Chapter 24: The Little White Mouse

Test subjects have no human rights, just like the white mice or monkeys in a laboratory. Aside from having enough to eat and drink, all other rights are stripped from them. The young members of Falcon Squad now find themselves in precisely this situation. Since their confinement, the researchers in the underground city have not treated them as people; in fact, Da Min, Xiao Feng, and Long Ge—three grown men—were not even given clothes to wear.

On the first day after being locked up, a group came to gather information, claiming it was for establishing files. They recorded everything: height, weight, shoulder width, arm span, chest, waist, hips, thigh circumference, calf circumference, fingerprints. Long Ge, who had survived the strengthening serum, received special attention—one round of data collection wasn’t enough; periodic sampling and data logging were required.

As soon as one group left, another arrived. This time, they took hematopoietic stem cells and blood samples. Female staff were among them, leaving the three men deeply embarrassed, though the staff seemed utterly indifferent. Why? In the lab, monkeys never wear clothes—when did anyone ever feel embarrassed seeing them?

This feeling of not being regarded as human was deeply unpleasant, but the three had no recourse; no matter how they spoke, there was never any response.

Compared to the three men, Zhao Nana’s situation was somewhat better. With a doctorate from Harvard Medical School, she was classified as talent recruitment rather than a test subject. Though she still did menial work, at least she was treated as a human being.

After several rounds of blood and stem cell sampling, the materials for the first round of experiments were complete. For a considerable time after, no one came to disturb them. Apart from regular meal deliveries, they saw no one. Thankfully, there was a computer—installed after previous test subjects developed depression. While it couldn’t connect to the outside world, at least it allowed them to watch movies and play games, making the isolation bearable.

Unlike Da Min, Xiao Feng, and Long Ge—who were bored to death—the underground city’s researchers, including the laborer Zhao Nana, were busy beyond belief. They were now conducting human cloning experiments, parthenogenetic reproduction trials, same-sex reproduction experiments, and ex vivo embryonic development tests—all forbidden in the outside world. The materials were, of course, the samples recently collected.

Technically, human cloning experiments have been feasible for decades, though officially banned. The organization had conducted many, achieving breakthrough progress: unraveling cellular aging mechanisms and cultivating specific organs for transplantation. The primary purpose this time was to accumulate more experimental data and give new organizational recruits a chance to practice.

Parthenogenetic reproduction and ex vivo embryo cultivation were technically immature, making them the main focus. Since the initiation of the Angel Project, such experiments had continued, with an extremely low success rate—almost zero.

Each failure added to their experience; it wasn’t a total loss. By now, they knew many pitfalls in every experimental step. For example, they had established a rigorous grading standard for selecting samples.

This time, expectations were high. SS-grade samples occur in about one in ten thousand people; acquiring three at once—can you imagine the excitement of the underground city’s research staff in charge of the project?

The hardest step—using gene editing to modify marker genes, breaking the shackles of gender and merging them into a human embryo—still had a very low success rate. But compared to previous experiments, sample quality was higher, and improved techniques made the data look promising: the number of embryos had multiplied. With the abundance of new samples, they had ample material for the next step of ex vivo embryo culture.

While the researchers in the underground city worked around the clock, Da Min, Xiao Feng, and Long Ge—test subject mice—were not left idle either. Soon, they were assigned a new project: testing the latest mechanical exoskeleton.

This time, it was a mechanical exoskeleton, not the first-generation cyborg limb-replacement experiment, but equipment attached to their original bodies. Though it caused less physical harm, it was still dangerous because it was a competitive project. All test subjects had to pair off in duels, fighting until one side was unconscious or dead; only the top sixteen would survive.

At least they finally had clothing and the chance to interact with others, which made Da Min, Xiao Feng, and Long Ge quite happy.

The duels were brutal—real weapons, life-and-death struggles every time. Fortunately, all three had professional combat training and made it smoothly into the top thirty-two. One more round and they could survive this ordeal.

Zhang Xingmin’s opponent was relatively easy to handle, both having chosen enhanced defense gear. With identical equipment, it came down to raw strength. Luckily, his opponent was shorter and lacked power—pure attrition, whoever was weaker would lose.

Lin Xiaofeng used high-output offensive equipment, but his adversary was a super defense type. Like a hound facing a turtle, he had nowhere to strike. He had to smash the shell bit by bit to finish.

The most dangerous was Long Ge, who faced an opponent equipped for flight—a nightmare matchup. Thankfully, the flying exoskeleton lacked attack capabilities. Relying on the strength granted by the enhancement serum and two months of relentless training, Long Ge endured wave after wave of assault.

But Long Ge was in his thirties; though the serum boosted cellular vitality, prolonged combat took its toll. The flying exoskeleton consumed energy rapidly and favored quick battles, making long-term use difficult.

As his opponent exhausted their special moves, Long Ge finally had a chance to counterattack. Unexpectedly, his adversary went for mutual destruction, catching him off guard and leaving Da Min and Xiao Feng watching anxiously.

Long Ge activated his shield, survived the attack, but suffered serious injuries. He persisted through sheer willpower. After years of living on the edge, it was extraordinary endurance that kept him alive—surviving the harsh effects of the drugs required not just physical constitution, but also patience.

His opponent’s last attack was an all-or-nothing gamble; now, the man had no strength left to fight back. Long Ge merely needed to walk over and use a little force to win, but he could barely stand himself, feeling as if his organs had been knocked out of place.

The two hung on, until finally Long Ge’s opponent collapsed first. The referee declared Yang Yichen victorious, and Da Min and Xiao Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing he’d won a chance to live, Long Ge no longer forced himself to stand—he staggered and nearly fell, prompting Da Min and Xiao Feng to rush over and support him.

The three returned to rest.

According to the rules, the top sixteen earned a choice: continue forward—with luck, reach the final four and become a free citizen of the underground city, no longer a test subject in the modification plan; or withdraw—still a test subject, but allowed to move into the city apartments.

The losers, if dead, were cremated directly. Survivors were taken away for further drug trials. Have you ever seen a laboratory monkey with human rights?

After discussion, the three decided the risks were too high to continue and chose to withdraw. Though still watched as test subjects in the apartments, their experimental tasks were now light—mostly simple labor.

After moving into the apartments, Falcon Squad gained relative freedom, able to meet occasionally and review their mission. Several months had passed already; they wondered if the Special Operations support team had arrived. It seemed time to look for an opportunity to inquire.