“But before that, let me check that room first. There is something....eerie there.” Manstein thought to himself. His instincts told him there was a terrifying existence in that room.

The room was separated by a tall door. When Manstein touched the surface, he surprised to find out that the door was made from steel, with several stronger metal added to it.

Of course, the condition for this was when the door needed several reinforcements from anything behind it. Whether it was a dangerous thing, top secrets of the organization or the vault that stored important matter.

But from all of that, the dangerous thing seemed more probable as Manstein felt his instinct tingling when he saw the door.

He found out that the door was locked by the high-pressure airlock. This kind of lock made the door harder to open by force, even the explosive which could demolish a building was not able to open it. But Manstein at least had a solution for that and that was to use regular method.

He even went as far as duplicating the fingerprints of several people just for the fingerprint scanner in each of the doors, including this door.

‘I believe that only the high authority have access to this door. Other than them, there is no way to enter the room.’

And thus Manstein had to use several fingerprints that he duplicated to the thin layer of a paper-like thing he carried. He remembered the fingerprint of the leader of the black-suited man and tried it but to no avail.

He then forced himself to try the ordinary fingerprint because other than the leader, there was no one else he found as the good candidate. He was not hoping to get access to the highest security place where some secrets were placed there.

Manstein tried to remember which fingerprints belonged to the one with higher authority because he knew that once he used the wrong fingerprints, not even one mistake would be spared again and he knew that the entire facility would begin its self-destruction sequence.

“Only one mistake allowed. It is in case of an unexpected accident but the second time, it will begin the countdown. Alright, I choose you.” Manstein said while his forehead started sweating. He closed his eyes as he placed the fingerprint replica to the scanner and his heartbeat accelerated.

‘Don’t fail! I’m sure that this fingerprint model belonged to the person in the file which I had seen.’

Fortunately, the door opened and the scanner immediately recognized the fingerprint. Manstein then held his pistol while moving slowly to enter the room. There was only a person inside it and this person’s hands and legs were tied to a strange looking chain with even some complicated mechanical device.

The person then looked at Manstein right on his face and Manstein could feel his eyes that let out the cold glint. The eyes that looked at him without much care nor pity, that was the person’s eye in Manstein perspective.

‘I feel like my breathing is affected by a strange pressure. I only feel this when grandpa killed a bear with brute strength.’

As if the surprise was not enough, that person’s body suddenly trembled and he truly looked at Manstein this time.

“You! Come closer.” That person suddenly shouted and Manstein felt that the voice filled with doubt, hesitation and hidden expression.

‘Why did this person is here? So this is like a special prison where the hostage of the organization that is hard to handle and their existence itself maybe threaten the organization?’ Manstein thought carefully as he did not fully know why such person was here.

Furthermore, he did not know whether the person was on his side or just another annoying obstacle that would prevent him from getting his objective.

But Manstein took a step closer as he nodded. He calmly looked at the person’s face but did not recall anything at all, not even at the files he recently read through. He already pointed his pistol’s muzzle to the person’s face.

“You really look like him. Strange, your face really looks like him especially that eyebrows and the forehead part. Mark, if only I were the one who does it at that time then I would not have disappointed everyone to this day.”

The first sentence was clear but the third was actually that person’s whisper.

“Please repeat what you have just said.” Manstein looked at him strangely. But at the same time, his heart felt something. He then remembered that there was a name he could not forget for the rest of his life because this name was so important to him.

“What’s wrong with you? I just find that you are similar to a person I know but similarly doesn’t mean much more now. Especially when you are equipped with this kind of device.”

The man pointed to his hands and legs. But he could only move his head, part of his body and his finger as the other part did not even move.

“That name, that name you just said a moment ago...how is it possible that you know that? Forget it, there are more people out there with that name, there is no way that the person you are talking about is the same person in my mind.”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Disappointed by his finding, Manstein rotated his body as he left the place but before he stepped his feet out, the man suddenly called him.

“Just for your confirmation, my buddy’s name is Mark Gelian. You may be confusing him with someone else altogether so it’s okay but from the commotion outside, looks like trouble is coming to this place.”

The man smiled bitterly as he looked down at his body before he returned his gaze to Manstein only to find the child stared at him in a close distance.

“Tell me how to release this device or at least how does it work?” Manstein asked seriously as his eyes returned from its normal color to its red and intimidating look.

“You...this...” the man saw it with his eyes that Manstein’s eye color changed drastically. He could not understand just how the child in front of him had the characteristic of someone he had known so well.

“Oh, if I looked at it then this device really make a person unable to release it alone. But since I’m here then I can help you. All you have to do is to let me hold this part first.”

Manstein then held the chain that tied the legs. After that, he asked the man to hold the chain that tied his hands. Surprisingly, the man just nodded in affirmation with what Manstein had said.

‘He knows about the device. But he is only a nine years old child, there is no way he can understand such complicated device unless he learned it thoroughly. And that red eye, is he perhaps someone that came from the project?’

As the man thought about that, he still did what Manstein had told him like to simultaneously press the largest button on the device on the chains that tied his hands while Manstein also pressed the button at his legs.

Yes, the device needed two people at the least to operate. Because if the time was slow or faster then the notification would be sent to the place where even Manstein could not possibly know.

*Clank!*

The chain suddenly changed into the gel. The device form was like a thin wire inside the gel with an interactive panel on the outer part and now that the device had been deactivated, the restriction that binds the man was gone.

