Chapter 63: The Secret of the Origin Cube

Minister Zhang Zhaozhong let out a hearty laugh. He swiped across the holographic display, narrowing the projection range to the core of Traum's body.

"As expected of a master of American weapon science, Dr. Clark. You almost guessed it right."

Clark widened his eyes in disbelief.

Hearing this, Shakiya, standing nearby, also wore a look of astonishment.

No way, did a robot that looked this mysterious actually run on oil?

And yet she hadn't seen any exhaust pipes or anything of the sort.

Dr. Clark wore an expression that clearly said "I am completely baffled," gazing back and forth at the holographic projection and occasionally clicking on the descriptions of various components.

When Shakiya sortied, she had only seen something resembling a cable plugged into Traum's back; she had never seen a fuel line.

In truth, Shion didn't know much about this part either.

She exchanged a glance with Shakiya, and the two nodded, rising from the small sofa and walking over to the Minister.

"Impossible, I don't believe it. How could that kind of power source be used for mass production? Even if Traum has some kind of lost technology to make it work, the robots we develop simply wouldn't be able to move!"

Dr. Clark also reached out, rotating the holographic model of Traum as if trying to find the answer with his own eyes.

"Although the liquid poured inside is certainly not gasoline or diesel, it is indeed driven by a certain kind of liquid."

Seeing everyone's astonished faces, the Minister broke into a smile of a man whose plan had succeeded.

"A liquid? I always thought it was electrically driven! I usually see cables plugged into it."

Shakiya couldn't help asking.

"It's normal to have cables. Traum currently has quite a few monitoring devices installed on it, and those are powered by electricity."

Minister Zhang glanced over the few people before him.

"You all know about the Genesis Cube."

Needless to mention Shakiya and Shion, Dr. Clark froze upon hearing this, stopping the movements of his hands.

"I've read reports about Schwarz. Initially, you applied to cooperate with the United Nations to deal with the disaster prophesied in your ancient lore... Naturally, no one would believe such a tabloid-like reason."

Dr. Clark paced past Shakiya and Shion until he reached a spot behind Minister Zhang.

He turned around and continued.

"Until your Director had the UN scientists of that time look at the Genesis Cube."

Speaking of this, Dr. Clark seemed to grow a little excited.

"That's right. If not for the Genesis Cube back then, the Director's words would have been nothing more than the ravings of a madman in the eyes of others."

Shion nodded.

"To my shame, I have never seen the real thing. But my teacher mentioned this past event to me. My teacher was one of the few scientists who actually saw the Genesis Cube back then!"

Dr. Clark crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly displaying his pride.

"I remember there were a series of tests conducted on the Genesis Cube at the time, right? I had just joined Schwarz at that point as well. I must have worked with your teacher."

Minister Zhang smiled faintly and nodded.

"I see! I am deeply honored!"

Dr. Clark quickly bowed to Minister Zhang.

"Well then, let's return to the matter at hand. The infinite energy contained in the Genesis Cube is plain for all to see, but it has a very fatal flaw for human beings."

Minister Zhang looked at Clark. Because the upcoming topic would involve his teacher, he opened his mouth, hesitating to speak.

"I know what you're about to say, Minister. Speak freely. My teacher passed away many years ago."

Dr. Clark gazed at the Minister's face, nodding to signal that he could continue.

"Well... if ordinary humans come into contact with the immense energy contained within the Genesis Cube, it causes irreversible physical damage!"

The Minister lowered his head and blinked, as if this also stirred up some unresolved burdens in his heart.

"However, the scientists of that era did not know this, and the equipment back then was relatively crude, making it impossible to test the giant energy source while isolating it."

Dr. Clark shifted his gaze from Minister Zhang to Shakiya and Shion standing nearby, taking over the conversation: "My teacher passed away from physical exhaustion a few years after participating in that research."

Little did she know the Genesis Cube was such a dangerous thing.

No wonder, in Shakiya's memory, this object was deeply sealed away in the underground of the Schwarz base, locked behind layer upon layer of security devices.

Furthermore, staff members were not allowed anywhere near it; all testing and maintenance were handled by automated machines.

Wait, hadn't Shakiya been in close contact with it just recently...?

"I'm doomed... Am I about to kick the bucket? Last time..."

Shakiya instantly broke out in a cold sweat, recounting what had happened last time inside the inner space of the Familial Kindred.

"This..."

Even Shion was startled. Could Shakiya collapsing right after the battle last time be related to this?

However, logically speaking, Ryusei... yet he was still bouncing around full of life.

"That's a different matter altogether."

Minister Zhang smiled and patted Shakiya's shoulder.

"First of all, you are an Executor. In the words of the Director, your body is completely adapted to the massive energy of the Genesis Cube. Remember the physical examinations we gave you in the past? There is indeed something inside your body that is different from modern humans. We are also very curious about what that hyper-ancient civilization was really like."

Only then did Shakiya let out a sigh of relief.

"Second, at that time, the Genesis Cube appeared outside the mecha, not inside the cockpit, so the young man riding along with you was not affected. You can rest easy."

The Minister's words put everyone's mind at ease.

"Ah, to think you could bathe in that kind of immense power... As expected of my idol."

The way Dr. Clark looked at Shakiya began to sparkle with light once again.

"Alright, alright, no amount of admiration is going to change anything. Minister, please continue."

Shion promptly interrupted Dr. Clark, as the Minister hadn't finished speaking yet.

The Minister nodded and displayed the holographic projection in front of everyone.

"The breakthrough came after we found Traum. We discovered that a portion of energy remained residual inside its body. We can conclude that it was thrown into this timeline while in a fully operational state."

The Minister's finger enlarged a certain part even further.

Back then, the technical department also wanted to determine what kind of energy drove the robot. Through multiple attempts and studies, they discovered structures resembling human meridians inside Traum.

Moreover, inside these meridians flowed a certain liquid. Through sampling and investigation, this liquid, which emitted a shimmering cyan glow, was precisely the energy source of this ancient weapon.

"I see! You guys really struck gold!"

Clark wore a look of utter envy.

"So what is so special about this liquid?"

"Indeed, it is unlike any known liquid fuel. It is non-flammable, and it does not produce radiation or anything of the sort. Furthermore, it maintains a constant temperature—the exact same temperature as a human body."

"An energy source that isn't fuel..."

Dr. Clark stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"It reminds me of human blood..."

Shakiya whispered quietly to Shion.

"Uh... now that you mention it, it really does..."

Thinking about it that way, Shion felt a creeping chill down her spine.

Having finished his explanation, Minister Zhang decided to let Dr. Clark witness certain things with his own eyes.

"Seeing is believing. Please follow me, it's just nearby."

"Alright, you two come along as well, right?"

Clark called out to Shakiya and Shion.

Leaving the technical department office, they took an elevator down the hallway.

"For now, we call this energy source Azure Luminous Water."

Inside the elevator, the Minister said this.

What they were about to show Clark next was the very place where this substance was refined.