Capítulo 1: Past I
YEAR 1998
Inside a plain, clean lab, ten girls wearing the same hospital clothes huddled together, their eyes darting nervously, filled with uncertainty and fear. Among them, a young girl with delicate features leaned toward Cheng Li, her voice barely a whisper, "Did you... join this experiment too? I'm Qi Qian. They said they'd treat my mother... and give me a hundred thousand yuan." Her voice wavered, betraying the fear behind the promise.
Before Cheng Li could respond, the lab door creaked open, and the girls flinched as a team of doctors entered, followed by a strikingly beautiful woman. Her poised stride and air of authority silenced the room. "I am the leader of this team," she announced, her voice as sharp as a knife. "You have all been chosen for this experiment. Our goal is to secure a better future for humanity. This will last a year. During this time, none of you will leave the lab. Once it's over, you will be compensated, and your part will be done." Her words were cold and final. Without waiting for a response, she turned and left, leaving the girls to their growing unease.
Cheng Li glanced nervously at the other girls. Her heart raced with mounting anxiety, each beat a drum of impending dread. The sterile white walls seemed to close in around her, amplifying the silence that followed the leader's departure. The reality of their confinement pressed down on her like a suffocating weight.
The days passed slowly, each one blending into the next. Cheng Li found herself constantly watching the door, hoping for a glimpse of freedom. But the cold, clinical environment showed no mercy. The girls had begun to disappear, one by one, leaving behind only haunting silence and unanswered questions.
"Please, I need to go home," Cheng Li's voice trembled with fear as she clutched her swollen belly. Her eyes darted around the sterile room, searching for answers. "You said it was a small experiment. How did those girls... how did they die? Please, someone tell me!" Her voice broke, each word laden with desperation and panic.
A doctor moved silently behind her, and before she could react, a sharp pain shot through her neck. Her world blurred and faded as the sedative took hold.
When Cheng Li awoke, she was strapped to an operating table, her wrists bound tightly. The leader stood beside her, a smug smile curling her lips. "Enjoy your rest?" she asked, her tone dripping with mockery.
Cheng Li's heart raced. "Let me go," she hissed, her voice filled with barely contained rage. "You... you can't keep me here!"
The leader's smile remained unnervingly calm. "Oh, but I must," she said, her voice chillingly serene. "You possess something of great importance to me. I can't allow you to leave until it's in my possession." She turned away, leaving Cheng Li alone with her terror.
Cheng Li's despair deepened. As the days wore on, the isolation and confinement began to take their toll on her mind. The sterile room, once simply cold, now felt like a prison tightening around her. But amidst her own fear, she found solace in the company of Qi Qian.
"Help... someone, please..." Cheng Li's voice was raw, her throat burning. Qi Qian lay in her lap, shivering violently, her feverish skin burning to the touch. Cheng Li cradled her, trying to soothe her with words that felt hollow even to her. "Qi Qian, you're strong... you're going to be okay. I'm here with you."
Qi Qian's eyes, once so full of life, now seemed distant, glazed with pain. "Cheng Li... it's no use," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "They told me... the experiment failed. My baby... is gone. There's nothing left for me now."
Cheng Li clutched Qi Qian tighter, tears spilling onto the young girl's face. "No... please... stay with me. You can't leave me alone here."
Earlier that day, Qi Qian had sat in stunned silence as the doctor delivered the news—her baby was gone. Her hands instinctively moved to her belly, where she had once felt the faintest flutters. Now, there was only unbearable stillness. She had clung to the hope that this nightmare would end with her child's cry, a new life that would justify the pain. But now, that hope was gone. Feverish chills set in, and with them, a cold realization—her time was running out.
Cheng Li watched in helpless horror as Qi Qian's fever-wracked body trembled. Her breaths were shallow, each one more labored than the last. Qi Qian's eyes, once alive with hope, had become glassy, her gaze unfocused and distant, as if she had already begun to drift away. Cheng Li clung to Qi Qian's hand, tears streaming down her face. "Please, someone help us!" Cheng Li's voice cracked, but the lab remained cold and indifferent, offering only silence.
The cold, clinical routine continued. And then, it was Cheng Li's turn.
Cheng Li was on the operating table, writhing in pain. Her screams echoed off the walls until they were drowned out by the piercing cry of a newborn. "Finally, my prize," the leader whispered, taking the baby from the doctor's hands.
Cheng Li's eyes fluttered open, her body aching, her spirit crushed. The leader loomed over her, triumphant. "You woke up," she remarked, her tone almost admiring. "You've survived so much."
Cheng Li's voice was a broken whisper. "Where... where is my baby?"
The leader didn't even glance at her, dismissing the question with a wave of her hand. "The baby is not your concern," she replied, her tone icy and detached. "I'll decide what happens next. You've served your purpose." Her words were final, sending a cold chill through Cheng Li as she realized she had been nothing more than a tool—used and discarded.
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mubashira_jamil
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