Chapter 45: Trial Ground?

I understood his meaning and slowly opened my mouth to reply, "Right now, I am like a prisoner."

Immediately, I was escorted out of the room by them. Outside lay a vast and unfamiliar area. Everywhere were copper walls and iron panels, densely packed with prison cells, yet strangely, every single cell was completely empty.

Before long, I was made to board an elevator. The elevator descended slowly, with each floor seeming to conceal unknown secrets. Finally, it stopped at what appeared to be a heavily guarded level. The doors slid open, and I was shoved into a laboratory brimming with high-tech equipment.

The lights in the lab were blinding, and various instruments hummed loudly. I was roughly strapped onto a cold examination table.

Two people in white coats immediately walked in. Their expressions were blank, yet their movements were exceptionally practiced. One by one, they attached the wires from the adjacent equipment to my body and head. The chill of the wires against my skin made me shiver involuntarily.

"So, the experiments on me are finally beginning?" I thought to myself. "What kind of monster will I be turned into?" I closed my eyes, trying to calm the panic in my heart, and awaited the final outcome.

However, not long after, the two men in white coats re-entered and swiftly detached the wires from my body with such brisk efficiency as if the whole ordeal had merely been a dry run.

Lying on the examination table, I felt completely bewildered, but I vaguely heard people talking near the door. Though the voices were muffled, I managed to catch a few key phrases.

"...Vital signs are intact! Conditions for experimentation are met."

My heart sank heavily. So today was merely a physical checkup; I was nothing more than a pawn in their experiments.

Afterward, I was roughly dragged away by the special forces soldiers and locked back into that cell.

That day, the wheel of fate turned faster than anticipated. While I was still deep in dreams, the iron door of the cell slammed open. It was the same two special forces soldiers from yesterday, once again taking me into custody.

The moment the elevator doors closed, I intentionally glanced at the control panel. The digit "5" was glowing, yet the elevator defied logic and descended further.

Before long, we reached the so-called fifth level. Upon stepping out of the elevator, I was greeted by a group of researchers in white coats. Behind them stood a row of heavily armed special forces soldiers holding ranged weaponry, while surveillance cameras formed an inescapable, invisible net all around.

The soldier escorting me stepped forward, saluted crisply, and spoke in a cold voice, "Dr. Chen, Test Subject Number 5 has been brought in."

I tilted my head slightly, my gaze falling upon Dr. Chen. Behind his glasses were a pair of deep, sunken eyes. He was lean, with the haggard appearance of a lifelong researcher. His hair was messy, with a few strands of silver mingling amongst the black, and he looked to be around forty years old.

He gently pushed up his glasses, nodded in acknowledgment, and said in a steady voice, "Take him into the trial grounds."

Shortly after, I was roughly pushed into a room. From the outside, it appeared to be a massive transparent glass wall, but the interior was pitch black, resembling an abyss.

The door slammed shut behind me, and the lights blared on instantly. The blinding radiance forced me to rub my eyes. The room was boundless, roughly the size of a football field, its walls casting a cold metallic sheen that felt as hard as titanium alloy to the touch.

***

I turned around to look, but from the inside, there was no sign of a glass window; it was indistinguishable from the surrounding titanium alloy walls.

"This is probably their observation port," I pondered to myself. "But what exactly are they trying to observe? Aren't they supposed to strap me to a lab table, stick tubes all over me, and inject various serums for testing?"

Just as I was deep in thought, a piercing alarm shattered the tranquility, and the warning lights overhead flashed, bathing the room in a bloody crimson hue.

"Warning—"
"Warning—"
"Zombie release imminent!"

A mechanical voice echoed through the room. One side of the wall slowly slid open, and accompanied by a raspy roar, a standard zombie stumbled out.

Hearing the word "zombie," I quickly stood my ground and prepared for combat, only to realize it was just an ordinary zombie. Even so, I did not lower my guard. Seeing that it wasn't immediately attacking me, I stepped closer to inspect it and confirmed without a doubt that it was indeed a common zombie.

Not understanding what these people outside were plotting, I turned to face the security camera, a playful smirk curving my lips as I spread my hands.

"Test Subject Number 5, please eliminate this zombie!"

An order rang out from above the room. I scanned my surroundings, but there were no weapons in sight.

"What on earth are you even testing me for?" I cursed inwardly. "My combat skills? You guys really are fucking geniuses."

Crossing my arms, I stood off to the side. It seemed I would have to let it kill itself. Focusing my mental energy, I compelled the zombie to smash its head repeatedly against the wall. The zombie showed no fear, slamming its skull into the barrier over and over until its head shattered and it collapsed limply to the floor.

The alarm sounded once more, accompanied by the flashing warning lights.

"Warning—"
"Warning—"
"E-class zombie release imminent!"

My heart skipped a beat. E-class? This one might actually be tricky.

The opposite wall opened, and this time the zombie sprinted out immediately, charging straight toward me in a dead run.

A trace of panic washed over me, and I took two steps back, thinking, "Isn't this the exact same humanoid zombie I encountered before I was captured?"

***

Lacking any sophisticated combat techniques, I could only close my eyes and gather my focus. My previous attempt had failed, but this time I would channel all my mental energy and try again.

My body trembled slightly, and beads of sweat broke out across my forehead. Just as the zombie was about to reach me, I violently thrust my right hand forward and roared,

"Freeze!"

Its running footsteps came to an abrupt halt. I opened my eyes; the E-class zombie was standing rigid in place, though it was still struggling, trying to break free from my control.

Silently, I stepped up behind it, wrapped the iron chain on my wrist tightly around its neck, and pulled back with all my might, veins bulging at my neck. Finally, its head snapped off and rolled onto the ground.

Panting heavily, I let out a sigh of relief, though both my mind and body were utterly exhausted.

However, the alarm blared again, and the lights flickered.

"Warning—"
"Warning—"
"D-class zombie release imminent!"

My eyes widened in disbelief, and I cursed furiously, "Damn it! Will this ever end?!"

I looked toward the wall that was about to open, a heavy sense of foreboding rising within me. The wall slowly parted, and amidst a deafening roar, a massive zombie burst out. It was a fully formed D-class, identical to the one I had encountered earlier.

It quickly locked onto me and lunged forward with a ferocious howl. I wanted to use my mental energy again, but a wave of dizziness washed over me—my mental capacity was completely drained. Running seemed to be my only option.

I sprinted wildly across the room, with the D-class zombie in hot pursuit. Before long, my stamina gave out, and I stopped to gasp for air. The D-class zombie closed the distance in an instant and lashed out with a claw. I stumbled and rolled to the side to dodge, but the heavy chain on my ankle was caught by its claws, flinging my body violently through the air before slamming me hard against the ground.

Staggering to my feet, a surge of stubborn defiance welled up inside me.

"There's no way this is the extent of my abilities. I refuse to believe it, otherwise capturing me back here would be pointless!"

Standing tall, I mimicked the combat posture of that mysterious man. When the D-class zombie lashed out with its claws once more, I seized the precise moment, ducked low to evade, and threw a punch straight ahead...