Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 760 Flame Demon Experiment

Xia Xiu stood in the core area of ​​the laboratory, staring calmly at the display screen in front of him.

With [Adam]'s assistance, the data stream unfolding line by line on the instrument was quickly loaded, and the light of the screen shone in his golden pupils, reflecting a cold luster.

[Loading completed——]

[The Flame Demon Project is underway——]

[Loading completed——]

As the data unfolded, a massive document appeared on the screen, detailing the characteristics of the anomaly known as "Balrog".

Xia Xiu put his hands in his windbreaker pockets, leaned forward slightly, and read the information carefully.

[The Flame Demon Project is underway——]

[Axis Abnormality I: Flame Demon {Contraction-}]

[Axis Abnormal Characteristics: The Fire Demon is suspected to be a conscious creature composed of flames created by the "Holy Spark".

(Note: The information provided by Mr. Marshall of MC&D Company pointed out that Sparks always like to leave messages on their creations or where they have been, but neither this anomaly nor the other one has any Spark messages, so it is doubtful whether it is a Spark creation.)
The exact composition of the Balrog has not yet been determined, but it is known that its core structure is invisible and cannot be detected by any known means, and can only be revealed through its external flames. 】

【Main features:
I. Morphological changes:
In its most basic form, a Balrog is just a small flame, similar to a lit match.

As it acquires more fuel, it grows in size and intelligence, eventually taking on a humanoid form made of flames.

II. Intelligence Enhancement:

The intelligence of a Balrog is proportional to its size and the amount of fuel it has.

When it reaches a certain size, it will exhibit complex behaviors, such as using flames to burn words on walls to communicate, or using high-temperature, high-pressure air and flame explosions to "speak."

III. Self-Replication:

When the size and fuel amount of the Fire Demon reaches a certain unknown threshold, it will split into two new individuals. If there is enough fuel, it can "split" again after it becomes larger, creating more fire monsters, and eventually forming a group of fire monster legions.

However, these individuals are hostile to each other and often attempt to eliminate each other, especially when fuel is limited.

IV. Behavioral characteristics:

The main goal is to get more fuel to continue to grow.

As its size grows, its intelligence also increases, showing the ability to learn and imitate. At the same time, it is insatiable for fuel - "it wants to burn everything and dares to burn everything." 】

[Axis Anomaly II: Eternal Magic Candle/Eternal Fire {Contract-}]

[Axis Anomalous Properties: A 157mm tall white candle, apparently made of standard tallow.

It has a diameter of 33 mm, a conical top and a wick length of 7 mm. In a non-oxygen-free environment, the wick will continue to burn, producing a stable flame approximately 24 mm high. The flame can be temporarily extinguished by conventional means, such as removing oxygen, immersing in a non-flammable liquid or blowing with a strong air flow.

However, once these inhibitors are removed, the flame instantly reignites, similar to a "magic candle."

The tallow is hardly reduced during the burning process.

Even during the longest periods of uncontainment (lasting several weeks), the butter concentration and overall height did not decrease.

Furthermore, any flammable or semi-flammable material that comes into contact with the candle flame will ignite and cannot be extinguished by conventional means until it is completely consumed.

【Main features:
I. The flame that never goes out:
The flame can be extinguished by blowing on it, pouring water on it, or completely submerging it in water, but it will reignite as soon as the disturbance stops. The flame will continue to burn even in the complete absence of air (vacuum) or in extremely cold places.

II. Ever-burning Fire:

If other things (such as paper or wood) are ignited with the flame of an eternal candle, those things will also become fuel for the flame of the "eternal fire". This is another abnormal mechanism.

This flame that has left the candle will not stop until the fuel is completely burned out, no matter how much water is poured on it, how much spray it with a fire extinguisher, or even how much flame retardant material is covered on it.

Seeing this, Xia Xiu already had a bad feeling.

The candle flame could not be extinguished, and the Balrog's greed for fuel could not be satisfied.

Putting the two together is a disaster that is doomed to fail.

He reached out and gently touched the edge of the instrument, feeling the warmth of the metal surface.

He whispered to himself:

"It seems that the Kailasel family intends to use these two anomalies to create an army that cannot be extinguished."

He rubbed his temples hard, took a deep breath, and continued to focus his eyes on the content scrolling on the screen.

[MC&D Company combined the two anomalies and proposed a weaponization concept of the two anomalies in the Marshall Recovery Plan - the Flame Demon Humanoid Weaponization Experiment Concept - and combined with the think tank support provided by the Hermes Foundation, we will start the first generation of weaponization experiments -]

[Experiment code: Project Pyrokin]

[“Imprison the flames in flesh and blood, and turn destruction into a weapon.”]

Xia Xiu's brows gradually furrowed, and his expression became more and more severe.

"It's the Hermes Consortium again, and this time there's also an MC&D company... It seems they have no intention of giving up on human gene editing technology."

His eyes turned to the record of the experimental target.

【Experimental objectives】

[Combining the flame anomaly of the Flame Demon with the biological potential of the human body carrier, a weaponized humanoid individual with abnormal flame manipulation ability is developed.]

