A week had already passed since I woke up in the house of Evolution.
Although the first experiment was painless, the next one studied how my brain influences the healing factor. While I wasn't dissected like before, quite a few scars remained on my body which had yet to disappear.
Sitting in my bed as usual, I stared at the ceiling and talked to my imaginary friend whom I could see standing upside down on it.
"What do you think Genus dreams of at night? Does he dream of new species to evolve humanity into or does he have a life outside of that?" I asked my imaginary friend, Guo Lu.
Guo Lu was a middle-aged man with a cane already showing signs of aging, like whites on the sides of his head and a few wrinkles, too, despite the effort he seemingly put into looking good.
He wore a black suit with a black tie and a brown shirt beneath.
His pants have exaggeratedly large sleeves that cover his legs completely. On his right eye was a Monocle with a chain connecting it to his pocket where a golden watch rested.
Guo Lu responded casually, "As if he would waste time on sleep, don't you know? Only the weak sleep the strong don't need that, it's just a waste of time. That's why, instead of sleeping, you should train instead if you get stronger you won't need sleep!"
"Aren't you weaker than me? Take your own advice, you lazy bum," I retorted with a scoff and momentarily wondered, staring at the door of my room.
'I wished so badly to have a better imagination while being here that I actually did get one, but I haven't gotten the ability to escape at all...' Sighing, I continued thinking, moving my gaze to the ceiling while Jeff kept talking.
"Don't worry about getting out of here. Even if our talks get boring, you could at least find new things to talk about if you just get out of this room and ask Genus for a Mission outside!" Guo Lu said, trying to cheer me up.
I quickly dismissed Guo Lu's suggestion, "as if I would become the delivery man of the madman who experiments on me."
Guo Lu just scoffed and muttered while I was in thought, "Suit yourself. I suppose these walls appreciate the company."
'It's so boring here that even training started to feel fun... before I only thought of it as a duty since I'm the protagonist... Sigh... boredom is truly a great motivation how many days did I suffer from it here?' Guo Lu scoffed and answered, "8 Days that's how long have you forgotten that already?"
My eyes widened a little and I quickly dismissed Guo Lu. Now I could no longer see him. Before Guo Lu told me, I truly didn't remember it. Whenever he says things I didn't know about, it truly feels as if he's real.
Hearing footsteps, I looked towards the door and in a few seconds Genus entered with a smile on his face as he stated: "Today the information gathering of your healing ability is over. Now is the day it evolves and that's not all. The other team of my clones cracked the DNA sequence of Various Bird Wings surprisingly quickly, so you will also gain your wings... Soon your evolution will be complete!"
I didn't hide my shock hearing this 'they got all of that done so quickly? I suppose he's not a genius for nothing'
Genus quickly rushed me to follow him impatiently and, while following him, we soon entered an Unfamiliar experiment room.
I was slightly nervous, so I asked, "Will this one hurt like the last one?"
Genus didn't bother to sugarcoat his words as he picked up a syringe. "Evolution comes with a price. Don't worry, though it will be worth it Humanity will advance thanks to you!"
"..." I didn't say anything as I watched the other Genus clones open what looked like a Healing Pod from a Dragon Ball and gestured for me to enter it.
'The first time I was experimented on, I was dissected. Although it didn't hurt much, I couldn't do anything about it at all, and the second time my arm nearly got amputated after I punched Genus straight in the face. That one hurt a lot but I at least fought back a little. This one seems to be a bit of both in the worst way possible'
I sighed while in thought, watching The Genus clones talk to each other casually as I walked towards the pod.
The Genus clone who brought me here stabbed the syringe he was holding in my pod after it had closed and told me, "It's good to see you've learned from last time and didn't make a scene. This experiment is the most important one. Neither of us want it to go wrong, am I right?"
I glared at him as I felt as if my blood had caught on fire, but he ignored it completely and casually explained what he injected.
"It hurts a little, doesn't it? But don't worry, it only lasts for about 1 hour. It will slowly melt into your bones where your Healing Factor originates and, like a symbiote, guide it throughout your body faster and without the need for your brain to interfere."
"Didn't you say my healing factor didn't need my brain to heal me?" I asked as I recalled his words during the first experiment.
Another Genus nodded and explained, "Indeed, but without the brain's input, instead of properly recovering the damaged parts to their original state, it would just keep trying to blindly heal them, which would make the damaged part become scarred instead of fully healed."
As Genus continued the experiment, the various things he injected into me gradually increased the intensity of the pain I felt, making me grit my teeth as I inwardly complained 'why did I get caught by this madman? Couldn't he have found someone else to experiment on?'
Slowly a weird sense of disassociation formed as my sight started getting blurry.
It was like I was in a deep sleep.
The next moment I awoke, the glass of the pod seemed stained with blood from within the pod, although I couldn't remember how it got here.
My throat also felt incredibly sore and the pain throughout my body hadn't decreased in intensity at all, as I felt as if my back specifically was in a pit of lava.
After focusing on my back for a little, I felt something that shouldn't have been there. After a few seconds of waving the blood away, I stared at the window of the pod and saw my barely visible reflection.
