Translator: StormFrost
Editor: Misogi
Pandora's Box [13]
Chen Liguo and Bai Yanlou finally tore off their masks. No, to be precise, Bai Yanlou unilaterally stopped putting on an 'I want to love you but I don't know how' appearance.
The evaluation Chen Liguo gave him was one of a married man finally showing his real ugly face and the weak and helpless he had to suffer endless domestic abuse.
The system listened to Chen Liguo's evaluation and only responded with a 'scram'.
Chen Liguo's research goals had been slightly adjusted, as he started finding and making a drug for world peace——He would turn everyone in the world into ability users. This way, the divide between the two wouldn't be so clear and it would not develop into a world war like it did in the previous world.
Chen Liguo's idea was very beautiful. To some extent, the current drug was also defective. That is, people who were too weak would not gain abilities after using it which was why only a portion of them would become ability users.
Chen Liguo said, "I think my idea is very good."
The system didn't make a sound.
Chen Liguo asked, "Baby, what do you think?"
The system was silent for two seconds then said with an indifferent tone, "If the research is successful then that would naturally be the best."
Chen Liguo immediately praised the system. "Daddy you can do it, you're the best."
System: "……"
That was correct, the duty of researching still rested on the system's shoulders. If Chen Liguo really were to pitch in then it was more reasonable to wait for the destruction of the world.
Chen Liguo and Bai Yanlou's cold war was soon noticed by others.
It could be said that very few people were on Chen Liguo's side in the entire base. On the other hand, the ones supporting Bai Yanlou could not be counted.
Wang Yangzi was part of the minority who supported Chen Liguo. She once hated Chen Liguo very much but after spending time with him she found that this person wasn't bad. It was just that he was especially cold-blooded and ruthless when doing research.
However, Wang Yangzi's sympathy didn't do Chen Liguo any good.
In fact, every time Wang Yangzi came to find Chen Liguo to chat Bai Yanlou would take the opportunity to punish him.
The methods of these punishments were all strange. Most of the time Chen Liguo couldn't go experiment the day after because of them.
One time, Wang Yangzi came to visit Chen Liguo twice in a row and she didn't see him come to the laboratory until the afternoon. Although it was a short afternoon Chen Liguo would often sit and rest for a while.
At first Wang Yangzi had thought that he was feeling unwell.
However, later Wang Yangzi heard a strange 'bzzt bzzt' sound like that of a phone's vibration. Along with the buzz she saw a flush appear on Chen Liguo's face and then his entire person looked as though his legs went limp.
Wang Yangzi froze and immediately understood what had happened. Her face flushed red and after stuttering a few words she turned away and left without saying anything. At that moment Wang Yangzi had thought: 'Why did Bai Yanlou humiliate He Chenyou like this? Is there really any love between them?'
If Chen Liguo knew what Wang Yangzi was thinking he would probably say: We have never been in love before and only have a purely physical relationship.
Time passed by slowly like this.
The year after Chen Liguo's attempted escape Wang Yangzi got married.
She hadn't wanted to get married so quickly originally but the child in her stomach couldn't wait, so she and her significant other stepped into marriage earlier than anticipated. The day Wang Yangzi agreed to marry him the progress bar above her head increased by more than 20 points, jumping straight to 80.
Chen Liguo looked at the progress bar and thought with gratification that he finally didn't need to slowly electrocute the slag anymore. Oh, it had been failed to be mentioned but although the slag man who almost killed Wang Yangzi gained invisibility, he was still Chen Liguo's experimental subject and the contents of his experiments became even broader.
Wang Yangzi sent an invitation to Chen Liguo, asking him to be present on her wedding day.
Chen Liguo accepted the invitation card but did not say whether or not he would go.
Chen Liguo and Bai Yanlou's relationship had not improved over the past year. Chen Liguo's escape attempt seemed to have exhausted Bai Yanlou's patience. He did not try to win Chen Liguo over with soft tactics anymore and instead chose to be unyielding to the end.
However, even when faced with such hardships the strong protagonist would not yield to the pressure and would firmly fight against the evil forces——This was about the system for it had to watch mosaics every night and then still continue to work hard and develop the new drug in the morning.
Chen Liguo was really moved by the system's selflessness and said that he would surely give it a positive evaluation when he left.
The system had said 'you scramming further away is the biggest love you can show me.'
Chen Liguo however said 'we have done business for so long now, why can't you soften your attitude a bit?'
The system said 'I'm afraid you'll be unhappy if I become soft.'
Chen Liguo choked up at the system's words. He had long since noticed that the system was getting better at speaking these untactful little yellow words by the day. There was the slight sense of panic of a disciple starving the master.
