Crisis and Opportunity!

Cold, piercing, as if countless ants were devouring his flesh. Chen Chong's consciousness drifted alone in the painful ocean.

Amidst the chaotic consciousness, there seemed to be faint laughter:

"Number 416, I really admire you. Electric shocks, drowning, high temperature, low temperature, sleep deprivation... You managed to withstand these rounds of high-intensity experiments, which even my most elite soldiers couldn't do."

"...I remember the initial record in the experiment file. You were just a mediocre yellow trash with no training and slightly below average physical fitness. It's surprising that you've survived until now."

"Unfortunately..."

The voice disappeared for a moment, and after a short silence, other vague voices seemed to float into his consciousness from a distance:

"How are you doing, 416?"

"...He actually pulled through again. It seems that Dr. ** hasn't had enough fun yet."

"...I really can't believe that this kid has such determination."

"The more he perseveres, the more ** finds it interesting."

"Maybe it would be a relief to just die quickly like this, sigh..."

...

Various indistinct, muffled voices whispered in the darkness, causing Chen Chong's scattered will to stir up waves of turmoil due to extreme pain.

I...am still alive.

In Chen Chong's spiritual world, as if the first ray of light in the world broke through the darkness, a milky white light sphere gradually dispersed the darkness like the warm winter sun.

"Hoo...hoo..."

Cold, piercing, itchy, numb... Various maddening sensations spread throughout his body from the void of his spiritual world, causing him to breathe rapidly like a bellows.

His eyelids trembled slightly, gradually regaining a faint sense of his body. Chen Chong slowly opened his eyes.

Cold concrete floor, dim light. Rusty steel railing surrounded him, forming a cramped and oppressive steel prison. Through the gaps in the railing, he could see the dark space filled with dozens of such cages.

Inside the cages, one numb-looking prisoner after another was confined. The air was filled with a rotten and unpleasant smell, a mixture of blood, sweat, and excrement, stimulating one's sense of smell intensely.

"Ha, haha... stinky **, I won!"

In the cell, Chen Chong lay on his back, gasping for breath like someone who had just been rescued from drowning.

At this moment, his body still felt as if countless ants were devouring it. This was the intense pain he had experienced on the experimental table, where his body was subjected to high-frequency biological currents. Muscle and nerves were paralyzed, even atrophied and necrotic, causing excruciating agony akin to torture.

This kind of pain, like burning flames or being cut by a thousand knives, was an acrid, painful, numb, and itchy sensation that made every inch of his skin and every pore tremble. Words simply could not describe it.

As the numbness receded, Chen Chong moved his limbs to test their mobility. Realizing that he hadn't lost the ability to move, he opened his mouth and a smile appeared on his face, slightly distorted due to the pain:

"This ** is like starting in hell mode..."

"I wonder if there are any other transmigrators luckier than me?"

"Why am I not a useless young master of the XX family? Why don't I have a beautiful maid? Why couldn't I be reborn to make up for my regrets?"

"I wish I could go back and buy some **."

Lying on the ground, Chen Chong's mind was filled with peculiar thoughts, trying to distract himself from the pain.

This was not the first time Chen Chong had experienced such unbearable torment.

As a member of the not-so-lucky transmigrators, Chen Chong just watched a meteor shower and then, without any warning, was struck by a beam of light and ended up in this unfamiliar world.

Just like fate had directly chosen the hell mode for him, when he opened his eyes, Chen Chong was already the "experimental subject" in this mysterious and cruel underground research base, with no room for resistance.

From being an insignificant white-collar worker in his previous life to becoming a mere guinea pig-like experimental subject, during the three months since his arrival, he had experienced countless potential development experiments comparable to torture.

High temperature, high pressure, low temperature, low pressure, various frequencies of biological electrical stimulation, continuous sleep deprivation for seven days or even longer, complete sensory deprivation with absolute darkness and sealed space... As materials used in the laboratory to study the potential of life and explore the mysteries of human awakening, the pain they had to endure during the experiments was unimaginable for ordinary people.

Including Chen Chong, all the prisoners in this prison were like powerless guinea pigs. Most prisoners either died on the spot or suffered nerve damage or complete mental breakdown, turning into madmen, idiots, or imbeciles, and once they lost their research value, they were placed directly on the dissection table.

For many people, death in the experiment would be a relief.

With a death rate exceeding half, Chen Chong's life and willpower miraculously showed unwavering resilience, repeatedly hovering between life and death, and he managed to endure until now!

Now, Chen Chong himself couldn't remember how many times he had survived from the hands of " ** ". He was no longer the panicked, weak, and helpless white-collar worker from three months ago.

"Are you awake?"

At this moment, a hoarse question broke the silence. It seemed that the prisoner across from Chen Chong realized that he was conscious and couldn't help but ask in a low voice through the bars of his cell:

"416, how are you? What kind of experiment did that ** pick you for today?"

In the dim and cramped prison cell, Chen Chong propped himself up with both hands, his veins popping on his forehead. He slowly sat up, bit by bit.

"Heh..."

He leaned against the corner of the cell, turned his head to look at the prisoner across from him, and said slowly:

"My name is Chen Chong, not 416!"

