"I won't go!"
"Please, let me go. My differentiation rate is only 26%. There's no way I can awaken. Forcing me won't do anything!"
"Spare me, I don't want to die. I still have a younger sister to take care of..."
"..."
The fragmented pleas echoed from all directions. Song Shi's eyelashes trembled as her consciousness fought its way out of the abyss of darkness. Suddenly, her closed eyes snapped open.
A wave of scorching heat slammed into her face. In front of her, within a giant glass chamber, flames roared and spread rapidly. Thick, black smoke blanketed the top of the chamber, making it an oppressive mass of darkness.
On the ground inside, something seemed to be moving. Song Shi focused her gaze and felt a cold sweat break out on her back.
There were living people inside!
Dozens of them were locked inside the glass chamber, pounding desperately on the transparent walls. The glass vibrated with a continuous hum.
The firelight painted their faces a fiery red, their eyes burning with a desperate desire to survive—brighter and hotter than the flames behind them. They shouted for help, choking and coughing violently as thick smoke poured into their lungs. Their coughing was so intense it seemed they might cough up their very insides. Their faces turned purple from lack of oxygen, and tears welled up in their eyes, only to evaporate instantly in the searing heat.
No one came to save them.
Outside the glass chamber stood a row of armed guards dressed in black combat uniforms. They stood like statues, unmoved by the cries for help.
This was hell on earth.
Song Shi briefly closed her eyes. Just moments ago, she had been practicing self-defense techniques with her coach. She had been dodging a sweeping kick when her vision went black. When she awoke, sobbing voices filled her ears. Straining to open her eyes, she found herself staring at this horrifying scene.
She had transmigrated to another world?!
The thought sent chills crawling down her spine. She instinctively stepped back, only for her back to collide with something hard.
Song Shi's body stiffened. Turning her head, she was met with the cold barrel of a rifle pressed firmly against her temple, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"Escapees will be executed on the spot!" a stern voice barked from beside her.
Song Shi immediately turned back, standing obediently as the sensation of the rifle barrel pressed against her lower back persisted.
In the brief moment her head was tilted, she caught a glimpse of the object behind her—a long rifle.
The person holding the rifle was dressed the same as the guards outside the glass chamber: black combat uniform, face mask. The individual stood diagonally behind her, a position that allowed them to monitor her every move and act swiftly if needed.
What was her identity? Why was she under such tight surveillance?
In that fleeting glance, she also noticed over a hundred young people around her. They wore coarse, white clothes that had yellowed slightly, and all looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, both male and female.
Some of them were being treated the same way she was, with armed guards standing behind them.
Where was this place? Why was she being held at gunpoint? What were they planning to do?
Questions swirled in Song Shi's mind.
At this moment, the black smoke had completely filled the glass chamber, making it impossible to see inside. Only white handprints pressed against the glass remained visible.
The people inside hadn't given up. They continued pounding on the glass, though the banging grew weaker and more sporadic.
Song Shi's heart tightened with each faint sound. Watching her kind perish in flames was agonizing, but she didn't dare close her eyes, afraid she might miss some crucial piece of information.
Three more minutes passed.
Song Shi's heart had gone numb.
The loudspeaker above buzzed for three seconds before a cold, emotionless voice rang out: "Seventh stimulation experiment for high-probability Water, Ice, Earth, and Fire differentiation has failed. No abilities awakened."
Song Shi's vacant gaze slowly regained focus. Inside the chamber, the smoke thinned, revealing the burned, twisted corpses on the ground. Their grotesque postures were a testament to the agony they had suffered in their final moments.
Was all this to awaken abilities?
Humans in this world could possess abilities!?
Before Song Shi could fully process this shocking revelation, the loudspeaker issued another icy command: "Commence the eighth experiment. Escort the eighth group inside."
Song Shi's heart clenched. The eighth group? What if she was part of the eighth group? She hastily looked down at her clothes.
On the left chest of her loose, coarse shirt was a red number: 2.
Two?
The second group?
If it was now the eighth group, did that mean she had already been experimented on?
She was still alive. Did that mean her experiment had been successful?
A fleeting sense of relief washed over her, but unease quickly followed. She had a nagging feeling things were not so simple.
Her fears were soon confirmed.
"First stimulation experiment for high-probability Contract and Berserk differentiation is ready. Escort the first group inside."
The rifle pressed against Song Shi's back shoved her left shoulder, roughly turning her to face the right.
So she was either a Contract or Berserk candidate.
Simultaneously, everyone in the first row turned to the right, forming a single-file line. An armed guard led them forward, each person still under the threat of a rifle pressed to their back.
Song Shi followed the line, stealing a glance at the others. Only their row was being escorted at gunpoint; the rest of the groups stood independently. Some even chatted in small clusters.
Song Shi couldn't make sense of it.
The line was long, with at least forty or fifty people.
After walking for about twenty meters, the view ahead opened up. They were on a barren mountaintop, the ground flattened and devoid of vegetation.
Before them stood seven hemispherical glass chambers, varying in size. The one she had first seen, with flames and black smoke, was only medium-sized.
Each chamber housed different scenes.
Some contained fire, others water, and some were filled with volleys of arrows. Young lives were being extinguished mercilessly.
Near a cliff, there was no glass chamber. A row of youths stood at the edge, one foot overhanging the precipice as though a single gust of wind could send them plummeting. Armed guards stood behind them, urging them to jump.
One of them broke down, pleading, "I don't want to jump! I can't awaken. Jumping is just suicide—"
Bang!
A bullet grazed their ear, accompanied by a vicious threat: "Jump now, or die here!"
