With a hiss of releasing locks, the door swung open, revealing the fortified room within.
[ The third floor is yours, Shane. Proceed with caution. ] Cloud reminded.
After taking a deep breath, Shane examined the room. He was quite excited to see what was inside, considering it was protected by such advanced weapon technology.
The room was a stark contrast to the rest of the manor, a chilling display of scientific ambition gone awry. It was a laboratory, vast and cold, where the air hung heavy with the scent of chemicals and the metallic tang of blood.
Rows of glass vessels lined the walls, each filled with a murky liquid that preserved the grotesque results of inhumane experiments.
"What? Is this really part of the government's research facility?" Shane was shocked.
'Is it a coincidence that this place is my starting area? Or is it also arranged by my previous self?' Shane couldn't help but wonder as he felt that it was too surreal…
"Incredible… but also disgusting."
There were huge vessels containing light green liquid everywhere. There were disembodied limbs floated alongside malformed figures, some with too many eyes, others with limbs where there should be none. In the center of the room, a full human body, suspended in stasis, bore the marks of countless surgeries, its chest an intricate web of scars.
Shane's gaze swept over the workstations cluttered with research papers, their edges yellowed with age. The handwriting was frantic, the notes of a mind teetering on the brink of madness.
'Just what are they researching here…' Shane thought.
Medical tools lay scattered, some stained with rust, others gleaming ominously under the flickering lights.
This place seemed to be hastily abandoned by the previous researchers as well.
Books, ancient and leather-bound, were stacked haphazardly, their pages filled with medical knowledge and perhaps even some forbidden knowledge.
"Let's see…" Shane wasn't in a hurry to examine the various items in the room. He first looked at the papers on the research tables.
"Ahh… It's about that again…"
Shane's hands trembled slightly as he sifted through the papers scattered across the laboratory's workstations.
The documents were a chaotic mix of hastily scribbled notes and meticulously detailed reports, all hinting at the grand and terrible scope of Project Z.
"Project Z: Super Soldier Initiative…" Shane repeated the familiar government plan.
'The goal is clear: to forge an invincible army. Enhanced strength, speed, and cognitive abilities are not just aspirations but necessities for the future of national defense. Our soldiers will be unstoppable…'
The initial pages outlined the government's ambitious plan to create an elite force of Super Soldiers. Diagrams of enhanced musculature and augmented neural pathways promised a new dawn of military prowess.
But as Shane flipped through the pages, the tone shifted. The diagrams became overlaid with erratic annotations, the text scrawled with a sense of urgency and despair.
"Mutation Logs: Day 23…"
'The serum's effects were beyond our wildest predictions. Subject 17 exhibited unprecedented strength, tearing through restraints like paper. However, the cost is high—cognition has plummeted, replaced by a primal hunger. We've created monsters…'
"Ohhh…" Shane's eyes widened as he continued reading.
These reports were in a leather-bound journal, its pages were already edged with wear.
The entries were dated, starting with Day 23, detailing the unexpected side effects of the serum designed to enhance human capabilities. The subjects, once soldiers, were devolving into something else—something primal and insatiable. The term "flesh-eating monsters" appeared repeatedly, a stark contrast to the clinical language of the earlier pages.
Amidst the chaos of the reports, one name recurred.
"It's here… Sofia: Patient Zero…" Shane muttered as he read the familiar name once again.
She was described as Patient Zero, she was an anomaly within the project. The notes spoke of her with a mix of reverence and fear, for she remained untouched by the virus that ravaged the others.
Her blood samples, depicted in vivid color on the stained pages, held a key that the researchers were desperate to replicate.
Shane then shifted his attention to a different book. It's cover was red and seemed quite important to he swiftly checked it out.
"Control Mechanisms and Enhanced Mutations…" Shane read the title before turning to its content.
'Today's trials with neural inhibitors show promise. The subjects are more docile, manageable. But we need more control. Mutations have been induced to increase resilience. Subject 21 survived a direct artillery hit. The implications are staggering.'
