The grip around the sabre tightened.
It gave him security.
His flashed red.
The ability suppressed his pain.
The commander steeled his will.
He walked forward to the corner of the room.
A seemingly empty corner.
But he knew different.
He placed his palm on the cold wall.
He pushed.
The vein on his arm bulged.
He exerted all his strength.
Click!
The wall sank in.
It sank in by an inch.
Then, the wall slid aside.
A door appeared.
The lock beeped.
It waited for a passcode.
Click! Click!
The commander started inputting.
Each number beeped.
The commander inserted an elven number combination.
"Access granted."
The robotic door rang.
The door unlocked.
The commander's breath trembled.
He opened a crack in the door and entered.
Click!
The door locked behind him.
"No..."
His heart jolted.
Thud!
Weakness assaulted his body.
He collapsed on his knees.
Clang!
The sword slid off his hand.
It provided no security.
"How is this possible?"
He shook his head.
Tears welled in his eyes.
His word spun...No.
His world was collapsing.
A three-meter tube stood in the center of the room.
It shone.
Luminous green illuminated the room.
And a figure floated within the liquid.
A human figure.
Lean.
A helm covered his head.
Tiny tubes extended from the helm, reaching outside, into the monitors.
They relayed real-time data.
The face was relaxed, eyes closed.
As if he were sleeping.
"Bleuuughhh..."
The commander vomited.
He who went through the end day.
The rot, the killings, the suffering.
He couldn't handle it.
The disgust of humanity.
The human floating within the tube had no arms.
No.
He had.
Just not human.
He had bear arms.
Bear arms growing from his elbow down, ending in paws.
"You demonssssss!"
The commander cried.
He understood the experiments that took place here.
Gene alteration. Body transmutation. Turning humans into inhumans.
There was no explanation for this.
Hatred ignited within him.
Hatred towards the entire human race.
"You call those outside demons?!!"
His trembling changed.
He trembled in fury.
"They are nothing compared to you! You are the real demons!"
He glared at the experiment within the tube.
Pity flashed in his eyes.
"How could you do this..."
His voice turned begging.
"To another human being?"
.
.
.
The commander knelt on the ground.
The minutes passed.
His mind roared.
Thoughts flew, trying to justify the humans.
But the consciousness dozed all excuses.
The commander slowly came to himself.
He stood up. Struggling.
But he walked to the table showing data.
Several documents lay scattered.
[Subject Alpha - Superhuman Strength Experiment]
The title of the document read.
[Gene modification. Salamander gene. Bear genes and bear body parts.]
As the commander read, the anger that had slightly calmed reignited.
[Day 1: The subject is violent - no result]
[Day 2: The violence continues]
[Day 3: The subject calmed down. The results exceed our expectations.]
The report went into detail.
As the days went on, it explained the cruel tests.
Brain tests, fight tests, endurance tests, body functions, tissues, muscles.
Every possible test and more.
[Day 11: The subject is weakening. The body is breaking down. The subject has reached the limit of accommodating the genes]
[Day 12: It is possible. But the body is too weak. It's as if it is missing a key factor within the body. It remains unknown]
The days continued.
The scientists researched the missing factor. They felt it must be the key to a breakthrough in their experiment.
[Day 16: Subject Alpha reached the limit. Soon, it will die...]
The reports stopped.
Tap! Tap!
Teardrops fell on the paper.
The commander stabbed
The powerful commander.
"They aren't even treating him like a human being."
He clenched the documents within his palm.
"Demons..."
He raised his eyes.
They landed on Subject Alpha.
The commander walked to the tube.
"You have suffered,"
He placed his palm on the glass.
It was warm.
Grief shrouded his heart.
Blurp!
Suddenly, bubbles surged within the glass tube.
Swoosh!
The eyes snapped open.
"Ughhh..."
The commander's heart skipped a beat.
He stumbled backwards.
Thud!
He fell.
Beep! Beep!
His hand slammed a button as he fell.
