Chapter 139: Arthur’s Experiment

During the period where Harker made his move against the Pangean President, an important event also occurred.

With the threat of the WGP and possible Aragarians, Seeker had instructed that unless there was something that could get the world's attention, the acts of delivering messages would be limited. However, when Harker managed to make Colestar his ally, the WGP and the Aragarians would be sure to put their attention to this.

And in that gap of bewilderment, all over the world, the information revealed by Seeker was being passed on by the Programmed Slaves to each foreign group it was in assigned to.

Students would contact their 'parents' from another continent. Due to the sudden ban on international travel, various families were separated. As a way to appease the displeasure of the world, the WGP gave several rules and scenarios which could allow people to communicate with one another.

Several limitations were imposed including the monitoring and recording of any international calls on the cloud-blockchain network that the WGP provided.

With this law, various students who were minors were allowed to contact their parents every week for a given amount of time.

Using this channel and through the complicated technique that Seeker and Arthur proposed, the foreign students on Seeker's class served as messengers which would be the channel of distribution towards the various teams that were allied with Seeker's cause all over the world.

The content of the recent message contained never-before-released information and was treated as a priority and extremely confidential message.

One such call happened between an approved international contact not from a family but a private organization.

This was a call from Halley Vagrant, the Covenant of the Strongest acting manager, to Arthur Humphrey who was claimed by New Great Britain as theirs and shipped off against his will.

Arthur continued to talk with his manager.

"And that's it. Until the World Governing Powers lifts the ban for Wanderers such as yourself, we cannot proceed to the Court for our legal battles about your citizenship between New Great Britain and Pangea." Halley smiled.

"To think that Seeker managed to make Gaming an internationally important event." Arthur cursed.

"We're not complaining. We'll be earning billions of Credits because of this." Halley laughed. She then passed on a folder who was received by a foreign girl.

"Who is that girl?" Arthur finally asked.

"She's Eva. A Russian exchange student having her internship here. She's in Seeker's class. Seeker recommended her to this post. She was beaten up several times because of her nationality. I'm guessing Seeker had pity. Moving forward, she will have your number for any minor details if I'm busy."

"How is the acquisition of Warfreakz?"

"Still ongoing. But it's going to happen. After Lowengren's death along with most of their members, they were practically begging us to do that. You are in line for Lowengren's position and Seeker is being eyed with his trio. With Seeker's recent stream playing Generals, the demand of our country and the online polls has reached over 50 million votes."

"More money for you." Arthur didn't care.

"Well, that's about it. Do you have any messages for Seeker?"

"Tell the rest of the Covenant that I send my regards. Make sure Seeker can teach them a thing or two of his skills. That's Seeker's a lazy teacher." Arthur turned around as the video call ended.

"Did you manage to get all that?" Arthur asked as he turned to a familiar face.

Admiral of the New Great Britain fleet, Ramsden Audenvise along with several of his trusted soldiers were in the room.

"Barely. It was too fast and too soft. I also had a hard time distinguishing the masking sound with her tone. I don't understand how Eva managed to get what you were saying!" The Admiral complained.

Arthur turned to his subordinates but all were shaking their heads as they understood nothing.

"Don't feel guilty. It took a while even for me to master that. And my training should be nowhere near the level that Seeker Carlean could give. So don't compare yourself to those teens. With the Unlocking, age becomes almost irrelevant."

"Is he better than you, young master?"

"Yes. At his current stage, I'll need at least four or five of me to defeat him."

"You have quite a high estimate of him."

"I'm being modest. Think of him as someone like my Father. Let's move on to the report. Since you haven't understood what those messengers said, I'll give you updates that relate to your direct mission. It's been confirmed that the Realm King was on the Floating Nations. But it seems that he started to move and returned to Australia because of the World Governing Power's orders. Hence, the priority would be for you to get back in the war. We need you to reestablish communications with the Twelve Disciples. Their mission has changed drastically because of the interference of these Presiders."

"What about the presence of those Principals that Eva mentioned?"

"The probability of a Principal going into Australia is about thirty percent. So we have to be sure that the Principal isn't there. Regardless, I'm quite sure a Presider has been assigned there."

"What am I to divulge to the Twelve Disciples?"

"They have to identify who is the Presider. In this scenario, there should only be one Presider staying in Australia. Give me a report to list down the prominent business moguls or politicians who managed to exit Australia. Focus on those connected or affiliated with any Bringer of Change. Take note of the BOC's that remained in Australia and identify the soldiers who were serving under them and their current statuses and location."

