Chapter 97: Origin of the Black Guard

Just as expected, Ashin wasn't alone. Over a dozen low-ranking members followed him in, carrying eight large objects shrouded in black cloth. After setting the bundles down, they exited the office without a word.

Only Wilder and Ashin remained.

Ashin stood silently to the side after entering. Wilder glanced down at the eight black bundles on the floor.

From their shape, it was clear they contained corpses.

"Are they dead…?" Wilder murmured, his voice calm and expression unreadable as he looked away.

"Yes," Ashin replied, his voice still raspy and sinister.

"A pity." Smoke from Wilder's cigar swirled around his face, obscuring his features.

Ashin stepped forward and unwrapped the eight black bundles, revealing the corpses within. Each wore black robes. They had white fur, red eyes, and prominent rodent-like teeth bared in death.

"This is…" Wilder's eyes narrowed as he looked sharply at Ashin.

"Yes. Rabbits," Ashin confirmed. "Jesse's Black Guard were eight rabbits. By what method he turned them into people, I don't know." A hint of the bizarre flickered in Ashin's own eyes.

These eight corpses were indeed the black-robed figures who had set off explosions on the various islands – the Black Guard who had vanished after being pursued by Vice and the others to Jesse's base.

Given the agile speed the Black Guard had displayed back then, they clearly posed a certain threat. Wilder wouldn't tolerate such an uncertain variable, which was why he had immediately ordered Ashin to investigate their whereabouts.

But now, it seemed things weren't that simple.

Rabbits…

Wilder stared at the eight corpses on the floor, his gaze flickering as the name of a particular race flashed through his mind.

There was no doubt the bodies were those of rabbits – rabbit-people, essentially. With their white fur and long ears, their appearance was strikingly similar to the race he was thinking of; one could almost certainly identify them as such.

However, this was still just speculation. Wilder didn't dare jump to conclusions so quickly.

If they truly were members of that race, then… why would they follow someone like Jesse?

As far as he recalled, that race possessed exceptional combat talent and considerable martial strength. Jesse clearly lacked the power needed to command their loyalty.

This required further investigation.

Regardless, now that the eight Black Guard were dead, the specific danger Wilder had been concerned about was eliminated. That should have been the end of it, but if that race was potentially involved, the situation became far more complex.

It wasn't that he feared the race itself, but the implications of their origin… Wilder couldn't simply witness this and not investigate thoroughly.

"Preserve the bodies for now," Wilder said after a moment of thought.

"Understood." Ashin nodded, opened the door, and the same dozen members re-entered, re-wrapped the corpses, and carried them away.

Ashin followed Wilder out of the office.

The only way to get answers was to ask the one responsible.

Their footsteps echoed rhythmically down the dim corridor until they stopped before a sealed prison cell.

"Who's there?" Jesse's voice sounded from the darkness, noticeably hoarser than before.

"It's me," Wilder replied coolly.

Silence hung in the cell for a moment. Just as Jesse was about to speak, Wilder's voice cut in again.

"Tell me everything about the origin of the Black Guard." His tone was flat, low, and devoid of inflection.

"You… you found out after all…" Jesse's voice emerged after another pause.

Wilder remained silent. Jesse waited, and receiving no response, he finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Black Guard were already dead when you found them, weren't they?"

Wilder continued his silence.

"Hahaha! I knew it! Of course, they were! The Black Guard only have a lifespan of one month! If you hadn't caught me, I might have had a chance to keep them going, maybe even make more! But it's impossible now!"

"Because they cannot be replicated!" Jesse's voice grew frantic, laced with a strange mix of madness and regret.

Wilder's brow furrowed slightly at this.

Cannot be replicated…

So, they really aren't the race I suspected…?

A one-month lifespan… cannot be replicated… It all sounds like… products!

Suppressing the surge of thoughts, Wilder forced his expression back to neutral calm.

Jesse's voice continued, "If I tell you the origin of the Black Guard, can you let me go? I swear, I'll pledge my loyalty to you."

"If you don't talk, you die right now," Wilder stated evenly.

"…"

Jesse fell silent. After a long pause, his voice seemed even hoarser when he spoke again.

"The Black Guard aren't human. I trust you've figured that much out. Surprised to see they look like rabbits, weren't you? Hahaha! Of course, you were…"

"If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll make you leave this world immediately. Believe me," Wilder interrupted impatiently.

The laughter died abruptly, as if caught in Jesse's throat. The stifled feeling almost made him choke.

"Ahem," Jesse coughed a few times, composing himself before continuing, this time getting straight to the point.

"The Black Guard started as eight rabbits. They became these rabbit-people through an experiment. Have you heard of Germa 66's artificial humans, Mr. Wilder?"

"I know of them. Their war machines. Extremely powerful individual combatants," Wilder nodded, his voice low.

"Yes, those war fanatics! Artificial humans weren't enough for them; they wanted to create a war machine even stronger! To that end, they gathered data on all sorts of powerful creatures and races in the world, finally settling on one specific target."

"The Minks…?" Wilder interjected calmly, having already put the pieces together.

"Er… yes." Jesse sounded deflated, presumably having wanted to build more suspense.

"Continue."

"…R-Right. But they failed. After countless experiments using five thousand different animals, only twelve rabbits survived, and they were paralyzed failures. Their bodies were severely damaged. Forget becoming powerful soldiers; they needed expensive nutrient fluid developed just to keep them alive. The 'Artificial Mink' project ended in failure. Germa 66 abandoned the experiment and destroyed all related data. Three more rabbits died, leaving nine… and, well… when I left Germa 66, I took them with me, along with some of the nutrient fluid. One died on the way, leaving the eight who became the Black Guard."

"And the birth of the Black Guard… honestly, even I can hardly believe it. I continued the experiments Germa had abandoned. Miraculously, the eight rabbits became more resilient day by day. I saw an opportunity and kept experimenting, starting to shape them into humanoid forms. Eventually, the Black Guard were born."

"The one-month lifespan was a theoretical calculation based on observation during experiments. I don't know exactly how long they could live, but I can confirm that maintaining their bodies' high-intensity functions caused their lifespans to deplete rapidly."

"That's why I said… they cannot be replicated. Those eight Black Guard were the last ones. Once they died… they're gone for good," Jesse finished.

A long silence followed… yet Jesse seemed to have more to say…

After hesitating for a moment, Jesse's voice piped up again: "However… during the experiments, I discovered an interesting phenomenon…"

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