The lab.
Barely past the start of work hours, the four professors who'd arrived yesterday headed straight for the lab.
The Capital city's lab was similar to the one in H City. It sat far from the residential and commercial zones, so when they rode over, the place was eerily quiet.
They scanned their residence cards along the way, then finally entered the chamber where the vaccines were stored. When all 399 vials were neatly arranged on the lab table, the gray-haired professor couldn't hold back his excitement. "Yes, yes, this is it."
Once he confirmed it, a nearby staffer's eyes lit up. "Professor, since you've said so, that means the batch Captain Zhang brought back is legit. We were worried the vaccines might've been switched, so we didn't dare start testing. Thank goodness we got your call just in time. So, Professor Ni, when do we begin?"
The gray-haired professor was indeed Professor Ni, a man with great prestige even before the apocalypse. After doomsday struck, he'd made countless contributions to humanity in a short span. What those contributions were was classified, but since the higher-ups vouched for him, nobody doubted it. Everyone here treated him with the utmost respect.
Professor Ni nodded. "We'll start now. What's your name? And what materials does this base have for testing?"
The staffer grinned. "Professor, I'm Tang, you can call me Xiao Tang. This base keeps a bunch of mutant creatures caught by espers. They're all available for experiments."
Professor Ni frowned. This vaccine wasn't supposed to cure mutations in beasts. What use was injecting them? If the vaccine was to be tested, it should be tested on humans. But he knew better than to suggest that outright. No way the base would approve, and where would he even find volunteers? After hesitating, he simply said, "Fine, but not every creature will work."
Xiao Tang quickly added, "We know. This vaccine can only be used on beast-type humanoid mutants. They're the ones mutated after being struck by green light."
That left Professor Ni stunned. He'd never heard of such a theory before, but he kept a calm face. With a subtle glance, he sent his assistant to dig deeper while he followed Xiao Tang downstairs, carrying a vial.
On the first day of trials, even Professor Ni didn't dare rush into injections. He separated a small amount of vaccine to run controlled tests. When his assistant returned with the report, the truth became clear.
Professor Ni sneered. "So they've mistaken this vaccine for a cure. Idiots. Once someone mutates, there's no going back. If this drug actually changes genes and extends lifespan, that would be a curse, not a blessing."
Whether human or beast, life only lasted so many years. If a base could alter that, especially for those half-human, half-beast things, the pain would be unimaginable.
Unless, of course, their beast side completely devoured their humanity. Then, none of this mattered.
…
Far away in R City's dense forest, Lao Shi sat perched on an ancient tree, rolling a vaccine vial in his hand—the one Captain Zhang had secretly given him.
When they'd parted ways, everything was rushed. Captain Zhang had only said, "We don't know if this vaccine can undo beast-type mutations. Just in case, I'm leaving you one. I can't give more. You know what punishment I'll face for handing this over. Still, I don't trust what's in sublevel -5. Personally, I don't think you should inject it. But it's your call."
Just in case.
Then he'd shoved both the vial and a syringe at Lao Shi and turned away without giving him the chance to refuse.
Since then, Lao Shi had stared at the vaccine countless times but never reached a decision.
Until now.
He'd finally resolved to test it. Not on himself.
The vial only held one dose, but he had spare syringes. So he planned to draw a portion out, inject it into some creature, observe, and only if it looked safe would he use another syringe to inject himself.
Balancing on the tall tree, Lao Shi studied the forest below, spotting a mutant beast. His movements had grown sharper than ever, and in a blur he captured it, tied it to the trunk, and pushed the vaccine into its body.
The result was horrific.
Almost instantly, the beast convulsed in agony, howling as if on the verge of death. Just when it seemed about to collapse, it suddenly snapped upright, eyes vacant, mouth slack.
Then its body swelled grotesquely before shrinking back, like a balloon being squeezed and released. Again and again, until its form twisted entirely.
And then, from every opening—eyes, nose, mouth, ears, even old wounds—emerged writhing black tendrils that lashed toward him.
What the hell? A vaccine was supposed to cure, yet it pushed this beast into a second mutation?
Could it be this vaccine had never been meant to reverse mutation at all?
Lao Shi retreated swiftly, dodging the whipping tendrils. Fortunately, the creature was tied tight, and the limbs couldn't stretch endlessly. But he couldn't leave it alive.
He pulled out his gun and fired into its heart. The tendrils collapsed at once. Still, he stayed wary. When he thought it was dead, the appendages suddenly shot out again, longer this time, stabbing toward him.
Instinct kicked in. He raised his gun and emptied the rest of the rounds into it until the beast finally crashed to the ground. The half-used vaccine slipped from his grasp, tumbling to the dirt. Even as darkness closed in on him, Lao Shi's gaze never wavered from that vial.