C7 Scam

"Alright, this is where you'll be bunking for the next few days," Officer Li announced as he ushered them into a dome-shaped hall. The space was crammed with over a thousand beds, with seven to eight hundred people sprawled across them—some with ruddy complexions, others gaunt and sallow. A few mumbled to themselves, while others seemed lost in a daze. The hall was a microcosm of life's rich tapestry, every emotion on display.

Officer Li guided them to a cluster of vacant beds, gesturing towards them, "You'll bed down here for three days."

He paused briefly before continuing, "I know you're brimming with questions, but time is against me—I need to round up the next group. So, I'll make it quick and clear, and I'll only say this once: no interruptions, please!"

It was then that Jun Lindao began to grasp Officer Li's intentions.

"You're currently in an underground city on Freisean. I haven't entirely misled you—you are indeed here for a three-day drug trial. However, this isn't some clandestine project of the Academy of Science, nor is it without its risks. Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure what this drug trial is for, but I do know it's connected to awakening agents and mutations. You'll stay here for three days, and the compensation is more generous than previously mentioned: twenty resource points a day. Survive the initial trial, and the reward for a ten-day follow-up jumps to a hundred resource points daily. That's the gist of it. Someone else will take over from here." With that, Officer Li pulled out a pack of cigarettes, but quickly remembered where he was, stashed them away, dusted off his jacket, and strode out, leaving Jun Lindao and his companions exchanging puzzled glances.

Externally, Jun Lindao remained composed, yet internally, his mind was racing.

"Things haven't gone as expected, but this might be the best-case scenario. The trials are indeed linked to the awakening agents and mutations—my journey here wasn't in vain. And if Big Li's implications hold true, there should be no life-threatening danger after three days. The myriad reactions to the drug among all these people suggest its effects vary widely, with the majority seeming to be emotional rather than physical." Scanning the room, Jun Lindao noted the odd expressions but no severe injuries, quickly drawing his conclusions.

Most of the individuals here are unawakened, with not a single awakened person among them. This suggests that the drug trials are specifically targeting the unawakened, though it's also possible that Big Li and his backing organization are wary of luring awakened individuals into their experiments. The unawakened in the slums are prime targets for their schemes. Big Li's approach—avoiding outright theft and not using force against the slums—indicates a reluctance to draw attention and a preference for keeping a low profile. These slums likely span across the entire planet of Freisean. Big Li aims to entice just a few individuals from each slum across the globe, steering clear of forcibly rounding up an entire slum's population. Considering a slum can house tens of thousands, he only risks luring out a handful. Should any issues arise with these few, it would merely result in a slight uptick in the occasional disappearances within a slum—hardly a blip on the government's missing persons records, and easily concealed.

"Since I'm already here, I might as well settle in. This ruse had better be worth it," Jun Lindao mused, now fully composed and able to analyze the situation logically.

About five minutes later, a team of medical staff, clad in protective suits that revealed only their eyes, arrived. They ushered everyone through a bathing process followed by a comprehensive physical examination.

"I guess I'll just consider this a free health checkup," grumbled the previously unfortunate fellow under his breath.

After the examination, each person received an injection of a purple reagent. As the medical staff administered the shots, Jun Lindao watched their eyes intently and noted no malice or indifference. In fact, some of them appeared quite young, around his age, brimming with enthusiasm and exuding a hint of goodwill.

"This place is odd, but it doesn't strike me as inherently inhumane or horrific. I'll chalk it up to a unique drug trial," Jun Lindao thought to himself.

He didn't feel anything out of the ordinary when the purple reagent entered his system. It wasn't until about half an hour later that a peculiar warmth began to spread slowly through his body.

"Every two hours, we'll come to monitor your condition. Please report any unusual symptoms to us," one of the medical staff members instructed.

Just a short distance from the round dome hall, an elderly man was intently scrutinizing dozens of large screens before him, each person on them under his watchful gaze as he pondered something unknown.

One screen displayed the very hall of Jun Lindao, and it was there that the old man's attention lingered the longest, hinting at some intriguing discovery.

"Little Song, doesn't it tire you to keep your eyes glued to the screen? Checking in every couple of hours should suffice," remarked a man lounging on a sofa with an air of nonchalance. His golden hair, piercing blue eyes, deep-set sockets, prominent nose, and sculpted cheekbones gave him a striking appearance.

Strikingly, this man appeared no older than thirty, yet he addressed the elder as "Little Song."

"You have a point, yet I've indeed stumbled upon something quite fascinating this time," replied the elder Song, taking no offense to the younger man's form of address. On the contrary, he treated the younger man with exceptional reverence.

If Jun Lindao were present, he'd surely recognize the elder as "Grand Researcher Song," the same man who conducted his genetic testing two years prior. However, it was a mystery why he was now in the underground city.

"Oh? Do share," the young man said, casually leaning back on the sofa as he sipped his wine.

"This experiment aimed to see if the unawakened with lower aptitudes could undergo special mutations after consuming 'Demon Blood.' We hoped to guide these mutations positively, enhancing their chances of becoming demonized warriors. Most of these unawakened are of the seventh or eighth aptitude, with the ninth being exceedingly rare. But this time, we have a young man of the ninth aptitude, someone I've previously encountered," explained the elder Song.

"A ninth-grade aptitude? That is indeed a rarity, as scarce as the legendary first grade—truly one in a billion. I hope this young man can bring us some surprises and add a bit of excitement to my lengthy existence," the young man commented with a measure of detachment.

"But there's more. This young man stands out from the typical ninth grade. His genes show no detectable awakening nodes. My analysis suggests he possesses the legendary Nine Trials Body, a phenomenon last documented tens of thousands of years ago," continued the elder Song, speaking measuredly.

"What! The Nine Trials Body?!" The young man, who had maintained an air of serene indifference, was suddenly taken aback, his composure swept away by the mention of the Nine Trials Body.

"Halt immediately and purge the demon blood from his body!" the young man bellowed, issuing the command. But in the next moment, he seemed to recall something, hesitating as he gestured with his hand.

"No... No, no, no... We don't have to extract it. Let's see what effect the demon blood has on him," the young man muttered to himself, swiftly reversing his earlier directive.

"Transfer him to a private chamber and keep him under constant surveillance. I want all his vital statistics streamed to me in real-time," the young man pondered for a moment before issuing his final order.

"At your command, Grand Scientist Crick!" the elderly Mr. Song bowed his head in deference.