Her colleague’s words made Zhao Shuqing shoot to her feet in an instant. Her eyes widened as she asked, “Are you serious? Did the experiment really succeed?”
“I overheard it yesterday when I went downstairs. I don’t have all the details…”
Before her colleague could finish, Zhao Shuqing pushed through the crowd and hurried toward the Genome Group. The others exchanged glances and followed her. They all wanted to know if the experiment had truly succeeded.
The Mermaid Dual-Female Plan—a cross-species combination—had it really worked?
Taking advantage of their break time, the group trailed after Zhao Shuqing to the laboratory across the way. Group Leader Liu was directing the operators to log the experiment data when a sudden influx of people startled her.
“What is it?” Group Leader Liu spotted Zhao Shuqing and asked in confusion, “Zhao Shuqing? What are you doing here?”
“Group Leader Liu.” Zhao Shuqing stopped in front of her and asked earnestly, “Did the Double Female Experiment with the mermaid really succeed?”
Group Leader Liu looked surprised. “How did you find out?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she’d let it slip. This was supposed to be confidential. Zhao Shuqing wasn’t part of the Genome Group or the Marine Group, so she shouldn’t have been told about the results.
But the cat was out of the bag. Considering that Zhao Shuqing was Lin Feng’s researcher and the supplier of human genes—and that she had a close relationship with Xu Tang—Group Leader Liu paused for a moment before nodding. “Yes, it succeeded. Yesterday’s experiment produced an egg that successfully fused and began dividing. We’re on the first day of observation now.”
Zhao Shuqing’s eyes lit up. The people behind her were thrilled too, chattering excitedly.
“It really worked?”
“It looks like mermaids and humans have a lot in common. No rejection at all.”
“This is great! Does it mean humans might one day live up to five hundred years too?”
Group Leader Liu heard their chatter and said seriously to the group, “Everyone, don’t celebrate too soon.” She scanned the room and continued, “The egg has started dividing, but this is just the beginning. No one can guarantee it’ll grow normally or even survive.”
Zhao Shuqing remembered Gu Yao once telling her that genetic issues could prevent survival even after fusion. It might divide to a certain point and then stop, leading to death.
“Group Leader Liu.” Zhao Shuqing asked her, “The experiment has succeeded at this stage. Does that mean our part is over?”
The Mermaid Dual-Female Plan had always been about fusing genes from both sides. Any follow-up experiments would be a separate matter for discussion.
But Group Leader Liu’s expression suggested otherwise.
“The experiment might continue,” Group Leader Liu said, looking at Zhao Shuqing. “The genes have fused, but we can’t guarantee successful implantation or growth. So the experiment needs to go on.”
“It has to… continue?” Zhao Shuqing frowned. “How? This phase should be wrapped up. What more do you plan to do?”
Everyone turned their gazes to Group Leader Liu, sharing Zhao Shuqing’s confusion.
“The next step is the Marine Group’s experiment,” Group Leader Liu explained. “According to the plan, they’ll conduct a Live Body Experiment.”
A Live Body Experiment?
Did that mean using Lin Feng as the subject?
No wonder the setup was so odd. The Marine Group had been established separately, yet all the real work was done by the Genome Group. Zhao Shuqing had even wondered if the Marine Group staff just lounged around all day for their high salaries.
So the true experiment was only just beginning.
“Is your plan to have the mermaid incubate this egg?” Zhao Shuqing asked coldly. “To see if it can be successfully birthed?”
Group Leader Liu met her gaze silently, neither confirming nor denying it.
Zhao Shuqing was furious. She demanded loudly, “What do you take Lin Feng for? A Live Body Experiment—who came up with this?”
Startled by her tone, Group Leader Liu took a step back, frowning as she said, “Zhao Shuqing, calm down. I know you’re close to the mermaid, but you have to admit: from the day she was fished up, she’s been part of a research project. She’s an experimental subject herself.”
“No, she’s not!” Zhao Shuqing insisted. “She’s never been just an experimental subject.”
At first, Zhao Shuqing had indeed treated Lin Feng as a standard research subject. But after spending so much time together, she’d long since changed her mind.
Yet facts proved her change of heart wasn’t enough. Plenty of people still saw Lin Feng as nothing more than a larger-than-average fish.
“Shuqing, don’t get worked up,” one of her colleagues advised from behind. “Mermaids are so rare. If she can produce offspring, isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yeah, and this plan is just to see if the egg develops properly. It doesn’t have to be birthed by Lin Feng.”
“Besides, even if Lin Feng looks human, she’s not human.”
Zhao Shuqing turned around and gave her colleagues a resentful look. She realized they could never understand her feelings because they’d never treated Lin Feng as a person.
“…No matter what, you can’t touch Lin Feng,” Zhao Shuqing said darkly to everyone present. “And don’t even think about running any Live Body Experiments on her.”
With that, she stormed out of the laboratory without looking back, leaving the group exchanging uneasy glances.
