Sewage flowed freely through the corridors as patches of bacteria ravaged the walls.
Deep within an abandoned prison...
Plop!
A membrane-enclosed cluster of cells suddenly detached itself from a corpse's surface.
This cellular mass, no larger than a human index finger, resembled nothing more than a blob of white mucus to the naked eye.
Yet this cellular cluster possessed something extraordinary - independent thought and mobility.
Though lacking the five senses due to an incomplete nervous system, it had a unique way of gathering information. Whenever the cluster made contact with external objects, it could obtain basic information through specialized "intercellular signaling."
The newly separated cell mass didn't linger. It began to move.
Transcription and translation initiated.Actin proteins generated.
This finger-sized colony of cells began an extremely slow "migration," moving at roughly the pace of a garden snail.
"No... this one's not perfect. Not what I'm looking for."
The cell cluster seemed to deliberately abandon what appeared to be a complete and robust body, continuing its search throughout the prison...
If there had been a torch to light the massive cell block, one would have discovered over a hundred discarded bodies that this cellular mass had rejected.
The cell cluster didn't form spontaneously.
It had a name - Leon.
Before becoming this cellular collective, he had been an Associate Professor at the University of Florence's Life Sciences Department. He was exactly 31 years old when he died of lung cancer in his hospital bed at Florence Central Hospital on July 21st, 2018.
His room had been filled with flowers - all from his students, none from family.
In the moment of death, as the torment of his illness finally lifted, Leon felt an odd sense of peace.
There was no ascension to heaven or descent into hell - only endless darkness greeted him.
Yet somehow, his consciousness persisted through it all.
"Am I actually dead?! The brain stays active for five minutes after death... but it's been an hour, hasn't it?"
Leon's sense of time remained razor-sharp, and his conscious mind knew exactly how long he'd been "dead."
As he tried to sense his "body," he discovered something bizarre - in his mind's eye, he could see himself as this cluster of cells.
He could do only two things:
First, sense detailed information about objects through intercellular signaling upon contact.
Second, acquire movement capabilities through the production of actin proteins.
Just as Leon first synthesized actin proteins within his cells to attempt movement, a system prompt echoed through his consciousness:
『Please select a 'suitable' body within the prison. Current maximum load value: [100].
If unsatisfied with your selection, bodies can be returned to the Processing Room for cellular separation.
Outside of cellular state, you cannot move or transfer any other prisoner bodies.』
As the prompt faded, a prison floor plan materialized in Leon's consciousness.
Single floor structure. Two hundred and four cells total.
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The floor plan used light dots and annotations to mark each prisoner in their respective cells, all noted as 'deceased.'
Additionally, a red-marked room labeled [Control Room] appeared in the center of the prison, marked as locked.
Leon's current location was the [Processing Room].
"A prison? Reborn after death? What exactly am I?"
These questions didn't trouble Leon for long.
As someone who had always worked at the cutting edge of science, he adapted quickly to new situations.
He quickly accepted his existence as an independent cluster of cells protected by a membrane. While he couldn't explain how a mass of cells could survive independently or maintain consciousness, he knew that cells were the basic unit of life - proof that he wasn't truly dead.
"So I've experienced one of those death-and-reincarnation scenarios? And I've become a cluster of cells? How ironic."
Leon had dedicated his life to cellular biology research. Just six months ago, he'd published a paper in the prestigious journal Cell about "activating and controlling cellular regulation through genetic coding."
The paper earned him an associate professorship, but during a routine faculty health check, he was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer... his promising career cut short by the merciless invasion of cancer cells.
He should have died, his consciousness extinguished. Instead, he was reborn as this cellular collective.
……
Without much hesitation, considering that his cellular form would need energy to function, his immediate priority became finding a 'suitable' body as the mysterious system suggested.
Following the map's guidance, Leon began his excruciatingly slow 'crawl' toward the nearest cell.
Moving at a snail's pace, it took him an entire day to reach his destination.
Matching his progress against the mental map, following the small light dot representing 'himself,' he took the shortest path to the adjacent cell for his first encounter with a prisoner's corpse.
"Thank goodness for the map - trying to navigate without any of my senses would've been a total nightmare..."
The moment he made contact with the corpse, a complete human cross-section appeared in his consciousness, complete with detailed text annotations he could mentally examine.
Campbell Frank (Former Underground Fighter)
[Head] Inferior - Load Requirement: 5
[Left Arm] Normal - Load Requirement: 11
[Right Arm] Superior - Possesses "Quick Strike" skill - Load Requirement: 23
[Torso] Normal - Load Requirement: 13
[Left Leg] Normal - Load Requirement: 11
[Right Leg] Normal - Load Requirement: 14
The stream of data filtered into Leon's consciousness.
"These prisoners must have undergone some 'special treatment' before death to prevent decomposition, making them viable for possession and control.
According to the earlier prompt, if I'm not satisfied with a body, I can discard it in the [Processing Room] and choose another.
There are plenty of bodies to choose from. I should use one to better understand my current situation."
『Do you wish to acquire all body parts of 'Campbell Frank'? Total load requirement: 77.』
『Yes!』
In an instant, the cell cluster entered the prisoner's body through surface 'pores,' quickly activating all systems and restoring vital functions.
First came a ringing in his ears as the nervous system fully connected.
Then the cold touch of stone pressed against his skin from all directions... neural pathways fully operational.
The simple cell of black rock and steel bars came into view as his vision returned.
Just as Leon prepared to investigate and analyze this mysterious prison, to deduce why he had been reborn and what secrets this place might hold...
*BZZT!* His entire body froze.
Leon braced himself against the wall with one hand, gritting his teeth and letting out an enraged howl!
"Argh... this guy's an absolute moron!"
After fully possessing [Campbell Frank], Leon felt horrible.
While his restored senses gave him environmental information, a major problem arose when he tried to process complex data through the brain!
The consciousness inside this body wasn't just anyone - we're talking about the youngest associate professor in a top-tier university's Life Sciences Department, a total academic beast.
Sure, his consciousness was intact - but the moment it tried to pass all that collected sensory data and processing formulas to this brain for number crunching, all hell broke loose!
It was like having an NVIDIA 4090 paired with a water-damaged, ancient i3 processor.
And this processor had suffered water damage!!
The system nearly crashed from the data overload.
Leon had to shut his eyes and mentally recite mantras, desperately trying to minimize external input and empty his mind!
Otherwise, this idiot's brain would crash from data overload, possibly burning out completely.