Free Web NovelChapter 181: Chapter 180 - Excuses
Point-of-View: Inoka Fonseka
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How the Meta-Orbs were made, huh? I have to admit, I’ve been wondering about that for quite a while now. After all, the fact that they haven’t made any more of the orbs likely means that it’s by no means a simple process.
"Alrighty then, let me start by laying out the ingredients necessary to create a Meta-Orb...number one, about a thousand Meta-Human souls, and-...well, actually, that’s about it, really. Of course, you also need a Meta-Human with the power to extract souls...also, FYI, when I say souls, that’s probably not literal, but I don’t know what other term to use, so I’ll keep referring to it as souls.
As it turns out, Harmony just happens to have a Meta-Human with an Aberration Skill that lets them extract the soul of another Meta-Human...how it works is through physical contact and selecting one of the victim’s Skills.
That Skill is then extracted and the target dies, and the Skill can be transferred to someone else. The only catch is that doing so directly results in the receiver gaining some of the memories of the victim, which causes them to develop a split personality and lose their minds over time," Explained Liling with a smirk.
"So, then, our powers come from the souls of other people?" Frowned Alexis apprehensively, as Liling continued...
"When extracting a target’s Skill and soul, a tiny amount of their Aura is extracted too. Anyway, since direct transfer had that major downside to it, Harmony experimented with indirect transfer methods. They discovered a way to contain extracted energy, but the energy from a single person proved insufficient.
And so, they increased the sample size. Eventually, they had gathered energy from nine thousand Meta-Humans, a thousand for each Skill type, an amount just about sufficient to tinker with. By manipulating the frequency of the energy, the energy crystallized in the form of orbs, and touching one floods you with energy and the Skill.
Now, where did they get that many victims from, you ask? Well, a certain Neo Cronje captured members of Eden, and once their Skills were extracted and they died as a result, their bodies were dumped in the ocean. No doubt they’re fish crap by now.
It wasn’t just Eden members though...some members of Harmony itself, who had at some point broken their antiquated and needlessly strict rules, had also been used as fuel for the Meta-Orbs.
Outliers, if you’re listening, and you probably are, this all means that the foundation of each your powers are built on the corpses of a thousand people. Yeah, let that sink in," Laughed Liling in amusement.
If I’m being honest, I’m not particularly torn up about this. Zoraiz doesn’t look too perturbed either. Alexis seems to be disgusted, but nothing much beyond that. Aurora looks kinda horrified though...maybe with her heightened senses, it registers differently to her than it does for us.
As for the other Outliers, the twins were...well, you know. I legit haven’t seen them in what’s fly like several days, they’ve been in their trailer pretty much the entire time. And as for Adelmira, she’s off somewhere training with X.
"To conclude this little exposure video, I have some confessions to make...Harmony, about that guy with the Aberration Skill to extract souls and Skills, and then transfer Skills...yeah, I know where you keep him hidden. You should, uh, check up on him...he might have come down with a mild case of death. In which, I may or may not have been involved.
So, you know, no more Meta-Orbs. And this is probably stating the obvious, but I was the informant to Eden. Oh, and as for how they found the island where the Meta-Orb Project was being conducted, I advised them to plant a tracking device inside the body of one of their members who was used as bait.
Oh, and this should make you happy...during the attack on Eden in Egypt, yours truly dealt with their higher ups. Anyway, I think that’s everything I wanted to say...till next time! Don’t forget to like, share and follow!" Grinned Liling cheerfully as she threw up a peace sign.
And with that, the video ended, a grim silence around us as we stared at the blank screen.
"The ’Outliers’ that she mentioned refers to you humans with unusually large Auras, yes? So, your powers were created using human sacrifices? How fascinating," Remarked Bastet, breaking the silence.
"That’s not the word I’d use, but sure. Hey, you okay?" I asked Aurora, who looked kinda pale.
"Huh? Yeah...yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know, I just...it feels sickening to know where the energy from the Meta-Orbs came from," She frowned in response.
"Well, look on the bright side...everyone who was involved in the project is probably in some pretty hot water right now," Pointed out Alexis.
"Yeah, I’m seeing a lot of enraged posts online," Added Zoraiz, showing us his screen.
I wonder, how exactly are Neo and the higher ups going to deal with this?
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Point-of-View: Neo Cronje
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"I really don’t see how you can blame me for this," I sighed irritably.
It was about an hour after Liling uploaded that video, exposing the process used to create the Meta-Orbs, something that very few people knew about to begin with.
The higher ups had called me in, I figured they did so to get my opinion on how to deal with this situation, and yeah, that’s a part of it...but they’ve also been berating and blaming me for it all. Stupid old farts.
"You should have kept a closer eye on Liling!"
"She shouldn’t have been allowed to deceive us so easily!"
"Yeah, what they said!"
You’ve gotta be kidding me with this shit...
"Last I checked, you all trusted her as much as I did. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not saying I’m blameless in this situation...but all of you are just as much to blame as I am. The Meta-Orb Project was your idea to begin with, and the fact that Liling was included in the secret was also your call, I had nothing to do with that decision," I pointed out in response.
Well, I also didn’t oppose it, because I did trust her...but I’m not gonna say that. I mean, they’re the ones in charge of Harmony, there’s absolutely no reason why I should take responsibility for this instead of them.
"This isn’t about blame!"
"The UN has contacted us, and expect us to give a press conference and clarify this matter to the public!"
"And when we say us, we mean you!"
"People on social media are in an uproar, the last thing we need is to make an enemy of the regular human world!"
Why the hell is this on me, damn it?
"Fine, whatever, I’ll do the stupid press conference. Just tell me what time, where and what you want me to say," I sighed in exasperation.
"Do we say that Liling was lying?"
"Not a bad idea, she probably doesn’t have any solid evidence of it." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
"But if she somehow does evidence, and we’re exposed for lying, it’ll only make things worse."
"Then we admit to it?"
"Perhaps if we express regret and apologize, we can quell the outrage towards us?"
Hey, stop saying ’we’, I’m the one who has to deal with the press conference.
"I suppose we have no choice but to do so."
"Right, and it’s quite unlikely that the UN will dissolve the alliance. Not with the growing threats of Monsters and Demons."
"Should we mention that during the press conference?"
"No, it could be interpreted as blackmail, they won’t take kindly to that."
"Yes, I suppose you have a point there."
"Did you get all that, Neo?"
"Yeah, I got it. You just want me to apologize and state our regret, right?" I surmised in response, before adding, "I could use the explanation that we foresaw the imminent Monster and Demon threats or whatever."
"Oh, that’s good! Yes, include that as well!"
"But make it clear that you aren’t trying to justify the project, say that you know it was wrong, or something along those lines. Watch some apology videos to get an idea of how to act and speak."
"Maybe we should write all that down, just in case?" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"No, having him read a written speech could backfire, it could give people the impression that it was scripted."
I mean, it pretty much is scripted though.
"Hm, true. Neo, make sure to memorize all your talking points, and don’t say anything unnecessary."
Yeah, yeah, I know the drill.
"Sure, got it. So...can I leave now, please?" I inquired, having had enough.
"Yes, you may go. We’ll send the details of the time and location of the press conference to your phone."
"Fine, whatever. I’m leaving," I remarked, as I opened up a portal and left.
This is gonna really suck. I wonder what the Outliers are thinking about all this...just to be safe, I should stay away from the campsite for a few days...
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