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The sky was a clear, azure blue, and devoid of any clouds or dust. The sunlight poured down fiercely, as if making up for its inability to penetrate the dark clouds the day before. The heat was intense and scorched the earth.
The construction of the coastal dam had unknowingly reached its final stages.
Standing over thirty meters tall, the dam was made of the sturdiest granite and reinforced with carbon nanotube technology, boasting a Mohs hardness close to 7. Many were still working diligently to ensure the dam's safety.
The morning sun pierced through the air and cast mottled shadows on the deep blue sea. The temperature gradually rose, but within a few hours, thick clouds similar to yesterday's began to roll in from the horizon.
Yu Kai paused his work and straightened up.
His resolute face was illuminated by the gradually dimming sunlight as his brows furrowed and his expression grave.
This expanse of dark clouds arrived earlier than yesterday and seemed... heavier.
The sky darkened faster, as if brewing a fierce storm and the danger lurking just beneath the surface.
"Something's not right. Evacuate the non-evolved first," Yu Kai swiftly issued the command. A team immediately moved out to evacuate the ordinary people near the beach.
Where Yu Kai's gaze lingered, the long horizon began to ripple with waves. White foam hidden within the deep, dark blue was hard to notice, but under Yu Kai's careful observation, something unusual was detected.
Before long, the waves grew larger and more violent, until they surged to within two kilometers of the beach and becoming unmistakably visible to everyone as—
A nearly twenty-meter-high tsunami!
Panic spread across the faces of everyone on the dam.
Yu Kai immediately shouted, "Emergency alert! At least an A-level mutant is approaching. Have everyone in the base retreat immediately! We..."
"Lieutenant Yu!" a trembling voice called out.
A short, plump woman looked with horror at the white behemoth that appeared before the tsunami, yet remained unobstructed. "Is that... also an A-level mutant?"
In a brand-new laboratory on the second floor of the research institute, everyone was tense while holding their breath.
Even their breathing was deliberately subdued under the glaring high-wattage shadowless lamps.
The assistants, wearing blue masks and white latex gloves, focused intently on the white metal box placed in the center of the long metal table.
Soon, the door on the other side of the lab slid open, and Qi Yang walked in, dressed in a clean white lab coat.
Seeing the solemn atmosphere, his steps paused for a moment before he smirked, "What, do you think we're performing surgery? You didn't dress this formally when I was operating before." He snorted, "Take off all that cumbersome gear. Today, I'll give you a hands-on lesson in dissecting a mutant."
His gaze swept the room before quickly spotting two imposters. The corners of his lips curled higher as he teased, "Since when have Professor Qi and Professor Wang become my assistants?"
Professor Qi's wrinkled face flushed red as he removed his mask, "You little monster, I've been busy lately and just wanted to check in. Is that not welcome?"
Professor Wang, on the other hand, was more forthright, "Haha, I knew we'd get caught. Old Qi, your plan was too obvious! You deserve to be punished!"
Qi Yang chuckled and walked over to the metal table then leaning casually against its cold edge. "Now, everyone who shouldn't be here, step out and watch through the tempered glass. After the dissection, there will be a test. Those who fail..."
He paused as his eyes glinted as he looked at the sweating assistants.
"Those who fail will never appear before me again."
"Yes, Major Qi!"
After the unified response, almost everyone in sterile lab coats exited the room vying for the best viewing spots to witness the dissection that had been awaited for 18 days.
Only Zhang Bendan hesitated for a moment, but under Qi Yang's increasingly cold gaze, he shivered and finally left then closing the door behind him.
In an instant, the vast laboratory was empty except for Qi Yang.
The room was eerily clean and everything was white except for the black metal box in the center. The shadowless lamp reflected off its surface, casting a metallic sheen that made Qi Yang narrow his eyes as he examined it.
Behind the thick tempered glass, Professors Qi and Wang, Zhang Bendan, and all the young assistants held their breath while waiting for the experiment to begin.
