---
Zone W-11 - Day 3
Radiation Chamber 7-Delta
Jin held the rusted spike above his forearm, watching droplets of his own blood from yesterday's experiments drip from the corroded metal. The stains on the concrete below told the story—dark pools where he'd bled out, pale circles where his body had convulsed during death throes.
*Today, I'm gonna break my respiratory system.*
The spike hovered at thirty degrees, calculated to miss major arteries but puncture deep enough to scrape bone.
He drove it through.
"NGAHHHHHH!" The pain exploded up his arm like liquid fire. Muscle fibers tore around the metal with wet popping sounds. Blood welled up, warm and thick, spilling over his small fingers. The spike scraped against bone with a sound like grinding teeth.
*I'm Pathetic. This is nothing.*
Jin twisted the spike. Bone fragments grated against metal. His vision went white, then red, then exploded into stars. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth as he bit through his tongue.
*Not enoughh.*
He yanked the spike free. Flesh clung to the corroded metal in red ribbons. The wound is sealed within minutes, skin crawling together like a living putty. But Jin had learned something crucial over the past days.
*Evolution demands death. Nothing less will feed the system.*
---
Jin had cleared a perfect circle in the chamber's center. Ten meters of concrete and twisted metal. No cushioning. No mercy. Just the tools of systematic self-destruction.
He began running.
Fifty laps. His breathing remained controlled, but the radiation-tainted air burned his throat raw. Each breath tasted like copper and ozone, like licking a battery.
One hundred laps. Sweat mixed with yesterday's dried blood on his forehead. The concrete felt like sandpaper under his bare feet, skin abrading with each step.
Two hundred laps. His heart hammered against his ribcage like a trapped bird. *Push harder. Break something.*
Three hundred laps. His vision began to blur at the edges. His left leg cramped, muscles seizing like twisted wire, but he forced himself to keep moving.
"Come on... come on..." Jin's voice echoed in the chamber, small and desperate.
Four hundred laps. Blood appeared in his saliva, metallic and warm. He spat red onto the concrete and kept running.
Four fifty laps. His chest felt like it was splitting apart from the inside. Each breath sent shards of glass through his lungs.
Four fifty-three.
His legs gave out. Jin collapsed face-first onto the concrete, his cheekbone cracking against the floor with a sickening crunch. Blood pooled under his face, warm and sticky.
*Insufficient. Again.*
The realization filled him with cold fury. He wasn't just a child trying to get stronger. He was conducting surgery on his own mortality, and he was failing.
Jin waited for recovery, then stood. This time would be different.
*No stopping until something breaks permanently.*
---
Six hundred laps. His lungs felt like they were filled with molten lead. Every breath was agony, but he kept moving.
"Hah... hah... hah..." Each gasp scraped his throat raw. Blood from his mouth marked his path around the circle in crimson dots.
Six fifty laps. Blood streamed from his nose in twin rivers, running over his lips and down his chin. The salt taste made him gag, but he swallowed it and kept running.
Seven hundred laps.
His left lung collapsed.
The pain hit like a lightning bolt directly to his spine. "AGHHHHHHHHH!" Jin's scream echoed off the walls as he crashed to the concrete. The impact drove bone fragments deeper into his chest cavity. He could feel his lung fluttering uselessly inside him, like a deflated balloon.
*More. Need more.*
"Not... enough..." he gasped, blood spattering from his lips with each word.
Jin resumed running. His body moved like a broken puppet, each step sending shockwaves through his collapsed chest. His vision tunneled to a narrow corridor of concrete and shadow.
Seven twenty laps. His right lung collapsed.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The second collapse dropped him like a stone. He couldn't breathe at all now. Suffocation pulled him toward unconsciousness, but he fought it with pure will.
*Almost there. Just a little more damage.*
Jin crawled to the wall on hands and knees, leaving a trail of blood behind him. His chest rose and fell frantically, but no air reached his lungs. Panic—real, human panic—flooded his system. His fingers clawed at the concrete, nails breaking.
*Break. BREAK. BREAK!*
He positioned his head against the concrete wall and drew back. His reflection in a puddle of blood showed a small boy with black eyes full of terrible purpose.
Jin slammed his skull forward with everything he had.
The impact cracked his temple like an eggshell. "NGGAHHHHHHHHH!" Blood erupted from the wound, running into his eyes and turning his vision red. His brain sloshed inside his skull, bruising against bone.
*Still not enough!*
Jin reared back again. His consciousness flickered like a dying bulb, but rage kept him focused. He had to reach the threshold. Had to trigger evolution.
*EVERYTHING MUST BREAK!*
He struck the wall harder than any five-year-old should be capable of. His skull fractured completely. Brain matter mixed with blood as it leaked from the massive crack. The sound was like crushing ice.
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The scream tore from his throat until his vocal cords snapped from the strain.
Darkness.
---
Revival - 14 Minutes Later
Jin's eyes snapped open.
The pain was gone. Completely gone. He lay in a pool of blood and brain matter—his own—but his breathing came easily.
He sat up and touched his head. Perfect. No cracks. No wounds. His lungs worked like they'd been redesigned by an engineer. Each breath filled him completely, oxygen flooding his system with impossible efficiency.
*Fascinating. Pain tolerance increased.*
Jin opened his notebook and began writing. His handwriting was neater now, more precise.
*Test 1: Respiratory failure + cranial trauma = permanent enhancement. Recovery time: 14 minutes. Subject psychology: Stabilizing toward optimal analytical state.*
When did he start calling himself "subject"?
