Chapter 117: Prisoners
"You really are as straightforward as Old Liu said," Cheng Mu continued. "But that's good too; there's no need to guess at your intentions, it's all perfectly clear."
"What do you think, what would this world be like without so many twists and turns?" Bai Mo suddenly asked such a question.
"Imagine a machine without lubricant."
"Forget it, let's not talk about that. When will the first batch of materials arrive?"
"The first batch of prisoners and the first shipment of materials will arrive this afternoon. The reactor hardware has also been produced according to the data you provided and installed underground. I'm not clear on the other details; after all, my subordinates handled the arrangements."
"Indeed, you are all commanders."
That afternoon, fifty death row prisoners, transported in four vehicles, were brought to the basement. The basement's design somewhat resembled an ancient Roman gladiatorial arena. The prisoners were confined to the lower level, while Bai Mo, accompanied by the one male and two female vampires he had awakened, walked to the viewing platform.
"Unlock the chains on their hands and feet," Bai Mo said to the guards watching them.
"But..." Although they had received orders to fully cooperate with the man before them, such a command still felt somewhat abrupt.
"Is this acceptable now?" Bai Mo said to the nearby guard.
"Yes!"
The locks on the death row prisoners' hands and feet were undone, but their bodies remained pressed down, unable to move.
"Now, I'm giving you a chance to live. There's a lottery box here; those who draw certain numbers will be pardoned from death." Bai Mo smiled once more.
"Why should we believe you! I've got over a dozen lives on my hands; you say we can be pardoned from death, and we'll be pardoned?" a burly man with a full beard struggled to say.
"Quite honest. Is this a brave embrace of death?" Bai Mo massaged his forehead.
"A single thought from me can make you lie prostrate like dead dogs. That is my qualification!"
Bai Mo released the restraints, allowing them to line up and draw numbers from the lottery box. During this time, some attempted to cause trouble, but as soon as they turned around, they found their heads and bodies forcibly twisted back into place. The guards nearby gripped their guns tightly, ready at any moment.
"Everyone's drawn, right? Those with odd numbers stand to the left; those with even numbers stand to the right."
The crowd exchanged glances, then began to find their places, quickly dividing into two groups.
"To those on the right, congratulations, you have a chance to see tomorrow, because today, even numbers are more pleasing to my eye." With that, Bai Mo opened the toolbox behind him, and twenty-five syringes flew out.
The syringes flew at full speed towards the twenty-five people on the left. Upon hearing Bai Mo's words, they knew their fate was sealed and felt an urge to fight back with all their might. Yet, no matter how desperately their hearts yearned to move, they could only stand like wax figures, silently watching the syringes, symbols of death, approach them.
To avoid hearing any nonsense, he simply sealed the mouths of the two dozen or so individuals, allowing them only to emit muffled "woo woo woo" sounds. Soon, the drug took effect, and even the whimpering of the group on the left faded away. Without the support of psychic power, they all slumped and collapsed onto the ground.
"I'm going to set some things up. The rest is up to you three to handle." Bai Mo tossed three blood packs to them from his toolbox, then, carrying the two dozen unconscious individuals, descended to the next level. "Don't get any crooked ideas. When this place was built, it was designed with numerous mechanisms specifically to deal with you. To say nothing else, even if you liquefy yourselves, you won't escape these solid steel walls."
Ma Li sucked on a blood pack while transmitting a mental wave to the remaining twenty-five people: "Starting today, the three of us are your instructors. Your sole task is to cultivate the martial art inscribed on those stone pillars over there. As long as someone can cultivate it to mastery, they will regain their freedom. The only requirement is that you cannot leave this place."
"Is there really such a good thing?"
"Don't ask me; I don't know either. At the end of the day, the three of us are just that devil's prisoners. Also, don't look at me with those disgusting eyes. I could crush you with a single finger."
"My Huaxia language isn't great. Listening is no problem, but speaking... I'll transmit through mental waves like this. Any other questions?"
"None," they replied. Although they had just witnessed half of their companions executed on the spot, this group of death row prisoners was still quite excited upon confirming that they truly had a chance to live.
"If there are none, then go and self-study in front of the pillars. If you have questions, come find us. Food and fresh blood will be supplied promptly."
"Fresh blood?"
"You'll know if you look at the cultivation method on the stone pillars. We are all Blood Clan, and you too will soon become members of the Blood Clan. Fresh blood will quickly become a necessity for your lives." Ma Li licked the blood from the corner of her mouth.
Bai Mo, meanwhile, carried the two dozen or so anesthetized "corpses" down to the next level, the reactor zone. He had no intention of leaving the work on this floor to others.
One by one, he placed them into nutrient solution tanks mixed with sedatives. The hundred individual reactors on the lower level were immediately filled by a quarter. Then, according to the provided data, he separately added the materials required for the Spirit Liquid.
The built-in air pumps channeled the Spirit Qi-air mixture introduced by the central system directly into the reactors, ensuring a sufficient input of Spirit Qi for conversion.
After confirming that everything was in order, he pressed a button, officially starting the operation of each reactor.
"It vaguely feels like pickling medicinal wine," Bai Mo muttered to himself, watching the human bodies bobbing up and down in the glass tanks.
After half an hour of operation, the first drop of Spirit Liquid appeared in the collection area. Carefully allowing this drop of Spirit Liquid to float, Bai Mo began to examine it closely, attempting to scan and detect it with his divine sense, but he found nothing. He decided to leave it for later testing with specialized instruments.
"Everything arranged?" He walked into the office and said to Ma Li.
"Hmm, it's just, where exactly does this cultivation method come from? It's highly classified even within the Blood Clan."
"Do you wish for someone to appear behind you one day and say, 'You know too much'?"
"Your methods of dealing with humans are more ruthless than ours. At least we've never established such a large-scale human experimentation facility."
"Merely my way of clearing out some trash from this world, allowing them to exert their lingering warmth."
"So where did the remaining twenty-five people go? I don't believe you're someone who kills on a whim."
"You still haven't recognized your place. Do I need to help you sober up?" Bai Mo pulled out a vial from his pocket, uncorked it, and gently blew twice towards Ma Li. Then, she found that, despite her mind being perfectly clear, she couldn't move even a single finger.
"It's a mother-child agent concocted by a pharmacology researcher at the institute. Take the child agent, and then inhaling the mother agent will put you in this state. Tell me, what amusing things would happen if I threw you, in this state, among that pack of wolves?"
"The blood you just gave me was poisoned!" Ma Li said in alarm.
"It can't exactly be called poison. The child agent alone is harmless to the body."
"For the next half hour, you can properly recognize your place. You, too, are nothing more than a prisoner." Bai Mo finished speaking and left, leaving Ma Li lying on the ground, staring at the ceiling alone.
Comments