The Long-Buried Secret (Part 2)

The investigation report detailed a series of accidents that occurred in June 1992 at a research institution called Institute 955. These accidents resulted in the deaths of 47 researchers and related staff. Apart from some who died in a subsequent fire, the vast majority of these deaths were sudden and unexplained, with their internal organs already extensively necrotic before death, but autopsies could not reveal the underlying cause.

Some details mentioned in this investigation report show that Institute 955 is the official research institution targeting "Mutated Creature".

Moreover, prior to this series of serious incidents, Institute 955 had just captured a live "Blood-feeding Creature," conducted research on it for more than two months, and reported the significant discovery to higher authorities.

After the accident, not only did the live research sample disappear, but everyone involved in the research and who knew the inside story also died, and the vast majority of related data was destroyed in the fire.

Initially, the investigation into the incident focused on "sabotage by enemy agents."

But as the investigation progressed, they discovered more and more bizarre and inexplicable situations.

Xiang Kun looked on with a grave expression. It turned out that the authorities used to have a special agency to investigate and study "Mutated Creature," which they defined as "Blood-feeding Creature."

However, he had never heard of the name "Institute 955" before, not even in various legends, unofficial histories, or gossip.

Generally speaking, official classified research institutions are not usually named with names starting with 5 or 7, such as the "704 Institute" Ship Equipment Research Institute of CSIC Ship Research Institute and the "503 Institute" Satellite Information Engineering Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

In various works discussing special abilities, mysterious realms, and science fiction, Institute 507 and Bureau 749 are frequently mentioned.

If he hadn't seen it here, in any other setting, he would have definitely thought it was just some baseless fabrication by a fantasy novel author.

But why have we never heard of such a major event before, involving the unexpected deaths of dozens of researchers?

Xiang Kun continued to look at more related documents, especially those belonging to the same category as the survey document.

Soon, he saw what was happening next. The investigation into a series of accidents at Institute 955, through various strange phenomena, connected them with accidents that occurred in some research institutions in the earlier 1960s.

Just as the investigation team was preparing to conduct a more in-depth investigation, their superiors contacted a former Soviet expert. The expert told them that several years earlier, several departments in the former Soviet Union, including the "Bioinformatics Laboratory," had encountered a similar incident while conducting research on "Blood-feeding Creature"—all the researchers involved died suddenly for unknown reasons, most of the relevant research data was destroyed for various reasons, and due to the characteristics of "Blood-feeding Creature," no living samples or tissue samples were left behind.

Not only the Soviet Union, but also several American programs led by DARPA during the same period that studied "Blood-feeding Creature" either yielded no results or only made very few discoveries. As soon as they obtained live "Blood-feeding Creature" samples and conducted relatively in-depth research with some research results, they would soon be "wiped out" for unknown reasons.

The research and observation of the "Blood-feeding Creature" were not completely destroyed, but every time the investigators followed those scattered pieces of information to investigate the accident and the research on the "Blood-feeding Creature," something would happen.

For a period of time afterward, any "Blood-feeding Creature" discovered by relevant agencies would almost immediately collapse and decompose into gray powder upon discovery, and some of the investigators and witnesses who discovered it would also die suddenly.

In addition, a similar incident occurred in the former Soviet Union, leading to a halt in various investigations and research in the United States. Related files were sealed and have no declassification period.

The investigation report was clearly not finished, but whether the subsequent investigation was also halted or the relevant information was lost, Xiang Kun did not find any follow-up content in the later documents.

However, he later discovered more documents that could answer his questions, detailing the different attitudes and development processes in research on "Blood-feeding Creature" both domestically and internationally.

The document, authored by a researcher named Shen Haichong, details a series of bizarre incidents related to "Blood-feeding Creature" in various countries during the late 1980s and early 1990s. After the loss of a large number of researchers, the consistent decision made was to suspend research and seal the data—it was impossible to continue. Researchers, investigators, and anyone involved almost inexplicably died suddenly or did something incomprehensible. Once the impact expanded, it inevitably caused widespread turmoil and panic.

However, no country is willing to completely abandon the characteristics exhibited by "Blood-feeding Creature," and they are still conducting "exploratory research."

Of course, during this period, various beliefs based on conspiracy theories, mysticism, and religious legends also began to emerge among the general public.

Shen Haichong believes that there seems to be a force "monitoring" human research into the fundamental causes of mutations in "Blood-feeding Creature." Once humans are able to glimpse something, it will trigger its "defense mechanism" to stifle everything possible.

