Falling into the Abyss

Thank you Kofi-Supporter, Alya & Ko-Fi Supporter for your support—Bonus Chapter (1/1)

Ethan felt like his heart was tied with a thin silk thread and dangled in midair after asking many questions. His sensitive flesh, blood, and his heart’s nerves were tightly clamped, unable to beat. He was a little afraid of the answers he might hear, but there was no way he would not ask.

Although Ethan had nothing, he was still afraid that history would repeat itself. He had always felt flattered that outstanding Alphas like Roland and Tanisiel would favor a dull Beta like him. It was like he was in a dream. However, this often meant that this favor was perhaps not bestowed upon him because he is a charming person. Ethan also previously held delusions like other youths. They would comfort him, reminding him that an Alpha like them liked a Beta like him. He believed that he was a lucky exception.

Then, reality slapped him hard in the face, pried open its big, pit-like mouth, and swallowed up his entire life.

Tanisiel took a bottle of whiskey from the freezer hidden in the wall, and two glasses were automatically filled with ice. The amber liquid made the ice in the glasses ring out as he poured the whiskey and said, “Because you mean a lot to me. When I helped you and Samuel, I said that I would require a big favor from you one day. That was not empty talk. Me helping you now is like me lending you money. You’ll pay it back to me one day.”

Ethan frowned and shook his head. “But I’m just a nonhuman, and I don’t have any talents. I’m not as good as Derek in terms of brainpower or Samuel in terms of fighting prowess. I can’t think of anything I can do for you.”

The priest handed Ethan a glass, his actions not allowing him to refuse.

“Project Zero must be a name you will never forget for the rest of your life?”

Every planetary state was actually secretly researching in pursuit of a breakthrough. The Southern United Planetary States led by the Ophiuchus Alliance had publicized in media advertisements that antimatter weapons were evil and destructive to the world and should never be developed. In fact, they merely did not want others to develop them. It was because they were one of the most powerful planetary states in the galaxy and allied with many states that no one dared to question them.

The Earth Union, however, had never cared about the Ophiuchus Alliance. Antimatter was neither good nor evil, and its moral significance was determined by human behavior. One day, if such a terrifying weapon were within their enemies’ grasp, it would be the real end of the world. Therefore, under the State Council’s order, the Energy Bureau submitted a proposal for antimatter development and its applications to President Appiah, categorized as a level five state secret. After being approved, it was named Project Zero, and they began to develop an experimental base for it on Mars.

Any information related to Project Zero, including the cleaners’ names in the experimental base, were all state secrets. After all, if the Ophiuchus Alliance had any concrete evidence that the Earth Union was secretly manufacturing antimatter weapons, it would be reasonable for them to request the Galactic Arbitration Tribunal intervention and unite with the Southern United Planetary States to pressure the Earth Union. They may even impose political, economic, or military sanctions. Moreover, it would be even more devastating if the experimental results were stolen. The other party might even develop antimatter weapons one step ahead of them.

This was the most critical plan that the Energy Bureau had been involved in over the past five years. However, under strict confidentiality measures, no one knew about the existence of Project Zero except the president herself, the top ten members of the State Council, the researchers on Mars, the Energy Bureau’s first-ranked officials, and senior secretaries like Ethan.

However, rumors still spread. Ethan still did not know how the Ophiuchus Alliance had guessed the Earth Union’s intentions. They quietly sent one of their top-secret agents who had been stationed in the Third Empire for many years to the Earth Union as one of the Third Empire’s ore researchers. He found a weak link that he could obtain the secret info from—Ethan Eldridge.

Ethan’s vigilance suddenly rose, and his knuckles gripping the glass turned pale. He muttered, “Why would the Eves know about Project Zero?”

“Simply because you Earthlings told me.” Tanisiel sipped the cold alcohol and gestured to switch the projection. As a result, the nebula’s original image on the wall changed into a projection of the building—the Tenth Space Station’s crisscrossing castles in space and the dreamlike blue planet that occupied half of the sky.

Tanisiel continued, “The Eves have always had a close relationship with the Earth Union, probably because we have a very similar way of governing? The Ophiuchus Alliance has obtained all the important information regarding Project Zero. The Earth Union’s current choices are to shut down the project and wait for the Ophiuchus Alliance to develop antimatter weapons or persevere and break through the research that has met a bottleneck for the past few months. Obviously, your people chose the latter option and chose to work with the Eves. It’s probably because your chief security officer reported about the God of Order’s egg to someone important. Anyway, they wanted the Eves to rent it to them, and in return, they will share their research results with us. I am the ambassador to make sure that the deal goes smoothly and fairly.”

“That explains why you would suddenly appear in the Earth Union……but what are you doing in the Forbidden City? What does this have to do with me?”

