CH 85

Inside the Linton Industry's main laboratory in Springfield, Kanada, an old man stood tall in front of a large screen. He wore his white lab coat on top of a simple, white long sleeve shirt and black slacks. The usual getup of Dr. Leonard Prime, the genius who discovered the energy signature and molecular behavior of Linton Diamond energy.

He was riding on his greatest high these past few weeks, but now it had all crumbled to dust. A disaster on the level of another 'Mount Longan' was brought about under his supervision. Even though he was not even sure how it happened, or why it is happening, he was still the one to blame for overlooking this problem.

It is just one of those days when he is once again, longing for the simple life of a researcher. He should have stayed as an assistant, but why does the world lack geniuses that can use him as their crutch instead of having to be the one who must move forward? If only the director was still alive, perhaps Dr. Prime could still do as he pleased while having a shield from those old bastards. Though he was an old bastard now as well.

"Sir, what do we do now?" Beside him is a younger man who might just be the genius he had been looking for all this time. A frantic Pale Wallen, the young man he groomed to be his successor. If only the young man was a decade older, maybe he could have passed the torch already. Alas, things have already developed this far for any misgivings. It was never a good idea to try this alone, he should have been more careful.

By now it would have been five minutes since Dr. Prime made the call, five minutes that had been a hectic time for the old man. His lifelong reputation would probably be ruined now that he had caused something this big, but it was nothing compared to losing even a single life. He wasn't about to screw up so badly that he would find himself to be a murderer. The Associates from the Association will make sure of that.

Thankfully, he only lost one of his precious projects in exchange for a quick solution to his explosive problem. The Association had taken quite the liking to his energy laser weapon and was quick to make a decision on whether or not to help him. He wants to say that it was his charms that did the trick, but in all honesty, it was like he sent them an offer they can't refuse. He didn't know why they were so interested in the technology, but he had no reason to give them a hard bargain when he needed to solve his problem in a short amount of time.

Though he did laugh in his mind, laughed at the high and mighty Association pretty much losing out on a deal. At least that's what happened in his mind. If those idiots had waited for just a few more seconds, he might have given up the plans for the LD energy to electricity generator too. It was a good thing that he hesitated for a while when he was negotiating.

"Pale, give me an update." Dr. Prime looked over his successor with a questioning look. He had left the observation of the situation to Pale. He's not going to be aware of anything changing by just skimming the screen in front of him.

"Doctor, the energy is still rising to dangerous levels. Since we have no knowledge regarding the upper limit of the discovery, we do not know how long it could last. Or more worryingly, how much more energy it will absorb before it..." Pale's trembling hands gripped tightly into fists as he thought about the damage this phenomenon will cause. The death and destruction would be historic, but not in the way he would like it to be.

"Explodes. I understand. Pale, don't be so anxious now. I've already got some reliable men to handle it. What I need for you to do now is to look around you." But compared to the young man, Dr. Prime was already losing his tension. If he can't do anything about it, he might as well not think about it. Success or failure isn't based on how much stress he is experiencing now, it was up to them.

"Sir?" Seeing that his superior was calm made the tense Pale find some ground for comfort. He looked at the large screen in front of them and saw that the numbers were reaching levels he had never even accounted for. But even so, the Doctor isn't budging, so he couldn't help but look around the room as he was told.

"You see, I will not be able to keep my job here. Although I have already provided a solution for the problem, I am not going to be left alone when the coming judgement arrives. Those who understand nothing will come at our doorsteps and look for a scapegoat, and that will most certainly be me." A tired Dr. Prime shook his head in exhaustion. Thinking about his younger years, he never thought that he'd be losing everything due to an unknown incident suddenly occurring in his supervision.

"But, sir! This isn't anyone's fault! No one could have predicted that moving a single Linton Diamond would actually cause a chain reaction that would lead to this! This incident in unprecedented!" Pale who was sitting on his chair suddenly stood up in protest. If it is true that his superior made a mistake, then he wouldn't be as agitated. But since he did nothing wrong, he should be able to get out of this mess without having to lose his legacy.

"Ahh... You young ones should get this whole 'justice' thing out of the way before it gets to you. When you work for a company whose entire existence is based on profit, you don't get to choose about whether you are sacrificed or not. In the end, it all counts as a business decision." Dr. Prime looked at the screen with uneasy eyes as he had already known a few men who lost their shine because of this type of management. A few that he had even worked with before, became friends with for some time as well. But now he'll be one of them.

"Oh? It seems that they've already started working on it. That's good, now I can leave without regrets." Dr. Prime stood up immediately when the brightly shining blue dot in the center of the screen blinked a few times before turning green. The energy level it was exuding is already decreasing, it wasn't long now before the situation gets handled.

"Leave? Where are you going, sir?" Pale looked at the Doctor's retreating back with a questioning gaze. Where could he go if he leaves this place? Won't Linton Industry find him quickly and give him a much more severe punishment than if he willingly gives up?

