40: Chapter 40 was too tense, let's do it again.

Shen Jianping took the authorization card he had just obtained, passed through two airtight doors requiring identity verification, and entered an external laboratory of the research institute.

Attracting a Shadow Devourer was too dangerous, so they naturally couldn't allow such an experiment to be conducted at the headquarters.

In another location, even if an accident occurred and things spiraled out of control, the number of casualties could still be managed.

The interior of the laboratory was simple and cold, with metal walls on all four sides and a huge enclosed glass room standing right in the center.

The glass room occupied more than half of the laboratory's space. Its walls were made of thickened specialty glass, and the room was empty except for several sets of high-intensity lighting equipment with adjustable angles and intensity hanging from the ceiling.

Several researchers in white coats were stationed at the control console, performing final adjustments.

When Shen Jianping walked in, everyone's eyes turned toward him.

His gaze passed over the researchers and landed on a young man beside the glass room who was warming up his limbs.

The man looked to be in his early twenties, wearing a simple black short-sleeved shirt. The muscle lines on his exposed arms were as sharp as if carved by a knife. He held a pitch-black Tang Dao in his hand as he moved his body.

Seeing Shen Jianping enter, the researcher standing next to the man gestured to him, then immediately led him over.

The man walked up to Shen Jianping, took the initiative to extend his hand, and introduced himself with a serious expression.

“Jiang Chen. The higher-ups sent me to cooperate with your work.”

The researcher beside him added a timely introduction to Shen Jianping, “Supervisor Shen, he obtained eight hundred points in the first Civilization Advancement Assessment and has been specially recruited into our institute. He is mainly responsible for... combat testing work.”

Listening to his own introduction, Jiang Chen nodded politely to Shen Jianping again.

Shen Jianping reached out to shake Jiang Chen's hand and introduced himself as well, “Shen Jianping, temporarily in charge of this verification experiment. I'll be counting on you.”

Shen Jianping continued forward while briefly explaining the purpose and content of this experiment to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen nodded continuously, committing everything he heard to memory.

Shen Jianping quickly and clearly finished explaining the experimental process and potential risks. At the end, he looked at Jiang Chen.

“Is there anything unclear? Feel free to ask.”

Jiang Chen shook his head, “Everything is clear.”

Shen Jianping said no more, turned to the researchers on the side, and nodded: “Prepare to begin.”

The atmosphere inside the laboratory instantly tightened.

The researchers quickly returned to their respective posts. Subtle sounds of keystrokes and whispered confirmation commands echoed from the control console.

At this moment, another airtight door on the side slid open, and two fully armed guards walked in escorting a person.

The person had a black hood over their head and their hands were handcuffed behind their back, their footsteps somewhat stumbling.

The individual was led directly into the center of the glass room and then thrown inside.

Shen Jianping stepped closer to Jiang Chen and cautioned: “In case... the situation gets out of control, let him take the fall for you, then use the opening while the Shadow Devourer can't act to run out.”

This was a rule they had verified: after a Shadow Devourer kills a human, there is a short period where it will not strike again.

As a talent who had been specially recruited after scoring eight hundred points in his first Assessment, it was best if Jiang Chen didn't lose his life in this experiment.

Jiang Chen glanced at the dazed figure standing in the glass room and responded briefly: “Understood.”

Shen Jianping took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the room as he raised his voice:

“I'll emphasize this once more: if any situation occurs outside of the contingency plan, do not hesitate. Immediately follow the emergency route to evacuate. Get outside, get into the sunlight.”

Everyone nodded; everything was ready.

Jiang Chen also stepped into the glass room. Shen Jianping followed the researchers to the control console above, watched the activity inside the glass room, and spoke slowly: “Let's begin.”

As soon as Shen Jianping's voice fell, all the lights in the laboratory went out, and the entire space instantly fell into absolute darkness.

Simultaneously, inside the glass room where Jiang Chen was, a small lamp with its power deliberately dialed down lit up, casting a dim, yellowish circle of light that could barely illuminate the central area.

Jiang Chen stood at the edge of the circle of light, his right hand steadily gripping the hilt of his Tang Dao. His breathing slowed, and his eyes quickly scanned the darkness.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a shadow in the corner of the glass room that seemed to squirm unnaturally.

His body tensed instantly. He snapped his head toward that direction and barked out at the same time:

“It's here!”

At the very moment he spoke, several preset high-intensity lights on the ceiling of the glass room suddenly flared to life. The blinding white light was almost tangible, instantly illuminating the entire interior of the glass room as bright as day.

However, under the intense light, there was nothing inside the glass room except for the death row prisoner who was trembling violently with fear.

The expected Shadow Devourer did not appear.

Everyone was stunned.

Shen Jianping immediately leaned toward the microphone on the console and said with concern: “It's okay. You're too tense. Let's try again.”

Jiang Chen's brow was tightly furrowed. He wasn't tense; he had seen it clearly.

Jiang Chen turned his head and shouted: “No, it definitely came just now! But it seems to have... sensed our intentions. The moment the bright lights came on, it vanished.”

Everyone was stunned once more. If it was truly as Jiang Chen said and these Shadow Devourers possessed intelligence, then the difficulty of this experiment would be much greater than they had imagined.

The scene fell into silence. The high-intensity lights remained on, casting a ghastly white glow over the empty glass room.

“Get rid of the high-intensity lights in the glass room,” Jiang Chen's voice came through the internal comms, “and then, give me a high-intensity flashlight.”

The researchers behind the console didn't move, their gazes all shifting toward Shen Jianping.

Shen Jianping's brow was tightly knit as he stared at Jiang Chen, who stood with his blade in the glass room.

His expression was filled with hesitation. The other man had been recruited as a special talent; his strategic value was likely far higher than that of a supervisor like himself.

If this rule turned out to be useless and he died inside, Shen Jianping wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility.

Actually, the fact that the Shadow Devourer didn't appear while surrounded by bright lights could also serve as supporting evidence.

But that alone probably wouldn't be enough to convince the others at headquarters. They still had to record the footage of the Shadow Devourer's body stiffening at the moment the bright light covered it...

While Shen Jianping was weighing the pros and cons, Jiang Chen inside the glass room suddenly moved.

He raised his hand and quickly ripped several metal buttons off his collar, then snapped his wrist with a sudden flick!

“Crack! Crack! Crack!”

Several crisp shattering sounds rang out as the high-intensity lights overhead went dark. The light inside the glass room dimmed instantly.

Shen Jianping's pupils constricted, startled by Jiang Chen's sudden action.

But now that the other party had made the decision for him, it was too late to hesitate.

“Do as he says!” Shen Jianping said in a heavy voice. “Get rid of all the lights in the glass room, then give him the flashlight!”

Everyone acted immediately, and a flashlight was soon in Jiang Chen's hands.

After he finished checking it, Shen Jianping's voice rang out again.

“Turn off the outside lights. We'll try one more time.”