CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46 TEST_1

The mentors who came to help soon left with Zhou Bingquan.

Wang Zhan and his two companions had originally intended to follow. However, Wang Zhan knew that if they returned to the Academy, they would likely never be allowed out again, so he was naturally unwilling to leave with the mentors.

Fortunately, the trio’s injuries were not severe. With the physique of a Martial Artist, they might recover almost completely overnight. Thus, the mentors did not insist on them returning to the Academy.

After the mentors departed, the three of them discussed their plans and decided to return to the cave to recuperate for the night.

「At the same time, in a secret jungle on the outskirts of the wilderness.」

This place was nearly 100 kilometers from Base City, almost beyond its sphere of control. In the depths of the jungle stood an unremarkable house. This house was more than it seemed. From the outside, it appeared to be a simple bungalow, but it was actually the entrance to the underground base of the Original Organization.

Not far from the clearing, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed through the tranquil jungle. Soon, men in black appeared, carrying the corpse of a Four-arm Giant Ape. They opened the front door of the house, passed the guards, and took the elevator down. Soon, the elevator brought the men in black and the corpse of the Four-arm Giant Ape to the seventh floor underground.

The seventh floor underground was brightly lit. Its area wasn’t particularly large and was constructed with metal frames, giving it a rather cold appearance. In the deepest part of the seventh floor was a closed laboratory, with a sign on its door prohibiting entry.

Soon, someone approached to greet the man in black. This was a worker dressed in a white coat. He nodded to the man in black, then looked at the corpse of the Four-arm Giant Ape.

"Is the beast core still there?"

"Of course."

The worker nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Bring it into the lab. You’ve done a great job this time."

Upon hearing this, a look of joy spread across the man in black’s face. After bowing in thanks, he dragged the massive corpse of the Four-arm Giant Ape to the laboratory entrance.

"Lord Yuan Shisan, the mission is complete." The man in black knelt on one knee, bowing his head deeply.

In the lab, a figure looked at the man in black outside through the glass. After he gave a slight nod, research personnel soon opened the laboratory door.

"Not bad. The corpse has been well preserved. We should be able to extract many complete gene segments from the Four-arm Giant Ape," Yuan Shisan, addressed as ’Lord’, said, a hint of joy in his voice.

"You may leave. There will be a reward for you."

"Thank you, Lord!" Not daring to say more, the man in black gave his thanks and respectfully withdrew.

After the man in black departed, Yuan Shisan stood at the laboratory entrance. He casually raised his right hand and made a grasping motion in the void; the enormous, heavy corpse of the Four-arm Giant Ape instantly appeared before him. He dragged the Four-arm Giant Ape by its head, moving the entire corpse into the laboratory.

"How long will it take to extract the gene segments of the Four-arm Giant Ape, including the racial Talent hidden in the beast core?" Yuan Shisan asked.

"Lord, this procedure is already quite mature. Half an hour should be sufficient."

"Good. Get started."

The research personnel quickly dismembered the Four-arm Giant Ape. Yuan Shisan, however, paid no attention to this, his gaze fixed on the only experiment table in the laboratory.

A young female Martial Artist was tightly secured to the experiment table. Despair filled her eyes, but she no longer struggled, clearly having realized the futility of escape.

Yuan Shisan walked over to the experiment table and looked at the other man next to him.

"Qian... Qian Gui, is it? What’s this girl’s name?"

"Her name is Yao Yao, Lord," Qian Gui replied, bowing and nodding obsequiously.

Yuan Shisan nodded and looked at Yao Yao. "Young lady, you should feel honored to be our Test Subject Number One."

Yao Yao’s pupils contracted sharply, then quickly returned to normal.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"You don’t need to know. You only need to accept the experiment," Yuan Shisan chuckled. "No researcher explains the principles to test subjects. Throughout this process, we each simply need to perform our designated roles."

Yao Yao didn’t speak again, knowing that any struggle or resistance would be futile. At this moment, she finally realized that her recruitment into the Martial Arts School and the use of their supposedly harmless Gene Liquid had all been a deception. It wasn’t just a scam; it was a cruel human experiment! And she had become a test subject!

Half an hour later, a researcher came over with a test tube.

"Lord, it’s done."

"Inject it," Yuan Shisan nodded.

The liquid in the test tube was soon injected into Yao Yao’s body. Just a few seconds later, her previously calm expression contorted, her eyes bulging as if they would pop from their sockets! Her body began to tremble violently. On her exposed skin, subcutaneous veins bulged, and the flow of blood within them was visible to the naked eye.

Muffled, guttural sounds escaped Yao Yao’s throat. Everyone present could see her agony, yet not a single person so much as frowned.

"Can she withstand it?" Yuan Shisan asked. "She is the last hope for our current plan. If she fails too, the Organization will have to expend considerable effort once more."

