Chapter 170

Chapter 170: The Boundless Dark Realm Part 25

It was August 19th today, Friday, and the third day back.

Kui Xin pulled the curtains open, creating a small gap for ventilation. The air, carrying the scent of rain, entered the room. It was nine in the morning, and the rain had mostly stopped, but there was a significant amount of water on the ground, making the surface wet and slippery.

Today, Kui Xin did not go out to exercise in the rain. Instead, she completed several sets of training indoors and prepared her own breakfast. She planned on visiting the pet market in town and buying some live organisms to use for experiments.

She kept the blood samples from mutated beings well-preserved in sealed containers. Given that she could not be certain about the severity of the contamination from those blood samples, she decided to conduct an experiment herself.

When Kui Xin arrived at the flower and bird market, most of the shops and stalls selling pets were already open. She went straight to a store that sold reptiles and snakes, as well as feed rats used specifically for feeding serpents.

Kui Xin bought ten living rats since she was unsure how many rats might be needed for the experiment. In addition, she purchased one male and one female rat for breeding attempts, and even bought a breeding box just in case.

If the rats in the experiment were to mutate, they might develop aggressive traits, which couldn’t be contained in an ordinary cage. Therefore, she spent a long time shopping around and bought two large, sturdy metal rat traps. If only glass cages were available, it would have been much more convenient for observation. However, despite searching throughout the market, she could not find any suitable ones, so she reluctantly gave up.

The experimental conditions were quite rudimentary, and Kui Xin lacked professional knowledge. With specialized equipment and blood analysis, she could definitely obtain more useful information, but for now, the current setup sufficed. Her goal was simply to confirm the contamination level of the blood.

After bringing the group of rats home, Kui Xin set up the experimental equipment neatly in the bathroom.

The rat traps, gloves, syringes, blood samples…

After confirming that all essential items were ready, Kui Xin donned gloves and used a syringe to draw the liquefied blood from the mutated being. She then grabbed one rat and injected the blood into its body before placing it in a trap and starting the mobile phone timer.

As soon as the rat entered the trap, it entered a state of frenzy. It frantically ran inside the cage, ramming against the walls and screaming continuously. Three minutes later, the frenzied rat stiffened and died instantly.

Its body did not melt; instead, it remained intact on the floor.

Kui Xin documented in her note app: “Rat No. 1 entered a frenzied state after being injected with blood, died after three minutes; the corpse did not melt.” She then examined the deceased rat’s body briefly, “No obvious deformations were observed on the surface.”

After recording, she placed the dead rat in a glass-sealed container and took another live rat to inject the blood sample into it. The same response occurred—squealing and ramming against the cage—and it died within five minutes similarly.

“Rat No. 2… died five minutes after injection…” Kui Xin did not have enough glass containers, so she placed both rats’ corpses together. Since she didn’t have proper equipment, she bought a pickle jar from below the building’s supermarket to use as a makeshift containment vessel.

Calmly, Kui Xin caught Rat No. 3, went through the procedure again, and injected the blood sample.

Contrary to the usual reaction, Rat No. 3 kept slamming against the cage for ten minutes without dying. Later on, the rat seemed to realize it could not escape the cage and started running around agitatedly, demonstrating high energy levels.

Kui Xin recorded in puzzled observation: “Rat No. 3 was in a clearly excited state after injection, survived more than five minutes and exhibited no significant deformation yet.” After pondering over this, she removed her gloves, disinfected her hands, went to the kitchen to cut slices of radish and chicken, and fed the radish to Rat No. 3.

Rat No. 3 sniffed the radish but did not eat it. Kui Xin threw the radish to other normal rats, which began eating happily. She then gave Rat No. 3 a piece of chicken breast, which it quickly devoured after smelling the scent of it.

“The dietary preferences… seem to have changed…” Kui Xin hesitantly wrote down in her note section, “Further analysis with more case studies necessary.”

She only had seven normal rats left!

The market price for these rats was 10 dollars each, neither expensive nor cheap. Furthermore, the pair of breeding rats had not yet produced any offspring.

With only one experimental subject would not suffice, Kui Xin would continue with different methods. She mixed the physiological saline purchased from the pharmacy with the mutated being’s blood in varying ratios. After dilution, she injected the solution into the rats using a syringe.

