Nero tried to guess how Maximilian had taken down so many of them so quickly. Obviously it had to do with his ability, but what exactly the ability entailed could not be so easily determined. At least he had not used it earlier during the fight with the berserkers and shadow berserkers.
He would keep an eye on Maximilian to see if he could learn anything more. Nero looked towards the team lying on the ground, unconscious and merely shook his head. This was a good display of killing the chickens to scare the monkeys.
"Someone wake them up. Just just drag them along if you want to avoid listening to them complain," he said, and just walked past them as Shirly continued to lead.
They were, of course, not just left there on the ground. Otherwise any passing Mutt could kill them all. But they were a lot more subdued after they were woken up by someone.
Another reason why Nero himself had avoided picking a fight was because the group following them was becoming too big. They were complying so far because they literally had been ordered to do so. But with a group this large, even if they didn't disobey, they could create friction and cause problems while under the guise of obeying orders.
It all depended on their relationships and personal interests between the groups.
So there was no reason for Nero to attract attention to himself while Maximilian was in the spotlight. All he needed to do was ensure that the mission wasn't disrupted.
From time to time they encountered more obstacles, but with so many soldiers it was easy to go through them. Even berserkers started to avoid them now, which is why soon enough they found themselves in a lab filled with extremely large machines and various platforms just large enough for one person to stand on.
"This is it," Shirly said, stepping aside so that Remi could use the machines. The route to this place had been marked clearly using special cards so that it would be easy to find for any Neophytes who would be joining later. At the same time, there were numerous soldiers who were contacting the command centre, giving them the updates.
Nero and his team moved to the side, standing close to Remi while dozens of other soldiers entered the room, spreading out. From their expressions alone Nero could tell that most of them were not faring too well, though they were somehow managing to hold it in. But tensions were high, and more than once Nero caught a group staring at Maximilian with obvious resentment.
Compared to some of them, Arter was actually a standup guy even if he was a little spoiled, with a strange world view where everyone was out to get him.
"The machines are not working properly," said Remi with a troubled look.
"Does that mean we can't get access?" Nero asked.
"No, no, that can still happen. But I'll have to stay here to work this machine. I don't think anyone else will be able to use them."
Nero raised an eyebrow. Speaking of strange world views, while Arter felt like everyone was out to get him, Nero had somewhat of a habit to see hidden secrets or conspiracies in everything. That was why when he saw Vanessa for the first time he just outright suspected she was a spy.
For quite a while now, he had been keeping an eye on Remi. It was not suspicious that just yesterday she had been trembling and stuttering out of fear, but was by now doing much better. Even when she was afraid she showed remarkable will power, which is why he never doubted that with enough exposure she would get better.
Indeed, that is exactly what happened. But the first time her stutter completely disappeared from her voice was when they visited the basement with the glass containers. The thick fog made it impossible to see each other, but that low visibility calmed her down instead of making her more afraid.
Getting used to fighting because her team had fought numerous times and come out victorious was one thing. But she had no exposure therapy for being in zero visibility. That should have once again triggered her fear, but it didn't.
Yet so long as she didn't interfere with their mission, Nero decided not to look too deeply into the matter.
Their teamwork was going fine. But now, once again, her behaviour was out of character. If she had only recently overcome her fear of being deployed in the field, then she should have developed a psychological dependance on Nero and the team. The thought of staying back should have once again triggered all the fear she overcame.
After all, it was not like she had been properly treated for her fear. This was just some short term progress. To assume she suddenly became brave and fearless would be incorrect.
Yet here she was, suggesting she stay back. Nero would not have had a problem with that, except for the fact that none of them would be able to shut down the security node without her.
"How will we shut down the security node if you don't come with us?" Nero asked, maintaining eye contact. The fact that Remi could even maintain eye contact with him was an indication of, either her strong will, or the fact that she had been pretending for whatever reason.
"I don't know, but I can't even take the access test, since I'll need to be continuously using the machine for the test to happen in the first place."
This was a conundrum.
"Alright, well, let's start the test for everyone else. In the meantime I'll report to the command centre to see if they can come up with a solution."
Although Remi had already stated that they would need specific access for that lab, which indicated that it was harder to get than the normal access permission, Nero did not doubt that he would be able to get it. After all, he still remembered how highly he had been rated back at the cathedral.
Remi nodded, and turned the machine on. The platforms hummed as they came to life, awaiting someone to step onto them.
Maximilian, Shirly, and his entire team were the first to step onto the platform to be assessed. As soon as they stepped on and confirmed they were ready, Remi began the process.
Each of them closed their eyes, as if they had fallen asleep, but their body still spasmed from time to time. It did not even take thirty seconds before the first one opened their eyes, and with a dejected look stepped down.
One by one the others opened their eyes as well, all wearing the look of failure, including Shirly. But Maximilian stayed on the platform for a full five minutes before opening his eyes.
"How was it?" he asked, stepping off and looking at his team, only for them to shake their heads.
"I got access, which means it's not impossible. Let's keep testing, there's a lot of us."
The teams lined up, and one by one started to take the test, but the results were worse than anyone expected. Most teams did not even have one person who got access.
To be clear, it's not that they didn't get access to other levels of the research facility. But gaining access to the high security zone on the fifth basement level was incredibly difficult, and as far as Nero could tell, only those with abilities that were unique or useful got selected.
By the time it was Nero's turn, there were only four people who had gained access, including Arter. He stepped up, and as soon as the test started, Nero found himself in a familiar glade. It was identical to the one he had entered when he was taking the test in the cathedral.
A stream of information entered his mind, and it too was identical to what he had experienced before, which was followed by the exact same test.
He displayed his physical prowess, his aether control and his corruption resistance, and got nearly the same results. The only difference was that while previously his physical condition was judged to be excellent, this time it was outstanding.
But what Nero was focusing on was something else. After he passed the corruption resistance test, Nero was waiting to see if any errors showed up, or any protocols were triggered.
Just as he expected, they showed up.
"Additional note: specimen displayed corruption destruction capabilities! Specimen has been judged to be perfect for the Luminari project! Adding specimen details to the project folder.
"Error! Error! Luminari database disconnected! Running diagnostics! Network connection was lost 1210 years ago. Initiating emergency protocols.
Last light protocol is being initiated!"
The next thing he knew, Nero was kicked out of the test, though he was fairly certain he'd gotten the required authority. The machine never said.
Just as Nero was about to step off the platform, the building trembled. This was not an uncommon occurrence, but this time the source of the tremors felt nearby.
A door on the other side of the hall suddenly opened.