The Illuminati Collective (2)

"Is there something with that I said? It should be the "Illuminati Collective", right?" The researcher that had done the announcement consulted with his fellow researcher, who agreed that he had said it correctly.

"But! But! But! YOU'RE THE ILLUMINATI!" Herbert's entire life flashed before his eyes. Were all the rumours of the Illuminati real after all? Herbert pinched himself to see if it was real. All of this must be some sort of fever dream. However, his bindings were still very real, preventing him from pinching himself.

"Oh, the internet you humans had, right? Some human recruit tried to release the information on us, so we had to use our influential contacts to pass them off as rumours. The Google CEO was punished for letting it spread for more than 5 minutes. If we covered it up, it might have caused the Streisand effect."

"Wait, you know about all these things? That means that you really controlled the high level people of this society..." Herbert was at a loss for words. He had been an avid reader of horror novels, so he was actually a bit excited at the prospect of a monster world. Still, having conspiracy theories proven true seemed a bit...

"Well, if you really wanted to see them, you need to be on a higher rank first. They're at the 3rd rank, just three ranks below the leader. You're still at the 0th rank, an outer member."

"They're still alive?" The aliens had actually known about how to prevent the humans from turning into monsters.

"You guys knew about how to prevent them into turning into monsters? Then why didn't you help the rest of us?" Herbert angrily rebuked the researchers. Why did they only save the influential people? He could have turned into a monster out there if he had not been so lucky!

"Subject has turned hostile. Prepare to be shocked." A robotic voice rang out in the room, as Herbert was suddenly hit by a golden flash of energy. His body started trembling, as shock after shock was sent all over his body.

"Must we explain this to you as well? We can't protect everyone here. It is also their reward for furthering our interests here in the world. If we didn't get more resources, more people would have died." The researchers were frowning.

"Maybe we should reconsider welcoming you to our organisation first. We will keep you around for 7 days. If you don't show any hostile behaviour, we will allow you to join us." They warned Herbert for his behaviour.

Actually, this was also another experiment. The Illuminati wanted to see how Herbert could be used as an important asset, since he did not contain any traces of the main world's energy. He could extract resources from high risk areas, conduct maintenance for the Cursed Artifacts, and much more.

"Hey, couldn't we $@@$$>>£]+~?" Just then, someone who was standing at the side of the researchers stooped down and whispered to them. The researchers had a sudden epiphany, pushing down on a button in front of them.

"Hey, what's going on?" Herbert, who had just recovered from the shocking, felt a circular object circle around his neck, before binding tightly around it. At the same time, all the other binds were released, letting Herbert have free movement again.

"This is our concession to you. You can join the Illuminati immediately and take part in missions to increase you rank, but if you rebel, you will be shocked. If you attack our members, you will die on the spot." Another voice besides the researchers gave out the terms for Herbert's "freedom".

"So basically, I'm a dog huh?" Herbert flexed and twisted various parts of his body. His body had become stiff after staying in the same position for so long.

"Yes, you are, in terms of human language, a dog." The person was clearly not ashamed to admit that they were treating Herbert like a dog, as they spoke with a nonchalant tone.

"After all, you would have died without our help. We saved you from the brink of death. We are taking care of you, exactly like a pet."

"Wow, that's surprisingly blunt. I do need to know about this world though. You guys are the best way for me to do so." Herbert shrugged his shoulders. There was no point in opposing the Illuminati. He might as well give in and see if he could become strong.

Herbert did not want to be just someone that the monsters can't detect. If there were any fights and there were side effects, he would die very easily, just like the explosion that had nearly killed him.

"The door is open now. Simply head down the corridor, go up the stairs, and a senior member will be there to lead you to your residence." The transmission on the television screen abruptly stopped.

Then, the door behind Herbert opened. It was the same door in which the tentacled creature had entered through earlier. In fact, it was not a door at all. Half of the wall just swung open. Herbert looked nervously at his feet. What could require half a wall as a doorway?

As he walked into the corridor, he saw how big it actually was. It was a vast gray corridor that was devoid of life. The ceiling was at least 20 metres off the ground, while the width was approximately 9-10 metres. Even at just half of the maximum measurements the corridor could fit, the size of the Illuminati creatures seemed to be outrageously huge.

Following the instructions that the voice had given, Herbert walked straight ahead, until he reached a concrete staircase. As he walked up the staircase, he saw someone that was waiting for him. That person was holding some kind of device, which they hurriedly hid in their pockets after seeing Herbert coming up.

"You must be the new recruit. My name is Johnathan, Rank 2 Acolyte. Welcome to the Illuminati. You should really change your clothes by the way. Come, let me lead you."

Johnathan looked to be as normal as Herbert. He was a tall Caucasian man, with a clean shaven face and a genial smile. He wore a casual attire, but Herbert could see flashes of gold appear in his pupils while he talked. As Herbert looked at Johnathan longer, he realised that he recognised him!

"You're Johnathan Jarvis, the famous actor that starred in the hottest action movies!" Herbert could not help but blurt out. It was a surprise to see such a famous figure in the flesh, even in a post-apocalyptic world.