Chapter 202 - 197: Phase Three
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
The paper remained on the table.
**Phase Three: Human Compatibility Trials.**
John had read the sentence three times, hoping he had misunderstood it.
He hadn’t.
Darius slowly sat down.
"Human trials."
"That’s what it says."
Lythriel’s expression hardened.
"Then we can’t wait anymore."
John looked at her.
"I know."
"We need to get inside."
"We do."
Darius raised a hand.
"Before we do anything, there’s something you need to know."
John looked at him.
"What?"
Darius reached into his bag and pulled out another document.
"I found this among the records from the Silverwood facility."
He placed it on the table.
John opened it.
At first, it looked like another research report.
Then he noticed the dates.
"These are recent."
"Yes."
John continued reading.
There were references to shipments.
Subjects.
Mana measurements.
Compatibility percentages.
Most of the subjects were marked with numbers.
But one section was different.
There was a list of names.
John’s eyes narrowed.
"These aren’t monsters."
"No."
"They’re people."
Darius nodded.
"Missing people."
---
The atmosphere in the room changed immediately.
John looked at the names again.
There were eleven.
Some were merchants.
Two were adventurers.
One was a healer.
Another was a young apprentice mage.
All had disappeared within the last six months.
Lythriel clenched her fist.
"How many?"
Darius answered quietly.
"Eleven listed here."
"Listed?"
"There may be more."
John put the paper down.
"So Phase Three has already started."
"That’s what I think."
John stood.
"Then we’re going tonight."
Darius looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
"No."
John looked toward the window.
"But waiting isn’t going to make those people safer."
Lythriel stood as well.
"I’m coming."
"So am I," Aerion said.
Sylvara nodded.
Darius sighed.
"I knew you wouldn’t listen."
John smiled slightly.
"You know us well."
"I wish I didn’t."
---
They didn’t rush to the bathhouse.
Instead, they spent the next several hours preparing.
No heavy armor.
No obvious weapons.
No unnecessary equipment.
They needed to move quietly.
John carried his sword beneath a long coat.
Lythriel concealed her weapons.
Darius prepared several magical tools.
Sylvara packed healing supplies.
Aerion reluctantly carried a much smaller weapon.
"That’s still too large," John told him.
"It’s the smallest one I own."
John stared at the weapon.
"Fine."
Before sunset, they returned to the warehouse district.
They stayed away from the bathhouse.
For now.
The plan was simple.
Watch the building.
Wait for the right moment.
Then enter through the least protected route.
The problem was finding one.
---
Night settled over Ravencross.
The city gradually became quieter.
John watched the bathhouse from across the street.
Nothing seemed unusual.
A few workers entered.
Two guards stood near the side entrance.
Another pair patrolled the alley.
The main entrance was empty.
Darius whispered.
"Four guards outside."
"Four that we can see."
John’s eyes moved toward the roof.
"Two more up there."
Darius looked.
He hadn’t noticed them.
"And inside?"
"Can’t tell."
Lythriel studied the building.
"There’s a drainage channel behind it."
John looked.
A narrow stone channel ran beneath the rear wall.
"Could lead underground."
"That’s what I’m thinking."
John nodded.
"Let’s check."
---
They waited until the guards changed shifts.
Then John and Lythriel slipped into the alley.
Darius followed.
The drainage channel was partially covered by a metal grate.
John examined the lock.
"Old."
Darius handed him a small tool.
"Try this."
John worked the mechanism.
Click.
The grate opened.
They slipped inside.
The tunnel was narrow and smelled terrible.
Lythriel covered her nose.
"You’re sure this is worth it?"
"No."
"Great."
John smiled.
"Keep moving."
The tunnel continued for nearly fifty meters.
Then it divided.
One path continued toward the city sewer system.
The other went deeper.
John felt the mana immediately.
"That way."
They followed the mana.
After another thirty meters, they found a metal door.
There was no handle.
Only a magical seal.
Darius examined it.
"This isn’t a normal lock."
"Can you open it?"
"Give me a minute."
John stood guard.
The tunnel behind them remained quiet.
Darius worked carefully.
Finally—
Click.
The seal disappeared.
The door opened.
Beyond it was a staircase.
---
They descended.
The air changed.
It was warmer below.
And there was a smell John recognized.
Alchemy.
The same smell from the Silverwood facility.
He looked at Darius.
"We’re in."
Darius nodded.
They moved silently.
The staircase ended at a corridor.
Unlike the abandoned facility in the forest, this one was clean.
The walls were maintained.
Magical lights were active.
People walked through the halls.
Scientists.
Guards.
Workers.
John counted at least twenty people within sight.
Lythriel whispered.
"This place is huge."
John nodded.
He could feel mana flowing beneath the floor.
Several layers.
The facility went much deeper than they had expected.
Darius pointed toward a room.
"Laboratory."
They waited for a guard to pass.
Then entered.
The room was empty.
Tables covered the floor.
Glass containers lined the shelves.
John examined them.
Some contained strange crystals.
Others held liquids.
Darius picked up a report.
"John."
"What?"
"Look."
He handed him the paper.
John read.
**Compatibility Trial 08.**
**Result: Rejection.**
**Subject deceased.**
His expression darkened.
Darius handed him another.
**Trial 09.**
**Result: Partial compatibility.**
**Subject unstable.**
John looked up.
"Where are the subjects?"
Darius pointed toward the lower levels.
"According to the records..."
He hesitated.
"They’re below us."
---
John wanted to go immediately.
But something stopped him.
A sound.
Footsteps.
They hid behind the laboratory equipment.
Two researchers entered.
They were talking.
"...the noble is demanding results."
"We’re not ready."
"He doesn’t care."
