Chapter 3: Mutation

Chloe circled behind the researcher, pressing the cold muzzle of the gun against the back of his neck. "Very good. Now, take me to the cable car. Don't try any tricks!"

"Don't you think this is too obvious?" The researcher raised his hands, turned around, and countered with a question.

Chloe's eyes darkened instantly, and she had an idea.

She no longer pointed the gun at him. Instead, she suddenly withdrew it, and her small body lunged forward, throwing herself directly into the arms of the standing researcher. Like a frightened test subject about to be taken away for disposal, she leaned softly against his chest.

In the next second, her hand hidden behind her back suddenly rose, and the muzzle of the gun was pressed hard against the middle of their pressed-together abdomens, aimed right at the researcher's soft ribs.

The force wasn't great, but it was cold, hard, and carried a lethal threat.

The researcher froze, not daring to move an inch.

Chloe buried her face in his white lab coat, her voice carrying a chill that only the researcher, who was pressed extremely close, could hear through her gritted teeth:

"Hold me. Pick me up like you're carrying a test subject to be disposed of."

"If you dare to look up, if your eyes look wrong, or if you dare to make a single sound for help, I'll fire right now."

"This gun will be pressed against you the whole time. As soon as you panic or falter, I'll pull the trigger immediately."

The researcher broke into a cold sweat, his hands rising stiffly as he obediently took Chloe into his arms.

The little girl was held horizontally in his arms, appearing completely defenseless, like a test subject at someone's mercy. But only the researcher himself knew that his life was being held firmly in the hands of this small body.

Chloe lay quietly in his arms, her eyes half-closed, looking weak and harmless. However, her fingers hidden between them were steadily on the trigger, not relaxing for a single moment.

"Now, walk forward to the cable car," she whispered in a breathy voice. "Remember your identity: you are escorting a test subject about to be disposed of. I am your cargo."

"If you dare to show a single flaw, we'll die here together."

The researcher's Adam's apple bobbed hard. Holding Chloe, he stepped into the long, narrow, and dim corridor of The Ark.

The metal walls glinted with a cold white light, and emergency lights flickered overhead. The sound of footsteps was amplified clearly in the empty passage.

Occasionally, one or two researchers carrying documents would walk past, only giving them a hurried glance before looking away.

In The Ark, carrying a test subject to and from the disposal room was perfectly normal.

No one knew that beneath that seemingly harmless little body, a gun was pressed hard against the hostage's vital organs.

The researcher carried her all the way through the empty corridors.

Because the test subjects at The Orphanage had lost control, more than half of the security in The Ark had been diverted there.

Everything went more smoothly than imagined.

Chloe lay in the researcher's arms, the gun still pressed against him, but her heart gradually felt a sense of relief.

She thought she had calculated all the loopholes: the lack of security, the numbness of the personnel, and the fact that no one would suspect a small test subject awaiting disposal.

She even felt that by continuing this way all the way to the cable car, she could leave this hellhole for good.

She let her guard down, the gun pressing against the researcher shifted slightly, and even her focus began to wander.

Just as they were about to reach the cable car security checkpoint, the researcher's arms suddenly exerted force.

One hand slammed down on her small hand holding the gun between them, pinning her wrist firmly against his abdomen, locking it down completely so she couldn't pull the trigger.

Chloe was instantly alerted and about to struggle when the researcher's other hand quickly pulled a sedative syringe from his lab coat pocket, the needle pressing directly against her slender neck.

Chloe's pupils constricted. She wanted to scream, to kick, but the drug swept through her body at an alarming speed.

Strength drained from her limbs like a receding tide. Her vision went black in waves, her fingertips went limp, and the gun fell to the ground with a 'clatter.'

Her body went soft, and she completely lost the ability to resist, falling unconscious into the researcher's arms.

The researcher panted heavily, looking down at the unconscious little girl in his arms. His gaze shifted from initial terror to an irrepressible excitement.

An eight-year-old test subject.

Calmness, planning, handling a gun, hijacking, precision shooting, incredibly high judgment, and camouflage abilities...

This was definitely not the mindset a normal child should have, nor the qualities a basic test subject should possess.

She had mutated.

While no one was watching, her brain, nerves, reflexes, and physical fitness had all undergone a positive mutation that exceeded expectations.

Previously, the test subjects at The Orphanage were all failures—out of control, violent, and irrational. Chloe alone was a perfect accident.

This was a major breakthrough for the experiment.

The researcher carefully carried Chloe into the reinforced isolation lab, locked the alloy door, encrypted the surveillance, and assigned the remaining security to guard her in layers.

He didn't dare to be the least bit negligent. This girl was far more dangerous and far more precious than he had imagined.

Over the next few days, the loss of control at The Orphanage was gradually suppressed, and basic order was restored within The Ark.

After confirming everything was stable, the researcher immediately compiled all the records: Chloe's escape process, her behavior with the gun, her psychological state, her adaptability, and her physical reaction data...

The researcher watched the abnormal data jumping on the monitor, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Chloe's blood markers, neural responses, cell activity...

They all belonged to the same type of mutation reaction as the test subjects who had lost control at The Orphanage.

She clearly showed the exact same signs of berserkification, and her physiological markers had even crossed the warning line for losing control.

But she hadn't gone mad.

There was no desire for destruction, no loss of reason. Instead, she was terrifyingly calm, capable of disguise, hijacking, shooting, and planning an escape.

This meant:

The same virus had taken a completely different evolutionary direction in her body.

Others suffered physical loss of control;

She had undergone mental evolution first, suppressing the physical berserkification.

This wasn't an accident; this was the project's first-ever successful stable mutation individual.

Subsequently, he submitted an emergency report directly to the Arklay Research Facility through Umbrella's internal encrypted channel.

The report was clear and certain:

【Report Target: Arklay Research Facility Headquarters】

【Reporter: The Ark Underground Research Lab】

【Content: Evaluation of Abnormal Mutation in Series 70 Test Subject Chloe】

【This test subject has shown mutated physiological characteristics consistent with individuals who have lost control. Cell activity, neural load, and infection markers have all reached the threshold for losing control.】

【However, unlike other failures, this individual has not suffered a loss of reason or berserkification. The mutation direction primarily affects the brain, manifesting as:】

【Ultra-high logical thinking, camouflage ability, tactical awareness, risk judgment, emotional control, and execution capabilities far exceeding humans of the same age.】

【Determination: A successful stable individual under the same mutation path; a major breakthrough for the project.】

【Recommendation: Prioritize management and deep research; must not be destroyed.】