None of them relaxed just because they saw a familiar face.
Bai Chunian holstered his pistol and drew out a stream of Dead Sea Heartstone from his collar, shaping it into a dagger in his palm.
Lan Bo raised his dorsal fin spines and circled the nearby wall, ready for combat.
Bai Chunian studied Eris.
His face had been subtly refined, as if bych an aesthetic specialist. The features still carried a medieval richness, but the exaggerated, gaudy edges that once tried to please Ellen’s tastes had been smoothed out. Now he looked about sixteen or seventeen, with a deceptively innocent doll-like face that concealed bloodlust and cruelty beneath.
All experimental subjects shared a similar pale, slender teenage base body design modeled after Ellen’s preferences—something none of them could fully escape.
He wore short overalls and a white long-sleeved shirt. Small gem fragments decorated his cuffs, shoes, and socks. At his collar, a red gemstone button—heart-shaped, heavily cut and polished—served as ornamentation.
Bai Chunian recognized it immediately.
It was the same red gem stolen from Lan Bo by the demon messenger black panther.
Originally it was thought to be taken to Nickes for Eris’s mechanical core reconstruction, but now it had only been used as decoration. So what core was now driving Eris? Had Nickes found a more suitable gemstone?
“Bro, what a coincidence,” Eris said lazily.
He casually flipped open his ornate S686 shotgun, loaded two shells, and snapped it shut.
“You’re not dead?” Bai Chunian asked. “And you didn’t use a gem core. Then what’s powering your body? What chip is hosting your combat system?”
Eris tilted his head, thinking seriously.
He even rested his chin on his severed hand while doing so, as if genuinely trying to understand.
Before he could answer, a hand rested on his shoulder, stopping his thoughts.
A blond, blue-eyed white alpha stepped out of the shadows.
The Puppet Master was there too.
Bai Chunian immediately abandoned the idea of killing Eris first and pushing deeper inside.
The Puppet Master also recognized the situation instantly and, upon seeing the god’s envoy and the merman acting together, abandoned any plan for direct confrontation as well.
The Puppet Master was the first to speak, breaking the tense silence.
“Eris’s combat chip was destroyed. We’re here to find a suitable replacement combat chip.” He extended his hand in a friendly manner, his gentle demeanor making it seem as if the conflict at the Berna Pharmaceutical Factory had never happened.
Bai Chunian also naturally extended his hand and shook his once.
“We’re under orders to retrieve Mr. Osrofo. He’s the pharmacist here and also our undercover agent.”
Their psychological resilience was so strong that neither side revealed even the slightest micro-expression flaw, yet neither could fully read what the other was hiding.
Bai Chunian smiled inwardly.
Bullshit. If they want a combat chip, it’s far easier to steal one from a cultivation base than to infiltrate the headquarters. This is just a hint—Eris has no combat capability right now.
The Puppet Master nodded in silence.
An extraction operation with no weapons and only two operatives is unreasonable… Are all envoy-type experimental subjects this uneven in intelligence? Can that be improved?
Meanwhile, Lan Bo silently scratched his head, trying to remember who Osrofo was. Eris lifted his shirt and checked his stomach, wondering if what he swallowed was really a combat chip.
“It seems this building is not in the condition we expected. If convenient, we can travel together for part of the way,” the Puppet Master said.
“Be my guest,” Bai Chunian replied readily.
If an emergency occurred, having two additional A3-level fighters would increase their chances. If necessary, they could also be used as shields—and eliminating two fugitives on IOA’s most-wanted list would reduce future pressure on the director.
Bai Chunian spread half a map on the ground and motioned for the Puppet Master to come closer.
“Share your intel. This is the blueprint we compiled.”
What he showed was a blank printed map from Crayfish, without Lin Deng’s annotations.
The Puppet Master nodded and said, “Taking the testing chamber route would be better.”
Some experimental subjects in White Snow Castle had originated from the institute’s headquarters. Based on their fragmented accounts, the Puppet Master had pieced together a relatively safe route. Seeing Bai Chunian’s map confirmed his own calculations.
Bai Chunian, in turn, became more certain of his plan after hearing the explanation.
He stood up, casually taking back the severed half of his left hand from Eris, removing the blue sapphire fish-shaped ring from the finger, placing it on his regenerated hand, then tossing the severed hand into a nearby trash bin.
“Let’s go. Take the stairs. The testing chamber is on B15.”
