues were waiting.

On the way, he took out his "unknown relic" again to examine it closely. When he touched it, there was no fluctuation. The rat monster had long been digested.

"Relics combined, ancient state... What state will this thing reach when combined with me? What will my Black Gate Killer become?"

Meijin's soul restoration hadn't even begun when this new problem arose.

However, being busy is good.

Since this strange relic needs to eat, I need to find a way to feed it something high-quality. The extraterrestrial event has just ended; the Lame Man is dead, but many others like Jock, the "Horned Traitors," are still alive.

Perhaps there's a way to pinpoint the exact location of these guys, which would both help clean up the rat droppings in the corner and satisfy my personal needs.

"Go ask Yu Ze; he should be the expert on this."

While handling the relics, Roddy's left arm began to construct metal, creating a metal rope chain of suitable length.

By connecting the rope chain to the metal hand on top of the artifact, it was made into a pendant.

Put it around your neck and hang it on your chest.

After thinking about it, he stuffed the belongings inside his clothes and hid them.

When Roddy returned to the lounge, all his teammates who should have been waiting there were nowhere to be seen. Only one employee from the technical development department stepped forward.

"Agent Roddy, your friends have gone to the cafeteria."

How do I get to the cafeteria?

"what?"

In this employee's view, an agent who could obtain the relics and be personally received by the minister must be a seasoned veteran, yet he doesn't even know who the canteen is.

"I'm an overseas agent, and I've basically never been to headquarters."

"Oh, just go straight from here and take the elevator to the second floor! There are clear signs down there, it should be easy to find."

"Thank you."

When Luo Di found the cafeteria area, he was surprised to find Wu Wen chatting happily with the two of them, and she even got along well with Song Huiwen, who lacked humanity.

Wu Wen was also the first to notice Luo Di's arrival and waved to greet him.

Just as Roddy approached,

When there were five meters left between them,
Yu Ze remained unchanged, still eating meat with gusto.

But Wu Wen's expression froze instantly, she moved her butt off the bench and subconsciously pulled her body back.

Song Huiwen, who had always maintained a human appearance and concealed her fangs, seemed to be provoked and quickly retreated, revealing her monstrous nature.

This sight startled the detectives at the next table. If it weren't for Deputy Minister Yu Ze being there, the cafeteria would have almost sounded the alarm.

Wu Wen pointed to Luo Di's chest, "Is there something on you... a keepsake?"

Roddy took out the pendant and presented it to everyone.

Neither Yu Ze, who was human, nor the detectives in the cafeteria reacted much, except for the two women who became even more agitated.

When Wu Wen saw the deep red fleshy pendant, she broke out in a cold sweat, and Song Huiwen even got a little agitated, hissing from his sharp teeth.

"Is the reaction that strong?"

Luo Di doesn't yet know the nature and effects of this thing, so he doesn't dare to rashly put it into his body.

There was really no other way but to create an Iron Maiden shell to seal this thing in hell.

When the lockdown was complete and they were completely isolated from the outside world, the two women finally returned to normal, but they looked at Roddy with a hint of wariness.

(End of this chapter)