Chapter-1 Experiment

"How are his vital signs? Should we proceed to the next step?"

A middle-aged man with tousled white hair scanned the LED screen beside him intently, his voice laced with determination and a hint of excitement.

"His vital signs are stable, Professor. Blood pressure is at 100/60, pulse is steady at 85 beats per minute, and his body temperature, which had been over 38 ℃, has finally normalized to 37. Are you certain we should continue?"

A male voice responded, tinged with caution. Albert's gaze remained fixed on the screen, ignoring the speaker. The screen showcased a myriad of numerical data, a stark display of the health parameters of the individual being observed.

The laboratory was spacious, humming with the sound of machinery, the soft beeping of monitors, and the rhythmic tapping of keyboards. Researchers in crisp white lab coats worked tirelessly at their stations, their eyes glued to the screens as they compiled reports and analyzed data.

At the heart of the laboratory loomed a colossal glass tube, several meters tall, its base anchored to a sleek metal platform. From the top, a network of tubes and wires sprawled like the branches of an intricate tree. These tubes connected to smaller, transparent containers filled with vibrant liquids of various colors, while the wires fed into a complex array of monitoring systems that dot the room.

Inside the glass tube, a frail man floated in a luminous liquid, its faint blue glow providing a surreal ambiance. His emaciated body was suspended effortlessly, naked and motionless, his eyelids sealed in an expression of profound tranquility, as if he were entrapped in an unusually deep dream.

Multiple needles, thin yet imposing, pierced his skin at strategic points—his arms, chest, thighs, legs, and a few near his neck—each one connected to slender pipes that snaked toward the ceiling of the tube. A mask covered his mouth and nose, connected to a tube supplying a steady stream of oxygen. His white hair drifted weightlessly around him, contributing to the ethereal quality of his situation.

'Is it going to start? I can't move my body at all. How am I supposed to scratch my butt like this?' Arrol contemplated with a touch of frustration, feeling an itch that persisted in tormenting him. He strained against the paralysis of his body, attempting to lift his hands in vain. After several unsuccessful tries, he surrendered, channeling the little energy he had left to crack his eyes open. The moment he did, the blueness surrounding him seemed to press in, obscuring his vision and weighing down his thoughts.

'How long have I been here? A day? A week? Maybe even a month. Oddly enough, I don't feel hungry at all. I guess this predicament has its perks.'

At 46 years old, Arrol's body belied his age, resembling that of someone approaching their eighties, skeletal and frail. It wasn't his doing; he was the victim of an enigmatic disease, a relentless predator that defied the advances of modern medicine. In a time when even the most formidable afflictions, like cancer, had found cures, Arrol's condition remained an insurmountable challenge—a living entity gnawing away at him from within.

He had endured countless treatments, exhausted his savings, and faced the brink of homelessness while seeking relief from his ailment. Hospitals had been his second home, only to yield disappointment after disappointment. Then, amidst the shadows of despair, a stranger had introduced himself with an intriguing proposition: an experimental procedure that promised not just to save his life but to herald a new era in the world of medicine.

Arrol had scoffed at the bold claims of the man, who spoke passionately about a breakthrough in nano-technology that could potentially reshape human health. "Be the first to usher the world into the realm of Nano Technology," the man had declared, his words echoing with a tantalizing allure—words Arrol now replayed in his mind with a sense of irony.

The year was 2104, and mankind had propelled itself into a so-called Golden Era, marked by astonishing technological breakthroughs over the past few decades. Quantum computing had become commonplace, serving as the backbone for humanity's advancements, revolutionizing entire fields like medical research and artificial intelligence.

Supercomputers now operated at unimaginable speeds, solving complex problems and predicting outcomes with remarkable precision. Yet, some frontiers remained elusive, and Arrol's disease was among the most daunting—an unwelcome tenant embedded within the very fabric of his being.

The experiment he was now undergoing was a bold endeavor revolving around the integration of Nano Technology—or more precisely, Nano Machines. These were meant to be introduced into his body in a liquid form, a theoretical remedy that could reshape the nature of his suffering. The accompanying risks were immense; failure could mean death, yet Arrol felt a strange sense of resolve.

In the face of his mortality, a death that loomed just weeks away, Arrol had grown apathetic toward fear. The shadow of despair had become a familiar companion, and he found solace in the possibility of renewal. Just as he was lost in contemplation, a faint sound reached him through the murky depths of the liquid. Straining to focus, he recognized it as voices filtering through the glass and reinforced walls of his entrapment.

"Everything is ready. Start the countdown and inject the nanoparticles into the specimen's body," Albert commanded, his voice booming with authority as he exchanged glances with his colleagues. Albert, 55 and seasoned in his role, was the lead researcher on this groundbreaking experiment, having dedicated years of his life to this moment.

