Coveted After Becoming a Monster [Quick Transmigration] 71

Chapter 71:

The remaining days were spent in the Eighth District. Although Ji Yulin was willing to cooperate, because of what had happened before, she had never taken the initiative to bring it up again.

And on Cheng Xi’s side, although she was anxious, because the situation at the volcano was not yet imminent, she was also patiently waiting for Ji Yulin.

But under the seemingly calm situation, someone in the Research Institute had quietly dropped a flag.

“Has it been ordered?”

The old voice sounded again.

The person beside him said respectfully, “I have already conveyed your order. Meng Lin will take action immediately to ensure that the volcano will erupt tomorrow.”

But the moment she finished speaking, a hint of apprehension appeared on her face, and she said uneasily, “Director, are we really going to do this? Although the Eighth District has always been at the bottom of the thirteen districts, it still has a population of a million.”

The man’s brows were tightly knitted, and his voice had a more oppressive feel, “You think I’m willing? That group of people is like cockroaches. You kill one, and another appears. It was so hard to find the cockroach nest…”

A hint of disgust flashed in his eyes, and at the same time, there was a clear jealousy.

If there was a chance, who wouldn’t want to seize the opportunity to evolve? But he didn’t have this talent, and neither did his child. It was as if they were cursed, left in the shadow of the old world.

The old man took a deep breath, trying to suppress his frustration, but the emotions that had been accumulating for so long, how could they be so easily dissipated?

This matter was like a huge rock hanging over his head, constantly reminding him that the Research Institute’s rule would be under a devastating threat, and he, the director, would no longer exist.

Evolution?

Since he couldn’t, then he would drag the entire human society down with him. Even if it meant extinction, he would not hesitate.

He gritted his teeth and said, “I’ve worked so hard for so many years, and I’ve only managed to plant a few spies.”

This was a trap he had painstakingly set. The cockroaches could not be eliminated. The people with special abilities would regenerate after being killed. After so many years of hard work, they had still managed to become a force.

Since they couldn’t be eliminated, he would just drive the cockroaches together, and then plant a few more people to control the number within a certain range, so that they would think they were secretly accumulating strength, but in reality, their every word and action were under the control of the Research Institute, and they would always be in a state of being unable to resist the Research Institute.

And, in this situation, the news of the special abilities was the least likely to be leaked.

Not only was the Research Institute hiding it, but even that group of cockroaches would self-righteously help, blocking the news between them.

But now, Ji Yulin had appeared and had broken the fragile balance that the Research Institute had worked so hard to maintain, forcing the Research Institute to abandon the Eighth District.

If the cockroaches were thus scattered and would appear in the major safe zones from time to time, then hiding the news would not be as easy as it was now.

At this thought, the old man’s expression grew even heavier, and he gritted his teeth, “Is there still no news from Meng Lin’s side?”

The person was so scared by this expression that she trembled and said repeatedly, “He should still be investigating.”

Her tone changed, and although she was uneasy, she still forced herself to comfort, “How could Ji Yulin have mastered the ability to help humans awaken? We have conducted so many experiments on this matter in private. For decades, the progress has still been stuck at only being able to analyze who has the potential to evolve. How could someone be able to help others awaken…”

Her voice grew lower and lower, and in the next second, she gathered her courage and said, “Impossible. This is impossible. Ji Yulin must be bluffing. Otherwise, otherwise, why hasn’t she awakened herself?”

At the mention of this, the old man’s expression suddenly relaxed a little, and he confirmed with a sarcastic smile, “Ji Yulin really has no ability?”

The person guaranteed, “Meng Lin said that he incited others to challenge Ji Yulin with him. Qi Fu and Ling Yun both used their abilities, but only Ji Yulin stood there without moving.”

She paused, “It’s just that she has a very powerful mutated beast by her side.”

The old man waved his hand and said, “It should be a fortuitous encounter when she was missing at sea. I just don’t know how she controlled it, to be able to make a mutated beast recognize her as its master.”

This situation was not rare, especially in the early days of the apocalypse. Many people’s pets had mutated but still trusted their original owners. Although it was less common now, occasionally, someone could obtain the young of a powerful mutated beast and raise it to be their own help.