"Blood-feeding Creature" may have appeared very early, but traces of their existence may have been "erased" in a similar way throughout history, or they may have been passed down in a form that has deviated from the truth.

The wave of research on "Blood-feeding Creature" in the late 1980s and early 1990s was not entirely fruitless; at least the specific components of the powder left after the "Blood-feeding Creature" died were analyzed.

The composition of the gray powder left after the death of different types of "Blood-feeding Creature" varies slightly. Taking human "Blood-feeding Creature" as an example, the gray powder left after death is mainly composed of special carbon nitride compounds.

Through the study of the composition and crystal structure of these carbon nitride compounds, humans have made great progress in materials science, such as the synthesis and application of materials like β-C3N4 and g-C3N4.

Driven by the immense, foreseeable temptation, and even knowing the potential for horrific catastrophe, humanity continues to cautiously probe the hidden power of these "Blood-feeding Creature."

Based on analyses from numerous other national institutions and relevant personnel, Shen Haichong has drawn his own conclusions and judgments:

The more people involved, the more knowledgeable the researchers are, and the deeper the understanding of "Blood-feeding Creature"Blood-feeding Creature becomes when studying them, the more likely it is to trigger the "defense mechanism" of that mysterious force.

When state power is involved, it is easier to trigger a "defense mechanism";

The large-scale "extermination" in the late 1980s and early 1990s was a highly triggered state of the "defense mechanism." If it had only been a country, an institution, or a small group of people conducting research on "Blood-feeding Creature," perhaps that force would not have been so "sensitive."

If the researcher is a "Blood-feeding Creature," the "defense mechanism" will be more tolerant.

This judgment was not only made by Shen Haichong, but also basically a consensus among most people in the world who know about the existence of "Blood-feeding Creature" and are still determined to conduct research. This is an experience gained from "experiments" conducted with lives.

Therefore, since the beginning of the 21st century, research on "Blood-feeding Creature" in various countries has unanimously adhered to several principles:

1. Government involvement should be minimized, with private research institutions playing a primary role;

2. Try to include human "Blood-feeding Creature" in the research team;

3. Suppress information about "Blood-feeding Creature" and prevent the public from knowing about them;

This document, written by a researcher named Shen Haichong, uses systematic and easy-to-understand language to introduce the research history of "Blood-feeding Creature" in China and internationally, as well as the reasons for various decisions. It is clearly an explanatory document written for "later generations".

At the end of that document, he left a sentence:

"The study of Blood-feeding Creature is a Pandora's box. Although we know that opening it will be fraught with danger, its allure is irresistible to humanity."

Xiang Kun continued to examine the received documents, which included a large number of documents signed "Shen Haichong".

These include simple records and descriptions of the specific characteristics of "Blood-feeding Creature" found in the wild, as well as observation and experimental records of live "Blood-feeding Creature." One record of "human Blood-feeding Creature" is particularly detailed, accompanied by numerous pictures and specific data, and spans an extremely long period of observation and experimentation.

Then Xiang Kun noticed the label "Blood-feeding Creature": Shen Haichong.

It turns out that this researcher himself is a "Mutated Creature," which explains why he was still able to lead related research after the incident at Institute 955.

Xiang Kun quickly found information about a research institution Shen Haichong. This department, headed by Shen Haichong, only trained human "Blood-feeding Creature" as researchers. They themselves were both researchers and the researched.

This research institution is also funded by the state, but all research progress, methods, and results are controlled by Shen Haichong himself.

However, judging from the timeline in Shen Haichong's other documents, even in the third year after he established that institution, he was still conducting various experiments alone.

Among the various documents, Xiang Kun saw several files titled "Collection of Academician Shen's Manuscripts". He then asked Alice to search for them and found that there was indeed an academician named Shen Haichong. However, according to publicly available information, he had passed away in the late 1990s at the age of 68.

In the photos of his own research records that he had seen before, Shen Haichong looked like a strong young man in his twenties, except that his hair was gray.

It turns out he was already an academician before the mutation occurred; no wonder the authorities trusted him and were willing to let him take full charge of the relevant research.

Xiang Kun then saw a research paper signed by Shen Haichong, which focused on the "monitoring mechanism" of the mysterious force behind "Blood-feeding Creature" on humans or other organisms.

Xiang Kun even started reading, something occurred to him, so he quickly picked up his phone and called Lao Xia.

"Are you looking at those documents?" Xiang Kun asked immediately as soon as the call connected.

"Yes," Xia Libing replied.

