“I want to pick them myself. I want capable people to protect me.” Lin Juan acted like a coward desperate to survive.
Mr. Qiao sneered inwardly at the display but, needing him for now, feigned concern. “Of course. I’ll select the best candidates—you choose the final ones.”
Sheng Tianzong and the other ability users soon learned of this.
Following close on its heels was news of Lin Juan’s close call with disaster.
Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen’s strength was evident, so they entered the candidate list without surprise.
Mr. Qiao personally brought the selected people to the ward.
Lin Juan pretended to be troubled and took a while to choose Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen.
The purpose of his little act was to transfer these two to his side.
They had already explored most of the laboratory, and keeping Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen close made actions more convenient.
Once Mr. Qiao left and they avoided the surveillance, Su Xingchen voiced the question that had worried him for a long time.
“I heard you got into trouble. What happened?”
Lin Juan recounted the events in Experiment Zone 5. “I suspect they changed their plans because of that eyeball.”
They still had no idea what the experimental subjects in this place were truly for.
“The original plan is shelved now. Perfect timing for us to see exactly what Mr. Qiao did to Fan Xiwen back then.”
Out of compensation and experimental needs, under Mr. Qiao’s instructions, Lin Juan’s status in the laboratory skyrocketed.
Many research projects were no longer kept secret from him. Of course, his main responsibility remained the study of Experimental Subject B-023.
Yes, he was no longer just a recorder—he had become the primary researcher for Experimental Subject B-023.
Lin Juan saw that eyeball again three days later. The researchers delivered it to him, fully restored but two sizes smaller.
The eyeball was housed in a separate containment box. Upon seeing Lin Juan, it lunged at the wall of the box. Without the containment box blocking it, Lin Juan felt it would have pounced right onto him.
The researcher joked, “Looks like it really likes you. It’s yours now—take good care of it.”
“I will,” Lin Juan took the containment box. “After all, it saved my life.”
“Yeah,” the researcher, who had heard about the incident, showed envy. “When will the experimental subject I’m raising become this human-like?”
“By the way, this eyeball is special. The higher-ups want it kept separate for now. Of course, you still need to care for the other eyeballs carefully. What if a few more turn protective?”
Lin Juan looked down at the eyeball in the containment box.
The containment box was about the size of a hamster cage. Even shrunk to just bigger than a fist, the eyeball still took up considerable space inside. At that moment, it pressed tightly against the wall of the containment box, right against the spot where Lin Juan’s hand touched—as if on purpose.
Lin Juan placed the containment box on his workstation.
Lu Yanzhou felt like he was dreaming.
After turning into an eyeball, he initially thought he had fully mutated from consuming one. Then he saw Lin Juan.
The self-awareness buried deep by this body resurfaced. He remembered his identity and that he was searching for the missing Lin Juan.
But why was Lin Juan here?
Looking at the surroundings, it was clearly a laboratory.
He was trapped in a transparent box, likely an experimental subject, while Lin Juan—dressed in a white coat like a researcher—was the one studying him.
Lu Yanzhou was stuck in the transparent box, unable to do anything but watch Lin Juan through the walls.
He didn’t know the current situation. Why had the missing Lin Juan appeared here, referred to as “Little Lin” or “Recorder Lin,” as if he had always lived here?
It was impossible to achieve that in just three short days.
Connecting it to his blackout at the hotel, Lu Yanzhou concluded this was a dream.
Lin Juan appearing in his dreams was no surprise. Countless midnight dreams featured Lin Juan.
He would wake up to find Lin Juan lying beside him.
If only, when he woke up this time, Lin Juan lay beside him too.
Lu Yanzhou’s gaze followed Lin Juan. He pressed tightly against the transparent box wall, ignoring the other eyeballs’ slaughter and the food delivered by the mechanical arm.
A half-dead mermaid.
Lu Yanzhou knew that was their food.
But he didn’t want to eat. He was full.
He didn’t dwell on why he felt so full, just kept staring at Lin Juan, observing his every move.
The youth in the white coat, with his hair neatly tied back, felt completely different from the usual image.
In front of him, Lin Juan was casual, doing whatever felt comfortable. But in this strange place, Lin Juan was cautious, every action confined within rigid boundaries.
Lu Yanzhou wanted to shatter those boundaries.
He wanted to get out. He wanted to get close to Lin Juan.
He never expected that day to come so soon.
The always-sealed containment box was opened with several vents. The half-sated eyeball caught the scent of a human and surged out impatiently, toward Lin Juan.
In that moment, seeing the youth fall to the ground surrounded by eyeballs, Lu Yanzhou’s mind went blank.
He didn’t think. When he snapped back, he was already in front of the youth, slamming aside one eyeball after another.
Exhausted and in agony, he felt nothing, bouncing back up repeatedly, using his small body to block the eyeballs lunging at Lin Juan time and again.
He might not hold out much longer.
His strength depleted. He felt his body cracking with countless fissures. The pain peaked into numbness. He glanced back at Lin Juan one last time and charged without hesitation at an eyeball much larger than himself.
A pungent smell hit, and Lu Yanzhou lost consciousness instantly.
When he awoke again, he instinctively absorbed the surrounding fluids, his body gradually filling out. The aftereffects of immense pain left him dazed and groggy; he couldn’t hear the outside voices clearly and moved sluggishly.
