Chapter 20: Entering the Dungeon for the First Time

Knowing they had been discovered, the four members of the Falcon Squad simply stepped out, standing openly at the doorway.

"Are you friends here to join the modification project as well?" The man in the white coat asked politely.

"I want strength!" said Damin.

"I want to become stronger!" Lin Xiaofeng replied, feeling a bit embarrassed by his own words.

"I don't really have any ambitions—just want to attract more women. Thought I'd give your place a try, but I don't want to end up a eunuch," Long commented lazily.

The white coat maintained a gentle tone, saying, "Mechanical limbs are just one type of modification; since you came here of your own accord, you’re considered VIP guests and may select whatever you wish. Please follow me."

Led by the white coat, the Falcon Squad and the transgender girl entered the underground city smoothly. At this point, they still believed it to be nothing more than a research facility, perhaps a larger version of the Fuzhou Community Center. Only after entering did they realize it was far beyond anything they could have imagined.

"Wow, this is practically a castle!"

All five were stunned by the sight before them. They never expected the interior to be like this. The simulated sky looked almost real; there weren’t any skyscrapers, likely due to space constraints—just low buildings. The wide roads were never crowded. Overall, it felt like a hidden paradise.

But that wasn’t the most important thing—the remarkable aspect was the people here. Some appeared ordinary but moved at incredible speeds, their muscle power vastly enhanced, likely imbued with abilities from feline predators like cheetahs. Some could leap astonishingly high—was this an atavistic phenomenon, evolving toward monkeys?

The most terrifying were the semi-mechanical people. Forgive me, I truly don’t know what else to call them. Some had mechanical arms, others mechanical legs; some concealed them with clothing, some wore them openly. Unlike the prosthetics of decades past, these mechanical limbs were technologically augmented—speed, strength, and some had tools integrated directly into their arms.

The white coat saw how shocked the group was by the underground city’s marvels. He neither boasted about its advanced development nor explained the dazzling technology; calmly, he led them to the newcomers' guesthouse and left. He wouldn’t bother explaining these early prototypes—all had various flaws. The professor’s plan needed more "guinea pigs," and now that they had come on their own, they must be well received and not frightened away. In other words, once the Falcon Squad settled into the guesthouse, they were like meat on the chopping block, waiting to be butchered.

The Falcon Squad settled into the underground city’s guesthouse. There was an information-blocking system inside, making outside contact impossible. Still, they believed the high-levels at the Special Operations Bureau had already received their uploaded information and were preparing to act.

Recently, the Bureau had gathered intel about the underground city beneath the Great Wilderness Mountain from many sources, and was actively seeking solutions. Yet the city’s defenses were formidable, and they hadn’t found a good plan in the short term. Every operative sent in had disappeared without exception.

At the guesthouse, the Falcon Squad now lived comfortably. The guesthouse was equivalent to a five-star hotel, offering rare tranquility and no disturbances. In the few days since arriving, the Falcon Squad felt as if they’d found paradise.

As for Ping'an, the transgender girl, she was even more at ease. Outside, ordinary people viewed her as a freak—even her parents had thrown her out. Here, surrounded by all sorts of oddities, she barely stood out.

Of course, their leisure didn’t last long—they hadn’t come for a vacation. About the fourth day in the underground city, a guesthouse attendant came early to fetch them, saying someone was looking for them.

But in such a place, whom could they possibly know? Curious, the Falcon Squad emerged to find a middle-aged man in uniform, claiming to be an underground city staff member, who would guide them on a tour so they could better integrate into city life.

Well, since they were here, they might as well adapt. The young men of the Falcon Squad had nothing to do anyway; someone guiding them through the environment was helpful. Even if things turned ugly later, at least they'd know their enemy—"know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll never lose."

Following the staff member, they toured the city’s research center, administrative center, residential zone, industrial district… There was also a restricted area they weren’t allowed to visit; they only got a distant glimpse. After the tour, they were sent back without being forced into anything, which surprised them.

"Why do I feel they don’t seem like bad people at all?" Lin Xiaofeng mused, pondering the issue since returning. Everyone seemed so friendly—much better than his domineering father.

