The Doomer's eyes shone with manic glee. "Unstoppable army. Eventually, all fighters…The strong ascending. Lord Navuh's vision..." Another convulsion racked Soras's body.
An entire army of enhanced warriors, stronger and faster than normal immortals, capable of functioning without sleep for days or even weeks at a time, was a nightmare.
Kian took a deep breath.
Could he get one damn break and some good news for a change?
How much more did the cruel Fates think he could take?
"Is Dr. Zhao working on your island?" Toven asked.
"Of course. Lord Navuh had a fancy laboratory built for him."
A rescue would be impossible. They'd managed to extract Carol, but that was because the harem was located in an isolated and convenient spot on the island, and she'd been ready for them. Storming through Navuh's army of misfits would be suicidal.
The only way to obliterate the island was to nuke it, but there were too many innocents living there for Kian to do that. His aunt was one of them.
If only Areana could be convinced to leave her deranged mate and let them extract her straight from the harem like they had Carol, the decision to destroy the island would be much easier.
Well, not really.
There were still thousands of people living on that island who'd been abducted and brought there as slave labor, either as sex providers or maids, builders, gardeners, and any other type of work that was needed on thePleasureside of the island—the side known to the rich and depraved around the world.
"How often do you need the drugs?" Toven continued his questioning.
"Every day for maintenance. Every three days minimum or..." Another convulsion. "The shaking never stops. Some couldn't take it. Begged for death."
"And yet you volunteered," Toven said. "Why?"
"To be more. To help bring Lord Navuh's vision to life. To honor Mortdh with the deaths of his enemies. Mark my words. Your time will come." He bared his fangs at them. "You are all dead already."
Kian kept his expression neutral despite the flare of anger. Mere months ago, he would have laughed off the delusions of grandeur, but now he was taking them more seriously.
After his impassioned monologue, the Doomer's twitching and jerking intensified, so much so that his wrists started bleeding from how forcefully he was tugging on his restraints. When his eyes rolled back in his head, and drool slithered down his jaw, it was clear that the session was over.
They weren't going to extract anything more from him.
Kian stood, motioning for Toven to follow him out.
It occurred to him that the enhancement operation had been ongoing for a long time, and yet he hadn't heard about it from Lokan. Kian had already suspected that Navuh was keepingLokan in the dark, but that proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Lokan needed to jump ship yesterday. They had known this day was coming and had prepared for it, but Lokan had always maintained that he would know when the time was right.
Evidently, he didn't have a clue, and what's more, the information that Lokan had been supplying to Kian about the Brotherhood had been misleading. It was one of the reasons he'd been complacent and hadn't suspected what Navuh was building. Kian had been sure that Navuh was working on creating a smart army of immortals, which wouldn't be ready for a while because the children born from his new breeding program needed to grow up first. But clearly that hadn't been the only thing Navuh had been working on.
Far from it.
"Lokan and Carol are in danger," he told Toven when they were alone in the corridor. "They need to leave China right now."
Toven nodded. "I agree."
"I'm going to call Kalugal first. Perhaps he's heard from his brother recently." Kian selected Kalugal's number.
"Hello, cousin," Kalugal answered. "I'm making final arrangements for the trip to Egypt. We should be ready to leave on Tuesday."
"That's not what I'm calling about. Toven and I just finished interrogating one of the Doomers we caught in the raids, and we learned that your father has abducted a chemist to the island who's creating enhancement drugs for the Brotherhood. This has been going on for about a year and a half, and yet Lokanremains unaware. Navuh is definitely keeping him in the dark on purpose and instructing his adopted sons not to share anything with him. There is no longer doubt in my mind that he suspects Lokan."
"He needs to evacuate immediately," Kalugal said.
