Chapter 44 Part 2

“Little Lin, wait here for me.”

Without letting Lin Juan follow, Mr. Qiao approached alone.

Lin Juan heard him asking for directions. He watched as Mr. Qiao followed behind Fan Xiwen. After a few steps, Fan Xiwen’s body went limp and she collapsed backward—right into his arms.

Mr. Qiao carried Fan Xiwen to the pre-selected spot.

“Give me No. 1.”

Lin Juan handed over the large containment box.

Mr. Qiao took it, sized up No. 1’s body, and fell silent.

It was so big—impossible to easily implant from any angle.

He looked up at Lin Juan, who met his gaze innocently.

Why had No. 1 grown so large? Lin Juan didn’t know either.

Probably because it ate so much.

By now, Lin Juan also understood that in the real timeline’s past, Mr. Qiao had similarly brought out an eyeball and implanted it into Fan Xiwen’s body. He waited for the eyeball to fully develop, then disguised himself as a doctor and secretly extracted the eyeball from Fan Xiwen’s abdomen.

The two returned empty-handed.

Back at the lab, Lin Juan couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “Does that girl have anything special about her? Why did Mr. Qiao choose her?”

What Lin Juan was even more curious about was why Mr. Qiao hadn’t brought Fan Xiwen into the lab but had instead let her roam free outside.

This went against their principle of monitoring experimental subjects around the clock.

“There is a special substance in her body that can catalyze the evolution of B-023.” Mr. Qiao didn’t specify what the substance was.

Lin Juan didn’t press further.

“A special substance? Could Fan Xiwen be a latent ability user?” Sheng Tianzong pondered after hearing Lin Juan’s account.

Lin Juan: “How so?”

Sheng Tianzong: “We ability users have an extra antibody in our bodies compared to ordinary people. No one knows exactly what this antibody is at this stage, but its presence makes us more resistant to pollution than ordinary people.”

It was the first time Lin Juan had heard this. “Doesn’t that mean we could detect someone’s potential to become an ability user by testing for this antibody?”

Sheng Tianzong shook his head. “It can only be detected in the bodies of ability users. Before someone becomes one, it can’t be detected. I’m not entirely clear on the details—the higher-ups stopped the research. Aside from our first batch of ability users, those who became ability users later probably don’t even know about this.”

Lin Juan had only asked casually. Hearing Sheng Tianzong’s explanation, he steered the conversation back. “If everything here is a reenactment of the past events, then it won’t be long before the evolved form of B-203 appears.”

Lin Juan’s guess was correct.

No. 1’s existence had replaced the evolved form from the past timeline. In the second month after its return from outside, it began shedding hair.

After the routine cleaning of No. 1’s body, Lin Juan stared at the fur on the brush, lost in thought.

Shedding could be minor or major. Lin Juan discussed it with Chu Jifan.

Thanks to No. 1, Lin Juan and Chu Jifan’s contact grew increasingly close. With more exchanges, Lin Juan learned more about Chu Jifan, and likewise, she developed more trust in him.

After finishing the checkup on No. 1’s body, Chu Jifan said, “It’s a normal phenomenon. Little Lin, I probably won’t be able to hide No. 1’s evolution much longer.”

To conceal No. 1’s ongoing evolution, Chu Jifan altered some data during every checkup. But No. 1’s changes were becoming too obvious to hide with just a few tweaks.

Lin Juan had no intention of hiding it forever either. “Being able to keep it under wraps until now is already something I’m very grateful for, Sister Chu.”

Even if Chu Jifan hadn’t said anything, Lin Juan had no plans to keep concealing it indefinitely.

He needed to keep the initiative in his own hands.

“Little Lin,” Chu Jifan suddenly called out to Lin Juan before leaving. “I’d like to ask you for a favor.”

“Sister Chu, just say the word. I’ll help however I can.”

