A line of powerfully built men marched down the broad, brightly lit marble corridor. The leader of each group followed the corridor's branching paths towards four different sections.

They moved in groups of seven. The group turning right stopped immediately after the corner. The leader at the front held his right arm horizontally, aligning the wristband on his forearm with a specific point on the transparent door to his right. A soft chime signaled the disengagement of the door locks, and simultaneously, gas hissed from vents within the room's capsule bed.

Full deactivation took ten seconds. All corridors had rooms only on one side. Each group of seven men wore identical blue short-sleeved tops and trousers. The only differences were the levels of grime and dried blood staining their uniforms.

Inside each room, positioned centrally against the far wall, stood a transparent, semi-cylindrical aerospace capsule bed, flush with the wall. Pipes connected to its back and top.

The foot of the bed had a nano-plastic base plate, with handrails on either side. If not for the oval top, the entire contraption would resemble a coffin. Inside the room, to the right, a 12-inch display screen broadcast information. To the left sat a small sink and toilet.

Each room held one occupant. Or, more accurately, one Test Subject.

Lying flat within the capsule, each Test Subject was restrained by several loop-like white instruments – "Eagle-3" units. These devices scanned their vital signs and punished those who failed to rest on schedule.

Additionally, specialized collarlike devices locked around their necks, wrists, and ankles. These relied on powerful paralyzing electric currents to enforce compliance.

Some currents, however, were unique. The base administrators used them to further assess the Subjects' Ling Qi levels, providing a more "contemporary" method of constraining those confined to the capsules.

A circular vent above the Subject's head released specialized gases. Combined with the "Eagle-3" units, real-time data streamed to the monitoring center, processed by staff to achieve surveillance and evaluation objectives.

If computer data indicated heightened brain activity and the Subjects resisted rest, the vent would release "Owl-3" gas – a soporific vapor inducing sluggishness.

For more "mature" Subjects resistant to Owl-3, the base deployed "Owl-2" or "Owl-3+". These incorporated "special" components for enhanced efficacy.

Crucially, the base needed to train the Subjects into obedience. The neck and limb restraints provided multi-functional security. While the initial gas release upon entering the bed usually subdued new Subjects, exceptions necessitated multiple safeguards. Any anomalous movement would be precisely detected by "Eagle-3".

Every device served to enforce compliance once a Subject entered this "bed." Attempts to damage them invited punishments designed to be unforgettable.

As the locks began disengaging, white, smoke-like "Cuckoo-3" gas seeped from the faceplate. The capsule bed rotated automatically from horizontal to vertical, placing the Subjects in a "standing" position. When "Eagle-3" detected vital signs reaching waking thresholds, the collar restraint at the neck released first. The men outside waited for the gas inside to dissipate before entering.

But not all corridors followed this exact procedure.

For Subjects arriving earlier, tagged "secure" and "comfort" by the shadowy researchers, the men outside merely observed via monitors; they did not enter.

The men entered the room, raising their left forearms for the internal camera to scan the implanted chips. Upon confirmation, the chains connecting to the Subject's collar automatically detached and retracted into wall ports. The wrist and ankle bands, however, remained locked. Besides restraint, these bands transmitted information.

These men entering the rooms were the facility's Discipline Enforcers, known locally as "Hounds." They were likely the simplest, most direct form of violent Psionics here – possessing formidable physiques, superhuman strength, and speed.

The lead Hound walked purposefully inward. After scanning the final door, he stopped, waiting for the lock to disengage. Ten seconds later, the door opened. He pulled it aside, stepping inside to confront the occupant: a young woman, appearing no more than seventeen or eighteen.

The Hound observed her state with cold detachment. The moment consciousness returned, the chains on her wrist and ankle bands snapped open, retracting, leaving only the collar and limb bands.

The woman instinctively gripped the handrail beside her, knuckles whitening – her mind wasn't fully clear, but muscle memory drove the action.

This reflex, formed deliberately during her third week here, prevented her from crashing onto the floor. During the first two weeks, she'd fallen repeatedly, bruising herself purple, the pain a constant ache during training.

Pain made her grimace, her body trembling slightly. She stumbled down from the vertical capsule, slow and unsteady. The Hound shifted imperceptibly aside.

The woman turned to look at the wall display – 06:00. Her training schedule for the day was already listed. She shuffled unnaturally towards it, nearly pressing her face against the screen. The drug aftereffects blurred her vision in this state.

