Absolute darkness and void.
His consciousness had been cast into an abyss where even time did not exist. Every sensation, thought, and sense of existence had been completely stripped away.
Then—
Pain!
Indescribable agony at the level of the soul, as though hundreds of millions of red-hot steel needles had pierced every corner of his consciousness at once, forcibly tearing and dragging him out of that absolute "nothingness"!
"Ughaaah!!!"
Benjamin's eyes flew open, but all he could see was a blur.
He struggled instinctively. Only when his pupils refocused did he realize he was floating in a liquid that glimmered with a faint ghostly green light.
His body was immersed in viscous fluid, a respirator covered his nose and mouth, and his limbs carried an unfamiliar sensation of weakness and powerlessness.
He was inside a massive glass cultivation tank.
After the initial excruciating pain, his senses rapidly returned.
Through the transparent liquid, he saw rows upon rows of similar cultivation tanks around him, standing in the dim space like a forest of cold tombstones.
Only the tiny indicator lights along the edges of the tanks, showing their operational status, emitted lonely glimmers that illuminated the sleeping humanoid outlines within.
At the very instant his consciousness fully awakened and he began to struggle—
Bzzzz—
Soft white light abruptly shone down from above, dispersing all the shadows and illuminating the entire space as brightly as day.
This was an enormous laboratory brimming with a futuristic feel.
The dome ceiling soared high overhead, while countless screens embedded in the metal walls, which gleamed with a cold sheen, continuously displayed flowing data.
All manner of precise, complex mechanical arms hovered silently in midair or stood fixed to their supports. The air circulation system emitted a low hum, carrying the clean scent of disinfectant and