Falling into the Abyss

“What do you mean the blood sample is not quite right?” Tanisiel had a rare expression of nervousness. The last time Ethan saw him this way was when Ethan was in that space station that was about to be swallowed up in Neptune’s second universe.

The doctor made a few gestures and displayed a genetic map of the white blood cell’s DNA. He pointed to some of the data that Ethan couldn’t understand and explained, “I think you all know that there are 23 pairs of human chromosomes, that is, 46 chromosomes. One set of genetic material comes from the mother, and the other from the father, right?” After seeing the people around him nod, he continued, “Generally speaking, this number will not change unless it’s due to peculiar genetic diseases, such as Down’s syndrome. These people will have one more copy of chromosome 21 than most people, resulting in 47 chromosomes instead of 46. DNA exists in every cell of the human body. Ah, except for mature blood cells. This information is equivalent to our entire body’s design drawing. Any small change will make a huge difference. For example, the human and chimpanzee genomes are 98.8% similar. Even aliens like the Eves have less than one percent of a genetic difference from humans.”

Bruno said, “We all understand that. What’s wrong with the blood sample?”

The doctor scratched his hair and said, “There are three sets of chromosomes in this blood sample. That is……he has 69 chromosomes.”

After he finished speaking, silence spread among the four present. Ethan’s eyes widened slightly, and he wondered if he had misunderstood something.

Bruno immediately said, “What does it mean to have three sets of chromosomes? It’s impossible, isn’t it? With a severe variation like triploidy, it would be impossible for him to develop successfully in his mother’s womb. But as you see, he looks so normal, and everything in his previous medical information was normal.”

Tanisiel also said in a deep voice, “That’s correct. I ran a blood test a month ago.”

The doctor nodded and said, “I know. I’ve seen his medical information form, too. I don’t know if there is something wrong with this machine…… It’s too unlikely that such a large genetic variation would occur within such a short period. Regardless of where the extra set of chromosomes came from, it doesn’t seem to have a great effect on him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to sit here intact…… I need to obtain cell samples from other parts of his body for analysis.”

Ethan digested the doctor’s words and lowered his head to look at his hands placed on his knees. They were still a pair of ordinary hands and didn’t look any different from before.

Tanisiel stared at Ethan, his heart gradually sinking. “Is it possible to know whether the extra set of chromosomes is homologous or heterologous?”

The doctor said, “I can’t determine that now. Further tests are needed.”

Bruno nodded and said to Tanisiel, “It looks like the plan is going to be delayed slightly. At least, we should wait until we have a clear grasp on this matter.”

Tanisiel remained silent and did not speak and merely stared intently at Ethan. The latter was also surprisingly calm. He didn’t say a word until he finally asked the doctor, “That……Doctor?”

“Yes?”

“If I have 69 chromosomes……am I still considered human?”

Gray Fur’s cold eyes darted back and forth between the priest and Ethan, and suddenly he gave a very understanding smile and said, “Alright. However, it’s my job to be responsible for Ethan Eldridge, so I need to keep the tracking function on his collar on. Also, please keep your collar remote control program running at all times. These nonhumans may look honest, but once you relax your vigilance, they will exploit the loopholes.”

Tanisiel’s smile remained unchanged. “That’s a matter of course.” After he finished speaking, he gently pushed Ethan’s shoulder and led him into the nearest elevator. Ethan noticed that the elevator buttons were different from those in an ordinary elevator and had a keyboard for inputting numbers. The underground building they were in may have floors exceeding three digits, which would explain why they needed such elevator buttons.

Tanisiel entered the three numbers 208 in the keyboard, and the elevator began to sink rapidly. Obviously, the floor arrangement here was reversed. The larger the number, the lower the floor.

Ethan felt dizzy for a moment and reached for the handrail on the elevator wall. He asked, “Where are you taking me to?”

“I want to confirm something.” Tanisiel seemed a little anxious and did not even look at Ethan. He just kept staring at the display showing the floor number. Ethan felt that the information he had just learned was like a cloud of fog floating around him, causing him to be unable to grasp the main point.

All he knew was that he seemed to have mutated unconsciously, even though he could not tell based on his exterior appearance.

When was it? Was it on Red Earth, or was it on the second universe? The doctor said that the extra genes in his body hadn’t begun to activate due to their location……so when they activated, would he die? Or would he become a……monster?

Ethan felt as though his brain had been hit hard with a heavy hammer, and everything around him became distant. He could only see a tall figure in front of him, the only light in the dark.

After a long time, the elevator finally stopped. The corridor outside the door was dim, and no one else could be seen. Tanisiel led Ethan through the long road, which was so quiet that it gave him goosebumps. The words on the closed emergency exit door flashed a disturbing red.

“The Earth Union holds lots of secrets here, some of which have been forgotten in these deep underground places,” Tanisiel said in a deep voice, “I have borrowed a room here to store the God of Order’s egg.”

Ethan’s footsteps paused. “You’re going to take me to see the God of Order’s egg now?”

“Not the God of Order’s egg.” Tanisiel’s footsteps did not falter. His tone was unquestionable, but he did not provide any other explanation. Ethan hesitated for a moment before following closely behind.

After making three turns, the priest stopped in front of an active door. This door was different from all the others. It was a double mahogany door with classical carved flowers and brass handles, appearing firm yet clean.

Ethan sucked in a breath of cold air and took a few steps back. He remembered the doors, which he had seen on Red Earth. He remembered the crack in the doors, which exuded extreme evilness, and the peeping existence that had gazed at him through the cracks of the door, beckoning him. Once he opened that set of doors, something terrifying would befall him!

