The wheels of the cart made a faint whirring sound on the smooth floor as Lu Chen walked into the spacious area, following the group of maniacs with hesitant steps.
"Um... Minister Akadura, this place won't explode, will it?" Lu Chen eyed the massive scientific instruments, seriously suspecting that bombs might be hidden among them.
"Explode? How could it? We would never place such dangerous items like bombs in our own research lab," Minister Akadura replied, turning to look at Lu Chen with a gaze that suggested he was an idiot.
Lu Chen thought to himself, "Your equipment doesn't seem to support that claim..."
"Minister Akadura, since you're not conducting any toxic gas experiments, could you take off your masks? It's hard to hear with the muffled sound, and I'm not a pathogen."
Lu Chen was speechless, feeling creeped out by a group of people in biohazard suits staring at him. It brought back unpleasant memories and made him feel violent urges.
"What? Do you know how many bacteria are outside? How many viruses you might be carrying? If you infect these treasures of humanity, it would be a monumental crime," Minister Akadura's tone was filled with disdain, even through the mask.
Lu Chen took a deep breath, reminding himself that he was now the president of the Lionheart Club, the ace agent of the Secret Party, and needed to maintain his composure. He forced a smile, "It seems you must be very hygienic in your daily lives, Minister Akadura."
Minister Akadura shook his head, puzzling Lu Chen. Did these people, who seemed to be extreme germaphobes, actually not pay attention to hygiene in their daily lives?
Deputy Minister Carl noticed Lu Chen's confusion and explained, "Minister Akadura is an Arab. In their culture, nodding means no and shaking the head means yes."
Lu Chen felt exasperated. "Even in this culturally unified academy, can't we 'adapt to local customs'?" he thought, confirming that Akadura was indeed the king of the crazies.
Then, a researcher spoke up seriously, "The water we drink goes through thirteen stages of distillation, and the air we breathe must be dust-free, ionized, purified, and humidified. So, in a sense, you really are a pathogen."
As he said this, he introduced himself, "Researcher Matour, nice to meet you."
Lu Chen thought, "You all just can't let go of the pathogen point, can you?"
"What do you guys eat?" Lu Chen asked out of curiosity. With such strict and rigorous standards, did they only eat space food?
"Hamburgers, fries, cola, that sort of healthy food," Minister Akadura replied.
Lu Chen was speechless again. While he knew those things were delicious, weren't they considered junk food?
"Oh, Lu, don't be confused," Deputy Minister Carl seemed to read Lu Chen's mind and explained, "Those are just common misconceptions. One of our latest research topics is to prove that these foods are indeed healthy."
Lu Chen didn't want to talk to these maniacs anymore. If he didn't need to watch the Third Generation, he would've fled back to the surface in the elevator immediately.
"We're here, so let's start today's experiment!" Minister Akadura spread his arms, and two researchers stepped forward to remove a white cloth, revealing a giant reinforced glass chamber filled with various robotic arms and a large hydraulic restraint device. It seemed the academy had long planned to study live dragons.
"This is the perfect combination of alchemy and technology. Even if this Third Generation were in perfect condition, it might not be able to break through this sturdy cage!" Deputy Minister Carl proudly explained, as this was his project.
Lu Chen helped secure the Third Generation in the chamber and then turned back, bewildered, as the chamber door closed.
"Minister Akadura?" Lu Chen asked, puzzled, not realizing that the chamber was soundproof and the people outside couldn't hear him. The maniacs outside were still betting on what Lu Chen was saying.
It wasn't until the chamber's audio transmission system was activated that his voice was heard, and Akadura's voice also came through, "Begin the experiment."
"Wait!" Lu Chen raised his hand, "Minister, I'm still inside!"
Minister Akadura and the other researchers exchanged glances. "The upcoming experiments might be intense. You'll need to be there to subdue the subject. Isn't it obvious?" Akadura replied.
The other maniacs nodded, showing disdainful expressions, thinking, "Our S-Class is really dumb."
"Huh? Intense experiments? What kind of projects are we talking about?" Lu Chen had a bad feeling.
"Oh, nothing much, just some blood sampling, organ dissection..." Lu Chen was still okay with this part, but the rest of Akadura's words almost made him jump.
"...as well as high-voltage current tolerance tests, anesthetic gas tolerance tests, nerve gas tolerance tests, mercury vapor tolerance..."
"Stop!" Lu Chen interrupted Akadura's chanting, pointing to his own face, "Minister, I don't have any protective gear!"
High-voltage currents and full-area coverage of electric plates were one thing, but all those gases? As a secret blood warrior, he didn't have a built-in air filter!
"Did you maniacs forget something?"
"Oh, that's our oversight. But the chamber is sealed, and the experiments will take several days. Today, we'll start with harmless sampling experiments. Please be ready to subdue the subject," Minister Akadura slapped his forehead, then waved to start the experiment.
Lu Chen was dumbfounded. This Equipment Department truly was a group of maniacs.
"Deputy Minister Carl, which command activates the robotic arms?" A researcher was typing quickly at the console.
"Oh, check the sticky notes on the console. I wrote the preset commands there," Deputy Minister Carl, having left the enclosed space, had removed his mask and was eating a hamburger.
"Deputy Minister, you didn't label which command corresponds to which experiment," the researcher asked, puzzled.
Deputy Minister Carl seemed to choke a bit, quickly drinking distilled water from a test tube on the table, and impatiently said, "Command 97."
The junior researcher, pressured to hurry, sweated as he typed the command.
Lu Chen felt uneasy. "Can we take our time with the experiment?"
When he heard the hissing sound above and saw hypnotic gas flowing in, his face turned green.
"If I had known, I would've killed the Third Generation on the spot!"
Just wait until I get out of here!