28 Playing with lives

Earth, 2021

Yi Meng released a breath as she sat on the park's bench. It was hardly five in the morning, the air being biting cold. She rubbed her warm palms against her cold, pale cheeks. Just as she was getting up, she felt her cheek sting. To her shock, a sharp knife had just passed by her. She whirled around, her eyes alert and blazing.

Her sharp eyesight spotted many assassins standing in their dark, with weapons in their hands. 'So many? Who could have sent them? Mo Ling? No, she's in juvenile. Then... Just who?'

Her eyes darted around, in search of a possible way to escape. 'If there are so many assassins, then there must be traps too. Think, Yi Meng.' Her hand slowly crept to the back of her T-shirt and pulled a small bomb from a back pocket.

But before she could make it explode, an assassin had a knife across her throat, the blade cutting into her tender skin. Meng's breath caught. This speed was inhumane. This assassin certainly wasn't a normal one.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked calmly, not allow her expressions to show her true feelings.

"No point in telling a dead person." The assassin answered gruffly.

Meng quickly punched the assassin in his gut but immediately twenty or so more assassins surrounded her. "No movements."

Before she could comprehend anything, she was knocked unconscious, darkness filling her sight.

When her eyes opened, she was no longer in the park. She had been tied to a pole, her mouth stuffed with a cloth. Meng could sense that the gun she had kept, had been taken away.

"So you're finally awake." A hoarse voice spoke.

Meng looked calmly at the familiar figure in front of her.

"Recognise me? Or did you forget so soon?" A despicable smile spread across the person's face.

Meng almost laughed out loud. How could she not recognise the person who had ruined Lan's life? The person was none other than Doctor Zuo, the head physician of the experiment Black List. They were currently in a new laboratory.

With the help of her tongue, Meng pushed out the cloth stuffed in her mouth and spat on his face once again, just like Lan had done few years ago.

His face grew dark and his blood rimmed eyes glared at her. His hand hit her face, making blood trail down her mouth. "Still as impudent, I see."

"Who asked your opinion?" Meng sneered. She had already accepted Lan as herself and her feelings of hatred for him were real.

He didn't answer, and instead picked up a sharp rod from his desk. "I wonder if you're reactions will be the same as before!? Don't you think? No matter what, I still feel that you, Test subject 1313,were my best product." He gave a laugh, inspecting the rod. "It's such a pity you won't last long."

Without a sound, the rod was pierced into Meng's arm, her muscles aching as they got ruptured. Her face remained impassive as ever, not wanting him to enjoy seeing her in pain.

"What do you want from me?" She asks in an unwavering voice.

"Me? Nothing. Nothing at all. I just missed my best product. Is that so bad?" His twisted smile, made her stomach churn.

Another rod was pierced, but still no reaction. Displeased by her lack of reaction, he pondered on what to use next. On seeing a certain instrument, his eyes shined wickedly.

He picked up the lancet(also known as scalpel or cutting instrument) with his gloved hand and twirled it. He ripped her T-shirt, making her scar filled stomach visible. With a maniacal grin on his face, he cut open her stomach. The lancet cut through her soft skin, dying her clothes red, and proceeded to slice her muscles.

Meng bit her lip, the pain gradually increasing. Unlike before, her pain bearing gradient had decreased.

Her body gave a slight shudder when her stomach muscles were completely sliced apart. But because of her body's quick healing, the stomach muscles tried to join back themselves. Unfortunately, Zuo noticed it and pulled back the muscles with the help of retractors(used to pull back skin or muscles).

The cut in her stomach was big enough for a small tube to fit in. Meng could already tell what Zuo was about to do. He placed a suction tube inside and turned it on. The suction tube's power was comparable to human's usual blood pressure, or else they wouldn't be able to suck body fluids.

But this suction tube was a modified version, with a stronger force. Meng's organs were being pulled by the strong force. She almost gasped due to the pain. The pain of one's insides being sucked was not a pleasurable experience. Her legs trembled, but she managed to keep her neutral expression.

