As soon as Shawn Young stepped into the lab, he was greeted by a piercing human scream, accompanied by a thunderous, metallic crash that echoed like rolling thunder through the room. The sounds seemed to come from the innermost chamber of the laboratory.
Shawn Young was startled, wanting to investigate, but noticed that the other researchers in the lab were completely unfazed, continuing their work without even looking up, as if the events in the innermost lab were nothing unusual to them.
Worried that his reaction might draw attention, Shawn quickly suppressed his curiosity and carefully picked up a tray of medical forceps from a nearby rack. He mimicked a researcher, grabbing a sheet covered in Japanese text and numbers—none of which he understood—but his serious act was convincing enough.
The researchers who entered before Shawn had already taken their places and were busy at their stations, moving about the lab with focused efficiency. No one paid any attention to Shawn, who finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief, considering his next move. Just then, the lab door beeped and slowly opened again.
A researcher in a similar hazmat suit entered, carrying a black case. The others ignored him, but he walked straight up to Shawn, handed him the case, and said in Japanese, 'ちょっとお愿いですが、 (Please help me with something).'
Shawn was stunned—he didn't understand Japanese at all. But the man simply handed him the black case. Shawn tensed, worried he'd been exposed, ready to defend himself. Then the man winked mysteriously from inside his suit, stuffed the case into Shawn's arms, and whispered in Chinese, 'Come with me...'
Shawn jumped but quickly regained his composure. The man hurriedly whispered, 'Team Leader Jade Swann sent me to back you up—follow me now!' He patted Shawn's shoulder and tilted his head, signaling him to head deeper into the lab, leading the way himself.
Shawn's heart raced—he hadn't expected Jade Swann's contact to find him so quickly. He hurried after the man toward the innermost lab.
They quickly entered the innermost lab, separated by a layer of clear glass. Several analysis devices lined the walls, and five or six researchers in yellow hazmat suits were intensely focused on the experiment, recording data and quietly discussing results.
Just then, Shawn heard another metallic crash from inside the lab. He followed the man, who whispered quickly, 'Can you distract those guys outside? I mean, keep them from noticing us.'
Shawn hesitated, unsure why the man wanted this. Suddenly, the lab machinery whirred to life, followed by a woman's agonized scream. Shawn pressed closer to the metal railing, peering through the glass.
Inside the lab, a cloud of pale green mist filled the air, released from rows of spray nozzles along the walls. Through the haze, Shawn could just make out two surgical tables, each with a young, naked woman strapped down, writhing in agony.
The women, bound with metal straps, twisted and trembled in the green mist, screaming desperately. Soon, their bodies went limp, eyes rolling back as foam bubbled from their mouths. Their limbs stopped moving, heads slumped—two lives ended in an instant.
As the women died, the machines started up again, sucking the green gas back into the wall pipes. Within seconds, a red warning light flashed overhead, and a metal door slowly opened. Four researchers in yellow hazmat suits and gas masks entered, carrying surgical tools. Two of them expertly began dissecting the bodies.
Dark red blood flowed down the surgical tables, but the four researchers were unfazed, clearly accustomed to such experiments. The other two used electronic pens to record changes in the bodies on handheld computers.
Shawn was stunned by the brutality—he'd only seen such experiments in movies. Even more unbelievable, the other researchers simply nodded, some even grinning or exchanging 'OK' gestures before returning to their records, as if the women's deaths meant nothing.
The man coldly explained, 'This experiment is called the "Death Box" by the Japanese. It's a complete toxic gas apparatus for human trials. It has two parts: a 3.6-meter-square iron chamber, and a 1.8-meter-square chamber with bulletproof glass and a door for pushing in the subjects. The two are connected by pipes—the gas from the first flows into the second, and anyone inside never comes out alive. We need to get the vital data from that room. Also, my intel says Ryosuke Eguchi is in the innermost chamber.'
Shawn hesitated, about to ask how to get into the innermost lab, when he suddenly heard the faint sound of a baby crying from inside the chamber.
Shawn looked inside—the two women's bodies were now being dissected. The researchers pressed a few buttons, and the Death Box retreated with the remains. The metal door opened again, and two researchers entered, each carrying a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. The infants, only a few months old and likely malnourished, cried pitifully.
Two metal surgical beds popped out from the wall. The researchers placed the crying babies on the beds, stripped them, and strapped them down with sturdy metal bands. Then they signaled 'OK' to the others.
The other researchers picked up syringes filled with dark red liquid from metal trays and injected the babies' arms. The infants screamed louder, struggling in pain. After the injections, all the researchers left quickly, sealing the lab behind them.
'What are they doing? Why use such young children for experiments?' Shawn whispered angrily to the man beside him, his chest tight with rage.
The man explained, 'This is the Japanese G-Virus experiment—a terrifying biochemical virus they've been researching for decades. They're in the final technical phase and found that using infants yields the best results. These babies were bought from black markets in third-world countries, some even kidnapped from hospitals—including some from China. Even if any survive, they'll be secretly disposed of. No one leaves alive.'
'What?! These monsters! Why don't they use their own children? Damn it, I'll kill them!' Shawn, rarely one to curse, clenched his fists, fury burning in his chest and mind.
Sensing Shawn's rage, the man quickly held his shoulder. 'Don't lose control—we'll be exposed. This happens here every day. You can't save everyone. Focus on the mission! We need to get into the control center—the research data and all the secrets are there. Ryosuke Eguchi is inside!'
Waa waa
The virus began to take effect, and the babies' cries turned strange and chilling. Shawn fought the urge to intervene, watching in horror.
On the tables, the babies twisted in agony, their skin turning a bizarre black. Then, shockingly, their bodies began to swell—especially their arms, which grew to several times normal size in seconds, soon bigger than an adult's. Their whole bodies swelled, looking like teenagers in moments.
Most terrifying of all, their eyes turned blood-red, shining with a crazed, animalistic light. Their arms kept swelling, veins bulging like worms. In their struggle, they bent the metal beds. Their mouths stretched open, revealing sharp fangs and drooling thick saliva, their hands and feet sprouting claws.
Bang! Bang! In less than two minutes, the babies—now monstrous, hellish creatures—howled and broke free of the metal restraints.