Wang Yangzi's wedding ceremony was very simple but most of the people in the base still went. They were after all the first couple to get married in the base and Wang Yangzi was the first pregnant woman as well. Everyone was looking forward to the marriage and the new baby.
Chen Liguo did not go. There were many in the base who hated him and going was probably asking for a snub.
He had a collar around his neck and was just like Bai Yanlou's pet. If his owner wanted him to go east, he did not dare go west.
So Chen Liguo continued to experiment silently while listening to the cheer outside.
Chen Liguo returned at night to sleep. However, Bai Yanlou sat on the sofa and told him to come over.
Chen Liguo walked towards him and Bai Yanlou directly reached out and grasped his collar, forcing him to lower his head. He asked, "Why didn't you go today?"
Chen Liguo indifferently asked, "Go for what?"
Bai Yanlou said, "But today is Wang Yangzi's wedding."
Chen Liguo asked, "So?"
Bai Yanlou's expression was very profound. He questioned, "You don't want to go and see?"
Chen Liguo did not waver at all. He said, "No."
"You really are heartless." Bai Yanlou kissed Chen Liguo and with a faint smile on his face, he said, "You don't see Wang Yangzi as your friend?"
Chen Liguo coldly asked, "Make friends with your own rat?"
Bai Yanlou liked Chen Liguo's words and kissed the person before him. His lips were very cold. His blood was probably the same.
Later, Wang Yangzi asked Chen Liguo why he didn't come and Chen Liguo perfunctorily answered that he didn't have the time.
Wang Yangzi was somewhat disappointed when she heard this but didn't say much. She probably thought that Chen Liguo really didn't have the time.
Wang Yangzi was already four months pregnant when she got married. After three months her stomach grew grew grew, like that of a balloon.
Chen Liguo felt that time passed by extremely quickly and in an instant, he was already hearing about Wang Yangzi's childbirth.
Only, the child was born early and their physical condition wasn't good. With their current standards, they would be counted as being born premature.
Chen Liguo saw the little girl in an incubator through an image that the system sent. They were like a little flower.
Chen Liguo said, "System, you're really blessed."
The system was baffled.
Chen Liguo said, "You have such a filial and healthy son like me……."
System: "I'd rather I didn't."
After this father and son duo who had little affection for each other finished mutually harming each other they began to experiment again.
This newborn brought a joyous and happy atmosphere to all of White Salt.
Bai Yanlou was very happy as well. As a gift he gave Wang Yangzi one of the drugs Chen Liguo made.
This drug could strengthen abilities and even make it possible for ordinary people to gain abilities. After all, there was no guarantee that someone with an ability would give birth to an ability user.
Chen Liguo was still discussing genetics with the system. He said that he had observed the stars and Wang Yangzi definitely gave birth to an immortal talent.
The system asked, "Then why don't you observe the stars and see what the ingredients are?"
Chen Liguo said, "The stars say they're not good at chemistry."
System: "Oh, indifferent."
The celestial stars were not good at chemistry, so they still had to rely on themselves to research.
Chen Liguo went to the lab more frequently for his bright future.
Bai Yanlou did not manage him. In any case, Chen Liguo couldn't run away and still had to come back to sleep every night. He once asked Chen Liguo what he was researching and Chen Liguo said, "I am researching the compatibility of F84 and V45. I want to use C4 for a fusion reaction but it's not very successful."
Bai Yanlou said, "I don't understand."
Chen Liguo thought, 'You not understanding is correct, I'm just talking nonsense…..' But he still put on an expression too profound to be understood, so Bai Yanlou wouldn't dare ask too deeply.
Once again the system was shocked by Chen Liguo's ability to lie through his teeth.
However, no matter how shocked it was, as a father, it couldn't leave it's mentally retarded son behind. So the system continued to research and downloaded materials from headquarters, flipped through all kinds of books, looked for various kinds of ideas, and tried to develop the drug as soon as possible.
Chen Liguo said, "You working this hard is just to leave me earlier."
The system said, "It's good that you know. Don't speak anymore, I'm going to read."
Chen Liguo: "……" Alas, System loves to study, studying is his joy.
Chen Liguo continued to live in the cage inside Bai Yanlou's room but this did not affect his mind to study.
After some period of time the system finally made progress and said that they found the breakthrough point of the drug.
Chen Liguo asked, "Is that true is that true? Daddy you're amazing ah. Can you tell me the theory?"
The system said, "According to &¥% I developed #¥%# and broke though ¥&*."
Chen Liguo thought he had heard unintelligible code, so he had the system say it again.
