Asura in Arknights

"Considering that I helped you make a lot of money, I wonder if Knight Li Ang can satisfy this little bit of my curiosity."

"...My senses are different from ordinary people's; I don't rely on appearance to identify a person's identity."

The two chatted like old friends under the streetlights. "When you stopped me on the street that day, I caught a glimpse of you using Originium Arts."

“Oh, that’s what it was…” Adams said with a look of realization. “I made a mistake. I didn’t expect to have a problem with such a detail.”

"That's impressive."

Adams clapped his hands, not holding back his praise, "Indeed, your most powerful Originium Arts are still those perception spells, but unfortunately, I still haven't figured out the specific principles behind them."

“Now that I’ve satisfied your curiosity, won’t you answer one of my questions?” Li Ang asked calmly.

"Please." Adams bowed and gestured for Leon to proceed.

"Why did you come to me in the first place? Don't tell me it was just a coincidence."

"Is that all you wanted to ask me?"

Adams looked somewhat surprised. He stared at Li Ang for a few more seconds before nodding thoughtfully. "It seems you really don't know."

What don't you know?

Li Ang frowned. He had only asked a casual question to sound out Adams and try to get as much information as possible. He hadn't expected that this casual question would uncover some secret.

"Then you should remember this badge, right?"

As he spoke, Adams pulled a plain metal badge from his pocket, which had several interlocking rings engraved on it.

"Dan... I think that's the name. He's in charge of Letania, right?"

Adams's answer struck Leon like a thunderbolt, and only then did he remember the badge he had neglected for so long.

From the lining of the armor, Li Ang pulled out an identical badge.

The badges in their hands seemed to resonate with each other, emitting a gray-green light in the darkness. At that moment, Li Ang finally caught a glimpse of something unusual from the badges.

"Not long ago, I discovered that Dan's badge had gone to Kazimierz. I thought he had finally come to his senses and given up on messing around with his so-called Witch King's legacy. But I didn't expect him to completely ignore my calls."

"So I wanted to see for myself what that guy was up to, but to my surprise, the person holding the badge wasn't Dan."

"It looks like that idiot is dead. Did you kill him and steal his badge, or did he hand it over to you himself?"

Without hesitation, Li Ang crushed the badge into pieces. If he had known that this thing would cause him so much trouble, he would never have carried it with him.

"hiss……"

Seeing Li Ang's actions, Adams gasped, then said with great regret, "The materials used to make this badge are extremely precious. You really didn't need to do this."

"Even if you really did kill Dan, I won't avenge him."

"Aren't you... from the same organization?"

"Who says people in the same organization have to love each other?" Adams shrugged. "In fact, it's better that the good-for-nothing is dead; it'll save me some trouble."

"In short, just treat us as members of the same study group; we don't have that deep a relationship," Adams said casually, clearly not wanting to say more about this topic with Li Ang.

Study groups... haha... if only they were as simple as Adams described.

It's a pity that Dan died too suddenly back then, and there were many things he didn't have time to tell Li Ang, which left Li Ang somewhat confused now. What kind of organization is behind this badge, and what was Dan's plan when he gave it to him?

Li Ang desperately wanted to know the answers to these questions, but the only person present who knew the answers clearly wouldn't cooperate with him willingly... He could only ask these questions later when he had the chance.

"So... one last question,"

Li Ang took a deep breath and pointed his short sword at Adams in front of him. "Who exactly are you?"

Upon hearing this, Adams revealed a very pleased smile.

"Then, please allow me to introduce myself again."

Adams gave Leon a very ancient bow and spoke slowly.

“I am Paul Adams, the original founder of this company.”

Chapter Eighty: The Immortals

Paul Adams? That common name... Li Ang vaguely remembered it.

While listening to the people from Boll Pharmaceuticals boast about the company's history, he seemed to have heard this name before—the original founder of Boll Pharmaceuticals, but that was a long time ago.

Although Knights Racing has only been around for less than a hundred years, capital entered the country much earlier, and Pol Pharmaceuticals is an established company with more than three hundred years of history.

The Philin race is not long-lived; their lifespan is shorter than that of all races. Adams looks to be around forty or fifty years old, which doesn't seem like he'll live that long.

Wait... a soul?

