In a dim room filled with the characteristic blue light of low-temperature life-support pods, the air seemed to have frozen solid.
With a soft "hiss," Dr. 077 slowly pushed open the door of the life-support pod before him, his movements carrying a hint of barely concealed exhaustion and stiffness.
He stepped out, the chill of the cold metal floor seeping through his thin protective suit.
His gaze swept over the rows of neatly arranged life-support pods ahead—fifty-two in total. The glaring red lights atop each pod silently declared their internal conclusion: vital signs had terminated.
"Truly... excessive," Dr. 077 muttered to himself, rubbing his temples, which still felt somewhat swollen.
"A single'suggestion' from the consciousness level could distort my thinking to this extent... It took fifty-two consecutive self-terminations just to barely counteract that coercive force."
He shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering sensation of near-death.
No, the procedural agony wasn't important. What mattered was the result, that final image transmitted via the mechanical crow just before his last "death"—
His finger traced a line through the air, and a soft light screen instantly unfolded, clearly replaying the shocking scene at the boundary of Nevermore Academy:
Victor Black's body, which had already stopped breathing, surrounded by despairing figures, actually began to show a rising and falling chest once more. That heart, cobbled together from scrap and should have been completely scrapped, was stirred by an invisible hand and started beating again!
"Science... does not exist..."
Dr. 077 murmured, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through the screen.
The crow's scanning function allowed him to see more clearly than anyone present on-site, replaying every detail repeatedly.
There was no energy fluctuation, no mysterious intervention, no explanation that conformed to existing physical laws or supernatural principles.
The scene was as absurd as a car with its engine removed not only failing to stop but continuing to race down the highway.
His worldview, a mansion built upon rigorous data and logic, suffered an unprecedented impact at this moment.
"Wrong... It's all wrong..."
His eyes turned completely cold, like quenched iron.
"Whether it's C-136 (Victor) or C-137 (Venom), the characteristics they displayed severely contradict the records left by Dr. 062 in the database."
That old man was indeed hiding something! Hiding the most crucial thing!
"Number 32!"
Dr. 077 called out loudly, his voice echoing in the empty life-support chamber.
The door slid open silently, and a young man in standard uniform, codenamed 32, hurried in.
His gaze instinctively swept over the array of glaring red lights, his pupils contracting slightly, a flicker of barely concealed fear crossing his face.
"Doctor," Number 32 quickly composed himself, responding respectfully, "I will clean these life-support pods immediately and initiate new cloning procedures."
"Unnecessary," Dr. 077 waved his hand dismissively, his voice carrying an indisputable resolve. "Put it on hold for now. Now, help me go see an 'old friend.'"
Number 32 immediately stepped forward, carefully supporting the still somewhat weak Dr. 077, who had just emerged from the life-support pod.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"