CH 73

Chapter 73: Bai Yingting VS Turin

“Maybe this will be the so-called end, but the ending will be so much better than what you’ve imagined.” Bai Yingting turned to face him, and Zhou Qing saw an almost peaceful tranquility in his eyes.

“How strange, I feel like I’ve known you for a long time,” Zhou Qing smiled.

“If I were a female researcher, I would have been swept off my feet,” Bai Yingting’s lips curved up in a smile.

“I’m old-fashioned, outdated, and I don’t have any hobbies. It’s hard for anyone to be charmed by me,” Zhou Qing showed a self-deprecating smile.

“That’s because you haven’t met the right person,” Bai Yingting smiled. Zhou Qing thought of the lake he had seen when he first arrived in Nibelungen, as well as that chance encounter.

That was probably the first romantic affair in his life, and in Bai Yingting’s eyes, it was as if time had reversed to that moment.

“I should continue my research.” Zhou Qing turned back. He couldn’t keep looking at him, or else he would keep having unrealistic thoughts.

“Of course research would help you concentrate. Worry less and focus more.”

Just as Zhou Qing looked back down into his microscope, the alarms in the base suddenly went off. The researchers all looked up, and Zhou Qing’s shoulders instinctively shivered.

“What happened?

The researchers were frightened. The last time the alarm went off was when Mo Ye had mistakenly thought Zhou Yu died and lost control, causing a great number of organisms to attack the base. What was the reason this time?

“Li Qian, what happened? Transmit the scene to the lab,” Bai Yingting turned on the intercom and connected it to Li Qian.

“I don’t know what’s going on! The base is under attack by an unknown organism!”

Li Qian’s voice was full of terror. The screen in front of Bai Yingting and Zhou Qing cut to a different scene. At one of the entrances to the base, a field research vehicle was receiving an interior inspection when suddenly, something pushed up against the roof of the vehicle like a balloon that was about to burst. The solid roof was thrown off with a “bang,” and a certain dark green plant grew out of a researcher’s body from the backseat, quickly bursting into a giant flower. Its meaty, scarlet petals spewed out a spore-like gas.

Before the security personnel at the entrance checkpoint could draw their guns and shoot, they were sucked in by these spores. They were coughing violently when those same green plants grew out of their bodies and toppled their heads off. Crackling, they grew wildly and uncontrollably, before suddenly blooming into bewitching flowers!

The researchers’ eyes widened in disbelief as they watched the scene unfold. “What is that?! Oh my God!”

“Shut down the air circulation system immediately! The spores will spread in the air,” Bai Yingting said to Li Qian.

His expression was cold. It was the first time Zhou Qing had seen such a Professor Bai.

The red alarm sounded and all labs and nodes were locked down.

The giant flowers at the exit quickly grew into fruits that resembled blown-up balloons, constantly swelling and expanding.

“Aren’t those fruits growing way too fast?” Zhou Qing was very surprised.

“There’s nothing strange about it. The human bodies are providing them with more than enough nutrients. This is definitely more than just an accidental case of plant parasitism… There must be something even worse about to happen.”

Bai Yingting’s words made Zhou Qing tense up. A thought passed through his mind. He picked up the intercom and said to Li Qian, “Whatever it takes, we must destroy that plant! We can’t let its fruits keep growing!”

“Then send a team to destroy them!”

As the giant fruits grew, they pressed up against the monitoring equipment, and Li Qian could no longer see anything from his computer.

When the guard team wearing respiration equipment walked through the passageway, they saw the fruits and were left stunned.

They were extremely large. A force seemed to be brewing within them, as if a heart was beating and blood was pulsating violently.

Their fingers were on the triggers, but before they could shoot, the first giant fruit suddenly burst open like a volcanic eruption, causing an impact that pushed the entire guard team out and smashed them hard against the passageway node. The door was dented in and several guards either broke bones all over or passed out.

The sluice gate at the entrance that was pressing back the fruit was also dislodged by that force.

“What’s happening? Team leader, please come in! Team leader, please come in!” Li Qian tried to contact them, but all he got was a busy signal.

In the laboratory, Bai Yingting put his palms against the wall and closed his eyes, as if he was tracking and sensing something.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Qing came forward.

“The fruit of the kind of plant that parasitized the researcher’s body and entered the base can grow indefinitely and is very strong. As long as it has ample nutrition, it can topple a metal wall like this easily.” Bai Yingting’s finger tapped on the wall.

