Chapter 185.2: Before the Apocalypse (2)

◎ (Xie Zhuo) There is no Xie Zhuo in this world anymore ◎Before it was destroyed, Xie Zhuo took a look. Ming, the breeder, was also there, his face pale and his eyes swollen.

The little creature inside the capsule had closed its eyes tightly, resembling an embryo curled up in amniotic fluid, emitting a faint white light due to light reflection.

Xie Zhuo gazed at the lifeless vital signs on the projection, remaining silent.

The red light locked onto the target, and he manipulated the mechanical arm to turn it over, but there was no response.

Hundreds of nutrient ampoules poured down from above, flooding the tiny body, yet there was still no reaction.

“It’s, it’s useless. The primitive cells have already… died.” A choked voice sounded from behind—Ming was on the verge of tears.

Xie Zhuo stared at LAK007 for a long time, then chuckled belatedly. “Spent over 50 million on you, who allowed you to die?”

Young Master Xie had no feelings of pity, only some regret. He enjoyed witnessing death but disliked the feeling of losing control. Calculating the value of the nutrient ampoules he had fed the creature over the past six months, it had long exceeded the worth of the Phoenix gene.

The little creature owed him so much, and this was how it repaid him?

For some reason, Xie Zhuo was getting angrier. A fiery rage flickered in his heart, and the repressed violent tendencies surged through his veins.

“What should be done with the discarded experimental subject?”

“Centralized… destruction,” Ming answered hesitantly.

“Oh, then destroy it,” Xie Zhuo nodded.

Awaiting confirmation from Vincent for the destruction, Xie Zhuo took out his terminal and coldly lowered his gaze:

“Do you confirm the destruction program?”

“Confirmed.”

Thursday, November 7th, 33rd year of the New Calendar, the fixed date for the centralized destruction of LAK0017 arrived. However, due to Xie Lan’s birthday, Vincent and Xie Zhuo returned to Beijun one day earlier. Perhaps fate allowed them to avoid a disaster, as the next day, a shocking nuclear leak occurred in the Loak lab, reducing the entire facility to rubble. Sᴇaʀᴄh the NƟvelFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Upon hearing this tragic news, the entire scientific community sighed in regret, lamenting the years of effort Vincent had poured into the project, only to see it go to waste, postponing human evolution for decades.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Xie Zhuo had already recorded all the data using his “omniscient and omnipotent” ability, and the Fire Seed project could be continued at any time.

However, Vincent did not immediately restart the research. A month after the accident, he seemed heavy-hearted, appearing silent and defeated.

It wasn’t until one day that Vincent received a timed experiment log. Despite the damage to the machinery, this monthly summary report still made its way to him. In this report, Vincent discovered a startling fact.

LAK0017 had actually shown signs of recovery six hours before the nuclear incident!

The gloom of the past month dissipated, and Vincent finally slept soundly. He began to review the relevant data.

Had the central data been lost? No problem, Xie Zhuo had a backup in his head.

He requested the restoration of all records related to LAK0017, exposing the clandestine nutrient feeding sessions conducted by young Master Xie.

“How many nutrient ampoules did you feed in total?” Vincent stared sternly at his son.

“521.” Xie Zhuo handed over a table, detailing when and how much nutrient solution was given, providing a clear account.

Even Vincent, accustomed to the costs of scientific research, was taken aback. Not because of the money, as research always consumed funds, but because he had forgotten how Xie Zhuo, even before turning one year old, could disrupt his experiments. The boy was used to doing as he pleased, capable of anything.

However, why did LAK0017, having absorbed an excessive amount of nutrients, show no abnormalities? No, there was an abnormality—how did it manage to persist until the fourth phase? Vincent considered a possibility, a terrifying one: “It awakened.”

“What?” Xie Zhuo was taken aback.

Vincent carefully examined the changes in the vital signs of LAK0017. “From the time points, every fusion experiment after feeding, its state returned to its peak. It probably awakened the ability to self-heal long ago, but it needed nutrient solution to activate it.”