Chu Jifan was out of options. Though she seemed to hold a high position in the lab, she was actually marginalized because she hadn’t handled any projects. Her ability to act was limited.

“I have a younger sister, the child my foster mother had later on. I heard she’s on the list of experimental assistants this time. Little Lin, I’d like you to help me remove her from the list.”

Experimental assistants—despite the name, once they entered the lab, they were no different from the other experimental subjects.

The researchers wouldn’t disclose the true experimental projects to them, nor would they let them know that their chances of surviving the experiments were slim at best, and more often than not, they vanished from the world forever.

When Chu Jifan saw the list, she thought she’d misread it. She hadn’t heard from her family in a very long time and never imagined she’d see her sister’s name under these circumstances.

She didn’t trust anyone in the lab except Lin Juan. She was willing to give him a shot.

After accompanying Mr. Qiao outside once, Mr. Qiao seemed to recognize him as one of their own and shared some experimental projects with him, big and small.

Lin Juan learned they had recruited a batch of new assistants from outside.

When he got the list, instead of sending the person away as Chu Jifan requested, he assigned her to be his own assistant.

Who knew if the lab staff would actually let them go.

For safety’s sake, keeping her by his side was better.

At the most unexpected moment, Lin Juan announced No. 1’s evolution.

The entire lab erupted.

Mr. Qiao’s emotions were particularly complicated.

He had researched for so long, yet Lin Juan had achieved results in just a few short months.

“I want to speed things up,” Lin Juan said to Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen. “If our speculation is correct, the lab’s destruction is still years away. That’s too long—I can’t wait that much longer.”

After learning that Chu Jifan’s sister had been selected for this place, Lin Juan pieced together from various clues that in the real past without his involvement, Chu Jifan’s sister had likely become an experimental subject. Chu Jifan would surely do something to save her sister.

Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen supported Lin Juan’s decision without question.

Once news of No. 1’s evolution spread, Lin Juan drew the attention of the entire lab. Some researchers wanted to seize control of No. 1’s experiment, but No. 1 didn’t cooperate. After its evolution, its power surged, and it could subtly influence people’s wills. After the third researcher nearly committed suicide under its influence, Mr. Qiao issued an order: no one except Lin Juan was allowed to pursue No. 1 anymore.

Lin Juan patted No. 1’s head. Good job.

He knew that announcing No. 1’s evolution would bring them danger.

From both inside the lab and from the unknown manipulator.

That day came sooner than Lin Juan expected.

The giant cross was transported in from outside. Lin Juan held No. 1’s containment box as he stood on the high building, overlooking the crowd below bustling around the cross.

How familiar that cross was.

Lin Juan’s hypothesis was verified once again.

A weird aura emanated from the cross, from inside out. Lin Juan saw the entire lab twist for an instant.

The lab members noticed nothing and fanatically crowded around the cross, unaware of the horrific changes occurring on their own bodies.

This was exactly what Lin Juan wanted—the real cross to appear.

No. 1 twisted restlessly in his arms, wanting to pounce toward the cross but holding back for some reason, not approaching.

Lin Juan glanced down at it.

No. 1’s self-control was much better than last time.

The crowd pushed the cross forward. This seemingly holy cross was pieced together from different bones, with bone spikes protruding and piercing into nearby people. Their blood was absorbed by the cross, making its glow even brighter.

Those who were pierced grew even more fanatical.

Su Xingchen came up the stairs, his face filled with horror. “What is that?”

“The cross I saw in the underground prison. One of the keys to breaking the situation.”

Another person arrived soon after.

Sheng Tianzong had invited Chu Jifan over in Lin Juan’s name.

“Little Lin, why did you call me up here?” She climbed the spiral staircase and caught sight of the giant cross below.

Chu Jifan’s eyes widened, her face twisting in a mix of fear, hatred, desire…

Countless expressions blended together. On her skin, small bumps rose, and pitch-black eyeballs drilled out from them, covering her entire body.