Lan Bo moved along the wall, his glowing fish tail lighting the darkness. He still held a grudge against Eris, but since Bai Chunian chose cooperation, he temporarily refrained from acting.
Eris, lacking any sense of infiltration discipline, slid down the stair rail like a playground slide, letting out sharp, eerie laughter that echoed through the stairwell.
Bai Chunian and the Puppet Master walked side by side, silently observing each other.
The Puppet Master noticed Bai Chunian walked like a cat—light, silent, almost on tiptoe. Bai Chunian noticed the Puppet Master treasured his hands, wearing black half-finger gloves and avoiding touching anything unnecessarily. Beyond that, neither could extract more information; both were too cautious, each harboring hidden intentions.
“What do you think happened here?” Bai Chunian asked casually. “Researchers and guards are gone, and there’s a large-scale blackout. Did they go bankrupt and flee? There’s not even news coverage.”
“We haven’t been in long ourselves,” the Puppet Master replied. “We haven’t seen any living personnel yet. But parts of the facility use tidal and wind energy storage as backup. Let’s see if anything is still running.”
They reached the fifteenth underground level.
The temperature dropped sharply, and a damp chill filled the air.
There was no light at all. Even standing closely together, they could not see each other’s faces. Only Lan Bo’s fish tail emitted a faint blue glow, making him look like a glowing skeletal spine moving in the darkness.
Bai Chunian turned on his flashlight.
The beam revealed a vast, high-ceilinged space—at least six meters tall—lined with seamless silver thermal insulation panels.
He sniffed the air.
A faint trace of blood.
He swept the flashlight around, but the beam was too narrow for such a large open space.
Then—
A faint sound came from the ceiling.
Like footsteps on wooden boards.
Bai Chunian glanced at the others; none of them had noticed it.
Based on the equipment layout, this was the observation platform of the testing chamber. Researchers would normally sit here to monitor experimental subjects through control panels.
All systems were powered down.
Which also meant—
No surveillance.
Bai Chunian circled the equipment. His foot kicked something hard.
A thermos bottle rolled across the floor, echoing loudly in the silence.
He shone his flashlight on it.
The room was in disarray—chairs overturned, flowerpots smashed, soil scattered, and chaotic footprints across the ground.
Bai Chunian crouched down, studying the prints.
They were running steps—sliding marks included.
He leaned closer and sniffed the floor.
Yes. The blood smell was coming from the clean, polished surface—but there was no visible blood.
“Overturned chairs suggest a sudden disturbance,” he muttered. “If it were an invasion or a rampage, there should be blood stains. So it was probably an alarm evacuation. And the blood smell… likely from a previously eliminated runaway experiment subject, cleaned up afterward.”
He analyzed calmly in the dark.
Only this explanation made the most sense.
The Puppet Master was also searching for clues. He approached an operation console where a cup had been knocked over, took out a small plastic packet, and sprinkled magnetic powder across the buttons. Then he switched his flashlight to ultraviolet mode and examined it.
Bai Chunian leaned in. “No fingerprints?”
The Puppet Master nodded slightly. “None on any of these consoles. It’s as if no one was ever here.”
“Damn, that’s creepy,” Bai Chunian said, hands in his pockets. “Even if someone vanished, there should still be fingerprints.”
From a distance, Eris shouted, “Hey, Nickes, come look at this. I know this thing.”
They followed his voice. Eris pointed at the entrance of the testing area.
The entrance was double-layered. One door had to open first; after entering and closing it, the second door would open. The space between the two doors could only fit two people standing front to back.
The electronic lock light on the door was actually on.
To prevent accidents during power outages, the testing zone had an independent power system. When the main power failed, backup power would immediately take over. That backup used tidal and wind energy, ensuring stable operation during maintenance.
Lan Bo glanced at the door and looked down at his nails boredly.
“I’ve done the first test on experimental subjects before,” he said.
Both Lan Bo and Eris had been in the institute’s headquarters and were more familiar with the testing chamber.
The purpose of the testing chamber was to eliminate defective experimental subjects and assign surviving ones hierarchical grades for pricing and sale.
The first test was the simplest: color-vision screening for red-green differentiation.
Lan Bo said, “A lift comes up. One person steps in for red light, two for green. If you get it wrong, you’re destroyed on the spot. The door leads to a cremation furnace.”
Eris laughed loudly as he recounted his past.
