She Begged Her to Kill It

Lingering Wind and Fading Moon spread the logbook open for the two of them.

Its pages were packed with experiment numbers, blood ratios, mutation stages, and times of death. Some margins held diagrams of the human body, marking where scales had spread, muscles had swollen, and bones had shifted out of place.

"I don't know where they got the idea, but they believe injecting Sea Monster blood into ordinary humans can dramatically improve their stamina and strength, and might even awaken special abilities in some people."

"But the success rate is extremely low. Or rather, almost none have succeeded."

Lingering Wind and Fading Moon turned to another page. "Most Test Subjects lose control during the blood-fusion stage. They grow scales, suffer mental breakdowns, and gradually rot from the inside out."

"The blood and bodily fluids of these failures also become highly infectious. Any ordinary human who comes into contact with them has a high chance of contracting the disease."

Ling Chu immediately thought of the black crate Ella had carried.

"So those black crates were probably filled with failures being taken away for disposal?"

Lingering Wind and Fading Moon nodded. "The records are clear. Failed Test Subjects who have lost all value and are highly contagious are sealed up and moved, pending incineration or disposal at sea."

You Jiali followed her gaze toward the tanks. "Then what about the people soaking in those tanks?"

Lingering Wind and Fading Moon flipped through two more pages. "They later realized that simply injecting Sea Monster blood into humans was too unstable. So they began mixing in tissue from other marine creatures, hoping the foreign genes would balance the conflict and stabilize the Test Subjects."

"...So the things in those tanks are considered half-finished products."

"You can call those things half-finished products?"

"To them,