Vol Chapter 1 (1/2)

Heng Yue calendar, Year 50XX

On the Heng Yue Mainland, humans are still the ones in charge, but most of the prominent places that existed long ago, are now nothing but ruins.

It all began one night 3000 years ago, when three black, pointed altars descended from the sky.

That night was a catastrophic night. 50% of all organisms were wiped out and buildings were turned to dust……

Fast forwarding 3000 years, the Heng Yue Mainland is now known as Empress Mainland.

At the South end of Empress Mainland lies an island. It used to have a well-known harbour which has been reduced to ruins. If observant enough, one might still be able to see some traces of an ancient civilisation amongst the ruins.

From the waist-high gra.s.s thickets on the ground, an extremely ordinary looking man who was clothed in black suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He lifted his head to gaze at the sky, a trace of calmness in his eyes.

“They’ve finally caught up! This is the final chance, I am 60% certain that as long as I succeed, I will be free!”

The dazzling sunlight reflected off the man’s eyes as a voice sounded out in the air: “No. 0014, you’ve run rather far this time. To think you’ve actually attempted this number of escapes. This will be the last time because this has caused your sentence to lengthen by 3000 years. Your total sentence now exceeds 10 000 years and you’ve been dealt ——— the death penalty.”

Chapter 1, Serial Number 2213

Serial Number 2213 was an experiment subject at the Jian Yu island of Empress Mainland. Since birth, he had been living in a fluid-filled cylindrical gla.s.s vessel. He had no memory.

The only thing he knew was that there were many like him all around the area. Each day, people would come and open numerous vessels. None of those who were taken out of the vessels ever returned.

Finally one day, his container was opened. A group of people in white attire brought him into a room.

All the things in the room were foreign to him. He did not know what the people were talking about but from their expressions, he could guess that they were dissatisfied with him.

A feeling of uneasiness set in. Many years later, Serial Number 2213 would recall back and realise that it was called anxiety.

“Subject 2213’s quality is below average. Apart from the brain, the musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system and nerves do not meet the standard requirement. No one would buy this kind of subject. Withdraw his nouris.h.i.+ng fluid eligibility. Send him to the Department of Mining Development after installing the necessary language packages,” a cold, emotionless voice echoed the room.

On that day, Serial Number 2213 would forever leave the gla.s.s vessel which had been the only home that he knew. When he was brought away, a strange feeling set in. He did not know what it was, but his heart felt heavier the further away he was from the vessel.

The Department of Mining Development was the place where failed subjects would be sent to. Once the language packages had been installed, they would be dispatched to the underground mine.

When Serial Number 2213 was sent here, he saw many other subjects. They were naked like him, but every one of them looked to be in poor health. When they looked towards him, the gaze was ice cold and expressionless.

Since then, he was one of them. Every day in the darkly-lit quarry, they would dig and search for five-coloured crystals, in exchange for the much needed nouris.h.i.+ng fluids.

As time went by, he found out the meaning of pain from the whips of the people in white attire whenever he failed to find any crystals. At the same time, he learned what hunger was.

More often than not, he would think about his vessel. He wanted so much to return to the comfort of being submerged in nouris.h.i.+ng fluid in the gla.s.s container.

One day, during mining, all of this changed forever. He found a black crystal unlike one that he had seen before. The moment when he held the crystal in his hand, he felt a gush of warmth entering his body

After 7 days and nights of being unconscious with a high fever, he finally woke up.

When he opened his eyes, he found that he was back inside his vessel. Through the gla.s.s, he could see many of the people in white attire looking at him with curiosity.

He was surprised. Curiosity? How could he have known to use such a word? What did “curiosity” mean? Suddenly, he felt a jolt in his head and an image appeared in front of his eyes.

A man clothed in black was looking at the sky. In mid air, an old man in grey clothes said sternly,” w.a.n.g Lin, you won’t be able to escape.”

The image then disappeared. Serial Number 2213 was confused. He felt different. His mind was filled with things which he did not understand.

For instance, right now he was back to the much longed-for vessel, but he did not feel happy at all. In fact, there was a deep sense of hatred to the extent that he felt the compulsion to kill all the people who were watching him.

However, he concealed his emotions carefully.

The previous him wouldn’t have known how to do all of this, but now it seemed like an instinct to him. In a way which he could not understand, this instinct had been etched deeply in his soul.

He could not hear the conversation among the people outside the vessel, but from his sharp observation, he realised that their curiosity had slowly worn out.

On the tenth day, they brought him out from the vessel. They clothed him before bringing him to face a lady. Even though that was the first time of him seeing a lady, he was no longer surprised about how he was able to recognise one. Just by looking, his brain knew that she was a female.

For the past ten days, he could clearly feel that he was different from before. At least now, he was able to think and a.n.a.lyse.