It was two in the morning. The corridors of the Bureau were empty.Ethan followed the mysterious old agent, his footsteps echoing sharply in the dimness.
"Where are you taking me?" Ethan whispered.
The old agent did not turn back, only murmured:"Go see what you're meant to see. Don't ask too much—ask too much, and you won't live long."
They bypassed three security checkpoints and finally stopped deep underground. The heavy alloy door creaked open, and a blast of cold air hit them.
Ethan froze.
Before him lay a massive laboratory. Rows of transparent incubation chambers filled with green fluid held countless human bodies of varying forms. Some had eyes tightly shut, faces twisted in pain; others' lips twitched as if murmuring in a dream. More horrifying, black markings of nightmare energy faintly crawled across their skin.
"What… is this?" Ethan's voice trembled.
The old agent let out a bitter laugh:"The Fear Experiments. The government and the Director have long reached an agreement—to use nightmare energy as a research subject. They want to create a new type of weapon."
Ethan's chest tightened as he stared at the chambers."These people… are they volunteers?"
The agent's gaze darkened:"Volunteers? You're too naive. They're all infected, declared 'incurable,' and sent here. Outwardly, it's called 'euthanasia.' In reality, they're being used as experiments."
The words hit Ethan like a punch. His chest churned; he nearly retched.
—
Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded in the lab.Red lights flashed as one chamber's liquid violently churned.
Inside, the test subject's eyes snapped open—pupils black as an abyss. Its body convulsed violently, and the glass cracked under the strain.
"Step back!" the old agent shouted.
Bang! The chamber exploded, liquid splattering everywhere. The subject staggered out, emitting a deep, guttural roar. Its body was half-human, half-shadow; its chest seemed pried open by some invisible force, black mist continuously spilling out.
Ethan immediately drew his psychic blade, its glow cutting through the darkness:"Damn it… they're creating monsters!"
The creature lunged, its strength far beyond that of an ordinary host. Ethan barely held it off, sparks flying as his blade scraped against the black mist.Finally, the old agent fired a specialized weapon, hitting the creature squarely. The black mist dissipated.
The lab fell silent again, though the air still stank of iron and blood.
—
Ethan's hands trembled as he demanded:"Why? Why conduct experiments like this?!"
The old agent's voice was cold:"Because they believe—fear is the ultimate power source. Nightmare energy can enhance weapons, manipulate minds, make an army unstoppable."
Ethan's breathing was ragged, his throat feeling constricted. The people in those chambers were not merely test subjects—they were sacrifices.
The agent looked at him, eyes shadowed:"Do you understand now? The so-called 'protection of humanity' is just a cover-up. The real goal is to make fear serve them."
A thunderous realization struck Ethan.He finally understood why Xirei's voice had said:"We are the enemy."