'It seemed like I already have wings, like Genus said, but why is my hair blonde?' After looking for a longer time, I also noticed my pupils had turned red.
Looking around for anything to distract me from the pain, I found nothing but the clean white experimental room along with some Genus Clones I saw through the glass and whatever was inside the pod I was in.
It felt like I was burning from the inside and out as I took heavy breaths through the breathing mask inside the pod. My throat was hurting so badly that I couldn't even ask how long I have been here.
Without a distraction, the pain felt much more overwhelming, so I immediately thought of one.
Soon, Guo Lu appeared near Genus, casually sitting at an expensive-looking table that hadn't been there before as he drank wine from a fancy-looking glass and then bragged, shaking his head slowly from left to right. "Ah, yes, the Expensive Wine of A City a true delicacy what a pity you're too young to drink with me as you know I'm a very generous man I would definitely have shared this with you had you not been so little"
Although it was hard, I smiled slightly and retorted, 'As if you're only showing that wine to brag about, you wouldn't share even a piece of advice. You are as petty as ever, didn't you tell me to become Genus's delivery man to mock me about having Stockholm's syndrome?'
Amused, Guo Lu laughed out loud and mockingly complimented me. "You're truly a perceptive child, but it's pitiful how little you trust in my generous, humble and kind heart. Do you think I would ever poison you with my advice?"
As I was about to respond, I soon felt as if my eyes had burst, and I quickly closed them as I heard Genus explain: "Don't worry, there's a slight rejection in your eyes to what I've injected, but your healing factor should quickly act as a glue and stop the pain it will only take 12 minutes at most"
Though I couldn't speak, I still cursed Genus in my heart 'only 12 minutes, you say? You try feeling your eyes burst for 12 minutes, you crazy Madman!'
Guo Lu, seeming smug, offered his perspective on the situation: "Don't worry about it being unjust, you can simply see it as divine punishment for doubting this honest gentleman's words."
'Who would trust someone like Genus?' I replied to Guo Lu after taking a few minutes to get used to the new pain in my eyes.
"You know that's not who I meant! Sigh... Seeing the youth running from my wisdom is a truly regretful thing for a gentleman with a kind heart such as myself. Can you not see my only sincere wish is to guide the youth towards a better future?" Guo Lu responded, sounding extremely sincere.
'What future? What wisdom? You only want undeserved respect, you old fool, your advice sucks!' I inwardly screamed at him.
Guo Lu, having seemingly taken great offense at my critique, seemed to be barely holding his composure "Courting death! To think you would dare to insult this elder's wisdom, don't you know how much I went through studying Divine phenomena to discern that you've received divine punishment due to your doubt towards me?!"
'Why are my eyes getting better then? I'm still doubting you old man. If this is divine punishment, the gods must be weaker than I thought' I mocked Guo Lu and his excuses as I felt the pain throughout my body getting lower than before.
Guo Lu scoffed and argued, "How couldn't it get better? The Gods are merciful towards children and, besides, I've already forgiven you, so shouldn't you thank me for forgiving you and alleviating your pain by showing my sincere forgiveness?"
As I argued with Guo Lu, my throat eventually stopped hurting too much for me to speak, so I dismissed him after mocking his failure at growing facial hair, not letting him respond, and tried to ask Genus some questions.
Despite already having gotten used to the pain throughout my body, it didn't mean that it no longer hurts, so speaking was still quite difficult, but after a while, I managed to speak somewhat coherently: "F-Foor h-hoooow Lonng haave I been Herre?"
Genus, having noticed me trying to speak for a while, responded quickly, "You've been in this pod for about 7 hours."
I was shocked, 'Seven hours!? Even while I was talking with Guo Lu it shouldn't have been more than an hour... Was it when I fell unconscious that so much time passed?'
Without me having to ask Genus, he added, "You will stay here for 3 more hours. I would advise you to get used to this level of pain. The next injection in 15 minutes will strengthen your muscles quite a lot, which means that they will first be destroyed and then rebuild again and again for hours. It won't be pleasant."
After Genus finished speaking, Guo Lu quickly spoke without me thinking of him and complained, "How could you Heartless monster? My Facial Hair is not lacking. It's simply not needed. I definitely didn't try to grow a long beard to appear more wise!"
'Why did you show up old man? Just cry in your corner quietly. If this is your middle-aged crisis, I don't want a part in it,' I replied as I tried to dismiss him like before, but this time he wouldn't vanish, making me slightly uncomfortable.
"Trying to get rid of me that quickly? You demon! How could you dare mock my plight and not even let me witness yours?" Guo Lu mockingly replied as usual.
I didn't reply to him at all, instead wondering why he hadn't disappeared yet as I opened my eyes, which had healed by now, and looked at him.
He looked just as usual, making me realize, 'Ah, I see I've finally gone insane, haven't I?'
Guo Lu smiled and nodded. "Indeed, old man, you have gone crazy in your old age. Your back must be killing you. Would you like this fellow gilded gentleman to offer you some wisdom in your time of distress?"
I blinked for a moment, hearing Guo Lu's utter nonsense, 'me? Old? Did you look into a mirror while speaking Old man?'