"Do you think I’m a bad person?" Long asked Lin Xiaofeng.

Lin Xiaofeng shook his head. He’d known Long for some time; though Long was sometimes slick or crude, overall he was a good, loyal person who looked after his teammates.

"But I’ve killed people—more than one! By rights, I’m a true villain. If not for my changed identity, I’d never have been conscripted at the Jiangcheng military district; I’d have been locked up long ago. Your big brother or the local gangster—which one is the real me?" Long rarely spoke so philosophically.

Lin Xiaofeng didn’t know how to reply. Damin added, "Before they commit evil, aren’t all bad people just good people? What makes someone good or bad anyway?"

"If they disrupt our peaceful lives, those people are bad in our eyes. But the mastermind behind it all might once have been a revered scientist. It’s always gods fighting, mortals suffering—we’re just unlucky to be caught in the crossfire. Some lose their lives, some their loved ones..."

"I’m not stupid! You’re all so deep and philosophical—I know all that! I just find it strange; they’re not what I imagined," Lin Xiaofeng said, annoyed by the others’ somber reflections.

Listening on the side, Ping'an, the transgender girl, finally couldn’t stand it and spoke up, "Have you ever seen a pig slaughtered? When they catch a pig in the pen, they always pamper it first, then seize it when it’s off guard!"

That made perfect sense—they were just pigs in the pen, waiting to be caught and butchered. The first to take the bait was, naturally, Ping'an. Knowing it was a trap, she still jumped in, without hesitation. Ping'an invited the Falcon Squad to accompany her, to record her entire transformation for posterity.

Following the staff, the group entered the research center. The Falcon Squad changed into protective suits; Ping'an underwent pre-surgery preparations. Once ready, they followed the doctors and researchers into the operating room.

Ping'an lay on the operating table, surrounded by doctors, with blue-uniformed researchers forming an outer circle. The Falcon Squad stood at the edge, planning to film the operation from different angles. After today, Ping'an would truly become a beautiful warrior.

Everything was ready, and the doctor had the scalpel in hand. Suddenly, Ping'an asked for a pause and wanted to get up. The attentive Falcon Squad noticed subtle changes in the researchers’ expressions. This place was indeed unlike a regular hospital—test subjects could choose which experiment to join, but withdrawal wasn’t allowed. Well, a bit better than lab mice.

When Ping'an said, "Little brother has accompanied me for more than twenty years, and I never treated him well—I want him to enjoy himself one last time," the researchers realized she wasn’t backing out, so they didn’t use force.

The doctors and researchers were highly skilled, not their first time performing such an operation, but Ping'an's surgery still lasted about ten hours. The Falcon Squad, observing throughout, stood for ten hours straight, nearly collapsing but toughing it out.

At last, it was over; everything settled. They pushed Ping'an out and all went to the recovery area. The research center didn’t provide individual wards, but a large recovery zone, guarded outside, with 360-degree surveillance inside. Partly to monitor the status and safety of the test subjects, partly to prevent escapes.

Ping'an woke up; the anesthesia hadn’t worn off, her body still numb, and she couldn’t see her own changes. She could only ask the Falcon Squad, who told her everything was normal, as instructed by the researchers—under threat, if they didn’t comply, consequences would follow.

Once the anesthesia faded, the pain was intense and nearly unbearable. But thinking of her lifelong wish finally realized, Ping'an persevered.

With anti-inflammatories, the swelling at the surgical site gradually subsided, the wound began to heal. After about ten days, it was finally time to remove the stitches. Ping'an waited excitedly for the doctors’ arrival.

The doctors, accompanied by a team, arrived as promised. They conducted a series of checks, recorded the data, then began removing the stitches.

At last, everything was finished. Ping'an could finally look at her new body. Zhao Nana brought a full-length mirror and placed it before Ping'an. The Falcon Squad, as if by agreement, stepped back, leaving Ping'an alone before the mirror.

When Ping'an saw her reflection, she was utterly stunned. My God, what had they done to her?