Zhou Qing frowned, “So there’s some person or creature… who wants to break through the base’s defenses and get inside.”

Just then, someone opened the door to Zhou Qing’s lab and walked in. “The only one I can think of is Turin.”

They were wearing a casual t-shirt with both hands in their pockets and a chocolate candy in their mouth.

“Dr. Jiang… Li Qian locked all the passageways, how did you get in?”

“I have the same authorization level as Song Zhi.” Dr. Jiang wiggled his fingers. “And it would be torture to stay in my room alone at this time.”

“We all assumed that Turin was going to the first ancestor Ymir, but his real goal was this base. If this presumption is true, then what exactly is in this base that’s so attractive to him?” Zhou Qing looked at Dr. Jiang.

Dr. Jiang swallowed the chocolate in his mouth and shook his hand in a hurry. “Hey! Hey! Hey! Why are you looking at me like that?”

Bai Yingting answered instead of Zhou Qing, “Because your level of research on the virus and genius surpasses Turin’s. Maybe Turin encountered some problems and needs to come and ask you for advice?”

“Give me a break! I don’t want to have a learnings exchange with him at all!” Dr. Jiang’s eyes widened and he took a few steps backward. “You guys… aren’t planning to hand me over just like that, are you?”

Bai Yingting smiled with amusement, “We’re not sure if it’s Turin yet. Dr. Jiang, you’re too tense.”

Just at this time, the scene in the video made Dr. Jiang turn pale with fright. The giant fruits all exploded at the same time, no different from the power of a dozen bombs exploding. The nodes of the passageway were dashed open and the whole base was shaken.

Immediately afterwards, thick vines suddenly broke out from deep underground and penetrated down along the exploded passageways. They were so strong that they swept away several teams who were guarding the outer extension.

This was no longer just a single attack; if it wasn’t Turin pulling the strings, then Zhou Qing could not think of any other possibility.

The devil vine arched up into a wave-like shape and slammed down hard into the depths of the passageway, smashing open the second door.

The spores rolled in.

Li Qian could only keep transferring the guards at the outer extension inside.

The entire base was on the verge of exploding into a pot of congee.

“Recall Zhou Yu and the others, now!” Dr. Jiang shouted.

Just at that moment, a black shadow flitted by, and without warning, crushed the signal tower!

“Fuck…” Li Qian, who was monitoring this scene, was dumbfounded.

Like this, it was now impossible for them to contact Zhou Yu.

The huge creature that crushed the signal tower turned out to be a soaring snake!

Not long ago, the base had suffered a heavy blow due to the soaring snake summoned by Mo Ye during his emotional outburst, but this time… their opponents would show no mercy!

And now, that soaring snake had slithered to the entrance of the base with Turing sitting atop its head.

Turin wore a cunning hint of a smile on his lips, his pupils emitting golden light.

“Turin can control a soaring snake… How is that possible? The death dahlia that infected him is only an A rank organism!”

Zhou Qing couldn’t help walking up and staring hard at the image of Dr. Turin on the screen.

Turin strolled into the passageway that had split open and could even collapse at any given moment. He knew exactly where the camera was and he bent down to make a gentlemanly gesture of salute.

The soaring snake retreated by a dozen meters before it suddenly came barreling forward with such speed and impact that Zhou Qing and the others could feel the whole world shaking!

One fifth of the base collapsed just like that!

Li Qian’s screen returned to normal after a second of static. He could only understand what was happening through the remaining cameras.

While it was all collapsing, many people could not evacuate in time and were crushed underneath.

“We have to get out, the sooner the better!” Li Qian said to Zhou Qing and Professor Bai over the intercom.

“The problem is, Turin has his people surrounding the base. Where are we espacing from?”

Zhou Qing looked at the soaring snake in the video that had encircled almost the entire base, intending to crush the entire outer extension in one fell swoop.

“But the deeper we go into the base, the easier it will be to catch us all in the end. It’s like walking right into their trap.”

Bai Yingting replied.

“Then what’s your plan?” Zhou Qing looked at Bai Yingting.

“Charge outside and either leave or die here,” Bai Yingting replied.

“Charge outside? Although I want to ask if you guys are crazy, I prefer the answer ‘leave’ to sitting around waiting to die. I believe you’re referring to using the shuttle pod to leave Nibelungen?” Dr. Jiang asked.

“Of course! Li Qian, get in touch with Juli Corp’s headquarters right now and ask them to receive our shuttle pods on the other side! Then plan our escape route and configure all the checkpoints,” Bai Yingting said into the intercom.

