In a Surgery Lab...
The room was dark and grave-silent save for the beeping of the heart rate monitor.
The shadows of three spread out in the darkness, casting the ward in a gloomy aura of fear.
Looking at the source of the shadows, three men dressed in long white lab coats stood around a surgical bed, their faces lit with seriousness and a hint of hope.
They were all about forty years of age, their eyes a blot of red from exhaustion, yet flickering with a kind of madness as they focused on the figure on the bed.
"Increase output rate by 40%."
One of the scientists, a man with long dark hair, spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Increasing output rate by forty."
The AI voice repeated, causing the heart rate monitor to start beeping fast as the figure on the bed suddenly began twitching.
It was that of a boy of about sixteen with raven-dark hair.
His eyes were closed, his handsome white face set in slight agony as a strange machine covered his mouth.
His legs and arms were stretched out beside him, each bonded together with chains on the surgical bed, rendering him unable to move.
Different wires, holding strange dark liquids, could be seen sticking into various parts of his body, while a large metallic pipe dipped into his head from below, a green serum bubbling within.
The boy's body repeatedly twitched, causing the continuous clanking sounds of chains to echo in the lab.
"Increase output rate by 80%," the scientist ordered again as the heart rate monitor's beeping intensified.
The boy's eyes snapped open, revealing deep blue irises, with the white of his eyes covered in bulging red veins due to pain.
Pain.
Horrifying pain comparable to that of a thousand bolts of electricity being passed continuously into him.
They destroyed every cell in his body, and he screamed out in pain, but not a single voice was heard in the lab due to the sound prevention machine placed on his mouth.
"Increase output rate by 90%."
The same voice echoed out again as the beeping increased even faster.
Zeras felt his gaze slowly descending into darkness, but that was immediately dashed away as pain slammed into him, resulting in another wave of agony.
The surgical bed shifted, and the chain clattered repeatedly from his struggle.
"Test subject cells have reached their limit. The probability of mutation has increased by 93%."
The AI voice echoed out in the room.
The scientist, as if deaf to the voice, coldly ordered:
"Increase output rate by 99%."
The monitor's beeping increased by hundreds of times.
In response, Zera's eyes were immediately flooded with a deep crimson color, his face marked in strange dark-red veins.
Blood oozed out from his eyes, nose, and ears as his body spasmed uncontrollably.
His body cells fought defensively against the invading elements, but they were rapidly losing.
He eventually reached his peak as his eyes rolled to the back, his body falling on the bed with a thump.
The heart rate monitor stopped beeping at this point, and the line on it became a constant straight line.
"Test Subject 3028's body has reached its absolute limit. His cells have been corrupted by the BD-06 serum."
The AI voice echoed out after, breaking the stillness.
"Another Failure."
One of the scientists said in a tone of disappointment.
"Well, at least he was the highest result we have ever obtained, able to stand the infusion of the serum at 99% for ten seconds."
The scientist who ordered the continuous increase said in a blank voice, making it unclear whether he was praising or disappointed.
"Dispose of him already. Let's take a break before the next subject comes in."
The last scientist said as he clicked on his watch before the trio moved out of the lab.
Remaining in the room was Zeras, who had already fainted and was drowning in the pool of blood that oozed from his wounds.
The scientist didn't even bat an eyelid, as if he were nothing but another rat who failed.
This was the cruel reality of life.
A man dressed in dark overalls soon entered the lab, unbinding the chain around Zeras before putting his body into the large bag in his hand.
His eyes held no emotion as he looked at the bloody figure of the boy.
After all, it was already a common thing at this point.
Carefully zipping the bag, he carried it in his hands and moved out of the lab, the door sealing shut behind him and plunging the room into silence once again.