“You are the only Earthling other than the Eves who has had direct contact with the God of Order’s egg and not died or mutated due to excessive radiation. Even we, the Eves, have to be trained before we know how to control the God of Order’s egg and when we can and can’t touch it. Otherwise, our lives will be in danger. However, you don’t seem to be affected by it very much. Similarly, the God of Disorder’s influence on you appears to be weak. Even if ordinary people only come into contact slightly with the God of Disorder’s descendants, they will be infected and mutate, but you did not.

Maybe it’s because you have Heavenbounder lineage. Some ancient books have recorded that although the Heavenbounders have relatively thin physiques among the interstellar races, they are very resistant to various viruses and bacterias. The Heavenbounders also age entirely differently from other interstellar humans. Their growth comes in phases and is non-linear. Compared to mammals, they are more like insects such as silkworm moths. As long as they do not develop to their final ‘adult’ stage, they will never grow old. However, once they grow up, they will age and become fragile rapidly. Even cancer, a minor disease, can take their lives. I’m sorry, I seemed to have diverted the topic, but in short, you are a beneficial existence. We may be able to extract ingredients from your blood that can prevent the human body from mutating.”

Yes, just like his mother. Ethan’s mother had always had the same beautiful appearance from his childhood to adulthood, with green eyes and dark brown curly hair. Her arms would be stacked with books of music theory, and she would walk confidently through the corridors filled with beautiful ginkgo forests in the Fifth Space Station’s university. She was always energetic, and although she was in her fifties, she still looked like she was in her twenties or thirties, garbed in the dresses of the latest fashion trends and with lips adorned with bright red lipstick.

However, on a particular day, a year ago, his mother had locked herself in her room like a changed person. She did not even drink water or eat rice and slept for a week. During that time, he had repeatedly tried to call out to his mother and even tried to force the door open, but his father stopped him. He would always remember his father’s sad eyes at that time. He did not even know that his father could show such a fragile look.

“Your mother is going to the next stage of her life. Don’t bother her.” His voice trembled imperceptibly, and he added, almost speaking to himself, “I just didn’t expect it to come so fast.”

She was changed when she woke up, and it was like she grew ten years older overnight. Her skin became dull, tinted with a gray hue, her green eyes grew turbid, and there were even fine lines in the corners of her eyes. She no longer laughed merrily, and she stopped swaying along to the music. She even neglected playing her cello. Her eyes grew dim and sluggish, and her hair turned dry and gray, as though she had exhausted all of her life’s energy.

Ethan no longer dared to look her in the eye because he was afraid. He was worried that he would someday enter this final, withered, and terrifying stage of ‘adulthood’ himself.

Ethan listened to the other party speak tirelessly. He wanted to believe in the other party, but he always felt that something was missing. “Did you go to the Forbidden City last time to make sure I was alive?”

“You can put it that way.” Tanisiel walked towards him slowly. He came very close to him, so close that Ethan even felt a certain sense of oppression due to the distance. It was only then that he stopped and said with a kind of hoarse, low voice, with his beautiful eyes drooping, “And also because a tiny part of me was selfish. After all, the night on the Magic Flute could be considered a rare feeling for me……because I felt great.”

Ethan could smell the faint scent of sandalwood from his body and feel his shadow, breath, and glowing light all surging towards him, causing his skin to burn hot. The priest’s neckline was half open, revealing a large area of milky, smooth, and warm skin. His jaw’s contour was so beautiful that Ethan wanted to kiss it gently……

Ethan managed to control himself after being easily dazzled by his beauty but refused to meet the priest’s eyes and asked, “So……am I a blood bag?”

“To me, you are worth more than that, but I can only tell you so much at this moment.”

“You don’t have to overthink or even believe me. The relationship between us is simply one that allows us to make full use of the other.” Clearly, these words should sound heartless after being spat out from between that pair of luscious lips, but somehow they became a kind of strangely twisted declarations of love, like feathers hovering next to his ear. “Anyway, you have nothing to lose. So long as you remember that I am using you, then you can use me to protect you at any time so that you won’t get hurt.”

Startled, Ethan digested his magical words and felt a radiant heat swelling up within him. He raised his head and gazed at the other’s charming irises.

“A relationship that makes full use of each other……” he murmured to himself as though hypnotized, and laughed bitterly. “That’s right. This is perfectly clear, with no strings attached. What’s more, I have no other alternatives available.”

Tanisiel’s soft lips suddenly swallowed up his words, and the priest tilted Ethan’s chin up with one hand as he plundered his lips. The smell of liquor permeated the kiss, and Ethan felt like he was about to be swallowed whole. As he shut his eyes tightly, he heard the priest’s voice resonate in his head, sounding almost like he was chanting a spell.

For the time being, devote yourself to me. Allow me to control your body, conquer your consciousness, bring you temporal pain and joy, and lead you to witness eternity.