Xie Zhuo’s unintentional actions had inadvertently served a purpose. If he hadn’t given it so many nutrient ampoules, perhaps LAK0017 would have died in one of the fusion experiments. It was precisely because of its self-healing ability and sufficient nutritional support that LAK0017 survived thousands of fusion experiments and reached the fourth phase.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Xie Zhuo fell into silence for a moment, his eyelashes casting shadows.

“Indeed,” Vincent sighed.

It was impossible to determine whether LAK0017 possessed the self-healing ability. Even if it had truly awakened, the program had been destroyed long ago, erased by the nuclear explosion in Loak, leaving no traces behind.

Xie Zhuo fiddled with the feeding chart, lost in thought.

Vincent patted his shoulder, “This matter, aside from you and me, don’t tell anyone, including your mother.”

The awakening of abilities in the experimental subjects of the Fire Seed project, especially a unique self-healing type like LAK0017, even though it had died, was like Pandora’s box. Once revealed, it would bring catastrophe. The Alliance would be thrown into chaos, and those in the know would find no peace.

Xie Zhuo felt a heavy mood and nodded slowly, “I understand.”

The failure of the Fire Seed project became a lingering burden on Vincent.

A year later, he decided to restart the project, facing strong opposition from Xie Lan. Exhausted from the prolonged effort, Vincent’s health was in jeopardy. While the Fire Seed was closely watching his research progress, Xie Lan cared more about his well-being, going so far as to forcibly halt funding.

They erupted in their first and only cold war, with the relationship between Azure Phoenix and Qinglan reaching an icy point.

However, everything couldn’t come to a halt. The Alliance’s high command suddenly intervened, and Gu Hongye, then head of the Central Court Council, became the new financier. The Fire Seed project was renamed the “Eternal Life Plan,” and the new research facility was built in Baishen. Gu Hongye stated that he would fully support Vincent’s research.

Internally, Qinglan divided into different factions. The idealistic faction, led by Vincent and Ning Rong, aimed to continue the Fire Seed’s cancer research. In contrast, the radical faction, turning to human experimentation, pursued “immortality” more fanatically.

In the end, Xie Lan conceded. Vincent was a stubborn person. Without her, he would undoubtedly follow through with a lifetime devoted to research. Xie Lan was attracted to him because he had a soft heart and couldn’t bring himself to sever his ideals.

She assigned the best doctors and her most trusted guards to accompany Vincent. It served both as protection and a deterrent. She also stopped bringing Xie Zhuo back to Beijun. Despite her busy military duties, she dedicated time every month to be with Vincent in Baishen.

Vincent immersed himself day and night in the laboratory, becoming increasingly elusive.

No matter how many times he replayed it, success with LAK0017 always eluded him by a small margin: the experimental process, the gene fusion sequence, and the quantity of nutrients at each stage were all exactly the same. What was the missing piece?

Though he had been absent for a long time, the daily operations of Qinglan continued.

Vincent was the greatest genius and also the purest madman. He made an astonishing decision: to merge his own genes with Xie Zhuo’s, temporarily overlaying Xie Zhuo’s biological information, and replacing the ROOT (super-administrator) authority within Qinglan.

“Alright, you’re me now,” Vincent breathed a sigh of relief after completing everything.

“I won’t be Vincent,” Xie Zhuo examined himself in the mirror. After the gene fusion, the color of his pupils had noticeably lightened. “If you have to call me something, it should be Zhuang Qingyan.”

“As you wish,” Vincent smiled, the dark circles under his eyes deepening.

Xie Zhuo pressed his lips tightly, turning to gaze at him. “Is it worth it? You’ve sacrificed so much for them, and the people outside won’t appreciate you.”

Vincent calmly shook his head. “I’m not doing it for them, and I don’t need anyone’s gratitude.”

Xie Zhuo could never fully comprehend Vincent’s dedication, but it didn’t stop him from respecting his father.

At the age of sixteen, Xie Zhuo had the highest authority in Qinglan. He monitored laboratories across the region for Vincent, handling all daily tasks. This was a talent he was born with, and Xie Zhuo could even remember the name of each researcher, matching it to every face.

