"Can you identify who these victims are?"

Faced with the gruesome scene in the laboratory, Yun You pondered for a moment, then squatted down to examine the dismembered bodies on the ground.

"If we can identify them, we might be able to deduce who the opponent is."

"..."

Upon hearing Yun You's request, Jack fell silent.

Although the victims in the laboratory were wearing white coats, which have a certain level of identification, their faces were too severely damaged...

Their facial skin had been torn off, their skulls shattered like trash cans, and their eyes, noses, and mouths were not just displaced but also deformed.

Identifying someone from such bodies is indeed no easy task.

However, Jack, being a seasoned mercenary with unrivaled experience, managed to find a clue after examining the scene.

"Chica, look at this."

He fumbled a bit and pulled a blood-stained emblem out from the lining of a corpse's clothing.

Though it was stained with blood, its inner shape could still be vaguely discerned.

The central motif consisted of two purple non-venomous snakes entwined, their tongues flicking, bodies straightened, forming a pattern reminiscent of a "Snake Staff."

This is a universal symbol in the medical field.

"Double-Striped Purple Snake Staff, there's only one entity in Nest City No. 3 that uses this emblem."

Lowering his voice, Jack said solemnly, "That is one of the real rulers of Nest City No. 3— the conglomerate Biotechnology."

"These remains are employees of Biotechnology!"

"Biotechnology...!"

The familiar term startled Yun You.

In Nest City No. 3, if you asked someone completely uninvolved in politics who rules the city, they would likely say: it's the Supreme Council of the city.

Someone with slightly more political and situational awareness would answer: it's the Apprentice Death God.

Both answers are not entirely wrong, as the former is the titular ruling body of the city. All policies and decrees need to be voted on by the Supreme Council to be enacted within the city.

Meanwhile, the Apprentice Death God is the physical ruler, standing above laws and rules, requiring no adherence to orders from the governing body, nor allegiance or tribute.

However...

If you asked someone who truly understands the political landscape and knows the city well, they would likely not give either of the above answers but would instead say—

"The real ruler of Nest City No. 3 is the Biotechnology Group."

Biotechnology Group carries the name of a medical company, but in reality, it is a superconglomerate that encompasses arms trading, prosthetic body development, security protection, food processing, and more.

It does not hold legislative power nor can it directly alter laws, but it can influence the entire city in various ways.

From the top-tier nobility to mid-class families, or even the lower-class populace, none can part with Biotechnology.

They consume meal kits produced by Biotechnology subsidiaries and drink water purified from radiation by Biotechnology. They use prosthetic bodies and medicines manufactured by Biotechnology. Even their breathing depends on "air purifiers" installed by Biotechnology across districts.

Even in death, they are moved to the company's crematorium for cremation before being buried in the electronic cemetery outsourced by this company in the suburbs.

It's safe to say that the people of Nest City No. 3 are tied to Biotechnology from birth to death.

The leader of Biotechnology holds power equal to the highest council, and its internal scientists and researchers enjoy societal status second only to the Apprentice Death God, not necessarily having to bow to the Apprentice Death God.

This is the power of Biotechnology.

Jack said these bodies are employees of Biotechnology, and Yun You believed him.

Because only Biotechnology could create such a large "experiment site" underground in the city's mid-tier region, and only they could cover up the deaths of thousands without anyone noticing.

A company that has been established for over three hundred years indeed has the capability to orchestrate an experiment spanning decades and is eligible to be the "mastermind behind the scenes."

However, Yun You's curiosity was piqued by the point of why these people, being Biotechnology employees, would end up dead here, in such a miserable state, with no one coming to collect their bodies?

This doesn't align with the domineering and protective nature of such a conglomerate.

"Actually, it's not difficult to understand."

Jack seemed to notice Yun You's curiosity and patiently explained, "Chica, things with these conglomerates are much more complicated than you imagine."

"Biotechnology Group has over six million employees, with various factions. Often, an 'experiment group' is an independent faction."

"Experiment groups compete among themselves and have strong autonomy. Most of the time, aside from applying for funding, they don't need to contact higher-ups. They can freely research their projects."

"Therefore, within Biotechnology, it's common for an experiment group to work diligently for decades without the upper management knowing what they're working on..."

"And the management at Biotechnology doesn't really care about the status of experiment groups. They only care about qualified products; whoever can present a product will get their support."

"Under these circumstances, even the disappearance of a research group wouldn't attract much attention from the conglomerate unless they cause a massive loss to the company... a loss that apparently doesn't include 'people' themselves."

"After all, in the city, people are the least valued, and talent is abundant."

Saying this, Jack casually picked up a broken limb, glanced at it briefly, and explained, "So, I guess the investment in this laboratory was likely minimal, so even the disconnection didn't catch much of the group's attention."

"Moreover, judging by the dried bloodstains and the degree of decomposition, the incident here can't be more than six months old."

"Such a short time explains why Biotechnology hasn't responded."

"It's possible the group doesn't even know this place had an incident."

This explanation seemed credible to Yun You.

She wiped the bloodstains off her shoes, slowly stood up, and surveyed the surroundings, stating, "The mastermind has been identified, so now there's only one question left."

"Who... or rather, what 'thing' caused the massacre in the laboratory?"

Speaking of which, the young girl's fingers lightly glided over the lab table, tracing a deep "scratch" on the metal surface.

"The equipment and walls here are made of [police-level special alloy], with hardness equivalent to 600 mm thick homogeneous steel plate, similar to the thickness of a main battle tank's main armor."

"To cause such damage, the creature that slaughtered the laboratory is no small deal."

"Who could it be?"

Hearing this, Jack shook his head and picked up those bundles of yellowing documents from the corner of the wall.

"The answer is probably revealed here."

The mercenary opened the documents one by one, placing them in front of Yun You.

The first page of the document bore a few rows of large red characters, revealing its content.

["Long Life" Project Experiment Log]

[Date: September 19, 2047 (30 years ago)]

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