Chapter 64 - 63: Descendant
Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Descendant
"When was this reservoir built?"
The team leader asked a pair of twin brothers in the group, both of whom wore thick glasses.
"One moment."
One of them opened his backpack and started pulling out a computer, power supply, and other items. The other took out a precision satellite antenna, a signal booster, and other connection devices from his own pack.
After finding a relatively flat spot, the two brothers moved as one in a dazzling display of operations.
A simple information platform was established.
One of them grabbed a rock to use as a stool and sat down.
He shook out his fingers, and in the next second, they began to move at a speed that was difficult for others to follow.
Lines of text flashed across the screen as if it were a slideshow.
In less than two minutes, with a flicker of the screen, he had already navigated to the data files for Lyon and its surrounding reservoirs.
He clicked into it, typed a few commands, and inserted a USB drive to load a piece of software. An access authorization field turned green.
"Got it. It’s a reservoir on a tributary of the Rhône River, built in the late 1960s. It was originally designed to supply power to the surrounding residents. In the early 21st century, its main function was changed to water storage and flood control. Only two of the generator units are still operational, but they aren’t active."
The younger of the twins slowly read the information aloud.
"Why aren’t they active?"
A female team member subconsciously asked.
"The local government determined that the cost of maintaining the generator units was higher than the cost of buying electricity from elsewhere, so they ’temporarily’ shut down the hydroelectric plant."
"Can you find out what’s at the bottom of the reservoir?"
"I can, but it’s not very specific. It says a small group of residents from the reservoir basin were relocated last century, so there might still be some old houses from that time. Besides that, there’s no other information."
The team members discussed this among themselves, nodding in agreement.
"Excellent. Thanks, Hillk. Just knowing there are buildings at the bottom of the reservoir is a huge help."
"By the way, can you find us the fastest way to rent some diving equipment?"
The older twin immediately took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and found a few numbers.
He made two consecutive calls. After five minutes of descriptions and haggling, he gave everyone on the team an "OK" gesture.
After hanging up, he briefly explained.
"The people at the Thunder Star Diving Association are willing to rent us a few sets of diving gear. But we have to go to Lyon to pick it up ourselves. The price is five times the depreciation cost, and a diving instructor is extra. If we want it, we can go now."
This group had clearly been working together for more than a day or two; they were extremely efficient.
Immediately, four or five people, including the older twin, set out to drive to Lyon.
The others didn’t waste any time either.
Thinking long-term, they took off their gear and began looking for a flat area nearby.
It was near a water source and close to their exploration point, perfect for setting up camp.
With their solid outdoor knowledge and a clear division of labor, the group had a proper campsite set up in less than half an hour.
Some were responsible for starting a fire, while others took out rations and began to prepare a late lunch for the day.
The old map was spread out once again in front of the campfire.
Team members with nothing else to do gathered around.
Their captain, whose muscles rivaled Schwarzenegger’s, looked imposing but was actually just a twenty-four-year-old young man.
Surprisingly, the oldest member of the group was a twenty-eight-year-old woman.
"Everyone, I don’t know what the future holds, but what those bigwigs up top are hiding from ordinary people is enough to show us we can’t just sit back and wait for disaster."
"And we have the Oliers Brothers to thank for this. If it weren’t for their exceptional skills, we never would have stumbled upon this secret."
The younger twin raised his water bottle with a smile, toasting the group.
"Let’s hope we’ve found the right place this time! If we come up empty again, there’s only one pre-selected location left."
The blond team leader’s name was Philier, and he had been on this expedition with his companions for a month and a half.
This whole series of events had started with what seemed to be an ordinary fire.
It happened at a home in the suburbs of Paris.
But since they all lived nearby, they paid more attention to it and saw more than the general public.
It wasn’t an act of arson with a captured culprit, as the news had reported.
They didn’t know how the so-called "arsonist" from the news came to be, but as for them, they knew far more than the general public.
It had to be said that some people are just born geniuses, possessing talents that others envy.
The twin brothers were clearly among them.
Their talent and achievements in the field of information technology had earned them endless praise from their many instructors.
But the two of them were also quite the characters.
Because of their outstanding abilities, after they started to make a name for themselves, the school was constantly asking them to participate in various competitions, which they found incredibly annoying.
So, they learned to hide their skills, but their interest in information technology never waned.
On the day of the "arson," the Oliers Brothers happened to have hacked into Feili’s home security camera. They were planning to see if Feili would walk around naked after her shower; they remembered how that detestable woman had posted Daisi’s private photos on the school network.
They planned to give her a taste of her own medicine on Daisi’s behalf.
Although it wasn’t exactly legal, the brothers had used their skills to enact their own brand of justice more than once, confident they would never leave a trace.
But who could have guessed that on that day, instead of seeing what they were hoping for, they witnessed something far more shocking—or rather, terrifying.
When Kelya came out of the bathroom, she wasn’t covered in water droplets, but in flames.
Kelya seemed completely unaware at the time, and for a moment, the two brothers thought she had a Superpower.
But soon, covered in goosebumps, the brothers watched in horror as the scene concealed by the police unfolded.
Kelya didn’t have a Superpower. She just couldn’t feel the pain, couldn’t feel the flames on her body, but that didn’t mean she was immune to being burned.
She went about her usual routine—making coffee, eating cookies—while her body slowly charred and carbonized until she collapsed on the floor, unable to move.
It wasn’t just Kelya; her entire family was in the same state, yet they all seemed oblivious to each other’s condition.
Only then did the flames ignite the house, causing the fire in the so-called "arson case."
The fire wasn’t actually that intense. It took a long time to burn the bodies, and it only scorched a part of the house.
Less than twenty minutes after the incident began, the fire trucks arrived. The brothers, afraid of being discovered, disconnected from their hidden backdoor access since the police had taken over the surveillance feeds.
But according to Kelya’s neighbors, military vehicles also showed up later.
The incident caused a huge stir in the neighborhood. In the end, an arson case somehow materialized out of nowhere, complete with a captured "culprit."
The Oliers Brothers felt there had to be a hidden story behind it all. Besides, they seemed to recall hearing about something similar.
Racking their brains, they finally remembered: it was a story they had heard as children at their good friend Philier’s house, told by his grandfather.
It was a story about a powerful Wizard eradicating Demons that burned souls to ash.
At the time, after finishing the story, Philier’s grandfather had said it was just a made-up tall tale, so they hadn’t paid it much mind.
Although many details didn’t line up, the nature of the combustion alone constantly reminded the two of that story.
The developments that followed were truly unexpected.
Using their skills, the twin brothers hacked into the network of a government agency, wanting to look into the "arson case." They hadn’t expected to uncover a truly "earth-shattering secret."
Many strange and terrifying things had already been happening in secret, while the public was kept in the dark.
Even geniuses were only dancing on a stage of networks and data; they were powerless to deal with a situation like this.
’Go public?’
’Probably not a good choice. Not only would it be easy to expose ourselves, but ordinary people might not even believe it.’
’And even if they did believe it, the outcome might be even worse. Unless the world was ending right this second, causing mass panic would mean that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.’
In that moment, caught in a dilemma, the brothers once again thought of the childhood story, and of their good friend, Philier.
Philier’s treasured map and Scroll, which the two of them had once ridiculed, now seemed faintly mysterious.
PS: Thank you to book friend My Beloved Emperor for the 200-coin donation, and thank you to book friends Blood Race Night Blade, 20180204225623626, and Prince Xiaohan o Meow for the 100-coin donations.