The Pitiful Girl She Picked Up Turned Out to Be a Cruel and Vicious Beauty Chapter 80 : All lab rats are dead

All lab rats are dead (Chapter 80)

At the end of the secret passage, there wasn't an energy stone or an armory as one might have imagined.

Instead, there was a pile of books.

This outco left Ye Sheng extrely disappointed. The joy she had felt was like being drenched with a bucket of cold water—completely disheartening!

(╥﹏╥)

However, as she looked at the red folder on the desk, curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it.

A research report on Psychic Espers?

Interesting.

Ye Sheng had only recently learned that there were actually Espers in this post-apocalyptic world! She had previously thought everyone was just ordinary people.

When Ah Mu saw her puzzled expression upon hearing about Psychic Espers, he quickly gave her a brief explanation. However, information about psychic Espers was mostly classified, and Ah Mu didn't know much.

Thus, his explanation was brief.

In this wasteland world, there are only psychic Espers—no other types of Espers. They are different from ordinary people; they can absorb energy from energy stones.

This significantly enhances their physical abilities or allows them to quickly recover from serious injuries.

When hunting down polluted creatures, they can win more easily... It's said that because the base's population has dwindled in recent years, the officials are considering selecting strong rcenaries to participate in an experint.

An experint aid at turning ordinary people into psychic Espers...

When talking about this, Ah Mu's face showed a look of envy and longing, and he solemnly told Ye Sheng that he wanted to beco an Esper, so he could follow Lady Erensu and beco strong!

Ye Sheng just listened with a smile and didn't say much. Unlike the eager rcenaries, she had no desire to beco a lab rat!

Living well is the key to success.

If being an Esper were that great, the upper echelons of the base wouldn't leave the opportunity to others instead of taking it for themselves or their descendants.

There must be so significant downside.

People always say Erensu is a brutal maniac; maybe becoming a psychic Esper turns people into madn!

However, the base officials are very strict about information related to Espers, and even Ah Mu couldn't find out much, let alone her, a young girl living in the mitigation Zone.

But since psychic Espers can absorb energy from energy stones, does that an the little one she picked up is also an Esper?

Thinking about how the poor little one was severely tortured by so bad guys and still won't talk about the past, Ye Sheng felt that Espers weren't that strong after all!

Once the little one's body recovers, it might be best to go scavenging together!

A simple life is true happiness...

Now, discovering docunts related to Espers in the passageway of the Black Spring Freemasonry sparked Ye Sheng's curiosity.

Especially because of the poor little one's identity as an Esper, she wanted to learn more about it.

She had agreed to et ng Chi in thirty minutes.

Ye Sheng took out her watch from her pocket to check the ti. Only about ten minutes had passed, so she had plenty of ti to kill. Without hesitation, she sat down in the chair at the desk.

Using the torchlight, she began reading the contents of the docunt.

[Observation Record of Test Subject No. 1]

-Phase One: Successfully obtained Test Subject No. 1. Injected with a potent sedative, then had him absorb a piece of Grade A energy stone. The subject's physical abilities significantly improved, but the energy also diluted the sedative's effects, causing No. 1 to develop a rebellious consciousness. The electric shock punishnt was imdiately initiated.

-Phase Two: The electric shock punishnt made No. 1 stop resisting. He continued to absorb the Grade A energy stone and exhibited abnormal reactions. No. 1 beca emotionally downcast, showed no interest in anything, but displayed a strong desire for energy.

-Phase Three: Increased the supply of Grade A energy stones. Test Subject No. 1 could easily lift a 500 kg weight.

-Phase Four: Tested Test Subject No. 1's combat abilities by putting them in the arena with a polluted creature. The subject killed an A-grade polluted creature using only physical strength and sustained no injuries.

-Phase Five: Due to poor supervision by the administrator, Test Subject No. 1 died.

Wow!

Ye Sheng was astonished by the first page of the folder.

The Black Spring Freemasonry were really experinting on psychic Espers like lab rats!

Ye Sheng was amazed by the first few stages of Test Subject No. 1's progress, but was taken aback by the sudden ending...

It felt inexplicable.

With this curiosity, she turned to the second page.

[Observation Record of Test Subject No. 2]

Alright!

It seems the Black Spring Freemasonry have plenty of "lab rats." Let's see how this experint turned out?