On the way home, Zhao Shuqing’s mind replayed Group Leader Liu’s words over and over. She was furious, but she knew anger alone wouldn’t solve anything. This experiment was unfolding just as she’d feared from the start.
Its success marked only the beginning of the plan.
Zhao Shuqing resolved that if Xu Tang and the others insisted on using Lin Feng for a Live Body Experiment, she’d take Lin Feng and leave.
Anywhere would do—even back to the ocean. Just not into the hands of these people.
Zhao Shuqing hurried home. She wanted to pack a few essentials and stash them in the car, so if an emergency arose, she could whisk Lin Feng away immediately.
When Zhao Shuqing reached her front door and was about to unlock it, she heard light laughter from inside. It sounded like more than one person.
Zhao Shuqing frowned. Who would come to her place at this hour?
She pushed the door open and saw Gu Yao and Lin Feng sitting on the bed, folding clothes. Lin Feng was mimicking Gu Yao’s motions as she folded a shirt. Gu Yao looked up, spotted Zhao Shuqing in the doorway, and waved. “You’re back!”
Zhao Shuqing stepped inside. She glanced at the clothes strewn over the table, chairs, and bed, plus her now-empty wardrobe, and asked in bewilderment, “What are you two doing?”
Lin Feng kept her head down, focusing on the rumpled shirt in front of her. Gu Yao placed the neatly folded clothes in the wardrobe and turned to Zhao Shuqing. “Your room was a mess, so we tidied it up.”
Zhao Shuqing: “?”
Seeing her return, Gu Yao said to Lin Feng, “I’ll head out then. Pumpkin’s still shut in the bathroom. I’ll come by again tonight.”
Lin Feng nodded, giving Gu Yao a meaningful look to remind her of their earlier promise.
Gu Yao waved at her, then said to Zhao Shuqing, “I’m off.”
Zhao Shuqing eyed Lin Feng on the bed suspiciously. After a moment’s thought, she chased after Gu Yao into the other room.
“You off today?” Zhao Shuqing asked.
Gu Yao hummed in affirmation. She opened the bathroom door, and Pumpkin darted out, scampering to the balcony to look around. Not finding Lin Feng, it seemed a bit sulky.
“I was scooping its litter earlier when Lin Feng was bathing next door. It got spooked,” Gu Yao explained. She drew the curtains halfway across the balcony before turning to Zhao Shuqing. “Did you go see Xu Tang?”
Zhao Shuqing blinked. “Why would I see her?”
Gu Yao looked puzzled. “Didn’t you go to the laboratory?”
“Just because I went to the lab means I have to see her? Can’t I visit someone else?” Zhao Shuqing watched Pumpkin slinking around the room in search of Lin Feng. She scooped the cat into her arms. Pumpkin glanced back at her, meowed reluctantly, but settled down.
Zhao Shuqing stared at Pumpkin’s sleek, shiny head and felt a pang of guilt.
“Poor Pumpkin hasn’t had an easy life with me. It can’t even live with me now—I have to leave it in your care.”
Gu Yao raised an eyebrow and pointed at herself. “I’m the one scooping litter and feeding it. Don’t you think I’m the one suffering?”
Zhao Shuqing laughed. “You’re suffering too.”
Gu Yao huffed, accepting the apology. She sat down and asked, “So what did you go to the lab for today? Leaving Lin Feng alone at home—what if something happened to her?”
Zhao Shuqing lowered her eyes, lost in thought for a moment before saying, “Gu Yao, can I ask you a favor?”
Gu Yao looked up. “What is it?”
“If…” Zhao Shuqing hesitated. “If one day I have to leave this place, will you take good care of my cat for me?”
Gu Yao stared at her silently. Pumpkin lifted its head too, gazing at the young woman holding it, and let out a small meow.
“Why say that?” Gu Yao asked. “Did something happen?”
“Something did, but I can’t talk about it yet.” Zhao Shuqing sighed deeply, planting another kiss on the Little Fatty in her arms. She looked up at Gu Yao. “If that day comes, don’t let it end up as a stray.”
Gu Yao could see her seriousness and nodded. “I’ll take good care of it.”
Zhao Shuqing gave a few more instructions. Gu Yao listened attentively without prying, though her eyes held a trace of worry and reluctance as she watched Zhao Shuqing.
At that moment, in the next room separated by just a wall, Lin Feng sat on the bed. She placed the shirt she’d folded herself on her lap and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles with her hands.
Zhao Shuqing rarely wore shirts outside formal occasions, usually sticking to the blue-and-white uniform from the Research Institute. This one had barely been worn, its creases fresh and crisp.
The door clicked open. Lin Feng looked up immediately and saw Zhao Shuqing standing there. Their eyes met, and Zhao Shuqing smiled softly. “I’m back.”
Lin Feng set the clothes aside and slid off the bed, rushing toward her—but she stopped a few steps away.
“Cat.”
Lin Feng gave her a reproachful look.
I really get not liking them treating Lin Feng as a test subject (we have ethics boards for all live test subjects for a reason!) but having her carry seemed like the obvious endpoint of the project