"Don't look yet," Xiang Kun said.

"Okay." Xia Libing's answer was still decisive, without raising any questions or hesitation.

After hanging up the phone, Xiang Kun continued to look at the document with a serious expression.

In the opening, Academician Shen introduced the background of his writing this document, explaining that he had gone to great lengths to obtain information:

A private research institution in the United States used a method where a human researcher studying "Blood-feeding Creature" observed and recorded relevant experimental data from a live sample of a plant "Blood-feeding Creature." Then, the researcher left the laboratory and went to a building tens of kilometers away. Through the internet, the researcher discussed the refined data and observation results with experts from different fields in Europe and America. The experts were unaware of the actual situation of this "Blood-feeding Creature" or even the concept of a "Blood-feeding Creature."

But in the end, all the experts involved met with accidents and died suddenly for unknown reasons. Two of the experts' assistants also died. The plant used in the experiment, the "Blood-feeding Creature," and the human who recorded the experiment, the "Blood-feeding Creature," disintegrated and disappeared together. Subsequently, a fire even broke out in the laboratory.

The owner of that research institution, however, escaped unscathed.

He made this proposal, gave instructions to the human "Blood-feeding Creature" researchers, and provided funding and effort to connect experts, but he did not actually participate in the entire process and was completely unaware of the experimental procedures and data.

Based on this case, Academician Shen concluded that the "monitoring method" of the "mysterious force" is not a simple feedback mechanism of physical mechanisms, such as how many humans are watching a certain "Blood-feeding Creature," or how many humans are around a certain "Blood-feeding Creature," etc.

That "mysterious force" should have the ability to understand human language, knowledge systems, and the content of expression, and its "monitoring" points are not limited to "Blood-feeding Creature".

Academician Shen then cited numerous studies on biological senses to verify his various conjectures, including whether the "mysterious force" behind it was an "unconscious, purely energy-based reaction mechanism" or a "conscious, purposeful actor." In general, Academician Shen leans towards the latter.

Because judging from its defense mechanisms, the "execution" of humans who conduct in-depth research on "Blood-feeding Creature," and the "annihilation" of "Blood-feeding Creature" discovered by humans, it does not have a very unified standard or triggering mechanism.

In the early 1990s, when countries were secretly investing a lot of resources and manpower in the study of "Blood-feeding Creature", it was obviously more "sensitive". At a certain time, as soon as it was discovered by human groups, even if it had not been captured, the "Blood-feeding Creature" would immediately disintegrate and disappear.

It is also very likely that it has the power of life and death over the vast majority of "Blood-feeding Creature".

As for its prohibition against humans studying "Blood-feeding Creature" and understanding their underlying principles, Academician Shen believes that this may be because it perceives this as a fatal threat to it.

If this hypothesis holds true, humanity is highly likely to become its "nemesis." Given its immense power, the fact that it hasn't slaughtered or exterminated humanity suggests either that its use of power is severely limited and not entirely arbitrary, or that it depends on human groups, or is even a member of them itself.

Xiang Kun kept looking at Academician Shen's research documents. Perhaps because he was a lonely researcher who didn't need to sleep, had no family, no other entertainment, and had plenty of time for thinking and research, he wrote a lot of documents.

From the research and investigation of specific "Blood-feeding Creature" to the speculation on the existence of that "mysterious force," from whether the "mysterious force" represents an individual or a group, to the theoretical breakthroughs and research directions brought about by the observed mutation data, and so on.

In fact, many of these documents are more like a diary of self-talk, with a lot of guessing and reasoning involved. As more information is obtained, later documents often overturn the conclusions drawn from earlier documents, but you can basically see Academician Shen's consistent research methods and the process of building his theoretical framework.

Xiang Kun also understood why Academician Shen had written such detailed and complex documents; he was probably preparing for the situation where no one would take over and only these documents and data would remain.

Xiang Kun read, he also compared his own situation with that of Academician Shen had raised and to answer the questions that Academician Shen had failed to address.

The more documents he read, the more certain he became:

His mutation is a very special case even among "Mutated Creature".

Or rather, from a certain stage after the mutation, he had already jumped out of the rolling river where the fish lived, leaped onto the shore, grown two legs, and begun to follow an evolutionary path completely different from that of the vast majority of "Mutated Creature".

I originally intended to write this chapter in a lighter and more fun way to avoid it being too long and tedious, but after finishing it, I felt something wasn't right, so I rewrote half of it, which is why it's only now being updated...ヾ()