Adam found that in the city of the radiation creatures, their social positions were somehow unclear. The level-two creatures did not have specific roles and did what they wanted.
In the city, these radiation creatures wandered everywhere. Some went to the edge of the city to meet with the level-one laborers. They carried radioactive minerals and supplies.
Even around an important building, there were no guards. They just walked in and out, then continued wandering in the city.
So, Adam also started wandering near that place. He did not rush to start his tasks. He was pretending to be a newly promoted level-two creature. The radiation creatures seemed slow, but Adam was not sure if someone was watching him. It was better to be careful.
In seven days, Adam did everything the radiation creatures did in the city. He got water and other things to survive. He rested at certain places and commanded the level-one radiation creatures to invade the Dragon Plane at the new dimensional rifts. On the eighth day, he found a chance.
A level-two creature suddenly left the city at the edge. Many minerals and resources left by the laborers were uncollected. When a few nearby level-two creatures were about to take over, Adam quickly took all the minerals and flew towards that building.
On the way, he joined a group of creatures coming from different directions and easily entered the building.
Inside, Adam slowed down to better observe everything.
It was a factory for preparing and refining radioactive minerals. The radiation creatures were studying nuclear knowledge.
From Adam's memories from Earth, refining radioactive minerals meant extracting uranium from ore until it became pure uranium compounds. Purity in radioactivity was a percentage showing how much of a sample was a specific radioactive element. On Earth, uranium with three percent purity was used for power plants. Uranium with more than eighty percent purity was considered highly condensed, and over ninety percent was considered weapon-grade.
So, these creatures were dealing with very powerful stuff.
Making weapon-grade uranium was very complex. After mining the ore, it went through leaching, refining, and separation processes. It required advanced technology. To make one kilogram of weapon-grade U-235, two hundred tons of uranium ore were needed. That was on Earth with a mature atomic energy industry. On Cthulhu, the efficiency would be even lower.
In the factory Adam saw, many level-two radiation creatures used their thick, mutated tentacles to crush the ore into powder and small particles. These particles were then fed to other motionless radiation creatures. They secreted different fluids to dissolve the uranium from the particles, separating a smaller amount of uranium still mixed with many impurities.
That was all this factory could do. They didn't have a complete atomic energy industry but used their body's special structure and mutated tissues for initial purification of the ore.
In the factory, a few third-level creatures acted as managers. They only watched the level-two creatures, the tools, and didn't care about the transporters. They only spoke once at the beginning: "Put it over there," and then stayed silent.
Adam left the factory with the other creatures. He thought if Cthulhu's research on nuclear power was only at this level, they were far from real application. The impurity-rich uranium wasn't much use. But this development was worrying. The radiation creatures' natural talents suited this knowledge. Without any alchemy system, they were refining radioactive minerals by controlling their mutation. Given time...
"When knowledge becomes power, they might evolve from radiation to nuclear creatures," Adam said to the devil.
The devil was a bit hesitant. "Master, I think after this mission, you really should learn more common sense."
"What do you mean?" Adam asked in his mind while drifting to another part of the city.
"Creatures that can turn knowledge into power, based on what I know... only mages have that among all the creatures. I've never heard of any other worlds or planes with this ability. Even if Cthulhu succeeds, it's just another weapon. Evolution of a species like that is impossible."
Adam knew he was weak in general knowledge. Even the devil who spent a lot of time hanging out knew more. So, he humbly asked, "Why?"
The devil, seizing the opportunity, lectured like a disappointed teacher, "Because of the origin of the mage world, Master. You've touched the origin after your promotion, right? Connected to the Mage Network? That's the reason."
'*The origin and the Mage Network?*' Adam remembered the great origin of the mage world and the words spoken to him at the moment of his promotion: "You affirm my existence, and I shall bestow upon you infinite power.."
Realization dawned on Adam: "So, that's why mages can turn knowledge into power."
The devil nodded. "Exactly. A mage's ability is unique. That's why mages are among the top predators. Cthulhu and its creatures are far behind. And Master, I think you overestimate this 'nuclear energy.' Even if they succeed, can it be stronger than magical power?"
At this moment, Adam flew out from the other end of the city, following a group transporting the partially refined ore to another city. He didn't know how to explain to the devil. This knowledge was top secret on Earth, destroyed with the explosion. He only knew the basics now. But he had a feeling that nuclear energy would be very powerful here.
After all, if common elements like earth, water, wind, fire, and electricity can create amazing power, the more advanced nuclear energy could certainly do better.
Moreover, nuclear research involves the microscopic level, which is crucial for exploring the true nature of the world.
...
The cities of the radiation creatures were arranged in a circle. They seemed to divide their world into four major rings. The outermost were ordinary cities, which Adam called the fourth ring. They formed the first line of defense for the new order of the radiation creatures, performing the initial refining. According to this pattern, the cities in the third and second rings would further refine the rough ores. Perhaps in the inaccessible first ring, higher-level or even transcendent creatures gathered these resources for experiments.
