When Chu Ran finished her morning session and stepped out of the simulation pod, she was so exhausted she nearly collapsed.
The intensity was even greater than she had imagined.
By the time she saw Charlie An, she still hadn't recovered.
Charlie An seemed to have anticipated this. He had someone throw Chu Ran into a specialized restorative solution.
"Looks like Edwood did a good job. Exhausting all your energy before soaking in this solution yields better results."
So it was your idea!
Once fully immersed in the restorative solution, Chu Ran forgot everything. She felt as if she were in a warm, comfortable hot spring, and soon drifted off to sleep.
But just a second before her consciousness sank into deep slumber, the temperature around her suddenly began to rise. Chu Ran felt a searing heat and struggled to get up. As soon as her head broke the surface, Charlie An pushed her back down.
"This is a critical moment," Charlie An said, signaling an assistant to bring a bottle of soothing agent, ready to pour it into the solution if Chu Ran couldn't bear it. "Keep your feet down. Don't expose your body above the solution."
Chu Ran's skin turned bright red. The restorative solution no longer felt like warm spring water but like scorching lava, threatening to burn away everything.
Hot, so hot, so painful!
Chu Ran wanted to thrash around, but she was firmly held down.
"It's not over yet. Coming out now would be a waste." Charlie An said.
Suppressing the intense pain, Chu Ran barely managed to heed Charlie An's words.
She couldn't fail right from the start!
Taking a deep breath inwardly, she bit her lower lip and forcibly etched the word "endure" into her mind.
Seeing this, Charlie An set aside the soothing agent he had been about to pour in. It was best not to use it if possible, to avoid diminishing the effect.
"Director, won't she pass out from the pain?" one of the observing researchers asked worriedly. "Last test, she barely pushed through the limit."
If she fainted, all the effort would be wasted.
Charlie An stared intently at Chu Ran's expression. "She can hold on."
Endure, just endure a little longer!
Blood trickled from the corner of Chu Ran's mouth but was quickly repaired by the solution.
The searing pain enveloped her. Every nerve screamed for her to get out.
No, she couldn't give up!
The thought flickered intermittently in Chu Ran's mind.
She had come this far with great difficulty.
She wanted to become the master of her own life and death!
Charlie An watched Chu Ran's contorted expression, opening and closing the soothing agent bottle repeatedly.
When the heat finally dissipated, Chu Ran was like a taut string suddenly released. She could hold on no longer and passed out.
Charlie An let out a sigh of relief. "She made it."
"As expected of Chu Ran. Amazing," one researcher murmured in admiration.
Another chimed in, "Yeah, when we first designed this formula, I thought she'd manage 80% at best on her first try. Who knew she'd see it through to the end?"
An older researcher among them sighed with emotion. "He Yi was the same way back then. Not long after entering the First Training Institute, she cut off a piece of contaminated flesh herself and bandaged it without changing her expression."
"Like mother, like daughter."
"But speaking of which, what happened to that person? Wasn't he sent to the innermost lab?" a young researcher asked curiously.
Charlie An glanced back at him coldly. "Keep your unnecessary curiosity in check."
The older researcher smacked him too, warning in a low voice, "The person handling Chu Heng now is someone even Commander Lei doesn't dare provoke. Don't go looking for trouble, kid."
"Got it," the young researcher quickly replied.
When Chu Ran woke up, Charlie An directed her through other tests. After each one, she had to drink a tube of some unidentified liquid.
"I'll send these materials to your email later," Charlie An said as he recorded data.
After the final test drained her spiritual power completely, Chu Ran habitually took the potion Charlie An handed her. She sniffed it, and her gaze paused.
Black particles floated in the green liquid, and it had an extremely familiar rancid smell.
When Chu Ran opened the cap, the stench seemed to pierce straight into her skull. She couldn't help but look at Charlie An.
Charlie An's expression remained unchanged. He didn't retreat like the other researchers, who had taken several big steps back. Instead, he said calmly, "Good medicine tastes bitter. Black Divine Wood has this smell, but it enhances a person's capacity for divine power."
"It's a good thing. Drink up."
Pinching her nose, Chu Ran stared at the potion for a long time. Then, closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and downed it in one gulp.
She tossed the empty tube into the trash, lowering her eyes to hide a trace of gloom. So why, back then, did they add ingredients that enhance one's capacity for divine power to the potion given to her, who only had E-level spiritual power?
At that time, there was no risk of her body being unable to withstand the divine power.
"Good. I hope you maintain this state going forward," Charlie An said with satisfaction.
The other researchers couldn't help but applaud collectively. Ruthless—just like her mother.
Amid the applause, Chu Ran calmly picked up her clothes and walked into the bathroom she had insisted on building. She closed her eyes, tilted her head up, and let the hot water flow over her face, down her body, and finally pool on the floor.
Anxin Hospital...
Professor Hu...
When did they start treating me as an experimental subject?
Was it only after I recovered my damaged spiritual power by consuming the Divine Fruit?
Dr. Sun, what kind of role are you exactly?