Chapter 123: The Past, Darkness, and Death

Prime Universe

May 1, 1999

Syracuse, Sicily, Italy

In the afternoon, the streets were bustling with tourists, maintaining their usual lively atmosphere. However, behind the scenes, Atlas' Public Relations and Diplomatic Departments had already communicated with the Italian government, minimizing the impact of the incident at the Dusk Bar.

Additionally, Atlas and the Italian government had reached a series of agreements regarding construction and development projects. These included assisting in the construction of a cross-sea rail connecting Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica within two years and investing in high-quality local enterprises.

On the surface, it seemed as though Atlas was "giving away" billions of dollars in projects to the Italian government without any apparent benefit in return. However, these projects secured a significant "cooperation," which allowed Atlas to conduct low-intensity military operations within Italy for an unspecified period, with the Italian military and police providing a certain level of support and cooperation.

Importantly, the phrase "for an unspecified period" was intentionally left vague. Atlas could not predict how long it would take to completely eradicate or capture all the "anomalies," and the Italian government, in turn, did not want to offend a corporation more powerful than most nations.

Thus, the term "for an unspecified period" appeared naturally in the official documents, indicating uncertainty and granting Atlas ample time and space to act freely within Italy. The only stipulation was to avoid causing large-scale destruction or harm to innocent civilians—a precaution that Atlas had proactively proposed.

2:09 PM

In the western outskirts of Syracuse, there had been an abandoned factory awaiting sale. A day earlier, Atlas' Engineering Division had taken over the site, quickly transforming it into a temporary base.

At this moment, a Silver Gull aircraft disengaged its optical camouflage, began circling in the air, adjusted its trajectory, and slowly descended, eventually landing in an open area outside the base. As soon as the side doors opened, more than a dozen Biotech Division technicians in white uniforms disembarked, carrying their personal belongings.

Hex robots designed for transport entered the aircraft to assist in unloading heavier specialized instruments and equipment.

Among the group, a black-haired woman dressed in a red blouse and black fitted pants appeared. Seeing this, Leon and Mike, who had been waiting, immediately approached her, walking together toward the main building of the temporary base.

The woman removed her black sunglasses, hanging them on her collar, and asked, "How's the situation?"

Mike promptly replied, "We managed to revive the forty-six suspected Glory Legion members with a simple treatment using fresh cow's blood. However, due to their stress response to the unfamiliar environment and their long-term solitary confinement, they've lost the ability to communicate verbally.

As for the two other anomalies we captured, they haven't shown any signs of talking. Even under coercion and interrogation, they seem impervious to pain and, to some extent, appear to enjoy it."

Mike's expression revealed a hint of disgust as he concluded, "So, Director Wang, unless we interrogate the white-haired anomaly or have the technicians extract its brain to forcibly read its memories, we don't have any other quick ways to obtain information."

The woman's black hair, preference for red attire, and the fact that Mike referred to her as Director Wang indicated that she was Ada Wong, the Operations Director of Atlas' Investigation Division.

From 1993 to 1996, due to a shortage of investigators, Ada frequently carried out various frontline missions. As the number of personnel increased steadily each year, Ada gradually moved to a more supervisory role, using her extensive experience to remotely direct operations, further improving the efficiency of investigations.

After listening to Mike's report, Ada remained calm, her voice cool as she responded, "Alright, I'll handle the communication with the white-haired anomaly. If it's smart enough, it will talk voluntarily.

If not? Although we can't be certain that memory extraction techniques will work, I trust our colleagues in the Biotech Division will manage just fine."

As they spoke, the three of them left the open area, passing through identity verification and routine security checks, before entering the main building of the temporary base.

The interior had yet to be fully finished, leaving it somewhat disorganized, but all the essential functions were in place.

The facility included fully enclosed isolation rooms, an armory for storing weapons and equipment, dormitories for the armed security and ARS personnel, and other necessary facilities.

The technicians and Hex robots also entered the building, making the previously makeshift Biotech Research Center more complete.

The trio didn't stop. They took the elevator to the second floor, heading straight for the interrogation room guarded by two ARS members.

After completing another round of identity verification and security checks, Ada entered the interrogation room.

Leon and Mike moved to the observation room to assist Ada and monitor and record the interrogation process.

Inside the Interrogation Room:

"Hey, fellas, don't you ever get tired of not talking? I can't stand it. My dad always said I was a chatterbox, but I feel like talking keeps you alive, you know what I mean, fellas?"

The room echoed with incessant chatter.

The interrogation room was designed with a simple yet sturdy layout. Metal chairs and tables were bolted to the floor, and there were no windows connecting the room to the outside world. The only link to the outside was a one-way mirror on the left wall, leading to the observation room.

Two fully armed ARS members stood inside, and the ceiling was equipped with surveillance cameras and automated turrets.

As for the source of the chatter—or rather, noise—it was coming from the white-haired anomaly dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, shackled and seated in the metal chair.

In terms of appearance, it looked very much like a tall, attractive human woman. However, this anomaly had extremely rare silver-white hair and nails that were sharper than those of an ordinary human.

One would expect it to be the kind of "person" not inclined to conversation. Yet, this anomaly seemed completely unaware of fatigue, occasionally muttering to itself, and at other times, bombarding the ARS members with questions.

"..."

Faced with this situation, the ARS members, known for their taciturn nature and focus on the mission, couldn't help but place their fingers on the triggers of their BFGs (Big Fucking Guns). It was as if they were ready to demonstrate the true meaning of "Big Fucking Gun" at the slightest hint of escape or attack from the anomaly.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, the sound of the metal door sliding open cut off the anomaly's chatter, rescuing the two ARS members from their "crisis."

