C88 — [4.1 – The Asylum]

“The Shelter” was a soft sci-fi that focused on the undercurrents of a tattered human society in the wake of a catastrophe.

One day in the last century, there were many incidents of monsters hurting people all over the world, and it got worse and worse until it finally became a catastrophe.

Luckily, mankind was able to remedy the situation by killing all the monsters.

Those who couldn’t be k*illed were sheltered, and only then was the disaster quelled.

However, after the disaster, human society became lifeless, and the shadow of death hung over the whole society.

Originally, this shadow could have faded with time.

But gradually, after the monsters were brought under control, all kinds of monsters appeared all over the world, and they were getting closer and closer to human form.

Some people even speculate that these monsters were simply mutated human beings, that it was all a conspiracy by the upper classes, and that in fact there were no monsters at all.

There were only human beings who had been forcibly transformed.

As public opinion shifted, a rebel force gradually emerged in an already socially tense society, preventing the army from continuing to hunt and k*ill monsters.

They claimed that the monsters no longer k*illed; they just wanted to live.
Humans should also learn to forgive.

The main character, Duan An, was a member of the rebel force, and he worked hard to uncover the truth behind the monsters.
Eventually, he succeeded in exposing the truth that the monsters that appeared in the later period were all genetically modified.

The object of punishment was Xi Han, an evil scientist whom the hero meets during his attempt to research the truth by infiltrating an underground base.

Xi Han was a radical human supremacist who abhorred all monsters.

He was paranoid and refused to acknowledge the reality that all monsters were humans.

In order to better investigate, the hero had to pretend to be a researcher to get close to Xi Han and gradually gain Xi Han’s approval.

Even in the end, Xi Han fell in love with the hero.

The hero also used Xi Han’s affection for him to obtain a lot of research information and eventually release many innocent monsters into the base.

At the end of the story, Xi Han died in a chaotic explosion at the base.

[And you in this world are the most loathed monster to the object of punishment.]

The system’s voice carried a sense of gloating.

Jiu Shu didn’t reply; he just continued to look at the system panel thoughtfully.

He casually banned the system.

This was a base located underground.

The cold light from the ceiling illuminated the interior corridors of the base, as well as the test areas where the doors were closed.

There were no windows to let people see the outside world.

Only the self-circulating air-conditioning system in the ceiling vents provided a constant supply of breathable oxygen.

Tick-tock-tick-tock-
Inside the corridor, Xi Han looked down at the hands of the watch on his wrist.

It was already close to noon.

After spending so much time in this base, the concept of time could easily become blurred.

The practice of the other fellows was to use electronic devices to remind them.

Xi Han, on the other hand, preferred watches, a product of the last century that had long been eliminated.

Every time he heard the sound of the hands ticking, it would give him a genuine feeling of time constantly passing.

“It seems that another shelter has been delivered from above recently.”
“The previous ones haven’t been properly placed yet; it seems that things aren’t too optimistic out there lately.”

In the corridor, the hurried researchers didn’t notice Xi Han, who wasn’t far away, they just whispered about the latest news.

As researchers who hadn’t left the base for half a year in a row and were going crazy, even the occasional news would make people talk for a long time.

Even if this was just a new containment message that they had long been accustomed to.

What they were currently in was the nation’s largest underground experimental base, number three.

Due to the fact that the initial construction was designed with plenty of space, shelters that couldn’t be accommodated at other bases were often transported here.
Of course, their base’s main source of shelter was still the dangerous organisms sent in after the constant suppression by outside forces.

“It feels like the evolutionary level of these monsters has been rising in recent years.”

Someone sighed.
In previous years, they were so busy that they couldn’t even return home and had to stay here all day long.

It could only mean that the evolutionary level of the monsters was rising, to the point that humans could only be tired of constantly sheltering these monsters that couldn’t be easily killed.

“Who says otherwise?” The other researchers followed suit and sighed.

Just as several people were discussing, someone out of the corner of their eyes finally caught a glimpse of Xi Han walking nearby and instantly turned pale and coughed.

They then stopped their discussion, nodded their heads, and saluted Xi Han with serious expressions, “Good day, Dr. Xi.”

There was a clear hierarchy within this base, and lower-level researchers were expected to greet in order to show their respect when they saw a higher-level supervisor.

Especially since Xi Han was a senior researcher who had been there when the base was first established.

“Well, hello guys.”
Xi Han raised his eyes and looked at these researchers; his voice was gentle. “Don’t be too nervous; continue to go about your work; I’m just bringing the newcomer to familiarize him with the environment.”

Saying that, Xi Han nodded at them before continuing to walk forward.

He was being followed by a new researcher, Duan An.

Only after he left did the researchers breathe a sigh of relief.

Although Xi Han’s character wasn’t too ferocious against the other doctors in the base, his whole body had an aura that couldn’t help but make people nervous.

Xi Han didn’t pay attention to everything behind him.
His eyes under his gold-rimmed glasses emitted a faint amber glow, and he would always look cold when he lowered his eyes.

It was good that he habitually wore a smile, which only made this slightly cold and handsome face a lot warmer.

But smiling too much would inevitably make people feel that there was something false.

It was as if there was something hidden under the smile that people didn’t want to pry into.

“Go inside and familiarize yourself with your future work.”

Xi Han led the new researcher behind him to a laboratory.

He skillfully changed into sterile gloves and picked up a scalpel that was placed next to the operating table.

“These are what you’ll be doing from now on.”

