Chapter 24: Seventy Years Ago 2

  Section 1

  On the eve of graduation, Li Fengnian was taken away by the Party's First Guard Regiment without being informed of the reason. The person in charge of the Sixth Bureau's special agent training and the Huaxia National Labor Party's branch in Luoqiu were also not informed of the reason. This person was taken away and disappeared (until Japan surrendered, Huaxia was liberated, and 50 years later, Li Fengnian never appeared again). There was no explanation.

  After boarding the vehicle, Li Fengnian was informed that he would be joining the Labour Party's International Far Eastern Intelligence Unit and had to follow the principle of secrecy, not telling anyone, and that he had already disappeared from this world. After being injected with a sedative, he slowly fell asleep.

  Li Feng woke up to find himself in a completely unfamiliar environment, stripped of his clothes and tied to the hospital bed with oxygen tubes inserted into his nostrils. His entire body was numb, his mind foggy, and he had no concept of time, nor did he know how long he had been lying there. The room was empty except for him, but from time to time, a doctor-like figure would come in to check on his body and administer medication. Each time, the doctor would record something in a thick notebook that already had half its pages filled.

  Li Fengnian was completely at the mercy of others, feeling strange changes in his body, sometimes strong and sometimes weak. What's wrong with him? Has he become a test subject or has he contracted some serious illness...

  Professor Ivanov's 1 to 10 experimental subjects died immediately after being injected with the modified gene, and the remaining 5 people had a strong rejection reaction. Ivan was not worried about the death of the officers, but he was worried about his own career and life. He strongly applied for this scientific experiment to the highest leaders and invested a lot of funds. If the experiment failed, he would also be unlucky. The laboratory assistants were busy and tense, looking at the 4 military officer volunteers in the hall. Ivan secretly prayed in his heart: Lord! Please bless my experiment to succeed. The tense atmosphere in the laboratory made him unable to breathe, and his shirt was soaked with sweat. He loosened his tie and walked towards the elevator to get some fresh air on the ground floor. His brain was calculating all sorts of possibilities, one hand gesturing as if performing a formula, every minute and every second counting. Perhaps due to overthinking, this 40-year-old man had gone white early and was slightly bald. Before the elevator door opened completely, he poked his head in and bumped it against the elevator door, feeling pain and embarrassment that were not what he wanted to consider. His assistants were also used to such frequent embarrassments.

  Li Fengnian's consciousness became clearer and his body gradually regained some sensation, but he still couldn't move. Looking around, it seemed to be a medical facility in Russia, so he should still be safe. When the doctor came over, he tried his best to speak, but his mouth just wouldn't open, his tongue was immobile, and even his facial expressions were frozen. The only thing he could do was blink his eyes.

  At this moment, Li Fengnian looked extremely terrifying. His face was like a soft paste stuck there, his skin had no elasticity and was sticky, his mouth was wide open like a ghost. His chest was bulging like a woman's, his body hair was thick and heavy, his legs were long and slender, and his palms were wide and large. This person was simply a monster, a monster that people couldn't look at directly. No one considered him a comrade, not even human. Among the remaining five people, he had the most severe mutation and the strongest rejection. Many assistants suggested destroying this person, but only Ivanov disagreed, unable to give up any possibility of success.

  Section 2

  A month later, the four officer volunteers gradually recovered and gained special abilities, each different from one another. One had superhuman strength, another had self-healing powers, a third could photosynthesize, and the last one didn't have any ability but his head grew bigger and his intelligence skyrocketed. Ivanov was overjoyed, as it proved he succeeded, even though five officers died in the process. As long as he got super soldiers, the party leader would support him with more resources and talent at his disposal, and more volunteers for experimentation would come pouring in. His future looked bright.

  In recent days, Ivanov had been ecstatic, a stark contrast to his usual slovenly and depressed demeanor. He combed his hair neatly, shaved his beard clean, and wore a smile on his face every day. All the staff were busily working with joy.

  Li Fengnian's side was quiet and deserted, with only one doctor and one nurse taking care of him. He had gradually recovered to his original state, able to say a few simple sentences intermittently, move slowly, and eat some simple liquid food. His special abilities had not manifested at all. He was arranged in a corner of the underground experimental base, carrying an absolute secret. If he continued to be normal like this, there were only two paths waiting for him: either being imprisoned for life until the day of declassification, or being destroyed and killed on some day to eliminate any secrets. In the face of secrecy, there was no camaraderie or alliance; everything was done for the sake of secrecy.

  Ivanov and 4 volunteer officers were warmly received by Labor Party leader Darlin, the heroes showed their special abilities to the party leader, Chikov was incredibly strong, the party leader named him 'Grey Bear', Dalrichin's severed arm could also self-heal, the party leader named him 'Sea Star', Davovich could undergo photosynthesis like a plant, the party leader named him 'Sunflower', Omansky had an unparalleled brain, the party leader named him 'Sage'. The four of them and Ivanov were awarded the highest honor of the Labor Party, the Red Star Medal. Darlin had a warm conversation with them, instructing Ivanov to find the limits of the super warriors' abilities, defects, and to make up for the deficiencies as soon as possible. After confirming everything was normal, they would search for candidates among soldiers nationwide to create an army of super-soldiers that would make Russia invincible in Eurasia.

  That night, a celebratory dinner was held in the base, where the Labor Party's Army Commander and Minister of Defense, on behalf of the party leader, toasted to the heroes, experimental assistants, and medical staff. People raised their glasses high, with strong vodka pouring into their throats, warming their stomachs. Everyone received commendation bonuses and basked in joy. In the midst of revelry, researchers and guards became somewhat complacent. Researchers drinking a little to celebrate was understandable, but even the guards joined in, thinking that the absolutely secret underground laboratory was completely safe without any flaws. Disaster was not far off. No one saw the ominous signs of danger, no one noticed death approaching. Ivanov had only one hour left to live; he would fall at the most brilliant moment of his life. His career and research project would also quietly come to an end.

  Section 3

  The award ceremony had reached its climax, and as everyone raised their glasses in a toast, a massive explosion rocked the basement. The blast was accompanied by a sea of flames that engulfed everything in an instant. 'Grey Bear' became a human torch, running wildly and trampling everything in his path. 'Sunflower' and 'Sage' were killed instantly in the blast. 'Sea Star's' regenerating body tissue repeatedly burned away, only to regenerate again. It was a painful death that was almost a relief for them. The cries of agony grew weaker and weaker until 'Grey Bear' finally collapsed. 'Sea Star', however, continued to crawl desperately towards a small flame, his will to survive overcoming the pain. His entire body was a bloody mess, with his high cheekbones exposed through his skin, his teeth clenched tightly shut, protecting his only intact and uninjured tongue...

  Thick smoke swept through the ventilation ducts, and Li Fengnian felt a sense of danger. He struggled to get up, supporting himself against the wall as he made his way to the door. The thick iron door was scorching hot, and no matter how hard he pushed or pulled, it wouldn't budge. He coughed uncontrollably, suddenly collapsing to the ground as the lights went out. Struggling to find the notebook that recorded everything about himself, which he had tucked into his waistband, he tried to move to a cooler corner, but having inhaled too much smoke, he no longer had the strength and passed out while crawling...

  Li Fengyan woke up in a hospital ward, the long-lost sunlight was so dazzling that he hurriedly covered his eyes with his hand. The nurse found him awake and ran to call the doctor, shouting as she walked:

  "Dr. Minagawa has woken up! Dr. Minagawa has finally woken up!"