After the second time Chen Liguo determined that he hadn't heard garbled code but that he really couldn't understand it.
However, he felt that he couldn't lose face in front of the system, so he said, "Oh, so it's like this."
The system asked, "You understood?"
Chen Liguo was full of confidence, "Most of it."
The system said, "Oh, I was speaking nonsense."
Chen Liguo: "……" Who did you learn this bad stuff from.
In any case, the system's reasoning was that even if it explained it to Chen Liguo he wouldn't understand it, so it was too lazy to say it. Chen Liguo's act was torn apart. Speechless, he could only dejectedly remain silent.
In fact, Chen Liguo lived very well these days. Bai Yanlou would bring him back a giant fruit almost every month. There were lychees, mangos, dragon fruits, and even cherries…… Anyway, there were all sorts of giant fruits. The most captivating thing about these were that the seeds were still as small as before……
Chen Liguo held it and nom nom nommed on it like a hamster.
Bai Yanlou watched from the side while lighting a cigarette.
Bai Yanlou had developed rapidly in the past years and was much more connected to the outside world. The pressure on Bai Yanlou naturally increased but he never showed a hint of struggle.
When chewing on the fruit Chen Liguo's face was covered with juice.
Bai Yanlou smoked half of his cigarette then suddenly spoke up. "Wang Yangzi's child has no ability."
Chen Liguo heard this and froze.
Bai Yanlou asked, "Can your drug be used on children?"
Chen Liguo wiped his mouth and said, "It can. In fact, the earlier the better." For the human body was the easiest to change during this time.
Bai Yanlou nodded and said, "Good."
Chen Liguo hadn't expected that Wang Yangzi's child would actually have no ability. Both parents must be very worried. There were few people with no abilities in the base and if the child grew up here then wouldn't they feel like they were an outsider?
Chen Liguo paid close attention to this matter and only a few days later he learned that Bai Yanlou gave this month's drug to Wang Yangzi's child.
However, even after the drug was administered that Child didn't react and continued to gurgle and laugh, making the hearts of all the adults on the scene sink.
The ability detecting metal maintained it's ice cold luster without the slightest change in response to the complicated moods of the people around it.
Disappointment was visible in Wang Yangzi's eyes. Forcing a smile, she said, "It's okay. It's fine even if it doesn't work……"
Bai Yanlou furrowed his brows. He said, "I'll go find He Chenyou."
Wang Yangzi hadn't visited Chen Liguo to play for ages ever since the birth of her child. She said, "Forget it, this thing doesn't need to be forced."
Bai Yanlou said, "Don't worry."
Although Wang Yangzi still deeply loved her child it would be a lie to say that she didn't care at all. Which parent didn't want to give the best things to their children? Wang Yangzi didn't want to see her child's disappointed expression when she finds out that she doesn't have an ability in the future.
After a long period of time, Bai Yanlou once again welcomed himself into Chen Liguo's lab.
Everyone showed slightly surprised expressions when they saw him. Bai Yanlou never came back here to pick him up ever since Chen Liguo failed to escape.
Bai Yanlou told the others to leave.
Chen Liguo removed his protected eye wear and asked, "What's wrong?"
Bai Yanlou said, "Came to see you."
Chen Liguo repeated, "See me?"
Bai Yanlou asked, "Not allowed?"
Chen Liguo said, "This is your place, naturally you can do whatever you want."
Bai Yanlou glanced over the drugs on Chen Liguo's table and asked, "Which one is the F84 you mentioned?"
Chen Liguo: "……" He didn't expect that the nonsense he said would be remembered by Bai Yanlou so clearly, this was the so-called 'played too much' he supposed.
Bai Yanlou said, "You didn't lie to me did you?"
Chen Liguo thought, 'Oh heh, so you've discovered this.' But he knew that talking to Bai Yanlou like this was just asking to be fucked, so he just randomly pointed to a tube of reagent on the table.
Bai Yanlou took the reagent to look at and said, "He Chenyou, do you think I'm a fool?"
Chen Liguo: "……"
Bai Yanlou turned the reagent around. There was a label pasted on the tube: Red salt.
Chen Liguo: "……"
Bai Yanlou questioned, "En?"
Chen Liguo said, "You won't understand even if I say it."
Bai Yanlou said, "How do you know I won't understand if you don't say it."
So Chen Liguo repeated the gibberish that the system told him and saw a bit of doubt color Bai Yanlou's eyes.
After Chen Liguo finished saying it, he asked, "Did you understand?"
Bai Yanlou was silent for a moment and then said, "Understood."
