"This kind of inter-departmental collaboration, I used to do it alone in the past."
Zola’s expression seemed a bit off, her eyes slightly vacant: "Once a week, it’s really tough, but it’s good to have you."
"Mm, at least there’s someone to talk to."
Zhong Shenxiu responded indifferently.
"Normally no one comes here, it’s enough to patrol once every hour. We can take turns, a twelve-hour shift."
Zola quickly made arrangements: "I’ll take the first shift."
"I’d like to follow the captain and do a patrol first."
Zhong Shenxiu said with a smile.
"That’s your prerogative."
Zola began to walk through the corridors, the first door she passed was marked with the number 021, from which a chill seeped out.
"Many of the organs we obtain in the wilderness need ’preservation’, so some storage areas are equipped with refrigeration units. It feels very cold inside, of course... I do not have the authority to enter and check."
Zola laughed, pointing to a glass window on the iron door: "Mainly observing through this. Should any problems arise, notify the superiors immediately."
Zhong Shenxiu leaned in for a look and saw that the glass was coated with something, leaving no white frost or vapour to cover it, allowing for a relatively clear view of the inside of the warehouse.
They were rows of shelves, as well as various organs submerged in a formalin-like liquid.
Eyes, viscera, claws, scales...
Some of them bore incomplete patterns on their surfaces, which could make observers feel uncomfortable.
"Actually, the second basement level is not too bad. Most of the materials are of servant grade, with only a few from the lower-tier dependents level."
Zola then led Zhong Shenxiu to the second warehouse: "Of course... some materials cannot be stored together, as they’re prone to undesirable chemical reactions. We’ve learned this the hard way."
"Among the various materials, the most troublesome are the remnants of psychic contaminations... they are the easiest to contaminate others."
As the numbers increased, the storage seemed to get smaller, though the preciousness of the stored items increased.
Eventually, they reached the materials of the dependent level stored separately.
Naturally, these were no longer of interest to Zhong Shenxiu.
"Our room is around this corner, you can rest here usually."
After the tour, Zola said to Zhong Shenxiu: "You take a break first, come to replace me after ten hours."
Zhong Shenxiu agreed, entered his room, and found it indeed cramped and confined but was relieved to find a private washroom.
He washed up briefly, lay on the bed, staring at the ventilation duct, and fell into contemplation.
At this moment, with his eyes slightly closed, he seemed to see a series of ethereal doors, each leading to the mind of a Demon Hunter.
’Demon Hunters have too high a mental resistance, it’s better not to take the risk.’
’However... according to Zola, there’s far more precious stuff here, deep down in the warehouses.’
’Perhaps, even ’Gorosa’s Eye’ is kept and studied more meticulously deep underground... hmm, even though it belongs to the medical department, in terms of security level or safety, this place is definitely... at most the medical department lets researchers come and study it and draw blood periodically?’
This sort of information was not presented in detail in the dreams of Morey Pavilion, but it could be roughly guessed.
At this time, Zhong Shenxiu appeared to be asleep, but he had actually quietly entered the dreamscape, looking at the underground sealed area from a whole new perspective.
"Mm, those remnants on the second basement level are indeed all dead, at most there is a bit of residual spirit and contamination left... otherwise, I should be able to see a door leading directly to the heart..."
"Such chances to explore secrets are not frequent."
Zhong Shenxiu thought for a moment and proceeded downward.
He looked down and saw even more "doors," and even the powerful aura made him somewhat astonished.
"Mid-level, or perhaps upper-level demon hunters’ wards? Indeed, there’s good stuff down below."
"Unfortunately, some of them specialize in the psychic domain; a rash invasion would certainly be detected..."
Zhong Shenxiu had no choice but to linger on the edge of a cluster of dream doors.
At that moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
Deep underground, he saw a towering and massive bronze door that nearly dwarfed its counterparts by several times.
This psychic doorway was half-ruined, emitting a kaleidoscope of light that passed through from behind the door.
He could sense the terrible danger without even getting close.
Zhong Shenxiu gazed from afar, seemingly through the broken door, and saw the colorful lights.
And within those lights, an eye bloodshot and veined suddenly emerged, their gazes abruptly meeting.
Zhong Shenxiu felt as if his spirit had been struck by a heavy hammer.
At the same time, fragmented information surfaced in his mind, inexplicably ancient yet utterly shattered, incoherent.
"This feeling... a godly remnant?"
"Indeed... is Gorosa’s Eye imprisoned deeper underground?"
"It’s not dead? Or rather, it hasn’t completely perished, which is why the psychic door is semi-broken... and the mysterious knowledge that seeps out... It has an ancient feel, not originating from itself, or perhaps, from the divinity borne by Gorosa’s Eye?"
"Divinity... indeed from a great being, and perhaps that entity has perished, unable to lock away some information... Hence, its knowledge unconsciously leaks out within the divinity..."
"This is an absolute opportunity, as long as I can fully assimilate the divinity, I am bound to gain some knowledge about the True God!"
In a small room, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly opened his eyes.
Inside a pure white lab, several middle-aged demon hunters with peppered temples and faces etched with hardship were warily watching a glass column that contained an eyeball.
It was the size of a normal human head, mostly sclera, with patches of flesh still clinging to its surface, and submerged in a clear solution.
Two mechanical arms navigated through the solution, ready to extract something at any moment.
Prominently displayed in the lab were detailed regulations:
"Caution One, do not make eye contact with Gross’s Eye for more than three seconds!"
"Caution Two, researchers may not stay in this area for more than one hour, demon hunters no more than twelve hours!"
"Caution Three, it is alive! It will have irregular psychic outbursts, and when the alarm sounds, everyone must retreat at least one hundred meters!"
"The remains of the Divine offspring are indeed powerful..."
A demon hunter, observing the glass orb while carefully avoiding direct eye contact, suddenly felt puzzled, "Why do I feel like it’s moving?"
"I sense an intensification of the contamination."
Another veteran demon hunter exhaled a ring of smoke and suddenly slammed his fist on a red button on the control panel.
Amongst the red warning lights and the shrill alarm, the researchers and demon hunters evacuated in an orderly manner, awaiting the psychic storm stirred by Gorosa’s Eye, waiting for the contamination to pass.
After maintaining a safe distance, a demon hunter said somberly, "The more we study, the more we feel the insignificance of humanity... the Divine offspring, they are truly as powerful as the progeny of deities in legends, they are indeed beings worthy of being called Divine Sons..."