Chapter 46: A Glimpse into Horror

Beyond the massive door lay a landscape starkly different from the room they had just exited. If one were to describe it, the previous room was akin to a slaughterhouse, while this outer area resembled a breeding ground.

Of course, the reality was far more gruesome than that, for the things being “nurtured” were submerged in a translucent green liquid and stored in massive vats, much like a biological laboratory often depicted in science fiction.

The contents of these vats included no shortage of various animals, exotic beasts, and even human limbs. Some were clearly deceased, while others still retained faint signs of life.

No, this was unequivocally a laboratory, and one utterly devoid of humanity.

“…Experiment Code: Chimera…”

Bai Li picked up the files from a nearby table and began to read.

The experiment code emblazoned on the first page of the document immediately revealed its nature: it was nothing more than an attempt to fuse the limbs, and even deeper genetic material, of different organisms to create monsters endowed with the characteristics of various creatures.

And this, chillingly, was merely the tip of the iceberg.

“The experimental subjects even include living humans and exotic beasts. They truly dared to do this.”

It wouldn’t be particularly concerning if they were already deceased and legally acquired, as human scientists had done their fair share of similar things in the past.

Since the great war between humans and exotic beasts, ethical considerations had long since shifted. As long as conditions were met—such as being reasonable, legal, sufficiently safe and supervised, and approved by multiple parties, including the subjects willing to participate—then even more extreme experiments were permissible. After all, if humanity didn’t harden its resolve, it truly risked defeat.

Naturally, there were still many who advocated for the protection of animals, the environment, and the deceased. Thus, all experimental content was fully transparent and under constant supervision, ensuring the utmost respect for the experimental subjects.

As for those who still opposed, even under such conditions, most had vanished during the war.

However, experiments of this nature had significantly decreased by now, and numerous supporting facilities had been established to guarantee the safety and lives of experimental subjects. Therefore, what they were witnessing now were undoubtedly illegal experiments.

One could only imagine the countless torments endured by those treated as test subjects.

Lin Xi gently touched a cultivation vat, muttering to the lives, both departed and still clinging on, within them.

“You just have to bear with it a little longer. It will be over soon.”

Though they wished to liberate them immediately, these experiments were far beyond the realm of normal experimentation. Reckless action could lead to even more severe repercussions, so it would be best to leave it to professional personnel.

All they could do was hasten the end of the battle, ensuring these unfortunate beings found liberation sooner rather than later.

“Xi Xi.”

Just then, Bai Li called out to Lin Xi.

“What is it?”

“There are traces of Qing Lan here.”

Compared to Lin Xi’s [Sensory Manipulation Magic], Bai Li’s perception ability, while not as potent, was of the passive, always-active type, allowing her to search without expending extra magical energy for enhancement. Given the presence of a barrier nearby that seemed capable of hindering detection, Bai Li was primarily responsible for detection at the moment.

After her thorough inspection, she astonishingly discovered residual anomalous energy traces left by Qing Lan.

“She likely anticipated potential danger, so she left a clue before losing consciousness. Following the wavelength of this anomalous energy should lead us to her.”

Hearing this, Lin Xi immediately perked up.

“Let me take this one; I can’t let you do everything, Xiao Bai.”

“Then it’s in your hands.”

Bai Li stepped aside, allowing Lin Xi to activate her innate ability.

Compared to other common magical abilities, the innate ability of [Sensory Manipulation Magic] was both more effective and more efficient. This was why Lin Xi could effortlessly achieve feats like a Transparent World (TL Note: A state of heightened perception, often allowing one to see through objects or perceive things beyond normal human senses) or even manipulating the senses of others.

With her enhanced perception, the anomalous energy, invisible to the naked eye, began to manifest, appearing to her as something akin to color, yet fundamentally different. To put it into words, it was like the world as seen through the eyes of a butterfly or a mantis shrimp, creatures possessing more than three types of color-sensing cone cells, a spectrum incomprehensible to humans.

Thanks to this, she could even discern color variations that no display screen could render.

“…This way!”

Comparing it to the anomalous energy traces Bai Li had collected, Lin Xi quickly located an identical source of anomalous energy. The signal was extremely faint and muddled with considerable noise, suggesting that Qing Lan was currently very weak.

Disregarding everything else, Lin Xi immediately dashed in the direction of the source, with Bai Li following close behind.

****

However, things were not destined to be so straightforward.

“…Roar! Roar! Roar!!”

After they had passed through several rooms, a group of synthetic monsters suddenly burst forth, lunging directly at them.

“Annoying.”

Bai Li reacted instantly, kicking the monster closest to Lin Xi clean away.

“Xi Xi, leave this place to me for now. Go rescue Senior Qing Lan.”

“Understood, Xiao Bai, you be careful too!”

“Don’t worry.”

After quickly outlining their division of labor, Bai Li positioned herself behind Lin Xi, intercepting all the monsters.

Thanks to Bai Li covering their retreat, Lin Xi reached Qing Lan’s confinement almost unimpeded.

“This is the place.”

Facing the formidable door, Lin Xi didn’t hesitate. She manifested a shotgun loaded with high-penetration magical slugs and fired several consecutive shots at the lock mechanism.

The magically propelled and enhanced slugs even pierced the heavy metal door, which Bai Li had effortlessly torn open earlier, leaving glowing red bullet holes on the various locking mechanisms between the door and the wall, before Lin Xi forcibly shoved the door open.

Just as Bai Li’s magical power, though not as potent as Lin Xi’s, remained functional, the same applied to Lin Xi; her magical enhancements were passable enough. At the very least, pushing open this door posed no issue.

“Senior!”

The moment Lin Xi pushed the door open, she shouted. Inside, the person slowly raised their head.

“That voice… is that Lin Xi?”

Upon seeing Lin Xi, Qing Lan gradually regained her senses.

Although her anomalous energy was almost depleted and she was bound by some kind of spell, she surprisingly bore few injuries. At least, she wasn’t in any immediate danger.

“Senior, it’s so good to see you’re alright.”

“Uh…”

“What’s wrong?”

“…Could you, perhaps, not look at me for a moment? I’d rather not be seen in such a sorry state…”

While Qing Lan was immensely grateful for Lin Xi’s rescue, appearing in such a state before a junior was, to some extent, quite embarrassing for her.

Hearing this reply, Lin Xi’s expression, initially filled with worry, morphed into one of speechlessness.

“…Since Senior still has the leisure for such sentiments, it seems treatment isn’t necessary after all.”

“Hey, I was just kidding! I definitely need replenishment, come back here!”