"Wasn't the power supply system shut down long ago?" the red-haired man muttered as he switched off his flashlight.
He turned to Lucas with a serious expression. "There must be someone else here. Let's stay alert."
Though his words warned of danger, the red-haired man took the lead without hesitation.
[Modeling in progress...] [A risk assessment is being generated based on the host's current strength...] [Passage to underground laboratory: No danger] [Lights in underground laboratory: No danger] [Broken iron door in underground laboratory: No danger] [...]
"Safer than expected..." he muttered.
But he didn't notice what Lucas was doing behind him. A bloodstained kitchen knife suddenly materialized in Lucas's hand.
"That just makes it more suspicious..." Lucas whispered, tensing every muscle in his body. Even if the danger level was listed as minimal, he didn't dare relax.
---
As they stepped into the passage, signs of life became increasingly obvious—
"This place was cleaned recently. You can still smell air freshener," the red-haired man observed, his tone cautious. "We have to go further in. We might run into—"
Suddenly, the hallway opened up into a wide room.
The scene before them was unexpectedly modern. The laboratory, though hidden underground, showed no signs of decay. On either side of the room were glass-walled chambers, allowing clear visibility from outside.
[Modeling...] [Underground Laboratory A1: No danger]
The red-haired man's eyes lit up. "Lucas! Don't you know? They used to experiment on criminals in places like this underground! Most of our medical advancements came from here!"
Lucas approached one of the glass walls, frowning. "Human experimentation... This isn't something to be proud of."
He knocked his knuckles against the pane. "This is thick, one-way glass…"
Suddenly: Clatter... Dit... Bit...
Footsteps echoed from a corridor at the far end of the laboratory.
The red-haired man's eyes widened in panic. He darted around, searching for somewhere to hide—but the lab offered no cover.
Bit... Bit... Bit...
The footsteps drew closer. Lucas gripped the knife and stared toward the hallway entrance.
[Passage to underground laboratory: No danger] [...]
Then a figure in a white lab coat emerged.
[Doctor in the Restricted Area: Approaching mid-level danger rating]
The man had silver hair slicked back, rimless glasses resting on a tall nose, and an unnerving calm in his eyes. Seeing the two strangers, he didn't panic—instead, he opened his arms and smiled warmly.
"Welcome to my laboratory, dear friends!"
Lucas remained tense at the far end of the lab, watching every move. Meanwhile, the red-haired man was trembling—not in fear, but excitement.
"It's you! I've seen your photo! You were featured on TV! Your contributions were recorded in the national archives!"
He paused, puzzled. "But... weren't you supposed to be dead? You were the doctor before the explosion, right?"
The doctor slowly lowered his arms, his voice soft and reassuring. "My friend, in the Forbidden Zone, anything is possible."
"Yes! That's right!" the red-haired man exclaimed. "It's amazing you're still alive!"
The doctor leaned forward and gave the man a friendly pat on the shoulder. "There was something that kept me alive—a belief."
"A belief?" the red-haired man asked, eyes wide.
The doctor began pacing thoughtfully.
"Yes... I have always dreamed of completing one specific experiment... one of the Ten Great Experiments—the Sleep Experiment."
He didn't wait for anyone to ask. He continued speaking, animated by obsession.
"If a person is deprived of sleep for fifteen or even thirty days, what changes will occur? Will their body adapt or collapse?"
He stopped in place and declared with eerie clarity:
"From the data I've collected so far, such changes do happen!"
Then his voice darkened.
"But I'm missing one crucial data set. Just one... Every previous subject died... Damn it! There's no one left to test in this godforsaken place!"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He turned sharply.
"My friends, would you be willing to help me complete this great experiment? It would be a tremendous contribution to science!"
Before anyone could react, his face softened again. The same man who had just spoken with madness now smiled gently.
"Oh, don't worry. Fifteen days is far too long. I'll merely simulate time using lighting in the room. Your body will naturally adjust. Before long, the final data set will be complete."
[System Prompt: Player Lucas has triggered a hidden mission] [Hidden Mission: Complete the Sleep Experiment] [Reward: Unknown]
:???
:???
:What is going on in this Forbidden Zone? How can someone from the last century still be alive?!
:That doctor's definitely insane. What's the point of this experiment?!
The Cream of the Crop: "Here's some background—there really is a legend about a sleep experiment, but it was confirmed to be just a rumor. This NPC seems modeled after that. There's no actual historical evidence the experiment happened."
:Just because it didn't happen doesn't mean this isn't dangerous!
:He said all his previous test subjects died... what kind of nightmare are we stepping into??
:This hidden mission sounds like suicide! How can anyone complete it?"
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