[By combining the regeneration and resistance properties of the "Eternal Fire", we try to solve the problem of the high corrosiveness of the fire demon to the carrier and the unbearable heat of the human body. ]

"Sure enough, the final result is still here..."

The fourth sword-wielder in Heaven spoke in a calm voice with an indescribable tone.

He continued to browse the information.

The following is the theoretical and technical framework:
I. Embedding the Fire Demon Core:

Use secondary anomaly anchor technology to confine the fire core of the Balrog within the body of the experimental subject, limit the spread of the fire, and prevent it from getting out of control.

II. "Eternal Fire" Regeneration Support:
The experimental subject's skin merges with the Eternal Fire regeneration parasite, providing the human body with continuous repair capabilities, allowing the skin and organs to continuously regenerate, providing a constant supply of fuel for the flames, while increasing the resistance of the organs and skin to flames.

III. Dragonborn Gene Enhancement:

Based on the genetic modification of the "dragon seed" bloodline, the experimental body is given scaly skin and internal dragon organs, which improves its resistance and high temperature tolerance, so that its fuel value can be fully utilized. 】

If Xia Xiu evaluates from the perspective of pure abnormal weaponization experiments, it can be seen that these researchers are trying to create a "perfect weapon" that can ignore physiological limits in high temperature and high pollution environments through dual modification of genes and abnormal characteristics.

And this weaponization must sacrifice something that is sometimes very important to humans, but sometimes not so important - human nature.

His eyes continued to move downwards, landing on the lab report section.

"Pain suppression..." he whispered to himself.

"Depriving the sense of pain? They even abandon the most basic self-protection mechanism of living things. It turns out that they intend to engrave 'destruction' into their genes."

【Failure Case Report 01: Pain Inhibition System Test】

[Test subject number: Test subject-Flame Fist-05]

[Background: In order to ensure that the experimental subjects can withstand the dual abnormal characteristics of the Balrog and the Eternal Fire, the project team designed a pain suppression system based on nerve blocking. This system attempts to reduce the severe pain caused by the regeneration process of the Eternal Fire, as well as the burning sensation caused by the Balrog's flame erosion. ]

[Experimental process: Subject-05 was implanted with an improved pain suppression device that works in conjunction with the regenerative ability of the Eternal Fire.

After part of the fire core of the Balrog was injected, the subject's skin began to carbonize abnormally, and the scale system regenerated rapidly but was accompanied by large-scale burning.

The pain suppression system successfully blocked the pain feedback of the experimental subject, and the experimental subject showed an extremely calm state. 】

[Results: In the early stages, the test subjects showed significant tolerance to high temperatures, but system feedback soon showed that the nerves in the body were severely damaged.

Pain suppression caused the flames of the Eternal Fire to erode out of control, and the subject was completely carbonized before his consciousness could react in time. 】

[Conclusion: Although the effect of pain suppression is significant, it makes the experimental subject unable to detect physical dangers and ultimately unable to resist the erosion of the eternal fire - this plan needs to be further optimized.]

Xia Xiu looked away from the screen. When he turned around, the three jade-like halos behind him emitted a soft but frightening light, reflecting a faint halo in the hot air of the laboratory. His eyes were cold, sweeping across the scorched walls and melted instruments in the laboratory, and finally fixed on [Experimental Subject-05] in the center.

He now understood how the other person's characteristics came about, and also understood what the strange expression on the other person's face meant.

Xia Xiu slowly approached the experimental subject, his eyes fixed on the other's face.

There, the facial features that originally belonged to humans have been squeezed by thick scales to the point where their shapes are almost unrecognizable, with only a pair of deep eye sockets vaguely visible.

The eyes were empty and lifeless, as if staring at reality, but also at nothingness. On that almost completely alienated face, Xia Xiu read a complex emotion - fear, pain, and a strange calmness that could not be described in words.

It's like a complete giving up after struggling to the limit, or like a silent prayer for death.

He stood there, silent for a moment.

The so-called Fire Demon Experiment, to put it simply, is to let the flame burn on human skin, and at the same time rely on the power of resurrection to withstand it.

Burning and resurrecting at the same time.

The cycle continues endlessly...

Then, let the experimental subject "survive".

The mad stacking of scales is a reflection of the subject's struggle.

As the flames raged, the subjects' skin was charred and peeled off, but the power of resurrection allowed it to grow back.

Once, ten times, a hundred times... Each resurrection is a continuation of the disaster, and each rebirth provides new fuel for the flames.

What a damn Son of Fire!
This does not allow humans to control the power of fire, but rather turns humans into slaves of fire, a fuel that can never be extinguished.

These test subjects are not even alive, at best they are just containers of fire, what they call "weaponized humanoids".

Xia Xiu slowly stretched out his hand and lightly touched the scaly arm of the experimental subject with his fingertips. There was a strange touch on the surface, like both stone and hot metal.

According to the report, the subject died in agony.

Even though he had endless regenerative power, the endless pain still caused his will and soul to completely collapse.

Looking at the experimental subject, Xia Xiu didn't say much.

He stretched out his hand, and his fingertips gently stroked the face of [Subject-05] that was almost covered with scales, finally stopping at the pair of empty eye sockets.

