As Elaine spoke these words matter-of-factly, Xiao Yang stared silently at her mouth, where the glossy lip gloss perfectly accentuated her chapped lips.
Ever since Elaine took over as head of Research Institute 109, crate after crate of cash and gold had been transported into the vault, the stock market had skyrocketed, and researchers’ salaries had soared from ten to twenty thousand a month to a million a year. and subordinate training bases had sprung up silently in every corner of every city across various countries, just like cell division. Elaine’s face frequently appeared in major international medical journals and financial news outlets.
Having been by Elaine’s side all these years, Xiao Yang watched her navigate effortlessly among the world’s top business tycoons, her demeanor poised and measured. Beneath her alluring, striking face lay a mind that never ceased to scheme.
A woman brimming with ambition and ruthless tactics is far more captivating than a burly, fierce man. Xiao Yang enjoyed standing in an inconspicuous spot, gazing up at her.
The sound of a lighter clicking open echoed, followed by the scent of cigarette smoke drifting toward Xiao Yang. A cigarette dangled between Elaine’s fingers; her red lips parted slightly as she exhaled a wisp of smoke.
Leaning back in a sleek, curved white armchair, Elaine crossed one leg over the other. The tip of her black patent leather stiletto tapped lightly against the tabletop and the cabinet door. Finally calming down, she motioned for Xiao Yang to come over.
Xiao Yang walked over and stood beside her, picking up the ashtray from the table and handing it to her. Aileen crushed the cigarette butt inside, then hooked her finger around his.
“Are you hurt?” Aileen asked, gently lifting the hem of Xiao Yang’s uniform. The wound had been bandaged, but it was still oozing a little blood.
“It’s nothing. Just two bullets. I was wearing a bulletproof vest, so it’s not too serious.”
“That’s good. Lin Deng and I did have a history, but that’s all in the past. He’s a good man—gentle, considerate, and a great conversationalist. Unfortunately, from the day he decided to betray me, it was over between us. Our values are different; being together wouldn’t have led anywhere. But you’re different. you understand my true intentions.”
Aileen took Xiao Yang’s hand and guided him to sit in her chair, while she sat on his lap. Even in this position, the upper hand remained firmly in Aileen’s grasp, and the Blue Rose pheromones exuded an overwhelming sense of dominance.
“We should hold off for now. The Lu Group has joined forces with major business conglomerates to sanction us, and Yan Yi is about to leave for an international conference. With the former warden of the International Prison out of office, the facility is now filled with IOA agents—it’s impossible for them to cast votes in our favor anymore. Our stock of monolenin is running critically low, and we can’t produce the nutritional serums in time. For now, we’ll have to sell off some of the standard test subjects at a discount to raise cash, then shut down some of the cultivation equipment. That will give us some breathing room financially; otherwise, maintaining the equipment and raising the test subjects will be a massive expense.”
As Xiao Yang spoke, he cast a fleeting glance at the necklace around Aileen’s neck.
Aileen wore a blazer over a white shirt with the collar casually open; a cheap teardrop-shaped pendant hung from a platinum chain around her neck. A gift from her student days that she’d kept all this time—it seemed this necklace had also been a present from Professor Lin Deng.
“Lowering prices… that’s impossible. Once we lower them this time, we won’t be able to raise them again.” Aileen nonchalantly hooked her finger around the necklace at her neck, gave it a gentle tug, snapping it clean off along with the delicate platinum chain, then tossed it—pendant and all—into the ashtray.
“Inform all cultivation bases to temporarily halt the production of juvenile specimens, shut down the cultivation equipment, and consolidate the existing experimental subjects in the largest cultivation bases for centralized cultivation.” Aileen’s tone was calm and measured, no different from usual.
She stood up and walked toward the elevator. She scanned her iris at the scanner, then whispered a phrase. The voice-recognition lock disengaged, the elevator doors opened, and Aileen stepped inside, gesturing for Xiao Yang to follow.
Xiao Yang looked at the necklace that had been ruthlessly tossed into the ashtray, now covered in grayish-white powder, and let out a soft sigh before following Elaine into the elevator.
