"Indeed."

Zhuo Hao pushed the door open but didn't rush in. Instead, he stood for a moment at the entrance. The cold air rushed out. Although chilly, it felt better than the icy world outside.

Inside the cold storage, only three bodies were kept. Calling them 'bodies' might be a misnomer, as they still breathed. The frigid temperatures rendered them immobile, their bodies in a state of hibernation. This was another surprising discovery by Dr. Jiang. After integrating certain animal genes, humans could also exhibit animal traits, such as hibernation.

Inside the three ice caskets, a device controlling temperature activated, gradually warming them. Ice melted, and fingers inside one casket twitched.

Detecting no immediate danger, Zhuo Hao stepped in, gun raised, glancing around. He noticed the three caskets and the 'bodies' inside.

They had seen many such things on their journey. The cold weather was perfect for preserving bodies. Some specimens, despite being dead, remained valuable, so they were stored in ice to prevent decay.

Zhuo Hao only gave the three bodies a cursory glance before moving deeper into the room. Behind him, the three simultaneously opened their eyes, which looked nothing like human eyes but resembled those of mutated beasts.

One of them stretched out a hand, fingers elongated and nails sharp as sickles. Another was covered in golden fur, stiffly shifting its limbs after a moment. The last, completely hairless, with slender limbs and green scales on his hands and feet, leapt silently from his casket, lunging straight at Zhuo Hao's back.

(Happy Lantern Festival!)

Chapter 099: The Perfect Specimen

Sensing movement behind him, Zhuo Hao swung his knife backward even before turning around, striking the attacker's hand and producing a metallic clang.

He leapt to the left before finally turning to face his opponent – a nude male with almost transparent white skin, green vertical pupils, and scales on his limbs, making it hard to discern his origin.

"Such wickedness!" Zhuo Hao said, gazing at the man who seemed devoid of any autonomy. He couldn't understand why some would transform humans into these abominable creatures. Just for their combat abilities?

Both moved simultaneously. Zhuo Hao, knife in both hands, lunged for the creature's head. The creature caught the blade with both hands, then spun its lower half, trying to entangle Zhuo Hao's waist.

Zhuo Hao quickly retreated. They had learned that these human-beast hybrids often possessed both the strength and features of mutated beasts, combined with human agility and control.

The man, seemingly fused with some variant of a serpent, possessed an eerily flexible physique. With his lightning speed and limbs as hard as steel, even bullets couldn't reach him. Not a single vulnerability could be spotted.

More terrifyingly, the two others encased in ice coffins began to rise. Initially sluggish, they quickly became agile, cornering Zhuo Hao against the wall.

"Are these creatures truly unbeatable? Am I going to meet my end here?" Three attackers were too much for Zhuo Hao's blade. When he struck one, the man covered in fur, only a shallow cut and dark red blood appeared, barely affecting the man's performance.

The cold storage room had just one exit. Zhuo Hao was trapped, with no choice but to face them head-on.

He hurled everything movable in the cold storage towards them, inching his way to the door. However, seeing his intent, one of them swiftly blocked the exit.

"They can think?" Zhuo Hao exclaimed, shouting, "Do you remember who you are? I'm here to help. If you're still conscious, answer me!"

The three test subjects, however, responded only with a joint offensive. Weaponless, they pushed Zhuo Hao to the brink with just their hands and feet.

Zhuo Hao tossed a smoke grenade, immediately ducking low and crawling cautiously, avoiding the trio's positions.

Following this, he threw a tear gas grenade. While he wore protective goggles, the opponents had none. As the tear gas enveloped them, rendering them nearly blind, he made his move towards the exit.

But the man guarding the door, despite his hindered sight, detected Zhuo Hao's approach, lunging with sharp claws aimed at his head.

"Damn, which mutated creature's claws are those?" A direct hit would have been devastating.

Before he could react, a whip encircled the creature, dragging it away. Zhuo Hao hastily rolled towards the door, hearing Miao Miao's anxious voice, "Zhuo!"

"I'm here, still alive!" Rushing out of the cold storage, Zhuo Hao kicked the door shut, beckoning Miao Miao and Qin Lifen, "Quickly, help me lock this door!"

Miao Miao was entangled by the clawed creature. Weighing his options, Qin Lifen decided to aid Zhuo Hao first. The door to the cold storage, thick and heavy, took their combined effort to lock, further secured by jamming a gun handle into the door handle.

Qin Lifen, visibly shaken, inquired, "What in the world is inside?"

"Abominations, neither human nor beast, products of a lab. Can you identify the genes of the mutated creature in this one?"

Cursing, Qin Lifen said, "They've truly created such monstrosities. If word gets out, who knows how many will be tempted? It's sheer madness!"

"No worries. All we need to prove is their vulnerability. With such a high cost yielding only trash, no one would want to invest."