(。o_o)

The first few stages of Test Subject No. 2's observation were similar to No. 1's, so Ye Sheng skipped ahead to the fifth stage.

-Phase Five: Due to strict supervision, Test Subject No. 2 failed to commit suicide and displayed severe anxiety and depressive symptoms.

-Phase Six: Continued to have Test Subject No. 2 absorb Grade A energy stones. The subject's abilities improved again, but compared to No. 1, No. 2's abilities were slightly weaker. After absorbing a large amount of energy, No. 2 could now only lift 450 kg.

-Phase Seven: Due to poor supervision by the administrator, Test Subject No. 2 died.

What???

They died again!

Ye Sheng frowned, feeling sothing was wrong. She quickly turned to the third page.

[Observation Record of Test Subject No. 3]

......

-Phase Seven: Injected a potent sedative to prevent Test Subject No. 3 from committing suicide. Autopsies of the previous test subjects revealed unusual changes in the brains of psychic Espers, leading to abnormal neurotransmitter secretion. The more energy they absorbed, the more severe the brain abnormalities beca.

-Phase Eight: While restrained, Test Subject No. 3 inexplicably died.

(Research Group Three's opinion: Test Subject No. 3 used a small-scale psychic energy explosion. Autopsy results showed the brain was blown to bits. Restraining the body could not prevent the subject's death.)

Reading this, Ye Sheng's previously excited mood turned somber. Even an idiot could see sothing was off.

The powerful abilities of psychic Espers indeed ca with a downside: increasing power led to ntal instability.

Literally, a diseased mind!

Her previous suspicion turned out to be true!

Then, what about the poor little one...

Ye Sheng thought about the little one who had already absorbed quite a bit of energy stones. Although they hadn't shown any self-harm tendencies, she was still very worried.

Her dark eyes were full of unease.

With the little one's severe injuries, she couldn't recover quickly without absorbing energy stones.

This problem seed unsolvable!

With a chaotic mind, Ye Sheng continued to flip through the experint records. She quickly skimd through them, only to find that up to Test Subject No. 34, the final result was always the sa: death by brain explosion at Phase Eight.

Determined to find an exception, Ye Sheng continued flipping, but there was only a final summary page left.

So many psychic Espers, and not a single one survived...

[Summary of Psychic Espers Research

The energy from energy stones can empower Espers but also severely affects their brains, causing depression, anxiety, and frequent self-harm or suicide, which cannot currently be prevented.

After absorbing energy, psychic Espers can enhance their physical abilities.

The most powerful Espers can take down S-grade polluted creatures bare-handed.

Besides causing the brain to self-destruct, no other effects of psychic abilities have been observed. It is still unclear how these abilities function (further research needed).

All test subjects from No. 1 to No. 34 committed suicide due to the effects of the energy. Among the top ten strongest individuals in the base's safe zone, the survival rate of psychic Espers is high. Professional personnel should closely observe them, particularly focusing on the psychic Esper Erensu.

Information suggests that Erensu has never shown signs of suicidal tendencies and is preliminarily rated as having SSS-level potential.]

Ye Sheng didn't expect to see Erensu's na again.

However, seeing that Erensu, despite being a psychic Esper, had not committed suicide, she felt oddly relieved.

Even if it's just an exception, it proves that not all Espers end up committing suicide!

Moreover, the Black Spring Freemasonry used A-grade energy stones for their experints, leading to energy saturation and subsequent brain changes... such an extravagant thod is irrelevant to her, being relatively poor.

She needn't worry about the little one absorbing too much energy and causing problems.

(??)

After leaving the Black Spring Freemasonry's hideout, she plans to advise Ah Mu and Lan Zhang to reconsider their pursuit of strength—it might cost them their lives!

As for the psychic Espers research report...

Ye Sheng sees it as a hot potato.

Logically, she should hand it over to the base authorities to warn them about the dangers of psychic Espers, highlighted by the deaths of thirty-four Espers.

However, she worries that the research institute might go mad with this information, possibly continuing experints on Espers, just like the Black Spring Freemasonry!

Therefore, Ye Sheng decides to stow the red folder in her special storage pouch and eventually throw it into the lottery space, keeping it hidden.

o(?^`)o

Without her, the rcenaries wouldn't have found the red folder, and the base would remain unaware... So, things should stay as they are!

