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Xiao Buli's feelings towards Qin Shimoon were, however, sowhat complex. Having spent a long ti with her, he realized this woman was nothing like any he had encountered before. Despite always appearing very cooperative, there was a subtle sense of danger about her, compelling him to remain vigilant at all tis. Yet, he rather liked this sensation, especially since it ca from a beautiful woman, which sotis made him lose himself in thought.
When Qin Shimoon finished speaking and received no reply from Xiao, she looked up, puzzled, and saw Xiao Buli staring into space. Noticing his gaze on her, she was reminded of the ti he had helped her change her clothes and thought he might be entertaining so unsavory ideas, her eyes widening in indignation, "Haven't you seen enough that day?"
Xiao Buli snapped back to reality, realizing his own lapse in composure. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I was considering whether we should uncover the past or focus on the future." He added hastily, trying to cover for his distraction. However, Xiao's mind suddenly cleared; why had he been so obsessed with solving mysteries and uncovering the ga's origins? As long as he could master the ga and enhance his abilities, the rest could be figured out in due ti. With this thought, he resud reviewing the subsequent material.
Qin Shimoon's thoughts, on the other hand, diverged. Lately, the old man who kept appearing in her dreams, along with the strange things he'd told her, weighed heavily on her mind. She herself was the savior, and although she never felt endowed with such capabilities, if her life was to revolve around this ga, wasn't it essential to understand its significance? At that mont, her expression turned serious as she stared at the photograph in her hand. If these items were from outer space, did it necessarily an they were alien artifacts? The hieroglyphics recorded here suggested a clear connection with our ancestors. Two possibilities flashed through Qin's mind: One, our ancestors themselves could have co from outer space, taking root on the habitable Earth and leaving behind their civilization, or they might have encountered an alien civilization and continued it as our own. Therefore, it made sense that our ancestors' script was found on this object from space, as they were from the sa civilization. Two, it was an ancient Earth artifact that our ancestors launched into space and which fell back to Earth after many years. While it seed sowhat fantastical, nothing was more enigmatic than the current ga. If such a ga existed, then the ancient technology wasn't too difficult to believe, and therefore she needed to hypothesize boldly.
Putting aside Qin Shimoon's storm of thoughts for a mont, Xiao Buli focused on the few remaining pages of slender docunts in his hands, examining them carefully. The records didn't detail the experint's process or its aims, simply listing the outcos and feedback from Huo Guangxiong on the experintation process, such as comnts like 'On such-and-such a day, an experint was conducted', 'On such-and-such a day, an accident occurred during one of the experints, resulting in the loss of several test personnel', and so forth.
Xiao Buli guessed that the lack of detailed records was likely due to the political environnt at the ti, which didn't allow them to expose their experintal intentions so openly. Amidst these brief records, Xiao suddenly ca across the following lines:
May 8th
So test subjects (0589, 0567, 0568) exhibited abnormal reactions, currently following up.
May 11th
Test subject 0589 experienced a ntal breakdown, has been dealt with.
May 12th
Test subject 0562 experienced a ntal breakdown, has been dealt with.
May 13th
Test subject 0567 is showing unusual behavior, awaiting processing.
May 14th
```
Subject 0568 experiences ntal breakdown, awaiting disposition.
From this information, Xiao Buli could tell that the experint had been going on for nearly a year when a large number of abnormalities began to erge: ntal breakdowns, erratic behavior, refusal to follow orders, and the like. Although the specific circumstances behind these words were not explained, Xiao Buli had a guess. The experint subjects must have manifested superpowers and second personalities, also known as Soul Departure Syndro, as ntioned by the mysterious old man. As he turned to the last page, the final recorded ssage read:
June 4th
All experintal subjects lost control, initiating Defense Plan 113. All personnel voluntarily sacrificed their precious lives to ensure the smooth progress of the experint.
That was the last ssage. After reading it, Xiao Buli snorted coldly. To voluntarily sacrifice their precious lives—if patients with Soul Departure Syndro could be so high-minded and rational, then perhaps he didn't need to worry about going into a frenzied state himself. Just a few simple words, yet how many cris did they conceal? Buli wondered if the experint subjects had willingly participated or had been forced, but from the entire archive, it seed that after these experint subjects 'voluntarily' ended their lives following Defense Plan 113, the experint was forcibly halted. Now, it seed like a blessing; otherwise, who knows how many more innocent lives would have been lost.
