Chapter 406
The Second Scarlet Experiment
Chapter 406 The Second Scarlet Experiment
March 6, evening.
The second "Unknown Exploration" experiment, jointly conducted by the Human Alliance, was launched at the observation platform of the North Star Space Agency.
The experiment was led by Zhang Minglu of the Countermeasures Research Office, and experts from other member states of the Associated Chinese People's Union were also present.
Zhang Minglu was speaking to the testers involved in the experiment.
"I asked each of you to prepare a safe word beforehand, are you all ready?"
The testers all said they were ready and explained everything.
Zhang Minglu instructed the technicians to record the information and set up the triggering logic.
"You will be wearing special safety glasses that have a built-in shield that completely blocks your vision. When you can't take it during the test, shouting the safety word will trigger the electronic logic, causing the shield to drop and block your vision from contact with the Scarlet Terra."
Meanwhile, our technicians will be constantly monitoring your brainwave activity for safety. If the technicians determine that you are in extreme danger, I will stop the experiment even if you haven't uttered any keywords.
The testers nodded in agreement, finding the double-layered design reassuring.
It's important to understand that even if someone signs up for this test for the high reward, it doesn't mean that the participants aren't afraid of death.
Seeing Zhang Minglu's actions, Finch, the Soma expert who was also present and the one who led the initial experiment, wore a clear look of contempt on his face.
He said to the expert from Soroma who was standing next to him, "Is this the level of experts from North Star? Giving the testers the option to stop is like giving the mouse the switch on an electronic mousetrap."
"Indeed... how can a tester have the right to terminate an experiment?"
Finch snorted coldly, having already forgotten the instructions King Soromagna had given him before he arrived, and stepped forward to question Zhang Minglu: "Dr. Zhang, if I may be frank, what you're doing is only giving the testers an opportunity to cheat! If they shout out the safety word at the very beginning of the experiment, does that mean the experiment won't be conducted?"
Upon hearing this, the testers all glared at him angrily.
Zhang Minglu did not argue with Finch, but calmly pushed up his glasses and said, "Dr. Finch, these testers all volunteered and did not sign any experimental contracts."
Finch sneered: "So what if there's no contract? Does that mean there won't be a hefty bonus?"
"Of course there will be rewards. But I believe in the sense of responsibility of our testers, and the courage they showed to sign up stems from their trust in our official departments. We must empower them to make their own decisions for their safety; they have the right to terminate the experiment."
Finch was speechless. Although he wanted to argue further, this was Beixing after all, and Zhang Minglu was in charge of this experiment. No matter how much he argued, he couldn't change the arrangements.
"Hmph, then let's see what you'll gain from this!"
Finch stood to the side, arms crossed, his face full of disapproval.
In contrast, experts from other member states of the Associated Chinese Society mostly agreed with Zhang Minglu's experimental arrangements.
Even those who disagree wouldn't go to Zhang Minglu to argue like Finch did.
At this point, another person was brought to the scene.
Unlike the other testers, this woman was wearing shackles; she was the lurking parasite that Guan Tong had identified at the Countermeasures Research Lab base that day.
“There’s no need to set any safety words for it, and it doesn’t need to wear safety glasses,” Zhang Minglu told the technician. “When it looks directly at Scarlet Terra, its brainwave activity will definitely be different from that of a normal person, so we need to record it carefully.”
Upon hearing this, the parasite cursed loudly, "Damn humans, how dare you use me for such experiments! You all deserve to die! The Prophet will surely avenge me!"
Upon hearing this, experts from other countries who were unaware of the implications were all taken aback.
The Sissia expert asked, "Dr. Zhang, is this woman a parasite?!"
If it weren't a parasite, it certainly wouldn't have launched a sweeping, indiscriminate attack against all of humanity, and would instead address the prophet as "Your Excellency."
“Yes,” Zhang Minglu said. “It is a latent parasite that we have identified, and we plan to use it in this experiment.”
"Involving parasites in the experiment? What's the purpose?" one expert wondered.
Finch seemed to realize something: "Is it using the spores to influence the abnormal neurons in the brain of a parasite?" He quickly frowned after saying that, "But even if it can see some special sights, why would it tell us?"
"We don't need it to tell us anything; we just need to record its brainwave data. This will not only allow us to do more research on scarlet phobia, but also to learn more about the parasite's brain."
"I see... Hmph, that's a way to kill two birds with one stone." Finch snorted.
Even if he was unwilling to admit it, he knew that doing so had some significance.
Experts from other countries nodded in agreement. Lu Ruiguo, the leader of several small countries in the FIS, then said, "Using people with abnormal brain nerves as test subjects for experiments is also an idea of ours. To be honest, we have already prepared the relevant test subjects for the next experiment to be conducted in our country."
Experts from various countries looked over with curiosity.