On his last visit to Baishen, it was already late at night, and the lights in Vincent’s office were still on.

“Take a break,” Xie Zhuo walked in without an invitation, a hint of the same firmness as Xie Lan in his eyebrows and eyes.

“…Alright,” Vincent looked up at him, momentarily dazed, before slowly responding.

Xie Zhuo made two cups of Jade Estate coffee. It was Xie Lan’s favorite flavor, but Vincent was not picky about coffee, having previously consumed the cheapest instant coffee.

The father and son, rarely meeting, sat down. Their similar high intelligence made their conversation equal and smooth.

“How is it going?”

“Only two variables are missing: LAK0017’s original cells and the final fusion experiment with the Phoenix gene.”

“But both of these cannot be replicated.”

“Yeah,” Vincent sighed wearily, rubbing his temples. LAK0017 was already dead, Tianyi Organization remained hidden, and the whereabouts of the Phoenix’s original sample were unknown. His research progress was at a standstill.

“I had a dream last night, a dream where LAK0017 didn’t die,” Vincent spoke with a faint smile.

“The laboratory was at the center of the explosion,” Xie Zhuo ruthlessly pointed out. “You were daydreaming, weren’t you?”

“Besides…” Xie Zhuo paused, then spoke with difficulty, “The destruction program, I confirmed it using your authority.”

Vincent stared at him curiously, “You feel guilty? Do you understand the emotion of guilt?”

Xie Zhuo remained expressionless, truly his son.

“Don’t mind it. The destruction requires a secondary confirmation, and the final decision was made by me.”

Vincent took a sip of coffee, feeling a bit better. “I’ve been thinking lately, what would be the expression of the Phoenix’s gene? Does the broad concept of fusion failure apply to it?”

Xie Zhuo was taken aback, and the father and son shared a glance. A glint of light flashed in their similar light-colored eyes.

Just as Xie Zhuo was about to speak, he sensed an awakener’s presence and abruptly turned his head. Someone was eavesdropping!

He gestured to Vincent to stay silent, quietly opened the door, and signaled the elite soldiers of the Azure Phoenix Army outside.

Well-trained soldiers with awakened abilities stealthily moved, quickly capturing the startled eavesdropper at the end of the corridor.

Xie Zhuo slowly walked up, towering over the person whose tag read: “Pan Tu, Intermediate Researcher.”

Pan Tu’s tears and snot were smeared together. “I’m sorry, I-I just awakened my ability, couldn’t control it. I didn’t mean to.”

“Kill him,” Xie Zhuo’s eyes were emotionless.

However, he couldn’t execute Pan Tu because Gu Hongyi’s people arrived in time, taking Pan Tu away on the pretext of interrogation.

The coffee smoke curled up, and Vincent’s expression remained indifferent.

Xie Zhuo’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had sensed Pan Tu activating his ability just now. Although he couldn’t hear anything, the person from Gu Hongyi’s side, before leaving, gave him a deep look, seeming to be puzzled by Xie Zhuo’s decision to kill the awakener.

The next day, Vincent grandly brought in a giant storage hub, announcing that he would place his research results inside for future study. Inside, the members of Azure Phoenix were curious, some even displaying greedy expressions.

Only Xie Zhuo knew that it was empty.

On the day Vincent passed away, the weather was overcast. He collapsed suddenly due to heart failure, and despite the doctor’s efforts, they couldn’t save him.

Xie Zhuo calmly informed Xie Lan about Vincent’s death. As soon as he put down the terminal, the laboratory was surrounded, and Gu Hongyi’s people forcefully entered.

Vincent was dead, and they were bound to rush to the central hub. After some thought, Xie Zhuo decided to hide.

However, he didn’t expect that Gu Hongyi brought along Aaron, an S-level awakener with mental ability, to perform “Knowledge Deprivation” on Vincent’s body.

The strong awakened energy caused the ground to tremble slightly. Gu Hongyi’s voice was urgent and excited, “Quickly open the central hub!”