The Subjects had only twenty seconds to memorize their schedules before the display shut off. The Hound confirmed her status, then turned and walked out.

On the left wall was an A4-sized display. The Hound tapped it several times. After the operation, internal panels slid shut, seamlessly restoring the wall's surface.

This complex procedure was reserved for newcomers to the base, requiring guidance and intimidation. Established "veterans" warranted different methods.

The lingering effects of the white gas – the foggy head and leaden limbs – were unpleasant. But Gu Li had her own methods for recovery.

She worked swiftly to clear her mind and body, memorized her schedule, then limped determinedly towards the corridor.

Being late for lineup meant punishment. The Hounds struck hard.

Down the corridor, the familiar sounds of Hounds "motivating" Subjects echoed – sharp slaps or kicks, aimed at hastening the awakening of those slow to rouse.

Initially, electric shocks from the devices were used. But after several fatalities days prior, higher-ups, lamenting the "resource waste" of electrocution and complaining about "this batch's poor quality," had apparently switched methods.

Gu Li had been here a while now.

"Three weeks," she reminded herself. "My name is Gu Li. I come from the 'Nine Provinces.' My father is Gu Zhensheng, my mother Xu Lan. My Master is Feng Hao. You have a friend named Su Luoshan. You met in that nameless base. She's an undercover agent from the Special Police Force. Remember your promise to Luoshan and what she taught you. Then find a way home!"

Reciting this litany upon waking was Gu Li's first daily ritual. She feared the unnamed sprays would erase her identity, her origins. She didn't know when she'd go home, or even if she could... But even if she died here, she would die as herself.

Down the corridor, the sounds of punishment continued in a few rooms. No one dared resist anymore. Gu Li obediently merged into the forming line, taking her place at the very end.

Further ahead, a Hound roughly shoved a Subject from a room into the corridor.

Gu Li lowered her head, swallowing a wave of sadness. Her eyes caught the number stitched onto her short sleeve – 067.

She looked away, forcing herself to concentrate, to ignore the lingering pain, and began mentally reviewing the events of the past weeks.

Her spoken language skills were poor. Arriving, she'd often misunderstood classroom locations or instructor commands due to the language barrier, suffering greatly. Covert bullying had also been frequent, all endured stoically. Her language skills had improved somewhat now, and the daily routine was clearer, but other factors ensured her body rarely escaped unscathed.

"Just don't die," she resolved inwardly. "And if possible, keep all your limbs."

Within these walls, Gu Li adhered to one principle: silence. She sought invisibility, often keeping her head slightly lowered – mirroring the demeanor of a segment of Subjects here, unnoticed yet not overtly subservient.

She observed her surroundings covertly, mimicking the actions and expressions of the majority. But she avoided appearing servile or showing overt fear; that invited contempt and worse treatment.

Thus, mastering the art of being "unremarkable" had become her constant, unspoken study throughout these three weeks.

Upon entering any new area, Gu Li committed its layout and features to memory, observing meticulously, especially minute details. She mentally pieced together a map of this place, hoping for a future escape.

Someone stepped into the space in front of her. The stench of dried blood mixed with harsh breathing and pungent body odor washed over her. Gu Li fought down nausea and rising panic, silently reciting her Master's teachings.

"He didn't get one either," Gu Li noted with a sideways glance at the man's back. Evidently, obtaining fresh clothes followed some rule. She currently understood only the "veterans" had the privilege of clean uniforms daily, though the "prison garb" remained identical.

The man's tall frame cast a shadow over Gu Li. She eyed his broad back, subtly scanning his condition while keeping a sliver of attention fixed on the Hound behind her.

She felt like a small lamb, trapped between two large wolves.

Up ahead, figures moved in the corridor. Subjects assembled and began exiting the building. The Hound leader halted beside Gu Li and barked, "Move!" Their group lurched forward, falling in behind the others.

The Test Subjects moved in orderly silence down the grey corridors, the soft rustle of their clothing the only sound, lending a semblance of life to this "graveyard." Eventually, the corridor fell silent once more, save for those Subjects who would never wake again.

The bodies of the dead were left slumped against the corridor walls. A mechanical hum filled the air as the floor panels beneath them folded downward. Like discarded refuse, they dropped into the darkness below.