Chapter 2375 Associative Divination <TOC> Chapter 2377 Turbulent Currents
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Translator: SumTLMan
Compared to the silent, fog-enshrouded sea above, the world beneath the waves teemed with life and vibrancy.
Schools of fish, dense as woven nets, darted through the water; bioluminescent jellyfish danced gracefully; corals, red as blood, adorned the seabed alongside a myriad of sea creatures, nameless yet distinct in appearance. Together, they composed a rich and diverse underwater ecosystem.
Into this colorful undersea realm, an unusual group of visitors arrived, enveloped in a strange, glowing barrier.
“We have returned to the territory of that suspected Ziz offspring, the purple behemoth,” Angel said, as he instructed Toby to sense around for any signs of the creature.
After a moment, Toby chirped back at Angel.
“There’s no sign that the purple beast has returned,” Angel translated Toby’s response.
Nisi nodded in agreement, “That’s good. And since its aura still lingers here, we shouldn’t have to worry about other sea beasts encroaching. Let’s wait here for noon to arrive.”
With that, Nisi pulled a bone-made lounge chair from his spatial equipment and laid it on a suitably sloped part of the seabed, lounging comfortably as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
“We still have a bit more than half an hour until noon,” Angel said, turning to Reynolds. “I want to confirm again, the sea currents change at noon, is that correct?”
Reynolds pondered for a moment before responding, “The currents don’t change every noon, but to locate the laboratory, we must observe the changes in the currents.”
Their venture to the seafloor was in anticipation of these very current shifts.
According to Reynolds, the laboratory’s location was hidden within a deep-sea area of the Mist Zone, and the facility itself was mobile. The only way to pinpoint its coordinates was by observing the midday current changes.
Angel then looked towards Nausica, who nodded back at him gently.
Nausica had visited the laboratory before. Since she also seemed certain, it likely meant the information was accurate.
“Using the current changes for positioning is quite interesting,” Nisi commented lazily from his chair. “Speaking of which, since Firo hasn’t returned for so many days, he must have found the laboratory by now. I wonder how things are going on his end.”
“Should we go back and ask Witch Maya?” Nisi suggested.
“Witch Maya has already left the Wilderness of Dreams,” Angel replied.
“Alright, then never mind,” Nisi conceded.
Ignoring Nisi, Angel turned his attention back to Reynolds, “Tell us about the laboratory in detail. How many people are there? What are their roles? And what kind of forces do they have in there?”
Reynolds had not shared this information with Nausica before, as knowing too much could make one a target.
But now, with Angel asking, a wizard nearing the level of true knowledge, he could likely face the laboratory’s defenses with confidence.
Reynolds finally broke the silence, meticulously detailing the situation within the laboratory, starting from the most minor details.
As Reynolds narrated, everyone gradually came to understand the basic situation of the laboratory.
Initially, the laboratory housed over three hundred individuals, a third of whom were staff members, while the rest, like Reynolds, were experimental subjects.
To the official staff of the laboratory, these experimental subjects were not considered equals but rather expendable commodities.
Although they were occasionally taught guidance methods and even some simple tricks, this was not to genuinely nurture their talents but rather to diversify the experiments and increase their success rates.
Moreover, those who reached a certain level of mental power and attempted to practice the guidance methods would almost invariably become deranged and perish. This led to an ever-increasing number of experimental subjects.
As the experiments progressively consumed more subjects, their numbers dwindled until only nine survived. These nine were treated entirely as tools or swords in the hands of the laboratory, dispatched on various missions including assassination, material collection, and slave trafficking.
“This is essentially treating you all as assassins,” Nisi remarked. “But why the slave trafficking? Are they still conducting experiments on living subjects?”
Reynolds shook his head, his voice heavy as he uttered one word: “Sacrifices.”
Nisi paused, then quickly understood, “Oh, I almost forgot about that. The ritual in the cave on the Revelation Continent must have been one of the laboratory’s experiments, right?”
Reynolds silently nodded.
Angel remained silent for a moment before saying, “Continue.”
Taking a deep breath, Reynolds went on, “Among these nine, I was included. To differentiate us, they marked our souls’ faces with tattooed numbers as identifiers. An ‘x’ on the left face, symbolizing ‘experimental subject,’ and numbers on the right, from 1 to 9. My number was 1.”
This was the reason Reynolds had chosen the nickname “Number 1” during the Novastar Competition.
Although these nine individuals had become mere weapons in the hands of the laboratory staff, tools for their bidding, they still cherished their existence.
In these trials, four more perished.
Of the remaining five, subjected to prolonged torment, none regarded themselves as human, except for Reynolds, who still harbored a longing for freedom.
Nisi said, “You mentioned that you had escaped before. There are still traces on Sidro Mist Island where they chased you.”
“Yes,” Reynolds confirmed.
Nisi asked, “Knowing you harbored a desire to escape, they didn’t punish you more severely? They allowed you to retain your sense of self, even letting you participate in the Novastar Competition?”
Reynolds, with downcast eyes, replied, “I don’t know why, but they indeed refrained from using harsher methods.”
Even when Reynolds expressed his unwillingness to partake in slave trafficking, the higher-ups agreed, and thereafter, his assignments were limited to material collection and information gathering.
Angel remarked, “Perhaps it’s because you’re special.”
“Special?” Reynolds looked at Angel, puzzled and unclear about his meaning.
Angel didn’t elaborate, but Nisi, and even Nausica, immediately grasped what Angel was implying.
“John’s Comeback,” Nausica whispered, voicing a sentiment that was a common perception among all the contestants of the Novastar Competition regarding Reynolds.
“Ah?” Reynolds was confused.
Nausica shook her head, “Never mind, please continue.”
“Among the five surviving subjects, aside from myself, the others could potentially pose obstacles. However, their strength isn’t formidable, so they shouldn’t threaten the lords significantly. But it’s important to be wary of ‘x3’. Her Soul Armor has the ability to control sea beasts. Although she can’t yet control sea beasts of a formal wizard realm, the attacks she can orchestrate with some of the larger sea beasts in the ocean remain terrifying.”
Angel wasn’t overly concerned, as even facing what was suspected to be a descendant of Ziz, he was unafraid, let alone other non-wizard level sea beasts.
Nisi, on the other hand, was quite interested in this ‘x3’. He had heard that Soul Armor wasn’t limited to weaponry but had other functions, and now a special one capable of controlling sea beasts had emerged. This piqued Nisi’s interest in Soul Armor even further.
“Beyond us five subjects, the lab then consists of official members. I’ve never counted them exactly, but the highest number I’ve seen on their tattoos is 99.”
Assuming one number corresponds to one individual, the lab staff comprises at least 99 people.
“The smaller the number, the higher the position in the lab. Those numbered in the 30s and beyond are generally non-combat personnel, focused on research but still possessing some combat capability.”
“Those numbered within 30, however, are significantly more powerful. I haven’t seen them engage in combat, but a mutated blood-eating sea lion once invaded the lab, and Number 30 resolved it with a single move. If it were me, I couldn’t have managed that.”
This means that the strength of at least Number 30 far surpasses that of Reynolds.
Chapter 2375 Associative Divination <TOC> Chapter 2377 Turbulent Currents