"Will these Disciples carry out the task of filtering out which is a Presider and a Pioneer? How will they do that?"

"With Seeker's information of Pioneer's serving under Presiders and may have a business of their own, it's possible that of all the Bringer of Change in Australia are Pioneers. But our priority is to find out the Presiders. It's they who have the technology to challenge us."

"So this is our battle? To know where these Presiders are?"

"Yes. We cannot continue with our plans if we don't know where the Presider's are. If a nation holds a Presider, we have to move our and select another country to move against that. Our priority is to find out where all the Presider are residing. But in the silence of this period, we also have to pursue another important step. Acquiring more Unlocked with high potential."

"What about the information regarding that lost experiment that I sent you, Young Master? Could that experiment be the foundations for creating modified humans that can improve the science of the Unlocked?"

"It was intriguing. We can start with him."

"So he is a suitable material for creating modified humans?"

"No. He is a failure as a modified human."

Ramsden frowned.

"I don't believe I comprehend your logic, young master."

"The world had it wrong. They believed that modifying a human requires the alteration of their genetic make-up. We change the body, the cells, the very nature of things. But that is in itself, a failure. It seems that we've had the answer all along. Have you ever wondered if the mystery and complexity of the brain? Despite the technology we have, we can't reproduce it. No material we've ever created by our own hands, using our materials have come close to this complex organ. The experiment you mentioned isn't a modified human."

"You're implying that that experiment is also an Unlocked?" Ramsden was stunned.

"I'm sure he is. That's how he escaped. He is someone who managed to Unlock himself while undergoing the experiment."

"Escaped? I'm not sure if I read the same report, young master. The report states that he disappeared before their eyes. His cells heated up so much that it disintegrated as he started to meltdown into nothingness."

"Lies. That's how he tricked them. They thought they were getting somewhere in modifying him. He was showing increased strength and durability that far surpassed what humans had. In truth, he simply reached Unbecoming."

"But sire… the report says that he began developing according to what the report says! The drug repeatedly showed an increase in his metabolic activity. These instances only happened when they gave the drug!"

"Those drugs didn't work. Do you know how hard it was for Charles Lindmitt to figure out the key to shocking the brain of an Unbecoming? An Unbecoming's anti-bodies are strong. That's why people of that stage are almost immune to most diseases. No. Observe the video that you gave me. Every time he would be injected, he would go panic and become wild. Why do you think that is so?"

"The drug would leave him in pain! It would only be natural that he would struggle."

"That is what it seems like. But no. He had Trypanophobia."

"Is that the fear of dinosaurs, young master?"

"Ever so witty, my dear Ramsden. No. The fear of needles. The reason why he panicked and screamed was that he feared needles."

Ramsden contemplated the videos. Arthur's explanation seemed to fit the feeds he saw.

"The cause for his sudden melting, wasn't because the drug backfired and somehow ate up his entire body. No. It was a Skill."

"The experiment had developed a Skill?"

"Yes. This isn't the first time I've seen this. I've had twelve interesting subjects back in Pangea. Sadly, they are to be Seeker's soldiers and are now called the Twelve Disciples. The pain and struggles of a lab rat are harsh. Those who retain sanity or the will to continue are those people who are generally stronger in terms of will and tenacity. In short, they are perfect candidates for the Unlocking. The easiest way to describe it is that only by going through extreme pressure or treacherous experiences can one somehow push the boundary without using drugs."

"Are you suggesting that the pressures and pain of being subjected to inhumane test Unlocked these people.?"

"Yes. But that is extremely difficult. Because they have to have such faith. Take this man, for example, the root of his faith is fear. The fear he had for needles caused him to always be bounded and tied. He needed to escape from the needle. What thought must he have? We know have to employ a million possibilities of what he could be thinking. But observing the video recordings, it was easy to deduce. He wanted to escape."

"That became his Path? Escaping?"

"No. There are many ways to escape. This young teen was allowed the simple pleasures of life. Games, television shows, and so on. His favorite show was Astral Walker. An animated show featuring a special group of a soldier who could change his entire body by using science to bend the fifth, sixth and seventh dimensions. Basically… he could walk through walls."

Ramsden was stunned.

"The report. They said that his cells burned up causing him to disintegrate at an extremely fast speed." Ramsden now understood.

"Yes. The coincidence of his Unlocking made him believe that whatever drug they were giving him was working. And somehow, the limits of his faith was pushed further and further. His Path awoke. What those scientists believe to be disintegration, was that boy simply passing through walls."