*Nothing to worry about. Continue testing.*
---
Day 5 - Skeletal Enhancement Protocol
Jin had spent two days planning the next experiment. His enhanced intelligence calculated the exact force needed to shatter his tibia while ensuring the trauma reached evolutionary thresholds.
He positioned his left leg across a metal support beam, the bone suspended over empty space. Above it, he rigged a 200-kilogram concrete block on a simple release mechanism.
*Estimated impact force: Sufficient to separate bone completely. Projected pain level: Maximum tolerable.*
Jin triggered the release.
The concrete felt like a judgment from above.
**CRACK!**
His tibia exploded. The bone didn't just break—it was pulverized. Fragments of white bone burst through his skin like shrapnel. His lower leg dangled at an impossible angle, held only by torn muscle and skin. The sound was like snapping kindling.
"OHH—AGHHHHHHHHH!" Jin's scream shattered the silence of the chamber. The pain was indescribable—like being turned inside out while on fire. Nerves screamed. Muscles convulsed. Bone ground against bone with each twitch.
*Not enough..*
Through the agony, part of his mind remained analytical. *I need compound trauma and multiple system failure.*
Jin gripped his shattered leg with both hands and twisted.
The remaining bone fragments ground together with a sound like breaking pottery. More bone pierced his skin. The pain made his vision go completely white. His stomach convulsed, vomiting bile and blood onto the concrete.
"NGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAHHHHH!" His throat went raw from screaming.
*Close. So close. I need more damage.*
Jin crawled to his collection of scrap metal, his shattered leg leaving a trail of bone fragments and blood. He selected a rusted pipe with a jagged end.
He positioned the pipe against his thigh and began applying pressure. The rusted metal punched through muscle like wet paper, tearing fibers with wet ripping sounds.
Then it hit the bone.
Jin pushed harder. The pipe cracked his femur, then drove deeper, splitting the bone lengthwise. The sound was like splitting wood.
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The scream went on until his throat couldn't produce sound anymore. Blood loss finally claimed him. His vision went black as his heart stopped pumping.
---
Revival - 11 Minutes Later
Jin flexed his legs. Both bones had regrown, but they felt different. Denser. Stronger. He could sense the change at a cellular level—his skeleton now approached the strength of titanium alloy. When he tapped his shin, it made a sound like striking metal.
He made clinical notes in his journal. The handwriting from days ago looked emotional, crude. Now each letter was perfectly formed.
*The subject demonstrates increasing detachment from pain stimuli. Recommend acceleration to cardiovascular enhancement protocol.*
---
Day 8 - Cardiovascular Stress Testing
Jin stared at the chemical cocktail he'd prepared. Industrial solvents, radioactive decay products, and organic toxins that would liquefy human organs within minutes. The mixture bubbled in the beaker, releasing fumes that made his eyes water.
He drank it in one gulp.
The poison hit his bloodstream like liquid lightning. "AGHHHHHHHHH!" Jin doubled over as acid ate through his veins from the inside. His heart rate spiked to impossible levels, hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Each beat sent waves of agony through his chest.
Through sheer will, Jin forced himself to begin combat drills—rapid strikes and blocks against imaginary opponents. His poisoned heart couldn't supply oxygen to his muscles, but he pushed his body beyond its breaking point. Each movement felt like being stabbed with electrified knives.
"Come on... COME ON!" Blood vessels burst behind his eyes, turning his vision red.
His heart gave one final, massive contraction, then stopped. The sensation was like having his chest crushed in a vice.
"NGHHHHHHHHHHHHAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The final scream cut off as cardiac arrest claimed him.
---
Revival - 8 Minutes Later
Jin's heart beat with mechanical precision. Each pump was perfectly timed, impossibly efficient. The organ had rebuilt itself as a superior machine. He could feel the difference—blood flowing with impossible force, oxygen saturating his tissues instantly.
*Cardiovascular enhancement successful. Pain tolerance continues to increase. Emotional responses: Minimal.*
---
Day 12 - Neural Enhancement Protocol
The electrical cable is hummed with deadly voltage. Jin stared at it with eyes that no longer showed fear—only calculation.
*Neural system enhancement requires direct electrical interruption of brain activity. Estimated pain duration: 12-15 seconds. Estimated psychological trauma: Severe.*
Jin gripped the bare wire.
50,000 volts coursed through his nervous system instantly. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" But the scream wasn't entirely in pain—part of it was something else. Something like ecstasy.
His muscles seized violently. His spine arched backward until vertebrae creaked. Electricity turned his nervous system into a highway of liquid fire. His teeth shattered from clenching. His eyes bulged, blood vessels bursting like crimson spiderwebs across the whites.
But through the agony, Jin noticed something unprecedented. Part of his mind remained observational, watching his own destruction with clinical interest.
*Subject experiencing total nervous system override. Consciousness retention: 15%. Pain conversion to data: Active.*
The electricity cooked his brain tissue. Reality fragmented. His sense of self scattered like broken glass.
"WHO... AM... I... AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Jin held the wire until his nervous system completely shut down. His final thought dissolved into pure electric agony.
---
Revival - 6 Minutes Later
Jin's consciousness reassembled like a computer booting up. His thoughts came faster, clearer, with perfect logical precision. The world seemed sharper, colors more vivid, and sounded more distinct.
Jin opened his notebook and began writing. His penmanship was now perfectly precise, each letter formed with mathematical accuracy.
Jin paused, reading his own words. When did he stop being Jin and become "subject"?
In the distance, footsteps echoed through the tunnels.
Jin felt nothing about this development.
He smiled, but it wasn't a human expression anymore. It was the smile of something that had learned to find perfection in its own destruction.