Chapter 443 - 398: Crimson Terra’s Mad Experiment

Chapter 443: Chapter 398: Crimson Terra’s Mad Experiment

Evening fell over the Land Observatory in the Soloma Empire.

Many people were bustling about on an open-air platform.

The faces in the crowd revealed a mix of Soroma People and personnel from nations like North Star and Sisiya.

A bearded Soroma man with black-rimmed glasses was coordinating the preparations.

"Pick up the pace! The Crimson will appear in less than an hour!"

They were about to conduct an exploratory experiment into the unknown aspect of the Crimson’s power.

At the Human Federation conference, it was decided that the investigation into this rule would be a joint effort between nations. Therefore, every public experiment would have experts from various countries participating, either on-site or remotely, to share the resulting data.

The first test was being held in Soloma, led by a Soloma expert, the bearded man named Finch.

The observatory was chosen as the test site. It had once been the best location for astronomical observation, and now it was the ideal vantage point for watching Crimson Terra.

"Where are the test subjects? They need to be in position!" Shortly after Finch yelled this, five Ascenders walked to the center of the platform.

All five were Soromans, their expressions tense.

Finch clapped them on the back. "Relax! Be men about it!"

One of them couldn’t help but retort, "How are we supposed to relax? Staring directly at Crimson Terra can drive a person insane!"

Finch grinned. "Danger often comes with opportunity, my friend. Who knows, you might be the one to discover this ’unknown.’ If you do, your name will echo across the globe!"

"Yeah, right. I doubt I’m that lucky."

"Shut your mouth, you bastard!" Finch’s smile vanished, replaced by a furious snarl. "You took plenty of Sublimation Coins from the research fund, so what’s all this whining about now? Don’t forget you signed a contract. You know exactly what happens if you break it, don’t you?!"

"...I know." The man’s defiance evaporated at the mention of the contract. "I’ll do what the contract says."

The personnel from other nations at the scene were left speechless.

The test subjects were risking their lives, only to be berated. Even with compensation, a situation like this would be rare in other countries.

But in the Soloma Empire, where everything had a price, people had long grown accustomed to such things.

Otherwise, the nation wouldn’t have resorted to selling tickets during the last "Death Race" event.

After chewing out the test Ascender, Finch moved on to inspect the other experimental arrangements.

The experiment’s objective was to measure the extent of the Crimson’s influence on Ascenders.

The five test subjects each had different levels of Psychic Power. Some also possessed mental-type abilities, and the experiment was designed to test whether this granted a higher Resistance to Crimson Fear.

Furthermore, the test subjects were also tasked with trying to discover the ’unknown’ hidden within that fear.

To this day, no one knew what this "unknown" actually was. But the intelligence sold by the administrator of Ascender’s Home had never been wrong. If the intel said it was there, then it had to be.

As the final preparations were made, staff members moved five specialized chairs onto the platform.

"Sit down," Finch ordered.

The five Soroma Ascenders looked at the interconnected circuit boards on the chairs and the strange helmets hanging from the sides, a knot of dread tightening in their stomachs.

Some felt the urge to back out, but the contracts were already signed, and they couldn’t afford the penalty for breaking them.

Finch urged them on. "Hurry up! What are you dawdling for?"

The five had no choice but to sit down. The moment their wrists touched the armrests, metal cuffs shot out from both sides, locking them firmly in place.

"What is this?!"

"Why are you shackling us?!"

"This is for our safety, as well as your own," Finch explained. "What if one of you goes mad under the Crimson’s influence and starts attacking people? It’s a necessary precaution."

With that, he ordered the staff to place the custom-made helmets on the five men.

The helmets featured complex circuitry and were fitted with multiple chips.

Before any of them could ask, Finch explained, "These helmets will record your brainwaves and other biological signals. That way, when you’re under the influence of the Crimson’s power, we can capture a detailed record of all the changes."

"..."

The five men were speechless. All they could do was pray they’d make it out of this unscathed.

It would be a true tragedy to receive a huge payout in Sublimation Coins only to be too dead to spend them.

"It’s almost time. All non-essential personnel, return to the observation room immediately."

Before Terra Star turned crimson, Finch and the other staff members entered the observation room.

From there, they could watch the five test subjects via monitoring equipment without any risk of seeing the Crimson, directly or indirectly.

A special filter shaded out any reflections, ensuring that even the crimson light reflected in the subjects’ eyes wouldn’t appear on the video feed.

When the moment arrived, the room temperature remained unchanged, yet—perhaps for psychological reasons—everyone in the observation room felt a sudden chill.

"The first test is about to begin. All teams, prepare for recording."

As Finch finished speaking, a long BEEEEEP echoed through the observation room.

This signaled the manifestation of the Crimson’s power. Terra Star had changed color, becoming Crimson Terra.

On the open-air platform, the five subjects, now wearing the helmets connected to their chairs, had their heads and necks locked into a specific angle.

This angle forced them to tilt their heads back and stare directly at Crimson Terra.

The helmets also contained a detection device. If a subject closed their eyes for more than three seconds during the experiment, they would receive an electric shock, forcing them to open them again.

