Wei Tianyang saw it clearly—it was an inverted triangle symbol with a sealed tip. However, Yaha had used a knife to slash his own wrist several times.
Starbucks also took off her gloves, showing Wei Tianyang the inverted triangle symbol with an open tip on the back of her hand; likewise, she had cut a few slashes into it.
Yaha grabbed Wei Tianyang's left wrist and exposed the symbol on his pulse, saying, "We all bear this mark; it's the symbol of slaves and failures."
"Yaha's ability is to transfer wounds and diseases. Just now, he transferred all the injuries on your body to that corpse," Starbucks explained.
"But, sadly, it's not possible to transfer someone else's superpower. That's why I am a failed product," Yaha laughed.
"Your symbol isn't the same as mine; my triangle isn't sealed," Wei Tianyang said.
"You probably don't know the specific meaning of these symbols yet?" Starbucks asked.
Wei Tianyang shook his head; he truly didn't know, but he could guess that Tiantai Pharmaceutical used the symbols for confidentiality.
"Since 2075, when the first corpse of a Heavenly Falling Object was discovered, pharmaceutical companies around the world began various experiments and studies. Of course, the military forces of various countries were involved, otherwise, the research wouldn't have been focused on the military field," Yaha explained.
"They extracted some activatable components from the flesh and blood of the fallen objects, then blended them with a neutralizing agent to produce Black Medicine."
"This medicine can grant people superpowers; that's their goal, to create a next-generation superpower special forces capable of reversing the course of war single-handedly or infiltrating enemy territories... essentially, human-shaped nuclear bombs."
"But... it wasn't smooth sailing; many people died... a lot. Initially, they experimented on death row inmates, but later, these pharmaceutical companies simply went to small countries to collect volunteers."
Hearing this, Wei Tianyang looked somberly at the ground.
"After all, they can't use regular soldiers as lab rats, can they?"
Wei Tianyang interrupted Yaha and asked, "Do you mean that if we survive the trial, we'll be incorporated into the superpower special forces?"
"Keep dreaming," Starbucks shook her head.
"What do you mean?" Wei Tianyang asked.
"That brings us back to these symbols on our hands," Yaha said.
He stretched out his hand, showing his symbol again.
"Towards the end of the 21st century, those things became more frequent. Each corpse of a Heavenly Falling Object contained a power, big or small, not all with military value, and not all were safe..."
"The pharmaceutical companies numbered each Heavenly Falling Object according to the order they acquired them, then built containment stations on-site to seal them and commence research."
"On-site containment? Why not transport them back?" Wei Tianyang asked.
Yaha shook his head, saying, "It depends on where they fall. To my knowledge, there are five Heavenly Falling Objects within Chicken Snake Country's borders, three of which are under Tiantai Pharmaceutical's control. Conveniently, this area is on the brink of civil war, the economic collapse has led to bankrupt families, and the war has brought about refugees... in their eyes, all are just free lab rats."
"Damn it..." Wei Tianyang cursed.
"As I've said, not every power is valuable, and the neutralizing agents for Black Medicine aren't universal... therefore... it costs lives to experiment..."
"When that stuff is injected into your spine, it'll kill you 100%... When they obtain a new sample from a fallen object, they can only experiment with the neutralizer from that specific fallen object. By killing off huge batches of Medicine People, they tune a compatible neutralizer."
"Most Medicine People die within a week. As the formula of the neutralizer is continually improved, until final success, the last few batches of Medicine People display incomplete superpowers but also die within two weeks."
"However, once the neutralizer is tuned, the Black Medicine is 100% safe and can give the injected person extraordinary abilities. This batch of Black Medicine is then sold to the military forces behind the pharmaceutical companies to form their superpower special forces."
"That brings us back to your earlier question. Us lucky ones... just happened to be the batch when the neutralizer was successfully tuned... will we be incorporated? The answer is no."
"Inverted triangles, divided between upright and inverted, within the inverted triangles, there are open-tipped and sealed-tipped. You and Starbucks both have open tips, this symbol means survival, but the superpower intensity does not meet the requirements of the special forces and will be euthanized by special medication."
"Most of the lucky surviving Medicine People are at this level, and eventually, they will be killed because the national military does not allow their superpower special forces to be established on such dirty means; the lords cannot face human suffering."