“The key? What about his son, Xie Zhuo? He must know the whereabouts of the key!”

Then, after Aaron said something to him, Gu Hongyi’s expression became particularly strange.

Seemingly puzzled, seemingly suddenly enlightened, he muttered two words in disbelief, “…Fire Seed?”

Xie Zhuo stared at the monitoring screen, his nails digging into his palms, the dripping blood forming a small pool. His eyes were filled with bloodshot veins and gloom.

The human heart is always ugly, and he was not surprised by this revelation.

Aaron used “Knowledge Deprivation” three times, and Xie Zhuo experienced the pain of having his heart cut out three times. For the first time, he could not look at death indifferently.

It wasn’t until Xie Lan arrived with her people that a fierce armed conflict erupted between the two sides. The laboratory personnel were slaughtered, and Aaron escaped with Gu Hongyi through a spatial rift. Xie Lan searched for Xie Zhuo in vain and took Vincent away.

Xie Zhuo remained silent, like a statue. Then he turned around and entered the underground laboratory.

He forever changed his biological information, enabling the fusion gene to take effect within him. His glamorous face transformed into another familiar and handsome visage.

Wearing a mask and a cap, Xie Zhuo left Baishen amidst the chaos.

From today onward, there was no more “Xie Zhuo” in this world, only “Zhuang Qingyan” carrying the key.

He would never open the Pandora’s Box again.

…

In the autumn of year 46th of the New Calendar, the apocalypse arrived.

In District D99, Hua City, the quaint sign of “Qingsong Biotech” was washed by heavy rain. A handsome young man gently knocked on the door.

“Excuse me, is Pan Tu here? Is Mr. Pan here?”

“Who are you?” The person in uniform looked up in confusion.

Zhuang Qingyan smiled faintly, brushed off the rainwater and the tainted blood from the zombies on his body, and spoke leisurely, “I’d like to find him to settle some personal grievances.”

The former eavesdropper, who suddenly struck it rich, changed his name and came to the low-level district, opening a biomedicine company. But where did he get the money?

Two men and a woman came out from inside, all wearing white coats. Zhuang Qingyan looked up and was surprised to see Pan Tu, an A7-level awakener, and his two students, Wu Yarou and Yang Bo.

“Mr. Pan, this person is looking for you,” the person who just asked said, pointing casually.

Pan Tu’s pupils slightly widened, and his whole body trembled with fear, “Zhuang… Zhuang, Dr. Zhuang?!”

“Yes, it’s me.” Zhuang Qingyan smiled gently. “Without the Star Network, it’s indeed challenging to find you.”

The icy mental attack pierced through the top of Pan Tu’s head, and the overwhelming pressure descended with a deafening roar. Pan Tu resisted stubbornly, but today, no one could save him. In less than five seconds, he was bleeding from all seven orifices and slowly fell down.

The chilling awakened energy spread outward. In a factory not far from Qingsong Biotech, a girl suddenly raised her head.

After all, Pan Tu was an A-level awakener. Although Zhuang Qingyan could condense his mental ability, he was not a combat-type awakener. He suffered some losses, but fortunately, using the price of his right leg, he killed Pan Tu.

Wu Yarou and Yang Bo had heard of the “Key,” but they were half in the dark about it. They questioned him forcefully, “Where is the thing? I advise you to hand it over quickly!”

They were just two C-level awakeners. What qualifications did they have to act arrogantly with him? Zhuang Qingyan smiled sarcastically, sitting in the blood pool, just about to take action. Suddenly, his keen mental ability detected a strange and powerful awakener. He calmly withdrew his hand.

“Who’s there?” Wu Yarou turned around alertly.

A girl with almond eyes peeked out from behind the window, showing half of her head. Locking eyes with Zhuang Qingyan, she obviously froze for a moment.

LAK0017 and Young Master Xie, strangers to each other, inadvertently changed each other’s destinies. As for Song Ke and Zhuang Qingyan, their fates intertwined due to the torrential rain in Hua City.

It was both a first meeting and a reunion.

**TN

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