In an instant, a normal human turned into a complete monster.

As if sensing something, the cross let out a hum. Giant chains extended from it, precisely binding the eyeball-covered Chu Jifan.

Lin Juan quickly shoved the containment box into Su Xingchen’s arms, stepped forward, grabbed the chain, and yanked hard.

The chain snapped in his hand.

The giant cross shook even more violently. The lab couldn’t bear the strain; cracks appeared in the walls and ceiling.

The eyeball-covered Chu Jifan lunged at Lin Juan. He countered and restrained her. Where he touched her, Lin Juan felt the eyeballs under his palm desperately trying to burrow into his body.

Lin Juan applied a bit of force, and the eyeballs shattered into pulp in his hand.

No. 1 in the containment box grew even more agitated.

“No. 1!”

Hearing Sheng Tianzong’s shout, Lin Juan looked up. No. 1 broke out of the containment box, a pair of massive wings sprouting from its back as it flew forward.

Those wings were also covered in eyeballs.

It looked just like the angels described in the Bible.

“It’s the Angel’s Eye!”

Fanatical shouts came from below. Lin Juan grabbed the eyeball-covered woman and leaped down from the fifth floor.

“Bind him to the cross!” Mr. Qiao shouted.

The frenzied crowd surged toward Lin Juan. Sheng Tianzong and over a dozen ability users guarded him, keeping the crowd at bay.

Lin Juan charged toward the cross.

The closer he got, the stronger the weird aura felt.

Countless chains extended from the cross, attacking Lin Juan.

The winged No. 1 swooped down from the air, smashing through the chains and flying toward Lin Juan, trying to carry him to safety.

Lin Juan dodged the wing swinging toward his face. “Don’t cause trouble.”

No. 1 persisted stubbornly, determined not to let Lin Juan approach the cross.

It sensed an extremely terrifying aura from the cross.

But it couldn’t stop Lin Juan.

Lin Juan was incredibly fast. By the time No. 1 reacted, he was already at the cross.

The eyeball-covered Chu Jifan’s form turned transparent, reappearing fused almost as one with the cross.

Under the holy glow, the eyeballs on her body vanished, replaced by a pure white robe, like a visitor from heaven.

The crazed lab members suddenly halted, ignoring the blocking ability users as they walked dazedly toward the cross.

Bone spikes extended from the cross, piercing their bodies and binding them tightly.

These people seemed oblivious to the pain, closing their eyes with serene smiles.

The cross grew a full circle thicker.

“Mr. Lin!” The ability users didn’t understand the situation.

“Don’t come any closer!”

As soon as he spoke, Lin Juan smashed down with a fist.

“Bang—”

With a massive boom, a hole appeared in the cross.

The cross trembled even more violently, its glow blindingly intense.

Lin Juan could barely keep his eyes open. “Watch out—it’s about to explode!”

“Boom!!!!!!!!”

A huge explosion rang out. Lin Juan’s vision went black for a moment. When his sight, overwhelmed by the intense light, recovered, he saw a pair of black wings enveloping him protectively.

Lu Yanzhou abruptly opened his eyes.

Everything before him was pure white.

A hospital.

No explosion, no long-haired youth at the center of it.

Lu Yanzhou yanked out his IV needle and ran out of the ward, ignoring the doctor’s shouts behind him.

His assistant rushed over upon hearing the news. “President Lu?”

“I need to go out. Give me the car keys.”

With the keys in hand, Lu Yanzhou drove nonstop toward Big Mouth Mountain.

Faster, even faster.

He had to confirm Lin Juan’s safety right now, immediately.

Pushing the car to its limit, he arrived at the Anomalous Affairs Bureau’s camp on Big Mouth Mountain.

Lu Yanzhou got out of the car and spotted at a glance the long-haired youth surrounded by ability users.

In that instant, without thinking, Lu Yanzhou strode forward and pulled the youth into his arms.

He was fine.

That was good.