Chapter 56

“Be more diligent. Lately, it’s become increasingly difficult to capture live test subjects. We can’t afford to overlook any possibility.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Xu Wei smiled, patting the male assistant’s shoulder. Beneath her willow-leaf brows were a pair of tender, watery eyes. Whether it was her voice or her appearance, she exuded a warm, gentle, and amiable aura. But the male assistant, having witnessed her methods firsthand, didn’t dare harbor such an illusion. He swallowed nervously and sat down apprehensively, continuing to stare at the monitor.

The massive laboratory was filled with all manner of cutting-edge instruments. After passing through two thick metal doors via iris verification, Xu Wei walked into a fully sealed, vast room.

Behind every pane of reinforced glass was a creature that should not exist on Earth. Some were bizarre, some terrifying. Many lay motionless within their cramped spaces, appearing dead. Only the one in the larger central “cell” was violently active.

It shouldn’t have been human, yet it wasn’t entirely unlike one. Unclothed, its bare skin completely exposed, its powerful body sprouted perhaps eight arms—or were they legs? It resembled a humanoid spider, frantically crawling within the narrow chamber, banging against the walls in a constant “thud thud thud” that echoed eerily in the silent space.

Xu Wei tapped a finger on the glass. The thing inside instantly fell silent, freezing mid-contortion and hanging upside down from the top. After a two-second pause, a human head suddenly popped out from amongst the chaotic limbs. It had no eyelids, and two white eyeballs bulged outwards, staring fixedly through the glass at the person outside.

“You seem unusually agitated today.” Xu Wei leaned closer, pressing up against the glass to meet those bulging eyes.

“Huff… I smell it. Huff… such a familiar scent.”

The monster was completely hairless, its bald scalp clinging tightly to its skull, its cheeks deeply sunken. Its voice was like a tattered bellows, rasping and grating.

Xu Wei’s expression shifted instantly. “Familiar?”

A special kind of sensory connection existed between Mutants. The more powerful a Mutant was, the greater its attraction to others of its kind. As for why this pull existed, they had recently launched an in-depth investigation, but the conclusions were still unclear.

This Gen-2 Variant was the one they’d captured recently in a mall in the city center. Out of all the test subjects, it had retained individual consciousness the longest. Unfortunately, it was now at its absolute limit and hadn’t spoken in a long time. For it to suddenly say something like this… it meant a new Mutant—and a very powerful one—might have already infiltrated this Underground Base.

“Wen… Wen…”

It began growing manic again, the hoarse syllables from its mouth becoming unintelligible.

Xu Wei pinched the bridge of her nose, pondering as she stepped back half a pace.

The metal door opened from the outside. The arrival gestured for her attention and stood at the entrance to report: “Doctor, the renegade researcher has been captured.”

Xu Wei’s motions halted. She raised an eyebrow. “Finally found her after all this time? Where was she discovered?”

“In a Level 3 Laboratory on Lake Heart Island.”

“Hmph. She certainly knows how to pick a hiding spot.” Xu Wei gave a half-smile and asked, “And Sample Zero?”

“It wasn’t found on her… And… she’s been infected. Her body has undergone significant changes. We lost a lot of soldiers capturing her.”

“…”

The corner of Xu Wei’s mouth sank, the warmth in her eyes instantly dropping to freezing point.

“Where is she now.”

“Controlled within the Research Institute.”

“Keep a close guard on her. I will deal with her personally.”

After glancing at the unusually agitated Mutant behind the glass, Xu Wei changed the subject. “I haven’t been up top in a few days. How’s the situation?”

“Everything is currently normal. Five more sets of Powered Armor were delivered by transport planes today. No unusual activity from Colonel Qin’s side. Also… the facilities on Lake Heart Island are basically fully installed. The connection is in place. The Golden Cicada Plan can be initiated at any time.”

“Any new developments in the Vine investigation?”

“None. However, activity from the Central Base has become more frequent recently.”

Xu Wei pondered for a moment, then tilted her head to look at the restless monster in the glass next to her. “Got it. Get ready. Tomorrow I need to make a trip to Lake Heart Island. Also, call Xiao Ming in for me.”