Xi Han’s hand was steady, without a single wobble, and with precise descent, he cut open the body of a humanoid monster on the operating table.

“All that’s needed is to extract the Sag substance from their bodies.”

“This substance can help humans better house them.”

Xi Han’s tone was calm, as if what he was cutting wasn’t a humanoid-type body similar to his own.

New researcher Duan An’s gaze swept over some of the monsters imprisoned in the cultivation vessels behind Xi Han for a moment before controlling his gaze.

“Understood.”

Duan An replied in a slightly formal manner.

Xi Han glanced at him.

This new researcher was said to be a rather talented genius, having broken the rules and been admitted to the Third Experimental Base after only less than a year in the university’s research institute.

Xi Han hoped that he really did have some skills.

“But Doctor, don’t you sometimes find it strange?”

“They look very much like humans.”

Duan An still couldn’t hold back, his gaze falling on the experimental body under Xi Han.
Human-like torsos and limbs, only the head area was faceless.

“What are you trying to say?”

Xi Han’s voice was calm, but the movement of his hands didn’t stop. He was precisely using a syringe to extract a tube of blo*od mixed with a special substance.

“I mean, is it possible for them to be human-turned?”
When the words fell, Xi Han’s movements stopped.

He raised his head and looked at Duan An at his side.
The eyes behind the lenses flickered with a still amber-colored light, but inexplicably gave people an eerie feeling that they didn’t dare to look directly at them.

 

Duan An’s movements stiffened up a little, and he realized that he had said too much.

“……”

In the middle, Xi Han suddenly laughed, and the stagnant atmosphere in the lab eased a bit.

“You have an interesting idea, much like that group of rabble-rousers in society these days.”

“I’ve heard that they’ve been making a lot of noise about disbanding the underground base lately, and that they’re talking about infiltrating the base and blowing up the lab; you wouldn’t be one of them, would you?”

Xi Han slowly took off his gloves and spoke in a calm tone, but it caused Duan An’s pupils to shrink for a moment.

“Of course not; I’ve just been doing more experiments lately, and I can’t help but have this association.”

Duan An’s response was in a calm tone, and his expression became much calmer.

It seemed as if everything Xi Han had said was him overthinking it.

“Is that so?”

The eyeballs under Xi Han’s glasses looked at Duan An and then retracted, “That’s best; the thoughts of those fools are really laughable, actually sympathizing with some monsters that would kill them.”

“One can only say that their brains might not be fully developed yet.” Xi Han’s words were very disdainful.

It was a bit out of place with his gentle and elegant appearance.

“These monsters are just monsters, and for the sake of all mankind, all we can do is dissect them and break them down until we finally get the power that can develop mankind itself.”

“And not something to unleash the monsters.”

“No matter how much the monsters look like humans?” Duan An’s voice was a little hesitant.

Xi Han’s eyes turned cold.

“Do you think I haven’t dissected monsters that look like humans on the outside? No matter how much they resemble each other, on the inside are the monster’s internal organs, and just by looking at them, one would feel disgusted.”

Xi Han threw the gloves into the rubbish bin. Duan An’s thoughts were ridiculous.

Humans versus monsters was simply a matter of choice that didn’t require a brain to make.

Monsters deserve to be destroyed.
In this world, only humans matter.

“I understand.” Duan An lowered his head, no longer refuting anything.

He knew that he couldn’t convince this terrifying man in front of him.

If he had thought that this man might be a person he could communicate with before, he had already recognized reality after seeing the images of him brutally dissecting monsters.

He was a paranoid human supremacist.

“Let your seniors help you with the rest of the work; I have something else to do, so I’ll go first.”

 

Xi Han was already disappointed in this guy, who claimed to be talented.

He had no interest in teaching his junior and pointed to Duan An and the several researchers who had been watching from the sidelines before turning around and leaving the lab.

As a researcher who had witnessed the scenes of the plague back then, Xi Han had a deep hatred for monsters and simply couldn’t understand what this young man was thinking now.

He instinctively felt that this young man was unreliable, but he wasn’t interested in digging deeper; for him, it wasn’t as interesting as doing a few more experiments.

He liked the feeling of the monsters letting out shrill screams and their chest muscles twitching and tightening as he dissected their bodies.

That gave him great pleasure.

“Dr. Xi, want to go check out the new intake?”

A researcher who hurriedly chased after him fawned and suggested it to Xi Han.

“I’ll go take a look.”

Xi Han’s eyes under his glasses became gentle again as he walked towards the place where the shelter was being held.

As he walked, he checked the information on the shelter this time.

In fact, not all of the interned objects would be dissected; for some of the interned objects that still had research value, the base would properly preserve them until the last drop of research value was finally squeezed out of them.

Then came the process of dissection.

Now, if this new arrival had no value for continuous research, it would probably be dissected after three months.

Xi Han was also interested in the research process.

Especially recently, the monsters were evolving faster and faster, from the initial simple physical mutation to the later possession of psychic abilities.

They now had all sorts of strange abilities that caught humans off guard.

Every shelter that wasn’t k*illed on the spot by the army was valuable to study.

“Is the shelter this time in humanoid form?” Xi Han looked at the information on the profile and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Doctor, and it’s said to be a high danger level, an A-rank danger level that can cause wide-ranging effects, and it’s currently unknown if it has any other abilities.”

“Quite interesting.” Xi Han looked at the information written on the data about the suspected ability to charm people and revealed a slight smile.

He was already looking forward to the screams it would make when he dissected it.

 

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TN:

I’m soooo excited for this arc 🥳