"Do you know what Defense Plan 113 ans?" Xiao Buli asked gravely, troubled by his thoughts.
Qin Shimoon snapped back from her reverie and, by looking at Xiao Buli's expression, knew he must have seen sothing disturbing. Unlike Xiao Buli, Qin Shimoon wasn't surprised by these findings. After all, Ancestral Dragon sacrificed countless people daily, and she had even visited their disposal room, where soldiers would manifest reality within hours after dying in battle. Thus, after exiting combat, these soldiers were taken to a special room—one, to aid Ancestral Dragon's research for that mysterious strength, and two, to fulfill their final wishes in those few hours. Of course, they also had the option to end their lives prematurely before that mont arrived. These n, who had ntally prepared themselves from the outset, often lacked the initial determination and courage to face death bravely. Shaking uncontrollably or crying uncontrollably, the handgun provided for self-resolution often beca their last resort against the grim reaper. Qin Shimoon had witnessed from behind bulletproof glass, the toughest-looking soldier whom she thought could face death with a smile, panicking and firing the gun aimlessly around the room until the bullets ran out, still pulling the trigger incessantly, his face and nose sared with snot and tears, only to eventually succumb to death. It was witnessing these life and death monts regularly that fostered her aloof nature. Seeing the last line of text, Qin Shimoon replied without a second thought, "It likely refers to the cleanup of the experint participants. Judging by the text, they probably all manifested symptoms of Soul Departure Syndro, which is why General Huo carried out a cleanup operation." Qin Shimoon's voice remained cold, as if the words she spoke were no more than an ordinary, everyday occurrence for her. Moreover, she found it perplexing that soone as astute as Xiao Buli failed to grasp the aning of that sentence.
"Hmm," was all Xiao Buli uttered noncommittally after listening, sighing heavily. He thought of his brothers who had entered the ga with him. To General Huo back then, Soul Departure Syndro was just another cleanup operation, but for Xiao Buli, it was the greatest disaster. If his brothers developed symptoms, what would he do? Leaving aside the others, when it ca to his own manifestation of the syndro, should he really seek refuge with that mysterious old man? Of course, if things reached that point, even if it ant living under soone else's roof, he might have to try it to save their lives.
Xiao Buli covered his face with a few pages, falling into deep thought, while Qin Shimoon continued to imrse herself in the docunts, hoping to glean more insights from the limited clues.
Although Huo Guangxiong deed his research and achievents as vitally important and epoch-making, they evidently did not catch the interest of the authorities amid the revolutionary fervor sweeping across the Chinese Mainland at the ti. Beyond strong initial support for the establishnt of the base, later investnt was minimal. Eventually, the project was abruptly shut down, likely because those who supported the initiative were purged. The archive did not elaborate on the reasons behind the abrupt halt, rely noting in a terse eight characters: Research unfavorable, forcefully terminated.
Contemplating those words, a surge of emotions welled up inside Qin Shimoon. Alas, what could have been Huo Guangxiong's rise to prominence was crushed under the weight of political struggles, his story a re ripple in history's vast ocean. She could only wonder what price he paid to reestablish an organization like Ancestral Dragon after that failure, which must have taught him a harsh lesson. Aside from the strange hieroglyphs, there was nothing left in the archive worth scrutinizing, and Qin Shimoon organized the docunts, putting them away.
"What's our next move?" Upon hearing the question, Buli, who seed to have been asleep, suddenly asked. The archive had not revealed the exact location of the experintal base, and he was curious about Qin Shimoon's plan.
"To Inner Mongolia," Shi replied without looking back.
"Inner Mongolia?" A flicker of alarm passed through Buli's mind as he abruptly sat up in bed, "How do you know the place is in Inner Mongolia? Did you already know the location of the base?"
Qin Shimoon looked up, a slight smile playing at the corner of her mouth. Of course, she knew, but if she had divulged that from the start, how could she have convinced Xiao Buli to procure the archives? However, turning back, her expression once again beca ice-cold. "I've conducted so investigations on that base before and knew its approximate location, but not the exact one. The details in this archive have confird my suspicions. I am sure the base is located where the desert ets the grasslands in Inner Mongolia. However, I'll have to find the exact spot once we're there. Is there a problem?" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, your support in the form of a vote or a monthly ticket at would be greatly appreciated. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to continue reading.)
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