Chapter 22: "He has turned himself into a monster"

Chapter 22: "He has turned himself into a monster"

They walked past glass jars containing strange creatures and human organ specimens covered in bizarre growths, arriving in a separate room.

Martin lowered his head to verify his iris, and Moss said: "According to your authorization, you have three minutes to tour and teach."

The metal door opened, and the intensely cold air that drifted out was far more potent than the room that held the parasitic hydra. Even with the thick protective suits, he could feel the biting cold.

Jonathan was stunned as soon as he entered. When he looked up, he felt like he was in the underwater tunnel of an aquarium, looking at swimming fish through the glass. But this was not an aquarium; it was a large icehouse filled with clear ice.

Inside the solid and transparent ice block, an alien creature that looked like an octopus extended its tentacles. It was so large that it almost filled the entire icehouse. Its yellow eyes had a narrow, horizontal pupil, and the suction cups on its thick tentacles were even larger than a football.

The specimen was incredibly well preserved, almost lifelike. When Jonathan was stared at by its yellow eyes, he felt palpitation. Unfortunately, there was only half of this specimen, and they could only imagine what it looked like alive through this half-body.

"Kraken," Martin said. "Quite shocking, isn't it?"

"Kraken?" Jonathan was jolted back to his thoughts by the familiar name.

"In folk legends, there's a sea monster called Kraken. In the past, when technology wasn't so advanced, people believed that a monster called Kraken lived in the deep sea, pulling ships underwater and eating people on board," Martin explained. "The legend is true. The giant creature known as Kraken is indeed an Xenobiotics creature. However, people no longer believe in these sea monsters' existence. The investigative department secretly eliminates these Xenobiotics creatures, maintaining the order of human society."

The Kraken and the Kraken monster.. Was the name of that cargo ship carrying the mysterious cargo derived from this folk legend?

"How did the investigative department successfully eliminate such a terrifying Xenobiotics creature as the Kraken?" Jonathan asked.

Martin said, "The investigative department didn't kill this Kraken. It died naturally and was washed ashore. The Kraken doesn't need to parasitize humans. It can hunt independently, although it sometimes preys on humans."

Time was up, and Martin took Jonathan out of the icehouse.

"Does the investigative department preserve the specimens of Xenobiotics creatures just for teaching and observation?" Jonathan asked. "It seems very expensive to do so. Temperature control, humidity control, and liquid nitrogen freezing must be running 24/7, requiring many resources. Wouldn't images and holographic projections also achieve almost the same teaching effect?"

"It is indeed very expensive, and technology can indeed compensate for teaching," Martin replied. "So, of course, the investigative department's preservation of Xenobiotics creature carcasses isn't just for teaching."

Jonathan pondered, "It should be for research as well. Captain, you mentioned the Black Sea Academy. Is the Black Sea Academy also studying Xenobiotics creatures?"

"Yes, exactly," Martin said. "We have finished visiting the specimen gallery on the sixth basement floor. Next, we'll go to the fifth basement floor. There are some other things you need to know."

They exited the cold specimen gallery, removed their protective clothing in the changing room, sprayed disinfectant water again, and returned to the elevator.

"Moss, fifth basement floor," Martin glanced at the elevator clock. "We still have plenty of time."

Moss replied, "Floor lockdown has been released."

The elevator ascended, and the door opened in just a few seconds.

"Do we need protective suits this time?" Jonathan asked, "They're really hard to put on."

Martin replied, "Not this time, but you'll need to change into a sterile dust-proof suit."

The entry process was much simpler this time. After disinfecting and putting on the dust-proof suit, they just had to meticulously stuff their hair into the cap and secure it.

Unlike the quiet specimen gallery on the sixth basement floor, there were quite a few people on the fifth floor. Through the glass isolation window, they could see people in white work clothes busily working at their respective desks. This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

"I'll do my best to survive," Jonathan said calmly.

He was already aware of the stakes. On the day before he crossed into the second world, Jonathan had already made up his mind. He would do everything he could to survive and avoid all Bad Ends to reach the Happy End.

"Captain, you just mentioned that Xenobiotics creatures have three uses. What is the third one?" he asked.

Martin patted Jonathan on the shoulder, "Follow me to the third basement, and you'll know."

"The third basement? I remember that's where the temporary detention cells are, holding some criminals who haven't had the chance to be tried in court," Jonathan said as he followed.

"The third basement is indeed a temporary detention area, but you probably don't know that the cells don't just hold ordinary criminals," Martin said. "The third basement is the place with the strictest security measures in the whole Investigation Building. It's actually divided into two areas, the East and the West. The East holds ordinary criminals, and the West does not."

Having removed their dust suits, they once again took the elevator.

Jonathan held back his curiosity, waiting for the answer to be revealed.

The heavy stuff always comes last, he thought. He had learned about the Xenobiotics creature and knew their danger and value, so what was next? What was waiting for him next?

The elevator doors opened, with armed security personnel standing on either side.

After stepping out of the elevator, there were paths on both the left and right. Jonathan glanced around; heavy metal doors blocked both areas. Martin led Jonathan to the right and then scanned his iris.

The door rumbled as it lifted. This time, the sound of the metal door opening differed from before. The metal doors on other floors opened silently and smoothly, but this one made a loud noise. Looking closely, the metal door of the third basement was more than thirty centimeters thick and must have weighed tons.

The security measures were indeed strict.

The sound of Martin's footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. The cells on both sides of the corridor were not blocked by iron bars but by bulletproof glass. Many of the cells were empty, and there seemed to be few prisoners in the West area.

"A few days ago, a new prisoner arrived. His condition is very bad, and he may die in a few days. The doctors can't save him," Martin said, "I'll take you to see him."

This prisoner must be very special. Jonathan made such a judgment.

They hadn't walked for long before Martin stopped.

He turned around and pointed at the cell, signaling Jonathan to look over.

"Hiss." Jonathan couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the prisoner.

The male prisoner was lying on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling of his cell. The skin he exposed was a terrifying grayish-blue color. His knuckles were twisted and protruding, and his fingers were incredibly long and limp, like tentacles! The tentacles of Xenobiotics creature!

The prisoner suddenly coughed and vomited a lump of flesh, which was actually squirming slightly on the ground.

"Is he infested by a monster?" Jonathan asked in disgust.

Even though he hadn't eaten much for breakfast, he couldn't stand such repeated visual shocks. He was truly about to vomit.

"No, he's not infested by a monster," Martin said calmly, "He has turned himself into a monster."

He looked at Jonathan, "This is the third use of alien creatures I wanted to tell you about."

"Some illegal secret religious groups collect and purify the blood of Xenobiotics creatures for some evil purpose. They drink this blood in an attempt to gain power from it."

"They refer to the Xenobiotics creature as the remnants of ancient gods. The extracted blood of these creatures is called 'god blood' by them, and the people who gain super power through this 'god blood,' we call them 'Heterobloods.'"