Chapter 98
While excited and enthusiastic voices surrounded her, Fina lowered her eyelids, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the adjacent laboratory.
The white light shining through the transparent wall cast a distorted, terrifying shadow of the struggling figure on the experint table.
She watched as the convulsing hands on the table gradually beca still, and the person who had been twisting and struggling like a worm also slowly cald down, seemingly falling into a deep sleep.
On the screen not far from the experint table, the line showing the heart rate gradually flattened under her gaze.
She watched as white-coated researchers hurried back and forth in the laboratory, using various instrunts she couldn’t na, until they confird resuscitation was impossible. They then lifted the body off the experint table, treating it like a failed lab rat.
Their movents were calm and practiced.
In the conference room just a wall away, no one paid attention to what had happened in the laboratory. They were envisioning a future where the Transcendence Project succeeded, engrossed in pleasant conversation about their shared goal.
“Then we look forward to witnessing the success of the Transcendence Project.”
“It will definitely succeed. The future surely belongs to us.”
Having successfully secured the resources he hoped for and gained the approval of Dr. Wells, the project’s overall director, Alvin couldn’t stop smiling as he rose to see the group out.
Fina felt like a senseless puppet, utterly unable to empathize with the laughing people. She stood up with those around her and followed them out.
Her gaze fell upon faces full of satisfaction, eyes brimming with light of expectation and hope, as if a beautiful future full of flowers was unfolding before everyone. They saw the bright prospects they infinitely yearned for, ignoring the blood and darkness paving this path.
A faint chill spread through Fina’s veins.
She shivered imperceptibly.
Just as they were about to exit, the distracted Fina vaguely heard Dr. Wells urging others. “Oh right, we must quickly send people to capture that escaped test subject. Without him as a successful sample, the progress of the Transcendence Project will be delayed significantly, and so experints will have to be scrapped and redone…”
“Rest assured, we won’t forget about him,” soone promised solemnly, then added helplessly, “However, it might take a bit longer. That fellow is just too good at hiding. There must be so force helping him erase his traces, at least a top-notch hacker assisting him…”
“…Fortunately, the Chenxing Empire is our ho turf. No matter how strong the forces behind him are, they can’t be stronger than the empire, let alone openly oppose it. As long as we’re willing to invest ti and effort, setting up an inescapable net, we’ll catch him sooner or later. The fear is that he might have been smuggled out of the country the very night he escaped, and will hide for the rest of his life without surfacing – once he’s left the empire’s borders, finding one person in the vast sea of humanity becos much more difficult.”
“Surely not? Didn’t they check the exit records for these days? Could the people behind him really smuggle him out under our noses?”
“No, I’m just stating the worst-case scenario. I don’t think anyone could smuggle soone out under the empire’s watchful eye. Besides, experts have analyzed Test Subject R’s psychological changes and judged that he wouldn’t simply flee, but is more likely to hide in the shadows, waiting for a chance to take revenge.”
“Given his hatred for the Transcendence Project team, and with you, Dr. Wells, frequently making high-profile appearances in the news recently, you should be careful. Who knows, you might already be on his revenge list.”
“Huh? Take revenge on ?” Dr. Wells, suddenly singled out, was first taken aback, then burst into laughter. His eyes revealed a chilling eagerness that made one’s hair stand on end. “I always have specialized security personnel following
discreetly, and in my eyes, the current Transcendence Serum No. 1 isn’t flawless. I’ve been researching how to counter him since Test Subject R escaped… If he really cos to deliver himself into our hands, I couldn’t ask for more. It would be perfect to see how a successful test subject of Transcendence Serum No. 1 performs.”
“…I think you can see the research results now.”
Soone suddenly spoke up, their voice trembling imperceptibly.
“What?”
The speaker pointed ahead with a shaking hand, drawing everyone’s attention in that direction.
Their gaze fell upon a figure that had unobtrusively passed by the group just half a minute ago—
The person wore a clean white coat, half their face covered by a mask, with a stack of docunts tucked under their arm. They walked hurriedly with their head down, looking much like any other researcher.
At that mont, the person had just reached the corner of the long corridor. At the end of another path was the research institute’s main entrance.
From their angle, they could see half the face of the person who had just turned the corner. Although the lower half was completely hidden by the mask, through the scattered hair, they could vaguely see piercing blue eyes.
These exposed eyes held a frozen blue like lting ice crystals, with a cold sharpness that seed impossible to conceal no matter how hard one tried, as if they could rcilessly tear apart anything they faced.
The person who spoke began to tremble all over.
These eyes were all too familiar to him.
On that blood-soaked rainy night, he had watched helplessly as the owner of those eyes slaughtered his colleagues, friends, and even a woman he deeply cared for, as if they were nothing more than chickens or dogs.
As one of the lucky few who escaped, he had woken up countless tis from nightmares where he was torn to pieces by those eyes.
“That’s…”
For those present, the escaped Test Subject R was no stranger. So had even seen his photo hundreds of tis. Once alerted, soone imdiately realized the person’s identity.
They couldn’t believe it.
“That guy really ca back to turn himself in?!”
