Chapter 67. 1002 [Bonus Image]
"What do I need to do to help you? What are you giving me in return?" Richard continued asking.
The gray mass congealed into a human head once more. With a look of pain, it answered, "Over there, 487 on the table. Use it on me to end my life. Quick! I've been enduring this pain for too long."
The numerous animated objects surrounding the water tank rapidly cleared out a path as a table with four legs approached them from a distance.
"487?! That sounds like a relic," Richard commented internally and was about to reach out for the item when Charles forcefully wielded back control of their body.
"Are you going to risk your life over a mere relic!! We need to retreat immediately. There's something wrong with this place!"
Charles controlled his legs to make a dash for the door. He could feel the trembling of his body intensifying, and he didn't have a good feeling about it.
"Ehhhh, what's the rush? This dude seems rather reasonable. What's wrong with helping him?"
"It's my time now!"
"How about this? I'll borrow it from you and return it to you in interest tomorrow." Richard proposed.
Inside the laboratory, a peculiar scene unfolded. Under the gazes of the various bloodied flesh and organs, a young man alternated between advancing and retreating. Beside them, the giant head in the water tank oscillated between a lump of pale gray mass and a human head. It continued its pained wailing.
"Ahhhhh! Ahhhhhhhh! Hurry up!" The head in the water tank suddenly roared, and the bloodied flesh and organs surged toward Charles in an encirclement. Although most of them had no eyes, Charles could clearly sense their palpable rage.
Seeing that their escape route had been blocked, Charles and Richard ceased their argument and turned to the crawlies on the messy table. Among them, Charles spotted a short staff that resembled a lightning bolt.
"So this is 487? Is it powerful?" Richard questioned as he picked up the object and examined it closely.
One end of the staff slightly bent toward Richard, as though studying the human that was holding it.
Charles' eyes swept across the table, and controlled his other arm to reach out to a shaking logbook.
Experiment Name: Initialization (Experiment Dawn Sub-Project 1/3)
Date: July 12th, XX74
Objective: To test the preservation of the sanity of by-product 041-1 of Subject 041 under the activation radiation of Subject 074.
Materials: Subject 074, Subject 041, Grade D extra-large tank.
Method: Cut off a part of 074. Instruct 041-1 to touch it with its front fin for ten minutes.
Results: When handling the experiment, Scientist Foss fell into the tank by accident. The experiment succeeded in an unconventional manner. The created unknown substance perfectly absorbed Foss's cognitive perception and emotion. Unfortunately, it also absorbed the initialization radiation of Subject 074. Further optimization is needed. The ID of the product created is set to 1002.
Conclusion: Dr.[Data Purged] theory is right. We are one step closer to success.
Even though this place is extremely bizarre, one day, like how our Homo sapiens predecessors conquered the surface land, we will rule this incredible seascape.
I have an inkling that the wealth of knowledge in this seascape could advance human development by another dimension. This will be the second technological boom in human history.
(The proposal involving the use of humans as experimental subjects has been submitted by Dr. [Data Purged] to the Washington Foundation Headquarters.)
The scribbled contents in the notebook got Charles' heart fluttering with a strange excitement. It provided him glimpses into information that he had never known before.
Firstly, the organization, named the Foundation, was evidently devoted to unraveling the mysteries of the Subterranean Sea via scientific methods and using their findings to progress human development further.
Secondly, their headquarters was located above ground. That meant they came down from the surface world. Also, they constantly kept in close contact with those above! They would surely know the way back up, no, perhaps they were the ones who engineered the path downward to this subterranean space.
"Are you going to help me or not!" A booming roar originating from the water tank interrupted Charles' train of thought. The water tank started shaking as 1002 fluctuated within its confines, alternating between disintegration and congelation.
"I'm coming! I think I've figured out how to use this thing," Richard remarked as he raised the short staff in his hand.
A brilliant arc of electricity burst from the tip of the bolt-shaped rod and onto the water tank.
As soon as the bolt of lightning struck the water tank, Charles' body also started spasming as though he had been electrocuted. Due to the high voltage, his dark hair stood on end. By the time Richard stopped channeling his will into the relic, wisps of smoke were trailing from his body. His entire body was numb and tingling, and he felt extremely uncomfortable.
"Fuck, the side effect of this relic is sure... simulating."
Disregarding Richard's sarcastic remark, Charles caught a whiff of charred flesh. It made him nauseous.
Lifting up his head, he noticed the water in the tank boiling violently. The pale gray mass within had already turned white and floated to the water's surface.
"This...Does it mean we completed the job? Usually, we are the ones being chased; this is the first time someone begged us to kill them. So we get to keep this fancy little rod as our mission reward, right?" Richard wondered.
Staring at the animated objects around them being frozen in place, Charles controlled his numb body to inch toward the door slowly.
"Let's get back to the Coral Archipelago first. Organize a fleet to clear out these things. We can slowly explore again after we conquer the island."
But just when they were halfway to the door, the floating white substances turned pale gray once more. They came together again, and the colossal head reappeared before Charles.
Its moans of torment rang out in the laboratory once more.
"Who are you? Whoever you are, help me! Kill me, please. I'm in so much pain. I can't take it anymore!"
"It seems like its memory has reset to when we first arrived." Charles was quick to pick up the situation.
"Then what should we do? Electrocute it again? That thing is so resilient. I will probably be dead before it dies from electrocution."
"Let's try again first. This time, once we discharge the rod, we immediately bolt for the door." Charles raised the trembling rod once more.
Just as Charles was about to discharge the electricity from 487, he suddenly heard a squeaking sound from beside his feet. He looked downward to see one of Lily's mice collapsed on the floor and convulsed.
Pop! Pop!
The mouse's two eyeballs popped out of their sockets. Yet, this was just the beginning. The other organs soon followed suit. In just a few moments, all that remained was an empty mouse husk of fur and skin.
Charles felt a shiver of dread as he watched the mouse's organless body crawl up like a zombie.
"Could this be the 'initialization radiation' that is mentioned in the experimental logs? A continuous exposure will lead to initialization? Does that mean I..."
Charles' thoughts were cut off abruptly as he felt his vision warping. His right eyeball was fidgeting in its socket and bulging outward.
Charles instantly felt a chill down his spine. His intuition was right!
He forcefully closed his right eye shut and bolted through the empty bodies and animated organs, aiming for the exit.
"Where are you going?! Come back now!! Quick! Kill me!" 1002's roars echoed behind Charles.
Charles would never want to turn back. If he were to spend even an additional second next to that thing, all the organs in his body would probably start to develop their own will.
"Catch him! My suffering must end!" 1002's order echoed within the chambers.
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