S.A.C. Private HospitalSurveillance Room
"President Wu Jr., the next subject for the Source Blood Project is ready. It's him."
The hospital director, wearing thick-bottomed glasses and a white lab coat, tapped on a small surveillance window on the large screen.
The feed quickly expanded to fill the entire screen.
On it was a hospital ward. A pale, skeletal-looking teenage boy lay motionless on a bed, blankly staring at the pristine white ceiling.
"He doesn't look very smart," remarked the tall young man known as President Wu Jr., adjusting the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose with a faint smile.
"Yes, this subject normally appears dull and slow, not very responsive to changes around him," the director replied.
"My father wants to know—is he safe?" Wu Jr. asked.
The director immediately understood and responded quickly. "Absolutely safe.His name is Gu Ning. He was born with a congenital heart defect and was abandoned by his parents. He grew up in an orphanage. His condition worsened in middle school, causing him to drop out. He has no friends or social ties—he's the kind of person who could die in the street and no one would claim the body.
"Of course, for legal reasons, we had him sign a clinical trial agreement under the guise of testing a new treatment for heart disease."
Wu Jr. nodded, then asked, "He looks like he's at death's door. What's going on?"
The director explained, "Likely due to insufficient blood supply from the heart. His internal organs are failing at various levels, and his muscle tissue has significantly atrophied... Optimistically, he has less than a year to live."
After a pause, he added, "Strangely, his organ failure and muscle degradation are far worse than typical heart disease patients. It's as if there's a black hole inside him, frantically sucking away the blood his heart pumps."
"Director Zhao, why choose a heart patient for the Source Blood Project?" Wu Jr. asked with some dissatisfaction.
Director Zhao confidently replied, "Don't worry. Based on preliminary sampling, this subject's compatibility with the Source Blood is far higher than the previous three. I'm confident he'll remain conscious and won't be overtaken by the primal instincts triggered by Source Blood evolution."
As he spoke, Zhao held up a thick stack of papers. "The data doesn't lie. I guarantee with these records—this time, we will break through with the Source Blood Project!"
Ward 3072
Gu Ning's eyes were blank, staring at the ceiling as if he had no focus.
"11247 times 99821 equals 1,122,686,787...""11248 times 99820 equals 1,122,775,360..."
No one knew what went on in the mind of this pale, weak, and seemingly simple-minded teen.
Creak— The door opened. Several staff in white coats entered with a gurney.
[Four people: two men, two women. Lead male, wearing an earpiece, around 40 years old, four pimples on his face, dark eye sockets, nostrils angled 62°, seven visible nose hairs—two long, five short... lips... build... skin condition... movement path... stride length...][Second person...]
Gu Ning just glanced briefly, and a flood of data surged into his brain. A sharp pain shot through his head, his vision darkening.
He quickly looked back at the ceiling.
"11249 times 99819 equals 1,122,863,931..."
Mental math was easier on the brain than scanning people.
The staff lifted Gu Ning, trying to place him on the gurney.
He put up a symbolic "struggle."
The medical staff didn't dare use force. His wrists were so thin they looked like dry twigs—they worried a wrong move might snap him.
"Director, the patient is resisting. Requesting permission to administer a sedative and take him by force," the lead doctor spoke into his headset.
A clear response came back:"Negative. The subject must remain conscious. No drugs affecting the central nervous system may be administered."
After a short pause:"The subject may be showing signs of environmental dependency. To ensure mental stability, the experimental site is hereby moved. Bring the equipment to Ward 3072. Conduct the Source Blood infusion here on-site."
Director Zhao was clearly explaining for the benefit of Wu Jr. Though Wu Jr. held no major position in the company, he was the chairman's second son—a symbol of authority.
Gu Ning was carefully returned to the bed. A nurse with peach blossom eyes gave him a gentle smile, seemingly to calm him.
Gu Ning closed his eyes and reflected silently:
[Experimental logs emphasized emotional stability in subjects... From this test, it seems I played it right. Having the test site moved to my ward gives me a terrain advantage. One of my contingency plans can now be used...]
Three Months Ago
Gu Ning, with his deteriorating body, signed up for the hospital's experimental drug program.
The hospital thought he was a fool—a half-illiterate who hadn't even finished middle school—and easily manipulated.
But Gu Ning saw through the hidden traps in the contract at a glance.
A "theoretical" 90% cure rate. A "risk of incident" consent form. An "organ donation" clause. All signs pointed to one thing: this contract was a cover for using people as lab rats, from entry to burial.
But Gu Ning had no choice.
He had less than a year to live.
So, knowing it was a trap, Gu Ning signed anyway.
He was betting everything—entering the game to cheat fate!
Against a colossal force like the S.A.C. Group, Gu Ning's frail body was no match. The little advantage he gained—control of the location—was just a crack of light in total darkness.
"Preparations complete. Beginning Source Blood injection..."
At some point, Director Zhao gave the order. Gu Ning felt a sharp pain in his arm as a fluid began to flow in.