Guo Lu sighed and, with mock grief in his voice, monologued, "Oh God, how pitiful it is to be the witness of an old man crying over his age." Shaking his head and wiping a nonexistent tear from his left eye, Guo Lu told me with mocking concern evident in his tone.
"Old friend think clearly didn't you live 11 years here and 16 in your past life? That's 37 years. You're pushing 40 you dinosaur! To think someone of my generation would shout in the middle of the streets about beginning his cultivation journey..." Guo Lu cringed as he shook his head in disappointment.
Momentarily left speechless, I simply tried to dismiss him again, but he sighed and explained, "I am a part of your own mind. What are you trying to dismiss yourself? Just accept it you're not only an old man but this exact old man you're looking at! Now that you know the truth, just call yourself an old fossil and join me for some imaginary tea."
'You being me? You wish old man I am no fossil like you. I haven't even had my eighteenth birthday in either life!' I responded as I tried to ignore his other words.
"Shall I prove it then? Try to remain conscious this time," Guo Lu responded as he disappeared, and soon the world became blurry.
The pain throughout my body gradually lessened as my body began to become harder and harder to control.
Eventually, I lost the sensation of my body completely, and I couldn't see the world was entirely dark. It felt like I was a sphere, but I could still hear Guo Lu's intentions.
"See this? It's your mental world. It's quite fragmented, unfortunately, but just imagine your preferred form and walk around not with your legs, of course. Just imagine moving forward."
As I did that, although I hadn't taken a step, it felt like I moved an infinite distance while not moving at all and recalling things I had forgotten about my past lives.
Eventually, a man holding a white mask with golden coating at its edges that looked to be a teenager greeted me, although I could tell this was not Guo Lu.
His hair was completely white, and his eyes were grey. He seemed to be faking his every expression as his eyes always remained lifeless and cold even as he smiled.
He was wearing a white suit with a red undershirt and his tie was purple.
His pants had a Golden Belt around them and his shoes were black.
I idly wondered as I saw him 'does every version of me have a suit with a tie except for me?'
Soon I heard Guo Lu warning me about the man with the mask: "Ignore that one he's another fragmented personality and the craziest of us."
Looking at the white suited man in the dark void, I couldn't help but ask, "Why can I see him when I can't see anything else?"
Guo Lu didn't respond for a time after seeing this. The white-suited teenager put on the mask and greeted me again.
"This one has a lot of charisma. If I wasn't so fixated on the suit the first time, I would likely have trusted him over Guo Lu due to his confidence but... His eyes are still so dead it's creepy' I noted as I tried to ignore him.
Seeming incredibly saddened by the fact that I ignored him, the teenager loudly started crying while talking nonsense: "I can't believe my long-lost twin brother wouldn't recognize me! My old friend from another mother who gave birth to me!"
"!!????" I nearly had my mouth open in shock at the blasphemy I had heard, as I thought 'Guo Lu was right, I should ignore him with all my might!'
Thinking of Guo Lu, I realized he hadn't responded for a while, so I thought of moving towards him, but as soon as I did, I heard him, "Don't come near me yet, just stay there for a while until the experiment is over."
Being reminded of the experiment, I realized, "when I fainted in the pod, was it you who took over too?"
Guo Lu's response was utterly shameless: "Of course not. I just threw the other one there for 6 hours. It was satisfying to see him hurting after enduring his nonsense for days!"
I was momentarily left speechless as I wondered 'is that why he was crying?'
As if summoned by my thought of him, the white masked man ran towards me with arms wide and tears of happiness in his eyes as he shouted, "My wife, I've missed you so much! Please don't jump in the river to swim with the fish again, like last time the Thugs under your rule had me beaten upside down because of that!"
I didn't respond to his nonsense. Instead, I took a deep breath and asked Guo Lu, "Can you throw him out again pretty please?"
"He's endured enough, as is don't be so cruel. It's only 3 hours!" criticized Guo Lu.
Guo Lu added, "and he has a name, and it's..."
Sighing, I waited for Guo Lu to finish as the other personality kept talking nonsense.
"Have you ever played football with your life on the line while holding mangoes in your mouth? When I was 5, they took me away from my family to be raised as an assassin. They had me learn all kinds of football, American, normal and handball. Even while others were asleep, I was running in darkness on the field praying no one would tackle me, causing my mangoes to fall. It was torture the taste of mangoes haunts me to this day!"
As I continually ignored the white-haired man spouting nonsense, I realized Guo Lu wasn't responding, prompting me to ask, "Are you still there, Guo Lu?"
"Ah yes, I was just having trouble thinking of a name. I am in quite a bit of pain here after all," Guo Lu responded.
I blinked as I realized what Guo Lu meant: "You mean he doesn't have a name yet? I should have realized how much he was spouting nonsense. There's no way he would mention his name even if asked."
However, Guo Lu didn't respond again even as I tried to talk to him, eventually making me shout, "Please Guo Lu, switch with me. I can't bear it. This guy has been speaking constantly about some sort of Fruit love island drama nonsense I can't bear it!"