The air in the lab was thick with anticipation as the countdown began, the atmosphere crackling with the energy of hope and trepidation. Arrol couldn't tell if it was the coldness of the liquid surrounding him or the chill of realization creeping into his bones as he prepared himself for what was to come—an uncharted journey into the depths of nano-technology, a desperate bid for life itself.

"Health Check Completed"

"Nano Particle Condition Checked"

"All machines on standby"

"Starting Countdown… 10" 

"9… 8… 7...2…1"

"Begin Injection of the Nano Particles"

The continuous robotic sounds reverberated throughout the room, accompanied by the loud hum of the machines, making it feel as though they had come to life. Everyone held their breath as the nanoparticles simultaneously entered Arrol's body through long needles.

''Ugg''

Arrol groaned in pain as he felt something foreign coursing through his veins. At first, the pain was tolerable, but it soon intensified as more of the liquid flooded his body. For a fleeting moment, he experienced a surge of strength, but that brief feeling was quickly replaced by excruciating agony.

It felt as though hundreds of needles were piercing him all at once. He attempted to scream, but no sound escaped his lips. Instead, blood began seeping from every pore of his skin, staining the liquid around him a deep red.

"Installing…"

A strange voice echoed in Albert's mind, persistent yet incomprehensible, as if it were a whisper from a distant world. Before he could decipher its meaning, he felt his consciousness begin to blur. The vibrant colors of reality faded slowly into a suffocating darkness, like a candle extinguished by a sudden gust of wind.

"A few minutes earlier…"

"Tell me the status report," Albert demanded, his voice steady but tinged with an underlying excitement. He paced anxiously in front of the glass chamber housing Arrol, the subject of years of research and a glimmer of hope for their ambitious project.

"Sir, 10% NPL has been injected, and so far, his body is showing no signs of abnormalities," reported Mark, his assistant. "I believe we can proceed."

Albert's heart surged with exhilaration at the progress. It was a moment he had envisioned countless times. With a nod, he signaled for the next injection. As the machine whirred to life, the blue liquid coursed through the tubes and entered Arrol's veins. The progress was slow but steady, advancing cautiously until it reached over 80%.

But then, without warning, the atmosphere shifted. The steady hum of the equipment became a discordant chorus of alarms. "What's happening? Why isn't his body stabilizing?" Albert's eyes darted toward the glass tube, where the once tranquil blue liquid began to take on a sinister red hue, a stark indicator that Arrol was in grave danger.

"Sir, I believe the amount of nanoparticle liquid we injected has far exceeded what his body can handle. That's why his body is showing signs of breaking apart," Mark replied, his voice tightening with concern, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Albert felt a knot of dread tighten in his stomach. "How is his condition?" he pressed, though the answer hung in the air like a foreboding shadow.

"Sir, his vital signs are dropping rapidly. We need to halt the injection process immediately."

The words resonated with urgency, echoing in the confines of Albert's mind, but he hesitated. He had invested countless hours, heartbreaks, and sleepless nights into this experiment. The thought of pulling the plug on what might be a groundbreaking success gnawed at him.

Taking a moment to gather himself, he asked again, "How much Nano Liquid has been injected so far?"

"55% has been injected so far, and more is being added every second, Sir. We need to hurry." Mark's voice wavered, a mirror to the panic swirling around them.

Albert's gaze flicked to the monitor displaying Arrol's vitals, the readouts plummeting with each passing moment, like a roller coaster headed for an unfathomable drop. A determination welled within him. "Stop the experiment and prepare to evacuate all the Nano Liquid from his body before it's too late."

The command hung in the air, yet an eerie silence followed. Albert turned around, searching for a response, only to find Mark staring at the screen, horror etched across his features. The monitor flashed a stark error message, glowing ominously in the dim light of the lab.

"What's happening? Why aren't you stopping?" Albert shouted, a mixture of frustration and fear surging through him. His gut churned as he sensed the impending catastrophe.

"There's been an error in the machine, Sir. It seems the system has been overloaded, and we can't control the experiment anymore unless we cut the power supply manually," Mark stammered, his voice shaking under the weight of the circumstances. Mark had attempted to implement the shutdown protocols, but the supercomputer, designed to handle such a workload, now faltered, ensnared in a malfunction.

Albert's mind raced, the seconds stretching into eternity. "We need to act now!" he barked, adrenaline coursing through him. But just as he began to process the way forward, a low rumble vibrated through the floor, intensifying into a deafening roar.

"Boom"

Before he could even process what was happening, the lab erupted in a blinding flash of light. A massive explosion enveloped everything in its path, engulfing them in chaos and destruction.

In an instant, all that had been meticulously built—a dream that danced tantalizingly on the edge of reality—was obliterated, swallowed by the very ambition that had driven them to the brink. The darkness that had threatened to claim Arrol now swept through the entire laboratory, leaving nothing but echoes of what was lost in the chaotic aftermath.