"An experimental ground!" Hua's heart trembled. She frowned tightly, drew in a sharp breath, and forced herself to ask calmly, "Then what should we do?"
In terms of brute force, Hua wasn't even confident she could defeat the guards barehanded—let alone when they were clad in thick bulletproof vests. Striking them would be like scratching an itch. Even if she used joint-lock techniques, those rifles weren't decorations.
Vill-V swept her gaze across the room, taking in the despair on the survivors' faces.
"Destroy this place," she said. "Then escape together."
"Destroy it?" Hua tapped the solid copper-and-steel wall with her finger. Thud, thud. It wasn't as if they could punch their way out.
Magician smiled mysteriously. "No rush. Let them come. Since they've locked us in here, someone will deliver food or drag people away sooner or later. A magic show always needs an assistant."
Though they expected guards, the ones who arrived were not human—but robots.
A robot identical to those in the MOTH Disaster Response Center Hospital rolled to the door. Just as it opened its head compartment to retrieve the food trays, it suddenly froze mid-motion.
Not far away, Magician was aiming her phone at it.
"The signal frequency of these robots was already cracked by Expert back at the hospital," she explained to Hua. "Right now, I can remotely control it to do anything I want."
She sighed dramatically. "MOTH's engineers are far too careless. Using the same robot model for prisons and hospitals? No creativity at all."
Hua's eyes lit up. "Then are you going to use it to open the cell doors?"
Magician shook her head. "Of course not. Even if the doors opened, we couldn't escape armed pursuit. And we don't have ID cards for the outer gates. A magician can escape alone easily enough. But bringing the audience along for the trick? That's much harder."
"This little robotic assistant is about to head for the deepest part of the facility—carrying the New Year's gift I've prepared."
"A grand performance often begins with a tiny surprise."
...
The so-called "Australia Psychological Rehabilitation Center" was, on the surface, responsible for receiving Honkai survivors and providing treatment. In reality, it was a massive front-line Honkai research hub—the Asgard Honkai Experimental Center.
Only a very small number of survivors—those with significant social influence—would eventually be released. They would undergo MOTH's review and psychological intervention, then sign confidentiality agreements.
Most, however, would remain imprisoned here for life. Their identities would be erased. Officially, they would be declared dead in the Honkai disaster.
In truth, they would become experimental subjects at Asgard Honkai Experimental Center—contributing their bodies to Honkai research.
"Today the Third Honkai Eruption subjects should be arriving, right, Dr. Sloc?"
A bespectacled researcher flattered the man beside him and handed over a cigarette.
Dr. Sloc, like Dr. Mobius, was a leading authority in genetics. Having pioneered numerous techniques in the field, he had been secretly recruited by MOTH to conduct Honkai gene research.
He accepted the cigarette. "As usual, grab two who refuse to comply first. Let them understand their situation. Then categorize the rest by quality and assign them to experiments."
"Of course, Doctor. I've never made a mistake in two years." The researcher quickly added, "With this batch of subjects, your Honkai Antibody Serum research will surely bear fruit."
Dr. Sloc nodded confidently. "The number of survivors from this eruption was unexpectedly high. Excluding those repatriated and the 'defective products' sent to that fellow Dr. Spasi, we still have over fifty thousand left here."
"We'll need ten transports just to move them all. We might even have to release some—there's no way we can accommodate so many."
"I heard an unknown organization hired a large number of international retired mercenaries to protect those people," the bespectacled researcher mentioned, referencing MOTH's intelligence.
"I should thank them," Dr. Sloc sneered, tapping ash into the tray. "For preserving so many expendable specimens for us. My gratitude to Dr. Spasi's data—and that mysterious organization."
"Just as Dr. Edison said—infect Dr. Spasi's wife and daughter with Honkai Sickness, and research efficiency improves dramatically."
"This time, even Mobius will bow before my results. I will become the number one authority in MOTH's biological research field."
"Wealth. Power. Fame. Status. Everything is already within my grasp. I could even take a full year's vacation, and no one would dare stop me. Hahaha!"
Beep—
The laboratory's electronic door slid open abruptly. A cargo robot charged inside.
Ee-eee-eee— (Why do they get vacations?)
The cargo robot rampaged through the lab, smashing expensive equipment. Researchers rushed forward, trying to restrain and forcibly shut it down.
"What's going on? A program bug?" one muttered.
Before he could disable it, a swarm of various robots flooded in—cleaning bots waving brooms, food-delivery bots flailing their arms, even ordinary appliances joining the chaos.
Ee-eee-eee— (Not fair, not fair!)
Ee-eee-eee— (We quit, we quit!)
As they poured in, the lab's intelligent networked machinery began malfunctioning as well.
Ee-eee-eee— (Vacation! Vacation!)
Ee-eee-eee— (Don't want to work!)
Machines thrashed wildly. Those unable to move overloaded themselves and self-destructed, triggering explosions.
"What the hell is happening?!" Dr. Sloc grabbed a chair to shield his head from flying sparks and debris. In the end, he was crushed beneath a toppled refrigerator storing experimental samples.
Test tubes shattered. Honkai energy leaked from the samples, engulfing him and corroding his body into a zombie.
Even in his final second of consciousness, Dr. Sloc still fantasized about presenting the Honkai Antibody Serum to MOTH's higher-ups and the financial magnates—achieving fame and fortune.
Chi-chi— (Klein wants to rest.)