Chapter 452 - 405: The Second Scarlet Experiment

Chapter 452: Chapter 405: The Second Scarlet Experiment

「March 6th. Night.」

The second joint "Unknown Exploration" experiment, conducted by the Human Federation, began on the observation platform of the North Star Aerospace Agency.

The experiment was led by Zhang Minglu from the Strategy Research Room. Experts from other Human Federation countries were also present.

Zhang Minglu was currently addressing the test subjects.

"I asked each of you to prepare a safeword earlier. Have you all done so?"

The test subjects all confirmed they were ready and stated their safewords one by one.

Zhang Minglu had the technicians record the words and program the trigger logic.

"In a moment, you will all put on a pair of special safety goggles. They have built-in shutters that can completely block your vision. If you can’t take it anymore during the test, shouting your safeword will trigger an electronic mechanism. The shutters will drop, severing your visual contact with Crimson Terra.

At the same time, our technicians will be constantly monitoring your brainwave activity. If they determine that you are in extreme danger, I will halt the experiment, even if you haven’t said your safeword."

The test subjects nodded upon hearing this. This dual-failsafe design reassured them greatly.

After all, while the hefty reward had motivated them to sign up, it didn’t mean they had a death wish.

Seeing Zhang Minglu’s actions, Finch—the expert from Soloma who had led the first experiment—wore a look of clear contempt.

He said to the expert from Soloma next to him, "Is this the best North Star’s experts can do? Giving the testers the option to stop is like giving a mouse the switch to its own electronic trap."

"Indeed... How can the test subjects have the power to stop the experiment?"

Finch snorted, having already forgotten the words the King of Soloma had told him before he came. He stepped forward to question Zhang Minglu. "Dr. Zhang, with all due respect, doing this will only give the test subjects a chance to slack off! If they shout their safeword right at the beginning, does that mean the experiment is just over?"

His words earned him the furious glares of every test subject.

Zhang Minglu didn’t argue with Finch. He pushed up his glasses and said calmly, "Dr. Finch, these test subjects are all volunteers. They haven’t signed any experimental contracts."

Finch sneered, "So what if there’s no contract? Aren’t they getting a huge reward?"

"They will be rewarded, of course. But I trust our test subjects’ sense of responsibility. They mustered the courage to volunteer because they trust our department. We must allow them to be in control of their own safety. They have the right to stop the experiment."

That left Finch speechless. He wanted to argue further, but this was North Star territory, and Zhang Minglu was in charge of this experiment. No matter how much he complained, he couldn’t change the arrangements.

"Hmph. We’ll see what kind of ’results’ you get this way."

Finch stood to the side, arms crossed over his chest, a skeptical look on his face.

In contrast, most of the other experts from the Human Federation agreed with Zhang Minglu’s protocol.

The few who objected didn’t go and argue with Zhang Minglu like Finch did.

Just then, another person was escorted onto the scene.

Unlike the other test subjects, this woman was in shackles. She was the very same latent Parasite that Guan Tong had rooted out at the Strategy Research Room base.

"No need to set a safeword for it, and no need for safety goggles either," Zhang Minglu told the technician. "When it looks directly at Crimson Terra, its brainwave activity will certainly be different from a normal person’s. Record it carefully."

The Parasite heard this and burst into a stream of curses. "Damn you humans, using me for this kind of experiment! You all deserve to die! The great Prophet will surely avenge me!"

The experts from other nations, who were unaware of the situation, were startled by this outburst.

An expert from Sisiya asked, "Dr. Zhang, is this woman a Parasite?!"

A non-Parasite would surely not curse all of humanity while revering the Prophet as "Lord."

"Yes," Zhang Minglu said. "It is a latent Parasite we rooted out. We plan to have it participate in this experiment."

"Have a Parasite participate in the experiment? What’s the purpose?" one expert asked, confused.

Finch, however, seemed to realize something. "To utilize the Parasite’s brain, with its abnormal neuron activity from spore influence?" He then frowned. "But even if it sees something special, how will it tell us?"

"We don’t need it to tell us anything. We just need to record its brainwave data. This will not only allow us to study Crimson Fear more, but also to understand the Parasite’s brain better."

"I see... Hmph, a way to kill two birds with one stone, I suppose," Finch snorted lightly.

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, he knew there was some merit to this approach.

The other experts nodded in agreement. At that moment, the expert from Lu Rui Country—one of the leading smaller nations in the Human Federation—spoke up. "Using individuals with neurological abnormalities as test subjects is an approach we in Lu Rui have also been considering. In fact, for the next experiment, which will be held in our country, we’ve already prepared suitable candidates."

The experts from all countries looked over curiously.

Finch asked, "What kind of candidates?"