Focused on by so many gazes, the person ahead seed to realize their identity had been discovered. No longer moving slowly in disguise, they burst into a sprint like an arrow released from a bow. As they kicked off the ground, they swiftly pulled several scalpels from the white coat’s pocket and threw them behind.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
“…Quick, dodge! Ah—”
“…How did this guy sneak in here!”
“Infiltrating the research institute in secret, what exactly is he trying to do…”
Beep—!
The research institute’s alarm suddenly blared, signaling to the stationed security forces that they were under attack and had been infiltrated.
The group that had been so proud and spirited just monts ago was now in complete disarray. Having witnessed the inhuman combat prowess of the subject through the grueso “cri scene” before, these civilians with no fighting ability had no intention of stepping forward to capture him.
“It’s not safe outside anymore, let’s find a place to hide!”
Taking advantage of the security personnel rushing forward, Dr. Wells gave a warning and was the first to turn tail and run! With the speed of a 100-ter sprint, he dashed into the conference room they had just left, quickly shut the door, and activated the first, second, and third defense systems.
Only after arranging all possible defense asures did Dr. Wells, who despite his age had outrun the younger people, finally exhale deeply and slowly sit down on the floor.
At this point, he no longer had the confident, well-dressed appearance of earlier. His clothes were wrinkled and soaked with sweat, his forehead also drenched.
However, the others nearby weren’t in any better shape.
These elite individuals who had been planning the empire’s future in the conference room were now sprawled on the floor or sofas, gasping for breath, their legs weak.
To be frank, as impressive as they had looked earlier pontificating from on high, they now looked just as pathetic, having started running before even clearly seeing the person 800 ters away.
A few unfortunate ones hit by the scalpels were frantically rummaging through the conference room, clumsily bandaging their wounds.
Fina sighed, trying to hide in a corner.
“Cough.” Dr. Wells cleared his throat, pretending nothing had happened. He gestured with his eyes towards Alvin, the research facility director. “Alright, I’m sure the situation outside will be resolved soon. Don’t doubt the institute’s capabilities. Last ti was an unexpected power outage that caught us off guard. We underestimated Test Subject R’s combat ability and didn’t anticipate sudden helpers appearing. Multiple factors allowed him to escape. Now, with the institute fully prepared on all fronts, we’re not afraid of a re test subject, or even a special ops team. This is a perfect opportunity to show everyone the effects of Transcendence Serum No. 1.”
Understanding, Alvin pressed so hidden switch. The gray wall where the conference room door was located seed to peel away like a layer of paint, revealing a transparent wall identical to the one-way glass on both sides.
This allowed them to easily see the scene outside.
Beyond the conference room was the institute’s snow-white corridor. At the end of the corridor, the blown-open main entrance was blocked by a group of people engaged in combat. On one side was the security team, fully ard and looking ready for a futuristic sci-fi film. On the other side was the lone man who had broken into the research institute.
A severely mismatched battle unfolded before everyone’s eyes, as if they were watching a real-life sci-fi fantasy blockbuster.
One side, though greater in number, aid mainly to capture rather than kill. The other side, though just one person, was well-suited to the institute’s confined space with his superhuman combat ability, coupled with a fighting style that showed no regard for his own life.
However, as Dr. Wells had said, the test subject’s previous escape was purely due to a combination of coincidental factors. Under normal circumstances, it would be easy for the institute to capture an intruder, even one with physically enhanced abilities beyond human limits.
Therefore, it didn’t take long for the tide to turn decisively in favor of the security team. The person trapped in the middle had at so point shed his tattered white coat, and the mask on his face had fallen off during the fight, revealing a face familiar to everyone.
They completely relaxed. “It’s just the desperate struggle of a cornered beast!”
Perhaps because their earlier unhesitating flight had been too embarrassing, seeing the culprit in such a sorry state now gave everyone a sense of satisfaction. They resud their previous posture of armchair generals.
“The effects of Transcendence Serum No. 1 are truly amazing,” soone flattered. “Dr. Wells, if your Transcendence Project is open to private investnt, please consider
first…”
“…I can’t wait to see the finished product of the Transcendence Serum! This must be a miracle in the field of life sciences!”
“Just based on the achievents of the Transcendence Project, I think you should win next year’s World Biological Science Award!”
“Oh, no, no, the current experintal results are not yet perfect…” Dr. Wells smiled broadly. He looked at the trapped Test Subject R, his gaze like that of soone admiring a precious treasure.
He didn’t forget to point out the subject’s flaws in real-ti comntary based on the ongoing battle outside:
“The speed of wound healing barely ets the target, but there are still endurance issues. Moreover, while Transcendence Serum No. 1 enhances physical constitution, speed, and explosive power, it seems to cause so damage to the brain’s neural system, resulting in overly impulsive emotions and difficulty staying calm during combat…”
As he spoke, the others listened attentively, like a group of studious students listening to a teacher’s lecture.
Especially towards the end, soone slapped their thigh. “That’s so right! If it weren’t for brain problems, why would this test subject co back and turn himself in? After all, he had such a hard ti escaping before, right?”
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