During the next month, both Ryder and Brigitte documented the growth of the hybrids within the nutrition tanks.

In the first week, several samples of the host cells failed to duplicate, meaning they either died or something went wrong when they integrated the hybridized DNA.

Ryder was not worried, however, as there were still at least a good 30 samples that were still alive and growing. But this state didn’t last after he received an update from Brigitte that another 10 samples died in the next week.

This pattern continued until the third week, where only a measly 4 samples out of the initial 46 were left, resulting in a 9% success rate. Some of the fetuses grew to be malformed, and others just couldn’t survive. This left Ryder speechless, as while he knew that there wouldn’t be a 100% success rate, he hadn’t anticipated it to be this low.

Brigitte retrieved the lifeless cells from the nutrition tanks and analyzed them under a microscope.

“It seems like the compatibility between the host cells and the bacterial cells just isn’t high,” she muttered. “Too bad, we got unlucky.”

As for the other 4 samples of host cells growing in their nutrition tanks, they started multiplying at an alarming rate. That way, a month passed, and Ryder looked at the newly formed baby hybrids. They were suspended within their tanks and appeared to be in a comatose state. They looked like normal human babies, but with different skin colors and added parts on the bodies which he assumed to be inherited from the demon. Horns, spikes, and even wings were visible on them.

Staring at them, Ryder’s initial worries about the ethics of their works started to resurface. He knew that Brigitte could care less about all this since she was only interested in the research. Furthermore, while he didn’t know if Brigitte knew, he could tell that these host cells were embryonic stem cells. The versatility of these cells was unmatched, and they could become all kinds of specialized cells within the developing hybrid babies.

Even though he was somewhat considered a “mad” scientist by a couple of his colleagues back on Earth, since he was usually isolated and fully enraptured by his work, working with embryonic stem cells is something even he considers morally wrong. The embryos they took the stem cells from all had the potential to grow into normal human beings, but now they could only become these half human half demon monstrosities. The science part of him wants to know what would become of these hybrids, but the human side tells him it's wrong.

Adding to his worries was the fact that Dr. Krugal had sent an assistant to remind Ryder that he was expecting some results soon. Results about activating his bloodline genes without using any elixirs.

Regarding that, Ryder still didn’t know where to start from. Or rather, he was too busy helping Brigitte to care. He did come up with some ideas, but he didn’t know whether they would work or not. It was all just hypotheses, and now he just needed to experiment.

Just while he was contemplating his thoughts, a sudden explosion rang throughout the laboratory. The walls around him shook, and large equipment rattled on the counters. Fearing the worst, Ryder quickly ducked under a table and wrapped his hands behind his neck.

“What’s happening!?” Ryder yelled while maintaining his position. He raised his head just a tad bit to glance at Brigitte and saw her furiously trying to open the door in the chamber they were in. The once automatic door refused to open, most likely due to the initial tremor.

‘What the hell is she doing!?’ He screamed internally. He couldn’t believe that Brigitte was not seeking shelter but instead doing something only someone insane would do.

“Brigitte!” Ryder shouted over the noise which was getting louder by the minute. “Come here!”

However, instead of listening to him, Brigitte only continued trying to open the door. By now, the alarms placed throughout the lab started blaring, which only added to the chaotic noise. Ryder’s mind started to race, and he considered the possible causes of the explosion. Was it an attack on their lab? He knew this would be probable since Tamsa is an evil organization after all.

As he was thinking, he saw Brigitte pull open the door in the corner of his eyes.

Before heading out, she turned her head and glanced at Ryder one last time. “Stay here, don’t head out if you value your life.”

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And with that, she quickly ran off before Ryder could even argue. Dumbstruck, he could only stay under the table, helpless.

Without anything to do besides waiting, minutes felt like hours to him. He contemplated heading outside to check on the situation, but the ever increasing noise outside immediately dispelled any thoughts.

Finally, Brigitte burst back into the lab with her face flushed and gasping for air.

“A hybrid went berserk,” she wheezed. “It’s a pretty high rank one as well.”

Ryder’s eyes widened in shock. “A hybrid? But how?”

