Chapter 119: An Unexpected Presence

Staring at the cryogenic pod before him, Felen was filled with curiosity as well. Under the watchful eyes of Eluka and the others, he reached out without hesitation and pressed the constantly flashing green button beside it.

“Hiss—!”

As Felen did so, a series of bursts of escaping air rang out. Frigid mist poured from the seams of the pod, and the tightly sealed metal lid slowly opened. A bone-chilling wave of cold swept over them, forcing everyone to retreat several steps. Only after the frost-filled air had completely dissipated did they cautiously lean forward and peer inside.

The next moment, everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment, and Eluka let out a cry of surprise.

“What is that?!”

It was no wonder Eluka and the others reacted that way. The sight before them was simply far beyond anything they had expected.

Felen’s guess had been correct. The cryogenic pod did not contain a frozen ham, but a living person. However... whether the thing before them could truly be called human was another matter entirely.

Sleeping inside the pod was a young girl... though that description was rather dubious, since it referred only to her appearance. In every other respect, she was vastly different from a human being.

The “girl” before them was only one-third as tall as Eluka, yet she did not possess Kurona’s petite, childlike figure. Not only was she far shorter than an ordinary person, but her body was also considerably more slender. Combined with her pointed ears and long emerald-green hair, she resembled the forest fairies or elves so often seen in old fantasy films far more than she resembled a human.

At present, the elven girl lay quietly asleep within the cryogenic pod. An instrument for monitoring her condition was attached to her arm, and her blood pressure, heartbeat, and every other reading appeared perfectly normal. Soon, they saw a metallic needle extend from outside, rotating as it pierced the elven girl’s arm. A vial of blue liquid was then injected into her body.

Before long, the elven girl gave a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes. She stared blankly at the sky above her, as though she had yet to regain consciousness.

“Tch. She’s still alive after all...”

Looking at the elven girl, Felen clicked his tongue. With a turn of his fingers, he retracted the surgical blade, then stepped forward to examine her carefully. A moment later, he seemed to notice something and let out an astonished sound.

“What is it, Commander?”

Noticing Felen’s unusual reaction, Eluka asked curiously. Felen merely shook his head without answering. Instead, after staring intently at the elven girl, he turned toward the black cat beside him and looked at her with a solemn expression.

“Delin, come take a look.”

Yes, Master.

Hearing Felen’s words, the black cat, which had been lying across his shoulder, leaped down and transformed back into human form as she landed. She then walked over to the elven girl and examined her carefully. Before long, the cat-eared maid’s face was filled with uncertainty and shock.

“This is... human? No... a familiar? That’s not right either... What exactly is going on?!”

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

By now, Eluka and the others had also sensed that something was amiss and immediately gathered around. However, the three sisters clearly did not understand why Felen and Delin looked so grave. As far as they were concerned, the elven girl before them was simply a familiar. Familiars came in all shapes and forms, after all, and being captured was hardly anything worth making a fuss over...

“She is not a familiar.”

At last, Felen gave his answer. Clearly, he did not want his assistants making such an elementary mistake.

“Do you know why familiars cannot be killed?”

“This...”

Faced with Felen’s question, the three sisters exchanged glances. After a moment, Kurona hesitantly raised her hand and answered.

“Um... I think you said before, Commander, that a familiar’s body is formed from condensed network energy... which is why it cannot be killed.”

“Correct.”

Everyone liked a diligent student, and Felen nodded in satisfaction at Kurona’s answer.

“The essence of a familiar is a spiritual entity. The reason it possesses a physical body is because that body is condensed from network energy. Therefore... even if a familiar’s outward appearance resembles that of a human, its internal structure may be completely different. Just as every species evolves useful traits and discards useless ones, the bodies of familiars are shaped in the same way. For example, some familiars enjoy eating, so they may possess several stomachs to digest food simultaneously. Since they do not need to breathe, lungs and hearts would be meaningless to them. Other familiars may have faster reflexes, in which case their nervous systems could be more highly developed, while other aspects of their bodies are simplified in exchange... In short, a familiar’s physical structure changes according to its needs. Some may meet certain requirements, while others may not. Regardless, they are not human.”

As he spoke, Felen glanced at Delin.

“Familiars share several important characteristics. One of them is... they do not bleed.”

Familiars shaped their bodies through energy and had no need for blood to sustain them. Naturally, they would not waste energy creating a circulatory system. Even when they possessed organs suited to their needs, those organs generally retained only their practical functions and formed no particular connections with one another.

That was precisely why Felen had immediately sensed that something was wrong when he saw the elven girl being injected with the drug. Familiars had no blood vessels and did not require blood, so there was naturally no reason for medicine to be administered by injection. If Felen had been alone, he might not have dared to reach a firm conclusion. But with Delin, a pure familiar, assisting him, he quickly confirmed the elven girl’s true identity.

Yet that only made Felen even more astonished.

“She possesses the power of a familiar, but has a human body?”

The more Felen examined the elven girl, the more abnormal she seemed. He lowered his head and studied her neck. The elven girl was dressed from head to toe in a tight-fitting white suit that looked as though it had come straight out of a science-fiction film. Around her neck was a metal collar engraved with the words “CP00—ALICE2017.” It seemed that “Alice” was probably her name.

“Why isn’t she saying anything? She looks completely dazed.”

Just as Felen was deep in thought, Eluka’s voice suddenly rang out. Hearing her question, Felen realized that although the elven girl had awakened, she showed no reaction whatsoever. Her eyes remained fixed blankly on the sky, making her seem like a puppet without any sense of self or thought.

Felen bent down and waved a finger in front of her eyes. The elven girl’s pupils followed the movement of his finger, but apart from that, she displayed no emotion at all. Curiosity, confusion, unease—none of these emotions seemed to exist within her eyes.

“How fascinating...”

Seeing this, Felen’s lips curled slightly into a smile.

“Take her to the vehicle. I want to conduct a more thorough examination.”

To be continued.