“Of course.” Li Qian replied.

A dozen seconds later, Li Qian sent the optimal evacuation route to the display.

The route was almost a straight line that led straight to the shuttle bay.

“I’ve already contacted Dr. Cook at Juli Corp headquarters, and she’s agreed to issue the reception command, but only Mr. Song knows the shuttle pod dispatch command!”

“I know what that command is!” Dr. Jiang said.

“Then it’s settled, let’s go!”

Bai Yingting and Zhou Qing nodded to each other, and the instant the laboratory door opened, they dashed out with the researchers and Dr. Jiang.

“Don’t stop to catch your breath! Wait until we get out of here!” Bai Yingting shouted.

A group of researchers that did not work out ran like mad through the long and deep passageway. Every now and then they could feel the base quaking.

“The outer extension wall has been destroyed. Turin’s lizard monster army has breached the base! Move faster!” Li Qian reminded them anxiously from behind the monitor.

“Li Qian, set up the parameters for the shuttle pod first!” Dr. Jiang took the radio transceiver from Bai Yingting and said while gasping for air.

“You don’t have to tell me that! Hurry up and get yourself over here!” Li Qian sat in front of the computer subconsciously shaking his legs, which he did when he was nervous.

His heart was beating so fast that even his palms were sweaty. He hadn’t been this scared in a long time, since the night spirit Dr. Carlos was raising tore through the base a bloodbath.

Just then, Bai Yingting suddenly stopped and pulled Zhou Qing behind him.

A loud sound was heard, and the metal wall above their heads trembled, as if it was suddenly under an enormous pressure that made one’s eardrums tingle. The researchers instinctively covered their ears and lowered their heads.

“Shit! Dr. Turin’s legion of lizard monsters is right above your heads! That lizard monster… is really big and scary! Run quickly!”

But it was too late. Following another loud quaking sound, the metal walls above their heads collapsed entirely, emitting sparks where the metal walls rubbed against each other.

A monster several times the size of a usual lizard monster landed on the ground, its white eyeballs rotating as if it was locking onto the direction of its prey.

The devil vines reached in and crept up the surrounding walls like a solid net, capturing all of them.

The researchers were so terrified that they couldn’t speak.

When the lizard monster moved forwards, Bai Yingting slowly led Zhou Qing backwards.

The air was so tense that it was almost suffocating. Zhou Qing’s whole body felt ice-cold, and only the hand in front of him from Bai Yingting that was guiding his shoulder back made him feel real warmth.

His body did not tremble at all, and unlike the researchers who were in despair, he remained calm.

“Professor Bai?” Zhou Qing instinctively spoke up, but he didn’t know what he really wanted to say.

“My body is growing weaker, I can’t protect all of you when you leave. Listen, I’ll hold off this monster and the legion of lizard monsters it’s leading, you take Dr. Jiang and leave while there’s a chance.”

“What? How are you going to stall them?”

Instantly, Zhou Qing thought of when countless swordbone butterflies had flown into the lab. Bai Yingting had effortlessly carried him on his shoulders, and no swordbone butterflies approached or even attacked them.

“Just do as I say and go. It doesn’t matter how I’ll stall them.” Bai Yingting glanced at Zhou Qing, his eyes glowing with a touch of gold. Zhou Qing suddenly understood something as he drew in a sharp breath and took a half step backwards, but eventually he reached out to hold Bai Yingting.

“I’ll wait for you in the shuttle bay.” Saying that, Zhou Qing took Dr. Jiang’s hand.

The internal meridians of the devil vines suddenly swelled up, and the part that was about to attack suddenly burst open, the remaining parts also withering away rapidly.

At the same time, the limbs of the giant lizard monster in front of them suddenly started twitching before they tightened up, the same happening to the dozen or so lizard monsters that jumped down immediately after it. Their bodies twisted and even snapped as if they had been bound. They were unable to breathe or move as the cells inside them split apart, making a frightening sound.

“Go—”

As soon as Bai Yingting spoke, Zhou Qing grabbed Dr. Jiang and ran away from the lizard monsters like his life depended on it.

Dr. Jiang’s eyes widened as he watched this incredible scene. When they ran past a section of the passageway, Li Qian also brought down the sluice gates. Zhou Qing instinctively turned back and found that no one but him and Dr. Jiang had made it through.

“Don’t stop! Keep running! Until you get into the shuttle bay!”

