Cat’s Rose

From the depths of the vortex（2） 

 Translator: Eyljee

Experimental progress: Failure 

The knocking sound grew louder and louder; its tempo had gradually accelerated. 

Lin Si ordered Lucia, “Activate level one defense.” 

Before his words had died away, a huge cracking sound emanated from the other side of the wall. 

“The hibernation pod…broke?” Seth frowned. 

“I’m afraid so.” Lin Si narrowed his eyes and added, “It’s a strong mutation caused by the black hole radiation. I hope the experimental subject has still retained its intelligence.” 

Even though the hibernation pod used on the spaceship wasn’t indestructible, it was built with sturdy materials. It’d be difficult to open by human strength alone. 

——This meant that the strong mutation acquired by the experimental subject had completely strengthened its body in a very short period of time, which amounted to the same thing as Lucia’s “extremely dangerous” assessment. 

Lucia, “Defense system activated.” 

Zone 6 had been carrying out genetic modification experiments in recent years. An experimental subject losing control was inevitable, that’s why the zone was equipped with a defense system. However, the distribution of high lethal weapons and robots were strictly controlled by the military, making it impossible to allocate them to the scientific research experimental area. Therefore the only function of this defense system was limited to blocking access control, ejecting shelters, and calling Zone 3― which was the military zone. 

Lin Si took out a tube of strong sedative from the cold chamber and syphoned it into the syringe for injection. He then strode to the entrance of the laboratory hall and instructed the others, “All of you, stand back.” 

“Is it fine to take only tranquilizers? What would we do if it’s too aggressive?” The kids were anxious. 

——Lin Si didn’t know what button he had pressed. A metal grid popped up on the wall. There was a silver white pistol in it, its model visible. 

The kids, “…..” 

Private possession of lethal weapons! 

――No wonder their mentor had warned that although Lin Si was the leader of Zone 6, he’s a really dangerous man. If you could have less contact with him, the better. 

Lin Si walked in front of the metal door and passed the iris authentication. The metal door slowly shifted up. 

It was pitch-dark at first, but then Lucia turned on the cold fluorescent light on the ceiling. 

Graveyard――This was their first impression of the entire vast and lifeless storage hall. 

On the four walls were various biological specimens. Hundreds of neatly arranged oval silvery-white hibernation pods, most of which were empty, were situated on the floor. A few were animals, and the remaining ones left were humans. 

The No.97 hibernation pod was situated at the deepest level. 

Lin Si approached, his footsteps echoing. 

The light could barely reach the dim end. The No.97 hibernation pod was destroyed open from inside out. The deep-sea liquid that supplemented dormancy flowed all over the ground; the top of the chamber was broken open with an irregular gap, with bloodstains around the edge. 

At this very moment, a hand was resting at the edge of the gap. 

The thin and slender fingers were nicked at the gap; the wound produced a steady stream of blood. 

Then came a damp black head, with thin, snow-white shoulders. 

The mutant rose from the hibernation pod, dark blue liquid rolling off him. It was as if he was a mermaid coming ashore from the sea. 

Lin Si raised his gun and pointed at him, in case of a sudden assault. 

“Ling Yi.” He called out the mutant’s name. 

–No response. 

On one side of the hibernation pod was the data of each experimental subject: 

Name: Ling Yi 

Physical Age: 15 

Affiliated Project: Limitless Phase II 

Experimental progress: Failure 

The mutant stared at Lin Si. His dark pupils were emotionless; his muscles were slightly taut, signaling vigilance and wariness, an omen of an animal attack. 

Although it showed aggression, its mental state was fortunately stable and not delirious. 

Lin Si slowly lowered his pistol, his voice was as smooth and gentle as possible: “Ling Yi, I’m Lin Si. Remember me?” 

Ling Yi stood in the dim light, his eyes didn’t show a trace of human emotion. 

Lin Si then asked, “Can you understand me?” 

Still unresponsive. Not to mention speaking, there wasn’t even a simple nod or a head shake. 

Seeing this, Lin Si had given up communicating with him in a human way and adopted the most primitive behavioral pattern of animals instead. 

He took a few cautious steps back and stepped into the dense cluster of hibernation pods, reducing his presence and leaving a distance that made the other party feel safe. 

Sure enough, after a period of silence, Ling Yi stepped out of the sleeping cabin and stood on the ground. He had stepped on the debris on the ground, white and slender calves dripping downward. The debris must’ve cut the soft soles of his feet, but he seemed oblivious. 