He fell back onto the ground with a cry of surprise. He had a fearful expression and covered his head with his hands, his eyes tightly shut.

Tanisiel turned back to look at him in surprise. “Ethan?”

Ethan opened his eyes in fear, but he was surprised again. The carved red wooden doors he saw just now had disappeared. In front of him were two ordinary doors that were secured with a password lock. He rubbed his eyes hard, but the scene in front of him didn’t change.

“Are you all right?” Tanisiel asked, reaching his hand out towards him in concern.

Ethan did not know what he had just seen. He grabbed Tanisiel’s hand and stood up, reluctantly reaching out to touch the cold metal door.

“Has this door always appeared this way?” Ethan asked.

Tanisiel frowned slightly. “Yes. Did you see something?”

Ethan sucked in a deep mouthful of air. He comforted himself that he probably had mistaken what he saw, but his self-consolation was not particularly convincing.

Why did he see that mahogany door again? The last time he saw it, he was almost taken away by the God of Disorder, who had morphed itself into Roland. This time, what was happening?

“I’m fine……”

Tanisiel entered the password, scanned his irises, and pushed the door open decisively. The voice-sensitive induction lamp lit up when it heard their voices, and a pale light shone in the very spacious room. In the middle of the room, an instrument that didn’t seem to be made by the Earth Union stood. The round, altar-like machine was carved around with the Eve’s characters, and resting on it was a small egg lit in light blue light.

It appeared almost the same as the God of Order’s egg that Ethan saw previously.

Under the dim lighting, Ethan felt a kind of serenity that he had never felt before. It was like a deep ocean was surrounding him, and the noisy thoughts in his mind were momentarily silenced.

He didn’t notice that Tanisiel was paying close attention to his expression. It was unknown when the third eye on his forehead had opened entirely. He peeped on the rippling emotions that Ethan was feeling, although Ethan did not seem to sense them. He felt the confused and scattered energy quickly calm down. At the same time, another previously suppressed dark aura emanated from the Beta.

It was similar to……the scent of pinewood gradually decaying.

After hesitating for a moment, Tanisiel finally approached the altar-like machine and drew some patterns on the characters in the middle of the altar. The metal in the middle of the machine quickly folded towards the middle, and a mechanical arm affixed to a heavily sealed small tube stretched out. Inside the transparent double-layer tube, one could see some flowing black liquid. However, if one looked at the liquid carefully, they would find that the liquid’s surface was still constantly fluctuating even when the liquid was still. Occasionally, it would stretch out a thin filament before it would fall back into the solution quickly, as though the liquid contained life itself.

Tanisiel carefully removed the test tube and approached Ethan.

“This is what I collected on Red Earth previously. It’s Shub-Niggurath’s fluid.” Tanisiel immediately felt Ethan’s huge emotional fluctuation and saw fear fill his blue-green eyes.

“What are you doing?” Ethan’s trust in him began to waver, and he took a few steps back.

“Don’t be afraid.” The eye on Tanisiel’s forehead shone with a white glow, and the ripples of his voice spread out to the Beta in front of him. “This container is sealed. All I want you to do is take it.”

Ethan stared at the tube and shook his head. “Why? It’s not supposed to be here!”

“Don’t you want to know what happened to you?” Tanisiel’s voice grew stern. Amid the light emanating from his eye on his forehead, Ethan saw an illusory sight—the priest seemed to have become taller. His words seemed to hold the power of an oracle, and it made him unable to refuse his orders. “You are safe. Just hold it.”

Intellectually, Ethan knew that Tanisiel was using his ability to control him, but he could not resist his command. Ethan saw as he only hesitated momentarily before holding his hand out., and that the priest put the test tube encapsulating eternal death in his palm.

In a flash, the black substance in the test tube seemed to explode, turning into countless thin threads and spreading across the walls of the test tube. They kept twisting and twirling as though trying their best to get close to Ethan’s palm though they were separated by the two layers of the test tube’s walls. At the same time, Ethan’s mind was flooded with strange images.

It was a vast city that humans wouldn’t be able to comprehend. Every building looked so strange. They seemed to be about to collapse at any time, full of irregular, sharp, and obtuse angles. A huge emerald sun hung in the sky. In the chaotic street, many giant reptiles waved their countless tiny legs under their bodies, their backs covered with fluffy, ugly wings. All of them kowtowed to a towering conical building in the middle of the city.

Inside the pyramid-like building was endless darkness and chaos. A huge, constantly morphing pair of viridian eyes appeared to be trying to break free from the nightmare. No matter how hard Ethan tried, it was impossible to see that creature’s face clearly, and for anyone who saw its true face would fall into complete madness. The pyramid, which was huge enough to hold a planet, couldn’t hold its real body, and its tentacles spread out through every crack in the bricks and extended throughout the entire universe.

At that moment, a human figure appeared in the pair of huge green eyes, as large as the sun. It was a tall, thin, and dark man wearing a black robe. The man’s face was blurred as if it had been erased with an eraser.

The figure rushed to Ethan at a fast speed, and the faceless face gradually solidified into a smiling and extremely beautiful face.

It was Tanisiel’s face.

Ethan wanted to scream but couldn’t. He could only widen his round eyes and watch the black Tanisiel approach increasingly closer to him until he was so close that Ethan could only see a grinning mouth.

The mouth whispered to him, “I found you.”

The next moment, Ethan screamed and threw the test tube away.