Chapter 276: The Horrific Experiment

Hayado's gaze swept across the cold, dimly lit laboratory. His pupils contracted violently from shock and rage. The flickering, failing lights cast intermittent flashes over rows of glass tanks filled with murky liquid—each one containing a human body suspended within, though they barely resembled humans anymore. Their skin had been peeled away, exposing trembling flesh that twitched unnaturally in the chemical solution. Their eyes were vacant and hollow; some were even missing their eyeballs, leaving only dark, gaping sockets that oozed with a sickening rot.

Beyond the glass tanks, naked bodies hung from hooks, like livestock awaiting dissection in a slaughterhouse. Blood dripped steadily from their exposed flesh, pooling into dark red puddles that clogged the floor drains. The air was saturated with the suffocating stench of decay and coagulated blood. Their limbs were twisted unnaturally—right hands swapped with left, legs sewn backward, arms attached upside-down. Protruding bones and exposed nerves gave them the appearance of grotesque sculptures crafted by a mad artist.

Hayado's stomach lurched violently, the urge to vomit clawing at his throat, but the sheer force of his horror and rage suppressed it. What was even more terrifying was that some of those hanging bodies were still alive. Their chests rose and fell in shallow, strained breaths. Their eyeballs darted wildly within their sockets. Their mouths opened and closed, but no coherent sound emerged—only a series of broken, gurgling whimpers, like the dying cries of haunted souls.

His gaze drifted toward the most disturbing figure in the room—no, not a corpse. A living "subject." It was a young woman, her skull split open to reveal glistening red brain tissue beneath. Threads of pale cerebrospinal fluid trickled from the wound, mingling with the tears and blood that slid down her pallid cheeks. Her eyes remained wide open, trembling in terror. Her lips parted as though trying to speak, but whatever voice she once had was long gone.

Further down the line, even more twisted abominations assaulted Hayado's senses. Some of the test subjects had been entirely flayed, their raw muscle tissue exposed and twitching. Blood vessels and nerves quivered, hanging from their bodies like loose wiring. Others were infested with insects—swarms of spiders and venomous ants crawled over their mutilated flesh, burrowing into wounds and hollow cavities. Chunks of muscle were being ripped away, exposing jagged white bone beneath, and yet these victims were still alive. Their eyes were wide with agony and desperation, but they were utterly helpless, unable to scream, unable to fight back.

Then, Hayado's gaze fell upon a small, fragile figure—an infant.

The child floated inside a small glass tank filled with a translucent liquid. Its delicate skin was torn open, internal organs partially exposed, yet it still trembled faintly, alive. Its mouth hung open in a silent scream, but the sound was swallowed whole by the oppressive silence of the lab. Only the sight of its helpless suffering remained, echoing endlessly through this nightmarish hell.

"Finally awake?"

A chillingly familiar voice drifted through the silence from the doorway. Hayado's head snapped toward the source and found a man in a white lab coat sauntering into the room, twirling a gleaming scalpel between his fingers. A thin smile curled at the man's lips, eyes dark with malicious amusement.

"What do you think? Isn't it spectacular?"

The voice came from directly behind him now, disturbingly close. The man in white stood behind Hayado with his arms crossed, gazing upward at the twisted "artwork" hanging from the ceiling like a connoisseur admiring a masterpiece.

"Human potential can be… expanded," the man said softly, stepping into Hayado's line of sight. His expression was serene, almost affectionate. He leaned down, his breath brushing against Hayado's ear as he whispered, "Pain is the perfect catalyst… and fear… the perfect sedative. I'm creating the strongest human. One who knows no fear, no pain."

A cold hand traced along Hayado's jawline, the man's fingers ghosting over his skin. His voice dropped to a tender murmur:

"Soon… you'll be part of them."

Hayado's body shuddered violently. His heart hammered against his ribcage, and a sharp ringing filled his ears as his mind strained against the weight of the scene before him. His lips parted, but no sound came.

Then, Hayado's mouth curled into a cold, mocking smile. A hollow laugh escaped his throat as his dark gaze sharpened like a blade.

"The strongest human?" he whispered, voice hoarse but laced with disdain. "How pathetic."

He exhaled slowly, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through the man's twisted arrogance.

"Your so-called strength is nothing but data collected from the suffering of others—a patchwork of stolen lives. You sit safely behind the walls of your lab, harvesting pain to satisfy your twisted superiority complex. Tell me I'm wrong."

The man's expression twisted, a dark fury flashing across his face. His smile curled unnaturally, and his eyes gleamed with venomous hatred. He let out a low, humorless chuckle.

"Heh… You won't be talking so big for long."

The scalpel twirled in his hand before he lunged forward. Hayado felt cold steel slice into his scalp. A thin line of blood beaded along the incision, sliding down his temple. His hands strained against the metal cuffs biting into his wrists, muscles twitching as pain shot through his skull.

The man didn't stop there. He dragged the scalpel down Hayado's arm, slicing shallow but deliberate cuts into his shoulder and thigh. Blood welled to the surface and trickled down his skin. Hayado's breath hitched, his jaw tightening against the searing pain.

The man smiled as he leaned close. "Don't worry, I'm just getting started."

He turned toward a nearby glass container and pulled out a dish teeming with black ants—writhing, hungry, their mandibles clicking eagerly. Slowly, he tilted the dish.

The ants poured into the cuts on Hayado's arm.

Pain exploded through his nervous system as the ants burrowed into his wounds, their sharp mandibles tearing into flesh and gnawing on exposed nerves. His body seized violently, and a strangled scream tore from his throat.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

Every muscle in his body convulsed under the onslaught of burning agony. Blood mixed with sweat as his wrists strained against the cuffs, skin splitting beneath the pressure. The ants burrowed deeper, sending fresh waves of searing pain through his body.

The man in white watched with rapt fascination. His lips curled into a satisfied smile. Slowly, he reached for a container filled with dark red liquid and submerged Hayado's legs into it.

The liquid burned the moment it touched his skin. The searing pain intensified as the man lowered a metal rod into the solution.

A sharp, electric crackle filled the air.

Electricity surged through the liquid, through Hayado's body. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably as every nerve ignited with excruciating pain. His head snapped back, mouth wide in a silent scream as his vision blurred.

The man's laughter echoed through the room, warped and distorted by Hayado's collapsing consciousness.

"Enjoy the pain."

And then—darkness.