Li Ang suddenly thought of a very terrifying possibility, but on the surface he remained very calm and questioned, "Ha, Paul Adams was a man from hundreds of years ago. You think I would believe you if you said you were him?"

Adams smiled and said nonchalantly, "It's not important. It doesn't matter if you don't believe me."

"Next... I want to talk to you about Mr. Renn. I think that's why you've come, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ang's mood instantly sank.

Sure enough, his actions had been under Adams' control from beginning to end. Now that he was taking the initiative to confront Adams, it was as if he had walked right into a trap.

Li Ang suddenly hesitated for a moment. Perhaps... in this situation, self-preservation was the most correct choice?

But soon, Li Ang reaffirmed his resolve.

This world is very dangerous and very cruel. Right now, he is just a wandering ghost who has taken over someone else's body. If Li Ang chooses to back down even at this little bit of danger, how can he protect the people around him?

So Li Ang answered without fear, "That's right."

"Then, please come with me. I have something I'd like you to see."

After saying that, Adams turned and walked forward without waiting for Li Ang. Even if Li Ang turned and left now, Adams probably wouldn't stop him.

Without hesitation, Li Ang followed. The two of them went into the deepest part of the industrial park, into the tallest building. Watching Adams pass through the identity verification process without stopping, Li Ang's earlier guess became more and more credible.

It is said that this is the office of the president of Pol Pharmaceuticals, and no one except the president himself has the right to enter this place.

But Adams opened the door here with ease.

"Welcome to my private laboratory, Mr. Li Ang."

“You should be the first person besides me to enter this place in the last hundred years.”

Contrary to rumors, the top floor of the headquarters of Pol Pharmaceuticals is not an office at all, but a secret laboratory that has been operating for an unknown period of time.

The equipment in this laboratory... can almost be regarded as the history of modern scientific research in Terra. From ancient alchemical cauldrons to the most cutting-edge optoelectronic equipment, you can find them all here.

“Really? Should I feel honored by this?” Li Ang retorted sarcastically.

"certainly,"

Adams, however, accepted Li Ang's sarcasm with an attitude of entitlement, saying, "This is the culmination of my life's work; you should feel honored."

"After all, you won't find another person like me who studies immortality."

"Immortals? Like parasites, hiding in other people's bodies to eke out a living?" Li Ang's voice sounded unusually cold.

"It seems you have a lot of opinions about me." Adams shrugged, not denying the claim of using other people's bodies. "However, I think you misunderstand something. I am not yet an immortal being."

"The method I use can at most extend my own lifespan; it's difficult to even achieve immortality, let alone compare to those legendary 'immortals'."

"Immortals... does that refer to a specific group? Or simply people who have lived for a very long time?" This question flashed through Li Ang's mind.

"You probably haven't heard of the name 'Immortal,' which is why you have this misunderstanding. Well then, perhaps you are more familiar with another name for the Immortal."

After keeping Li Ang in suspense for a while, Adams finally uttered a single word: "God."

"The immortals are the legendary gods."

God... enlightenment? Does such a thing really exist?

Adams derived a great deal of satisfaction from Li Ang's ignorant expression.

For centuries, Adams had been hiding here alone, conducting his research. He was almost driven crazy by the suffocation. Even if he made some discoveries, he couldn't find anyone to share them with or show off to. Research results that no one knew about... could they still be called research results?

What frustrated Adams was that he was researching things that were not meant to be seen by the public. If his research results were leaked, he would not be able to protect himself even if he hid in the capital of Kazimierz.

Now that someone has offered themselves up, Adams naturally won't let go of this good opportunity to satisfy his desire for self-expression.

"However, although they are called gods, they are not without weaknesses. Immortality does not mean immortality. They can also be injured. There are many people in history who have successfully 'killed gods'. For example, a certain emperor of the Great Yan a thousand years ago used the power of the country to kill almost all the 'gods' in the Great Yan territory. However, the Yan Kingdom also paid the price of devastation."

"Since then, the gods have gradually disappeared from this land and become stories passed down by word of mouth. In this day and age, only scholars, explorers and the like know these secrets."

In other words, those fairy tales aren't just fairy tales, but a piece of history that happened in the past? Hmph... Li Ang really hasn't paid much attention to this kind of story; he's focused most of his energy on studying Originium Arts.

