Chapter 201: The Grand Plan Part 3
As soon as the military personnel left, Reign wasted no time in locking the storage area from the inside.
He secured the door, ensuring that no unwanted intruders would disturb his operations
Next, he meticulously scanned the surroundings for any hidden CCTV cameras, his eyes darting from corner to corner in search of surveillance devices.
Reign knew how important it was to keep up his bogus image in order to avoid unwanted attention and put his objectives in jeopardy.
He had worked hard to ensure that those stupid military guards saw him as one of their allies, therefore it would be foolish of him to become negligent now that he was so close to completing his scheme.
'Nothing, this place is clear,' he thought to himself.
Satisfied that he was not being watched, he allowed himself a moment of relief.
The room fell silent except for the faint hum of the lights overhead.
He took of his clothing, materializing several sharp, metallic limbs extending from his back.
Each limb ended in a razor-sharp tip, glinting ominously in the dim light.
He resembled a humanoid spider, his body both intimidating and functional for absorbing corpses.
But before he could start eating them, he felt a sudden impulse to take out the Golden Chalice from inside his body.
Curiosity got the better of him, compelling him to see what would happen if he held it in his hand.
He retrieved the divine artifact and as soon as his fingers touched the surface of the chalice, a strange sensation coursed through him.
The artifact began to vibrate, emitting a soft hum that reverberated in the air.
[Ding!]
[System: An external object is attempting to utilize host energy to activate itself. Would you like to allow it?]
[Yes]/[No]
"Is it safe?"
[System: Yes, the amount of energy required is minimal.]
Reign considered for a moment; after all, Angela had given him this object to help her gather souls, so he didn't really need to follow her, but he was still interested in what it might be able to accomplish.
"System, do you have any information about this item?" he inquired.
[System: Negative, this is a foreign object, so the host must use it for the system to analyze .]
'Alright,' he murmured to himself before saying, "Yes"
Blue orbs of energy materialized from the surrounding corpses, hovering in the air like wisps.
Reign's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the orbs float towards the chalice, drawn to its power like moths to a flame.
Each orb shimmered with ethereal light, pulsating with a soft glow that seemed to dance in the air.
The chalice, sensing the influx of souls, hummed with anticipation, its golden surface glowe. It seemed almost sentient, as if it were eagerly awaiting the feast about to unfold.
Next, the chalice acted like a vacuum , its power reaching out to suck the orbs . Each soul was drawn towards the artifact, caught in its irresistible pull.
As the last orb disappeared into the chalice, a flicker of concern crossed Reign's mind.
Would he no longer gain experience from the corpses now that their souls had been absorbed by it .
It was a worrying thought, one that threatened to disrupt his plans for gaining power.
But then, he remembered his Undead Eye—the ability he possessed that allowed him to see the vitality of living beings.
With a sense of urgency, he activated his ability, focusing his gaze on the remaining bodies before him.
To his relief, he saw that there were still traces of vitality lingering within the corpses.
"System, does extracting souls from humans reduce my EXP?" Reign inquired, his voice laced with a hint of concern.
[System: Extracting souls from humans does not reduce your EXP. Vitality and soul are different sources of energy. You may continue to gain experience from the residual vitality of the corpses.]
"Can I get any power up from souls?" he asked again, his curiosity piqued by the possibilities.
[System: Your race is only capable of recycling souls to create your puppets; however, the host has no way to convert souls to power. This type of conversion was only possible for selected races.]
"How about other benefits ?"
[System: The host can fill the chalice, and once it is filled up, you can sacrifice the chalice along with its contents to gain Attribute Points and Skill Points.]
'So, that's how it works,'he chuckled , satisfied with the system's answer.
The ability to sacrifice the chalice, along with its accumulated contents, in exchange for Attribute Points and Skill Points was a game-changer for him.
The souls he devoured vanished eventually if he don't turn them into puppets, making it more practical to continuously feed the Golden Chalice like a pig until it reached its full capacity.
'It's settled then,' he muttered to himself, his determination solidifying. 'I'll keep feeding the chalice until it's brimming with energy. When the time is right, I'll harvest it for maximum benefit.'
As for giving the chalice to Angela? He'd rather die that to do something so stupid.
He approached the first pile of bodies with a smirk.
"Time to feast," he muttered.
The dozens of limbs shot forward, piercing through the corpses. Each puncture almost surgical and end up pinning down 5-10 corpses like a BBQ stick.
As the limbs began to suck out the remaining vitality from the dead, a low, sinister growl emanated from Reign, mixing with the sound of slurping .
The process was horrifying.
The bodies deflated, shriveling as they were slowly drained, leaving behind nothing but their clothings.
Reign's eyes glowed with red piercing light as the power surged through him.
Every corpse added to his experience bar, and he could tell that the amount he was getting was way more than from the corrupted.
Some of the corpses had been dead for hours now, so they weren't that concentrated; nevertheless, it was still better.
He moved, going from one body to the next, the limbs working tirelessly.
The storage room, once filled with rows of dead bodies, now began to empty.
"I need more," Reign declared, wearing and adjusting his clothing before stepping outside the storage room to ask the military to refill it.
He behaved like a casual customer in a restaurant, just ordering food like it was no big deal.
The personnel exchanged confused glances after they saw the empty room, their shock evident as they realized that there were no remnants left from the bodies.
It was as if the corpses had just vanished into thin air.
"Sir, there's... there's nothing left?" one of the personnel stammered, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Reign met their skepticism with a calm demeanor
"This technology is experimental," he explained, gesturing towards the empty storage room. "It's from a Tier 2 city. The bodies are disintegrated completely, leaving no trace behind."
Everyone looked at him with a mixture of awe and apprehension, unsure of how to respond to this revelation.
The idea that such advanced technology existed was beyond their comprehension, but they had no reason to doubt his words.
"Understood, sir," one of them finally said, snapping out of his daze. "We'll continue to refill the storage room as ordered."
"Good work, soldiers. I'll be sure to put in a good word to the governor about this," Reign declared, his voice filled with assurance.
"Thank you, Sir!"