Over the next few months, Adam followed the labor group through many cities in the third ring. He wasn't sure about the relationship between the radiation rulers, so he didn't deviate from his path. However, he gathered a lot of information. The radiation creatures were indeed developing a unique system.
With only one month left before the mage army's arrival, Adam reached the second ring. He entered the first city of the second ring as a high-level laborer.
This city was completely different from the others. There was a clear division of social position and strict social order. The lowest standard creature here was level three. Compared to level two, their language contained more logic.
Adam was thoroughly interrogated before entering. After explaining his origin, he was allowed into the city to transport minerals to the factory.
Adam thought he would be dismissed after delivering the minerals like other laborers, but things changed unexpectedly.
"You, stay. Go over there," a third-level radiation creature ordered Adam.
Slightly surprised, Adam did as told and found more than twenty level two creatures gathered there. They weren't talking, so Adam couldn't guess their purpose. He noticed they all shared one trait: large bodies. Adam's size was due to his pre-mutation dragon form, and the others were among the strongest in the radiation species.
"Master, we should leave. These creatures are up to no good. And there's more than one level four creature here. It'll be bad if they discover us," the devil urged anxiously.
Adam didn't agree. "No, I want to know what they're doing."
The devil felt weary: "Master, if we're surrounded by level four creatures, escaping will be impossible then. Your magic may counter them, but..."
Just then, the level-three creature returned, saying, "Follow me."
Adam told the devil, "Be quiet," and cut off the communication, following the other level two creatures into the depths of the factory.
They were divided into groups by the level-three creature and assigned to other kin within the factory. Adam and five radiation creatures were led deeper into the factory, near a group of creatures used as tools.
"Du, these are the ones for this time's quota."
The largest monster in the deepest part opened its eyes. "So few?"
"The war continues, and we are losing many of our lower-level kin. There are fewer and fewer who can evolve, and even fewer we can use."
Du, a radiant creature, didn't care for the explanation and said rudely, "I don't care about the reasons, Ken. Next time, I want to double the quota, or I'll turn you into a refiner."
Adam's eyes lit up. It was clear from Du's words that he had the power to control other radiant creatures to mutate in specific ways. Adam could feel the strong fourth-level energy radiating from Du. It seemed he could really get in touch with the higher-ups of the radiant species this time.
Ken was silent for a while before saying, "I understand, Du." Then he retreated.
After Ken left, Du stood up from where he was. This was the largest radiant creature Adam had seen, looking like a deformed tumor when fully upright. Not counting the tentacles that were flailing around, the creature was almost thirty meters tall. Adam noticed one thick tentacle passing through several other creatures called "refiners," connecting them into a single entity.
Adam understood what the creature intended to do. Though not sure what it would be like to be turned into a refiner, it clearly wouldn't be pleasant, or Ken wouldn't have been that terrified.
This meant that mutation could potentially lead to death.
Du didn't bother asking the lower-level kin for their thoughts. A tentacle shot out like lightning, easily piercing the body of the closest creature. The creature's ugly body began to convulse as a large amount of low-level radiant energy spilled out, soon replaced by Du's higher-level energy.
The tentacle didn't stop there, continuing to pierce into a second creature, with the same scene repeating.
Adam watched silently as the tentacle pierced one creature after another. He prepared his Blink spell, realizing he might not be able to bluff his way through this time.
As expected, just as the tentacle entered Adam's body, Du's energy suddenly intensified. Dozens of tentacles rose like blades, emitting a huge roaring sound, and then violently struck Adam.
"You're not one of us! Dragon, I taste dragon odor!"
***Bang, bang, bang!***
Like a hammer smashing an egg, Adam's dragon body was crushed into a pulp.
Adam, holding his magic wand, appeared before the creature.
"Not a dragon? Advanced power? What are you?"
"Intruder!"
The deafening sound instantly spread throughout the factory. Nearly ten creatures with fourth-level energy surged upward, rapidly converging towards Du's location.
"DIE!"
Duo roared again, unleashing a huge energy beam nearly five meters thick. The beam turned the refiners in front of him into nothing, creating intense energy fluctuations that disturbed the space around him as he approached Adam.
Adam's mage armor, transformed by a magnetic field, barely withstood the furious energy attack for a second before nearing collapse. At the critical moment, Adam activated all his magic power to stabilize the space around him and then vanished from the spot, accompanied by the light of magic runes.
The energy beam missed its target, passing through the entire factory without losing any of its strength. Every creature in its path was vaporized, and the beam continued for several kilometers outside the city before finally dissipating.
Enraged, Duo broke through the factory walls and flew into the sky. He commanded the approaching fourth-level kin and all the third-level beings in the city, "An intruder with advanced energy! Find him, capture him! Offer him to Lord Nasanir!"
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