Six hours later.
[Program execution complete.]
[Basic socialization process: Complete.]
[Basic militarization process: Complete.]
[Loyalty baseline protocol: Solidified.]
[Individual designation: SHL-717 (Abbreviation: S717).]
The lighting inside the sealed pod returned to normal. The fine metal wires that had pierced Yin Zhen’s nervous system slowly withdrew, and the mechanical arms binding her released one by one. As the pod door slid open, piercing white light flooded in. Yin Zhen was roughly dragged out by the researchers like a hollowed-out puppet.
Her eyes were hollow, as if veiled by a thick fog, while the newly implanted knowledge and programmed command frameworks BUZZED in her brain. She unconsciously repeated the same words over and over again, "S717... is loyal to the Saint Group..."
She didn’t know how other experimental subjects reacted to the brainwashing or if they could even retain their self-awareness. For now, all she could do was play the part of a docile, ignorant creature.
Yin Zhen was brought into a testing room surrounded by smooth mirrors. Through the surrounding reflections, she got her first clear look at her new body. It was tall, slender, and powerful, with short, neat black hair and calm brown eyes that tilted upward at the corners. Her facial features possessed both an Eastern suppleness and a sharp beauty. Like the Blood Clan researchers, she was exquisite and perfect, her skin bearing the same morbidly cold pallor. However, she had no pointed ears or fangs. She looked human, yet she lacked both a heartbeat and body temperature.
A male and a female researcher sat opposite her, and the testing began. They checked her level of socialization, moving from identifying colors and shapes to reading simple characters aloud, and finally to basic logical deductions.
Yin Zhen completely immersed herself in the Character. She mimicked the ignorance of a newborn infant, her gaze bewildered and helpless, her movements clumsy and stiff. When faced with slightly more complex questions, she would pause and feign strenuous thought before sluggishly completing the task. During the subsequent loyalty test, she responded in a mechanical, programmed tone.
"S717 belongs to the Saint Group.
"Obeying orders is the meaning of S717’s existence."
She executed every step flawlessly.
After several continuous hours of testing, another researcher placed a glass in front of her. It was filled with a thick, dark scarlet liquid.
"You’ve done very well, S717. This is your reward: artificial blood plasma with a purity of over ninety percent. It will help you recover quickly."
Almost the instant the glass was set down, an intensely overpowering, strange fragrance slammed into her nasal cavity, making her scalp tingle. Yin Zhen’s throat bobbed uncontrollably as her mouth frantically secreted saliva. An intense, aching itch erupted deep within her gums, and she subconsciously ran the tip of her tongue over her teeth. Two fangs had quietly sprouted.
Yin Zhen’s mind BUZZED as any lingering traces of hopeful luck were instantly shattered. She really was... a member of the Blood Clan?!
Two pairs of sharp eyes scrutinized her from across the table. Yin Zhen used all her strength to control her trembling, suppressing her hesitation and resistance. Almost entirely giving in to the surging primal desires within her body, she grabbed the glass and downed the thick, scarlet artificial blood plasma in one gulp!
There was no expected nausea or revulsion. A vibrant, majestic breath of life exploded in her mouth and slid down her throat, bringing a shivering sense of ultimate satisfaction and warmth. She even licked her lips uncontrollably, longing for more of the sweet taste.
The two researchers revealed satisfied expressions.
"For the next three to five days, you will undergo physical adaptability training to convert your knowledge into combat instincts," the female researcher said. "Once completed, you will be dispatched to the Guard Corps to combat the Fallen Species in the city and the Mutants attacking from the deep sea, fulfilling the mission of protecting Night City. Of course, if you perform well enough, even greater surprises await you."
She paused, her gaze resembling someone looking at a successfully calibrated tool. "Good luck, S717."
Yin Zhen was shoved into a narrow metal break room. The three-square-meter space contained only a metal slab bed embedded in the wall, upon which lay a set of black training clothes. Yin Zhen sat stiffly on the bed, her taut nerves still not completely relaxed.