The male assistant was summoned. Not daring to look at the horrifying monsters behind the glass panes, he stood trembling near the doorway. “You called for me, Doctor?”

Xu Wei made an affirmative sound and pointed with a finger. “From today onwards, you will stay right here and keep watch. Your task is to record its every single movement. Occasionally, when it’s lucid, it may still speak in human tongue.”

“Huh?” The male assistant stole a glance at the monster inside, immediately recoiled and averted his face, his complexion turning ghostly pale. “But… but it’s…”

Seeing his pathetic, cowardly demeanor, Xu Wei said, “You were transferred to the Underground Base before The Great Leak Incident, weren’t you?”

The male assistant nodded.

Xu Wei smiled. “It seems it’s necessary to throw you onto the surface to experience the real world for once.”

…

It was only the next day that Su Xing learned the uniform they had changed into also hid secrets. The young professor, after a night’s sleep, never woke up. The next day, she inexplicably developed a high fever, her whole body burning hot. Then the clothing changed. Soon, a group of fully armed personnel rushed in and carried her away.

“It’s probably some kind of micro-nano robotic device implanted to monitor human biometric data,” Wen Ruyao said, sitting at the table, her expression calm.

But after hearing this, Su Xing couldn’t remain as composed as her. Omnipresent surveillance was one thing, but tampering with the very clothes on their backs? This treatment—being treated as less than human—was something she found utterly unacceptable. A surge of disgust bubbled up inside her, threatening to explode. She fiercely yanked at her collar twice, taking a deep breath before she could calm herself down.

“What are you thinking?” She stood up, sat across from Wen Ruyao, and couldn’t help but blurt out the question at the sight of her unruffled demeanor.

They were walking on a razor’s edge right now. They could be discovered at any second.

Wen Ruyao unhurriedly opened the two meal boxes on the table, neatly arranged the utensils, and pushed one towards Su Xing. “One more day.”

Just hold out one more day, and the observation period would be over. Then Wen Ruyao could meet this childhood-friend-turned-Miss-Qin. That person should be able to guarantee her life’s safety.

Though, that being said, the person Colonel Qin was looking for probably didn’t include her, Su Xing.

Footsteps approached.

Theoretically, Su Xing shouldn’t have been able to hear any commotion outside. It was thanks to that fallen strand of mycelium in the corridor. Now, she could hear whenever anyone passed by. These footsteps sounded somewhat chaotic—

“Dr. Xu, this area is the observation wing. These are all survivors who passed the initial screening and were brought in. As expected, they’re all normal.”

“Yes, I know. May I not just come and take a look?”

“Everything is normal here, you…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t repeat the behavior that was explicitly forbidden by the higher-ups. This time, I really am just passing by and wanted to see.”

“Then, what exactly are you looking for?”

“Didn’t someone just present abnormal physical reactions? Naturally, I want to observe the two roommates who’ve had close contact with her.”

“It really wasn’t necessary to trouble you to come personally… Ah, Dr. Xu—”

The frequency of the high heels hitting the floor abruptly quickened. Soon, a woman, surrounded by a small entourage, stood in front of the transparent door of Su Xing and Wen Ruyao’s observation room.

The woman wasn’t particularly tall, slender and graceful, with long hair cascading over her shoulders. Her narrowed, almond-shaped eyes carried a faint smile. She had a gentle, warm disposition, exuding an aura that felt like a spring breeze.

Locked inside, Su Xing felt a surge of discomfort at being stared at like a zoo exhibit by the group that had suddenly appeared. Meeting the woman’s gaze for a couple of seconds, she felt the name “Dr. Xu” sounded vaguely familiar. She might have heard it mentioned by Shan Mingxin, who’d described her as a terrifying woman. But it probably wasn’t the same person; the woman before her didn’t seem to match that description.

Xu Wei took a tablet computer from the person next to her. The screen displayed information on both of them. “Su Xing… Wen Ruyao… Wen…”

She paused, her gaze on Wen Ruyao undergoing an almost imperceptible shift.

“Dr. Xu, we’re not allowed to stay here too long without permission. Do you see anything abnormal about them?”