Lin Si took a step forward. 

He immediately looked at Lin Si warily. 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Lin Si extended his hand toward him. “Come.” 

Saying that, he walked extremely slowly towards Ling Yi. With each step, he had to observe the change in his demeanor. 

Ling Yi was in a vigilant and high-tensioned state throughout. Like a small wildcat that you’d encounter on a corner of the street on Earth, ready to attack with claws out or run backwards quickly when approached by a stranger. 

Fortunately, Lin Si was somehow versed with animal behavior and knew how to minimize his threat level. It could be seen that in his student days, the likelihood of touching a wild cat on the corner of a street was very high――if he had the intention to approach it. 

He approached step by step, while Ling Yi stood still. 

Once the deep-sea liquid was exposed to the air, it would quickly evaporate. By now, Ling Yi’s hair was half dry, and his shoulder-length black hair was thick and soft. He had a pair of beautiful apricot eyes――The whole person presented a mysterious aesthetic, which wasn’t only limited to his exquisite features; he also emitted a distant and unspeakable feeling, as if he had emerged from the abyssal sea. 

He was a failed product of Lin Si’s experiment. Before, no form of stimulation could make him open his eyes after the genetic modification surgery was completed――but such a failure was finally awakened by the unknown mutation brought about by the black hole radiation. 

The mutation was irreversible, and Lin Si could only hope that the unknown uncontrollable variation hadn’t completely engulfed his sanity as a human. 

He slowly reached out to the side of the mutant’s head, his fingers touching his hair; the next step was the stroking that would have a pacifying effect. 

Just then, the ship stirred violently. 

The turbulence made Ling Yi’s nervous system burst out. He instantly grabbed Lin Si’s wrist and violently twisted it back. He bounced on his knee and hit Lin Si’s hamstring accurately. He took advantage of the momentum and restrained Lin Si on the floor with his other hand. 

He was so powerful that Lin Si distinctly heard the sound of his right arm dislocating. 

With a muffled grunt, he endured the sudden burst of pain. 

Fortunately, the turmoil lasted only a short time, and subsided after ten seconds or so. 

The others who had been watching the situation inside immediately saw the situation and quickly trot onwards, blurting out, “Dr. Lin!” 

Lin Si, who spotted them in his peripheral vision, “….” 

——Being equipped with a tranquilizer gun and scalpel was normal. But the two guys who mixed in couldn’t find them, so they were forced to raid the beaker rack. 

“Back off, don’t come any closer.” He said faintly. 

The kids looked at him hesitantly, and then at Ling Yi. 

Lin Si clearly felt that Ling Yi’s strength had increased again. 

The sharp pain coming from his shoulder joint caused Lin Si’s body to tremble as he struggled to keep his voice steady. “Stand back and get out of the room, I can handle it.” 

They retreated, leaving one with a tranquilizer gun, aiming at Ling Yi from a concealed angle. 

“Don’t be scared.” Lin Si gasped and relaxed his body, which was tense from pain. “We’re your companions.” 

Since he could perform such standard fighting movements, it meant that some of his muscle memory was still retained. Then his sanity wasn’t completely lost. 

Lin Si crossed his uninjured left arm from his chest and sighed. He gently patted his other arm that Ling Yi had in his hold. 

“Good boy, let me go. Ling Yi, Ling Ling…” 

The strength in his arm lessened. 

Lin Si grabbed his hand and gently took it away. Fortunately, Ling Yi didn’t resist. Lin Si, finally no longer restrained by him, rose to his feet and continued his previous approach. 

Ling Yi’s vigilance subsided partially, but his beautiful eyes had remained fixed on Lin Si without letting go. 

“Come with me, I’ll take you for an examination.” Lin Si used the gentlest tone he could, coaxing Ling Yi like a child. 

Yet there was a trace of hesitation in his expression. Ling Yi suddenly frowned, his face turned pale, and his whole body trembled violently. 

Unable to stand on his legs, he fell forward and crashed right into Lin Si’s arms. 

Lin Si immediately felt his violent trembling. He stretched his left hand to his neck; his pulse thrashed violently, far beyond the maximum pulse rate of the human body under any circumstances. 

He hugged Ling Yi and patted him on the back. 

Ling Yi, on the other hand, tightly closed his eyes as he held him with his arms. His thick, long eyelashes were shaking, and his head was desperately buried in front of Lin Si’s chest. 

