Nightmare Shuttle

The further the players walked, the heavier the air around them became, pressing against their heads and compressing the air in their lungs as if they were being squeezed with an invisible hand. The floor beneath their feet was still muddy and damp, a sludge like base sticking tenaciously against the bottom of their shoes and pulling them back with every step. They were like insects trapped in a fly trap, the harder they struggled, the harder it was to move.

The smell of rancid blood intertwined with expired chemicals constantly lingered at their noses and many of the players turned green with nausea as they struggled to swallow down the rising vomit in their throats.

Chu Yi and the others trailed in the middle of the group, feeling the wet surface sometimes splashing against his ankles with heavy disgust. This was could be regarded as exposure therapy, the cleanliness streak in his bones would probably be wiped out by the continuous lowering of his bottom line.

From his left, he sensed that someone was approaching him and when he looked over, he noticed that at some point both Chao Bin and Tang Shun had flanked his sides, however Tang Shun's face was completely solemn, lips pursed into thin lines and even the cold glare of his glasses could not hide the darkness in his slanted eyes.

He crossed his hands and repeatedly tapped two slenders fingers against his arm, after a second of thought, Chu Yi quickly what he was trying to do, something was preventing him from speaking.

He raised an eyebrow, only needing a moment to fully understand what Tang Shun was saying, 'the fishy smell in the air is too strong'

Like a thread in his mind had unraveled, he connected the dots immediately understanding why Tang Shun was apprehensive –

Aside from the egg room a few minutes back, there was nothing else in the basement to indicate that sea creatures were unilaterally present down here but yet the powerful, rotten stench of dead fish still seemed to linger around them even after they had gotten far away from the room.

Something was following them.

When he looked back at the others, he nodded to show that he understood, heavy vigilance quickly easing into his heart.

"Hey!– somethings here–"

Chu Yi recognized this player, a usually arrogant and loud person called Wu You,

All the players hearts rose and without knowing when two doors had somehow appeared at the end of the corridor. Against the backdrop of the gloomy flashlight, the one of the doors shone with a sinister crimson light, they were completely removed from the rest of the rooms and just staring at it, caused an icy chill to run up their spines and some when let out a short with the cry, extreme fear clutching their chest and sending hair raising shudder from the tips of their toes to their numb scalp.

The tar like black sludge under their feet is still flowing slowly, by this time, the sludge is as thick as blood, and some translucent unknown oval solids were surging in it. This sludge seemed to be drawn out from one of the rooms, pushing out like the undulating river in a slow amusement park.

As more and more dark sludge came from underneath the door, it brought with a thick musky smell that weighed against their heads like a heavy rock. Only when the sludge moved to the other door did it finally dry up, leaving a small dark, dry channel sitting right before the door as if beckoning them. The other door was still a dark and dignified black, like the night itself had been painted onto the door but it was the only place the sludge could not penetrate. 

After a moment of silence, the players all unanimously decided to go for the black door. The sludge itself did not give them a good feeling and as the only dry place in this basement, it obviously seemed like the safest choice.

Struggling through the last layer of sludge, the players were surprised to see that the door was not locked. With a slight push, it swung open quietly,

They tensed–

After a minute, their was still nothing so taking the lead Mu Fang walked uprightly into the pitch black darkness, the others looked at each other and followed in. 

As he passed, Chu Yi noticed from the corner of his eyes that there was a wet yellow glow that shone luminously on one of the players walking behind but when he turned his head, there was nothing, instead he procured the cautious eyes from the suspected player. 

He turned his head away, a sudden thought fleshing though his mind but it was too quick for him to catch the tail.

Mu Fang fumbled hopefully for a switch on the wall, and with a sharp click the room suddenly lit up. The walls of the room were made of steel on all four sides that glowed with a strange metallic light. The walls themselves carried strange metal tubes that spanned from the floor to the ceiling. There were iron shelves that had fallen to the ground, and valves with unknown liquid dried up and condensed on the floor. A familiar setting, a familiar look. This was another abandoned laboratory. The rancid smell wafting on the tip of their nose disappeared, replaced by a faint mildew smell of a once sterile room,

The players stood in place and slowly swiped his flashlight across the room, went around to the white-painted concrete wall around them, and then turned to the end to illuminate the space between the tubes and the wall... There was nothing.

Nothing jumped out at them with sudden terror.

They were at ease, at least for now.

Chu Yi stared at the floor beneath them, not rest assured and suddenly his heart skipped a beat, he finally found the weirdness of this room! Although the entire Institute is dirty and messy, all the liquids have dried up, just like the vicissitudes of life that have been there for many years. The rooms and nurses here only have a rancid odor, and there is no smell of living people.

But this basement is terrifyingly alive, with stinky and humid air, freshly spilled blood and a floor with sludge... just like the entire basement wasn't a part of the Institute.

Before he could dwell on it any further, the players ahead seemed to have found something and everyone gatherer ahead to look at the clues. Chu Yi looked back at the door for minute and the bad premonition in his heart only got deeper.