They'll forget about her, just a small fry!

Ye Sheng's main reason for not handing over the folder is her concern that unique Espers like Erensu, who don't commit suicide, might attract the base's intense scrutiny.

Ye Sheng doesn't know Erensu personally, so she doesn't sympathize with her.

However, what if the little one she cares for also has this non-suicidal trait?

If the base takes an interest, it would be terrible!

She had just wanted to satisfy her curiosity, but almost ended up depressed, which left her feeling frustrated. In the end, she didn't even bother to check the contents of the books on the shelves. Instead, she stored the entire bookshelf and the desk into her special pouch.

Never leave empty-handed, take it all.

Glancing at her watch, she saw that she had less than ten minutes to et up with ng Chi. It was ti to leave.

Activating her stealth mode, she exited much faster than when she had co in.

It took her just three minutes to leave the secret passage.

As Ye Sheng deactivated her stealth mode and headed towards the passage where the rcenaries had been found, she unexpectedly bumped into ng Chi and the others. Unlike Ye Sheng, who was feeling down, ng Chi was beaming with joy, holding an energy sword. The rcenaries behind him had also found so useful items.

However, not everyone had obtained weapons, as there weren't many black-robed guards.

"Ye Sheng, perfect timing! We've found a passage leading to the surface!" ng Chi announced, excited.

"Let's get out of here then!" Ye Sheng responded, her mood lifting slightly. She was eager to return ho and check on the little one.

She followed ng Chi and the group to the twenty-third passage on the right. The guards there had already been discreetly taken care of by the rcenaries, allowing them to leave quietly. The black-robed guards were primarily focused on the checkpoint leading to the surface, keeping an eye out for intruding polluted creatures or humans, never suspecting any trouble inside the passage.

After all, they believed the rcenaries they had captured were under control, thanks to the use of soul-stealing worms, ensuring they slept like logs without waking.

As they entered the twenty-third passage, ng Chi started feeling secure, began to vent his anger over the Black Spring Freemasonry's sinister plans. He explained that the rcenaries responsible for assassinations had captured a living guard, who revealed that the Freemasonry planned to extort the base and rcenary groups, and then implant bombs into the captured rcenaries.

"..."

Ye Sheng was stunned, having wondered why they captured rcenaries. She hadn't expected such a plan involving human bombs.

"Fortunately, Ye Sheng, you saved us. For your life-saving grace, I, ng Chi, will definitely repay you!" ng Chi expressed, still shaken.

Without Ye Sheng accidentally stumbling into the situation, none of the rcenaries would have survived.

Ye Sheng just smiled at ng Chi's gratitude. From what she had learned about the wasteland world, traditional world modesty could be counterproductive here.

One must not be too polite with the people of the wasteland!

No matter her intentions, the fact remained that she saved these rcenaries. If they didn't show gratitude, Ye Sheng wouldn't hesitate to curse them.

With this in mind, Ye Sheng addressed the rcenaries, "When we get back to the base, you can deliver your thanks to the deputy leader of the Azure Phoenix rcenary Group. The kind deputy leader will receive it on my behalf."

"Haha, you have our word. If we make it back alive, we'll definitely send a generous gift!"

"Sa here."

Not all rcenaries had a strong sense of gratitude, but they might at least offer sothing out of respect.

Ye Sheng wasn't picky about how much they gave. Every bit would help her accumulate points to buy a house in the safe zone!

Just yesterday, she received 200,000 points. This ti, it should be even more! Maybe she could buy a house outright!

"Here we are."

As Ye Sheng was daydreaming about the future, ng Chi's voice snapped her back to reality. Following his pointing finger, she saw a massive bronze door ahead, adorned with the Black Spring Freemasonry's emblem of a raven.

"So rcenaries checked earlier and found stone steps leading upward. This should be our way out. We must try it!"

"No problem," Ye Sheng agreed. In front of these seasoned rcenaries, she was just a novice. All she needed to do was nod in agreent.

She must enjoy the thrill of easy victory.

"Hehe, we escaped successfully this ti, and I didn't end up owing any lottery points!"

"That's great."

(*^▽^*)

Just as Ye Sheng was rejoicing, ng Chi stepped forward and was about to push open the bronze door. However, before his hand could touch the door, it started to slowly move open from the other side.