He slowly applied force with his fingers and stroked lightly, causing the scales covering the subject's eyes to break and fall off, causing the originally open eyes to close.

"rest in peace."

The low voice echoed in the silent laboratory, carrying with it a barely perceptible sigh.

Then he turned and left, his footsteps echoing in the laboratory.

The corridors of the underground laboratory are dark and narrow, with strange runes and heat dissipation patterns engraved on the walls. Even more horrific and bloody experimental reports are waiting to be revealed.

Here, Xia Xiu collected more information and saw more failed experiments.

In front of a dilapidated experimental cabin, Xia Xiu's eyes fell on the creatures inside the cabin.

It was a twisted body, with a thin layer of scales covering the surface of the skin, but the edges of these scales protruded irregularly, like rotten bark. The limbs of the experimental subject had completely atrophied, and only the chest cavity was abnormally swollen, like some kind of alienated tumor.

A line of records is displayed on the screen next to the internal file:
[Test subject number: C-12. Gene mutation caused excessive regeneration of subcutaneous tissue, which eventually led to muscle fiber rupture and nervous system imbalance, and the test subject completely lost control.]

Xia Xiu looked at it silently for a while, without staying for too long, he walked away and continued walking forward.

In the next experimental chamber, a corpse was fixed on a metal laboratory table.

Its chest cavity was completely opened, and its internal organs were completely carbonized. The remaining scales were burned black, but still emitted a hint of heat.

The screen next to it records a failure report:
[Test subject number: P-08. The attempt to seal the flame core of the Balrog failed, the flames went out of control from the body, and the test subject was burned to ashes in just 10 seconds.]

There is also a chart next to the experimental table, marked with - [Fusion experiment mortality rate - 98.68%]

Xia Xiu continued to move forward and stopped in front of a broken experimental cabin. Through the broken observation window, he saw a completely deformed metal experimental table.

There was no body on the table, but there were a lot of charred marks on the walls of the entire laboratory, like the marks left by some kind of fire conflict.

The text on the screen coldly described the final result of the experiment:
[Subject number: F-14. Attempting to integrate the Balrog with other Eternal Fire anomalies.

Result: A strong rejection reaction occurred between the flames, causing the internal high-pressure flame entities to attack each other. The explosive reaction destroyed the core area of ​​the laboratory, and the experimental subject disappeared. 】

These are just the tip of the iceberg. Deep within the laboratory is a purgatory of despair.

Xia Xiu walked along the way, and every record told of the cruelty and madness of this experiment:

[Inadequate scale coverage and regeneration failure.]

Inside the experimental chamber, an experimental subject was torn apart due to uncontrolled scale growth, with blood holes and incompletely grown scales all over his body.

【Pain suppression leads to death from overload.】

Another report describes a test subject who was completely deprived of pain feedback and was unable to detect the erosion of flames, and was eventually charred.

[The flame projection is out of control and lacks accuracy. 】

The body of one subject remained in an attacking posture, but records indicate that it consumed itself in an uncontrolled flame.

[The subject's emotions lost control and the flames went out of control. ]

In the deeper experimental chambers, some corpses were completely devoured by the remaining flames, as if they had experienced the most extreme madness before death.

Xia Xiu stood in front of the last laboratory and remained silent for a long time.

His hand pressed lightly on the wall, and a complex light flashed in his golden pupils.

"The Kailasel family..."

[Sisyphus] appeared silently behind him, and the purple-gold light reflected on his sculpture-like body.

He didn't say much, but just raised his powerful right fist.

While accumulating power, the surrounding air is compressed to the extreme, making a low vibrating sound.

A moment later, a terrifying impact force exploded with the fist and hit the heavy metal valve hard.

"boom--"

The entire laboratory was shocked. The metal valve was torn apart instantly, as if it had been bitten by a giant beast, and fragments flew inward.

A shrill alarm sounded, and the red warning light kept flashing. A strong heat wave rushed in from behind the valve, carrying with it a scorching breath and a suffocating feeling of oppression.

Xia Xiu slowly raised his eyes, penetrated the rising flames, and looked into the depths of the laboratory.

There, a "girl" stood quietly in the burning void.

Her eyes were as dazzling as amber, yet as fierce and animalistic as a wild beast.

The blazing flames surrounded her, setting off her slightly curly blonde hair.

Under the flames, her hair miraculously remained intact, and under the light of the fire, it had a cold metallic luster.

Small and sharp decorations grew on both sides of her head, like the horns of a wild animal, emitting a faint aura of oppressive power.

Although the face is covered with scales, the delicate outline can still be seen through the layers of coverage.

However, the face became so hideous because of the reflection of the flames.

Behind her, a huge flaming entity slowly emerged.

Its outline was like that of a beast, ferocious and crazy, with flames condensed into huge eyes and fangs like gaps.

Its body was burning and twisted, with black and red flames forming its muscles and limbs, like an evil spirit crawling out from the depths of hell.

When he saw the huge outline of the flaming beast, the "Joy of Fire" on Xia Xiu's shoulder began to beat abnormally actively.