What the player had found was a short brown folder hidden in the the between two fallen shelves. After a moment of hesitation the player handed it to Mu Fang with a respectful and flattering look, this was an orange player.

They all immediately understood his meaning and although they didn't say anything, everyone acquiesced to this handover.

Mu Fang smiled gently and took the folder with a gratified smile, Chao Bin almost laughed.

In any case, it wasn't the place for infighting and he just swallowed this breath unwillingly.

The first thing in the file was a small photo. Chu Yi almost instantly recognized the tiny sunken faces, these were the children in R89's experiment log, phase|000. His brows furrowed, unmoved by the bright smiles on their faces. Three faces were very distinct from the rest,

The boy that had stood to one side like an ominous black crow, staring at the camera with the same frightening dark pupils. Chu Yi had never forget him, those eyes like a deadly, starving beast, they boy was significantly much better but the cruelty and ruthlessness only seemed to have grown much deeper. Like a beast cub that was slowly maturing. The other two faced were distinctive because Chu Yi recognized them, 

The blond hair of the unfamiliar creature from before and the deep set features of the siren. These were the young faces of the two before they had been modified and forcefully changed into something else. 

But why were they here—

In the previous video, they had not been present plus the faces of the two did not look heavy, starved and malnourished as the rest.

It could even be said that they were not meant to be there.

The gullies between his brows got deeper, the players seeing that nothing could be deciphered immediately from the picture, quickly moved on.

The next thing was a document. Except the document had been heavily crossed out with a bright red marker, and stained with spilled brown chemicals that made the words beneath it was barely legible.

This was another experiment log, except it inky showed the process of one subject, codenamed AlphaBio55.

|D‐1-101IS|

The regular APOC9 gene used in the artificial evolution project mainly modified to regulate the secretion of neuropeptide Y. Newborn babies will have a strong ability to withstand stress. Even in high-intensity harsh environments, the modified person can still separate negative emotions and not be affected by emotions. Babies will show signs of extreme intelligence and strength. Side Effect: The nerve chromosome that carries emotion will be stripped and discarded during the process of evolution. Key Subject AlphaBio55 will be modified with the BLC67 gene, strict code classified: red Judgment: Subject has shown no sign of mental or physical regression, Execution: Forceful Integration is recommended.

|D–19—124IS|

Under the stimulus of B0M765 cell modification, subject has shown signs of unusual blood reactions, the white blood cells have begun to attack the red blood cells. Subject has lost all active nerves in limbs, skin has started the decomposing states and organs, including bladder, are failing outside of the procedural Betamine injections. Subjects Death Time: 00: 08. Subjects Revival 00:89. Judgement: Subjects cells have proven to be suitable for Beta X injections. Execution: Forceful Integration is recommended.

|D–47–456IS|

Subject has been placed under the care of researcher R89. Subjects has shown extensive psychological movement in the presence of R89. Cells have become more active and death and revival times and now do not exceed an hour. However the subject has started showing signs of extreme aggression. Starting project exchange with BetaBio77 and BetaBio99, destruction and vitality. Judgement: Disciplinary Act 68 to be proceeded with. Execution: Forceful Integration is recommended. Death Time: 00:06. Revival: 00:65.

|D–156–664|

Subject has become immune to physical stimulation. All methods of discipline including electric shock, forceful drowning, and starvation do not induce reaction in subject. Cell production has dropped and death time exceeds an hour, the cyclamen of general chromosome YB1 has exceeded threshold, subject has started secreting death hormones that induce false death, subjects body seems to be failing with no signs of molecular reproduction. Judgement: Mental Depression influence cell activities. The subject wants to die. Subject shows minimal interest in the dying rose placed in the glass vase. Execution: Forceful Integration is recommended. Death time: 00:02 Revival 00:48.

|D–498–750IS|

Subject has undergone gene modification #768, death pattern exceeds 67, cells have been observed to be extremely active when the subject is subjected to extreme mental stimulation. Files have been extracted, Subjects brain waves fluctuate most when in the presence of Alpha# 33 and R89. Judgement: Extreme stimulation is to be carried out for death order #100, phase |005. Observed that the rose is alive. Death Time: 00:001 Revival: 00:05 Execution: Complete Integration.

The players looked at each other in confusion and frustration, not only did they not understand most of the terms, they couldn't make sense of how it would help them right now. 

Time was running out!

One of the more irritable players couldn't help but kick the iron shelf beside his foot in anger, overturning the entire metal casing with a heavy bang–

"What kind of stupid experimental log is this! Is this important– We just need to find who's created this shitshow otherwise is this system trying to pit us to death?! If this is how its going to be why don't we just wait until the month is over and see, there's only about two weeks left. If all of us don't know, can it kill us all! "

Mu Fang, soothed the man helplessly, "Although it might not look like much, this thing might help us later. Don't give up now, we all need to stick together."

The man wanted to curse more, but there's a saying about not hitting a smiling face so with a angry heart he sent another kick over to the shelf, but this time he heard something more than the shelf breaking–