The marks varied in size and length. They were so dense it was clear they hadn’t been left by just one person.

A flash of shock crossed Chi Heng’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by cold indifference. The environment felt unsettlingly familiar.

Pressed for time, Chi Heng had grabbed the Transformation Agent and turned back yesterday, never managing to reach the underground level.

Unlike the levels above, most of the locks here were traditional iron padlocks.

Thick, long iron chains were latched firmly to the doors, sealing them off into separate spaces.

Chi Heng had found a piece of wire somewhere. He bent it into shape and slowly inserted it into the lock’s core. He worked at it quietly until, with a CLICK, the iron lock sprang open.

Neither of them stopped to consider what might happen if someone was inside.

Perhaps it was this grim environment that created the illusion that a death or two was only to be expected... And when it came to that, Gu Mian and Chi Heng had never been afraid.

The damp air was thick with the smell of mold and the faint stench of blood. Patches of moss on the stone walls swayed with the faint air currents of their breathing. The sound of dripping water echoed through the vast space, creating an oppressive silence.

Chi Heng and Gu Mian switched on a wall lamp, revealing the place to be a Water Prison.

The bottomless sewage looked especially eerie in the faint light. A few stray leaves drifted on the surface, spinning lazily, which only served to make the numb expressions of the Beastmen in the Water Prison seem all the more hopeless.

Hearing the noise, they all turned their gazes to Gu Mian and Chi Heng in unison, their clouded eyes filled with complex emotions.

"You’ve been here before?" Gu Mian frowned.

Chi Heng shook his head.

The place he’d been imprisoned before had been bad, but not this bad.

"How did you end up here?" Gu Mian’s voice was grave.

The man across from them blinked, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to speak.

It was then that Chi Heng realized the man’s tongue had been cut out; he could only make muffled, breathy sounds.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. They turned their attention to the other Beastmen. Chains scraped harshly as they were dragged, sending ripples across the murky water, yet no one said a word...

His expression turning dark as thunder, Chi Heng didn’t hesitate any longer and reached out to free the prisoners. But just as he moved, Gu Mian stopped him.

His ears twitched. He heard footsteps approaching.

Almost simultaneously, the two of them melted back into the shadows. Neither made a sound.

"I really don’t know what the use is in keeping these animals..." someone outside cursed.

"Who knows? They’re all failed products anyway. Better to keep them on standby than just toss them out... What if they’re needed for some future experiment?" the other person added with a small chuckle.

"Shit, you didn’t lock the door when you left?"

The footsteps outside grew clearer, followed by the rattle of the cell door’s iron chain.

"Bullshit, it must have been you... I check it every damn time I leave."

"I wasn’t even down here just now..."

The voice trailed off, and a sudden silence fell outside. A moment later, a light flicked on, casting two long shadows into the room from the entrance.

Gu Mian and Chi Heng exchanged a look and acted without hesitation. The moment the two men stepped inside, they each seized one by the throat.

The same wire used to pick the lock was plunged straight into one man’s carotid artery. The other had the chain snatched from his hand by Gu Mian, who then wrapped it tightly around his neck.

The room fell silent once more.

As the two men collapsed, a flicker of hope appeared in the prisoners’ previously vacant eyes.

They weren’t just failed experiments; they had also tried to escape this place.

But... they had failed.

As punishment, their tongues had been cut out, and they had been thrown into the Water Prison.

Here, time seemed to stand still and space felt warped. All their hopes and futures had been devoured by this pool of stagnant water.

They longed to return to the Beast World, to their home. But as the days turned into an eternity... their initial hope was crushed by the endless darkness.

Thankfully, a miracle had appeared. ’Will they get us out of here?’

"Have you been injected with the Transformation Agent?" Gu Mian asked, looking up. "Nod if you have."

’If they can change into their beast forms, escaping will be easier.’

The men all nodded in unison.

Gu Mian said nothing. ’Getting all of them out at once won’t be easy,’ he thought, ’especially since there are other Beastmen locked up here.’

’We only have one shot... If we’re going to get them out, we have to get them all. We might not get a second chance.’

All communication devices were jammed here, but thankfully, they had brought satellite phones.

Gu Mian asked a few more questions, like how often the staff patrolled and where the other prisoners were being held.

On the fourth basement level alone, there were eight Water Prisons and four holding cells.

The third and second basement levels were for the Mutant Beastmen, while the first basement level was mostly human research labs.

Excluding the four floors above ground, hundreds of Beastmen were imprisoned in the basement levels alone.

’He and Chi Heng had just taken care of two people. If they delayed any longer, the rescue would only get harder.’

’But that Transformation Agent is a nasty piece of work. After transforming, the Beastmen would be naked. Even if they escaped, they’d be easily spotted.’

For a moment, the two were caught in a dilemma. But regardless, things had already come to this... There was no turning back now.

A phone vibrated at that moment. Gu Mian answered with a stony expression. Yin Zhi’s smug voice came through the line: "Ex-hubby, my people are right outside. At your service."

Immediately after, Chi Heng’s phone also rang. Chi Ye’s bright voice was so clear that Gu Mian could hear it from across the room: "My dear nephew, your second uncle is here to help!"

...

Within half an hour, the laboratory was swarming with black snakes.

They not only destroyed the surveillance system but also bit a great number of people.

The snakes seemed to be acting in concert, moving with extreme precision. Each time they breached a floor, they would retreat just as quickly, leaving the staff completely baffled.

The lab was instantly thrown into chaos. People were scrambling for their lives; no one gave a second thought to the Beastmen.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. The armed security guards outside the lab were also under attack. Despite holding guns, they were clearly on the losing side.

It was then that everyone realized the guns were just for show. This wasn’t a state-sanctioned laboratory; how could these people possibly have the authority to open fire?

’Perhaps... the guns aren’t even loaded.’

Although they couldn’t fire their guns, the guards’ combat skills were undeniably excellent. Each was well-trained and managed to injure a number of Beastmen.

But the attacking Beastmen had no interest in a prolonged fight. Adhering to the principle of "run if you can’t win," they would vanish without a trace in a matter of moments...

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