But this kind of thing, the Research Institute had not not studied it, but the conditions for a powerful mutated beast to become dependent were harsh, and it was also easy to be betrayed by the mutated beast. The effort and reward were completely disproportionate, and it was quickly ended.

Therefore, when they learned of this, although the Research Institute was worried, they were not panicked.

After all, the more powerful a mutated beast was, the more likely it was to develop intelligence, and the more likely it was to betray, like a gun that could be pointed at oneself at any time. It was just that they didn’t know when the trigger would be pulled.

“It’s good that there’s no special ability, it’s good,” the old man muttered to himself, the jealousy in his eyes growing more and more intense. Over the years, it had become a lingering inner demon.

“Then the Thirteenth District?” the person spoke again.

“If it’s really as Ji Yulin said, and they have a group of people with special abilities, then what should we do?”

The old man’s expression suddenly grew grim, and his fingertips tapped on the table.

The person cautiously probed, “Will the Thirteenth District become the next Eighth District…”

His fingertips did not stop, and a dull sound was made.

After an unknown amount of time, the old man slowly spoke, “We can’t let them live.”

The other person was startled and said repeatedly, “Director?! The Thirteenth District is different from the Eighth District. If it’s gone, the remaining safe zones and the Research Institute will be hit hard.”

She said nervously, “And, and besides, didn’t we have someone secretly plant mutated plants in the Thirteenth District?”

“After a while, when the mist has completely dissipated and those plants have fully grown, it will be just like Anding Town before. As long as the Thirteenth District has any rebellious thoughts, we will send people to ripen them. At that time, no matter how many people they have, they won’t be able to withstand this silent and invisible mist.”

“We’ve done so many experiments on people with special abilities before. They can’t resist at all.”

Seeing that the old man was a little wavering, she quickly persuaded, “Dealing with the Eighth District has already had a great impact on us. We absolutely cannot lose another safe zone in a short period of time.”

Hearing this, a hint of struggle flashed on the old man’s face.

The person struck while the iron was hot and persuaded, “Anyway, with those plants there, the survival of the Thirteenth District is in our hands.”

The old man was silent for a moment, torn and hesitant, before finally waving a hand and saying, “I’ll think about it again.”

The person’s expression relaxed, and then she heard the other speak, “Have them speed up the cultivation of the seeds. We must plant them in all thirteen safe zones.”

Obviously, the success of the experiment in Anding Town had given them a great sense of security, and they were eager to use the mutated plants to control everyone.

The person immediately nodded and said okay.

The old man thought for a long time, then asked, “Is that special ability girl we caught before still holding on?”

“Yes.”

“I’m very interested in her special ability. Tell them to be careful and not to kill her.”

His tone was relaxed, but the person on the side showed a look of fear.

To know these things, besides excellent scientific talent and the director’s absolute trust, one also had to be sure that they could not awaken at all.

In other words, they were a group of people hidden in the dark corners of the Research Institute, who knew the truth and watched others have all kinds of magical abilities every day, but were told that it was completely impossible for them.

The long-term jealousy and unwillingness had turned them into so-called scientific madmen, who would find ways to torture the captured people with special abilities.

At the thought of those terrible methods, this person couldn’t help but shiver, and her voice even stuttered, “Okay, okay.”

Seeing this, the old man’s expression revealed a trace of ferocious pride.

Obviously, he was also one of this group of people…

As time passed, a fragmented voice came from the office, “Tell them to be careful and not to let one or two cockroaches escape.”

“Yes.”

“Keep pressing the Thirteenth District. Don’t let them notice anything is wrong.”

“Yes.”

The red sun tilted, and the fragmented words were blown away by the wind, and were extinguished in the hustle and bustle of the night market in the Eighth District.

Because of the weather, the nights in the Eighth District were actually more lively than the days. The streets, lit by strings of small night lights, were bright, and all kinds of vendors were shouting.

“Tier-two dried beast meat, tier-two dried beast meat. It’s only been stored in the cellar for a year. Now it’s on sale at a good price. Don’t miss it, or you’ll regret it!”

“Armor made of mutated snake scales! It can withstand the fatal blow of a low-tier mutated beast. A must-have for going out!”

