The Legendary Junkmaster

Chapter 121: Breakthrough

Jason glanced at the redacted report in front of him. From what he could gather, the humans of the Old World we're studying these beasts. All so that they could splice the beast DNA to fit into the human chain.

Jason's mouth fell open as he wondered if this was the origin of Powers. The report did not go into a lot of detail which left him feeling frustrated. Jason sighed as she continued to study the screen. It was only then he became aware that Sentinel was staring at him with an unusual amount of intensity.

"Are you done?" Sentinel asked as he pointed at the screen.

"Yes," Jason paused for a moment as he frowned. "I guess you already know what this says?"

"Naturally, but I needed to see if you understood it. What do you think?"

"There's not a lot to go on. There's possibly some information on our origins as Powered individuals. However, the information that covers the early stages of testing leaves something to be desired." Jason scratched his chin absentmindedly as he squinted at his mentor. "I don't understand a lot of it if that's what you're asking."

"That is what I was wondering. How much of this do you roughly understand?" Sentinel's tone was low as if he were trying to mask his true feelings of excitement.

"Around 20% I'd say." Jason sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "There's crucial information missing but I can't be certain that is understand anything more unless I saw it."

Sentinel nodded slowly before he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "If you had the time, could you replicate this procedure?"

'What the...' Jason wanted to curse as he understood Sentinel's intentions. He wanted to use this old research to try adding beast DNA to humans again! Jason thought about it for a moment. 'If it succeeds... It could push someone with one Power to develop a second or third.'

"I'm not sure... It would all depend on my Power. I don't know its limits so I'm reluctant to say that I definitely could." Jason hummed as he raised an eyebrow.

"A maybe is better than nothing." Sentinel grinned as he looked down at Jason. "Come with me, there's more below."

Jason followed close behind Sentinel as he less him through several hallways with closed doors. He was sorely tempted to take a peek behind them, but he did not dare to do so right now. 

After five minutes of navigating the halls, Sentinel pushed open a glass door to reveal a staircase. It went down for several flights and each step made Jason more curious. 'This place is larger than the one near Highrise. I wonder if he'd let me explore it.'

Jason frowned as he thought about the likelihood of that happening. Sentinel most likely wanted to keep most of the secrets for himself. A thought suddenly struck Jason at that point. 'Does he want to strengthen the Empire's army? Or create one of his own?'

When Jason thought about it he realised that he barely knew much about his mentor. If anything. He had mostly been the one doing the sharing and just taking whatever resources the Empire was willing to give him.

However, even with all of the resources he still had not found a way to prolong his lifespan. The deadline was fast approaching to upgrade Syssie but he still had no leads. 'If I wait too long I'll be stuck with Sentinel twenty-four-seven until I find a solution. That's only 'if' Sentinel is around when the time comes.'

Jason sighed heavily as he noticed that he was already chained to the Empire without him realising it. It went against everything that he originally wanted. But now, there was more to consider. He now knew that there were other countries out there.

[

Don't take part in Piracy! Don't earn money for thieves! DON'T make me drop this novel! 

To support the actual author go here: /book/the-legendary-junkmaster_19400360605216405

-Antihero]

The people in these places may not accept him as easily if he did choose to flee the Empire. Jason grimaced as he continued descending the stairs. 'I'd have to watch my back at every turn... I need more resources to prepare a backup plan in case things go wrong.'

Jason's mind wandered to his Gramps back in Highrise. Jason wondered how the old coot was doing. More importantly, he wondered if his shop was still standing. Jason's eyebrow twitched as he imagined the worst-case scenario.

'If I return to a heap of rubble I'll make the geezer pay up. Twice the cost should be enough.' A sadistic grin crossed his face just as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

Jason looked up expectantly at the door before them. He was expecting a room full of computers, but when Sentinel opened the door there was nothing but a desk and boxes. There were so many boxes that Jason could not even see the walls because of the way they were stacked.

"This should keep you busy for a while." Sentinel hummed as he stepped inside of the room. 

Jason's eyes went wide as he glanced at the old boxes. Some of them were falling apart while others looked to be in good condition. Jason frowned when he realised that. 'Has Sentinel been replacing the boxes? Or was this place still being used until sometime recently?'

"These boxes hold a lot of written records. Unfortunately, my Power does not let me understand a lot of the information." Sentinel gave Jason the side-eye as he looked around. "However, we've had some of the teachers back at the base look over some of the stuff. But it's been too slow. If we give them too much at once they might figure it out."

Jason scratched his cheek as he opened one of the boxes and looked inside. 'There must be hundreds of pieces of paper in here!' Jason felt a headache brewing. "So, who's coming to help me go through this then?"

Sentinel had to stifle a laugh as he glanced at Jason's blank expression. "No one! This has to be kept a secret, you understand? You're on your own..."