Experiment Subject

Xilin's nose was very sensitive, capable of separating and analyzing mixed scents. It was precisely because of this that Xilin was surprised.

Were the people using these reagents bored to death, or were they researching out of interest, or for some other reason?

The smell wasn't drifting in from the rain outside. Judging by the wind direction and the other scents mixed in the airflow, the smell was emanating from inside the building. But in such an abandoned building, who would use those ancient reagents? Or rather, in this day and age, besides some eccentric R&D departments, who would use such primitive methods?

Following the scent, Xilin found a pipe about as thick as his thumb among a pile of debris. Not long after following the pipe, Xilin discovered that the part behind the pipe was hidden within the wall.

It was hidden really well.

He opened a finger-sized, close-range light projector. A faint blue light shone on the wall, clearly revealing the pipe buried within. After examining it, Xilin became even more curious.

Interesting.

Besides this pipe, Xilin found several other places, all very well concealed.

Xilin became increasingly cautious. Although leaving here now would be the best option, Xilin had a strange feeling that compelled him to find out the reason.

Following the pipe downwards, he navigated through winding paths. Some required Xilin to crawl through ancient ventilation shafts. Upon reaching the first floor of the building, Xilin lifted a hidden cover and descended a narrow staircase.

It was quiet all around, but not completely silent. After carefully sensing his surroundings, he felt there was no one within a short distance. Xilin continued inward, holding his light projector.

There were more and more pipes. Xilin knew he was getting closer to his target. He took a deep breath and turned off the light projector. Although he didn't sense anyone ahead, his intuition told him it wouldn't be so smooth. The energy fluctuations generated by the light projector were only within ten meters, but to be safe, Xilin decisively turned it off.

It was pitch black all around. Xilin relied on the subtle air currents to judge direction and avoid obstacles. After about half an hour, the surrounding space gradually widened. Some nail-sized electronic lights appeared one after another. In the dim light, it was evident that this place had some history. Moreover, there was dust on the electronic light boards. Although not thick, it indicated that no one had been here for at least a month.

Looking at the light spots on the wall, Xilin grew increasingly uneasy.

Something's wrong, very wrong! This place is like... a trap! A trap!

A strong sense of danger washed over him. Xilin didn't think twice and turned to run back. As a hunter, his instincts told him he couldn't handle the potential danger that might follow.

But faster than Xilin was a thick, special steel plate that sealed off his retreat.

With a flip of his hand, a metal knife appeared in Xilin's hand. Although he could cut through the steel plate with a laser knife, it would waste a lot of time, and the intense energy fluctuations of the laser knife would constantly expose his position.

Leaning against the steel plate, Xilin quietly watched the front. He knew someone was definitely there.

Tap, tap, tap...

Footsteps approached slowly, with no intention of being stealthy. Instead, they carried an air of confidence.

Click.

A beam of light shone, and the passage was instantly illuminated.

Xilin squinted, quickly recovering from the discomfort of transitioning from dim light to bright light. But the person opposite him didn't seem to be in a hurry, waiting for Xilin to adjust.

It was an old man, looking similar to an F-class Gene Type person nearing a hundred years old, appearing as if he could pass away at any moment. The old man's skin was yellowish-brown, his body shriveled. The exposed arms showed atrophied muscles. Because the old man wore goggles, Xilin couldn't see his eyes clearly. Yet, this withered old man made Xilin's hair stand on end.

The Old Man slowly walked towards Xilin, as leisurely as if he were taking a stroll.

First strike, best strike!

Xilin shot up, not even leaving an afterimage, demonstrating his incredible speed, not weaker than someone with D-class genes.

Clang!

A piercing metallic sound rang out.

Beside the Old Man's carotid artery, a withered, branch-like hand firmly gripped the tip of the blade, as simply as if it were holding a twig.

Both ion blades and laser knives produced too much energy fluctuation. With Xilin's current physical condition, his chances of being exposed were higher, so Xilin preferred using cold weapons, killing silently and without a trace. But even this specially made Alloy Blade was easily blocked by the Old Man, who looked like he was on his last legs. No, it was more like he easily gripped it!

Three years of life-or-death experience as a Hunter left Xilin no time to think. This person was not someone he could handle. Escape!

But before Xilin could make a move, his body was suddenly bound by something resembling Liquid Metal. Following the source of these tendrils, Xilin was stunned to discover that these Liquid Metal-like things were actually emerging from the Old Man's five fingers on his other hand, to be precise, they were extensions of the Old Man's five fingers!

Human? Machine? Mutant? Or some unknown species?

The icy touch sent a chill down Xilin's spine. Every pore seemed to exhale cold air.

Crack!

The Alloy Dagger, which had ended the lives of countless fugitives, was crushed. The Old Man's emaciated fingers gripped Xilin's neck, lifting him like a chick, off the ground.

His limbs were bound, and the veins in his neck were almost blocked.