Ada walked in slowly and took a seat across from the anomaly. She crossed her left leg over her right, leaned back in the chair with an air of elegance, folded her arms across her chest, and said bluntly, "Tell me, what is the Sovereign, where is it, and what are its weaknesses?"

"Alright, I'll tell you... wait a minute! Hold on! The head of Atlas is supposed to be a young guy, not a woman, right? I'll only talk to someone with the last name Su—"

"Where do you get your confidence?" Ada interrupted the anomaly's rambling again, her expression stern. "Do you think you can meet the owner of Atlas just because you say so? Why? Take a good look at your position and status. We won't be swayed by your threats.

You have two choices now.

First, you can tell me everything you know, and we can cooperate. If the cooperation goes well, you might even have the chance to work for Atlas and enjoy generous compensation and benefits.

Second, we'll cut open your head, extract your brain, and forcibly uncover whatever secrets you're hiding.

You have three minutes to decide."

After saying this, Ada fell silent, her gaze cold as she stared at the anomaly.

"This is very important! You've already realized the existence of Nightwalkers and werewolves, but you don't understand how vast their organization is. Only... only..."

The anomaly's speech faltered.

It noticed that Ada's expression hadn't changed at all, her gaze still icy, and it suddenly realized that she was serious...

They would cut open its head?!

At this thought, the anomaly hastily raised its shackled hands to cover its temples, its face showing even more fear.

"Alright, alright... I'll talk. Just don't cut open my head, okay? That would ruin my looks..."

The anomaly lowered its hands, its body slumping as if it had finally come to terms with reality.

Despite its resigned tone, it couldn't quite hide its talkative nature.

"You've made the right choice," Ada said, her expression softening slightly. "Now, start by telling me who or what you are."

"My name is—wait a minute! Isn't it polite to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name?"

"My last name is Wang. You can call me Ms. Wang," Ada replied, frowning slightly, seemingly irritated.

"..."

The two ARS members behind Ada shifted their shoulders slightly, likely due to the desire to change their stance after standing for so long.

"Oh, okay, Ms. Wang." The anomaly seemed satisfied, no longer fixating on the name, and began explaining to Ada, "My name is Leroya Shivalyn Vitellius. You can call me Leroya. As for Shivalyn and Kirchhoff, those are my parents' names.

I suppose I'm a hybrid of a werewolf, a Nightwalker, and a human."

?

"A hybrid? Isn't it impossible for vampires and werewolves to produce offspring?" Ada asked.

"Nightwalkers and werewolves can't interbreed, of course," Leroya, the anomaly, did not deny. "But there's no such restriction between either of them and humans.

My mother was the offspring of a werewolf and a human, and my father was the child of a Nightwalker and a human. They fell in love and accidentally had me, so I carry the blood of all three species and have inherited their unique abilities.

My mother often told me that I was the 'Chosen One,' destined to bring peace among the three races, making me the most special of all.

But my father... well, besides constantly telling me I was a chatterbox, the thing he said the most was... ahem! 'Remember this, Leroya! When you're dead, you're dead! There's nothing left! You need to stay alive! Understand?'"

Leroya's words poured out like a flood, and she even mimicked her father's tone and expression when quoting him.

On the other hand, Ada had already adapted to Leroya's talking pace and patiently listened.

"Now let's talk about your age. Wait a second, let me count." Leroya began counting on her fingers, then looked up as if recalling something, before widening her eyes.

"I should be somewhere between 412 and 416 years old! Anyway, definitely much older than an average human. As for what the Sovereign is... well, that starts with my father's father..."

From there, Leroya showed no signs of fatigue as she almost entirely recounted the origins of vampires and werewolves and how they retreated into the shadows of history.

Due to Leroya's imperfect memory and lack of sensitivity to numbers, Ada could only estimate the approximate timeline from her words, without pinpointing exact dates.

Between 1450 and 1455, in the final years before the Eastern Roman Empire was about to fall to the Ottoman Turks, the Bellafira family, who were part of the royal nobility, actively engaged in political and military affairs in a desperate attempt to reverse the empire's decline.

Julian Bellafira, who was then the Grand Commander, led six legions, including the Glory Legion, the Imperial Guard Legion, and the Border Legion, totaling more than 30,000 men, to launch a surprise attack on Mahmud Pasha's 50,000-strong Ottoman army in the Izmit region, 50 kilometers east of Constantinople.

However, Mahmud Pasha had received advance intelligence and set a trap, using himself as bait. The ambush led to a disastrous defeat for Julian Bellafira's forces.

During the fierce battle, the Imperial Guard and Border Legions were wiped out, with the remaining three legions either killed or scattered.

Only the Glory Legion fought desperately to escort the Grand Commander off the battlefield.

To avoid detection by the Ottoman scouts, the survivors were forced to enter a forest known as the "Valley of Death," where they eventually lost their way in the vast woodland.

It was late autumn, and the high-altitude location meant that each night brought freezing temperatures. The soldiers of the Glory Legion, lacking adequate cold-weather gear and medical care for their injuries, began to succumb, with many never waking up the following morning.

Despair and death hung over them.

When the legion was reduced to less than a hundred men, the survivors miraculously stumbled upon a ruined temple with a clear water source and abundant fruit.

Although the murals and inscriptions at the site were largely faded, the word "κτη" stood out prominently.

This name symbolized a goddess associated with witchcraft, darkness, and death—

Hecate.

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