Roman's eyes fluttered open, his head throbbing with pain. Blinking against the harsh light, he found himself in a dimly lit chamber, his arms bound to chains hanging from the ceiling. Panic surged through him as he struggled against his restraints.
"Where am I? What happened?" Roman's voice echoed in the empty chamber.
Just then, the door creaked open, and a figure stepped into the room. Roman's gaze fell upon a man wearing nothing but boxers and a lab coat, his wild orange hair framing his face. The man's eyes gleamed behind his glasses as he approached, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
"Nice to meet you, Roman. My name is Nayan," the man said, his voice tinged with madness.
"What's the meaning of this?" Roman demanded, his heart pounding with unease.
"You will soon find out," Nayan replied cryptically.
Before Roman could react, two robots emerged from the shadows, swiftly knocking him unconscious. When he came to, he found himself strapped to a wheeled chair, facing Nayan once again.
"Don't worry, Roman. I'll take good care of you," Nayan's voice rang out, laced with a chilling tone.
As Nayan pushed Roman through the chamber, he ranted deliriously, his words punctuated by bouts of manic laughter. Roman listened in horror as Nayan recounted his twisted experiments and his plans for the city.
"When I first came here, the city was so lively. But they just didn't understand," Nayan exclaimed, his eyes blazing with madness.
Nayan led Roman to another chamber, this one enclosed by bars. Inside, a grotesque creature awaited, its form a grotesque amalgamation of human and animal features.
"What in the..." Roman's words trailed off as he beheld the creature.
"This is science, Roman," Nayan declared proudly. "I took the DNA of certain animals, merged them with human DNA, and this is the result. Beautiful, isn't it?"
The creature whimpered, its eyes pleading for salvation as it uttered unintelligible sounds.
"Mooomm... ssaaave mee," it cried out, tugging at Roman's heartstrings.
The chapter ended with Roman trapped in the clutches of the mad scientist.
END OF CHAPTER 16