As time mercilessly passed, the surviving laboratory children started to die one by one.

At first, they didn’t know the reason.

‘Why, why on earth!’

The bitter feeling overflowed, but they couldn’t figure out where to vent it.

After a while, 968 wasted away like a mirage. And blood began to flow from all the holes in his body.

Even without anyone saying it, you couldn’t help but notice that he would soon draw his last breath.

“As…kan.”

In response to 968’s call, Askan answered briefly, trying not to show too much sadness.

“Speak.”

“You are… actually our leader. Even if I die, take good care of Lord Helcyon. Definitely… revenge against the person who made us like this.”

“Got it.”

“Definitely. Cough, is it a promise?”
Askan nodded his head, unable to respond any further as if a lump of burning coal had lodged in his throat.

It wasn’t just 968. Other children who survived in the laboratory experienced the same symptoms and faced death afterward.

Amidst this, Helcyon’s given missions didn’t cease, and the children, not sparing their lives, continued to carry them out.

The dying ones left behind a consistent phrase as if making a promise.

Revenge, revenge against the one who made us like this.

They didn’t even know whom their insane resentment should be directed toward. What was clear was that the accumulated anger in their hearts was so overwhelming that if it wasn’t released in some way, they felt they would go insane.

Askan couldn’t bear it any longer and directly asked Helcyon.

“Who first conceived the idea of human weapon experiments? Who allowed these experiments?”

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Didn’t you promise us? To let us take revenge on the one who made us like this.”

In response to Askan’s angry words, Helcyon just answered with a smiling face.

“I know. I haven’t forgotten. But now is not the time. Wait a bit longer, and I’ll let you know who made you like this.”

“We don’t have time. The kids are gradually… dying.”

The children who had dreamt of leaving the laboratory only to sneakily engage in the outside world were the majority. However, they hadn’t properly experienced life, just following Helcyon’s orders like killing weapons.

The children only moved at night and never had any interaction with people.

Having come out into the outside world they had dreamed of, they were now dying without really experiencing it.

It wasn’t much different from the hellish laboratory they had been in. It was just that their activity range had slightly expanded.

However, Helcyon gave the same response every time.

“Wait. I told you, it’s not the right time yet.”

Askan could no longer wait. There were too many uncertain corners to blindly trust only Helcyon.

From then on, Askan and Bill began to secretly gather information about human weapon experiments.

They wanted to avenge even one more person if they were still alive. If they were going to die anyway, they wanted to enjoy the pleasure of finishing revenge.

Moreover, although Askan and Bill hadn’t vomited blood yet, they couldn’t be sure how much they could endure watching the laboratory children fall.

Then, by chance, they overheard a conversation between Helcyon and Carter.

“Third Prince, do you really intend to restart the human weapon experiments?”

“Of course. You’ve seen the abilities of the children. It’s too wasteful to bury them like this.”

“But if everyone can’t endure and collapses, is it worth that much?”

“These children are failures. If we had continued human weapon experiments until the end and achieved a massive success, they would have truly become powerful killing weapons. Just like Askan.”

Carter frowned as if he didn’t like Askan’s praise, but he couldn’t refute Helcyon’s words.
“Then shall we gather orphans without anyone knowing?”

“Not yet. Since father halted the experiment once, I need to plan more meticulously. This time, without anyone interfering.”

“In that case, we’ll need a lot of funds, so I’ll start looking for investors.”

“Alright.”

Askan felt suffocated throughout their conversation, as if being struck on the head with a heavy hammer. It was shocking.

Helcyon, whom the laboratory children believed to be their savior without suspicion, was secretly trying to start human weapon experiments.

While promising in front to settle the score, behind, he showed no hesitation in increasing the number of victims like them.

Askan even doubted if Helcyon ever truly intended to avenge them. If he had pointed out the most challenging enemy to be their nemesis, the laboratory children would have leaped into it like moths to a flame.

Askan finally realized how exploitable the naïve laboratory children were.

Despite wholeheartedly following Helcyon, to him, they were nothing more than well-performing tools for murder.

“Sob, how, how could you do this to us, hyung?”

Upon discovering all the facts, Bill, usually composed, cried like a child.

Askan’s heart cooled. Thanks to that, his head also became clearer.

“Have you ever thought about it? How many people out there desire human weapons like us?”