"Dr. Harlock, what do you mean by that?!" Tuziku panicked.
"Exactly as I said," he replied flatly.
As Dr. Harlock stood in front of the Cursed building, he pointed toward the door.
"Anyone who steps foot beyond this door... will undoubtedly have their life force drained from them."
Tuziku gasped.
"However... the rate at which one's life force is drained depends on their age," Dr. Harlock explained.
"Their age?" Tuziku asked, wearing a look of confusion.
The doctor nodded his head.
"The older a person is, the slower their life force will be drained."
Tuziku's eyes widened as he realized what that meant.
"Then, that means..."
"The younger the person, the faster their life force will be drained!"
"Bingo!" Dr. Harlock raised both thumbs.
"This place isn't a restraintment facility... it's an executional one."
Tuziku's face filled with horror.
"Then Nēgus is—"
"Calm down, kid!" Dr. Harlock shouted.
"Nēgus is ten years older than his younger sister, so he's around 26 years old."
"At that age, it would take at least a month before his life force is completely drained," the doctor explained.
"However, for someone your age, it would take roughly around two weeks before your life force is completely drained!"
Upon hearing Dr. Harlock's explanation, Tuziku's panic slowly began to fade.
"I see..."
"So it's not an immediate execution, but one that slowly occurs over time!"
"Exactly!" said the doctor.
Tuziku scratched his chin as he gazed at the old building.
"Something doesn't make sense."
"How do you know all of this if there isn't anyone in your tribe who can sense the aura coming from this building?"
Dr. Harlock chuckled.
"Surely you aren't this slow, Tuziku."
"This building has been cursed for over a century! Since then, many individuals possessing Abyssal Abilities have visited this village," the doctor explained.
"They all felt something eerie being emitted from this building!" He wore a grin.
Tuziku gulped.
"And of course, there have been many who tried living within this building!"
"And they would all end up suffering unexplainable deaths that occurred within a specific time frame."
Suddenly, the doctor's expression hardened as he glared at Tuziku.
"Tuziku... do you still wish to speak to Nēgus?"
As Tuziku processed all the information he had just received, he thought to himself:
I see...
So this is the decision you made, old man!
"You're going in as well, aren't you?" he asked.
Dr. Harlock scratched his head.
"Yes, I am..."
"Then, that must mean so long as you don't overstay your welcome, you won't be in any trouble."
"Is that right?" Tuziku asked, glaring at the doctor.
Clap! Clap!
"My, my... very perceptive of you!" said the doctor.
"So long as you leave the building before your life force is depleted, your body will naturally absorb life energy from nature, food, and so on."
Tuziku suddenly walked toward the door of the Cursed Building.
"In that case, I'm definitely going in!"
Dr. Harlock grinned as he slowly turned the doorknob, revealing the inside of the Cursed Building.
Tuziku bravely walked inside first.
Dr. Harlock followed behind him.
As the door closed behind them, the room turned pitch black.
"Why is it so dark in here?" Tuziku asked.
"The darkness makes it difficult for those trapped in here to escape. That is, if they can," the doctor replied.
"Now, stay close and follow me!"
He walked off.
Tuziku followed his instructions.
As they walked through the halls of this bizarre structure, Tuziku could sense the unnatural presence surrounding them.
This place is huge!
Eventually, they arrived in front of a door that led to another room.
"This is it!" said the doctor as he slowly opened the door.
Tuziku remained on his toes.
As the door fully opened, Harlock pulled a candle out of his pocket and struck a match, using it to light the candle.
As the light illuminated the darkness in the room, to their horror, Nēgus glared at them with an eerie expression.
His limbs and torso were all strapped to a bed.
"What the—" Tuziku flinched.
"So he's awake already," said the doctor.
He handed Tuziku the candle.
Suddenly, Dr. Harlock walked toward Nēgus.
"How are you feeling today, Nēgus?" he asked.
Nēgus remained silent.
Then—
"Why..." he mumbled.
"Hm? I don't understand. Why what?" said the doctor.
"Why heal me... if you're executing me anyway?" Nēgus asked in a soft tone.
"I can tell that I'm in the Cursed Building!"
Dr. Harlock grabbed an old wooden chair from nearby and sat beside Nēgus.
"Nēgus... this is your grandfather's way of being kind to you."
Nēgus sneered at him.
"You've only been in here for three days so far. Your grandfather is hoping that before your time runs out, you'll show some sort of remorse for your actions and apologize to the tribe. Then, maybe we can think about letting you out of here," the doctor explained.
Suddenly, Nēgus began to chuckle.
Then, he burst out laughing.
"So this is the old man's idea of a punishment! To have me await my own death as he tries to squeeze an apology out of me!"
Cough! Cough!
Nēgus coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"You can't shout so loudly. You'll cause your internal wounds to open!" Dr. Harlock scolded him.
"SHUT UP ALREADY!!" Nēgus snapped.
"I don't need your help! I don't want any of your pity, not from you or my pathetic grandfather!"
"I plan on staying in here, so you might as well forget about healing my wounds!" he shouted.
Suddenly—
"Then—tell me, Nēgus!" Tuziku shouted from behind the doctor.
He stormed toward Nēgus, who was restrained to the bed.
"You again? What do you want now, you damn brat?!" said Nēgus.
"I want to know the truth!" Tuziku stood before him.
"During our fight, you had multiple chances to finish me off with those surprise attacks, but you didn't!"
"Tell me why?!" Tuziku demanded.
Nēgus suddenly burst out laughing.
"You came all the way into a building that drains your life force just to ask me that?"
"Our battle is already over. You've defeated me!"
"Don't play stupid with me, Nēgus!" Tuziku snapped.
"You had the chance to kill me, and yet you didn't! Now you have the chance to save your life, and you're hesitant!"
"What are you really thinking, Nēgus?!"
"Tch!" Nēgus turned his face away.
"What the hell is your problem?! You had the chance to finish me off as well, and you didn't!"
"Why didn't you finish me?!"
Tuziku's expression softened.
"Because it wasn't my place to judge you!"
"I simply wanted to stop you. Killing you was not for me to decide," Tuziku explained.
"Now, what's your reason?" he asked.
"Tch!"
"I worked my ass off! In order to gain their approval, to get them to actually look at me, I worked hard until I surpassed everyone else using the Hakashi Technique's second form!"
"I thought I was special. I thought I would finally get them to look at me!"
"But when you displayed the legendary third form, that moment of feeling special quickly faded!" Nēgus explained.
"The fact is, there is nothing special about me at all, and I realize that my behavior is childish and unforgivable!"
"You're someone that people will consider special!"
He clenched his fists.
"This is my way of taking responsibility!"
"Please leave me alone and let me stay here!" Nēgus desperately pleaded.
Tuziku gazed at him in silence.
Then—
He turned and walked away without uttering a single word to Nēgus.
"Let's go, Dr. Harlock."
"Tuziku..." the doctor mumbled.
He glanced toward Nēgus.
"I wish it didn't have to be like this!" he said before walking off.
CHAPTER 66 END