[62:30:29]
While scanning the room, Yin Zhen discreetly glanced at the countdown. She had passed the first hurdle, but there were undoubtedly more cruel tests ahead. As cannon fodder, surviving until the countdown ended definitely wouldn’t be easy.
Yin Zhen pressed her hand against her newly revitalized legs. The panic and worry in her heart gradually dissipated, leaving her gaze increasingly resolute. She had to seize this opportunity. Even if this body couldn’t return with her, as long as the combat knowledge remained etched in her mind, it would surely help her break free from that fat man’s grasp—perhaps even allow her to strike back and kill him!
Yin Zhen lay flat on the metal bed and closed her eyes to rest. The countdown still existed in the darkness, but below it were two dilapidated Gray Cards, looking so fragile they might snap in a gust of wind. The back of the left Gray Card featured a gaunt, dejected silhouette of Yin Zhen sitting in a wheelchair, representing her Identity in her original world. The back of the right Gray Card depicted S717, representing her Identity in the Red Corpse World.
Both left and right, she was nothing but cannon fodder.
"Cannon fodder is a variable that cannot be captured by the plot," Yin Zhen murmured in her heart. This was her understanding so far.
Since her world was a novel world, the Red Corpse World most likely was too. Following the logic of a novel, the higher one’s Identity, the more susceptible they were to the plot’s coercion, forcing them to do many things against their will. Just like the male and female leads, who were destined to fall in love, and the villain, who was destined to oppose them.
Her choice to forfeit the new Identity offered by the system and retain her original cannon fodder Identity was not an impulse driven by a fit of anger. Unmentioned by the novel’s text, she simply existed by default in the collective consciousness. As long as cannon fodder didn’t die, they could remain free forever.
Yin Zhen reeled in her thoughts and carefully studied the two cards in her mind.
[Character: SHL-717]
Race: Blood Clan (Artificial version, impure)
Identity: Saint Group Experimental Subject
Life Value: 100%
Strength: 20 (Equivalent to a Blood Clan member who frequently works out)
Constitution: 20 (Same as above)
Wisdom: 5 (The Saint Group felt you didn’t need it, so they didn’t add any)
Agility: 20 (Runs faster than a rabbit, but not faster than a bullet)
Luck: 1 (Try a little harder, and you might just get unlucky)
Skills: Not yet unlocked (Feels like you know them, but you still need practice)
Transcendent: Unawakened
[Mysterious Evaluation: An experimental subject who can fight but has no brains.]
...
[Player: Yin Zhen]
Race: Human
Identity: Cannon fodder in a CEO romance novel (Cumulative word count: 1,233 words)
Life Value: 80% (The main body is disabled; cannot reach full health)
Strength: 5 (Combat power of five—complete trash)
Constitution: 5 (One punch will make you cry)
Wisdom: 10 (Higher than the human average)
Agility: - (Cripples don’t dodge)
Luck: -1 (You know what your Identity is)
Item: Protagonist Halo Experience Card x 1
Talent: Cannon Fodder’s Intuition
[Mysterious Evaluation: A cannon fodder who has brains but is fragile and attracts disaster.]
S717 was the Character, and she was the Player. What was the purpose of having two cards and two Identities? She feared she wouldn’t find out until she completed the survival mission three days later. Finally, Yin Zhen focused her attention on her Talent column.
[Talent: Cannon Fodder’s Intuition]
[Effect: ’See’ a fatal crisis 3 seconds in advance.]
[Explanation: In many books, there is always one Character who says, ’I have a bad feeling about this,’ and dies the very next second, serving to demonstrate the crisis to the readers and stimulate the protagonist. Congratulations, you are now that Character.]
[Special Reminder: Absolutely do not say things like, ’I have a bad feeling about this.’ You cannot even say it in your heart. For cannon fodder, this is a death flag guaranteed to come true.]
Yin Zhen frowned, feeling that this system was... not entirely serious!