"The five subjects are starting to be affected by the Crimson Fear!"

A technician sitting at a computer in the observation room reported.

Finch stood before the screens and nodded. "The brainwave data shows significant changes across the board. Subject One’s is the most drastic, Three’s is the calmest, and Four is the next calmest. It’s consistent with our predictions."

Subject One, an Ascender, had the lowest Psychic Power cap. Subject Three possessed a mental-type ability, and Subject Four had the highest Psychic Power cap.

"AH! AAAAAHH! Let me go! I want out!!!"

The experiment had been underway for just over ten seconds when Subject One’s bloodcurdling screams erupted from the speakers.

He seemed to be seeing something utterly terrifying. He screamed and thrashed, but the specialized chair held him fast, making escape impossible.

On the monitor, his face was contorted and his veins bulged, causing everyone in the observation room to watch with their hearts in their throats.

An expert from another country cried out urgently, "Release him immediately! He could die if this continues!"

Many others echoed the sentiment, but Finch, the Soroma man in charge, remained completely unfazed.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Subject One’s screams grew even more intense. One of the experts rushed up to Finch and yelled, "Can’t you hear him? Stop the experiment!"

"He signed a contract," Finch said coldly. "All potential consequences were clearly outlined. He was prepared for this!"

"You—!"

"Look! Subject Two is starting to lose it, and Five as well!"

On the monitors, the effects on the other Ascenders were becoming apparent. Some faces were masks of terror; others had already bitten through their own lips!

Everyone knew that louder screams didn’t necessarily correlate with greater terror. In moments of extreme fear, some people are rendered speechless, instead suffering from acute stress responses or even fainting.

"Damn it, the experiment has barely started! What do you think you’re doing?" Finch grabbed the intercom and roared, "Don’t forget your mission! Endure the fear! Find the unknown in whatever you’re seeing!"

"Subject One is crashing!"

Subject One, the one with the weakest Psychic Power, began convulsing. His eyes lost focus as the terror sent him into a state of shock.

On the EEG monitor, his brainwave data went from chaotic spikes to a dead flatline.

"Damn it!"

Finch pulled out a remote and pressed the button labeled "1." The restraints on Subject One’s chair released, and the Ascender, now in shock, slid to the floor like a wet noodle.

Staff members wearing anti-reflective goggles immediately rushed onto the platform and carried Subject One away.

Four subjects remained. The conditions of Subjects Two and Five were deteriorating rapidly, their brainwave patterns growing increasingly erratic.

"Subjects Two and Five are about to break!" an expert said urgently. "Director Finch, we should pull them out now!"

"No!" Finch bellowed. "No one gets pulled out until they pass out!"

Finch’s tyranny sparked widespread discontent, but there was nothing anyone could do.

This was an observatory in Soloma, and as the director, Finch held all the authority. Nothing anyone else said mattered.

Before long, Subject Two was removed after fainting, and Subject Five was also pulled out after biting off his own tongue in terror, leading to severe blood loss.

Only Subjects Three and Four were left.

Both had been staring at Crimson Terra for over three minutes, a clear testament to their superior Resistance.

But as time wore on, their expressions began to contort as well.

Another minute passed. Suddenly, Subject Three shouted, "I found it! I found the unknown! Stop the test! Stop!!"

Overjoyed, Finch immediately pressed the button labeled "3" on the remote.

Staff members rushed onto the platform, brought Subject Three to the observation room, and Finch immediately confronted him. "What was the unknown you saw? Spit it out!"

Subject Three was still in a state of shock. It took several sharp barks from Finch before he snapped out of it.

Facing Finch’s piercing glare, the Ascender stammered, "I... I’m sorry... I didn’t find any unknown... I just couldn’t take it anymore. Those images were just too... If it had gone on any longer, I would have..."

"What?! You dare lie to me?!"

Finch was so furious his beard seemed to bristle. He raised a fist to strike the man but was held back by the others.

"This bastard! Strap him back into the chair and make him keep watching!"

"No, no, no! I won’t look anymore! I’d rather break the contract and pay the penalty!"

Whatever Subject Three had seen, he would rather die than look at Crimson Terra again.

Just then, the technician at the EEG monitor shouted, "Subject Four’s brainwaves are showing an anomaly! It looks like he’s receiving an unknown signal!"

"What?!"

Hearing this, Finch forgot all about Subject Three and rushed to the monitor, his eyes glued to the data graph.

The other experts also perked up, their spirits renewed.

If Subject Four had truly found the unknown, then this insane experiment would not have been for nothing.

"I need to stop!"

Subject Four suddenly gasped out.

Finch immediately pressed the button for "4." Unlike Subject Three, Four’s brainwave data showed a clear anomaly. He might have actually seen something important.

This was of paramount importance to the experiment, and to Finch as its director. If all five Ascenders yielded no results, the experiment would be deemed a complete failure.

The second the chair’s restraints were released, Subject Four dropped to his knees and began to vomit violently.

Finch had the staff bring him into the observation room. Ignoring the stench of vomit, he asked impatiently, "Well? What unknown did you find?!"