The rcenaries imdiately beca alert and stepped back in unison, and ng Chi activated his energy sword.

"Damn, there's danger inside! Quickly, inform..."

The bronze door only opened a crack, and the people on the other side sensed sothing was wrong so they did not continue and instead shouted angrily they were clearly aware of the unusual situation and eager to call for reinforcents.

However, ng Chi and his group were not to be underestimated. Seeing that the black-robed figures did not dare to show themselves, they took the initiative to open the door wider. The rcenaries were ard with weapons, rushed in and engaged in combat, quickly eliminating the dozen or so black-robed figures, staining the ground with a large amount of blood.

Ye Sheng wanted to take advantage of the chaos but couldn't find an opportunity, and could only watch the rcenaries loot the bodies.

They found a considerable number of weapons and energy stones.

Ye Sheng's eyes lit up with desire, and perhaps her longing expression was too obvious, as the rcenaries noticed and handed her a few energy stones.

All the energy stones she had obtained from the previous assassination of the black-robed figures had been used up to recharge her weapon, leaving her with only the newly acquired ones.

Naturally, Ye Sheng didn't mind and happily accepted the energy stones.

"Hehe, being a savior is really rewarding!"

Soon after, the group did not linger and hurried up the stone steps. Just halfway up, they heard a rumbling sound. Looking down, they saw a Berserk worm suddenly break through the bronze door.

Seeing the three-pronged arrow still stuck in the worm's front, Ye Sheng felt speechless. Why was this creature so vengeful? Was it really that upset about getting shot?

The worm even dared to break into the Black Spring Freemasonry's lair.

Though most of the black-robed figures had been killed, so guards remained in the passageways...

"Run, run!"

Ye Sheng, who had felt climbing the stairs was tiring, now found herself not tired at all.

She climbed ten floors in one go.

The rcenaries, while climbing, didn't forget to throw their weapons down to stop the berserk worm from destroying the stone steps, though the effect wasn't great.

It seed soone in their group had a personal vendetta with the worm, as it relentlessly pursued them.

Luckily, the rcenaries had weapons, and every ti the worm was about to charge, they would repel it like playing a ga of whack-a-mole. After a few such encounters, they finally reached the surface!

Fresh air greeted them, the breeze ruffling their hair. As Ye Sheng squinted against the sunlight, she felt a great sense of relief.

The dim underground was not fit for human habitation; it was too oppressive!

Afterward, the Berserk worm followed them to the surface, only to be slain by the rcenaries.

And so, the life of this D-grade contaminated creature ca to an end.

Ye Sheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With a hundred rcenaries in the group heading to the base's safe zone, they felt completely secure. Ye Sheng boldly walked along with the group, unafraid of attacks by contaminated creatures, and soon they arrived at the various shelters in the relief area.

Seeing that they were almost ho, Ye Sheng bid farewell to ng Chi and the others.

"Ye Sheng, aren't you coming with us into the safe zone? You saved us from the Black Spring Freemasonry's lair. Once we report this to the base, you'll definitely receive a generous reward!"

ng Chi was puzzled by Ye Sheng's decision to leave now and quickly added, "Besides, the deputy leader probably wants to et you!"

"No need, I'm just an ordinary person and don't want to stand out... It's best if you don't ntion my existence when dealing with the base."

ntioning the deputy leader made Ye Sheng shake her head vigorously. If the deputy leader found out she had infiltrated the Black Spring Freemasonry's lair to save people, they would surely try to persuade her to beco a rcenary again...

Ye Sheng didn't care for fa, nor did she want the base authorities to take notice of her. The rewards she received from the rcenaries were more than enough!

Dealing with the base officials would an endless questions and detailed interrogations. She might not even make it back by tomorrow, and she was eager to talk to the little one!

"Alright, I'll make sure they don't ntion you," ng Chi promised.

"Thank you."

Seeing that Ye Sheng truly didn't want to deal with the base, ng Chi didn't press further. Instead, he reassured her that he would ensure her anonymity, making Ye Sheng think about saving the Azure Phoenix rcenary Group again in the future—simply because they were such decent people!

After parting ways with ng Chi and the others, Ye Sheng hurried ho. However, she decided to stop by the Zhou family's place. She knocked on the door, but instead of seeing Brother Zhou or Zhou Lin, an unfamiliar Zhou family mber opened the door and told her they hadn't returned yet and that she should co back later.

