Chapter 43: Live Subject Experiment

Chapter 43: Live Subject Experiment

Once Ke Lin had physically recovered, he immediately followed Jiang Yi's scent.

Jiang Yi's scent disappeared in a patch of wasteland.

There were multiple signs of helicopter landings on the ground—they had left by air.

However keen Ke Lin's sense of smell was, he couldn't track the scent's direction miles up in the air. At that moment, he became acutely aware that his master had gone to a place very, very far away.

Ke Lin returned to headquarters, where Tian Rui was waiting for him at the main gate with a group of people.

Seeing that Ke Lin had ultimately chosen to return, Tian Rui breathed a sigh of relief. "Ke Lin, you're back."

Ke Lin glanced at him but said nothing, turning to walk in another direction.

He already knew that Tian Rui had intentionally led the team away that day.

He had been betrayed by his own biological father.

Never before had Ke Lin's mind been clearer. His master had been captured by the Esper Team. They were too powerful, and the chances of rescuing his master alone were virtually zero. He needed the assistance of the Wild Wolf Corps.

That's why he hadn't left, but for now, he couldn't bring himself to show Tian Rui a friendly face either.

Seeing his attitude, Tian Rui followed with a stern expression. "Your esper ability has awakened. Come with me for testing. Judging from your performance that day, your ability is at least A-rank."

Ke Lin stopped and turned his head to ask, "Were you observing from the shadows that day?"

"No," Tian Rui replied, a rare hint of regret in his voice. If he had been there, perhaps that kid Jiang Yi wouldn't have been taken. "Your sense of smell is too sharp. If Hera and I had been there, you would have noticed."

Ke Lin snorted coldly and turned away.

His father had gone to great lengths to make him lose the child due to an "accident."

Ke Lin's abdomen had long since returned to its flat state; the mass of gas symbolizing the child had dissipated within his body.

Whenever he thought of this, an uncontrollable pang of pain shot through his heart.

If not for the belief in finding his master sustaining him, he might have collapsed into despair.

Seeing that Ke Lin had no intention of engaging with him, Tian Rui offered a lure. "Don't you want to know where Jiang Yi was taken?"

Ke Lin immediately looked at him. "How do you know?"

"The second Esper Team is directly under the Federal Research Institute. They were taking Jiang Yi back to see the Director, so it's highly likely he was taken to the Institute's headquarters."

"Where is the Institute's headquarters?"

"We preliminarily identified its location a long time ago, but the defenses there are stringent, with many high-level Espers. If you want to rescue Jiang Yi, I can point you in a direction," Tian Rui said slowly.

"What is it?"

"Become the Deputy Leader of the Wild Wolf Corps. Join me in overthrowing the current regime and eradicating the Federal Research Institute from this world. Then, everyone who has harmed you and Jiang Yi will face the punishment they deserve."

Ke Lin remained silent. If his master were here, would he agree to this proposal?

"Ke Lin, you have time to think it over. For now, come with me to test your esper ability, okay?" Tian Rui wasn't in a hurry for an answer because he knew Ke Lin had no choice but to agree.

Ke Lin entered the esper testing chamber at the military academy.

After several flashes of blue light, the testing personnel looked at the results and exclaimed excitedly, "Congratulations, Grand Leader. The Young Leader has the incredibly rare A-level dual ability of 'Long-Range Tracking' and 'Short-Distance Teleportation.'"

They are advanced powers second only to S-level. If he can combine the two abilities into a combo move, it can be as powerful as an S-level ability, or even stronger.

Tracking can lock onto positions, while teleportation gives him inhuman speed. If Ke Lin combines them, he would be a natural-born assassin.

"Excellent, Ke Lin. I want you to put in a lot of practice on your combo moves in the coming days," Tian Rui said with a smile, patting Ke Lin's shoulder.

Previously, Ke Lin had shown exceptional talent in his sense of smell, so Tian Rui thought he'd only develop a tracking-related ability. He never imagined Ke Lin would also have a top-tier ability like "Short-Distance Teleportation."

This ability would grow stronger as his power increased.

At first, he might only be able to teleport within two meters, but that could slowly extend to three meters, then five, even ten.

Federal Research Institute Headquarters.

Iddis freed Jiang Yi from his restraints but put a collar on him similar to those worn by Non-Human Races.

Jiang Yi touched the leather collar around his neck and sneered, "So they put these on humans too."

"It's just a restraint. Anyone can wear one. However, my dear son, the collar you're wearing is my own handiwork and contains no genetic suppression."

Iddis always regarded Jiang Yi with admiration.

Though Jiang Yi still showed some resistance toward him, he was the perfect heir in Iddis's eyes.

Ah, but there is one flaw.

It would be even more perfect if he could forget about that werewolf.

Love affairs only get in the way of grand plans.

Jiang Yi's communicator was confiscated, cutting him off from the outside world.

The institute staff were all fiercely loyal, and he tried using his abilities on them to find an opportunity to escape.

But Iddis had taken precautions—the people here wore special gear that blocked psychic influence.

Jiang Yi was very interested in these devices.

"Want to know how they're made? Follow me," Iddis said, controlling his wheelchair as he moved forward.

Jiang Yi followed and saw a laboratory similar to Professor Bonasen's.

It was larger than Bonasen's, with one wall lined with dozens of transparent glass cases holding the bodies of various Non-Human Races.

Their eyes were open, expressions frozen on their faces, but there was no trace of life left in them.

Beneath this wall was a thick layer of glass flooring.