Red lights erupted around.
"Do you wish to free the subject?"
A robotic voice rang.
The commander's blood froze.
His heart thumped.
Sweat crawled down his spine.
"Y-You are alive?"
His voice trembled.
The eyes of the test subject squinted.
"Do you wish to free Subject Alpha?"
The robotic voice repeated.
Swoosh!
The commander jumped.
His ribs throbbed. Pain.
But he didn't care.
He rushed to free the subject.
'No...'
His palm stopped an inch above the button.
Thoughts assaulted his mind.
His first instinct to free him dissipated.
The commander backed away.
Tears streamed down his face.
'I can't free him,'
He felt no better than the demons who experimented on him.
Had it been before, he wouldn't have hesitated to free him.
But things have changed.
The world changed.
'If I free him...'
A terrible conflict erupted in his heart.
'If I free him and he awakens an ability...'
Just the thought of it made his heart jump in joy.
What a great boost to their power it would be.
He is already a genetically modified superhuman.
If he awakens an ability, he could surpass everyone.
'But what if he doesn't awaken?'
But this thought bothered him.
'What if he turns into a zombie?'
He had no way to predict whether he would awaken or turn into a walking corpse.
It all depended on luck.
'And even worse...'
He frowned, his face darkened.
'What if he awakens...but wants to take revenge on us?'
The thought of an awakened genetically modified superhuman terrified him.
And it was not impossible.
Considering the cruel experiments he underwent, the commander doubted any love for humanity lived.
His morality no longer interfered.
The commander purely weighed the benefits now.
'No...'
He shook his head.
Steeled his heart.
The risk was too great.
The potential losses far outweigh the benefits.
It was not worth the risk.
"I-I..."
His voice cracked.
Words stuck in his throat.
"Please forgive me,"
He bowed.
But for the benefit of humanity, for the survival in those dark times, he had to make this decision.
The commander pulled himself together.
Questions rose in his mind.
Why were such experiments conducted? Who financed them? Who ordered those inhuman experiments?
He didn't know.
But he knew who held the answers.
The governor.
And a conclusion steeled in his heart.
This world was rotting long before the zombie virus and demons.
It was rotting from the inside.
He walked forward.
At the end of the room was another door.
The commander inserted the passcode.
His heart tightened.
The room contained another experiment.
Everything was identical, except the test subject floating within the tube.
A young child.
The mask covered his face.
But everything looked normal.
No obvious alteration to the body.
Except for the almost unnoticeable scaly skin.
The commander's heart ached.
'They didn't even spare such a young child,'
The hatred in his heart grew.
He suppressed his pain and walked to the documents lying on the control table.
[Subject Beta]
But the documents contained just the name of the subject.
Not the experiments or abilities. Just name.
'What?!'
The commander's eyes trembled.
He looked around.
"Save me! Save me!"
A voice rang in his mind.
Then, he saw it.
His eyes landed on the Subject Beta.
The child had the eyes open.
Animal-like eyes, with slits for pupils.
"It hurts! Please save me!"
The childish voice begged in his mind.
But the commander could only steel his heart.
'I'm sorry, child!'
He clenched his fists.
'I want to help you. I truly do. But not now.'
He had bigger things to consider.
He walked to the door leading to the next room.
Click!
He input the password.
The door opened.
"Wha..."
His face twitched.
Shock. Confusion! TERROR!
"What happened here?"
His eyes darted around.
His guard rose.
The stench of medicine reached his nostrils.
The room before him was dark.
The tube in the center broken.
The luminous liquid spilled on the ground. Half-dried.
Every light in the room smashed.
'A fight has broken out!'
The commander walked inside.
He searched the room.
Fear shrouded his heart.
All the technology had been destroyed.
And the documents recording the subject were missing.
'Where is the test subject?'
Swoosh!
He turned back abruptly.
An image flashed in his mind.
The image of the scientist.
'No...'
A doubt crept into his mind.
Did the scientist truly die of hunger and thirst?