Chapter 61: Arsenal
The dead Grade Three beast arrived at the research facility under armed escort. Three tanks surrounded the transport vehicle, with two helicopters circling overhead and another pair following behind. The convoy had taken a winding route through the outskirts of the Bastion before entering the secured research district. Ward watched from behind the reinforced observation glass as the massive carcass was lowered from the transport platform.
The crane groaned under its weight.
"That's the third crane we've broken this week," one of the technicians muttered.
Ward barely heard him. He was watching the researchers gather around the beast. A few weeks ago, something like this would have been impossible. Getting a Grade Three monster this close to a human settlement would have been considered insanity. The creature would have torn through the convoy, and anything used to contain it would have been overwhelmed.
Now they had deliberately lured one away from the city, isolated it, surrounded it with tanks and helicopters, and killed it under controlled conditions. Even then, it had nearly gone wrong. Ward still remembered the report. The beast had broken through the first tank formation, and two helicopters had been forced to abandon their firing positions before the second tank company finally pinned it long enough for the air support to finish the job. All of that had been necessary simply to bring the corpse here, and now it was lying on a steel platform beneath laboratory lights.
"Begin sampling."
The researchers moved. One group began cutting through the outer scales, another took tissue samples, and a third measured the residual Qi still leaking from the corpse. Ward walked into the laboratory. The room smelled of blood, chemicals, and overheated machinery.
Tables were covered with pieces of Grade One and Grade Two monsters. Claws sat beside microscopes. Strips of hide were stretched beneath ultraviolet lamps. Several glass containers held pieces of bone that continued faintly glowing even after being removed from their original bodies. A researcher leaned over a fragment of black scale.
"It shouldn't be conducting anything."
Ward stopped beside him. "Yet?"
"Yet," the researcher tapped the scale with a probe. The instrument registered another spike. "Three weeks ago, we'd have called this material useless."
Ward looked through the glass at the Grade Three corpse. "Three weeks ago, we didn't understand Qi."
The researcher smiled tiredly. "Come to think of it. I haven't seen my family in 3 weeks either."
Ward continued through the laboratory. The discovery had started with something embarrassingly simple: monster materials were stronger than human materials. That had been obvious from the beginning, but the problem was that humanity didn't know what to do with them.
Steel couldn't reproduce the properties of a beast's scales. Conventional electronics couldn't properly interact with Qi. Existing weapons could damage monsters, but the more powerful creatures increasingly seemed to resist attacks that should have been physically devastating. Then the cultivators started experimenting. The first breakthrough had come from a sword, the second had come from armor, and the third had come from a serum. Suddenly, humanity had a new problem: they had too many possibilities.
---
The first test chamber shook. A cultivator stood inside wearing the newest prototype of the melee armor. The armor covered most of his body without restricting his movement. Plates made from processed Grade Two material protected his chest, shoulders, and limbs, while thinner sections had been designed to allow Qi to move naturally through the body.
He held an a high quality sword. Across from him stood a mechanical testing apparatus.
"Begin."
The cultivator swung. The machine released a controlled impact, and the old weapon shattered, fragments scattering across the floor. The cultivator stared at the broken blade.
"That was reinforced steel."
"Unfortunately that has grown obsolete now."
"That's supposed to be top tier."
The researcher behind the glass shook his head. "Apparently not anymore."
A technician brought him the experimental weapon, and the cultivator took it. "Again."
The machine struck. The weapon held. The cultivator's Qi flowed through the blade, and the material responded as the edge brightened. He swung, and the testing apparatus split down the middle. The room erupted into shouting.
Ward watched the monitors. The weapon hadn't simply survived; it had amplified the cultivator's ability to direct Qi through it. The principle was becoming clearer with every test: monster materials could interact with Qi in ways ordinary human materials couldn't. The armor was doing the same thing.
The cultivator stepped beneath another testing mechanism. "Increase the impact."
The technician hesitated. "How much?"
"Double it."
"That's dangerous."
The cultivator smiled. "So is everything else."
The machine struck. The armor absorbed the impact, and the cultivator staggered but remained standing. Ward watched the readings. The armor had distributed the force through its entire structure rather than allowing it to concentrate against the body. Another researcher spoke beside him.