As a man who had always been focused on work, he never got to see his relatives anymore. He had no family of his own, so he might as well visit his nephew, the only one he contacts every once in a while. He should drop the few things he collected over the years, might as well make his family benefit from it. Those bastards in the company shouldn't expect to get a single dime from him.

"I'm going to meet my nephew and his family. I want to go home before I lose everything." Dr. Prime turned around one last time to give his protege a smile. A gesture that caused the young man to abruptly stand still in sheer awe.

'The Doctor is quite handsome when he smiles.' Dr. Prime has always kept to himself, rarely showing his emotions. It was already quite the day because Pale was able to see his superior anxious, sad, and now, happy today.

Though Pale felt that it was a shame that he was about to lose his job over something he cannot control, it wasn't like he could do anything about it. Pale only felt shame for not being able to help his supervisor, the man who had always been there for him. He was the one who helped him reach his position today, enjoying the fruits of his labor without the drama that is usually associated with the high position he currently possesses.

"I wish you a good luck, Dr. Prime. I know that you'll be able to get through this!" Pale looked on as the Doctor raised his right arm and waved it slightly. Leaving nothing behind as he carried his suitcase with him before he left.

…

A few minutes earlier...

The location of the energy signature that was getting out of hand was already transmitted to the Association by Dr. Prime. Now all they needed to do was to take care of it and they would have a groundbreaking new technology that would certainly help the Association in finding out more about that place. It was because of this reason that they sent out the best of the best, even asking their most valuable asset to join in to ensure that the mission is a success.

"This is First String, we are heading to the site now. Over." A young man held on to a handheld transceiver as he contacted the headquarters. He looked at his friend who was sweating up a storm, trying to form a tunnel that they can pass through.

"Roger that. Over." The gentle voice from the other side of the handheld transceiver replied. Updates were required while conducting the mission, especially for safety reasons.

Right now, a steady tunnel was formed under St. Legaspi, leading all the way to the location of the energy signature. Since the destination is in the middle of a large amount of Energy Crystals, what the Linton Industry calls Linton Diamonds or LD's for short, the three members of the party was fascinated by the spectacular view. It was a stunning sight to behold, as a red crystal path made of Energy Crystals greeted them.

"I didn't create these tunnels, it seems that it has been like this before we even came here." A rather tired Billy took a sip of water from his canister. His ability enabled him to create 'cracks' in solid substances, enabling him to create tunnels by continuously using it. Having to move a lot of earth to create a tunnel to this place took a lot of energy, so he really wanted to rest. But since the job isn't done yet, he had to suck it up and work through the exhaustion.

Billy looked beside him where his best friend, Ben Tamer took the leader role. His eyes were scanning his friend's hands that were extended in front of him. Projecting an orange barrier made of mana, the strongest barrier in the Association.

"Don't worry, Quake. It's not far from here now. Isn't that right, Mr. Brittle?" Ben smiled towards the middle-aged man at the back who looked like he was in a hurry. Though it seems that the man was nice enough to give a smile in return.

"I'm sorry, I was distracted. Yes, I can handle it when we get closer." Lucien Brittle walked forward, along with the two men, inside the crystal tunnel. The end of which was exactly where the energy signal was coming from.

"Hey, Ben. What's that thing up there?" Billy was curious as the end of the tunnel actually led to what looked like an altar of sorts. On top of the altar was a rotating blue sphere, periodically emitting an energy that would suck up the air around it. The result of the marvel was that it formed holes in the space around it.

"Communication isn't working. I don't know. I told you not to call me Ben! Call me Hive, damn it!" An agitated Ben tried to contact the headquarters with his handheld transceiver, but there was no response. The area might have something that disables it.

"Whatever it is, we need to take care of it." As Lucien looked around the altar, there was bright red dust that littered on the ground. From what he could surmise, these are Energy Crystals that have lost so much energy that they crumbled into dust. Looking at the edges of the room, the exposed crystals look like they were disintegrating.

Lucien pointed his finger at the radiant sphere floating over the altar, preparing to use his 'Seal' ability. When he wills it, he can use his mana to form a cage that keeps everything inside it unless he will the cage to disappear. Be it a person, a mana crystal, or even an explosion, he has sealed a lot of things that would have otherwise caused a catastrophe for the Association.

The formation of the seal is a three-step process. First, Lucien has to visualize a cage around the object he wants to seal. Then, he will compress the energy inside himself to form the shape of the cage inside his head before finally releasing it towards the direction of the object. The longer he takes to compress the energy inside himself, the stronger the cage becomes. This time, he used fifteen seconds, which is the longest he had ever done.

"Hmm?" But when the ability was about to enclose the strange sphere, it disappeared. The altar had lost the sphere that clearly was there, vanishing without a trace. Leaving only three confused faces left hanging around the altar.

They were left wondering what happened to the sphere while a portal appeared in the ground surface above the altar. A young boy held the hand of a young girl as they passed through the portal that disappeared as soon as they landed into the garden they left from. Leaving behind a ring that floated before the young boy, who then proceeded to wear it on his right pointing finger.