An hour or so later, he shut the suction tube, dissatisfied by the results. "Still not giving up? Very well. It's all the more fun for me."

He took a pair of tweezers and squeezed an organ slightly, making Meng's whole body tremble. Pleased, he squeezed tighter. Her legs gave way.

An evil smirk spread across his face.

A hard squeeze, made the tweezers bite into the tender walls of the organ.

And an even more harder squeeze, made the organ burst.

Yi Meng vomited blood on the ground, the pain of an organ bursting, almost making her unconscious.

Zuo laughed like a mad man and thrust his hand inside her stomach, and ripped away the bursted organ. Meng's eyes widened and a gasp escapes her mouth. Blood gushes out of her stomach and mouth.

Zuo throws the organ on the ground and smiles like a fox. "What a nice expression you have there. More... I want to see more." His laugh echoed through the laboratory.

He then drags in an unfamiliar machine, not noticing Meng's murderous gaze. The machine looked like a small ball with wires protruding from it. Mad Zuo excitedly connected the wires to certain areas of Meng's right and left arm.

"This is my new invention. It certainly won't leave you disappointed!" He laughed in glee.

Meng felt a jolt and her whole body burned as if it was on fire. Her arms' nerves felt like it were being ripped apart and then joined again. Knowing Zuo's crazy inventions, it was probably such a case.

A human is very sensitive to any problem related to nerves. The whole nervous system may be affected in worse cases. Even though, Meng's body was no longer human, this basic fact remained the same.

The pain soon became unbearable for Yi Meng and she could feel her hands becoming numb. With a final tug, her arms... became crippled.

The nerve damage was excessive. They probably couldn't be cured for a lifetime, unless a genius doctor appeared with a better technlogy.

Zuo let out another evil chuckle, "Finally, you'll be erased. My job here will be done! "

Yi Meng, who was halfway unconscious, couldn't understand his meaning. But she knew, that her time of end was near. Instead of acting like a damsel in distress, she ultimately managed to severe the ropes on jer hand with the sharp blade she had been holding between her legs.

Zuo mobed quickly to pierce her heart but a kick made him crash into the wall. The pieces of plaster broke and fell on his head. He groaned in pain. Eyes filled with rage, met Meng's cool ones. "You! Weren't you unable to move? How could you-?!" He screamed.

"I only complied with your assassins because I wanted to find out who wanted me dead. I certainly didn't expect you, a coward to show up. After running for so many years, you finally show your face, how could I ever let go of this golden chance?" She gave a hollow laugh, anger swirling in her eyes.

Today, she would be able to get revenge for Yi Lan. She could at last live normally like others.

But Yi Memg was too optimistic. Zuo gave a crazy laugh. "You think you can kill me? Stop joking. Men! Kill her." He shouted and pushed a button attached to the wall.

The locked door of the lab, opened and hundreds of men came in.

All of them looked the same and wore the same. Each of them had only one command ingrained in their minds-'Kill'.

A shocked Yi Meng readied herself. "These men... aren't human. They're clones right? Zuo, you disgust me. Playing with lives!" She grit out, her eyes burning with the flame of revenge.

"So what? Like I care. Today, I will have you dead Yi Meng." He laughed.

Meng, who had been fighting the clones, turned towards him. "You just called me Yi Meng."

"So?"

"How do you know I changed the way I called myself?" Meng had only told her family and friends how to address her.

Zuo's face grew blue as he detected her hostile stare. He was caught, and was in big trouble.

"Fine! You're gonna die anyways, what do I have to fear!? I know your true identity Yi Meng. I also know that Yi Lan, no longer exists here." He sneered.

Meng's face grew visibly pale at his confession.

"How?" She asked.

"How? Why should I tell you?"

In her carelessness, Meng had left her back open and a knife buried itself in her stomach.

She fell down, the blood loss too much for her to control.

Another knife entered, making the pain double. Zuo's tortures were not as simple as it seemed. They had already made Yi Meng's bases weak.