The mutant had already been injected with anesthesia to ensure the procedure went smoothly.
When Qi Yang pressed the code and opened the box, the mutant, which had always been fond of escaping and dedicating all its energy to this grand endeavor, lay motionless in the corner of the box, deeply sedated.
With a barely audible sigh, Qi Yang gently lifted the sedated mutant from the box and placed it on the prepared metal stand.
"Subject C-level mutant S1, a hybrid of 38 marine species including dolphins, dugongs, and leatherback turtles. The primary mutation direction is unknown," Qi Yang's voice was clinical as he continued, "In the past 17 days, we've conducted detailed studies on S1's nervous, circulatory, and digestive systems."
Eight silver metal rods descended from the corners of the stand then loosely binding the white mutant's limbs.
"S1's nervous system is relatively sluggish, showing weak responses to acidic stimuli but strong reactions to temperature changes. After dissecting a nerve in its spine, we found that in sodium cyanide solution, it..."
Qi Yang patiently explains while carefully putting on latex gloves and focuses on the sedated mutant with his calm expression.
Everyone outside the lab watches intently as they listen to his explanations as he picks up the dissecting scalpel from a metal tray.
After covering all the preliminary steps, Qi Yang suddenly fell silent while staring at the limp mutant on the stand for a long time.
The oppressive silence made everyone feel suffocated.
Just as Professor Qi was about to speak, Qi Yang continued, "Next, I will terminate it. Based on previous research, S1's regenerative abilities are extremely strong. So, in this experiment, I will dissect it into two parts and inject poison to ensure its death."
As he spoke, Qi Yang raised the sharp scalpel and decisively plunged it into S1's chest. Blood immediately spurted out but Qi Yang didn't flinch and just let the blood splatter on his face.
The emaciated body twitched from the sudden assault as its blood gushed down the scalpel's handle. But the injured mutant showed no signs of waking and only trembling slightly, hinting at the screams and pain it should have expressed.
"Previously, we've conducted experiments where removing S1's heart didn't result in death. So, in this experiment, I will inject a 95% potassium cyanide solution into its heart."
Taking a thick tube from the tray, Qi Yang calmly pulled out the scalpel. Blood gushed out like a water jet but only for about three seconds before slowing down and stopping.
"Due to its incredibly strong regenerative abilities, S1's severed artery can fully heal within 2 minutes and 30 seconds then forming a new layer of blood vessel cells within 5 minutes." With that, Qi Yang opened the potassium cyanide solution and began injecting the pale yellow liquid through the tube.
Qi Yang didn't speak further as his eyes calmly watched as the liquid entered S1's body.
When Qi Yang first captured the black mutant, it was about half a meter long. Even after being hit by Lieutenant Chen's laser cannon, it remained lively and healthy in harsh conditions.
Qi Yang suddenly remembered his first encounter with S1.
The ferocious beast had bared its sharp teeth while savagely glaring at everyone around before being subdued. Despite being injected with enough anesthesia for a C-level mutant, it woke up prematurely then brutally killing three people and nearly severing Qi Yang's right hand.
Now, the solution was slowly disappearing into the mutant's withered chest.
Its muscles had been stripped away over the past 17 days, a thin layer of skin newly grown, bones protruding and its body covered in ghastly scars.
S1's body twitches uncontrollably and the tremors grow stronger with the injection, eventually clashing against the metal stand with loud "banging" sounds. The noise continued for a while until suddenly, S1's round, narrow eyes snapped open while bloodshot and staring at the calm, indifferent man beside it.
"Zizizi... zizizizizi!"
Qi Yang lowered his eyes, unmoving, as if he hadn't heard anything.
"Zizizi... zizizizizi..."
He gently placed the sharp scalpel back on the tray with its tip still stained with bright, vivid blood.
"Zizizi Yang... Yang zizizi... Yang!"
His hand suddenly froze.
Qi Yang's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed,
"What did you say?!"