Chapter 144: Famous Last Words
Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Famous Last Words
The guard acknowledged the order and hurried away.
Turning back to see Xu Qingsui’s curious gaze, Shen Yan smiled. "Want to see how the drug trial is going?"
Xu Qingsui immediately agreed. "Yes! But I’d also like to know, what kind of drug are you testing?"
Shen Yan led Xu Qingsui toward the testing room, explaining as they walked, "We’ve been researching the factors that cause Mutants to mutate. We’re trying to find a way to reverse the process and restore them to their original forms."
"One research team started with the mutated genes extracted from Mutants and developed a counter-gene for reverse development. If it’s successful, then when we encounter rampaging Mutants in the future, we can just inject the drug into them. It would revert them to their original forms, and we wouldn’t have to risk our lives fighting them."
Xu Qingsui raised an eyebrow. ’This is indeed a good, time-saving method. I just wonder how the research on the drug is progressing.’
Thinking about the imminent drug trial, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation for the results.
Following Shen Yan, the two arrived in an empty room. The most striking feature was a massive, floor-to-ceiling window.
Walking to the window and looking out, Xu Qingsui discovered a series of partitioned rooms outside.
The rooms had no windows, only a large, steel-cast door. The inside of the door had no handle, ensuring it couldn’t be opened from within.
The only furnishing in each room was a large bed equipped with restraints. At this moment, a Mutant was bound to the bed in every room.
’These must be the test subjects Shen Yan and his team captured in the wild yesterday.’
The Mutants were all still deep in slumber, likely because the anesthetic hadn’t worn off yet.
"To better test the drug’s efficacy, we have to wait for the anesthetic to wear off before we can inject the agent. Based on the dosage, the trial should be able to begin in about half an hour."
Xu Qingsui nodded. Looking at the Mutants, who were as helpless as fish on a chopping block, she suddenly thought of the other direction of Shen Yan’s research.
"If you test drugs for Mutants on Mutants, does that mean you test drugs related to Sentinel and guide genes on Sentinels and guides?"
’It’s a drug trial, after all. Whether the drug is effective is one thing, but whether it will cause harm to the test subject’s body is another matter entirely.’
’If something went wrong, the test subject would likely pay a price, and that price could be quite steep.’
Shen Yan nodded, his expression unusually serious. "I know what you’re thinking. It might seem inhumane, but we truly have no other choice."
"The initial intention behind the research is good, but no one can guarantee the results. Experimentation is, by its nature, a process of continuous exploration, which requires some people to make sacrifices."
"However, for research involving guides and Sentinels, we usually recruit volunteers for the trials. We also provide them with generous compensation."
"Furthermore, before the experiment, we anticipate potential outcomes and prepare in advance. A top-tier medical team is always on standby to prevent any accidents."
"If the worst-case scenario does occur, the lab will provide the volunteer’s family with even better provisions to ensure they can live on more comfortably."
After listening to Shen Yan, Xu Qingsui summarized it in her mind: everything in the lab was primarily built on a foundation of money and resources.
Become a volunteer, and you get benefits. If something goes wrong, the benefits are even greater, ensuring your family will never have to worry about food or clothing.
Under these circumstances, it wasn’t hard to attract volunteers.
Especially those who were discontented and felt they had no future; they would likely use this opportunity to gamble on a new path for themselves.
’It’s honestly hard to pass judgment on such actions.’
’The enticement is a bit despicable, but it’s a case where both parties are willing participants.’
’Besides, just as Shen Yan said, the lab’s intentions are good. To continue the research, someone has to step up and be the guinea pig to find out if it works.’
Xu Qingsui was left speechless. She stared at the still-slumbering Mutants outside the window and said no more.
Shen Yan, ever perceptive, saw this and also fell silent.
Before long, the Mutants began to show signs of waking.
Just as they were hovering between sleep and consciousness, several staff members in white lab coats entered the partitioned rooms.
Each person held a tray, upon which sat a prepared syringe of the drug.
Although they were in separate rooms, everyone moved in unison, injecting the drug into the Mutants at almost the exact same moment.
After administering the injections, worried about a sudden turn of events, everyone quickly evacuated the rooms.
Once everyone had left and the doors were closed, the chains restraining them to the beds automatically released.
Soon, the Mutants that had been injected with the drug showed signs of going berserk. Their huge bodies twisted ceaselessly on the beds.
The steel-cast beds actually began to shake and let out loud, CREAKING sounds.
One of the Mutants’ movements was the most violent. With a single rolling motion, more than half of its body fell off the bed.
That one fall was enough to completely crush the bed.
It crawled up from the wreckage of the bed, its body covered in bloody wounds from the shattered steel parts.
It kept shaking its head as if searching for something, finally locking onto the source of the flowing blood.
A nauseating scene unfolded. The Mutant extended its long tongue and began to lick its own wounds.
The fresh blood stained its already crimson tongue, making it look even more grotesque.
After tasting its own blood, the Mutant’s eyes also turned blood-red. It scanned its surroundings, then began to slam its body against the room’s walls.
Even standing behind the floor-to-ceiling window, Xu Qingsui could feel the vibrations from the room.
The window trembled along with them, and she couldn’t help but worry if the glass would shatter.
"Don’t worry. We anticipated this kind of situation, so all the building materials here are strategic-grade and blast-proof. Even an earthquake couldn’t bring it down... BOOM!"
The words had barely left Shen Yan’s mouth when the proud expression on his face froze.
The Mutant had smashed through the partition and charged into the adjacent room.
The Mutant in that room had a much milder reaction to the drug than the first one.
It was just shaking its head and looking around, likely trying to recall how it ended up in this strange place.
When the partition suddenly collapsed, it was startled and looked toward the source of the noise with a bewildered expression.
But before it could get a clear look at what was happening, the berserk Mutant leaped through the air and landed right in front of it.
It grabbed the other Mutant’s shoulders, bared its fangs, and bit down hard.
Xu Qingsui could even see the sharp fangs pierce straight through the other Mutant’s neck.
Blood gushed continuously from the puncture wounds.
The next second, the fangs viciously tore the neck apart. The rampaging Mutant lifted the other’s corpse and began to devour it in huge bites.