Marshal Lin and the Chiyan Legion arrived one after the other. Gu Lin went to meet them, but Li Shu didn’t go. He had a nagging feeling that something was off. So far, everything seemed to have progressed smoothly, but it was this smoothness that gave an air of unreality.
They had discovered the base of the humanoid Zerg and quickly eradicated them with their forces. Although it took some effort, it wasn’t too difficult overall. However, after that, there were no more clues.
They had found all the Zerg they could on this planet and eliminated them immediately. At this point, they should have been able to relax, but neither Li Shu nor Gu Lin felt any sense of relief.
Something still felt wrong.
Yes, their progress appeared smooth, but there were aspects that made no headway at all—like where exactly these Zerg had come from. Even now, they hadn’t uncovered the answer.
It was as if they had appeared out of thin air. When they asked the locals, they received the same response: before this incident, no one had ever heard of Zerg being able to take human form, let alone seen it.
The situation hit another dead end. Li Shu reviewed the original plot in his mind, but there was no mention of this event. That made sense, though. His arrival had already altered the plot line. For instance, Gu Lin’s visit to Fanna Star didn’t happen in the original plot. Since things had changed, it was impossible to rely on the original plot for clues. Everything had to be figured out on his own.
A breakthrough came ten days after the Chiyan Legion’s arrival. The two legions combined their efforts to search, turning Fanna Star upside down. Under such a thorough search, some secrets inevitably surfaced.
It was an abandoned research facility. The focus wasn’t on the facility itself—there were many such research facilities throughout the Empire—but rather on what was inside.
It was clear the facility had been deliberately destroyed, though not thoroughly enough. From the remnants, they could catch glimpses of the truth from years ago, and even these remaining traces were enough to send chills down their spines.
The facility was underground. The sturdy walls had cracks, and it was clear that it had been abandoned for quite some time. Li Shu followed Gu Lin inside, and throughout the journey, Gu Lin remained particularly silent.
Li Shu still remembered the moment the research facility was reported, and how Gu Lin’s expression had changed instantly. It was an unmistakable look of disgust, and it was this expression that made Li Shu uneasy enough to insist on coming along.
Gu Lin couldn’t refuse him and had no choice but to agree.
From the moment they entered the underground facility, Gu Lin’s expression changed, though very subtly. Li Shu, who had been closely watching him, noticed it immediately. Soon after, Gu Lin suppressed the change in his expression, but it made Li Shu wonder why Gu Lin’s reaction to the research facility was so extreme.
There was only one possible explanation—Gu Lin knew exactly what this facility was used for. Coupled with his reaction when facing the humanoid Zerg, a certain answer seemed to be emerging.
Could Gu Lin’s undocumented youth be connected to a research facility?
But for now, it was all just speculation. If he wanted to know the truth, only Gu Lin could provide the answers.
The group passed through a long corridor and reached the depths of the facility. The research facility covered a vast area, and while many of the machines had been destroyed, it wasn’t difficult to tell that they had been highly advanced at the time.
Li Shu, having been a researcher in the previous world, was particularly sensitive to certain things. Although the technology here was far more advanced than in the previous world, it wasn’t hard to discern what these machines were used for.
Human experimentation.
The answer was clear as day.
The Empire had long banned human experimentation, so why was there such a large living research facility here?
Li Shu walked forward, carefully examining the items displayed in the room. When he saw a particular object, his pupils contracted sharply.
There was no doubt now. With that object present, it was confirmed—this place was indeed used for human experimentation. Gu Lin had reacted to this place, so had he been in a place like this in the past?
“What did you see?”
A weight fell on his shoulder as Gu Lin placed his arm on it. Li Shu turned his head, but the expression on the man’s face was unreadable, as if all the previous emotional fluctuations had been nothing but his own illusion.
But Li Shu knew those weren’t illusions. Those terrifying things might have actually happened to Gu Lin. How young had Gu Lin been back, and he had endured such horrors?
A sharp pain pricked at Li Shu’s heart. For the first time, he was really enraged. If he found out who was behind this research facility, he wouldn’t let that person off easily.
“I have a theory about this place.”
Li Shu hadn’t misread it. When he said that, the man’s expression became unnatural for a moment, though it was quickly masked.
“Does Shu Shu have some expertise in this area?” Gu Lin asked lightly, pretending to be casual.
“I know a little. Look at that,” Li Shu pointed at a broken-down machine. “Do you know what that’s for?”
The machine was in such disrepair that calling it a pile of scrap metal wouldn’t be an exaggeration. But when Gu Lin’s gaze touched upon it, his pupils contracted sharply.
“What’s that? It’s so broken, and Shu Shu can still recognize it?”
