He took the broker with him in the old hospital in the late night.
There he found people waiting to die.
500 people out of 2000 strong soldiers.
Those who are too injured to move where left behind, either die here or crawl for few miles somewhere else to just die in a new spot, and those that are lightly wounded have already left fearing for their lives.
Scared and haunted of what happen that day.
Doctors dare not stay here for fearing retribution have left this hospital on its own. The doctor's of this era coldly sentence their fate to doom.
He silently look over them, the mens who slaughter villagers now lay broken and lost. He blames them and also pity them for what they had become, he even considered giving them hope. He would play the hero for them and paint the prince as the villain, he just hope his acting is good enough.
Silently appearing in the center of the buildings.
"Ohh the Broken and Lost soldiers, abandoned by the very people they serve with out most loyalty. How does it feel to dirty your hands for them and yet they treat you like this?" Joshua voice echoed across the land.
Everyone's eyes in the hospital snapped towards the sound of his voice. The survivors looked up with a mix of hope and fear, their faces a mosaic of pain and despair. A stranger, cloaked in shadows, had appeared among them.
Some tried to sit up, while others were too weak to do more than blink.
Joshua offered them a choice.
"I offered you a choice!" As he look each and everyone in the surroundings.
"I can give you a chance to gain strength beyond your wildest dreams! but with a cost."
Showing them the [Bio Chip] in his hand as he raise it so that the light from the moon reflects off the crystal edge.
He explained what he is holding to them and the price for using it. He might not heal back lost limbs but may able to preserve their lives so he can find sulotion for the problem in the future.
"This will give you strength but at the cost of your eternal loyalty to me!"
The survivors look around and some already considering it. But was interrupted by Joshua.
He commanded the broker come close, he operated on the back of the neck of the broker installing the [Bio Chip].
"Of course you can't gain power has a risk of failing and dying," Joshua smiled and continued saying "but since you guys are already dying, why not believe in hope that you may live?"
The broker's body lay down on the ground and spasms ah he woke up from the [Hypnosis].
"AHH WHAT...PLEASE HELP ME!" He cried out to others for help.
As his body swell a bit then stop moving, laying there dead.
The survivors stared in horror at the lifeless body of the broker, the hope that had briefly sparked in their eyes now extinguished. They had witnessed the grim fate of one who had accepted the mysterious offer, and now they were faced with a stark choice.
In the survivors mind either die now or drink a poison and slowly die later.
In their desperation, the concept of eternal loyalty seemed not that much and they gaining strength for free. But the chances of failing to integrate the [Bio Chip] is too high for comfort.
But everyone here has been abandoned to die, so all the survivors accepted the offer of Joshua. One by one, they were brought to him, their eyes filled with a mix of hope and dread.
Joshua just smiled, not even paying attention to them anymore after they accepted the deal as his focus is on the body of the broker. He ordered them to wait as he brought the body of the broker into the [VOID].
The [Bio Chip] is gone destroyed during assimilation.
Nexus scanned and told him what it find.
The body is only 35 year old and had Refined Qi level.
Nexus theorize that intense reaction is due the subject body fighting back suggesting to lower the subject immune system using Anti-inflammatory Agents.
Not only that, Nexus also suggested to use pain relief medications or analgesic and [Hypnosis] to help during the procedure.
Joshua nodded and order to make [Bio Chip] and try another time.
Since he needed only a bit of time to make enough [Bio Chip] for the more serious wounded for testing, while the rest would be medically treated from dying right now.
He went back to Terra and gathered enough resources for them.
---
As days have pass to month since starting the experiment.
He had move every test subject back to the Hidden Village, there was a few fight had happen between the two groups but was quickly quelled as he explained to the village what he plans for them.
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Even though there was only 138 villagers ranging from kids, teens and womens in the village against 500 men, they are facing the subdued and wounded people.
The Villagers accepted the explanation and begrudgingly agreed to accept them. Some even ignore them and hope they died in the process.
----
The village had grown stronger as days pass on and Joshua had started to see some success from his experiments.
"Out of 500 test subjects only 30 survive the process. A 6% Chance." As he look the 30 people, some missing limbs and some traumatize.
He learned that the [Bio Chip] was to weak and had brutaly implanted themselves to the target lowering the chances. The test subject are also wounded making the already low chances lower if he did not interfere.
Nexus suggested that implanting on strong children to get higher chances and let the [Bio Chip] grow for a few days. The chance of success would be 70% higher than what happen to the 500 test subject, and that is without his personally controlling the procedure. If he was the one or someone with higher control is given permission from him or Nexus, the chances is almost perfect 98% with the error of 1-2%.
Agreeing to the suggestion, he ask the villager if they want to let the children try.
The Villagers skeptical at first since they had seen the horrific outcome of the 500 test subjects, but when Joshua explain they would have higher chances they agreed.
The villagers had known fear and loss, and the sight of the survivors from the experiment was a grim reminder of the risks their children might faced. But the promise of a stronger, more capable future for their children was too tempting to resist.
After much deliberation, they decided to allow Joshua to proceed with his plan.
Villagers had face dangers when they're weak and they don't want it happening again.
He had chosen 20 teens and 47 kids ranging from 8-19 years old.