"What about the rejection rate?"
"We’re running out of volunteers."
John’s expression changed.
*Volunteers.*
The researcher continued.
"They’ve already taken people from the southern district."
"Then take more."
John’s hand slowly clenched.
The other researcher lowered his voice.
"That’s dangerous."
"The project has already gone too far."
Silence.
Then the first researcher said something that made John freeze.
"Especially after the Silverwood failure."
The second researcher sighed.
"The creature wasn’t supposed to survive."
John’s eyes narrowed.
They were talking about the horned beast.
The one he’d encountered.
So they knew it was alive.
And they knew someone had released the creatures.
One researcher continued.
"And now the guild expedition is asking questions."
John became completely still.
"They know?"
"Not everything."
"Then we need to find whoever interfered."
The researcher looked toward the door.
"Lord Veyr wants them identified."
John exchanged a glance with Lythriel.
They were already being hunted.
---
The researchers left.
John waited.
Then he whispered.
"We need to move."
They left the laboratory.
The corridor continued downward.
They passed several locked doors.
Behind one, John heard someone coughing.
He stopped.
Lythriel looked at him.
John opened the door.
Inside was a small cell.
A young man sat against the wall.
He looked exhausted.
John recognized him from the list.
The apprentice mage.
"Are you..."
The young man looked up.
His eyes widened.
"You’re not one of them."
"No."
John opened the door.
"Can you walk?"
The young man struggled to stand.
"Yes."
"Good."
John supported him.
"What’s your name?"
"Daniel."
"How long have you been here?"
Daniel looked terrified.
"Three weeks."
"Are there others?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"I don’t know."
He swallowed.
"They keep moving us."
John looked toward the corridor.
"Where?"
"Lower levels."
"What are they doing?"
Daniel’s face became pale.
"They inject mana into us."
John’s expression hardened.
"They’re trying to force compatibility."
Daniel nodded.
"Some people..."
He looked down.
"They didn’t survive."
Lythriel clenched her jaw.
John remained calm.
But his eyes had changed.
"We’re getting everyone out."
Daniel stared at him.
"You can’t."
"Why?"
"They have something below."
"What?"
Daniel shook his head.
"I don’t know."
He looked toward the floor.
"But whenever it wakes up..."
He swallowed.
"The entire facility shakes."
John remembered the massive creature in the forest.
Then another thought occurred to him.
The underground facility.
The cages.
The research.
The experiments.
Maybe they weren’t creating monsters simply to make stronger beasts.
Maybe they were trying to create something capable of surviving the same process they intended to use on humans.
John looked at Darius.
"How many floors?"
Darius checked the records.
"Six."
John looked toward the stairs.
"And where are the prisoners?"
"Five and six."
John nodded.
"Then we go down."
Lythriel looked at him.
"What about the guards?"
John smiled faintly.
"We’ll deal with them."
---
They moved deeper.
The first guard didn’t even see John coming.
A quick strike to the back of the neck.
He collapsed.
The second guard reached for his weapon.
Lythriel disarmed him.
The third tried to activate an alarm.
Darius stopped the spell.
The fourth surrendered immediately.
John didn’t kill any of them.
There was no reason to.
They needed information.
Soon, they reached the fifth floor.
The number of guards increased.
So did the magical security.
Darius looked at the corridor.
"This is going to be harder."
John nodded.
"Then we stop trying to be quiet."
He stepped forward.
The nearest guard raised his sword.
John punched him into the wall.
Another attacked.
John blocked.
Lythriel moved beside him.
Aerion joined the fight.
Within seconds, the corridor became chaos.
But they weren’t fighting to kill.
They were pushing forward.
One guard after another fell.
Finally, they reached the main security door.
Darius examined it.
"Locked."
John stepped forward.
"Move."
He punched the door.
**BOOM!**
The metal bent.
Again.
**BOOM!**
The door shattered.
Beyond it were rows of cells.
Dozens of them.
People were inside.
Some were awake.
Some were unconscious.
Some barely had the strength to move.
When the prisoners saw John and the others, confusion spread through the room.
Then someone shouted.
"Are you rescuers?"
John looked around.
"Yes."
A few people began crying.
Others simply stared.
John walked toward the nearest cell.
"We’re getting everyone out."
But before Darius could begin opening the cells—
A deep vibration passed through the floor.
Everyone froze.
The lights flickered.
Then came another.
**BOOM.**
The entire facility shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Darius looked toward the floor.
"That wasn’t an explosion."
John nodded.
"No."
Another impact.
Much stronger.
**BOOM!**
The prisoners began panicking.
Daniel grabbed John’s arm.
"That’s it."
John looked at him.
"What?"
"The thing below."
John turned toward the stairs leading to the sixth floor.
A low growl echoed through the structure.
Not like the creatures from the Silverwood.
This sound was deeper.
Older.
And much more powerful.
John’s expression became serious.
The people behind him needed to escape.
But whatever was beneath them had just awakened.
And judging by the sound...
It wasn’t staying in its cage.
John looked at Lythriel.
"Get the prisoners out."
She nodded.
"And you?"
John drew his sword.
"I’m going downstairs."
Lythriel’s eyes widened.
"Alone?"
John looked toward the dark stairway.
"No."
Aerion stepped beside him.
Darius sighed and followed.
Sylvara tightened her grip on her staff.
Lythriel stared at all of them.
Then smiled.
"Idiots."
John laughed.
"Probably."
Another roar shook the facility.
John looked down the stairs.
Whatever Project Evolve had been hiding beneath Ravencross...
They were about to meet it.
---
100 ps = 1 extra Chapter
200 ps = 2 Extra Chapter
1 Golden ticket = 3 Extra Chapter