Chapter 12: Threat Neutralized

[Documentation Department]

This department operates within the research institute without the need for equipment regulation or specific adjustments to experimental scenarios. Their sole responsibility is to analyze in real time and meticulously record the entire process. Should they detect any potential hazards in advance, they immediately report upwards to ensure overall stability.

The office is equipped with several movable blackboards. At the center board is inscribed the theme of this experiment — “Seed of the Undead.”

*Note: The difficulty of this theme fluctuates and will be finalized before midnight based on participants’ subjective behaviors.

At present, the staff of the Documentation Department have become visibly excited, both mentally and physically relaxing. The subjective behavior demonstrated by the four young participants has substantially lowered the difficulty of this theme, greatly enhancing the experiment’s stability. The estimated pass rate exceeds 90%, and they are practically ready to pop open champagne.

The department supervisor smiles as he affixes a red label marked “Ceremony Interrupted” to the blackboard.

[Residence – Master Bedroom]

Two girls, soaked from sweat and rain, are retrieving spare clothes from their respective bags.

They attended the same kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Unfortunately, although they should have gone to the same high school as well, a certain incident caused Wen Wu to transfer schools. Their time together has been drastically reduced over the past two years, limited to weekends without tutoring.

At this stage of adolescence, changes in girls are most pronounced.

As the two remove their tops in the master bedroom, Wen Wu is startled by the sight before her.

Anna not only exceeds the average height and muscle mass for girls by a considerable margin, but her physical development also surpasses the norm.

“Two years apart, and you’ve grown this much!”

Though both usually act with composure, Anna instinctively shields her chest with her hands, casting a strange glance at Wen Wu.

Just as Anna is about to speak, she freezes, having noticed something unusual on Wen Wu.

“Wen Wen, what’s going on with your body?”

“Ah? Oh, those marks… Dad’s tutoring sessions have reached the highest difficulty level. The teacher is strict, so accidental injuries happen.”

“That doesn’t look accidental.”

As Anna wipes away water droplets with a tissue and moves closer, she carefully examines the blue and purple streaks, along with numerous scars.

Before Anna can get a clearer look, Wen Wu slips on a black short-sleeve shirt.

“The human body is resilient; Anna, you know that better than I do. As long as it helps me grow, a few extra injuries don’t matter. After all, what we’ll face in the future won’t stop just because of scars.”

“Wen Wen, isn’t Uncle being too harsh on you?”

“Dad just cares. I made mistakes, and to keep up with the top tier, I have to endure this kind of tutoring. If I had kept up back then, I’d be at your school too… but it’s okay—I wouldn’t meet someone as interesting as Roddy there.”

“That’s true; he is quite a unique character.”

Anna changes into a white short-sleeve shirt as well.

—

[Page 2/3]

When they open the shared map, the two dots representing the boys are already moving toward the residence.

The class leader has donned a raincoat and brought two extra to hand over to the returning boys.

“Shall we go downstairs to meet them? If they’ve already dealt with the corpse, they probably still have to handle that tree in the backyard. Roddy really picked the right chainsaw.”

They regroup in the hall.

Upon meeting again, the class leader quickly notices some lingering discomfort on Gao Yuxuan’s face and curiously asks,

“How exactly did you two handle that corpse? You finished so quickly.”

“Threw it away,” Roddy replies.

The class leader nods. “Did you just find a slope and toss it down the mountain? No wonder you finished fast. By the way, what about the tree in the backyard?”

“We cut it down.”

Since everyone agrees, they head back to the backyard.

A sudden downpour interrupts the swarm of flies, masking some of the pungent odors.

The rain also cools the heat generated by sawing, greatly reducing the risk of sparks or explosions.

The class leader attaches a strip of lights to the tree trunk’s surface to avoid creating ‘blind spots’ during cutting.

As the high-speed saw teeth bite into the trunk,

(Ah!)

Everyone hears a faint scream, seemingly emitted by the tree itself, which begins to tremble slightly.

Roddy does not pause; the cutting continues.

Occasionally, foul-smelling sap sprays out, as if blood spurting from a severed vein.

Leaves suddenly fall in large clusters above, each appearing to bear a pained human face.

In less than ten minutes,

The entire locust tree crashes to the ground.

The cut surface reveals no growth rings, only complete decay and mold, riddled with dense holes that send chills down the spine.

The tree was already rotting and should have withered long ago.

—

Four raincoats hang in the front yard, rainwater cleansing the grime.

Outside the master bedroom,

The two girls await while Roddy and Gao Yuxuan change inside.

Gao Yuxuan stuffs his soiled clothes into a garbage bag and ties it tightly, deeming them too filthy to wash.

As he rises to take the bag to the door, his gaze is immediately drawn to a ‘spectacle.’

—

[Page 3/3]

It is a muscular back, sculpted as if from a painting or a television show, far beyond what one would expect at this age. From certain angles, the muscle contours vaguely resemble a fierce human face.

Though Gao Yuxuan ranks third in the class for physical education, his scores lag significantly behind the top two.

He never expected Roddy to possess such a physique. No wonder Roddy consistently ranks first. Knowing Roddy’s modest family background and the hardships he must have endured to develop such a body, Gao Yuxuan feels a surge of respect.

Time reaches 5:00 PM.

Since departing early morning, the four have only sipped water occasionally and consumed no substantial nutrition.

Even as some of the best among young people, their bodies struggle to cope; fatigue and hunger set in simultaneously.

Aware of the total duration of this exercise, their backpacks contain supermarket-bought food—self-heating meals and energy snacks.

“Roddy, here.”

Having just eaten two wafers, the class leader presents steaming hot self-heating rice to Roddy.

Not just him; the class leader prepared one for each of them.

“Thanks.”

The warmth soothes as Roddy eats, his mind reflecting on the day’s events, attempting to deduce the final threat of the simulated exercise. But as his thoughts deepen, a drowsy sensation, like wriggling worms in his brain, overtakes him—he is overwhelmingly sleepy.

Roddy resigns himself to rest briefly after the meal.

At the other end, Anna seems unsatisfied with just food. She rummages in her backpack and pulls out two bottles of high-proof vodka labeled in Russian.

“Want some? We got soaked earlier; it’ll warm us up.”

Everyone else shakes their head; underage and aware that alcohol impairs judgment and action.

But for Anna, of pure lineage and raised on alcohol from childhood, eating without drinking is like not eating at all. The alcohol seems to boost her condition and help her rest better.

“Ah~ no one’s drinking? Then I’ll drink alone.”

Unfazed, Anna brings the bottle to her lips.

A burning heat rushes down her throat, reddening her face and altering her posture to something less feminine.

Just as she takes a few bites and reaches for a fourth sip,

Clack!

An indistinct clicking sound reaches her ear, sending a chill through her body and nearly causing her to drop the bottle.

Anna looks at the others eating around her. They seem not to have heard it.

“Is it because of the alcohol?”

She decisively seals the bottle with its cork, ending her drinking for the day.