Li Shu had been closely observing Gu Lin’s reaction. Now, how could he not understand? Gu Lin had really been through such experiences. He just didn’t know what kind of experiments had been conducted on him.
Acting as though he hadn’t noticed Gu Lin’s abnormal reaction, Li Shu continued, “Technology has advanced over time, but some things haven’t changed much. This is one of them. I read about it in a book—this was used for experiments.”
Before Gu Lin could let out a sigh of relief, Li Shu had already spoken the next sentence.
“But this one is a bit special. This machine’s experiments are specifically conducted on humans. In other words, this machine was used for human experimentation.”
Li Shu’s tone didn’t fluctuate, as though he were stating something utterly mundane. Yet those simple words stirred a storm in Gu Lin’s heart.
It was as if his most deeply buried secret had been exposed to the person he least wanted to know. At that moment, Gu Lin’s entire body went stiff and his mind went blank. He had no idea what he said or did. By the time he came to his senses, he was already back on the warship.
Gu Lin was in a bad state, so Li Shu had brought him back early, leaving the remaining areas for others to investigate. Not long after Gu Lin regained consciousness and before he could ask Li Shu anything, a loud explosion echoed from below.
“Boom!”
What followed was a special distress signal—the unique signal of the Chiyan Legion. Once it appeared, it meant that the situation had escalated beyond what their ability could handle.
There was no time to think about anything else. Gu Lin immediately stood up, ordered reinforcements, and headed down from the warship first. Li Shu quickly followed behind in his other identity.
“What’s going on?”
When they came out earlier, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. After all, this was just an abandoned research facility. Two squads had stayed behind to search. What could have happened to cause them to send out a distress signal?
“There might be something inside,” Gu Lin replied without looking back. He needed to get there as soon as possible to assess the situation.
“Something? What kind of th—” Li Shu stopped mid-sentence, having realized the truth. Given that this facility had been bold enough to conduct human experiments, it was unlikely that only humans had been experimented on. Perhaps some other things had been involved, and the remaining personnel might have accidentally released whatever had been contained inside.
Li Shu’s guess wasn’t far off. The deeper they went, the more the ground shook. Roars of unknown creatures mixed with panicked screams.
Following the distress signal’s direction, they pressed forward. The deeper they ventured, the more severe the destruction became. Some of the damage was clearly recent.
‘There were living creatures here?!’
That was Li Shu’s first thought. Judging from all signs, this place had been abandoned for at least fifteen years. If some of the test subjects were still alive, how had they managed to survive all this time?
He suddenly recalled what the locals said—that Zerg appeared on this planet every once in a while. Luckily, there were designated teams to deal with them. But what about the Zerg corpses? Such massive creatures would surely be hard to dispose of without anyone noticing, right?
However, no one seemed to know what had happened to those bodies. In the chaos and panic, who would care about such details? What had once seemed normal now bristled with suspicion.
Was this really the only research facility? And if this one had been abandoned, could there be others that hadn’t? Fanna Star was a no-man’s-land, making it the perfect place for people to carry out secretive, untraceable operations.
As Li Shu pondered, the noise ahead grew louder and louder, signaling that they were getting close.
They soon came to a massive door. It was five meters tall, with signs of recent tampering around its edges, indicating that it had been opened recently.
The smell of blood hit Li Shu’s nose, along with a strange, foul stench. It was somewhat similar to the odor of the Zerg they had encountered before but even more pungent and nauseating.
Beyond the door lay an impenetrable darkness, swallowing all light. It was impossible to see what lay inside. The distress signal was coming from deep within the black void. Gu Lin and Li Shu exchanged a glance and stepped through the door.
The group following them also entered.
Inside a well-sealed metal room, a man of extraordinary bearing stood in front of a giant virtual screen. If Li Shu and the others were there, they would see that the screen was showing the very same abandoned research facility they were currently inside.
A man in a white coat operated the equipment nearby. As he moved, dark areas on the screen lit up one by one, displaying clear images of every corner of the research facility.
“Master, the experimental subject in Chamber Two has been deployed.”
The man in front of the screen nodded. “Keep an eye on it. This is a rare combat asset, perfect for training our little treasure.”
‘Gu Lin, oh Gu Lin, you can’t blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. Why did you have to come here? Since you exposed the secret I’d kept hidden for years, it won’t be easy for you to walk away unscathed.’
‘You can stay there and keep those little darlings company. After all, what they love most is… a powerful mental force like yours… as food.’
The man tapped the screen lightly. With his movement, a certain heavy door crashed shut.
Meanwhile, Li Shu and his team located the survivors. When they arrived, both sides were locked in a standoff. Hearing the commotion, a sea of scarlet eyes turned toward them.
The place was packed with Zergs!
