Chapter 1075: Utopia
Chapter 1075: Utopia
“Aaaaaah—”
The black-haired boy was bound to a metal bed, his body covered in cables. Brilliant electric arcs danced around him, and powerful currents continuously jolted his frail frame. The vital signs displayed on the nearby instruments were plummeting rapidly.
But the red-haired man behind the control panel remained unmoved, coldly ordering, “Increase the voltage.”
The two technicians hesitated, one of them daring to ask, “But, Sir Dwayne, if we increase the voltage any further, the test subject might die.”
“Who cares.”
Dwayne sneered.
“If he can only show such insignificant potential after all this stimulation, it’s clear he’s no good. Utopia doesn’t need useless warriors. Let him die if he must.”
The two technicians exchanged glances but said nothing more, turning back to the control panel to increase the voltage.
Soon, the screams ceased. The boy stopped struggling, and his vital signs flatlined.
“Tch, what a waste. Another useless piece of trash.”
Dwayne waved his hand dismissively.
“Get rid of him. Do it the usual way, and leave no trace.”
His subordinates immediately responded, “Yes, Sir.”
Then someone stepped forward and whispered in his ear, “Dwayne, Akane wants to see you.”
Dwayne nodded and turned to leave.
This was a building in the center of the new Tōshiyama district, a place where all the Duelists with innate psycho-powers, like Akane, gathered.
Dwayne was the founder of this movement. He took in these Duelists, who were often shunned and despised because of their abilities, ostensibly to provide a home for these outcasts and give them a sense of belonging. In reality, he was building an army.
Psycho-Duelists, who can manifest the power of any card, are naturally extraordinary warriors. Gather enough of them and, with the right guidance, they could form an invincible private army.
To achieve his goals, Dwayne had killed countless people and showed no qualms about using any despicable means. In fact, many of the psycho-Duelists he had taken in had tragic pasts that were directly or indirectly his doing.
He orchestrated their suffering and rejection, then appeared at the right moment as their savior, welcoming them into his “family.” As a result, the members of Utopia were fiercely loyal to him, seeing him as a paternal figure who had never let them down, never suspecting that their tragedies were his doing from the start.
In terms of tactics, he was somewhat similar to Daitz from the past, but in terms of power, insight, and ambition, Dwayne and Daitz were in different leagues.
The antagonists in "Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's" often had their own reasons and fought for their own beliefs, which is why many viewers later commented that Dwayne, despite being a minor early antagonist, was the only true villain in the entire series—a pure malefactor.
Dwayne walked down the corridor, approaching the elevator, when he ran into Akane, who had just returned from outside.
“Akane.”
Dwayne smiled and approached her.
“How was your trip?”
Akane’s tense face finally relaxed when she saw Dwayne. After running away from her home and feeling deeply disappointed by her parents who feared her, Dwayne’s timely appearance had, in a way, replaced her parents in her heart. He was a truly reliable elder who protected her from the storms of life.
"Same old thing", Akane said, massaging the mark on her arm with a hint of irritation.
She then recalled the scene from earlier when she had appeared in the Fallen Ones' district under the overpass. Suddenly, she frowned, hesitating as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to.
"What is it?" Dwayne asked.
"Nothing, just a feeling, maybe. But today, for a moment, I felt like someone was watching me. A gaze that felt incredibly dangerous."
"I've never had such a strong sense of danger before", Akane added.
Dwayne furrowed his brow. As a Psycho-Duelist, his intuition was far sharper than most, and he knew this from his extensive research on Psycho-Duelists. Often, what seemed like baseless sixth sense was actually a warning of real danger.
And Akane was the strongest Psycho-Duelist he had seen in the many years since founding Utopia. Her sense of danger couldn't be ignored.
Is someone dangerous targeting our Utopia movement?
"Did you see anyone?" Dwayne asked.
Akane shook her head. "No, that's why I said it might be just a feeling. But it's fine."
She smiled.
"As long as we have everyone in Utopia, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Dwayne laughed heartily. "Well said, Akane. We're a family, and there's nothing we can't face together."
Akane said, "By the way, what about the kid who joined us a few days ago?"
"Oh, him", Dwayne shrugged. "Unfortunately, his ideals didn't align with ours, so he didn't want to join. I let him go."
In reality, the kid had already been eliminated, but he wouldn't mention that to Akane.
"I see."
Akane's expression showed a hint of regret.
"That's a shame. He seemed like a good kid."
Dwayne patted her shoulder. "Don't worry too much, Akane. Go back to your room and get some rest. We have a lot more to do in the future."
Akane nodded and turned to leave.
Watching her disappear, Dwayne's smile faded. He turned to his subordinate and said, "What about the next test subject?"
The subordinate immediately bowed. "It's ready, waiting for you to start the experiment whenever you're ready."
"Let's go, then."
Dwayne led the way, his expression serious.
The situation was changing, and he could feel it. A few days ago, an image of the Crimson Dragon had appeared in the city center, accompanied by a powerful physical impact. According to the intelligence he had gathered, the force was as strong as that of a top-tier Psycho-Duelist, but it wasn't the work of a Psycho-Duelist.
This likely signaled the dawn of a new extraordinary era, where Psycho-Duelists were no longer the only special ones. This realization both frustrated him and reinforced his resolve to accelerate the militarization of the Psycho-Duelist army.
As he was thinking this, he heard a sharp snap, echoing through the sealed corridor.
Then came the Darkness, an all-consuming, boundless Darkness that swallowed the entire hallway.
Dwayne froze. "What's going on?"
He instinctively turned to his subordinate in the Darkness, only to realize something that made his blood run cold.
The subordinate who had been following him just moments ago had vanished in the instant the lights went out.
(End of Chapter)
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