Chapter 424. Memories
As Tobba continued his feast without restraints, Anna's elegant brows slightly arched. Reflecting on the last soul she devoured, her sharp instincts were telling her that something was amiss. It didn't seem like Tobba was mindlessly devouring these souls just for their memories.
Anna looked down to examine her body; there didn't seem to be any obvious changes. She steeled her resolve to carry out an experiment, her victim being a beautiful girl this time round. She curled the girl in and swallowed her.
A rush of ecstasy overwhelmed her as a hint of exhilaration crossed her visage. Her experiment revealed the true nature and purpose of Tobba's actions.
"Charles, these aren't merely memories. Tobba is right. These are really good stuff," Anna remarked before she swallowed an elderly woman whole. Despite the pained agony on her face, Anna refused to stop and targeted a middle-aged woman next.
"Don't eat just any random individual. Focus on those from the Foundation; only they hold the clues we need," Charles reminded Anna.
However, Anna ignored his words and devoured her fifth victim. Her pace of consumption gradually increased until she reached the same state as Tobba, where their expressions cycled through pain and euphoria.
"Stop eating!" Charles shot out his chains and restrained Anna. Her erratic behavior had sounded the warning bells in his mind, and he was starting to doubt his own plan. Could consuming these souls be addictive?
Anna easily twisted herself out of Charles' restraints and cupped his face in both hands. Her excitement was palpable as she proclaimed, "Consuming them would strengthen the soul and make your soul more powerful! Tobba is right! These are really good stuff!"
"Strengthen the soul?" Charles asked as he glanced downward at his newly restored body.
"Yes, you can't perceive it, but as a Dioite, souls are our food, and I can clearly feel my soul strengthening with each one I consume. I have never felt that gaining power could be so easy," Anna remarked and dived back into her frenetic feast. Despite the discomfort of each person she devoured, she continued to stuff the bodies into her mouth relentlessly.
Charles couldn't care less about amplifying his soul's strength. His priority was to gain information from the Foundation personnel among the lifeless bodies. He wasn't sure of his crew's predicament outside of this perspective, but he had to gather as much intelligence as possible and made his exit soon.
His eyes zoomed in on an individual donned in a black uniform from the throng. Charles clearly recognized that attire to be the same one that the Meeh'eks had worn. This man was of the Foundation's Special Task Force.
Charles pulled the man out of the crowd and bit down on him. The man's form swiftly dissolved into a misty orb and slid down Charles' throat.
In a mere second, Charles felt as though he had lived through twenty years, only to die in a small-scale battle after being betrayed by his comrades.
"AHHHHH!" Sprawled on the ground, Charles let out a guttural roar as he was overwhelmed by the frustration and betrayal festering within the absorbed memories.
He clutched his head and struggled to his feet. Sifting through the flood of new information, he summarized that the man had been one of the special task force members assigned to Containment Site V8.
Containment Site V8 was being used to contain an assembly of corals with a collective consciousness. Through the tireless efforts of negotiation experts, the Foundation had successfully engaged with these sentient corals to carry out in-depth experiments.
Drawing on the nautical charts he glimpsed in the man's memories, Charles confirmed that the so-called Containment Site V8 was the present Coral Archipelago. While this piece of information enriched his knowledge about the island's history, it offered no help in his search for the key.
How does the Foundation organize its ranks? Maybe those higher up on the administration ladder have information on the key to the surface's exit. Charles pondered to himself.
Shaking his head vigorously to clear his mind from the aftermath of the memories of the man earlier, Charles headed toward a figure in a white coat who was just a few steps away.
The area was strewn with more Foundation personnel than Charles had anticipated. As he feasted on one body after another, Charles began to piece together the Foundation's ranking system through their memories. In summary, they could be classified into a few groups.
Special Task Forces: These are highly trained, heavily armed combat teams tasked with escorting containment squads during operations involving high-risk anomalous entities or hostile entities. The teams are ranked from high to low, with the strength of a team denoted by its numerical value; the higher the number, the stronger the team. Currently, the Foundation's top-tier special task force is Level 9.
The individual Charles had consumed earlier was a backup member of a Level 4 Task Force.
Field Agents: This group encompasses all members responsible for the Foundation's field operations. They handle logistical support and other issues to ensure the completion of the Foundation's objectives. It's notable that many Foundation employees have relatives working in this capacity.
Research Division: This includes the heads of the research institutes, site directors for the containment sites, and researchers occupying various positions within the division.
Laesto's ancestors and Aaron, who was trapped by 041, fell under this category.
Engineering Division: Their primary responsibilities include the construction and planning of various islands and assisting the Research Division. They leverage the unique properties of various Projects to advance human technology.
Their achievements include the construction of extensive facilities on all islands and the monumental nuclear fusion reactor on Skywater Island.
Despite the diversity in departments and roles, the ultimate authority within the Foundation rested with the GK Council.
K9, the individual known to have acquired Divine Blood and brought about the annihilation of the Foundation, was a member of the GK Council.
The GK Council oversaw all actions of the Foundation and guided its long-term strategic planning. All council members possessed the highest level of clearance within the Foundation, allowing them unrestricted access to all strategic and sensitive information.
Charles unearthed no significant insights about the Council from the people he had consumed, but he wasn't entirely surprised about the situation.
As core members of the Foundation, their identities would be veiled in utmost secrecy; even their exact numbers would be confidential, too.
Based on the information he had gathered so far, Charles speculated the existence of at least five members on the GK Council, identified by their code names: E5, A2, K9, O5, and D4.
"Huff...Huff..." Charles panted heavily with his hands and knees on the ground supporting his weight. His consciousness was overwhelmed by the influx of alien memories that varied in name, gender and age.
At times, he nearly lost grasp of his own identity as Charles, and every so often, he would mistakenly identify himself as one of the memories he had absorbed.
"Anna!" Charles called out as he pressed his right hand against his throbbing forehead, the veins visibly pulsing. "Have you discovered anything?"
"No findings~!!" Anna's voice echoed from a distance. Opening his eyes, Charles turned in the direction of her voice.
However, he didn't catch a glimpse of Anna's human form. Instead, in the cluster of seaweed a few hundred meters away, he saw several dozens of tentacles curling around the lifeless humans and bringing them in.
Charles let out a sigh of resignation. He stumbled toward another figure, this time, a middle-aged man with a beer belly and features that mirrored his own Asian heritage.
Enduring the pounding pain in his head, Charles closed his eyes and muttered to himself, "The last one. If there are still no clues from this one, I'll just give up and get out of here."
He bent down and bit down on the man's neck. The next moment, he was thrown once again into the vivid memories of another human's life.
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