Chapter 166 — Internal Lab Level 2
S.C. 1511 — Mid March
Hidden Island — Hive Lab, Central Chamber
The Hive Lab had grown so large that even Ren sometimes needed a moment to orient himself.
Hexagonal walls. Alloy supports. A low hum from the new solar–wind hybrid grid.
The faint smell of fresh wood and metal dust.
But inside Ren's head—
another lab was being built.
Not physical.
Not mechanical.
A lab born from telepathy, enhanced memory, and an overclocked mind.
Today's task was simple:
Upgrade the internal library and internal lab he built inside his consciousness.
Zemo sat beside him, tail curled neatly, as Ren sat cross-legged on a mat at the center of the room.
He inhaled…
held…
exhaled…
The world faded, and the inside of his mind lit up.
---
The Internal Library Expands
Shelves formed in Ren's consciousness—
not wooden shelves,
but organized memory structures.
Previously, it had been just boxes with labels:
Botany Notes
Compound X
Early Tools
Sword Stances
Breathing Technique
Now, Ren reshaped all of it.
The shelves extended upward, sideways, and around him.
A circular library.
Clean. Structured. Quiet.
He added divisions:
Primary Memory Rooms
Science & Chemistry
Biology & Gene Studies
Engineering & Tools
Combat & Swordsmanship
Telepathy & Mind Training
Secondary Memory Drawers
Herb effects
Alloy combinations
Construction layouts
Weapon recoil patterns
Target distance calculations
Mental Quick-Access Cards
Instant-recall memory packets for:
compound reactions
forging temperatures
trap alignments
breathing correction cues
Each card felt like a small flash of organized clarity.
Zemo watched quietly as Ren's eyes remained half-closed, moving slightly as if reading invisible pages.
---
Internal Lab Upgrade
Ren then focused on the second part—
his Internal Laboratory.
This was not a real lab.
It was the simulation room he used inside his own mind.
Earlier, it was just a blank space where he tested ideas.
Now…
He shaped it into a proper experimental chamber.
Benches.
Virtual tools.
Labeled beakers.
Imaginary microscopes reflecting real-world specs.
He simulated:
Alloy mixing
Compression tests
Telekinetic trajectory predictions
Bullet drop formulas
Sword arc patterns
Structural stress on walls and beams
All in seconds.
All perfectly controlled.
And it worked.
Ren imagined a block of alloy.
Simulated heating.
Simulated pressure.
The result formed in his mind cleanly, without the noise of earlier days.
He opened his eyes slightly.
"…good. Much better."
Zemo wagged his tail, sensing the calm.
---
Smoothing the Telepathic Noise
Ren closed his eyes again and pressed deeper.
The biggest problem wasn't knowledge.
It was noise.
His telepathic sense constantly picked up:
animal impulses
insect flickers
emotional waves from distant wildlife
ambient movement in the forest
He needed separation.
He split his mental space into two sectors:
Sector A — Telepathy Field
For sensing Zemo, animals, danger.
Sector B — Internal Library & Lab
For thinking, calculating, designing.
If a bird panicked somewhere outside—
Sector A held that noise back.
If Luffy started shouting far away—
Sector A muted it.
Sector B remained calm and clear.
Ren exhaled softly.
Much better.
---
Mental Indexing Test
He opened a random shelf in his mind.
> Herb Mutation Patterns — Set C-04
Instant recall.
Perfect clarity.
Another.
> KEA Alloy Formula Notes — Batch 7
Clear.
Another.
> Crescent Path Slash — Foot Angle Correction
Also perfectly stored.
Ren nodded slowly.
He didn't smile often during meditation,
but today it appeared naturally.
This system…
This structure…
Would let him handle far more information without being overwhelmed.
---
Real-World Trial
Ren opened his eyes fully.
The Hive Lab was exactly as he left it.
Subordinate Jin entered with a crate of metal scraps.
"Boss, sorted the copper and iron."
Ren responded without hesitation:
"Good. Keep the copper separate from manganese. I'll need both for a new alloy."
Jin paused, impressed.
"How did you know I mixed them yesterday?"
Ren didn't answer.
His mind had simply…
remembered the pattern.
Zemo nudged Ren's leg again.
Ren stood and walked toward the forge room.
His mind felt lighter.
More directed.
More efficient.
And far, far faster.
---
Evening Calm
As the sun dipped below the island's fog-covered horizon, Ren sat on the stone outside the Hive Lab.
Zemo rested beside him.
The air tasted of salt and wood.
Inside Ren's mind—
The library stood tall.
The lab glowed quietly.
Two sectors ran smoothly.
Everything was organized.
He whispered:
"…now I can think clearly."
It wasn't power.
It wasn't strength.
It was order.
Mental order.
And in Ren's world,
order meant progress.
---
End of Chapter 166