Chapter 81: 081 Main Quest – Iron Curtain
[Feedback from the commission: your Insight +0.3, Reflex +0.2.] (Already stacked)
[Feedback from the commission: Stealth experience +20.]
[Feedback from the commission: Proficiency with ranged weapons experience +14.]
...
[Main Quest—Survive, completed.]
[Quest Reward: Potential Points *3, General Experience +1000, distributed.]
[Main Quest—Iron Curtain, activated.]
[Iron Curtain: In the battle against the Bug Race, you've realized that this enemy is unbeatable, and with your current strength, you cannot survive better in this harsh world. For the future, you need to make a decision...
Quest requirements: Complete 0/1 genetic optimization to strengthen your personal abilities, establish 0/1 faction of at least level 2 prestige, complete 0/1 relic exploration to expand your knowledge. Quest Rewards: 3000 General Experience Points, Potential Points *3, Specialization Points *3 (cannot be increased beyond level 6), item rewards unknown.]
Bai E, who awoke from his sleep, suddenly sat up, his sensitive nerves looking around abruptly.
"No one?"
"What time is it?"
The sunlight streaming through the tent's small window wasn't too strong, but it was often cloudy in this world, and even at noon or in the afternoon, the sunlight might not be blinding.
"When did they leave?"
Bai E struggled to sit up.
He had been worn out yesterday, falling asleep the moment he returned, and he probably wouldn't have woken up even if someone had carried him away in his sleep.
It was only now that he had the mind to check the various prompts from the panel.
As he was getting dressed, the tent curtain was pulled back, and someone walked in.
"Huh? You're awake?"
Bai E looked at the returning tiger, "What time is it?"
He had kept training in mind the past few days and had been able to get up on time, but yesterday he had been truly exhausted, losing all concept of time.
"Still early, a little after eight."
Bai E was startled, "A little after eight, no training?"
Big Mountain squeezed in after Tiger, "What's there to train for? We just had a big battle yesterday, everyone's resting for the day... Stop talking, I'm dead tired, let me sleep for a while... Ha~~~~~ Yawn!"
"Then what are you guys..."
Tiger went back to his bed, undressing as he explained, "Oh... People from the Scientific Research Institute came, they called everyone who was affected by the Sovereign's Spiritual Energy field, and we researched all night."
Song Ying added with a stern face, "We were researched."
"What about me..."
"They specifically said not to wake you, mentioning they would conduct separate research and analysis on you later."
"...Hmm?"
Bai E's heart skipped a beat.
What was inevitable was finally arriving.
He had long known that his performance was bound to draw attention.
A biopsy might not be certain, but research definitely was.
But there was no way around it, unless he wished to halt his progress entirely. As long as he displayed his normal level, he would undoubtedly draw attention.
If exposure was a given, it was better to excel thoroughly.
He needed to make a profound and shocking impression on others!
This was also one of the main reasons he had tried so hard to provide assistance yesterday.
He was destined not to be able to leave the military camp anytime soon, so it was better to make a good impression on his superiors while he could, perhaps saving himself in the process.
Now, was it time to face the trial?
Bai E felt somewhat nervous.
"Xiao Bai, you were really fierce yesterday."
Experience tales at m v|l e'm,p| y r
"We all heard about it, you managed to pull back more than four hundred people on your own, how did you do it?"
You remained silent, just sitting on the bed looking at Bai E's profile.
Having such a teammate undoubtedly provided an indescribable sense of security.
No matter how dire the situation, he would never abandon his comrades.
That would bring courage...
Bai E scratched the back of his head, "It's all thanks to exit number 3's boon."
Tiger shook his head, "External factors are ultimately just that, external."
He didn't say much more.
Some precious qualities were hard for the person themselves to notice and articulate. It was enough to know that their teammate was excellent.
During the break in conversation, a familiar voice sounded at the door.
"95B27!"
"Present!" Bai E immediately responded, rising to meet them outside the tent.
Outside stood two people, an officer responsible for managing living arrangements, and a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses who was unfamiliar.
The young man sized up Bai E as he walked out and finally fixed his gaze on Bai E's eyes with a somewhat pressuring intent, "You're 95B27?"
"I am."
The living arrangements officer also confirmed from the side, "He is 95B27."
"Alright, come with me, the mentor wants to see you."
"Mentor?"
"Academician! An academician from the Scientific Research Institute!" out of fear that Bai E might unintentionally offend someone, the living arrangements officer quickly explained.
"Oh~"
The man leading the way retracted his sideways glance and seemed somewhat perplexed.
Last night, the research work was presided over by the mentor only for the first half before leaving; the rest of the time seemed to be spent researching this individual's data.
A synthetic soldier who appeared so ordinary... was there really a need to take such keen interest?
Or perhaps, had they found another suitable dissection teacher?
...
In a quiet room, crystal-clear fingernails gently tapped on a snowy-white workbench; Helen turned the last page of the documents in her hands, with a trace of puzzlement still in her eyes.
The research on ordinary soldiers held no great surprises; the mental resistance of the warriors who had resisted the dominator's psychic suppression markedly improved, especially for those who broke free on their own—their improvement was even greater.
If there truly were no technical means in the end, subjecting them to artificial psychic pressure to train their mental resistance could still accustom them to a certain extent to the dominator's psychic suppression field and enable them to maintain a degree of combat effectiveness within it.
Both contingencies would have to be prepared for; the proposal to create an artificial psychic suppression field had already been sent back for reporting.
What puzzled her was the new recruit with the designation 95B27.
She had stayed up to read through all the performance data related to 95B27's existence since birth, along with several battle recordings, and yet found nothing she could understand.
"It shouldn't be..."
None of the items matched up.
The various training programs in the military camp were all customized under the guidance of their Scientific Research Institute, almost all of which were pushed to the limits of a synthetic human's body functions—it made no sense that his training results exceeded those of other new recruits by such a large margin.
No. 3 clause might explain some of it, but it still felt off.
Not to mention his performance in actual combat, which was incredibly defying—finding a Spiritual Energy user might not even yield someone as capable as him.
The video where he was able to extricate himself from a sea of bugs during his first encounter in the military trials, even nearly taking down a mantis bug by himself, she had watched back and forth three times and still couldn't understand how he did it.
As for the immense pressure of facing a sea of bugs alone and forcefully bringing back four trucks of soldiers, the perseverance involved was beyond imagination.
A new recruit with such performance... was this a unique mutation out of a million genetic cases? Or perhaps...
Could love truly overcome everything?
In a world view that includes Spiritual Energy, similar miracles aren't actually that rare; strong willpower is enough to distort reality.
The existence of Spiritual Energy undoubtedly casts nebulous fog over many cases, but its physical reality also allows it to be included within the scope of scientific research.
Let me see... this new recruit who created all these miracles, just what kind of Magic Power he possesses.
The noise suddenly coming from outside the closed door made Helen narrow her eyes...
"Let me speak with him for a moment..."
"This is the person Helen the mentor has asked for."
"I know, just a moment, just two words."
Helen shook her head gently, giving permission from inside.
"Let him speak..."
...
Carlos pulled Bai E to the corner of the corridor.
"Instructor?"
Carlos looked solemn, a hint of apprehension about him, "Don't ask too much, just remember this, be good."
"Be good?"
"The Academician Helen you're about to meet has dissected quite a few synthetic humans, and she takes great interest in it. Don't anger her."
Even though Weslin gave the heads-up, Carlos still feared these madmen from the Scientific Research Institute had no regard for personal feelings.
If they dissected you, you would have nowhere to even cry.
"..."
There really are those who like slicing up, huh?
Bai E's expression didn't change; he nodded, "I understand."