The adrenaline rush made Zhou Qing more agile than usual.

Dr. Jiang was following behind him when he stepped on a pair of glasses that some researcher had dropped. He stumbled and fell to the ground.

Zhou Qing was about to help him up, but clapping came from the next turn in the passageway.

“Well done, I wasn’t expecting you to escape my guard team.”

When the man’s shadow turned the corner, his face gradually appeared under the light. Dr. Jiang’s pupils instantly dilated and he said, “Turin…”

This name was like upending a pot of cold water on Zhou Qing’s head, completely cutting off their hope of escape.

The Turin before him was still wearing his long white researcher’s lab coat, with his hands in his pockets. He came sauntering to them with an unhurried expression, as if he was above all creatures, standing at the top of the pyramid overlooking Zhou Qing and Dr. Jiang’s futile and absurd struggle.

Zhou Qing took a step backwards. He could feel a destructive power in Turin’s eyes.

“It’s been a long time, Dr. Jiang. You still look so young, your baby face and good skin are enviable. Unlike you, my face is already wrinkled.” Turin came before Dr. Jiang and reached out to support his arm and lift him up.

In reality, Dr. Turin’s face was extremely smooth and he looked like a young man in his teens; it was the virus that had stopped his cells from deteriorating and even produced a reverse ageing effect.

Dr. Jiang’s jaw was trembling, and his heart was beating as if it wanted to split open.

“What is it that you really want? To kill everyone in this base, or to kill me?” Even though Dr. Jiang was afraid, he still looked straight into Turin’s eyes.

Turin patted Dr. Jiang’s cheek and spoke to him in the tone of an old acquaintance, “Come now, old friend, how could I possibly kill you? You’re the most valuable researcher I’ve ever seen, and your genius is something that not even ten of me would be able to surpass.”

Zhou Qing could finally be sure that what he and Bai Yingting had guessed was true, and that Turin was indeed here for Dr. Jiang.

“Is that so? I didn’t think you would acknowledge my genius.” Dr. Jiang squeezed out an ugly smile from lips.

“Yes… although fusing with the death dahlia has given me supreme power, a minor issue did arise, so I need you to help me research this virus properly. If there’s anyone else who can unlock the mystery of this virus besides myself, I believe it has to be you.” Turin patted Dr. Jiang’s shoulder and straightened out his cuffs, as if he was either trying to keep Dr. Jiang’s appearance as clean and tidy as his, or offering an insincere apology for putting Dr. Jiang in such a difficult position.

“I can go with you, but take your legion of lizard monsters and all the organisms out there and leave immediately. Don’t hurt anyone else in this base!”

“Hahahaha! How many of the people in this base have their hands clean? If Juli Corp didn’t have something on them, would they give up their warm and comfortable lives in the human world to come here? Or do you think you have the conditions to negotiate with me?” Turin asked with a smile.

“Although I’m afraid of death, do you think I really don’t have the courage to accept it?” Dr. Jiang asked back in his usual tone of voice. He had already made up his mind.

Turin glanced sideways at Zhou Qing, “Are you thinking to yourself that Dr. Jiang is properly heroic and self-sacrificing, representing the noblest state of human ideology?”

“Are you saying you do?” Zhou Qing reflected back.

“No! No! No! I’m the same as Dr. Jiang; we represent Juli Corp’s pursuit of power and desire. It’s not enough that we’ve corrupted the human world, we’re also here to undermine Nibelungen. At best, this is just an overambitious attempt at colonization. In fact, I had better luck in obtaining the power I wanted, but of course, I won’t be sharing it with Juli Corp.”

Saying that, Turin picked up Dr. Jiang and headed towards the other end of the passageway.

His pace was relaxed and he looked to be in a good mood.

Zhou Qing chased after him, but Dr. Jiang desperately waved him off. “Don’t mind me, hurry up and evacuate! Li Qian is still waiting for you!”

Zhou Qing knew there was nothing he could do, but he couldn’t just watch Dr. Jiang being taken away like this. He closed his eyes and called out to the S ranked organism in his mind: I know you’re Bai Yingting. I need your help…

Bai Yingting, who was surrounded by a dozen lizard monsters, frowned as if he had heard Zhou Qing’s call.

He had the lizard monsters in a death grip and was disintegrating their cells bit by bit. The abdomen of the largest lizard monster suddenly burst open and it fell to the ground, unable to move. The other lizard monsters recklessly leaped up and rushed at Bai Yingting.