Jiang Yi could clearly see that the underground area was divided into countless experimental compartments, each holding werewolves or mermaids.

They were naked, with countless electrodes and tubes inserted into their bodies. The thickest tube was inserted into the back of their necks.

Laboratory personnel bustled about underground, operating machines as blue and white indicator lights flashed continuously. The expressions on the faces of the Non-Human Races were strikingly similar—pained and numb, as if their souls had long since departed.

"What is this? Live experiments?" Jiang Yi asked.

Iddis maneuvered his wheelchair beside him, gazing at the vast and busy underground laboratory with the demeanor of someone surveying his own territory.

"Son, did you know? Many years ago, the Federal Research Institute invented a protective shield capable of resisting cosmic radiation. This shield required an essential raw material—the Life Elixir."

"Life Elixir?" Jiang Yi had heard this term on his very first day here.

Iddis said he'd tossed everyone who ever took care of him into the experimental pools, and still hadn't produced a single drop.

"Yes, the former Director accidentally discovered this substance in the spinal fluid of large animals. Back then, to manufacture the shield, large wild animals were nearly slaughtered to extinction."

As Jiang Yi listened, a sickening guess began to form in his mind.

"The next major cosmic radiation surge is approaching, and our Life Elixir reserves are insufficient. The Oton family accidentally extracted this substance from wolf-people. Through experiments, they found that the amount of Life Elixir obtainable from one wolf-person is five times that of an ordinary beast and ten times that of an ordinary human."

Iddis said all this without any change in expression, as if merely stating a fact.

Jiang Yi felt his stomach turn. Since Iddis said this, it meant he must have conducted comparative experiments.

He not only didn't regard the Minority Race as human, but even living humans could become his experimental consumables.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Over the years, extracting the Life Elixir has consumed a great deal of my psychic energy. I may not last until the next cosmic radiation surge. The job of protecting the world falls to you now."

"I don't want that responsibility." Jiang Yi felt a wave of disgust.

Was that it? Did Iddis think he was saving humanity, so live experiments didn't weigh on him at all?

Iddis suddenly grew agitated. "You have to! Otherwise, during the next radiation surge, our shield won't hold up. Everyone will be affected and turn into mindless mutants!"

Jiang Yi was silent. He was originally just an ordinary graduate from another world, who had accidentally arrived in this place filled with radiation and mutants.

He only wanted to live a peaceful life with Ke Lin, but he kept getting pulled into the central conflict of this world.

Ke Lin is the son of the Wild Wolf Corps Chief.

And he? He is the so-called "successor" favored by the Federation's actual controller.

And now he was supposed to save the world?

"When will the radiation surge occur?" Jiang Yi asked.

"According to my psychic prediction, it will be next October," Iddis replied.

Only about a year left. Jiang Yi asked again, "Is your ability to predict the future?"

"That's just one of my abilities. Psychic Ability is the most mysterious and powerful ability in the world, possessing the capacity for evolution. Only S-rank or higher Psychic Abilities can continuously evolve. Predicting the future is the ultimate evolution. I believe that in the near future, you can achieve it too."

"Provided there is a future. Although I've awakened many psychic abilities, they don't seem to help much with the things you mentioned."

"That's because you haven't encountered a true psychic teacher. Let me teach you." Iddis reached out his hand toward Jiang Yi.

Recently, Jia Zheyu's two good friends were out of contact again!

Jiang Yi's communicator showed "out of service area," and Ke Lin's was always switched off.

Jia Zheyu was starting to suspect they might have already been killed by the Wild Wolf Corps.

Because Jiang Yi is a member of the Esper Team, and Ke Lin is something like a traitor to his people.

"Junior, don't worry. They probably aren't in mortal danger," Xin Ziyu comforted from the side.

Snow City was under new management. Only after the Wild Wolf Corps mayor took office did they learn that Starry Vault Academy had actually been hiding a high-ranking Wild Wolf all along.

After Hera became the new mayor, she introduced a series of new regulations and placed all human Espers under control.

Many students from Starry Vault Academy voluntarily joined the military and temporarily left Snow City.

Jia Zheyu was among them; he was now an official member of the Esper Team.

"Senior, you sound so sure. What do you know?" Jia Zheyu leaned in closer.

Ever since Jiang Yi hinted at the relationship between Xin Ziyu and Zuo Lai, Jia Zheyu had decided to be more observant.

He noticed that Xin Ziyu had been in a much better mood lately—had he gotten back in touch with Senior Zuo Lai?

Knowing that Jia Zheyu was Jiang Yi's closest friend, Xin Ziyu told him part of what he knew.

After hearing it, Jia Zheyu blurted out, "They went to the Wild Wolf Corps headquarters? Isn't that way too dangerous!"

"Ke Lin is the long-lost son of the Wild Wolf Corps Chief," Xin Ziyu said.

Zuo Lai had brought this up on the phone, and Xin Ziyu could tell Zuo Lai was holding some things back.

But it didn't matter; as long as he knew Zuo Lai was alive and well, that was enough.

So Xin Ziyu only knew that Jiang Yi and Ke Lin had gone to the Wild Wolf Corps headquarters. He didn't know about Ke Lin's fake pregnancy or that Jiang Yi had been taken by the institute.

After learning about Ke Lin's identity, Jia Zheyu was stunned for several seconds.

His first thought wasn't that the two would become enemies upon meeting again, but rather, with a strangely amused expression, he blurted out, "Holy crap, Jiang Yi went to be a live-in son-in-law?"