Finch asked, "Who is the candidate?"
Expert Lu Rui said: "A group of patients in the eyes of ordinary people. These include patients with amygdalae calcification, those with prefrontal lobe damage, and those with dissociative disorders."
Upon hearing this, an expert quickly realized: "Are you saying all of this...?"
“Yes,” said Dr. Lu Rui, “these are patients who cannot perceive the emotion of 'fear' on a physiological or mental level. We believe that testing these individuals might yield better results than testing those with higher spiritual abilities.” “This…”
"That's definitely a good idea."
As everyone discussed the matter, Finch sneered again: "You're all too naive. This time, the fear in the rules is 'irrational fear,' and I don't think we can get through this by just finding a few people with mental problems."
Expert Lu Rui countered, "Whether it works or not will only be known after the experiment."
"Everyone, please be quiet," Zhang Minglu said. "The experiment is about to begin. Please wait until it's over before we discuss anything further."
Upon hearing this, everyone quieted down and silently watched as the testers were taken to the observation platform outside the observation room.
Zhang Minglu said, "Thanks to the last experiment, we obtained an important piece of intelligence: that 'unknown' may be related to a 'red blush' hidden in the terrifying scene."
"Dear testers, once the experiment begins, you must do your utmost to ignore the terrifying scenes created by Scarlet Terra and try to find the 'red aura' hidden within them. If you find it, attempt to contact it, whether through a hallucinatory body or through thought."
The experiment will begin in five minutes. Please take this time to adjust your breathing and prepare.
The testers all began to take deep breaths, adjusting themselves to their optimal state.
Some of them had taken out props beforehand, and Finch glanced at them and immediately knew their purpose: "Mental stabilizing drugs? They can actually afford them?"
As early as when the rules were first released, official and unofficial "shopping sprees" from various countries immediately entered the end market, clearing out all drugs and items related to mental stability from the sales of props, and then relisting them at higher prices for profit.
Since the rule states that staying indoors and disconnecting from the internet will likely avoid harm, not many people are buying it. However, many important individuals will still buy some just in case.
This has driven up the prices of related items to extremely high levels, making them unaffordable for most advanced users.
"The mental stability equipment for the testers is provided by the official team," Zhang Minglu said. "They don't need to purchase it themselves."
Finch was surprised to hear this and said, "Aren't you afraid that if you trade these things to them, someone will resell them on the market?"
Zhang Minglu's expression was strange: "We shouldn't have any testers like that. Even if someone did, they would be held accountable afterwards."
"..."
Finch remained silent.
He still somewhat blindly applied his experience to Soroma.
After all, in Soma, many soldiers paid for their own weapons and equipment. It wasn't that the authorities were stingy; it was because quite a few soldiers would secretly sell their assigned weapons and equipment on the black market and then report them lost.
Many weapons and equipment circulating on foreign black markets were sold by Solmar soldiers.
Over time, the Solmar authorities also began to lose their composure and started allowing some soldiers to buy their own equipment, because if they sold it, they would be losing money.
Over time, this situation makes it difficult for the upper and lower levels to establish mutual trust, and the upper levels are naturally unwilling to entrust the use of highly valuable tradable items to the lower levels.
Different countries have different domestic conditions, so their actions will naturally differ greatly.
Just as Finch doesn't understand Zhang Minglu now, Zhang Minglu couldn't understand Finch's "contractualization experiment" process during the last experiment.
"30 seconds until the experiment begins. Start the countdown."
“……26，25，24……15，14……10……3……2……1。”
When the countdown reached zero, all the testers followed the experimental procedure and began to look directly at the crimson Terra in the sky.
Three seconds later, the brainwave display screen in front of the technicians began to show large changes in readings. The testers had begun to be affected by scarlet fear, and their brainwaves were fluctuating violently.
Just seven or eight seconds later, one of the testers shouted, "Mom!"
The safety glasses were lowered to block the view. "Mom" was a safety word set by the tester, and the safety glasses would activate when the word was called.
Staff immediately went up and took the tester away. Finch glanced at Zhang Minglu, thinking that someone shouting the safety word so quickly would make the latter angry.
But he was shocked to find that Zhang Minglu was not angry. Instead, he looked at the tester who had been brought down with concern.
Ten seconds later, another tester shouted the safety word and was taken away.
At this point, there were five testers remaining on the observation platform: four humans and one parasite.
Those four humans were all ascendants with high mental power limits, possessing greater resistance and the ability to endure for longer periods.
The parasite, which had been cursing and swearing, became quiet after the experiment began.
Zhang Minglu asked the technician, "What are the brainwave data of that parasite?"
"He was more stable than the other human testers and didn't seem to be affected by scarlet phobia much."
"Not much of an effect?" Zhang Minglu exclaimed in surprise. "Don't the parasites feel fear?"
(End of this chapter)