He had fed and trained them using he improved martial arts Nexus made named 'Imperial Carter Knight Art' as a reference to his family knights who had vow to serve the Carter family.
They trained every day, pushing their bodies to the brink of exhaustion, while he watch over them. The children, driven by hope and fear, gave their all. Unlike him, who had perfect physique and easily acquire strength, they had to earn every ounce of strength they could. They had to cultivate it through sweat and tears, turning their weak flesh into steel.
The 'Imperial Carter Knight Art' was a set of techniques that Nexus had refined and adapted from modern Terra and Di martial art. It was a blend of speed, power, and precision, designed to make the most of a human's natural abilities. The children picked up the moves with varying levels of proficiency, some showing a natural talent, others struggling but never giving up.
Only after trained enough he made them break through to Blood Qi using a medicine made from herbs and his blood. The only way can one reach Blood Qi level is through some with pill, some poison and some wild beast blood.
He was lucky enough to acquired the Li clan method of crafting pills and some pills from the battlefield he looted, Created his own method using his blood to solve materials and further improve the chances of successfully implanting the [Bio Chip].
All the children have successfully integrated the [Bio Chip] he named all successful transformation into 'Blood Knight', seeing this, Joshua ordered them to continue to train with the help of the [Bio Chip] guiding them.
The [Bio Chip] had been ordered to also teach modern knowledge installed by Nexus, as Nexus provide missions to the children like installation of generator, using modern tools to carve out the base and etc.
The children, now with enhanced abilities and a newfound sense of purpose, set to work on modernizing the Hidden Village.
They approached each task with a mix of excitement and trepidation, eager to prove themselves and contribute to the community's growth. Under the watchful eye of Joshua and the guidance of the [Bio Chip], they quickly adapted to the new techniques and technologies.
The first few days were a whirlwind of activity. The village's existing structures were reinforced with steel beams and concrete, giving them a sturdy foundation against the elements. Solar panels and wind turbines began to sprout up around the village, bringing a newfound sense of prosperity as the energy was harnessed to power lights, heating systems, and even a small medical bay.
As the children grew stronger, so too did the reverence the villagers held for Joshua. They saw him not just as their savior but as a deity that had granted them a second chance at life.
The parents of the children, especially, were overwhelmed with gratitude. They had watched their offspring transform from weak, sickly figures to vibrant, powerful individuals who could stand tall against any adversary.
They built a small shrine in the center of the village, offering prayers and offerings to the man they now saw as a God.
Joshua ignored the shrine, his mind focused solely on the future. The 'Blood Knight', now his soldiers in arms and mind, became a force to be reckoned with. They were his hands and eyes, carrying out his orders with unwavering loyalty. The modernization of the Hidden Village was a success, and the once primitive settlement now boasted the trappings of a miniature metropolis.
However, with only 97 'Blood Knights' at his command, he knew that their numbers were insufficient to protect the village from any significant threat. He had to find a way to bolster his forces.
Joshua pondered over this issue, his eyes scanning the thriving village. He knew that the path of enhancing the children's anatomical structure was fraught with moral quandaries and potential dangers. Yet, the thought of their vulnerability kept gnawing at him.
He decided to consult with Nexus on how to safely and ethically augment his Blood Knights without turning them into monsters. Together, they brainstormed various ways to improve their strength and resilience without compromising their humanity.
One evening, as the children were tucked in their beds and the village was quiet, the tranquility was shattered by the sound of roars and snarls from outside the village.
Wild beasts had found their way to the Hidden Village, drawn by the scent of the new inhabitants. The creatures were unlike anything Joshua had encountered on Terra; they were massive, with hides as thick as armor and teeth that gleamed like polished steel in the moonlight.
The Blood Knights, who had been training tirelessly, sprang into action.
The villagers looked on with bated breath as the 97 young warriors faced the horde of beasts. The creatures charged, their eyes gleaming with a feral hunger that spoke of a strength and ferocity that surpassed any wild animal from Terra.
Joshua and his 30 former soldiers stood at the front line, their newfound power coursing through their veins.
The beasts, though massive and terrifying, were no match for the precision and strategy of the Blood Knights. Each Knight knew their role and executed it with the cold efficiency of a well-oiled machine, a testament to their rigorous training.
The first wave of creatures crashed into the village's perimeter, their roars echoing off the newly constructed walls.
The Blood Knights, driven by the [Bio Chip]'s instructions, moved as one, striking with a coordinated ferocity that belied their young ages. Swords flashed and arrows sang through the night, cutting down the beasts with brutal efficiency.
The ones that made it through the initial defense were met with a wall of steel and fire, as the Blood Knights use guns to kill those beast.
Joshua had a sudden Idea after killing all the beast, he had made those who are cleaning the battlefield to bring him the carcass of the beast.
Once alone he brought that carcass in to the [VOID], the space around them shifted and warped as the beast's corpse vanished into the swirling blackness. The [VOID] pulsed with energy as Nexus scanned the genetic makeup of the creature, the air thick with the scent of potential.
The blue light of the [VOID] grew brighter as Nexus dissected the creature's DNA, the very essence of the beast's power laid bare before them.