When faced with Chen Chong's gaze, the prisoner across from him felt a tremor in his heart.

What kind of gaze was that?

It was like a raging flame burning in an icy cold stream, and also like a dying beast in desperate circumstances—painful and cold, silent and fierce, mad and tenacious!

The prisoner was startled by the beastly gaze of Chen Chong and dared not speak anymore.

Chen Chong ignored the prisoner across from him, closed his eyes slightly and adjusted his breathing, like a lone wolf licking its wounds. In the cage diagonally opposite, a thin man heard Chen Chong's words and said in a bleak tone:

"It's not just you, we all have names, but they are meaningless now. Our fate has been determined since we entered this place, it's just a matter of dying sooner or later. What's the difference between a name or a number?"

Chen Chong glanced at the speaking prisoner, slowly leaned against the railing, and smirked, "You don't even understand such a simple truth? Remembering your name means constantly reminding yourself that you are still a human being, and only then can you have hope of getting out."

"Hope of getting out?"

In another cell, a unkempt prisoner seemed to be stimulated and laughed sadly:

"41... Chen Chong, there are more than thirty fully armed guards in the entire experimental base, and that bastard Derris is a powerful awakened. He alone can ** all of us barehanded. Tell me, where is the hope?"

"Indeed."

Another prisoner with deep-set eye sockets said in a low voice,

"Let's say we manage to escape from the base against all odds, then what? Outside is an unknown wilderness, without maps or knowledge of gathering places, without food and water, without enough weapons ** and transportation. How far do you think you can go? The mutant radiation creatures wandering in the wilderness will show you what true terror is. Compared to being miserably devoured and becoming excrement in the wilderness, maybe waiting quietly for death in the base is a better choice for us."

He smiled self-mockingly:

"At least here we have food, clean water, and a chance to sleep more peacefully. We don't have to fight over a little bit of pitiful food every day, nor worry about attacks from radiation monsters. Even if we die, at least we die full, right?"

Most of the prisoners in the cell were scavengers from the lowest stratum before they were captured. They roamed the dangerous wilderness like stray dogs for a little bit of food and water. Compared to such a pitiful life, the two meals provided in the prison seemed acceptable.

"That's right, 416, give up unrealistic fantasies..."

Several seasoned prisoners were numb, silent, and showed no opposition. It was clear that they had long given up all hope.

"Your arguments make sense, but I am different from you."

Sweeping his eyes over these walking corpses, Chen Chong sneered and remained silent.

This world seemed to be another Earth in a parallel timeline, and the prisoners in the cell were all East Asian with black hair and black eyes. Language didn't pose any obstacles for Chen Chong.

However, even though he had never come into contact with the outside world, Chen Chong roughly knew that this bizarre parallel world seemed to have experienced an unprecedented catastrophe. Cruelty and danger were everywhere. The awakened ones and radiation mutants mentioned by his cellmates were dangerous beings that ordinary people could hardly confront. This also meant that Chen Chong, as an ordinary person without mutations or any special skills, had almost zero chance of escaping from the base alive!

However, while these prisoners were willing to silently wait for death here, Chen Chong did not have such intentions.

"After this time, it should be enough..."

Ignoring everything about the outside world, Chen Chong's eyes seemed to burn with icy flames deep within. With his low muttering, his spirit became extremely calm, and his consciousness suddenly plunged into a vast white spiritual world.

In the center of this ethereal spiritual world, there was a pale, lifeless sphere of light, silently suspended, motionless.

"Database list!"

As Chen Chong called out in his mind, an incredible message suddenly appeared in his thoughts:

[Manifestation Units]: 1024

Database list:

[Ultra Divine Water]: Grade D. From the world of "Dragon Ball," it is a divine item owned by Master Roshi, containing strong poison. If a living being can resist the poison, it can unlock their untapped potential, increasing the user's combat power. The extent of enhancement depends on the individual's race. (1000/1024)

[T-Virus Improved Version]: Grade E+. From the world of "Resident Evil," it allows for the recombination of genetic factors, gradually achieving controlled biological evolution. There is a 30% chance of turning into a zombie for ordinary people. (800/1024)

[Bone-cleansing and Marrow-refining Pill]: Grade D+. From various realms of martial arts, it cleanses impurities from the body, changes the user's physique, endows them with a talent for cultivation, and slightly increases their lifespan. (1500/1024)

[Senzu Bean]: Grade D. From the world of "Dragon Ball," it rapidly restores stamina and heals injuries to a certain extent, guaranteeing ten days without hunger. (Missing information, unable to manifest)

[Golden Cloth, Pegasus Constellation]: Grade A. From the world of "Saint Seiya," it is an artifact blessed by the goddess Athena. Only those with the Seventh Sense can wear the Golden Cloth and unleash its true power. (Missing information, unable to manifest)

[Gauss Sniper Rifle]... [EVA Unit-01]... [Kyonin Tiger Soul]... Over ten pieces of information flowed through his mind, but other than the first three, all were marked with missing information.

The vision that now appeared in his mind, was it the culprit that brought Chen Chong to this world, or was it his hidden trump card that he had kept silent about in this cruel underground base? It was also his only lifeline in this deadly crisis!