A ratio of 5:5 resulted in immediate death. A ratio of 3:7 also led to death. When diluted to 1:9, the blood sample enabled the rat to survive for half an hour before eventually succumbing.

By repeatedly reducing the concentration, Kui Xin managed to keep the blood sample at 5% or less. Consequently, the rat thrived, not displaying any signs of agitation or behavioral changes when observed for two hours, running and eating normally.

Kui Xin relaxed slightly and recorded these observations: “Rat No. 7 remained active and normally behaved… post-injection.”

She proceeded to inject the remaining three rats with the same 5% blood sample solution. Each of them survived, none perishing during the process.

All ten rats had dedicated their lives to these scientific experiments. Now, Kui Xin held four rats that survived after being injected with diluted blood, one that survived even after having been injected with a highly concentrated blood sample.

The breeding rats were temporarily isolated. Kui Xin intended to raise them to breed more as insurance. The shop owner had specially given her pregnant female rats, which would give birth to new litters soon. Kui Xin intended to closely monitor these surviving rats in subsequent days to observe for any further mutations.

This experiment yielded valuable insights. Kui Xin confirmed two key points:

First, the blood of mutated beings can infect other organisms.

Second, diluting the blood reduces its contamination, significantly decreasing the likelihood of inducing mutations.

Exhausted, Kui Xin tidied up the bathroom and securely placed the rat traps.

She opened her mobile phone and went to the forum, checking updates on various developments.

Entering the forum, posts with foreign titles immediately caught Kui Xin’s attention. Many players had translated these foreign messages into Chinese for everyone to read. The general sentiment of these posts was that strange animal attacks had happened outside the country, and regional quests had been triggered among players in the affected areas following the incidents.

The forum buzzed with activity:

“Aren’t we the only ones witnessing such events? This is happening globally, but no one received regional alerts last few days because the mutations hadn’t begun until now.”

“I’m genuinely curious—why do these missions get pushed? Is it a warning, to prepare us for the upcoming catastrophes?”

“Any news on the mutation in Tonglin City? One and a half days have passed since the regional quests were triggered. I imagine many players must have rushed to Tonglin City by now?”

“It seems so. There hasn’t been any update from the 233 boss for two days now. He’s always on top of what’s happening in Tonglin City. If there’s anything unusual, he’ll let everyone know as soon as possible.”

This was something taken for granted on the forum, where the player known as “233” frequently posted crucial information, offering guidance and solidifying a positive image within.

Opening her private messages on the forum, Kui Xin found her inbox flooded with queries regarding the mutations. After scanning a few, she scrolled down and saw messages from a player allegedly involved with the Special Affairs Department.

“Hello, I have arrived in Tonglin City. Are you in the city too?”

Kui Xin stared at this message for a while before typing a reply: “Last time you sent me a private message, you seemed to need urgent help. Has your problem been resolved?”

After waiting for ten minutes, the player replied:

“Not yet. But I found someone who can assist me, and they’re doing their best to help me. They’re the most reliable people I’ve found, but even with their aid, my troubles in the Second World remain largely unresolved. Players deal with their own issues, and it’s tough to lend a hand to others.”

Kui Xin finally voiced her long-held curiosity: “You shared the legend of the Seven Days of Blood in the forum. Even though I understand it’s sensitive, may I inquire where you obtained those reports?”

“These aren’t my personal reports. Someone acquired these intelligence, then passed them onto me. My role is to share these details in the forum.”

Kui Xin raised her eyebrows slightly, swiftly realizing there must be an organization behind this player.

Last week, this player sought Kui Xin’s help before entering the Second World, but now claims affiliation with an organization.

“You mentioned coming to Tonglin City,” Kui Xin questioned further.

“Yes, I arrived here tasked with investigating something. Perhaps my request is abrupt, but may I meet with you? We might form a partnership. Our goals align—we’re both striving to combat the threats from another world, right?”

Less than three seconds later, the player added: “Please think carefully before declining. We have no conflicting interests; we naturally belong to the same side.”

“I will consider,” Kui Xin responded.

She exited the private message interface and returned to the forum homepage. Clicking ‘Post,’ she typed the title.

“Mutated beings’ blood can contaminate normal organisms. Contaminated organisms may die outright or survive with heightened aggression. Current data suggests that mutated organisms may generate xenomorphic deformations.”

The post went up, quickly garnering comments:

“Same old story—big players always stay ahead!”