"What? Artillery hit? What kind of monster are you making?" Shane was shocked as he also recalled the Tyrant Zombie! In his mind, the Zombie could probably handle such firepower based on the others' descriptions in the chat.
Further into the journal, Shane discovered the researchers' attempts to regain control over the monsters they had unwittingly created.
Diagrams of neural inhibitors and pheromonal triggers filled the margins, alongside frantic calculations of dosages and exposure times.
There were notes on mutations, deliberate and accidental, that led to stronger, more resilient creatures. The words "unstoppable force" were underlined, a chilling premonition of the apocalypse that was to come.
Shane sighed as he recalled once again that this apocalypse was human-made. There wasn't a divine intervention that led to such a result… Or at the very least, that was what it looked like after reading so much.
"Day 24…" Shane continued.
'We're on the brink of something monumental. The mutations are stable, and the subjects are showing capabilities beyond human limits. But at what cost? Their humanity is slipping away. We're losing them to the hunger. This was meant to be our greatest achievement; it's becoming our greatest regret.'
The Day 24 entries were a mix of breakthrough and desperation. The researchers had found a way to induce controlled mutations, enhancing the creatures' strength and ferocity. Yet, the cost was clear: the humanity of the subjects was disappearing, their minds lost to a ravenous hunger.
Shane's eyes moved over the pages, absorbing the horror of what had transpired within these walls. The experiments, the failures, the fleeting moments of hope—all were documented here, a testament to the ambition that had led to the world's downfall.
Then, he read more passages where he found Sofia's name again.
'Her blood could be the key to reversing the effects. Sofia's immune response is unlike any subject in the program. We're synthesizing a counter-serum based on her antibodies. If we succeed, we could stop this epidemic before it's too late…
'Day 47 - The situation is deteriorating. The subjects are escaping containment, and the facility is under threat. Sofia's counter-serum is our last hope. We're initiating emergency protocols to secure the research. All else is secondary now.'
As he delved deeper into the papers, Shane realized the gravity of what he held.
'Day 68: If anyone finds this, know that we didn't mean for this to happen. Project Z was meant to protect, not destroy. Sofia's counter-serum is in the vault. It is imperfect and also untested... I hope you can—'
The last entry ended here. The other papers were related to how they made the serum that started this all.
There were also records of antibodies they collected from Sofia…
This was more than a record of failure; it was a blueprint for salvation. If Sofia's immunity could be understood, there was a chance to reclaim the world from the brink of extinction.
Realizing the importance of the journals, Shane gathered the papers, tucking them securely into his pack.
The secrets of Project Z would not remain buried in this forgotten laboratory. They would be the key to humanity's resurgence…
Finally, after collecting the important research papers, he turned his attention to apparatus of unknown purposes. He also noticed their dials and gauges frozen at critical readings.
Shane approached a desk in the middle of the many medical devices, he found another open journal amidst the scattered vials.
Among the chaos, a single, leather-bound tome caught his eye. It even has a lock on it!
Its cover was embossed with strange symbols that he had no idea what it could mean...
'I'll open this later…' Shane thought as he kept the strange journal first.
Then, as he moved deeper, he passed a row of cryogenic chambers and they were still working!
Although it wasn't surprising since the defense mechanisms outside still worked, it was still quite exhilarating seeing it with his own eyes!
Inside these chambers, he could see figures were suspended in icy slumber!
"Just who would expect that this manor would have such things inside…" Shane muttered as he still couldn't believe that the manor that he had ignored for weeks contained these things!
Anyway, he ignored the cryogenic chambers for now.
At the far end of the room, a fortified chamber beckoned. Its door was ajar… It was inviting yet foreboding.
Nonetheless, seeing that there was a fingerprint scanner beside it, Shane used Cloud's interface cable to connect to it.
As he connected to the chamber's security system, the A.I.'s algorithms danced through the defenses with a deft touch.
[ Access granted. The chamber is open. ]