Chapter 59 Test Subject

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Test Subject

Broadcasts echoing across the cruise ship continuously warned of hull damage and urged everyone to disembark.

Even so, the so-called bombing attack did not seem to sink the ship, and all the internal facilities were still functioning normally.

No other accidents occurred along the way.

Feng Yin hurried along with the crowd and soon reached the main deck, where he ran into Shen Jia, who was taking refuge with her parents.

Obviously, not all the elites could stomach the gore of the Death Madness matches. Shen Jia, for instance, had lost interest in such deathmatches after only experiencing the novelty on the first day.

This small minority of people had ironically managed to save their own lives during the drone rampage.

The two groups briefly convened and quickly entered the heavily guarded terminal building.

The atmosphere remained tense, but it was much more relaxed compared to the collective panic of fleeing for their lives on the ship.

Xiao Yu looked around in excitement and couldn’t help but ask, "To dare launch such an attack against the Zero Point Consortium, what do you guys think is the reason?"

Xie Yanran and Hong Yuan both shook their heads.

Xie Jingyuan glanced at his disciple. "Their target might not necessarily be the Zero Point Consortium. It could be you."

Xiao Yu’s expression froze for a moment, and she muttered, "What’s the point of killing me? My dad is the big shot, not me."

Despite her words, she actually had some inkling in her heart. If it were normal times, the daughter of a large corporation’s helmsman wouldn’t be too special. But right now, she represented a signal of friendship between Xuan Guang and the Zero Point Consortium. At a time like this, her identity held extra significance.

This was evident from the transport arranged for Xiao Yu.

While the other guests rode in ordinary vehicles—which were indeed much safer than the previous sightseeing carts lacking defenses—Feng Yin and the group rode in a heavily armored special transport.

A few minutes before the personnel at the terminal were transported to the Death Madness Tower, back when the Zero Point Consortium had yet to regain control of the drones.

Inside the massive, hidden laboratory directly beneath the Death Madness Tower.

Two researchers in white lab coats watched a small squad of guards sprint past them, exchanging a bewildered glance.

One of them, a brown-haired female researcher, said curiously, "I heard something major happened upstairs, but I don’t know what’s going on."

Her companion, a blonde woman dressed in the same attire, shook her head in annoyance. "Is the security department upstairs completely useless? Are hundreds of security personnel not enough that they have to transfer our guards away? If something goes wrong down here, it’ll be more dangerous than anything else!"

The brown-haired woman smiled. "Jenny, you don’t need to be afraid. Those test subjects are all sealed inside culture tanks, and each one has an independent power supply to keep it running. Unless they are specifically injected with an awakening agent, it’s impossible for them to pose a threat."

As they spoke, the two walked through the corridor and arrived at a hall bustling with numerous researchers.

Long rows of vertical glass tanks lined both sides of the hall, filled with transparent blue-green liquid. Through the fluid, one could see naked humans submerged within, their bodies connected to numerous tubes. Regardless of height or weight, every single one of them possessed terrifying, bulging muscles. Even more shocking was that almost every test subject had varying degrees of a distinct physical trait—scales.

They looked like the scales of a snake or a lizard.

Some test subjects had scales on their chests, some on their backs and limbs, and some right on their faces, making them look quite eerie.

One or more researchers stood in front of each tank, holding tablets to observe and record data. As the two female researchers walked past, quite a few people greeted them.

Soon, the two reached the end of the hall and stepped into a smaller, enclosed room.

In the center of this room sat a fully enclosed, transparent cubic cage. There was nothing else inside except for a humanoid creature continuously crawling back and forth. To call him a human wouldn’t be entirely wrong, as this creature indeed possessed a body shape no different from a person’s. However, the fine, pitch-black scales covering his entire body and his yellow irises with vertical slit pupils made this "human" look incredibly inhumane.

If one had to give him a title, perhaps it would be fitting to call this creature a Scale Person.

At this moment, the Scale Person was crawling back and forth in the transparent cage. His vertical pupils slowly scanned the researchers observing him from outside the glass room, his facial expression seemingly filled with greedy thirst.

This appearance was so terrifying that many researchers subconsciously distanced themselves—even with the glass barrier capable of withstanding a large-yield explosion separating them.

The two female researchers joined the crowd and saw an elderly professor with a powerful aura walking against the flow of people. He arrived right in front of the glass and leaned in to examine the Scale Person.

A look of satisfaction appeared on his face. "Subject E001’s condition seems to be getting better and better. As expected, the results of genetic modification using an Expert Level (Instant Level) fighter are truly on a different level."

He sighed again. "What a pity. Every Expert Level fighter is a precious resource, making it very difficult to obtain a new control group."

The professor’s rank seemed very high. His earlier words were more like a muttered lament to himself, and none of the other researchers dared to respond.

Instead, it was the Scale Person inside the glass room who stared at the professor’s lips. An intrigued expression surfaced on his face. As his throat twitched, his mouth opened and closed. "Pi...ty... every... Expert Level... resource, control group."

Under the professor’s widened eyes, the Scale Person haltingly repeated his words.

The professor’s breath hitched. Looking at the Scale Person, he quickly asked, "You can speak?"

The Scale Person tilted his head, watching the professor as saliva drooled from the corner of his mouth. "You? Speak?"

The professor took a deep breath and slowly pointed a finger at himself. "I, Manson."

The Scale Person mimicked his movement, pointing a sharp-clawed finger at himself as well. "I... Manson... I? I! I—"

The Scale Person’s dim yellow vertical pupils trembled violently, and his face became ferocious. "I—Lisetta!"

The next second, he lunged forward. Clenching his claws into fists, he smashed them heavily against the glass, letting out a massive resonant boom.

BANG!

The bulletproof glass vibrated violently, but fortunately, it did not shatter.

"What did you do to me!?"

The Scale Person roared in fury, frantically hammering against the glass.

The complexions of the present researchers changed drastically, and they all took two steps back.

The professor, however, was not afraid in the slightest. His face rapidly flushed red as he immediately waved to the side. "Give me E001’s latest records! Quickly!"

An assistant immediately jogged over and handed a tablet to the professor.

The professor earnestly looked down at it, his eyes fervent as he muttered to himself, "He can speak, has self-awareness, and can even state his original name! It’s not imitation! E001’s memory is recovering!"

This was a special test subject created through xenogenetic hybridization and modification, using an Instant Level fighter who had already been confirmed as "brain dead."

Now, not only had his biological motor functions recovered, but even his memories and consciousness as a "human" had begun to awaken.

This was a major breakthrough for the experiment!

Witnessing this scene, a bespectacled researcher among the crowd in the back had a flash in his eyes. He reached into his waist pocket and pressed a button.

On the same floor, inside the laboratory’s power supply room, a middle-aged electrician who had been working diligently for the past half-year walked toward his coworker guarding the main power control.

A few seconds later, all the public electricity in the entire laboratory was cut off.

Darkness suddenly descended.

Immediately following it was a series of pained, muffled groans.

***