“I could distinguish red and green, of course. But I deliberately stepped wrong. The floor panel opened and I dropped in. Flames shot up. They thought I was burned to ashes and pulled open the furnace drawer—then I jumped out and shoved them all inside. I turned on the fire. Hahaha… it would’ve been better if the furnace door was transparent, I’d have loved to see them begging inside.”
Lan Bo frowned and turned his head away. He had been afraid of fire back then, so he never dared to step wrong.
From their descriptions, Bai Chunian understood the rule.
When the arriving lift was lit red, only one active target was allowed inside. When it was green, only two active targets were allowed. Incorrect numbers—or an empty lift—would be treated as an error and trigger destruction.
According to the map, without an ID card and without using elevators, the only viable path was through the testing zone.
“Who goes first?” Bai Chunian asked.
Then he gently grabbed Lan Bo’s hand. “It’s fine. I’ll hold you. You won’t get burned.”
Eris glanced at them and scoffed. “I’ll go first. What’s there to be scared of?”
He casually fiddled with the electronic lock, opened the first door, and walked in. The Puppet Master frowned slightly but followed.
The lock sealed automatically.
They waited for the lift.
It was actually an elevator platform. Inside was a sliding steel gate with intersecting mesh, allowing them to see the interior.
The dark lift arrived and suddenly lit up red.
With a grinding sound, the gate slowly opened.
“See? It’s simple. This lift takes us to the combat testing area,” Eris said, stepping into the red-lit lift and making a face at them. He pulled a long lever, and the lift began to rise.
They watched through the glass.
Eris ascended.
A second dark lift arrived in a jerky motion.
It stopped in front of the Puppet Master.
Suddenly, the red light turned on.
Inside was a dried-out experimental subject—sunken eyes, hollow sockets. It lunged forward.
Bai Chunian instinctively stepped back.
But the Puppet Master remained unmoved. He raised a hand and gently placed it over the creature’s empty eye socket, almost compassionately.
The sliding door moved, crushing the creature into pieces.
The Puppet Master stepped into the lift and sighed, rising upward.
After they left, Bai Chunian and Lan Bo entered the chamber. The door sealed. The lift began to rise.
“Are you scared?” Bai Chunian asked.
Lan Bo clung to his back, arms around his neck, laughing softly into his ear. “I’d like to say I’m scared so you’d comfort me…”
The lift arrived in front of them. Green light.
Inside, a thin, half-dead experimental subject was trapped.
Green meant two people could enter.
Lan Bo crawled inside, stood beside the creature, and examined it.
“You’ve reached the end of your life,” he said calmly. “When I go up, I’ll give you a clean end.”
He rode the lift upward.
Bai Chunian waited for the next one, watching the darkness.
A new lift arrived, grinding in place.
He waited silently.
Only this was the most reasonable hypothesis.
The Puppeteer also searched for clues. He approached an operation console with a knocked-over cup, then took out a small plastic bag from his pocket. He lightly sprinkled magnetic powder over the console buttons, then switched his flashlight to ultraviolet mode and scanned it.
Bai Chunian leaned over: “No fingerprints?”
The Puppeteer nodded slightly: “There are no fingerprints on any of these consoles. It’s as if no one ever existed here.”
“Damn, that’s creepy.” Bai Chunian put his hands in his pockets. “Even if people vanish, there should still be fingerprints.”
Eris called out to them: “Hey, Nix, come look. I recognize this thing.”
They walked over. Eris pointed at the entrance to the inspection area. The entrance was double-layered: one door had to be opened, you walk in, close it, and only then would the second door open. The space between the two doors could at most fit two people standing front to back.
The electronic lock indicator on the door was actually lit.
To prevent accidents during sudden power outages that might endanger ongoing test subjects, the inspection zone had an independent power system. When the main power failed, backup power would immediately take over. The backup system used tidal and wind energy, ensuring stable supply during maintenance.
Lan Bo glanced at the door and lazily looked at his fingernails: “The first experiment test, I did it before.”
Lan Bo and Eris had both stayed at the research institute headquarters before, so they were more familiar with the inspection room.
The purpose of the inspection room was to eliminate defective experimental subjects, then rank the remaining ones layer by layer for pricing and sale.
The first test was the simplest: color blindness screening for red and green.
Lan Bo said: “There will be an elevator coming up. One person goes in on red light, two people go in on green light. If you go in wrong, you are immediately destroyed. Inside the door is a cremation furnace.”