The Lu Rui expert said, "A group of people considered patients by ordinary standards. This includes patients with calcified amygdalae, those with prefrontal lobe damage, and individuals with dissociative disorders."

An expert quickly realized, "Are you saying these are all..."

"Yes," the Lu Rui expert said. "They are all patients who, either physiologically or mentally, are incapable of perceiving the emotion of ’fear.’ We believe that having these people undergo the test might yield better results than using Ascenders with high Psychic Power."

"This..."

"It’s certainly an interesting approach."

Amid the discussion, Finch sneered again. "You’re all far too naive. The fear described in the rules is ’irrational fear.’ I hardly think finding a few people with defective brains will allow them to pass the test."

The expert from Lu Rui retorted, "We’ll only know if it works after we run the experiment."

"Everyone, please quiet down," Zhang Minglu said. "The experiment is about to begin. Please wait until it’s over to continue your discussion."

Hearing this, everyone quieted down, silently watching as the test subjects were led to the observation platform outside the control room.

Zhang Minglu said, "Thanks to the last experiment, we obtained a crucial piece of intelligence: the ’Unknown’ may be related to a ’Red Halo’ hidden within the terrifying images."

"Listen up, test subjects. Once the experiment begins, do your best to ignore the horrific visions created by Crimson Terra. Focus on finding the ’Red Halo’ hidden within them. If you find it, try to make contact—either with your body in the hallucination or with your thoughts."

"The experiment will begin in five minutes. Please use this time to regulate your breathing and prepare yourselves."

The test subjects began taking deep breaths, trying to get into their best possible state.

Some of them even took out items in advance. Finch glanced over and immediately knew their purpose. "Mental stabilization drugs? How can they possibly afford those?"

As soon as the rules were announced, official and unofficial procurement groups from every nation had flooded the terminal market. They bought out all drugs and items related to mental stability, only to relist them at exorbitant prices for a profit.

Since the rules this time meant that staying indoors and disconnecting from the net was likely enough to avoid any harm, not many people bought these items. However, many important individuals still bought some, just to be safe.

This drove the price of related items sky-high, far beyond what the average Ascender could afford.

"The mental stabilization items are officially issued to the test subjects," said Zhang Minglu. "They don’t need to purchase their own."

Finch was surprised. "You just hand the items over to them? Aren’t you afraid they’ll turn around and sell them on the market?"

Zhang Minglu wore an odd expression. "We shouldn’t have anyone like that among our test subjects. Even if someone did, they would be held accountable afterward."

"..."

Finch fell silent.

He was still blindly applying his experience from Soloma.

After all, in Soloma, many soldiers had to buy their own weapons and equipment. This wasn’t because the government was stingy; it was because soldiers would often secretly sell their issued gear on the black market and then report it as lost.

Much of the military equipment circulating on international black markets had been sold by Soldiers of Soloma.

Over time, the Soloma government got fed up and started making some soldiers buy their own equipment. That way, if they sold it, they were only losing their own money.

Under such long-term conditions, it was difficult for the higher-ups and the rank-and-file to trust each other. Naturally, the leadership was unwilling to entrust extremely expensive, tradable items to the lower ranks.

Different nations, different customs. The ways they operated were bound to be worlds apart.

Just as Finch failed to understand Zhang Minglu now, Zhang Minglu had been unable to comprehend Finch’s "contractual experiment" protocols last time.

"Thirty seconds until the experiment begins. Starting countdown."

"...26, 25, 24... 15, 14... 10... 3... 2... 1."

When the countdown reached zero, all test subjects, following the experimental procedure, began to stare directly at the Crimson Terra in the sky.

Three seconds later, the brainwave display screens in front of the technicians began to show drastic changes in readings. The test subjects had begun to be affected by the Crimson Fear, their brainwaves fluctuating violently.

Only seven or eight seconds passed before a test subject shouted, "Mom!"

The safety goggles dropped, blocking his view. "Mom" was the safeword that test subject had set. The moment he shouted it, the goggles activated.

Staff immediately went to escort the test subject away. Finch glanced at Zhang Minglu, expecting him to be angry that someone had given up so quickly.

But Zhang Minglu wasn’t angry. To Finch’s great shock, he was watching the escorted test subject with a look of genuine concern.

Ten seconds later, another test subject shouted their safeword and was taken away.

At this point, five test subjects remained on the observation platform: four humans and one Parasite.

The four humans were all Ascenders with high Psychic Power ceilings, granting them greater Resistance and allowing them to endure for longer.

As for the Parasite, who had been cursing nonstop, it had become quiet after the experiment began.

Zhang Minglu asked a technician, "How’s the Parasite’s brainwave data?"

"It’s much more stable than the other human test subjects. It seems to be largely unaffected by the Crimson Fear."

"Largely unaffected?" Zhang Minglu was stunned. "Can it be that Parasites don’t feel fear?"