He finally uttered the first syllable belonging to human language. 

“Hurt…” 

Without Lin Si’s command, the kids spontaneously split into two groups to haul the man, while the others went to the lab to turn on the physical examination equipment――Seth, instead went to prepare the treatment apparatus. After all, Lin Si had a broken arm and it wasn’t in a better shape. 

Lucia had managed to take over the medical bay where the full body checkup was performed, but Ling Yi’s hand kept a firm grip on Lin Si. It took the several kids a lot of effort to succeed in separating them. 

Seth helped Lin Si with his right arm, while Lin Si concentrated on the various data of Ling Yi’s body on the light screen. 

“Disruptive mutation. Ready to take samples for analysis,” Lin Si pressed his temple. “The adaptive response was also very intense. I hope he can pull through.” 

Several youngsters had not been involved in Lin Si’ project before. Now they’ve applied to Lucia for information, and ferociously crammed the follow-up operation of the human genovariation experiment――which seemed very reliable. 

Lin Si left the matters to them and went to check the travel status of the spaceship. 

As a system still under testing, Lucia hasn’t had time yet to rehearse complex navigation environment drills, but she has shown excellent navigation ability. She would analyze the structure of the black hole by relying on gravitational field and angular momentum. The spaceship has been stable except for the occasional turbulence. 

Three days have passed, and while the voyage was smooth, Ling Yi’s condition had turned for the worse. 

There had been no change in his outside appearance. Beautiful facial features, a young man’s figure, and undefined muscles with a beautiful line―― The inside, however, had an earth shaking change. 

Lin Si had gotten the results of today’s examination. He frowned slightly and handed it to Seth. “Take a look.” 

One of Seth’s major studies was anthropology. He read several pages back and forth, and after comparing the test results of Lin Si’s previous experimental subjects, he also frowned deeply. “Not to mention the tissue, even the cellular form is changing. Strictly speaking, he can hardly be considered human.” 

Ling Yi was currently in a coma, his body constantly changing. At the same time, there was a strong adaptive response. They reached the point of organ failure multiple times, but had finally miraculously recovered. 

His body was also abnormally sensitive to foreign substances. The injections used to alleviate the adaptive response hadn’t been of help at all, and had even caused more severe reactions――even the nutrient solution for life support was out of the question. 

“The vitality is very strong.” Lin Si stood at the edge of the bed, his lips slightly curved. “I’m afraid you’ll starve to death if you don’t wake up.” 

He patted the small, tender-skinned face, “Dinner’s ready.” 

Ling Yi’s eyelashes trembled as his eyes slowly opened. 

Seth and his group shouted “Wizard-daren is amazing, Wizard-daren is scary”. 

Ling Yi was in a much calmer state than when he had first woken up, yet the next moment he saw Lin Si, he immediately tensed up vigilantly and quickly moved away from him. He sat up, hugged the quilt, and stuck to the wall on the side of the bed. 

Lin Si watched the little thing lying on his bed, wearing his clothes, and glaring at himself with hostility and fear. He tsked and asked Seth, “His state isn’t right. What’s wrong with him?” 

“If you analyze it in terms of animal nature, he likely associated the pain that caused his coma with engaging contact with you.” 

Lin Si laughed rather nastily. 

He took out a tube of food nutrients. He unplugged the mouthpiece, put the mouthpiece into his own mouth right before Ling Yi’s eyes, and took a few sips with the tube in his mouth. He then said to Ling Yi, “Are you hungry?” 

It wasn’t clear whether Ling Yi understood or not, but at least from Lin Si’s gesture, he had seen that it was an act of eating. His eyes immediately glued to the nutrient――It stood to reason that he was experiencing hunger right now. 

After a mental struggle, he opened his mouth and accepted the mouthpiece of the suction tube handed to him by Lin Si. 

The white nutrient solution was sucked in by the transparent tube, as his soft red lips gripped the tube. 

――Yet at the next moment, even the tube with nutrient solution was spit out. 

Ling Yi’s complexion didn’t look good. He coughed a few times and retched several times. His face was pale. 

Lin Si raised an eyebrow, “What’s going on again?” 

Seth was serious. “Doctor, I don’t think this is a physiological reaction. The nutrient is indeed extremely bad and unacceptable for someone accustomed to living on Earth. I’m guessing he thought you were trying to poison him.” 

Lin Si, “…Mm.” 

The pretty little thing raised his head and looked at Lin Si fiercely. His eyes were glowing red with anger.