"Is the story over? I didn't come here for you to give me a history lesson," Li Ang said impatiently.

Despite his interest in the immortals Adams mentioned, Leon hadn't forgotten that his goal was to save Ryan's soul.

“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Adams said calmly. “Besides, I have the upper hand right now. As long as you still care about Mr. Ryan’s life, you can’t do anything to me.”

"Or... you could try killing me, and maybe Mr. Rein's soul will go back on its own," Adams tempted.

Of course, if Li Ang actually did as Adams said, then he would have fallen into Adams's trap.

"...What exactly do you want to do?"

"You can think of it as someone who has been lonely for a long time finally finding someone to talk to."

Adams smiled and said, "I have a question for you."

What do you think are the differences between immortals and ordinary people?

Chapter 81 The True Colors Are Revealed

According to Adams, immortal beings are not the 'gods' that people generally understand, but they are fundamentally different from ordinary people.

Their lifespans are so long that even the Sarkaz can hardly match them. Without external intervention, it seems that there have never been any immortal beings who died of natural causes. Some of them are even older than the entire history of Terran civilization.

The power of immortals is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even the most powerful humans would find it difficult to kill the weakest immortal in a one-on-one situation.

In fact, the fall of most immortals was caused by the sacrifice of countless lives. Therefore, even though the true dragon of Yan Kingdom ensured that the Great Yan would never be threatened by immortals again, people's evaluation of him in later generations is still full of controversy.

So, what causes this difference?

More than three hundred years ago, before mobile cities were invented and before the concept of 'nation' existed in Terra, Adams had the privilege of witnessing a 'divine descent'.

In the blink of an eye, the entire village of several hundred people was silently wiped out, and no cause of death could be found afterward.

Even after three hundred years of development, it would be difficult for Originium Arts to achieve that. As one of the lucky survivors, Adams's shock was indescribable.

From that day on, a seed was planted in Adams' heart, and to this day, he continues to strive for that goal.

As for the question from earlier, Adams didn't expect Leon to be able to answer it. If the answer were that easy, he wouldn't have been sitting here studying it for hundreds of years.

“It’s the soul,” Adams said. “At least that’s what my research tells me.”

As he spoke, Adams walked around the research equipment that was still in operation and headed deeper into the laboratory.

Deep inside the laboratory, Li Ang's senses were completely blank, somewhat similar to the situation in the research and development center, where something was interfering with Li Ang's perception.

However, the intensity of the interference here far exceeded that of the research and development center, and Li Ang was completely unable to perceive what was there.

As Li Ang approached that area, some blurry images appeared in his completely blank world of perception. Only then did Li Ang realize that the interference did not come from the room itself, but from... the object stored inside.

Li Ang could vaguely guess that the thing in front of him that was interfering with his perception was the reason Adams had gone to such lengths to bring him here.

After several verification procedures, Adams finally opened the last door to that area.

Behind the door was a giant 'metal coffin' that occupied almost half of the room. Just by looking at the thickness of the outer protective wall, Li Ang felt that even if the entire building were demolished, nothing inside would be able to be harmed in the slightest.

Although the outer walls of this room are less strong, they are not easily broken.

Inside that metal coffin was a nutrient tank less than a person tall, and that special thing was stored inside the nutrient tank.

At this distance, almost within arm's reach, Li Ang was finally able to 'see clearly' the object's true form—

A piece of flesh no bigger than a fingernail.

The nutrient tank is quite old-fashioned, but the small piece of flesh stored inside still maintains an amazing level of activity, with an ambiguous, indescribable fluctuation constantly emanating from the flesh.

It was this peculiar fluctuation that interfered with Li Ang's perception, but Li Ang was also quickly adapting to this interference.

No matter how special this piece of flesh is, its size is simply too small. If the owner of this piece of flesh were here, no one could say for sure what the final outcome would be.

"What is this?" Li Ang couldn't help but ask.

"'Divine remains' are just a small piece of the flesh and blood of an immortal being," Adams replied casually.

As he spoke, he walked into the adjacent cubicle and changed into a thick protective suit. During this time, he turned back and kindly asked, "Do you need to change into a suit too? We're about the same size, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"……No."