"Wow, this is really a case of each new wave in the Yangtze River pushing the old one forward!" The girl slightly shook her somewhat strange head with excitement. "I didnât expect a newcomer to actually manage to do something like cross the periphery! Could you be the strongest among these survivors?"
The girlâs attitude gradually put Shi Wanyun at ease, and she shook her head, "No, Iâm still far from the strongest. So, can you tell me about this place? Maybe I could also..."
She originally wanted to say she might become one of them here, but the words got stuck in her mouth.
The appearance of the girl in front of her was truly creepy.
If staying here meant becoming like her, that was something she absolutely couldnât accept.
She needed to figure out exactly what was going on here.
"Huh? Youâre not the strongest?" The girl was a bit surprised. "Are all survivors in your batch so strong? Back then, not a single one of us could cross this area below..."
Shi Wanyunâs eyes flickered.
Did the previous survivors have the same experience as her?
"Or maybe the mutated creatures down there have weakened...?" The girl shook her head. "Forget it, you should be fine now, right? Follow me. Iâll explain the situation here as we walk."
Shi Wanyun stood up, "Am I going somewhere?"
"Of course, everyone who comes here must first undergo a baptism before they can move freely."
Baptism...?
"Iâm a bit tired right now. Can I rest a little before going?" Shi Wanyun wanted to politely decline.
She had a bad feeling about this baptism.
Wouldnât it be terrifying if the baptism turned her into someone like this girl?
That would be too frightening...
"No way, absolutely not." The girl immediately shook her head in refusal, the movement so large it seemed like she might shake her head right off.
"I came here specifically to take you over, even if you hadnât woken up, I would still have to take you. If we donât get there within two quarter-of-an-hour marks, calling the master down here, you and I would both wish we were dead."
"Master?" This term piqued Shi Wanyunâs curiosity.
"Come on, hurry up, Iâll explain as we walk." The girl immediately reached out and grabbed Shi Wanyunâs arm, pulling her out.
Shi Wanyun didnât resist, allowing herself to be led out the door.
The scenery outside the door surprised her.
A narrow, wooden corridor, with tree ring-like patterns engraved on the walls.
On either side of the corridor, a series of wooden doors lined the path.
The corridor was long, but not straight, with a curved arc, preventing a view of the end.
And there were quite a few people walking in the corridor. At a glance, there were six or seven people, and not far from the two of them, two other girls stood talking about something.
"Letâs go, just keep going forward." The girl let go of Shi Wanyunâs hand, turning to smile, "I wonât restrict your actions anymore."
"According to the normal process, I should have tied you up and taken you over, but your strength is certainly greater than mine, so I wonât follow that procedure. But please behave yourself; although youâre strong, you still fall far short of the master."
"Tied up?"
"Yes." The girl pointed to her own neck, "Donât underestimate my ability to bind. A part of my genetic sequence is that of a python!"
Python genes...
Shi Wanyun took a breath, immediately understanding why this girl seemed like a monster.
...Genetically modified human?
A pythonâs hunting method involves coiling, immobilizing its prey until it suffocates to death.
If itâs a venomous kind, it would also inject toxins into its prey, weakening it, speeding up its death.
As she thought of this, an image of the girl wrapping her flashed in her mind.
The long, extendable neck coiling several times around her body, with the girlâs head staring at her face-to-face after the wrapping.
Any hint of resistance, and she would bite her throat, releasing poison...
And just by raising her hand, she could touch that smooth, fleshy neck wrapped around her...
Shi Wanyun felt goosebumps rise all over her body again.
Fortunately, the girl didnât do it, or she would have lost it...
"What is this place exactly, a gene research institute?" Shi Wanyun asked softly.
"Regarding that, I canât explain it clearly in a short time. Once you attend the baptism, youâll understand. You just need to know that those who can come here are talents selected among thousands. Not just anyone can come here!"
The girlâs tone was evidently a bit proud when she spoke.
Shi Wanyun was about to ask more when a voice suddenly interrupted from the side.
"Ah, Number 228, youâre here too?"
The two girls chatting nearby noticed the passing Shi Wanyun and company; one of them, a black-haired girl, greeted them: "Is this a newcomer? You need to hurry, donât you, the baptism will start in twenty minutes?"
"We have time, donât worry, it only takes ten minutes to get there." The girl pulling Shi Wanyun said, "Let me tell you, she managed to pass through the beast horde below by herself!"