Ramsden was dumbstruck.

"New Great Britain was stomped. They couldn't come close to the success of that experiment. They never will. They never would imagine that the experiment merely became Unbecoming."

"So he already is Unlocked. Then Young Master, what did you mean, when you said earlier, that we can start with this Unbecoming experiment?"

"It would be my experiment, Ramsden." Arthur smiled.

"His potential is interesting. That ability alone, if cultivated properly may allow him to slip through most of the Aragarian's future weapons. This Path of his may even allow him to walk out unharmed when facing an Overcomer. With such a Path and background, he would be similar to Lynd's case. A potential World Champion."

"So you're planning to capture that man and send him off to Seeker?"

"No." Arthur immediately rejected the proposal.

"Seeker is adamant in building World Champions. He's probably planning he's experiments to build his team with the use of his Path. I have a different experiment in mind."

"Young Master? With the threat of the Aragarian's coming, is it wise to have such experiments? Why not send them off to Seeker so that they may have this faith towards him?"

"Foolishness. If we are to ship off such a person who's very identity is extremely sensitive in this country we would be risking our exposure! Not to mention limitations, country regulations, and future territorial laws the WGP is slowly creating. Seeker would not be able to travel around the world to train all soldiers. As such, each branch must find ways to build their army."

"I'm curious about his plan. Why did he order us to make bases and soldiers all over the world? It would be better to have a singular base. We can have all those Overcomers take control over a nation. It would even be easily accomplished. I'm sure doing that in secrecy wouldn't be difficult! If that is accomplished, would we not have the freedom to train easily, and in the light rather than disperse our resources and train in the dark? And with him around, the possibility of creating an army of Inhumans, a lot of Ranked Heroes and even some World Champions wouldn't just be a dream! We wouldn't have to risk making these masked communications which the Aragarian's or the WGP could pick up!"

"Seeker insisted on this set-up to be done. He has his reasons and he refuses to tell me why. I can only conclude that Seeker knows something that will transpire in the future that he cannot explain. And if he thinks that we should continue building our forces separately, then I will follow that path. Remember, both me and my father approved of this."

Ramsden was silent. If the Young Master and the Master believed this was the right thing to do, why would he disagree with it?

"So what are you planning, Young Master? If not building a World Champion, are you settling with making more pseudo-Path walkers like that alternate you in Seeker's future?"

"Why bother with that? My Path has solidified. My sight and calculations have grown far beyond what a human can imagine. Even my Father cannot replicate my calculations now. Seeker is creating Champions with the help of his Path. I, on the other hand… plan on creating Overcomers with my Path."

"Overcomers!?" Ramsden exclaimed.

"You- you plan to make another…being like your father?"

"Yes. These Overcomers are built from extremely difficult circumstances. They have to face pressures far beyond the Rank Heroes face, and they must develop certain psychology, a resolve, a motto if you will."

"And you plan on…?"

"With my Path, I can orchestrate these events. Even Seeker won't be able to because these events could kill the subject. Or, if they faced too much pressure, they fall into insanity. I, however, can easily bypass this miscalculation."

"Then this experiment named Strafe, is the perfect candidate? How do you plan to do so sire? I've seen the videos. I can't imagine a more terrifying event that could further push him into becoming an Overcomer! What more terror can you add to his poor and mistreated life to further his desires and nurture the Road he is treading? More torture? He has had it all. More near-death experiences? With his ability, he can easily escape. What can bring a man like him to more terrifying pains, events, and experiences that cannot alert the Aragarians or the WGP cautious eyes?"

"You think so narrowly, Ramsden. There is more than one way to shake the mind. In fact, for an Overcomer, it's the heart that needs a good shaking. And I already have the perfect weapon that can bring this person in experiencing far greater pains that will make even him yearn, desire, and strive to overcome himself."

"Such a plan should have enormous repercussions to this world, sire! What if the Aragarrian's or the WGP notice this?"

"They won't. This plan of mine does not involve extreme fighting, deaths, accidents, the use of any powerful technology or any other related scenarios that you just mentioned. I can make sure that even the battles will be quite minimal. But its effects will be far more terrifying than surviving a World War." Arthur smirked.

"There is such a thing? What could be so convenient that can do that, young master? What weapon or event has such an effect on a man?" Ramsden asked curiously.

"A weapon? No. An entity."

"What entity could that be?"

"An entity known as a girlfriend." Arthur smirked.