“Hahahaha!” the man laughed, he truly laughing as if that was the last time he could do that. His long hair was messy enough and his body was thin but his laughter contained an unimaginable strength just like his words when he saw Manstein.

“I shouldn’t waste time here.” Manstein turned around and truly left. He did not have much time left since he had passed five minutes mark. His friends and the girl's group would meet but that was not his intention.

“Wait, I can help you with your escape plan. Without the proper planning, no matter how good your start is, will end up in failure because of the detector.”

The man followed behind Manstein. But what they found next was surprising because the group of boys and girls stared at each other on a circular hall. Manstein clenched his fist so strong because this was something that he did not want to happen yet!

‘This facility has a thermal detector and also the hardest to destroy in this circumstance. The suit those people wear are able to suppress the thermal that radiated from the body but if suddenly a large batch of people gather then the plan....is already a failure.’

The man also understood Manstein’s thought and held his head in anguish. The thermal detector itself was only a detector but the countermeasure of such a large number of people in the facility was not light.

“Manstein, just where are you going!? Don’t you know that we worried about you!”

Only when facing with Daniel that Manstein started to hesitate and even avoid eye contact. Manstein knew well every single thing his own body did, not only that but he also planned this since the beginning.

“Quick...we are..we are detected because of the number of people.” Manstein stuttered each word due to the complicated feelings in his heart was not properly arranged.

Seeing the rather intelligent child Manstein like that made Daniel realized that the excess number of people must mean something and from Manstein’s expression that turned pale, he was sure of it.

“Alright, if you want to live through this then you all kids must obey this uncle. Unless you want those baddies to chase you and ‘treat’ you nicely.” The man said loud so everyone can hear.

“Uncle..Ben, do you really have to do that?” Manstein looked at him in confusion. The only thing he did know about this person named Ben was that he had been held in that room which only high authorizes personnel could open.

As for the reason, Manstein did not care too much as long as he was willingly helping him. And the second reason may be due to the terrifying pressure Ben gave to him as well as knowing the name ‘Mark’.

“Yes and absolutely a must if we all want to get out from this place. You are really something, to went as far as knowing the regular routine of each guard, the change of password and also to get as much information from them. It can only be described as a monster you know, a monster.”

Even with his long and messy hair, it did not diminish the aura of slaughter from Ben’s body at all.

“And this, what am I supposed to do now?” Daniel let out a grumble before putting out a piece of worn-out paper with some words on it. That was the initial plan they all agreed upon before.

Manstein sighed, for the plan was to reach the control room or have access to the control room. The route they initially took actually will lead them to the basic administration room where the information about the basic map of the facility was located and from there they would gain the big picture of the new facility unlike the old one they were held.

‘Actually, the reason I doing all of this is to let the tracking device to work.’ Manstein had to reach a certain distance from the ground to let it work. Due to the fact that even after Manstein disabled the jammer the tracking device still had not worked, he had another plan in case this plan failed.

Of course Ben had known about it when he saw Manstein took a glance at his device while walking to the circular hall where the group met.

“Who is he? I’m scared.” A little girl hid behind the older ones in the girl group. Manstein also saw the terrified look they gave, which was the result of the man that treat them daily.

“Don’t worry, maybe they are also in the same situation like us.” The older ones comforted the little girl while patting her small head.

“Should we listen to that man’s words? I don’t think that we can get out from this place, especially when we gather like this?”

But whatever reason they had now, it would become useless once the detector activated the prevention system specifically for detecting too much heat source.

‘Why did I remember that day again!?’ faintly but surely, there was a trace of loss deep inside his eyes which reflected the feeling in his heart. Like what Manstein said himself, the eyes are the door to the heart. Only when someone paid careful attention that they could see this.

The day when he met with his protector in his world and also the partner that would always stay beside him in turbulent times was also when he experienced the nightmare of his life.

And when he finally opened his eye, he could feel it. He felt a thin layer made of his own energy, his own qi. The Cosmic Qi which he had only felt when it entered his body now being produced by his own body at rapid speed!

[Recording ongoing.

-The host has successfully integrated the qi into the body thus creating an energy source for that kind of energy. It is adviced that the host should carefully digest every kind of energy despite the energy source’s ability to convert those energies to pure Cosmic Qi.

-The energy exceeds the standard amount. Showing sign of advancement, unable to make a contact with the host.]

Manstein felt the energy flowed throughout his entire body but he could not control it. He could at most absorb the energy but when the energy arrived inside his body, somehow he was unable to control it.

‘Although I completely feel the energy now but to control it, looks like I’m still incapable of directly using my own power. Just when will I be able to enter the initial stage?’

The most important aspect for someone to properly cultivate would be to feel the energy first and that was what Manstein successfully did. But the second was to control the energy with his consciousness.

‘And that memory again, is this the warning that the world gives to me?’

Manstein smiled slightly, for he also knew that the act of cultivating was to act against the natural laws the world had. But of course, Manstein would still do it despite the risk.

“Are you awake?” when Manstein realized it, he heard someone calling him right from his right. He looked at the direction and he saw that there were three people looking at him.

“Yes, and now I’m starting to fully get out from the sleeping state.” Manstein could feel that his body somehow became more comfortable and also strengthened. He felt that as if the moment of pain a moment ago was just a long dream, something in the past that he would not remember.

“Look, what is that person doing? Don’t tell me that he really is related to the this all?”

But the first thing that they had worried currently was the man’s doing around the city. Hou Fei was the first one to mention it and he frowned because of his lack of knowledge to deduct the action of the man.