"Hsss—"
His whole body jolted. This wasn't fluid—it was magma!
Scalding magma surged through his veins, racing toward his heart as if it had a mind of its own.
Wherever it passed, his veins, bones, and muscles felt scorched—barren and broken.
[Spiritual Realm Notification: Unknown artifact injection in progress… Compatibility: 99.47%][Merging with unknown artifact may carry unpredictable risk. Continue? Yes/No]
"This... is the so-called message from the Spirit Realm's will?" Gu Ning whispered.
The Spirit Realm was a dimension beyond reality—one of many psychic planes.
It housed countless alternate worlds: martial warzones, magical kingdoms, cultivation realms...
It was the proving ground for humanity's evolution into psychic-powered beings.
The Spirit Realm Will was a mysterious force governing this dimension.
If the Spirit Realm were a massive game, the Will would be its system—cold, omnipresent, impartial.
Eight hundred years ago, the Spirit Realm began to bleed into reality. Creatures from it appeared on Earth, bringing both disaster and the path to awakening. Earth became the stage for a hyper-real survival game.
Since then, Earth's civilization has shifted from technology to psychic power.
Even unawakened humans like Gu Ning now receive notifications from the Spirit Realm when encountering psychic phenomena.
Gu Ning exhaled slowly.
According to the contract he signed, he had no choice but to accept fusion when prompted by the Spirit Realm. But even if he hadn't signed, this was what he came for.
He mentally said "Yes."
The fusion began.
The burning magma surged into his heart, like a mega dose of cardiac stimulant. His once-weak heart began to pound violently!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
With each beat, impurities shook loose. With each beat, his heart grew stronger—brand new, revitalized.
The blood it pumped became scorching, charged with overwhelming power.
That power rushed through his limbs and body, rejuvenating muscles, bones, and vessels like a phoenix reborn.
A ravenous hunger seized Gu Ning. His vision blurred again. He'd felt dizzy before from using his brain too much—but this was far more intense.
Just then, warm, thick fluid entered his body from different points—nutrient solutions rich with energy, quickly replenishing his spent cells.
In the Surveillance Room
On the screen, Gu Ning's body was hooked to tubes. Streams of green, specially-formulated nutrient solution flowed into him.
His once dry, skeletal frame slowly inflated. Ribs once protruding were covered by strong, healthy muscle. His hollow face softened with vitality.
"Excellent! The situation is stable!" Director Zhao beamed. "No limb deformities, which means high compatibility. And no signs of madness, meaning he's resisting the primal instinct of the Source Blood!"
"With his blood, we can develop stabilizers. Others will be able to endure Source Blood, too!" Zhao concluded. "This experiment could change history!"
"Seems everything went well. What about the data?" Wu Jr.'s eyes gleamed, staring at Gu Ning's image like it was treasure.
"Bring up the physical stats monitor," Zhao ordered.
A small black window appeared in the corner, showing blue fluctuating lines.
"President Wu Jr., take a look at the subject's baseline stats: Strength 0.6, Agility 0.4, Endurance 0.5... Total physique was only 1.5, lower than even the average person from the technological era! Now it's 4.5—tripled. The experiment was a huge success!"
Physique—strength, agility, and endurance combined—measured one's physical capability. Back in the tech age, average humans scored around 3.
With the advent of the Psionic Age and the infiltration of psionic particles into reality, human physical capabilities have been gradually improving. According to the latest population fitness census, the average total physical attributes of ordinary humans have now surpassed the 6-point threshold.
"Who would've thought this test subject had the potential to be a stud," Director Wu joked. "Hung like a donkey down there, and not bad-looking either... With those stats, he's almost catching up to me."
On the screen, Gu Ning no longer appeared pale, gaunt, or skeletal. His appearance was steadily recovering. Though he hadn't fully regained his health, his looks and demeanor were already enough to make countless movie stars pale in comparison.
Director Zhao glanced at Gu Ning's face on the screen, then roughly estimated the length of what was below the waist. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, but he chose not to argue—conscience be damned.
Director Wu wasn't jealous of Gu Ning's looks or size. To him, Gu Ning was just a lab rat bred in-house—someone from a completely different world.
He asked, "How much can the source blood boost his total physical attributes?"
"Currently, we lack the relevant data, so it's impossible to make an accurate estimate. After all, we still know very little about source blood."
Director Zhao thought for a moment and said, "There's one thing we can confirm: the higher the total physical attributes, the more absurd the demand for nutrient fluid becomes—in both quality and quantity. Based on our current model, and not accounting for the 'awakening threshold' of psionics, our company's stock of 'Heiqim Plus Type-II' nutrient fluid should be enough to raise the test subject's total physical attributes to around 50 points."
He paused, then added, "Of course, that's assuming only one vial of source blood is used. If we were to inject both vials in our possession—and even transplant live tissue from the original source heart—then it's entirely possible his total physical attributes could reach 100."