The scent of gunpowder lingered in the air, and the sobbing ceased abruptly. In the oppressive silence, one by one, the youths disappeared over the cliff edge like dumplings dropped into boiling water.
Song Shi glanced down. The base of the cliff was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see the bottom. Icy winds howled upward, chilling her cold sweat and leaving her trembling slightly.
Like a machine, she marched forward with heavy, mechanical steps, following the line toward her fate.
"Whoosh—"
A sharp sound broke through the air.
Song Shi turned sharply.
A short-haired girl hovered a meter above the cliff edge, suspended midair. Tears stained her face, and terror was still etched on her features.
"Fourth stimulation experiment for high-probability Flight differentiation: one success. Evaluation: Grade B."
Seeing a human floating midair, Song Shi was stunned. The scene overturned her twenty years of understanding. But she clenched her palm, the faint pain grounding her quickly.
"Move!" The rifle barrel jabbed her back.
Song Shi turned away, quickening her pace to catch up. Ahead was the battlefield awaiting her.
The largest of the seven glass chambers.
Its size owed to the massive beast prowling inside.
The first group had already been sent in.
The creature looked famished, thick drool dripping as its predatory eyes locked onto its prey inside.
Even though the first group was armed with sharp daggers, they were no match. As soon as they entered, the beast lunged, its massive jaws closing around the leader's neck. Without giving him a chance to react, it tossed him into the air and swallowed him whole.
The glass door slammed shut, sealing the others inside. They scrambled in panic, some pounding on the glass in futile desperation.
Song Shi's group arrived, standing in line outside the chamber. They watched the gruesome scene unfold, knowing they were next.
The beast's ferocity left Song Shi's mouth dry. She wasn't confident she could fight it, let alone awaken an ability.
Inside the chamber, four people had already been killed. Against the beast's immense frame and sharp teeth, humans were utterly helpless.
The beast licked the glass clean of blood as though savoring its meal, then turned its glowing green eyes to the people outside.
It seemed to be anticipating its next feast.
Bright red, steaming blood splattered across the glass chamber's interior. Outside the chamber, all the high-probability Berserk and Contract candidates stood trembling, their bodies quivering beneath the loose clothing meant to hide their fear.
**Bang! Bang!**
The sudden gunshots startled Song Shi, making her flinch. She quickly turned to see a girl with the same "2" number on her chest get shot through the heart.
Blood gushed from the wound, staining the "2" on her chest. However, instead of being obscured, the number seemed even brighter than the blood, its vivid red stinging Song Shi's eyes. She glanced sideways at the rifle barrel pressed against her back, her fingers trembling faintly at her sides.
The gunshots acted like a signal. Two more people suddenly resisted, attempting to grab weapons from the guards—a boy and a girl. The boy was overpowered in an instant, a bullet piercing his skull. The girl, clearly trained, successfully disarmed one of the guards and managed to shoot him dead. However, she didn't have time to escape before reinforcements arrived and riddled her body with bullets.
The corpses of all three were swiftly dragged to the cliff's edge and pushed over, while the dead guard's body was taken away.
The scene was cleaned up quickly. The lingering smell of gunpowder was dispersed by the wind rising from the abyss below, as if nothing had happened.
"Every year, it's always you Berserk candidates causing trouble!" The brawny officer who had provided reinforcements swept his gaze across Song Shi's row, holding a pistol and firing a shot into the air. "Let me remind you again: anyone who tries to escape will be executed on the spot!"
Song Shi lowered her gaze, and whatever rebellious thoughts she'd had dissolved like smoke.
The first group—completely wiped out.
"First stimulation experiment for high-probability Contract and Berserk differentiation has failed. No abilities awakened. Second group, prepare."
The first group's bodies didn't even need to be cleaned up. They had all been devoured by the beast inside.
The creature even licked the blood splattered across the floor and walls of the chamber, savoring every drop. After finishing, its crimson tongue licked its claws as it gazed out with glowing green eyes.
It didn't make another move, but Song Shi couldn't shake the feeling that it was eagerly awaiting its next batch of prey.
The glass door opened from the outside, and two guards fired several shots into the beast. The creature lazily retreated, crouching in the far corner of the chamber.
A large space was left empty at the front—for the second group to enter.
Song Shi was shoved forward, along with the other candidates.
The door was narrow, wide enough for only two people to enter at a time.
"Are you a high-probability Berserk candidate?" the boy beside Song Shi asked in a hurried whisper as they stepped through the door together.
Song Shi hesitated for a moment before nodding.
In truth, she didn't know whether she was a Berserk or Contract candidate.
"I'm a Contract candidate. Let's team up. If we kill this beast, we'll survive."
So that creature was called a beast.
By now, they had entered the glass chamber. The beast remained crouched in the corner, not lunging like it had at the first group. Its green, beastly eyes roamed in its sockets, observing them.
Song Shi bent down and picked up a dagger left behind by the first group. The cold, solid weight in her hand gave her a faint sense of security.
She cast a quick glance at the beast before lowering her head and pressing her back against the chamber wall. Speaking in a low voice, she said, "It doesn't look like it'll be easy to kill."
The guards had fired three shots at its head earlier, all of which hit. Yet the beast had emerged completely unscathed.
"What if one of us awakens?" The boy mimicked her, crouching to pick up another dagger. The handle was smeared with blood from its previous owner. He gingerly wiped it clean with the hem of his shirt.
Song Shi finally gave him a proper look.
The boy had a fair complexion. As he finished cleaning the blade, he looked up, his bright black-and-white eyes sparkling. "I'm good at reading people, and I think you have the potential to awaken."
(End of Chapter)