After the elevator doors closed, the fluorescent lights went out, replaced by sterilizing ultraviolet lamps. Two sets of protective suits lined with chainmail and face masks slid out from the side of the elevator, and robotic arms dressed them both.
The elevator descended to the lowest level, emitting a chime: “Ding-dong. You have arrived at: Headquarters Cultivation Zone. Warning: High-level, mature-stage test subjects are housed within the cultivation zone. Please refrain from loud talking, running, and using devices that emit flashes or noise.”
It took passing through several sturdy, password-protected doors before they finally entered the Headquarters Cultivation Zone.
Xiao Yang was very familiar with these areas; this was where he usually worked. The researchers, who were busy at their stations, quietly greeted them and then returned to their workstations.
The layout of the entire headquarters cultivation area closely resembled that of a library, with each incubator arranged side by side. It was divided into the juvenile zone, the experimental subject cultivation zone, the mature experimental subject zone, and the elite zone (housing mature experimental subjects at Level 5 or above, as well as other experimental subjects in the cultivation phase with glandular differentiation potential of m2 or higher). The juvenile zone was closest to the entrance, its incubators housing young specimens whose glandular features were still clearly visible.
As Xiao Yang walked by, a seal test subject gently tapped the transparent panel of its incubator. The little creature was covered in a layer of snow-white fur and hadn’t yet evolved human limbs; it looked exactly like a seal pup.
Xiao Yang unlocked the incubator with his iris scan, removed his mask, lifted the little seal out, and pressed his face against its.
The young specimen, modified through experimentation, had already developed a rudimentary level of intelligence and emotion. Upon seeing its handler, it reached out affectionately, seeking a hug. However, at this stage, the seal had yet to exhibit any human traits. Even upon maturity, it would likely remain a specimen with a mimicry rating of 1 or 0. While it would possess higher obedience, its combat capabilities would fall far short of those of other specimens.
Like Test Subject No. 809, Kraken, experimental subjects cultivated from animals like this are of little value if their mimicry level is low. Kraken had only fetched a few tens of millions—a price that was practically a loss-leader compared to the cost of cultivation.
The little seal was very attached to Xiao Yang, dozing off in his arms. Xiao Yang stroked its soft fur, then placed it back in the incubator and locked it.
They passed many incubators along the way; most of the young creatures inside were quite affectionate toward Xiao Yang. He stopped to pick up and soothe each one as he passed, gradually falling behind Aileen, who was walking ahead.
Aileen walked straight ahead without looking to the side, showing no interest in the young creatures.
After passing the juvenile section, Xiao Yang quickened his pace to catch up with Aileen and discussed his proposed solution with her.
“I suggest selling these juveniles to the merchants we’ve worked with before. They aren’t aggressive, and once we stop supplying them with nutrient solutions, they’ll stop growing. They’d make excellent pets. While cultivation costs haven’t risen yet, selling them at a low price could recoup some of our losses.”
“How will we ensure their safety?” Aileen asked coolly. “Those merchants and nobles are in high demand. If a test subject bites their child at home, our reputation will suffer even greater damage.”
“Trained juveniles won’t harm anyone.”
“Who will train them?”
“Well… I can.”
“You have your own work to do. I’m not paying you your current annual salary to be a beast tamer.” Aileen patted him on the shoulder and walked toward the Elite Zone.
Starting from the Mature-Stage Test Subject Zone, the incubators were each placed in separate, single-occupancy compartments. Outside every sealed room, a label listed the test subject’s serial number, codename, gland differentiation level, and test subject grade.
The deeper she went, the higher the subjects’ ranks became. By the time she reached the innermost section, the labels on the doors began to show differentiation level A3 and super-powerful subjects at maturity levels 8 or even 9.
Elaine stopped in front of the final room.
The label on the reinforced door read:
Special Operations Weapon 200
Code Name: Eternal Wraith
Gland Differentiation Level: A3
Test Subject Grade: Deterioration Phase
After scanning her iris, Aileen entered a series of commands on the control panel. The fortress-like front wall of the room slowly became transparent until it resembled glass, allowing anyone outside to clearly see the situation inside.