"We're calling this the Melee Series."
Ward nodded. "Swords, armor, reinforcement equipment, serums."
"And other melee weapons."
"Keep developing them."
The researcher glanced at the test chamber. "We're already doing that."
Ward looked toward another laboratory where the serum trials were underway. The latest formula temporarily stimulated the body while increasing the efficiency with which cultivators circulated Qi. It wasn't a breakthrough on the level of the Vermillion Bird technique, but combined with the armor and weapons, the results were significant. Humanity was learning how to make cultivators stronger without changing their cultivation. That mattered, because there weren't enough cultivators, and there wasn't enough time.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
---
The ranged weapons laboratory was considerably louder. A mini test cannon fired inside a reinforced test chamber, the blast shaking the floor as a monitor displayed the results.
"Again."
Another cannon fired. Further down the hall, a mini test Qi-enhanced mortar launched its projectile, and a few seconds later, an explosion appeared on the external test range.
Ward watched through the glass. The ranged series had grown far beyond their original expectations, spanning bombs, cannons, mortars, missile batteries, and experimental ammunition. Even the old rail gun project had been dragged out of storage. The scientists had spent years trying to make electromagnetic acceleration practical, and now they had something new to accelerate: Qi. They also had something new to build the weapon from: monster-derived materials.
A technician stood beside the half-assembled rail gun. "We've increased the acceleration by thirty-eight percent."
Ward looked at him. "How?"
"Qi integration."
The technician smiled. "Turns out throwing metal really, really fast becomes easier when reality itself is helping."
Ward almost smiled. Almost. The rail gun was still days away, at least, from being combat-ready at, and they simply didn't have time, so they were testing everything simultaneously.
The laboratory doors opened, and General Ross entered alongside Commander Hale. Both men looked as thoroughly exhausted as Ward felt. Ross stopped beside the viewing window, his gaze tracking the chaotic activity on the research floor. "Any progress?"
Ward gestured toward the enclosed test chambers. "Yes. We are progressing by leaps and bounds compared to before the apocalypse but it's still not fast enough."
Hale watched the ongoing melee test with a critical eye. "The ranged weapons have far greater destructive power."
"On paper," Ward countered.
Hale looked at him. "Explain."
Ward pulled up the live combat data on a secondary monitor. "Against Grade Zero and Grade One creatures, conventional assumptions still mostly work. Against Grade Two and above, the entire equation changes."
A combat recording appeared on the screen, detailing a missile strike against a Grade Two beast. The explosion was enormous, completely engulfing the target area, but when the smoke cleared, the creature was visibly injured yet very much alive. Another recording followed immediately. This time, a cultivator struck the exact same type of beast with an experimental melee weapon, and the damage inflicted was dramatically greater.
Ross frowned at the footage. "That makes no sense."
"It does," Ward said, enlarging the energy readings beneath the video feed. "We still don't fully understand the underlying principle, but Qi appears to be exceptionally good at carrying intent. Will."
Hale studied the fluctuating graphs. "A grenade has more destructive power than a punch."
"Exactly. Yet the grenade's destructive force is largely rejected by the Qi of a Grade Two beast."
"Rejected?"
"That's the closest word we have," Ward explained, switching the display to show an anatomical breakdown of high-grade monsters. "The higher-grade beasts aren't simply animals with stronger bodies. Their Qi carries their will. When an attack doesn't carry enough corresponding will, much of its physical effect is cancelled. Almost like they magically say no to the damage."
Ross looked back toward the looped recording. "And melee weapons?"
"They're direct extensions of the cultivator," Ward pointed toward the experimental saber humming in the test chamber. "The cultivator directs Qi through the weapon, and the weapon carries the user's intent. That makes the attack far more effective than its raw physical output would ever suggest."
Hale crossed his arms, parsing the data. "So a grenade can be ten times stronger than a punch and still do less damage."
"More than ten times, in some of our specific tests."
"And the melee weapons only need a fraction of the destructive power."
"Less than ten percent of the equivalent ranged weapon's raw strength can be enough to produce comparable results against Grade Two targets. The resistance is more pronounced for higher grades."