“A mysterious meteorite, a mysterious meteorite picked up from the edge of the forbidden zone. Only ten yuan, you can have it for only ten yuan!”

Li An looked left and right, her eyes filled with an unstoppable curiosity.

The tentacles behind her still couldn’t be retracted. She had tried for a long time these past few days, and in the end, she could only shrink them as much as possible and then cover them with a wide dress. After pressing them against her back, they were barely visible.

Coincidentally, Cheng Xi had proposed an invitation at this time, and she had begged Ji Yulin to go out with her.

Cheng Xi’s gaze swept over. Although she was very curious about the suddenly appearing Li An, she was sensible enough not to ask any questions at this time.

Her eyes drooped, and she happened to see Ji Yulin and Li An’s intertwined hands. All kinds of guesses flashed by, and she quickly suppressed them.

She thought and thought, and in a voice that only a few people could hear, she explained in a low voice, “Meng Lin and the others are not without reason. When they were on a mission outside the city before, they were accidentally caught by the Research Institute.”

“Although they tried their best to escape, they still lost a few important partners. One of them…” her tone paused, and a hint of pain appeared on her face.

“One of them, you might even know, Professor, is the little girl who could blow up the South Tower before.”

“So Meng Lin and the others have always been very hostile to the Research Institute.”

“And they don’t want to cooperate with the people from the Research Institute…”

At this point, Cheng Xi realized that Ji Yulin and the others were not interested in this, and there was not even a hint of emotional fluctuation.

She simply stopped and followed Li An’s gaze, and said with a helpless and smiling tone, “You can’t eat that. Most of this dried beast meat is dead meat they picked up from outside the city, and they secretly sell it after marinating it.”

She knew that she had annoyed them a few days ago, so she would first please the person Ji Yulin liked, and let her say a few good words for her, and then slowly express her sincerity to Ji Yulin.

Li An said “hey” and asked, “Then can you still eat it?”

“You can eat it, but the taste…” Cheng Xi was at a loss for words.

Li An instantly understood and immediately gave up the idea of trying it.

Seeing this, Cheng Xi changed the subject, “But that stone was indeed picked up from the edge of the volcano.”

“Oh?” Li An’s eyes lit up, and she stared at that side.

“There’s nothing special about it,” Cheng Xi shook her head and added, “If you like it, in a few days, when we go to the volcano to investigate the situation, you can pick some up on the side.”

Li An glanced at her and did not answer. Ji Yulin had not even agreed, and she was already going to take people to the volcano? How could this creature be more shameless than her?

Seeing Li An’s unspoken words, Cheng Xi smiled nonchalantly and added, “Hey? There’s also a beautiful one over there. Shall I have someone pick it up for you?”

The crow on her shoulder was very dissatisfied. It cawed a few times but was held down by Cheng Xi and could only stare at Li An with resentment. It was unclear if it had already seen through Li An’s identity and was just unable to communicate with Cheng Xi, so it could only keep cawing to express its anger.

Li An ignored Cheng Xi and instead made a face at the crow, which made the crow cry out again, so noisy that it was unbearable.

Li An was immediately proud. She tilted her head and buried it in Ji Yulin’s shoulder, chuckling.

This crow is much more interesting than its master.

Ji Yulin did not stop her. She raised her hand and patted the other’s head, and let Li An bully the crow, and then let Cheng Xi coax her pet in a fluster.

Qi Fu and Ling Yun, behind her, were silent, and there was a meter of distance between them, and they were both walking forward with their heads down.

It was as if there was a huge conflict, and it had been like this for several days.

Li An inadvertently looked back. Just as she was about to say something, she was interrupted by a huge explosion. The sky and the earth shook in an instant, and thick gray smoke rushed over, covering the hustle and bustle.

It was unclear who had suddenly shouted, “The volcano has erupted!”

A terrifying emotion instantly drowned the entire city. The smell of sulfur in the air grew stronger, and screams were constant, and they were fleeing in a panic.

Ji Yulin held Li An’s hand tightly, and the two of them looked up in the direction of the volcano.

The thick smoke seemed to be a response, and it rolled toward them.