Eris eagerly described his past experience: “Of course I could tell red from green. But I deliberately went in wrong. The floor beneath me opened, I fell in, flames sprayed out. They thought I was burned to ashes, so they pulled open the furnace drawer—and I jumped out and stuffed them all inside. Then I turned it on. Hahaha, it would’ve been better if the furnace door was transparent, then I could’ve watched them begging me inside.”
Lan Bo frowned and looked away. He was very afraid of fire, so back then he did not dare to step in wrongly.
After hearing their descriptions, Bai Chunian understood the rules. The red-green test meant: when the arriving elevator showed a red light, only one active target was allowed inside. When it showed a green light, only two active targets were allowed inside. Wrong number, or an empty cabin, would all be detected as incorrect and trigger destruction.
According to the map, if there was no ID card and they did not take the elevator, then only passing through the inspection zone was possible.
“Let’s go. Who goes first?” Bai Chunian asked, then lightly grabbed Lan Bo’s hand. “It’s fine, I’ll hold you. It won’t burn you.”
Eris looked at them and clicked his tongue: “I’ll go first. What’s there to be afraid of?”
He casually fiddled with the electronic lock, opened the first door, and walked in. The Puppeteer frowned slightly, clearly disapproving of Eris’s careless attitude, and followed him in.
The electronic lock sealed automatically. They began waiting for the elevator.
It was actually a lift. The inner door was a sliding steel gate with a track, and through the lattice you could see inside.
The dark lift arrived and suddenly lit up red.
The long-unused steel gate creaked and slowly slid open.
“See? It’s that simple. The lift will send us to the combat test area.” Eris jumped into the blood-red lift and made a face at them outside, pulling a lever-like switch. The lift slowly carried him upward.
Bai Chunian and the others watched through the glass. It really seemed simple.
Eris rose slowly. A second dark lift also began to rise, stopping in front of the Puppeteer.
Suddenly, the red light lit up, illuminating the interior. A dried-out experimental subject with hollow eye sockets suddenly rushed out. Its thin arms clawed through the gap in the sliding door, screaming as it lunged at the Puppeteer.
It was as thin as if it had not eaten for days.
Bai Chunian stepped back in shock. The Puppeteer remained unmoved, one hand in his pocket, quietly raising his right hand and placing it with pity over the creature’s empty eye sockets.
The steel sliding door ruthlessly slid open automatically, cutting the dried experimental subject into pieces.
The Puppeteer stepped into the lift and sighed softly, slowly rising.
After they all entered, Bai Chunian brought Lan Bo into the double doors. The lock sealed, and the lift began to ascend.
Bai Chunian squeezed Lan Bo’s hand: “Are you scared?”
Lan Bo hung from behind Bai Chunian, arms around his neck, laughing in his ear: “Even though I really want to say I’m scared so you’ll comfort me…”
The lift arrived in front of them, suddenly lighting up green.
However, in the lever mechanism, a withered experimental subject was stuck inside. Hair covering its face like a ghost from a well, it was half-dead, groaning in pain.
The rule required that when the green light was on, only two people could enter, and only two active targets. The stuck experimental subject counted as one, so only one more person could enter.
After the steel door opened, Lan Bo crawled in, standing carelessly beside the dying experimental subject and checking its condition.
“Your life is already at its end. After I go up, I’ll help you end it quickly,” Lan Bo said.
Lan Bo also rode the lift upward.
Bai Chunian waited for the next lift. Red light would be best; if it was green and empty, he might be able to climb up quickly from above with his feline agility.
The dark lift arrived with a creak. Bai Chunian waited in silence.
Green light suddenly lit up. At the same time, a dried-out experimental subject inside suddenly leapt up, screaming at him. Its face was only thin skin over a skull, lips cracked and shriveled.
Bai Chunian wiped his face.
He walked in and hugged the roaring dried corpse, standing there with an annoyed expression.
“Bro, sorry. This elevator needs two people.”
——
The lift arrived. Bai Chunian stepped out and casually snapped the dried corpse’s neck.
He looked up. As Eris said, the wall was engraved with raised words: “Combat Test.”
However, only the Puppeteer was waiting there.
Bai Chunian froze: “Where are they?”
The Puppeteer shook his head.
Bai Chunian pressed his communicator: “Wife, wife, did you come up?”
“I’m up,” Lan Bo replied.
Bai Chunian sighed in relief: “Where are you?”
Lan Bo looked up at the raised words “Intelligence Test” on the wall and carefully read: “Ri-li-mu-bei.”
Eris was right beside him, tugging at his suspenders and wandering around, muttering: “Ah… this, I’ve never been here before.”