"But is your inverted triangle sealed? Are you stronger than us?" Wei Tianyang asked.
"No... not exactly, a sealed inverted triangle represents a 'display model', meaning that this power has some military value but needs a live demonstration within the army, like a human instruction manual... once used it can be thrown away."
Yaha, seemingly lost in some memory, flames of anger ignited in his eyes.
But soon, he calmed down again, and that brilliant smile returned to his exquisite face.
"I understand... In the end, our fate as this group of people is nothing but a dead end," Wei Tianyang said.
"An upright triangle is the genuine superpower special forces. They'll receive the best treatment and there will be strict limits on the use of superpowers since Black Medicine is very expensive... and that stuff in your spine produces neurotoxins every time you use your superpowers. After using it too much, you must take a neutralizer to detox... otherwise, you could end up severely disabled or die on the spot."
"Why on earth… did I not drop dead on the spot?" Wei Tianyang popped the question.
It was either because the accumulation of the toxin wasn't as rapid as anticipated, or because of... that vanished black giant...
"How many abilities can members of the Superpower Special Department generally use? They should be able to inject several different Black Medicines at once, right?" Wei Tianyang asked.
Hearing this, Yaha looked somewhat surprised, while Starbucks outright laughed.
"What?" Wei Tianyang was puzzled.
"The pharmaceutical folks thought the same, but unfortunately, no one can endure two different types of Black Medicine. All members of the Superpower Special Department can only have one ability for life, which cannot be swapped out, and after retiring, they still need to go to specialized hospitals regularly for lengthy superpower removal treatments..." Yaha explained.
He was certain that his condition was caused by that disappeared black giant...
"So, how did you start running a hotel?" Wei Tianyang changed the subject.
"That's quite a long story. But as long as you're willing to stay, I can slowly tell you," Yaha said.
"What if I'm not interested?" Wei Tianyang said.
"Oh? I thought you'd be curious," Yaha said regretfully.
"I've got more pressing matters to attend to…" Wei Tianyang said.
Yaha looked at him, his expression growing serious, and Starbucks did the same.
"I know what you intend to do, and I assure you, that is also what I want to do, and it's what all the guests in my hotel want to do," he said.
Starbucks nodded in agreement.
"We wish to seek revenge against the pharmaceutical company that branded us! To speak more concretely of our enemy, it is the largest pharmaceutical conglomerate in the region south of East Continent… and it is the chief culprit responsible for your plight," Yaha added.
"Tiantai Pharmaceutical…" Wei Tianyang said.
"We are all victims of Tiantai Pharmaceutical, so our goal is the same," Starbucks said.
Yaha placed his left hand on Wei Tianyang's shoulder and said, "One cannot save the world alone; heroes do not act alone. To confront an organization, another organization is needed. Since you have nowhere else to go, come with me, Ishmael."
"Ishmael?" Wei Tianyang was puzzled.
"Just consider it your codename," Yaha said with a smile.
He pointed towards the top of the muddy slope, where beside two jeeps, a blue, old-fashioned sedan was also parked, with a driver standing by the door waiting.
"That's my little boat; it will take us back to the big ship," Yaha said.
"Don't make me regret getting into your car, Yaha," Wei Tianyang said.
With that, he walked towards the car.
Yaha and Starbucks exchanged smiles and, holding their umbrellas, hurried after him.
"By the way… what's the name of your hotel?"
"It's a five-star hotel, called Pei Guode."
"But people generally call it 'The Black House'…"
"My hotel has thousands of rooms, the first floor has a lobby that can accommodate hundreds of people, the third floor has an indoor swimming pool and a gym, and the fourth floor has four movie theaters. You'll definitely like it."
"Come on, Yaha, that hotel is long abandoned. We're just living in ruins."
"Ruins…"
"Enough, Starbucks! Can't you keep quiet for once?!"
Under the veil of rain, the three walked along the black muddy road towards the dilapidated blue sedan.
When the driver opened the door, Wei Tianyang had a premonition that his future would be trapped in a situation from which there was no escape, never again returning to tranquility.
This day was October 28, 2106.
Prologue: The End of Wei Tianyang
Title: I, Alone Extraordinary!
A Plastic Bomb Masterpiece