Who or what was behind this mysterious extraction process, and for what purpose were these unique energies being harvested? Zhang Dong, concealed among the nurses, knew he needed more information before he could make any move to intervene or understand the grander scheme at play.
He wanted to do nothing more than to stop this strange phenomenon, but the fear of failing his current mission held him back. The young man who would jump to save everyone had been changed. If he let his emotions cloud his judgment, then a lot of other lives were at stake - the ones that relied on him back in his own world but also these system holders. For the time being, he needed to keep wandering around to get a clear picture of what to do. No one would be saved if he were captured.
As the extraction continued, the puppet scientist's tablet beeped, and he glanced at the data with a nod of satisfaction. The ethereal energies flowed through the tubes into a large, central container, pulsating with an otherworldly glow. Zhang Dong couldn't help but feel a surge of anger at his helplessness in this situation. The only solace he could take from his decision was that seemingly the people were not being drained of their souls or lives.
The process lasted for just a few minutes and the squirming patients were left on the tables, now devoid of the radiant energy that once defined them. The puppet nurses efficiently disconnected the system holders from the machinery, their limp bodies carried away on gurneys to an unknown destination. He had a choice to make, he could either stay here and examine this strange facility or follow after the limp system holders.
‘The nurses are leaving, so it would be better to keep blending in…’
After the suctioning was finished, the energy made its way into the large machine. It started sliding back into the ceiling that it came from, and perhaps it was taken to some kind of large battery or something else entirely. His mind raced with ideas, one depicting an Eldritch elder god just consuming all of this essence while the puppets fed it more and more of it. Was this what everything was made for, to harvest the system holders like him for their essences?
Zhang Dong decided to continue his exploration of the facility, following the nurses as they wheeled the drained system holders to their next destination. They moved the limp bodies through a series of winding hallways, eventually arriving at a set of heavy, metallic doors labeled "Recycling." The doors opened with a hiss, revealing a room filled with large, futuristic-looking capsules. Each capsule held a system holder, suspended in a translucent liquid that seemed to pulse with a faint glow.
This was not something that he expected. First, they removed what made these system holders, and then they were healing them? At first, it seemed that way at least, but the moment he looked at the capsules that were further in the back, he realized something - the system holders in those were a lot smaller and younger.
‘They are reversing their age?’
The sight before Zhang Dong was perplexing. The capsules in the back held system holders who looked much younger than when they were first brought into Processing Plant C. It wasn't just healing; it was more like a reversal of time, a strange process that defied the laws of nature.
As he observed, the puppet nurses carefully placed the drained system holders into the capsules, ensuring they were fully submerged in the glowing liquid. The lids of the capsules closed with a soft hiss, sealing the rejuvenation process within. Tubes connected to the capsules seemed to provide sustenance to the suspended figures, maintaining their life functions as the strange liquid worked its wonders.
The puppet doctor overseeing the process muttered to himself, checking a series of monitors displaying data on each capsule. Zhang Dong, still disguised among the nurses, listened intently.
"Excellent. The extraction process was successful, and the reversal phase has begun. Everything is proceeding well, move the rejuvenated specimens to the transferal chamber immediately and send them on their way.”
The term "rejuvenated specimens" sent a chill down Zhang Dong's spine. It became clear that the mysterious facility was not only harvesting the unique energies from these system holders but also somehow reverting them to a younger state. For what purpose this was done was unknown, to him, it didn’t really make sense. Why did they bother with reverting the people back to a newborn instead of just disposing of them afterward?
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‘They are on the move again…’
He was stunned for a moment as everything that was happening here didn’t make much sense. The fact that he was only sent out to be harvested for parts was a hard pill to swallow. His whole life was there to be drained of his essence and then reverted back to the start. The babies that were being carried out of the pods were blank slates; they clearly had all of their memories removed, and he could tell through their souls. These were wiped clean and returned to their base; in a sense, the people that they once were didn’t exist anymore.
His mind was racing as he continued to follow after to see this until the end. The babies that were once system holders like him were transported to the last chamber, a place that seemed to be the final stage of this bizarre process. The room was dimly lit, with a large, circular platform in the middle that was generating most of the light.
He watched as the puppets placed the sleeping babies onto this platform, in which they started floating. After a certain threshold was filled, the sleeping newborns started glowing, reverting to what seemed to be their soul forms. Then, before he could blink, they shot up into the ceiling through what looked to be a portal.
Zhang Dong was left standing there, perplexed and disturbed by the entire spectacle he had just witnessed. The portal closed behind the ascending souls, leaving him alone in the dimly lit chamber. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and process the information he had gathered.
The system holders, once powerful figures in their respective worlds, were reduced to a state of infancy, their memories and experiences erased. The essence drained from them was used for some mysterious purpose, and the rejuvenated souls were sent through a portal, presumably to another destination.
‘What is the purpose of all this? What kind of entity or organization is orchestrating such a complex and bizarre operation?’
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. While he was baffled by it all, the process continued without being stopped. More infants passed by him and were on their way to being transported. More system holders were drained of their experiences, and he was not sure what he should do about it. If he wasn't fortunate enough to have dislodged himself from the system, then he would have been turned into a soul as well.
‘I need to think… What should I do?’
After seeing the truth, the first thing he wanted to attempt was to set all the system holders free. There were a few ways that he could go about this problem, and the best one would be through Bob’s involvement. After seeing it all, it was clear that these people were being held back by the same systems that gave them power. It was an inside job from the beginning, and by using the system to grant them power, they were powerless here.
‘I probably need to find that administrator room before attempting anything, maybe they never expected anyone to reach this place but that doesn’t mean that they will not notice if I start moving around people.’
There were two ways he could do this, by either forcing his way and just engaging the hordes of puppets. Even though the place was huge, he wasn’t sure if the forces he was facing were truly infinite. The second option would be through more subtle and strategic ways. Zhang Dong knew that a direct confrontation could jeopardize not only his mission but also the lives of the system holders still trapped in this strange facility.
The key, he believed, lay in taking over the facility with the help of his AI helper and his own understanding of the system. His current cultivation level compared to his previous one was quite godlike. His understanding of the forces in the universe far exceeded his past self, and he could somewhat understand how the system was functioning. It might have seemed like an omnipotent tool that granted every wish, but there were certain limitations on it. Through these limitations, he felt that his opponent was not truly a fully established god just yet.
His new cultivation realm allowed him to house a whole universe within himself, which also gave him insight into his new enemy. Even though it was all within him, it wasn’t that easy to focus on things that were happening inside it. His mental capacity didn’t increase to the point that he could spread out his attention through the vast amounts of empty space and blossoming planets. If it was like that for him, then the person that created this plethora of worlds could probably not find him unless he revealed himself to some extent.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense that this godlike being was limited to some extent. If it was all-powerful then there would be no reason to create fake worlds that didn’t have a proper galaxy like the one that he came from. It seemed that this being still wanted to conserve their power, it was not infinite and gave him hope for the future.
With determination in his eyes, Zhang Dong decided to first locate the administrator room. If he could gain control over the system or at least disrupt its operations, he might be able to free the system holders and understand the true nature of the mysterious force behind this facility.
He continued to navigate through the labyrinthine corridors of the strange hospital, blending in with the puppet nurses as he searched for any signs or clues that would lead him to the administrator room. The air was tense, and every step he took felt like a gamble. The stakes were high, and the lives of countless system holders depended on his ability to uncover the secrets of this place. However, now that his hope had been restored he was reinvigorated, if there was a way to win it, then he would find it.