Just as a knife was going to pierce through her heart, the clones hands was blown off by a bullet.

All eyes drifted to the entrance where a handsome man stood, with a dark look on his face.

"So... ra?" Meng whispered in disbelief.

His movements were smooth and languid. In a few minutes, he wiped out the entire clone army. Then, he turned towards Zuo, who was unexpectedly trembling.

"No! It's impossible! How can you be alive!" Zuo screamed like a psycho. "I was sure! I was sure I had killed you, Test subject 1!"

"How rude, Is that anyway to address your son dear father?" A cold smile rose on Sora's lips as he twirled a knife in his hands.

Meng's mind went blank on hearing the words. Test subject 1? Which meant that.... Sora was the same as her.

"Shut up! I'm not your father! I don't care anymore! You're here, then I'll kill you along with her! She needs to die!" He screamed and threw an explosive towards Meng.

The wounded Meng, didn't have time to dodge, but Sora's warm hands clasped her in an embrace and moved her to a safer place.

"Sora? What's going on?" She asked, her consciousness flickering.

"I'll explain later. You rest. I'll take care of him." He said and kissed her forehead.

She nodded.

When the smoke cleared, Zuo was seen with a remote in his hand. A wide grin was spread across his bloody face. "Now you can't do anything to me! See this remote? One push, and you'll all blow up like bombs."

"What do you mean?" Sora's eyebrows furrowed.

"Those number tattoos you have aren't simply tattoos. I created you all, so I can destroy you all too." He preened, proud of his achievements.

"I'll count till three- one..... two.....and...three!"

Just when he uttered three, his hand broke off from his arm in a second. He screamed in pain, horrified on seeing his broken arm.

Surprise flashed across Meng's eyes. If she wasn't wrong, this was a latent ability. Long ago, Yi Lan had overheard scientists talking about latent abilities. The second purpose of Black List was to enable the Test Subjects to have latent abilities. But unfortunately, not even Yi Lan was successful in having latent abilities.

Meng's eyes looked up at Sora. Could it be...?

As if he had read her mind, Sora shook his head with a smile. "This isn't my ability. It's our son's."

Meng was pretty sure her head burst with thay information. Sure enough, when she looked at the broken wall, she spotted Haru standing there, looking coldly at Zuo.

Zuo glared at the small boy. "You have a latent ability? How's this possible? You weren't even a test subject!"

Haru didn't speak, only continued his attack.

Zuo's cries echoed in the silent lab.

Just as Haru was going to lay the finishing blow, Meng called out "Wait! Don't kill him! I have something to ask him."

Haru silently nodded.

With Sora's support, she stood up and walked up to Zuo. In a low voice she said, "Speak. How do you know about me?"

"I won't tell. Kill me or do whatever else, I'll never speak." He glared hatefully at her. "If it wasn't for this little boy, my plan would have been successful. Now master will be angry! All because of you!"

"Master?" She raised her eyebrow.

"I spoke too much. Whatever. Today, even if I die, I'll take this brat with me!" He grabbed Haru towards him and suddenly a brilliant light gathered in his abdomen.

Meng's eyes widened in horror. She screamed at Haru to move away, but he was held down by Zuo. At this moment of panic, her hands glowed and Haru was pulled towards her. She quickly moved back with him.

"What's happening?" Sora asked worriedly, checking for injuries on Haru.

Yi Meng was trembling. What Zuo was doing was something that had only happened on Plutarch. It was the rumoured soul detonation. With this, the soul and the body of the person exploded like a bomb, leaving not even a speck of dust.

But this could only be accomplished by cultivators. This certainly couldn't take place in Earth, where cultivators didn't exist. If so, then how did Zuo manage to do that?

Before she could say anything, Zuo's body exploded like a bomb and his last words engraved itself in Meng's memory. "Yi Meng! Remember my words, this isn't the last you'll see of me! Soon you'll meet the same fate as Yi Lan, and at that time you won't be able to reincarnate!" He gave a last bone chilling laugh.

Yi Meng was left trembling at his words.