<h4>Chapter 214: Clinical Trial</h4>


    The Spire Experimental Base was located at -723 meters below sea level and its temperature was regted throughout the year. There was no way to distinguish day from night.


    However, as a means to not disrupt the Circadian clock, the Spire Experimental Base adopted the same routine as practiced on the surface.


    The next morning at 7 o’clock, Chen Chen opened his eyes right on the dot.


    Little X’s well-timed message yed across the speakers. “Sir Godfather, all subjects have been delivered into the inner section of theboratory.”


    “Tell them I’ll be there after breakfast.”


    Chen Chen stretchedzily before quickly getting up to wash up. After he was done, he left the room.


    By the time he returned to theboratory, all of the faculty members were in their position.


    “Boss.”


    “Mr. Chen.”


    Chen Chen nodded and at the same time, looked behind him consciously.


    At the present, a wall at the back of theboratory was withdrawing into the ceiling, revealing a sealed istion room behind it.


    This was a biological safety istion room, which was equivalent to a plus-sized biological safety cab. The entrance was fitted with airtight valves, the structure was used for observation of a selection ofrgeboratory animals.


    For example... People.


    There was a hospital bed inside the istion room. A ck man was tied to the bed with belts.


    The man was currently in a drugged state. His eyes were closed and he was dressed in a pearly white hospital gown. Another thing that could be noted was that he was physically fit and healthy.


    Laid beside the bed was an arsenal of devices such as venttors, electrocardiographs, cardiac defibritors, automatic gastricvage machines, and so on.


    If something were to happen to the patient amid the experiment, providing emergency care was a viable option.


    “Boss, we havepleted the appropriate physical examination and disinfection of the test subjects to ensure that they don’t carry any pathogenic microorganisms. Apart from this experiment subject, there are four others like him waiting in the other room. We can begin the experiment anytime now.”


    One of the people in charge ryed the message to Chen Chen.


    “Excellent.”


    Chen Chen nodded his approval. “How about the rabbits, macaques, and the other animal subjects?”


    “In the otherboratory. We didn’t want to mix the subjects,” the person in charge replied.


    “In that case, we can conduct the experiments simultaneously on both sides.”


    Chen Chen turned to Hannibal and Li Lei who were standing behind him. “Hannibal, you’re in charge of the animal experiment on the other side. Li Lei will take charge of the human experiment over here.”


    “Yes.”


    “Understood.”


    Both of them epted their tasks. The research staff in theboratory were then separated into two groups, each groupmenced the operation with their respective leaders.


    It was rather telling that this was Li Lei’s first time dealing with humans as experiment subjects as his nerves were showing. He held a tube of the drug in hand and appeared to struggle with himself for some time before finally injecting the ck man with it.


    “There’s no need to give yourself unneeded pressure. These people are all vicious criminals. Think of it as waste management.”


    Chen Chen stood outside the istion room and motioned nkly. “If you can’t do it, you can let your assistants do it.”


    “No, I want to do it myself.”


    Li Lei took a deep breath, shook his head, and announced hardly, “It was just my nerves acting up just now, I’ll have to face these tasks eventually. This is good for training my mentality.”


    With that, he plunged the syringe into the subject’s arm. Using this method of intravenous injection, the chimericbination of Progenitor virus and leech virus was injected into the body of the subject.


    “Start the clock, get ready to provide urgent medical aid for experiment subject number one at any time.”


    Li Lei prompted the assistant beside him and made him wipe the sweat off his forehead before realizing that he was wearing a fully enclosed protective suit. He left it at that.


    After exiting the istion room, Li Lei approached Chen Chen and turned to look at the subject through the window with Chen Chen. “There’s no telling if this experiment can seed...”


    “If you’re talking about the modification of organic biological weapons, it’s pretty much a guarantee that it’s going to fail.”


    Chen Chen borated, “Humans are unable to endure the modification of T-virus and will only end up turning into a zombie. Therefore, if the subject is zombified then we can confirm that this virus is indeed the T-virus.”


    With that, Li Lei nodded.


