The two had mysteriously appeared in a blind spot at the end of the corridor. The female researcher was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling. She could feel an invisible force pulling at her body in less than a second. It was as if her soul was ripped away and instantly returned, the extreme disorientation made her dizzy. Cheng Jiashu’s breathing remained steady, his Pupil Skill demonstrated astonishing efficiency and precision in short-distance "Instant Flash". Even when carrying others, it avoided the conspicuous black hole phenomenon associated with long-distance travel. Thus, the two cautiously groped forward. Using Cheng Jiashu’s Pupil Skill, combined with the female researcher’s familiarity with the internal routes, they avoided surveillance and patrols multiple times. Finally, they arrived at a heavy metal door. This was the final barrier leading to the laboratory. The female researcher, now fully adapted to the tense atmosphere of covert infiltration, whispered a reminder: "There are vibration sensors here; even a slight tremor from touching the door panel could trigger an alarm." She stepped forward first, deftly retrieved an access card from her pocket, and placed it on the card reader. Then, the screen next to the metal door lit up, and a red beam shot out, precisely landing on her eyeball for an iris scan. After a faint "beep" from the alarm device, the central indicator light changed from red to green. The heavy metal door silently slid open, revealing a dark passage. At the end of the passage was Noah Pharmaceutical’s most confidential experimental area. The two cautiously stepped inside, the metal door promptly closing behind them. Darkness enveloped everything there. The entire space was eerily silent, with only the low hum of the air conditioning from the overhead ducts breaking the silence. It was the laboratory’s constant-temperature system operating without interruption at night. After passing through another access point, a relatively spacious area lay in front of them. The indicator lights on various precise instruments flickered in red and green, sketching vague outlines in the darkness. A scent of formalin mixed with some unknown chemical substance filled the air. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NovelHub(.)net This made Cheng Jiashu slightly uncomfortable, making him want to sneeze. "The data room is on the right, where most of the confidential files are stored." The female researcher lowered her voice further, pointing and making quick introductions: "The cultivation chamber is on the left, where all the live experiments take place." Cheng Jiashu’s gaze swept past, suddenly fixating on the left side. He was drawn to a corridor extending straight into the darkness. At the end of the corridor was an even heavier steel door with a constantly flashing red dot. It must be an even more stringent monitoring device. Curiosity pricked at Cheng Jiashu, prompting him to ask: "Where does that corridor lead?" The female researcher followed Cheng Jiashu’s line of sight and shook her head: "That’s another experimental area, belonging to the highest secrecy level of the headquarters, and even we researchers are restricted from entering." "Perhaps... some more secretive biochemical experiments are being conducted there. The data we get this time is enough; there’s no need to cause additional problems." Cheng Jiashu nodded, refraining from further questions. The female researcher then proceeded to the right data room, opening the door with familiarity. A computer screen emitted a faint light inside. She quickly sat down, her fingers flying over the keyboard, inputting a series of complex passwords. After entering the system, an icon of encryption software on the desktop was clicked, prompting another password entry box. Without hesitation, she input another line of passwords, and the software opened successfully. She kept her eyes fixed on the screen, conducting a rapid search. Quickly locating a hidden entry, after confirming its accuracy, she retrieved a USB drive from her bag and inserted it into the computer. Progress bars moved swiftly on the screen, lines of file names and photos cascading down like a waterfall. Cheng Jiashu leaned closer to the screen, his Pupil Skill’s powerful perception allowing him to capture a wealth of information instantly. They were all shocking records of human experiments—a blend of texts and images, even photos or videos attached. Each record was detailed to a disturbing extent: On a particular day of a given year and month, what kind of genetic modification was conducted on a specific experimental subject, or what unknown agent was injected—everything from cellular to organ reactions was meticulously recorded. Observing this, the female researcher explained a few things: "The recording times for this data go back as early as sixty years ago... during World War II, when the Japanese military conducted the code-named ’Tree of Life’ experimental project secretly in Xia Country." "After their defeat, this project wasn’t fully destroyed but ended up in the hands of the Noah Organization, allowing the research project to continue; currently, some data is stored in this computer’s database." Saying this, a complex gleam flickered in her eyes. "For us researchers within Noah, these experimental data might only hold some reference value, as much of the content is outdated. But for Xia Country... if these evidences were exposed, sparking public outrage, the Noah Organization would be completely unable to stand in Xia Country!" As the progress bar for USB data transfer reached one-third, footsteps suddenly approached from outside the data room, drawing closer. "Someone’s patrolling!" Cheng Jiashu immediately noticed the anomaly, his pupils slightly contracting. The female researcher tensed up immediately, almost instinctively holding her breath, her heart nearly leaping to her throat. The two stood motionless in the dark, like statues. The footsteps halted, and a flashlight beam swept over the area a few times. The patrolling guard seemed to be lingering in the corridor beyond the access point; after a brief check, they moved away. After this false alarm, the female researcher took a deep breath, her body relaxing again. She glanced at the still slowly progressing data transfer bar and then raised her wrist to check the time, immediately looking anxious. "We have to hurry. After eleven o’clock, someone will come in for a cleaning operation; we must rescue my friend before then." Cheng Jiashu was somewhat surprised by this information: "The lab requires cleaning operations at midnight?" "Not the kind of cleaning you’re thinking of." The female researcher shook her head, her voice urgent and obvious: "It’s hard to explain right now; I’ll explain after we get out. Now’s the time for you and Chief Gao to fulfill your promise." Since Cheng Jiashu had made a promise to rescue her, he naturally wouldn’t renege. With some lingering doubt, he followed the female researcher out of the data room and moved towards the cultivation chamber on the left. The temperature here was much lower than outside, with a chilling freezer-like air permeating the atmosphere. As they went deeper, the darkness seemed to grow thicker. Occasional eerie blue glows emanated from the depths of the corridor, exuding a chilling aura. When they arrived at the cultivation chamber, the scene before him made Cheng Jiashu’s pupils dilate abruptly. Rows of enormous glass cylinders, numbering in the dozens, stood neatly in the dark. Each cylinder was filled with eerie blue cultivation fluid, reflecting an unsettling lustre in the dim light. And within the blue liquid, naked human bodies were soaked. Their muscles were unnaturally developed, blood vessels bulging like worms, their bodies adopting an eerie curled-up posture. Some could barely be recognized as having human facial features, though their eyes were somewhat vacant. Some had contorted faces, deformed limbs, and skin covered with mutated tissues, resembling monster specimens preserved in formalin. "Are these... human specimens?" Cheng Jiashu’s voice couldn’t help but carry a trace of suppressed shock. The female researcher’s expression was surprisingly composed, perhaps accustomed to such scenes, her voice devoid of any fluctuation: "Some are still alive." "These are life-sustaining culture pods, housing experimental bodies captured by the Noah Organization over the years in Xia Country." As she spoke, her gaze suddenly landed on a particular pod, her previously calm eyes instantly becoming soft and complex. Following her gaze, Cheng Jiashu looked at a similar pod. A man was soaking in it, his head bald, his body robust, with muscles also abnormally developed, yet still barely considered human. His eyes were shut tight, bubbles constantly rising around him, clearly indicating life. Cheng Jiashu looked at the identification tag at the bottom of the pod, which boldly read: "No. 1053, Descendant of the Masajima family side branch from Japan, Shijima Gorou." This man was the friend the female researcher wanted to save.