Brigitte leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. “The chip implanted in the brain suddenly stopped working.”

She then looked at Ryder and said, “we assume there is a traitor within the lab, perhaps using the hybrid as a distraction.”

Ryder nodded, his mind still processing the situation. His guess about the attack was wrong, but he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or not.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Brigitte finally said. “The hybrid is getting closer, and there are no fighting personnel in this lab.”

“Where do we go?” Ryder asked, his voice tinged with urgency.

“The main chamber, there’s a barrier there that prevents any intruders from getting in. It’s our safest bet before reinforcements arrive.”

Before Ryder could say anything, a distant roar echoed through the halls, followed by terrified screams of what he assumed to be the other researchers.

“We need to move, now!” Brigitte urged, almost pushing Ryder.

Together, the duo headed out the open door and rushed down the corridor. Ryder’s heart pounded in his chest, with adrenaline and fear seemingly giving him an extra boost in speed. As they ran past several destroyed chambers, the sounds of the disaster faded slightly, but Ryder couldn’t shake off this feeling of uneasiness that slowly started to spread throughout his body.

“How far is the main chamber?” Ryder asked, glancing nervously over his shoulder.

They had been running for several minutes now, but Ryder still felt uneasy.

“Not far,” Brigitte answered. “Just a couple of more turns.”

But as they turned the next corner, the duo halted to a stop almost immediately. In fact, Ryder stopped so fast he almost crashed face first into the ground.

Right in front of them stood perhaps the ugliest creature Ryder had ever seen before in both of his lives. Stood before them was the twisted combination of human and demon, its body a grotesque fusion of mismatched parts. Ryder couldn’t even distinguish its features properly due to the scaly and battered of what he assumed to be its skin.

The creature, or hybrid, glared at them with its bloodthirsty eyes and crunched something within its jaw. Its foot stomped onto what looked like the leftover of a corpse below. It let out a low growl before dropping on all fours, preparing to pounce.

“We can’t fight that thing!” Brigitte hissed while staring at the creature, analyzing its movement.

However, Ryder never replied as he was still frozen in fear at the monstrosity before him. His legs were paralyzed and rendered him incapable of moving.

Finally realizing the state Ryder was in, Brigitte quickly shook him while pulling him backward.

“Ryder!” Brigitte shirked, her voice snapping him awake. “Run!”

Back to reality, Ryder forced his legs to move and stumbled backward as Brigitte pulled him away just in time before the hybrid pounced on his initial position. They darted into a nearby corridor with the creature hot on their tails.

“We can’t get to the main chamber anymore,” Brigitte yelled at Ryder as they ran side by side. “Let’s just try to lose it!”

It was easier said than done, though, as both of them were already fatigued from the running earlier. After just a couple of minutes, the duo had to slow down due to exhaustion.

Suddenly, Brigitte stopped running and dropped her hands onto her knees. Ryder also stopped to make sure she was okay.

“I can’t… run anymore...” she wheezed in between gasps of air.

Ryder grimaced, and his mind raced for possible solutions. But it was too late as he heard the hybrid growling right behind him.

He hoped for the best before turning around and raising his fists. He didn’t have any special abilities, so he could only rely on his hands.

He faced the grotesque form of the hybrid, with his heart pounding in his chest. His adrenaline spiked yet again as he braced himself for an attack. He knew he couldn’t run away as that would mean leaving Brigitte by herself.

Without warning, the hybrid lunged forward with terrifying speed, leaving Ryder with barely enough time to react. He weaved to the side and threw a punch, aiming for the creature’s face, but was met with the hybrid’s tough skin instead, creating a dull thud.

‘Its skin is too tough’

The hybrid snarled and swiped its claws at him, forcing him to dodge again. Ryder kept dodging its attacks, trying to keep its attention on him. But before long, his movements started to become sluggish, and injuries kept accumulating.

Brigitte spectated the battle with worry, but she knew that if she intervened in her state, she would only be burdening Ryder even further.

As for Ryder, he knew he couldn’t keep up this performance for long. But just as he was about to attempt a last ditch effort, a sudden voice was heard behind him.