156 Into the belly of the beast (II)

It was not just Simon that focused on the blonde-haired old man. Everybody in the room soon turned to him since not only was he accompanied by a dozen warriors wearing the same golden armor, but his own aura was shockingly powerful.

The old man did not say a word and kept looking at the people present with eyes that seemed capable of figuring out their deepest secrets.

More and more people were reaching the tenth floor of the building, and one way to split them would be the quality of hiding devices. It was clear that the ones with Cloaking Helmets possessed greater wealth.

Everybody kept their distance from each other since even if they were working for the same organization, they were all criminals to a certain point.

The blonde old man remained silent until the final person arrived. Only then did he unleash a wisp of his aura, drawing the attention of the entire room.

“Since everybody has arrived, let me welcome all of you to Saharo City, the True Saharo City. My name is Orlando.

I know all of you have questions about why we summoned you, and I will answer them in time, but before that, let me show you just a glance at the true nature of our mighty organization.”

Those words unleashed an ominous aura in the room, making everybody nervous. Sadly, there was nothing they could do other than wait.

Orlando took a blood crystal sphere of his space ring and then crushed it, unleashing a red shock wave that spread across the room at supersonic speed!

.....

Simon was shocked by that red shock wave, and even if he was a Level 4 Wave Warrior, there was no way he could have dodged something that moved faster than the speed of sound.

Luckily for Simon, the red shock wave did not harm him. Other than some slight discomfort, there was nothing wrong.

‘Was he just showing off?’

That thought crossed Simon’s mind when he heard it.

“?AHHH!”

“HELP ME!”

“IT HURTS!”

Simon’s eyes widened as he saw people falling to the ground with an expression of utter agony. They were suffocating, and their skin turned red as they bled from every single orifice in their bodies.

It was the first time Simon had seen something like that in his entire life, and his body could not stop trembling. Those people were enduring agony so immense that some were bashing their heads against the ground, hoping to end their lives faster.

The idea that it could happen to him was more than Simon could endure, and he almost ran toward the magic matrix to get out of this building, but he saw that it was no longer active.

“I am trapped.”

It was not just Simon, who thought that, but many others. The people in this place were those willing to sell their souls to some mysterious organization in exchange for resources, taking the easy path.

They were not exactly the prototype of individuals with great willpower. Yet, there were a few that managed to keep their composure, looking straight at Orlando.

Orlando watched the reaction of everybody, and the look in his eyes grew sharper and sharper. Every action he took had deep meaning behind it since the people in this place were part of something that involved the full power of his organization.

Actually, Orlando was unaware of the true purpose of what they were doing here, but he knew that the higher-ups considered this something extremely important, and they would punish any flaw with a fate worse than death.

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The people affected by the red shock wave stopped screaming, not because they were dead. The force inside their bodies paralyzed every muscle, making it impossible for them to emit a single sound. Still, the look in their eyes made it clear the agony had not diminished at all.

Orlando unleashed his aura a second time once the screams stopped and focused on the people unaffected by the red shock wave.

“The reason why those people entered that state was not the red shock wave. That force only activated something that had already been inside their bodies for a long time.”

Some people in the room showed flashes of enlightenment when they heard those words, but others, like Simon, needed more information.

“The ones on the ground are civil officers that had accepted the help of our organization for years. Many believe themselves to be special, but the truth is that they were the most dispensable of all our members.

We altered all the cultivation resources they consumed, the same with their food and the air they breathed during the night. Slowly their bodies were transformed into cultivation furnaces.

The red shock wave triggered the process, resulting in their current state.”

Orlando saw how the people looked at him, and a small smile appeared. They were fearful of an organization that could poison people without them noticing it.

However, the greatest feeling was apprehension since if they could do this to their members, what protected them from becoming the next guinea pigs?

Nothing in these people’s minds could hide from Orlando’s sight. He reached his current position, not due to his battle power but his intelligence and wisdom.

“All of you are.”

Simon and the others were confused by those words, but Orlando carried on immediately.

“If you are wondering whether or not you are dispensable, the answer is that all of you are. No one in this room is irreplaceable to the organization, not even I.

Those words might not be nice to hear, and you might even pity those in the ground right now, but what if I tell you that their sacrifice is so that all of you can rise to a level where even Wave Champion would only be a stepping stone!?”

Orlando shouted those last words, and immense greed replaced the fear and apprehension in the eyes of the people. Becoming a Wave Champion was an incredible feat, not only due to the power you could gain but also because your lifespan would rise exponentially.

However, according to Orlando, with the sacrifice of those on the ground, they could rise to an even higher level.

‘?A Wave King!’

Just the idea made Simon show a vicious smile. Although there was just one more rank, the difference between a Wave King and a Wave Champion was like the difference between a small child and a silver-back gorilla.

The destruction a Wave King could unleash was enough to level entire cities with millions of people, and their lifespan could reach more than one thousand years!

Even if it meant killing ten times more people, Simon would not hesitate to do it with his own hand if he got the chance.

Orlando noticed the reaction of the people in the room and was not surprised. The reason humankind managed to secure its place in Aether was their greed.

“Now, I will need all of you to follow my instructions to the letter as the process itself is very delicate, and even the slightest mistake could lead to a disaster.

I will reactivate the teleportation matrix. We will go to the eleventh floor, where I will explain in greater detail what will happen to all of you and the key behind awakening a power that will allow you to rise into the sky like divine beings.”

The people in the room turned toward the teleportation matrix, excited about what will happen next. As for those on the ground still riddled with unbearable agony, none of them mattered.

Orlando was about to activate the teleportation matrix when his hand froze in the air.

“Oh, right. Before we go to the eleventh floor, we should take care of some pests.”

Those words alerted Simon, and when he focused on the old man, he saw this one looking in his direction, and his entire body froze with fear. He did not know what was happening, but if Orlando saw something wrong, it could lead to him sharing the fate of those on the ground.

Luckily for Simon, as he got a better look, he saw that Orlando was not focusing on him but on the duo behind him. It was the duo that he saw when he arrived in this room.

The young woman looked back at Orlando, and unlike Simon, she was able to remain calm under the old man’s gaze.

“I don’t know what you are referring to, Sir. I received an invitation to this meeting just like everybody else.”

She did not just use those words but also took out her Cloaking Helmet, showing her real appearance, hinting there was nothing to hide.

Orlando showed an even greater smile when he saw how calm the woman was.

“Your disguise is flawless, and you even find a way to simulate the density and style of your target’s Essence Wave. Just looking at you, and even if I were to scan your body, there would be no difference between the two, but you made a critical mistake.

Your behavior, temperament, and aura are those of a seasoned warrior, not a pampered child that never worked a day in her life.”