Shortly before Herta's departure, Hector rushed back to Secret Keepers Headquarters, seeking out Martin to explain the potion she had given him.
"Lady Witch has truly provided an improved method for becoming Corrupted!" Hector exclaimed excitedly. "I feel an overwhelming surge of power coursing through my entire body, and those strange whispers in my ears are gone!"
At that moment, Martin was in a meeting with two others in his office at Headquarters. Upon hearing Hector's words, the two men exchanged disbelieving glances.
One of them was David Wayne, the true head of the Secret Keepers Organization. His relationship with Martin was akin to that of a mayor and a police chief. While Martin trusted Herta's claims, David remained skeptical, having never met her personally.
The other man was Jonathan Wayne, a highly respected "biologist"—or, as they were called in this world, an "Evil God Scholar." His greatest achievement was developing a potion that could induce complete unconsciousness, plunging subjects into a special state of suspended animation. This was primarily used on officially sanctioned Corrupted to indirectly delay their descent into madness.
Martin had told the scientist about Herta's plan to improve the Corrupted Technology, but naturally, the scientist remained completely unconvinced.
Some unheard-of girl popping out of nowhere claims she can improve Corrupted Technology, a century in the making? She must be dreaming!
What? She's a Witch from another world? That's even worse!
The more accomplished someone is, the clearer they understand the immense effort and sacrifices required to reach their position. They know firsthand how difficult it is to master something, and how complex the Corrupted Technology truly is—even understanding it is a struggle for ordinary people, let alone improving it!
However, Martin knew they wouldn't be easily persuaded. That's why he waited until today, after Hector passed the willpower test and qualified to become a Corrupted. Instead of following the standard procedure for Corrupted recruitment, Martin instructed Hector to seek out Madam Herta.
A few days earlier, Martin had asked Herta how much longer her research would take. Her reply had been, "Today."
So Martin sought out David and Jonathan again that day. Even if they remained skeptical, Hector's presence as living proof would force them to acknowledge Miss Witch's power.
Unbeknownst to Martin, he had inquired about the progress of the Corrupted Technology research. Herta, however, had long forgotten about that project; she was focused on the Key research at the time. Consequently, she answered in terms of the Key's progress.
Doctor Jonathan immediately rose to protest. "Impossible! Did you actually succeed in refining it? Where are your aberrant traits? Show me!"
Corrupted individuals typically displayed aberrant traits. For instance, the Cultist Leader from the town could inflate his arm into a massive tumor for both offense and defense. The Corrupted within the Secret Keepers faction were no different, their power stolen from the Flesh God.
After a moment's reflection, Hector realized, "Wait, I don't seem to have any aberrant traits at all."
Jonathan's brow furrowed sharply. "Are you joking?!"
Unable to explain, Hector picked up a metal fork from the table and, before the three men, crushed it into a twisted iron lump with his bare hands.
Suddenly, not only David and Jonathan but even Martin wore astonished expressions. Jonathan, in particular, exclaimed in horror, "This... this... is the potion still here? Let me see it immediately!"
He had, of course, kept the syringe Herta had given Hector. As soon as he retrieved it, Jonathan snatched it away and rushed out of the office.
Martin and David exchanged glances before hurrying after him. The group quickly arrived at the underground laboratory, where Jonathan carefully disassembled the syringe. He extracted a few remaining drops of the potion from the needle and placed them under specialized equipment for analysis.
Within a minute, the world-renowned biologist's face cycled rapidly through shock, confusion, and finally, utter terror. His decades of scientific understanding seemed utterly shattered. "What... what... what is this?!"
An ordinary person might not have understood what they were seeing. But Jonathan's profound knowledge of biology—the very fact that he could decipher a small part of it—only amplified his astonishment.
Any technology can potentially be reverse-engineered. By disassembling a prototype, understanding its core mechanisms, and then learning to replicate and recreate it, one can unlock its secrets. Even with a vast technological gap—imagine a primitive human dismantling a cosmic spaceship—it might seem impossible for them to ever complete the reverse-engineering process.
However, human intelligence evolves. Over generations, they can gradually develop until their technology reaches a point where reverse-engineering a spaceship becomes feasible. This process would take an immeasurably long time, but the probability of success is never zero.
Herta, however, has incorporated a special "lock" into her products, a mechanism she calls the "Heaven's Secret Project." As long as this lock remains intact, her technology can never be reverse-engineered!
Imagine the fundamental truth: 1 + 1 = 2. This special lock completely erases the "+ 1" component, transforming the equation into 1 = 2.
Even if someone were to dismantle Herta's products, they would only find nonsensical information, utterly incomprehensible and indecipherable.
Jonathan was now witnessing this absurd reality. Had a scientist from the Main World seen the equation "1 = 2," they might have gone insane, screaming that mathematics no longer existed.
But Jonathan was different. In this world, Evil Gods existed, and the year 1850, combined with his presence in Great Britain, meant that while he was a scientist, he was also a theist.
He spun around excitedly, gripping Hector's shoulders. "A miracle! Only a miracle can explain this! Madam Herta is undoubtedly a god!"
He turned to Martin and David. "Did Lady God really say she'd kill the Flesh God? Our world is saved!"
David took a moment to process the situation. Just as he was about to speak, a Secret Keeper burst into the laboratory. "Disaster! Tens of thousands of monsters have suddenly appeared over Africa! They've already crossed the Mediterranean and reached the French border!"
David didn't know if the world could still be saved, but he knew one thing for certain: they were now in grave danger.