"Heh heh, you've come at just the right time." Judging by the voice, the Old Man seemed very pleased, even a little impatient.

If it were an ordinary person held like this, they would have already started rolling their eyes, but Xilin still had the presence of mind to think of a countermeasure.

The Old Man looked at Xilin, even more satisfied.

Doors opened and closed, and Xilin grew increasingly alarmed. Beneath this Slum Town, such a place was hidden!

This Underground Secret Room was definitely not just fifty or sixty years old, and it was far more complex than Xilin had imagined. Both its defenses and concealment were extremely well done, otherwise, it wouldn't have gone undiscovered for so many years, or perhaps, those who discovered it were already dead.

Xilin caught a glimpse of an open room filled with people preserved like specimens in Liquid Tanks. The distorted expressions on their faces sent a shiver down Xilin's spine; it was clear that before dying, these people had endured unbearable torture.

Perhaps, in the next moment, Xilin would become one of them.

The Old Man had no intention of killing Xilin immediately. The grip on his hand was well-controlled, neither giving Xilin a chance to escape nor damaging his bodily functions.

The reason the Old Man said Xilin had come at the right time was that an Experiment Subject had just died and been placed in a Liquid Tank when Xilin showed up.

Xilin was brought to a room full of instruments and Tools of various sizes. On a table in a corner of the room were many bottles and jars. Xilin had identified some of the gases discharged from the pipes, and these were reagents for Purify DNA.

In this era, apart from those old scholars, almost no one used or understood that primitive method of Purify DNA. Xilin had also conducted similar experiments, but purely out of curiosity, without in-depth research.

Purifying DNA. With current technology, it only takes a palm-sized instrument to do this quickly and precisely, and even analyze the functions of the genome. However, all DNA purification and analysis instruments require real-name authentication registration. Each instrument has a registration code, chip binding, and data connection.

Since the old man chose manual purification, and judging by his demeanor, it was large-scale purification, it meant that this person was engaged in illegal research and was wanted. However, Xilin searched through all the wanted information in his mind but found no record of the person in front of him. The planet's wanted list, regardless of the danger level, was public. Wanted posters only contained two pieces of information: a picture and a bounty amount.

This laboratory was underground and covered with a rare isotope shielding layer, so it was not discovered by "Sky Eye." The instrument data in the laboratory was likely not connected to the outside world, thus evading other investigations.

What exactly was this old man trying to do?

The old man placed Xilin on a suspended white platform and pressed a button on an instrument next to him. Cuffs emerged from the platform and secured Xilin's wrists and limbs. Fine filaments emerged from the platform, penetrating Xilin's clothes and skin, instantly turning him into an experimental subject covered in tubes. One side was filled with red filaments, the other with blue, while data continuously flickered on a nearby monitor.

Since Xilin was already bound by the device on the platform, with even his fingers restrained, the old man withdrew his hand, which returned to its original withered branch shape. After injecting Xilin with a tube of a viscous, cold liquid, he quickly pressed buttons on the instrument, initiating data combination analysis from over ten other instruments.

Pain, a pain that pierced his bone marrow, coursed through him. His fingers trembled, and his blood flowed erratically, pushing his nerves to their limit every second. His thoughts were almost instantly scattered, but after a brief period of blankness, Xilin painstakingly managed to refocus his thoughts. Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before he himself became one of those specimens...

Those viscous liquids were actually tiny custom biochips, similar in some properties to gene carriers, capable of integrating into the human body's chromosomes and undergoing synchronous replication and division.

The red filaments were for main induction, providing nutrients while inducing the subject's metabolism to accelerate cell division. The blue filaments were for main apoptosis, causing lagging cells that couldn't keep up to die.

The old man stared at a rising wave peak on the screen and chuckled a few times. He turned the knob in his hand clockwise by ten degrees. Every ten degrees, the induction level would rise by one stage, and the chip excitation level would increase accordingly.

Changes in the hippocampal region of his brain, methylated regions on chromosomes, and intercellular communication frequencies were displayed as data on the constantly flashing screens, all of which excited the old man immensely.

Xilin's nerves were once again hit by a greater wave of pain, and he struggled to gather his consciousness.

"Not bad, not bad at all! To achieve this level with merely an F-class gene type!" Looking at the knob, which had been turned 180 degrees, the old man began to mutter to himself, his words laced with obvious excitement.

180 degrees meant that the chips had been stimulated by 50%. And this person was still alive. The data flashing on the screen made the old man's voice tremble slightly. Among his previous experimental subjects, less than half could withstand 180 degrees. This indicated that this person, with a mere F-class gene type, had an endurance comparable to a D-class.

However, how long could he last? Every additional ten degrees would yield another set of data that made the old man incredibly excited, but he didn't care about Xilin's life or death.

Amidst the constant onslaught of pain, Xilin searched for an escape opportunity.