Chapter 5: Number Four's Torment
The laboratory corridors were silent, except for the relentless hum of machinery and the occasional clank of metal. But the silence was broken by a scream—a scream that echoed down the hall and made even the most hardened guards flinch.
"Did you hear that?" one guard whispered to another, peering toward the research chamber.
"That's Number Four," the other said, voice low. "He's resisting Valkyrie more than anyone before. Everyone knows Number Zero is useless… he doesn't do anything in training, not even a squeak. But Four? Four screams like he's being torn apart, yet he survives every time."
"Crazy… I don't even know how he keeps going," the first guard muttered, shaking his head.
Inside the chamber, Surya, Number Four, lay strapped in a cruel setup of wires and sensors. Lin Weixian's calm voice echoed through the intercom:
"Begin the new trials. Extreme environmental stress, nerve stimulation, and gravitational fluctuation. Observe every reaction."
Immediately, a wave of heat mixed with chemical irritants filled the chamber. Surya's skin blistered, lungs burned, and every breath was agony. He screamed, his voice raw, bouncing down the corridors and causing the guards to glance uneasily at one another.
System Announcement:[Environmental Trial: Volcanic Simulation — Difficulty: Extreme][Stamina Loss: 20%][Pain Detected: 100%][Absorption Experience +3]
He tried to activate his Absorption ability, drawing small traces of energy from the environment, but the intensity barely eased the pain. Every nerve felt on fire, every muscle screaming.
Next, electrical nerve stimulation sent waves of pulses through his body, causing violent convulsions. Surya gritted his teeth through the shocks, forcing his mind to focus on learning and absorbing.
"Ahhhhhh!" His screams echoed through the labs, raw and unyielding.
Outside, the guards exchanged glances. "Number Four… still alive after that?"
"Yes. Zero? Useless. Doesn't matter. Four… he's alive, screaming, fighting. He's something else," the other replied, shivering.
In a distant chamber, Number Zero lay quietly in his own setup, ignored by everyone. No wires connected him to anything. No researchers glanced at his monitors. Everyone considered him a failure—his performance in any training had been pathetic, his presence meaningless. Zero's existence barely registered in the lab's hierarchy.
Back in the chamber, the gravitational fluctuation trial began. Surya felt an immense force pinning him to the floor. Every movement required superhuman effort; every breath was an ordeal.
System Announcement:[Gravitational Trial — Difficulty: Extreme][Stamina Loss: 25%][Pain Detected: 100%][Absorption Experience +5]
Despite the agony, Surya's mind raced. Every scream, every pulse of pain… is knowledge. Every sensation, every torment… fuels my growth.
Lin Weixian's voice crackled again: "Number Four shows extraordinary resilience. Record all anomalies. Recommend additional trials to fully explore Valkyrie's potential."
Surya's chest heaved. Sweat, blood, and cold merged on his body, but a spark of determination ignited inside him. Let them push me. Let them test every limit. Pain is temporary; power is eternal. I will survive and grow stronger.
The guards outside whispered once more: "I can't believe he's still alive. Nobody else would have lasted this long."
"Number Four… if he survives all of this, he'll be a force to be reckoned with."
Inside the distant, ignored chamber, Number Zero shifted slightly but remained unnoticed. He had no connection to the trials, no significance to the researchers, and no one cared about him at all. He was utterly, completely invisible, a living shadow in the lab.
Surya, Number Four, gritted his teeth through another onslaught of pain, whispering to himself: "Every trial, every scream… I will turn this torment into power."
System Announcement:[Environmental Trials Completed — Total Stamina Lost: 45%][Pain Tolerance Increased: +3][Potential Points Available: 2][Absorption Experience +8]