"We don’t know," a researcher replied. "However, she reached the level of a Level 4 Martial Artist using only Level 3 Gene Liquid. Clearly, she possesses some Talent we don’t understand. With this Level 7 Gene Liquid... she has at least a sixty percent chance of enduring it."

"And if she fails? Will she die instantly, like the previous test subjects?"

"Absolutely. It’s like injecting Type B blood into a person with Type A blood; death is inevitable."

Yuan Shisan slightly shook his head and did not ask any more questions.

Time ticked by, second by second. On the experiment table, Yao Yao’s body continued to tremble violently. Sweat had drenched her clothes, and her eyes were thoroughly bloodshot.

Finally, after perhaps another three minutes, Yao Yao’s condition stabilized. Her skin began to recover, quickly returning to normal. The bloodshot redness in her eyes also subsided. Now, she was only panting heavily; the intense pain had subsided.

"Success!" a researcher exclaimed joyfully. "She withstood it! This girl truly possesses some unknown Talent; she actually managed to integrate the genes of a Level 7 beast!"

"Release her," Yuan Shisan commanded.

Yao Yao was quickly released from the experiment table. She stood silently, feeling the surging power within her.

"Give her a few days to adapt. Her strength will quickly rise to the level of a Level 7 Martial Artist," the researcher said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Qian Gui’s eyes lit up.

"Lord, she’s one of the people from our Martial Arts School. You see..." Qian Gui said, rubbing his fingers together, clearly angling for a reward.

Yuan Shisan glanced at Qian Gui, lamenting the man’s sheer stupidity. To think he still believes he can leave here alive after witnessing such an experiment.

"Don’t worry, the benefits we promised you won’t be diminished in the slightest. However, I’m afraid you’ll have to enjoy them... down below."

Qian Gui froze, not immediately understanding.

Yuan Shisan then turned to Yao Yao. "You must hate him a great deal, don’t you? Kill him, and you will become a comrade of our Original Organization."

Yao Yao acted without hesitation. She strode towards Qian Gui and, meeting his terrified gaze, ruthlessly snapped his neck.

"Very good. That’s how a Martial Artist should act." Yuan Shisan nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "From this day forward, you are no longer Yao Yao. You are Yuan Shijiu of the Original Organization."

Yao Yao remained expressionless, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.

Yuan Shisan, however, just smiled and said, "A codename in the top twenty isn’t easy to come by. I hope you quickly attain the strength befitting your new designation. That is what all of us wish to see."

Yao Yao’s only response was silence.

「Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by since Wang Zhan and his companions had encountered the man in black.」

During these three days, the coordination between Wang Zhan, Huang Pufeng, and Song Dongming had become increasingly seamless, and they had also grown adept at dealing with high-level beasts. Their range of activity continually expanded. With the cave as their center, it had become difficult to find any beasts above Level 6 within a five-kilometer radius.

At the border between the Valley Plain and the mountain valley, Wang Zhan’s group was engaged in a fierce battle with a colossal insect. Within a few short minutes, under the trio’s combined assault, the hideous insect was already on its last breath.

"Let me finish it!" Wang Zhan shouted, leaping atop the insect and plunging his dagger down forcefully.

SQUELCH!

’Strength+2’

Hearing the prompt, Wang Zhan grinned contentedly.

After three days of high-intensity battles and killing over a dozen beasts above Level 6, his attribute points had finally reached their maximum.

Host: Wang Zhan

Strength: 850

Agility: 850

Physique: 850

Charm: 30

Wisdom: 17

Next, I need to break through to Level 5 Martial Artist. The wilderness truly is the best place to level up, Wang Zhan thought.

Meanwhile, Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming walked over, expressions of slight dissatisfaction on their faces.

"You killed it again! I swear, are you some kind of battle maniac? Why do you get so excited killing beasts?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. You two have killed plenty of beasts these past few days as well, haven’t you?" Wang Zhan retorted.

Song Dongming said sarcastically, "Sure, you hog all the fun ones, killing all the beasts above Level 6. Then you can’t be bothered with the Level 4 or 5 ones, leaving them for me and Huang Pufeng."

"Ahem, it’s just an efficient division of labor, that’s all. My physique is stronger, so it’s only natural for me to be at the forefront, right?" Wang Zhan said with an embarrassed chuckle.

After skillfully extracting the beast core, Wang Zhan noticed it was getting late. However, the trio decided not to head back to the cave just yet.

"The three of us should be able to take on a Level 7 beast head-on now. Let’s venture deeper," Huang Pufeng proposed. "There are no high-level beasts left in this vicinity. It’s pointless to stay here any longer."

"Um, can we wait until tomorrow?" Wang Zhan interjected. "I think I’m about to break through again."