    Although he was curious to know where exactly Chen Chen found a virus from the movie, he knew better than to ask questions and therefore chose to not pursue the subject.


    The clock began ticking. Half an hourter, although the subject was still unconscious, hisplexion turned from a faint red tint to a paler tone.


    Sweat was starting to swell on his forehead as well. He seemed to be experiencing intense pain.


    “His heart rate is increasing. His current heartbeat rate has gone up from 65 beats per minute to 110 beats per minute.”


    One of the assistants inside the istion room reported hastily.


    “The subject seems to be experiencing difort, should we wake him up to collect data?” the assistant asked.


    “We can give it a shot.” Li Lei nodded his approval.


    Li Lei entered the istion room again and instructed, “Ready the flumazenil antagonists, we want to wake the subject up.”


    Before he could finish the sentence, another assistant beside him interjected. “Leader Li Lei, the subject seems to have woken up already.”


    “What?”


    Surprised by the assistant, Li Lei turned to the subject. It was true. The subject had opened his eyes somewhere along the lines. Although he was still slightly drowsy, his eyes were open!


    “Impossible, how can he wake from so quickly from the intravenous anesthesia?”


    Upon witnessing this scene, Chen Chen, who was standing outside the istion room, showed a change in expression as well. Needless to say, this was an effect of the virus.


    Chen Chen remembered that one of the most distinct effects of the T-virus was the increased metabolism rate. In other words, a subject infected by T-virus should disy signs of a multiplied metabolism rate.


    This was the leading factor behind the subject waking up in half an hour from intravenous anesthesia which usually shouldst up to several hours.


    “Subject number one is currently experiencing high fever.”


    With a thermometer pointed at the subject’s forehead, an assistant noted again. “The current temperature of the experiment subject is 39.7 degrees, which is ssified as a high fever stage.”


    “Can you hear me?”


    Li Lei approached the subject, pried open his eyes to inspect the pupils. Then Li Lei raised his hand and asked in English, “How many fingers do I have raised?”


    “Three fingers...”


    Seemingly having just woken up from the effects of the anesthesia, the subject answered with a feeble voice.


    “Very good.”


    Li Lei was pleased. “You have a case of a very serious infectious disease. Tell me, are you experiencing any difort anywhere currently?”


    “My head hurts, it’s so cold. Wait a second, where am I...”


    “You’re in an emergency center. We’re trying to save you now.”


    Li Lei answered, “But the way things are looking now, it seems the virus is starting to assault your immune system.”


    After that, instead of further recovery, the subject fainted again. This behavior was potentially influenced by his gradually worsening condition.


    “He has a fever of 41 degrees now.”


    The assistant prompted. “His heart rate has also spiked up to 150 beats per minute, entering critical condition. He might experience cardiac arrest at any given moment now!”


    “Get ready to provide emergency aid.”


    Two hourster, the man’s face had turned into a nk white sheet, devoid of any signs of blood flow.


    “Beep–!”


    Suddenly, there was the sound of a prolonged electronic beep, the subject’s heartbeat on the electrocardiogram had turned into a straight line. This indicated that the subject’s heart has stopped beating.


    “Gag his mouth, everybody remains on alert of subject number one’s potential sudden aggression!”


    Li Lei immediately barked the order upon noting what was going on, “Ready to charge the defibrition electrode. First attempt 200J, on three. Three, two, one, discharge!”


    With the sharp zap of electric current, an assistant ced the defibrition electrode on the chest of the subject, simultaneously holding down the discharge setting!


    “Thump!”


    The subject jerked violently.


    “No reaction, turn it up to 300J, go!”


    “Thump!”


    Another electric current zap. The numbing beep suddenly stopped, which was immediately followed by a rapid ticking sound again.


    “Subject number one has regained his heartbeat!”


    The assistant sighed in relief and instinctively tried to reach for the subject’s eyelids to inspect his pupil.


    However, the moment he reached out with his hand, the subject’s eyes opened violently and took a vicious bite at the assistant!


    It was then when they all noticed that the ck man was no longer human. He hadpletely be zombified!