The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving novel Chapter 124

Chapter 124: Vessels of Miasma

What happened next turned into a blur.

Excruciating pain beat down on his body, as if gasoline mixed with rotten, unknown liquid was being injected in streams into his veins and mouth. He’d come back to his senses only to feel the pain devouring him from within.

"Ughhh..."

Even now, he was still being forced to absorb this morbid miasma. Under the dim lights, he could see his veins turning black and his skin changing color to ash-gray.

Every single time he was forced to ingest it, he feared it would be his last.

He knew no human could survive being fully corrupted by miasma in large amounts. Thus, the shock he felt whenever he woke up—clinging by a thread—and yet still unable to die made him realize something...

Whoever these people are, they’re not someone who only had the sick desire to make him suffer using this method to torture him. This was a clinically tested experiment that was clearly done for a long time for them to get the exact measurement of miasma a human being could possibly ingest into their bodies without dying for a period of time.

Zenick did not know how long he would stay alive, but he hoped that Aisha wouldn’t be mistreated by other people. He regretted not coming with her to her annulment ceremony, not shielding her from whatever harsh words they threw at her to justify their actions to break off the engagement. And their parents... he could only wish they wouldn’t do anything impulsive to Aisha.

He could hear footsteps getting closer. A woman in a gray coat stood at a floating display, scrolling through data on other pods containing other humans. Her heels echoed as her pen scratched against the paper, nodding her head in contentment when someone met her standard.

Extremely weakened by the surge of miasma being pumped into him, Zenick recognized the woman. It was the same person who whispered those words to him while they attached the tube to his body.

She was a tall woman. At least around 8 to 9 feet tall, with red skin, large eyes, high cheekbones, wide shoulders, and a narrow waist. Her hair was a blue-cyan color, moving like snakes on her head. No matter how humanoid she looked, Zenick knew what she was. An Outerworlder.

He remembered having met her kind. They were meek despite their huge stature, but their speed was lethal. Yet, looking at her, he knew she was different. She possessed both speed and an astounding intellect beyond what her species was known for.

A Chimera. A being of two worlds. A human and a Zorion crossbreed.

"This one is a failure." The woman pointed at the pod she was standing in front of. The vital signs of the man inside the pod had already gone negative, and the miasma had already eaten most of his cells. Then, the woman ordered, "Useless. Throw him inside the Vat."

Two huge men, even taller than the woman, came forward. They pressed something near the pod, producing a soft tapping sound, before the pod ejected the man. Then, they each took the man’s feet and dragged him somewhere into the darkness.

A new pair of huge men with white fabric covering their entire bodies and faces stepped forward, just right behind the woman, as if they were acting as her bodyguards.

"Susa quota’s due is close. We can’t afford another dead one."

His vision swam. Zenick tried to keep himself awake, but the pain was too much; it was clouding his consciousness.

However, his hearing was still working, and he heard the woman speak again, "We’re still short of one more active Vessel. No, make that two with that failure just now. We need to find a replacement soon."

The woman showed no reaction to the gruesome scene of the human male being dragged away to a place only she and her subordinates call ’The Canteen’. She continued her rounds for half an hour before finally coming to a stop in front of Zenick.

"Hm, this is surprising," she said with a hint of slight joy in her voice. "He’s still breathing."

"A tenacious bastard, isn’t he?" A new voice came into the room, and the woman turned her head to glance at the newcomer.

"Holden."

The main purpose of throwing Zenick into this place was not just to add another Vessel, but to torture him. He was sure that ordinary torture methods wouldn’t break Zenick. And surprisingly, he had been right. This brat has too much life force to still be alive till now.

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