Hearing that Zhou Lin and the others hadn't returned, Ye Sheng felt a bit anxious and uneasy. It was because of the Berserk worm that she had ended up in the Black Spring Freemasonry's lair. She wondered if Zhou Lin had managed to avoid the worm's attack.

Sigh!

If Zhou Lin made it back safely, she would probably be even more afraid of the wilderness. Poor kid...

After learning that Zhou Lin hadn't returned, Ye Sheng continued to her little shelter. She quickly unlocked the door and was greeted by the little one's surprised voice: "Ye Sheng, it's not ti yet. Why are you back?"

"I ran into so trouble."

Ye Sheng didn't bother to freshen up and imdiately sat down on the straw bed, asking seriously, "Gu Luoyu, you're a psychic user, right? Does absorbing energy stones make you feel sad, anxious, or depressed? Do you feel like hurting yourself? Or...?"

Because of a certain red folder, Ye Sheng was bursting with questions upon seeing the little one. Her words spilled out like a machine gun.

Gu Luoyu listened attentively without interrupting. When Ye Sheng finally stopped, She replied, "I am indeed a psychic user, but absorbing energy to heal injuries hasn't caused any changes... Ye Sheng, why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Well, it's like this: today, I was attacked by a Berserk worm in the wilderness, and then I fell into..."

After confirming that absorbing energy stones didn't harm the little one, Ye Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. She then beca excited, thinking that the little one might be a special kind of psychic Esper, one who wouldn't self-destruct from energy absorption. Who knows, maybe the little one could beco the next Erensu?

Hehe.

If her friend beca successful, she would definitely take her along!

After her excitent, Ye Sheng started narrating her day's adventures with enthusiasm, making it sound as thrilling as a story.

Ye Sheng didn't hold back about the contents of the red folder, expressing her disappointnt over the death of all the experintal subjects and cursing the Black Spring Freemasonry for their wickedness.

"Gu Luoyu, those experintal subjects' brains were shattered. Was it really a psychic explosion?"

"Maybe. Before I got hurt, I wasn't that strong, so..."

Hearing Ye Sheng's curious question, Gu Luoyu smiled, then blushed a bit, feeling embarrassed. Her red eyes sparkled, and her cheeks turned pink, making Ye Sheng imdiately raise her hand to cover her mouth.

Although the little one was a rare psychic Esper, if she were truly powerful, she wouldn't have ended up in such a dire state.

So, Ye Sheng quickly comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. The powerful psychic Esper died early. Being a bit weaker is good—it's safer!"

She then offered her the few energy stones she had obtained to help her heal her injuries.

However, the energy stones were not of high quality and contained limited energy. After Gu Luoyu absorbed all of them, only half of her fractured spine was healed.

Complete recovery would require a lot more energy.

Seeing that the little one wouldn't be hard by absorbing energy, Ye Sheng finally used a broken basin to wash up, cleaning her dusty face. Afterward, she lay down on the straw bed and closed her eyes to rest at her urging.

However, she fell into a deep sleep as soon as she closed her eyes. When she woke up again, it was already dusk.

Feeling a bit groggy from her nap, Ye Sheng got up to check on the Zhou family. She happened to et Brother Zhou coming out of the house. He was utterly shocked to see Ye Sheng, thinking the Ye family's little girl was dead. But here she was, alive and well, and apparently back before them.

Now, his little sister wouldn't have to cry anymore...

Brother Zhou didn't ask about Ye Sheng's adventures but told her that Zhou Lin had cried herself unconscious from grief and would visit the Ye family tomorrow. Ye Sheng nodded, relieved to know Zhou Lin was safe.

As long as Zhou Lin was safe, there was no need to et today.

Most likely, Zhou Lin would co to see her first thing in the morning!

With the assurance that Gu Luoyu wouldn't be hard by absorbing energy stones and Zhou Lin's safe return, Ye Sheng felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. Today's bizarre wilderness encounter had drained her energy.

The fatigue still lingered.

So, despite just waking up, Ye Sheng went back to sleep that night.

She slept soundly, like a little pig.

anwhile, as the red glow from a gap in the roof fell into the room, a faint noise outside the shelter made Gu Luoyu instantly open her eyes, her red pupils filled with excitent.

It seems the Black Spring Freemasonry has co after them!