Something poked him, and he shifted with the force.
“Its activity has dropped a lot.”
“It was nearly scrapped when it arrived. If not for Mr. Qiao’s orders to save it at any cost, it would be in the feed pile by now.”
“At least it’s alive. I hear this thing is protective. Really don’t want to send it back.”
“Don’t go against Mr. Qiao. Hurry and deliver it.”
“Got it, got it.”
Lu Yanzhou finally saw Lin Juan again.
He instinctively drew close to the man, uncaring of the outside chatter, pressing tightly against the youth’s hand through the containment box wall.
The previous events impacted him deeply. His consciousness wavered, and his memories as Lu Yanzhou faded bit by bit. He began to act like a proper experimental subject, losing the ability to think, spending his days staring blankly at Lin Juan—or rather, staring at Lin Juan.
Mr. Qiao wouldn’t put all his eggs in one basket. He separated some eyeballs and assigned other researchers to replicate one-to-one what Lin Juan had done in Experiment Zone 5, attempting to create a second experimental subject that would actively protect humans.
Without exception, all attempts failed.
“Where exactly is the problem?” Mr. Qiao sat at the head, frowning as he asked.
The researchers below sat in silence. They had no clue either.
After a bout of quiet, someone suggested, “How about letting us study No. 1?”
They had coveted this special experimental subject for a long time.
No. 1 was the eyeball in Lin Juan’s possession—the one Mr. Qiao pinned great hopes on for advancement.
After some thought, Mr. Qiao nodded. “Very well.”
Two researchers arrived at Lin Juan’s lab area and stated their purpose.
Lin Juan looked at the eyeball on his workstation and tapped his pen tip. “This experimental subject is very special. It’s only just regained some vitality under my care. If something happens after you take it, I won’t take responsibility.”
The two researchers exchanged a glance and frowned. “This is Mr. Qiao’s arrangement.”
“I know.” Lin Juan was well aware these two had wanted to study No. 1 for ages. Logically, it was just one experimental subject—handing it over should be fine. But for some reason, he didn’t want to let them have their way.
The way they looked at No. 1 made him uncomfortable.
“But I must remind you: No. 1 is doing well here with me. If you damage it after taking it, can you replace it with an identical one?”
“This is the result of my nurturing. You don’t think you can just damage it without consequences, do you?”
The two researchers had never considered this and were stumped.
“I know experimental losses are normal, but No. 1’s situation is unique. Even I don’t dare make big moves on it. After all, Experiment Zone 5 researched for so many years and only produced one No. 1. Do I need to remind you how precious it is?”
The two researchers returned empty-handed.
They did want to study No. 1, but they couldn’t bear the cost of damaging it.
Not just Mr. Qiao—the higher-ups, upon learning of No. 1’s situation, valued it highly too. If something went wrong at this point, Lin Juan would be fine, but they wouldn’t.
After sending off the two with sour faces, Lin Juan returned to his workstation and tapped the transparent containment box with his pen tip.
The eyeball inside slowly shifted over.
Lin Juan wasn’t sure if this eyeball was a mutation from his appearance or something that had happened in the original timeline. Clearly, he could feel it was different from the others.
The entire Experiment Zone 5 was under surveillance. To avoid suspicion, Lin Juan rarely chatted with Sheng Tianzong or Su Xingchen here. Any few exchanges were strictly business.
With his role changed, Lin Juan not only recorded data for Experimental Subject B-023 but also conducted related experiments.
Fortunately, his main focus was No. 1, and Mr. Qiao valued it highly, so no overly bloody experiments were required.
No. 1 loved experiment time best. That was when Lin Juan would take it out, allowing it to briefly touch the youth’s hand through thin gloves.
It craved the youth’s touch.
For that, it could defy all its instincts.
Items from the lab couldn’t be taken out, so Lin Juan returned No. 1 to the containment box. With its injuries not fully healed, it remained in separate containment. Occasionally, Lin Juan tossed in a few small eyeballs for it to eat.
No. 1 didn’t like moving. Its favorite thing was to huddle against the containment box and watch Lin Juan work.
When Lin Juan recorded data on the other eyeballs and got too focused, No. 1 would bump the containment box until Lin Juan looked over.
Later, Lin Juan simply found a containment box just big enough for No. 1 and worked while holding the small box.
No. 1 stopped fussing.
Su Xingchen and Sheng Tianzong watched in amazement, clicking their tongues.
In private, they asked Lin Juan, “Is this really okay?”
“What?” Lin Juan tidied the files on his desk. For protection, Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen lived next door.
The dorm was the only place without surveillance—the best spot for private talks.
“Isn’t No. 1 a bit too clingy?” Su Xingchen asked. “Like a puppy with separation anxiety.”
Was it?
Lin Juan pondered. It did seem so.
Recalling the moment before closing the door, he had glimpsed the eyeball in the containment box staring unblinkingly at him through the gap.
It always wanted to be right next to him. When taken out of the containment box, it clung to his hand like glue.
Lin Juan changed out of his work clothes. Sensing something, he picked up his coat and shook it.
Out fell an eyeball.
Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen went on high alert.
When had it escaped?
Lin Juan picked up the eyeball and examined it. “Broke out?”
