A shiver

The guy's mouth barely stopped moving the entire way. From personal preferences to political views, he could find something to say about almost anything.

Naturally, Zhou Ze asked more than he answered. By probing indirectly, he gradually pieced together an outline of this world as ordinary people saw it.

Simply put, this world's level of civilization was much the same as that of the world he had come from, with only some things bearing different names.

"Zhou Ze, buddy, you barely talk about yourself." Liu Xin looked at him curiously. "You're so calm you don't seem like a newcomer... so do you know what the work here actually involves?"

It wasn't that Zhou Ze was being insincere. He was simply worried that he was still under surveillance, so he could only give vague answers to many questions.

Besides, knowing too much might not help Liu Xin, but it could very easily get him into trouble.

"I think we take part in some kind of experiments... strange thing is, afterward, I can't really remember what happened."

"That weird? Then you must be pretty lucky, huh?"

"How so?" Zhou Ze was taken aback.

"You've been through so many experiments and come out unscathed. How could you not be lucky?" Liu Xin spread his hands helplessly. "My luck's terrible. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent twenty-odd years getting by only to end up behind bars because of a woman."

Zhou Ze gave an awkward smile. "I... guess I'm doing okay. Maybe I really am lucky."

According to Old Yang, if his luck was good, the people around him would have to suffer bad luck.

But... why?

The smile gradually faded from Zhou Ze's face.

The thought that had suddenly surfaced kept spiraling through his mind like a curse.

Why would other people suffer bad luck when he got lucky?

Why did he believe that so unquestioningly?

Why had he only now thought about such a crucial question for the first time?

Why...

"Looks like we're almost there."

Liu Xin's voice pulled Zhou Ze out of his tangled thoughts.

By now, the armored vehicle had noticeably slowed, and the jolting inside had eased considerably. The sound of tires rolling over the ground grew clearer. They were evidently approaching their destination.

"Probably..." Zhou Ze replied absently.

For the next few minutes, neither of them spoke, as though by mutual agreement.

Only when the armored vehicle stopped, its door was opened from outside, and the two stepped out under the guards' watchful eyes did they get a clear look at their surroundings.

This seemed to be another site's garage, but it was clearly showing its age.

Gray concrete lay exposed where the mottled paint had peeled from the walls, and they could even make out old bullet holes. A mingled smell of machine oil and metal hung in the air, making them frown involuntarily.

Several other armored vehicles were parked nearby. Class-D personnel with all sorts of expressions emerged one after another, apparently brought here from other sites.

Just then, a guard carrying a megaphone walked to the front of the crowd and began shouting instructions:

"Attention, all Class-D personnel! Form a single line in height order! No talking to each other. Keep quiet!"

Zhou Ze and Liu Xin exchanged a glance and silently joined the line.

"Next, when you hear your number, step out and follow instructions to enter the site in an orderly manner. Remember, any violation of orders will be severely punished!"

The guard's voice echoed through the cavernous garage. Each Class-D Personnel whose number was called stepped out of the line with a nervous expression.

"D-15678, D-12580..."

One by one, the Class-D personnel left the line and disappeared deeper into the building.

"...D-87465."

Zhou Ze took a deep breath and stepped out of the line.

He was the last Class-D Personnel whose number was called. By then, more than half of those who had originally lined up there had already left.

At the corner, just before entering the Containment Facility, Zhou Ze instinctively turned his head slightly.

He saw Liu Xin, still standing in the original line behind him, wink at him from afar.

Watching Zhou Ze walk away, Liu Xin sighed in disappointment.

He wasn't actually a chatterbox, but finding someone he could get along with in a place like this was no easy feat.

Fewer than ten Class-D personnel remained in the line now. At its head stood a burly, stern-faced middle-aged man, looking down through the documents in his hands with a deep frown.

Just then, a young guard jogged over to the line. He stopped before the middle-aged man, saluted, and reported quietly, "Captain, the leader of Team Two sent me to ask whether you have any spare Class-D personnel. We've got a lot of projects running simultaneously these past two days, and we're short-handed..."

The middle-aged man glared at him and snapped, "How many sites have we already pulled Class-D personnel from? Where am I supposed to find more people for you?"

"Come on, sir, surely you can think of something..."

The young guard looked troubled as well. Running back and forth between two higher-ups was hardly an easy job.

"Is it the same project those people just went to take part in?" Liu Xin suddenly raised his hand.

At this, the young guard's eyes lit up, and he looked eagerly at the captain.

Normally, any Class-D Personnel who dared speak without permission would have earned himself a hundred push-ups as punishment.

But faced with the young guard's burning gaze, the captain could only put on a businesslike expression and say pointedly:

"Kid, the work over there isn't easy... have you thought this through?"

Liu Xin visibly hesitated at that, then looked hopeful. "Then would it be easier to get my sentence reduced if I stayed here?"

"No," the captain answered coldly.

"Then I want to go over there!"

The captain looked at the eager young man before him, utterly oblivious to what he was getting into, with a somewhat complicated expression.

Good advice couldn't save someone determined to get himself killed...

After entering the Containment Facility, Zhou Ze first joined the other Class-D personnel in a large hall.

The guards maintained order with expressionless faces, speaking quietly among themselves as they led the Class-D personnel out of the hall in batches.

He stood there for quite a while before being told to take an elevator with another Class-D Personnel.

The Containment Zone...

That was Zhou Ze's first thought as he stepped out of the elevator.

Living at Site-17 for over half a month had made him somewhat familiar with the layout of a Containment Facility.

But unlike Site-17's Containment Zone, which merely felt oppressive, this site's Containment Zone looked especially old and sinister.

Mottled dark red stains on the walls were shocking to behold. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered, casting eerie shadows. Many places still bore obvious signs of explosions and decay.

As they went deeper, the corrosion on the metal walls lining the corridor became increasingly apparent. An indescribable foul, bloody stench permeated the dry air, making them instinctively hold their breath.

Throughout this, the other Class-D Personnel following the guards had a dazed look in his eyes. He kept trembling, even stumbling as he walked.

Meanwhile, an ominous cloud gradually gathered in Zhou Ze's heart, weighing on his chest like a boulder and leaving him short of breath.

A few minutes later, they stopped.

Before them stood an enormous door more dilapidated than that of any containment chamber Zhou Ze had ever seen. Its surface was covered in haphazard dents and rust, and a layer of dark red substance coated the thick alloy, gleaming sickeningly in the dim light.

A guard and a Class-D Personnel stood beneath that enormous door.

From a distance, Zhou Ze saw Liu Xin wink at him and silently mouth a few words.

Buddy, you're lucky. I'm sticking with you.

[Fate's gifts had come with a clearly marked price all along...]

[If my luck is good, the people around me will have to suffer bad luck...]

Zhou Ze shivered.