Ross looked at the armor testing chamber where the plates were absorbing heavy impacts. "Which is why you're bothering with all this."
Ward nodded. "We combine the weapon with a cultivator, then add armor that improves Qi conduction and a serum that enhances physical performance. Suddenly, reaching that ten percent threshold isn't an impossible task."
Hale watched the cultivator inside the chamber reset his stance. "The ranged series still matters."
"Of course," Ward gestured toward the adjacent artillery laboratory. "We can hit targets from farther away, cover wider areas, and bombard a battlefield without risking a single cultivator."
"But against the stronger beasts?"
"The melee series is becoming indispensable," Ward stated flatly.
Ross exhaled a long breath. "Wonderful."
Hale looked toward Ward, his expression serious. "Anything else?"
Ward's posture stiffened slightly. "There is."
He led the two military leaders deeper into the facility, navigating a maze of secured corridors until they reached a smaller, heavily insulated room. It contained a circular chamber surrounded by complex machinery, housing an empty cultivation platform at its center.
"This is one of our cultivation room prototypes," Ward said.
Ross looked around at the thick conduits and conduits running into the ceiling. "A room."
"A Qi condenser," Ward corrected as he activated the power grid.
The heavy machinery began humming with a low, deep resonance, and ambient Qi slowly gathered inside the glass enclosure. The difference was immediately visible on the digital instruments.
"We're pulling Qi from the atmosphere and combining it with refined monster cores," Ward explained.
Hale's eyebrows rose. "How concentrated is it compared to the worlds the champions got sent to?"
"Close but not enough yet."
" 'Yet' being the keyword here ?"
Ward gave him a tired smile. "The current prototype can turn a normal room into a viable cultivation environment in minutes. The next generation should be significantly stronger."
Ross stared into the glowing chamber. "That's what I like to hear. How strong?"
Ward looked down at the theoretical readings. "If we solve the efficiency problems, we may eventually create environments that rival the world the Champions were sent to."
Hale looked through the observation glass one last time his eyes struggling to stay open. "That's good to hear my friend."
"I think we need to start distributing espresso shots to the researchers."
"Implement that immediately! Distribute it to the military too."
Ward nodded, his eyes heavy with fatigue. "We're trying."
---
Ward returned to the Project Compass room several hours later while the rest of the facility continued to operate restlessly behind him. Scientists cut monster tissue, engineers assembled weapons, cultivators tested armor prototypes, and technicians monitored cultivation chambers. Humanity was adapting.
Project Compass had started as a minor monitoring system and guidance system, but it now occupied an entire sector of the city for its facilities. The massive display showed the real-time status of Champions scattered across the otherworld, alongside Earth's total population, Bastion concentrations, Gate development, cultivation progress, overall military strength, weapon production, monster evolution, and threat levels. Every meaningful variable they could measure was fed into the central directory.
Ward stood before the main display, his shadow stretching across the blue mapping light. "Update survival projections."
The computer processed the massive request, and lines of numbers began moving across the screen. Ward waited in silence as the first results materialized. Human cultivation was increasing, military effectiveness was increasing, and the rate of returning Champions was within the expected range. The Qi-integrated weapons were producing results, and the Bastion fortresses were steadily becoming stronger. For a brief moment, the rising graphs looked almost encouraging.
Then another line appeared on the projection: monster evolution. The curve was significantly steeper.
Ward stared at the intersection of the two data lines. "Run the projection again."
The automated network complied, but the final answer didn't change. Humanity was getting stronger, but the enemy was getting stronger faster.
Ward looked back at the global map, noting the grim reality beneath the charts. Gate activity was still increasing, and Grade Three monsters were starting to become common on the front lines. The researcher's expression slowly hardened.
"Calculate extinction probability."
The surrounding air seemed to grow colder as Project Compass processed the heavy request. A digital timer finally flickered into existence against the dark screen.
**EXTINCTION PROBABILITY: 100%**
Ward's hands tightened against the hard edge of the console. They were getting stronger, they were learning, and they were rapidly adapting—and Project Compass central AI still believed humanity was going to die.