Inside the room stood a slender Alpha. He had draped a white sheet over his head, wrapping it around his body, and stood motionless on the floor, looking like a Halloween ghost. A machine running in the corner was connected via hollow tubes to his sheet-covered body, continuously injecting growth hormones into him.
Floating beside him was a smooth, fist-sized pearl.
Elaine beckoned to Xiao Yang with a flick of her finger: “Why are you standing so far away? The incubator is sturdy enough; he can’t get out.”
This wasn’t the first time Xiao Yang had seen this test subject, but he’d never dared to get too close. This was the first test subject to enter the Degeneration Phase without losing control since they first appeared in the world—all because of that pearl suspended in the air. If this were made public, it would surely shock the entire scientific community.
“That pearl… it’s incredible,” Xiao Yang said sincerely.
Aileen smiled: “It’s an egg extracted from the body of an Electric Ghost. Truly, he is truly great.”
“I’ve been thinking—since this pearl possesses the ability to control experimental subjects in the deterioration phase, might it also be able to control a deteriorating Divine Messenger?” Aileen calmly outlined her idea. “If that were possible, IOA would no longer be a threat, and our current predicament would be easily resolved.”
Xiao Yang shook his head: “Are you really willing to take that risk? We’d be better off playing it safe for now…”
“Don’t be afraid. You should trust in its power.” Aileen pressed the communication button, and gentle music filled the sealed room, awakening the Immortal Spirit.
The Eternal Spirit awoke, a sheet still draped over his head, his face hidden. He slowly extended a pair of young, pale hands and cupped the pearl floating in the air.
“I have a task for you,” Aileen whispered. “Do as I say.”
“Yes.” ” The Eternal Spirit’s voice was ethereal, echoing through every corner of the room.
“Such a good boy.”
—
While Aileen was assigning the task, Xiao Yang tactfully stepped aside. He waited outside for about ten minutes before Aileen emerged; the instructions had been given, and it was nearly time to leave.
On the way, the two began discussing remedial measures for the situation.
“We really should halt production of the young ones,” Xiao Yang said after a moment’s thought. “But shutting down the breeding facilities in the short term isn’t realistic. There are over two hundred young ones at headquarters alone. If we don’t sell them as pets, I can’t think of any other suitable way to recoup our losses and resolve this predicament.”
“Cut off all nutrient solutions to the experimental subjects in the cultivation phase, and prioritize the supply of all remaining nutrient solutions to the experimental subjects in the Elite Zone.”
“Understood. As for the sustenance of the specimens in the incubation and standard maturity phases…”
“Simply use all existing juvenile specimens as feed for the mature specimens. All specimens in the incubation phase, along with those in the maturity phase below Level 5 that cannot be used as feed, are to be destroyed,” Aileen said casually.
Xiao Yang paused in his tracks, momentarily stunned. With a single, offhand remark, Ailian had directly decided the fate of experimental subjects worth billions—and the lives of hundreds of them.
Xiao Yang stopped by an incubator. Inside, a baby seal was pressed against the glass, whimpering softly, trying to catch his attention so he’d come pick it up.
“They’re disposable, right? How do you plan to dispose of them?” Xiao Yang finally managed to ask after a long pause.
Aileen had already walked several meters away, but upon hearing his question, she turned back and deftly flipped the power switch on the incubator containing the seal test subject.
“That’s how it’s done.” Aileen demonstrated for Xiao Yang, then turned and walked away, leaving behind a cold, matter-of-fact statement: “You’re the one who invented the infection agent, aren’t you? Go use it.”
The incubator stopped running, and in an instant, the oxygen pump, nutrient solution pump, sterilizer, and all other equipment shut down.
The lively seal test subject struggled as it suffocated, finally lying motionless at the bottom of the incubator.
Xiao Yang raised his hand to rest it against the sealed glass of the incubator. He stood in silence for a long time. Slowly, his body began to lose strength; he pressed his forehead against the glass, and his Adam’s apple twitched slightly.