Xu Wei blinked, a flicker of displeasure at the garrulous voice beside her. She murmured a low sigh, “They are being watched very tightly,” then gave Wen Ruyao and Su Xing one last deep look, turned around, handed the tablet back to her subordinate, and left with the group.

The crowd came and went, just giving them a look, literally. The two people on the other side of the transparent door could only passively accept the inspection like objects, with no right of choice whatsoever.

Thus, they endured another day. Finally, the observation period was over.

“Su Xing, you may leave.”

The people being held on both sides of this corridor were gradually released and led outward. They were no exception. A special wristband emitting a faint light was fastened onto Su Xing’s wrist. The armed man demanded she leave immediately, but this did not include Wen Ruyao.

“Wait! What about her?” Su Xing asked anxiously.

The man coldly pushed her towards the exit. “Only your name is on the list.”

“But we came in together! The observation period was the same, so we should be leaving together, right?” Su Xing stubbornly refused to move, planting her feet.

Seeing her obvious resistance, the man instantly shifted the muzzle pressed against her back towards the back of her head.

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Wen Ruyao gave Su Xing’s shoulder a reassuring pat and said to the man in a gentle voice, “Apologies. This is just so sudden. Could you give us half a minute to say goodbye?”

The man looked at her expressionlessly, then turned and walked to the doorway to wait.

“Su Xing, don’t panic yet. Can you control your mycelium to leave me some now? That way, I’ll be able to sense you.”

Sensing Wen Ruyao’s intention, Su Xing immediately understood. She reached out and took Wen Ruyao’s left hand, attempting to do as asked. A sting in her palm—a few strands of the harmless mycelium were pinched off by Wen Ruyao and tucked into her own hand.

“There’s no time. Go, quickly.”

Just as they finished, before they could exchange many more words, the man was already between them, urging them apart and leading Su Xing out.

The turn of events was so abrupt. When she was standing in the crowded elevator, swept along by the flow of people, Su Xing finally realized that she and Wen Ruyao were truly separated. She felt a little lost for a moment. Ever since the apocalypse erupted, it seemed they had always been together, never parted for an instant. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about leaving Wen Ruyao before… but now that they were actually apart, a strange feeling filled her heart. An indescribable ache.

The elevator rose to the surface. When the doors opened, dazzling sunlight abruptly streamed in, making Su Xing shield her eyes with her hand.

Outside was a vast, open flatland. Several enormous transport planes were parked on the open ground not far away. They were divided into several squads, standing on the tarmac near the planes.

“Mister, where are we being sent?” Su Xing glanced around and quietly asked the middle-aged man standing in front of her.

“Who are you calling ‘mister’? Call me ‘big bro’!” The middle-aged man glanced at her, then grinned happily. “I heard we’re being transferred to a base that’s safer and has more resources! The food there is better, and the living quarters are bigger! Ah, no more living in constant fear from now on. It’s wonderful…”

Hearing his sigh, the others in the squad began murmuring amongst themselves. Some wiped away silent tears; some even broke down sobbing with joy.

Su Xing watched them but didn’t feel nearly as elated. She had fought tooth and nail to get here precisely to find a safe place to survive. But looking at the crowd around her—all wearing the same clothes, the same wristbands on their wrists—she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was a prisoner, and the place they were being sent to would be a prison.

More importantly… if she just left like this, what about Wen Ruyao? Everyone from that floor of observation rooms had been cleared out. It couldn’t be that Wen Ruyao would be in the next batch of transfers. Which meant Wen Ruyao wouldn’t be going to the same place as her.

The rear hatch of the transport plane slowly lowered. The people in the clearing were being organized to board. A subconscious anxiety and restlessness began to stir within Su Xing.

“You seem to miss me very much. I’m not sensing that wrong, am I…?”

A cool, clear voice suddenly resounded in the bottom of her heart. Su Xing froze. Her entire body stiffened instantly on the spot.

“Sorry. I just wanted to test if this works over a longer distance. I wasn’t intentionally prying. And… I don’t want to be separated from you either.”

“Because I need you.”