Rounding the tombstone, Ikezawa scanned his face, just as he had done at the Third Laboratory. The remarkably well-preserved door of the Seventh Laboratory swung open effortlessly.
"It actually opened?!" the dark-haired beast-eared girl exclaimed in surprise.
It's worth noting that during their conversation, Lingsha and the others learned the girl's name: Hui, the daughter of the village chief.
In Li's clan, the most respected figures were Granny Xi, the healer, and Uncle Ge, the captain of the Hunting Team. But in this settled community, which thrived in a permanent village rather than migrating, the village chief naturally held the highest position.
Moreover, since they didn't need to constantly hunt monsters and the plains boasted fertile soil, this dark-haired clan numbered at least three to four hundred—several times larger than the Li Clan.
The internal layout of the Seventh Laboratory resembled that of the other laboratories. However, unlike the Third Laboratory's sterile order or the First Laboratory's chaotic clutter, this one exuded a distinct aura of domesticity.
For instance, just inside the entrance corridor, Lingsha spotted a wardrobe and a shoe rack, flanked by rows of potted plants—all long since withered.
The deeper they ventured, the stronger the sense of habitation became. When they finally reached the Core Laboratory, Lingsha was surprised to find no experimental equipment. Instead, there was a bed surrounded by a ring of intricately crafted wooden doghouses.
"Did someone actually live in this massive metal fortress?" Hui asked, her brow furrowed. "But how come I've never heard of anyone entering or leaving this place?"
"Someone might have lived here once, but that was a very, very long time ago," Lingsha replied, walking to the center of the laboratory. Though most of the machinery had been removed, a single computer remained. She pressed the power button.
After a brief delay, the screen flickered to life. Lingsha effortlessly navigated to the experimental logs. The first title that caught her eye was: [ Beyond Human Research 01 ].
[If Death only infects humans, could we completely sever its influence by ceasing to be human?]
To be honest, when Lingsha reached this point, her first thought was, "This is the groundbreaking research project the Third Laboratory placed so much hope in? Just this?"
It wasn't that the "Beyond Human Research" direction was inherently flawed, but rather that it seemed too ordinary. She had expected something far more unexpected, a research direction that would make people gasp, "There's another way?!" at first glance.
Wait, maybe that's precisely why this direction received the most funding. It was the most widely accepted approach, the main road. If they had chosen a risky, unconventional path, no one could guarantee its success, and they wouldn't have bet everything on it.
Lingsha continued reading:
[I tried many methods: editing genes, integrating the genes of other species into the human body. I succeeded. I gained power far beyond human limits. But I also failed. None of it could prevent infection by Death.]
Clearly, experiments like this, involving gene modification, would require numerous test subjects. But in this world, gathering large numbers of researchers would inevitably attract the attention of Death.
Ultimately, the scientist chose to experiment on herself. After the experiment, she even left the laboratory and went to a crowded city to test the results firsthand, only to find that she was still infected with Death.
However, due to her extraordinary physical resilience, she was able to withstand the infection far longer than an ordinary person.
Undeterred by this setback, the scientist refused to give up. Despite her deteriorating health, she continued to toil relentlessly, day and night, on the front lines of research.
As her research progressed, the scientist became increasingly "inhuman." This wasn't about her appearance, but her abilities. By the end, she no longer needed sleep, food, or bathroom breaks. Her regenerative capacity grew to the point where she could regrow severed fingers, and she even began to harness a supernatural power called "spiritual energy."
Reading this, Lingsha couldn't help but think of Chimeras—artificial organisms created through genetic synthesis. In her journal, the scientist had even lamented, "I feel like I've turned myself into a Chimera, a monster."
[Thanks to the Second Laboratory's data repository, the research progressed steadily.]
[Thanks to the isolation methods provided by the Third Laboratory, we bought ourselves more time.]
[Thanks to the Fourth Laboratory...]
[Thanks to the Fifth Laboratory...]
[Thanks to the Sixth Laboratory...]
As the collective wisdom of humanity converged on this endeavor, after the 9,787th log entry in the Beyond Human Research project, the next entry blazed with triumph: "I've Succeeded!"
[After injecting the X-87 Injection, I could clearly feel the 'Death' within me vanish completely! I'm cured!]
Really? Lingsha couldn't help but wonder. If it had truly succeeded, how could the world have ended up like this?
As expected, the twist arrived promptly. The next log entry bore the grim title: "I've Failed."
[I administered the X-87 Injection to others, but even after removing the Third Laboratory's protective measures, they still succumbed to Death! Why?!]
[No, I understand now! The X-87 Injection didn't cure Death itself—it was merely a catalyst! By pure coincidence, it fused perfectly with all the Chimera Genes in my body, allowing me to shed my human identity and thus overcome Death!]
After the experiment's apparent success, the entire laboratory erupted in jubilation. Scientists eagerly injected themselves with the X-87 Injection, shedding their protective gear to embrace their new existence. But the outcome was catastrophic: everyone died.
Human identity is like a foundation. No matter how much you reinforce or modify the structures built upon it, they remain fundamentally human. Even the sturdiest, tallest skyscraper still stands on human foundations.
Therefore, even after transforming herself into a monster, the Chairman Scientist couldn't escape the influence of Death. But by sheer chance, the X-87 Injection reacted uniquely with his "skyscraper," fundamentally altering the foundation itself.
Scientific progress relies on inspiration and serendipity—elements impossible to replicate.
Thus, the Chairman Scientist succeeded, while everyone else perished.
In that instant, humanity became extinct, leaving only this human who was no longer human.