Chen Liguo: "Look, system, caught another faker."
System: "……" Seriously, why do you humans like to hurt each other?
However, Chen Liguo didn't tear down Bai Yanlou's pretense. He was afraid that Bai Yanlou would be embarrassed into anger, so he nodded profoundly. "I didn't expect you to have such a high level of understanding."
Bai Yanlou said, "It's alright."
Chen Liguo was very happy.
However, Bai Yanlou wasn't that easy. He examined Chen Liguo's expression and suddenly narrowed his eyes. He said, "He Chenyou, you aren't playing me are you?"
Chen Liguo didn't make a sound.
Bai Yanlou reached out and grabbed his waist then lifted him up. Though Chen Liguo was thin and weak he was still an adult male. Even so, Bai Yanlou was able to lift him without any effort. He said, "Tell me properly or else I'll fuck you right here."
Chen Liguo pursed his lips.
Seeing Chen Liguo's expression Bai Yanlou suddenly got into the mood.
He looked around and found a table which was used to hold data then used his ability to move it all to the ground.
Chen Liguo was put on the table by Bai Yanlou.
The table was white and the person lying on it was dressed in a white research coat. His always indifferent black eyes finally held fear and dilated. He said, "Bai Yanlou, don't——"
Bai Yanlou unbuttoned his beloved Professor He's coat one by one then took off the shirt he wore inside, making him wear the research coat only.
"Not here!" He Chenyou hoarsely said. "Don't do this to me."
Bai Yanlou said, "You obviously like it a lot."
He Chenyou's glasses were removed and the world became blurry but the heat from Bai Yanlou's body continued to spread over his own through his skin as if to burn his soul.
"You obviously like it too." The cold blooded man said this and then directly entered the person below him.
However, Chen Liguo inexplicable felt that Bai Yanlou's words were very familiar. He seemed to have heard it somewhere before but as for where, he couldn't remember too clearly……
After they finished Bai Yanlou left while carrying Chen Liguo's limp body. Before going he didn't forget to clean the lab. It had to be said that abilities were really useful at times like these.
The rest of the researchers were waiting outside. When they saw Bai Yanlou carry Chen Liguo out they basically understood what had happened inside.
Some researchers who knew Chen Liguo were sympathetic for him and thought that Professor He was really unlucky, somehow arousing Bai Yanlou's interest.
Chen Liguo who was deep asleep all night felt guilty for delaying the system's research.
The next day during breakfast Bai Yanlou told Chen Liguo about Wang Yangzi's child and asked him if he could improve the drug.
Chen Liguo was in the middle of eating a bun. Hearing Bai Yanlou ask this, he nodded slightly and said, "Can."
Bai Yanlou didn't expect that Chen Liguo would be so easy to deal with. He had thought that he would need to use some other means to make Chen Liguo develop the new drug for him and didn't expect him to agree so easily.
Bai Yanlou asked, "There's really no problem?"
"I am already researching it." Chen Liguo wiped his mouth and said, "And have had progress."
Sometimes people were just that strange. It was reasonable to say that Bai Yanlou should have been happy since his demands were being met but when he heard Chen Liguo say that he had already started on it, Bai Yanlou couldn't smile.
He asked, "You didn't plan this for Wang Yangzi's sake did you?"
Chen Liguo looked at Bai Yanlou and said, "Don't make trouble out of nothing."
Bai Yanlou questioned, "This is called making trouble out of nothing? In this base I think the one you are most concerned about is Wang Yangzi." Chen Liguo's attitude was never so patient when others came to find him in this base. It was only Wang Yangzi——
Chen Liguo said, "I'll be going."
Bai Yanlou watched as Chen Liguo left. He said, "He Chenyou, you remember. You are mine alone!"
Chen Liguo thought, men these days ah, they really become more narrow-minded the longer they live.
The scholarly Chen Liguo went to the laboratory and continued with losing himself in research.
The system said the truth about there being progress with its research. Only two months later and it really did make the drug.
When Chen Liguo finished this drug, he did not tell anyone but hid it instead.
The system asked him what he was doing.
Chen Liguo said, "Daddy, I want abilities too!"
System: "……"
Chen Liguo said, "I'm willing to be Daddy's test subject."
The system found that it had nothing good to say to Chen Liguo. Even if this man wanted to go court death the heavens wouldn't be able to stop him.
So Chen Liguo went ahead to play with death. He secretly found a syringe, then even more secretly found a place without surveillance cameras and then gave himself an injection.
After the drug entered his body Chen Liguo suddenly felt a little pain.
Chen Liguo asked, "Why do I feel a bit of pain?"
The system said, "I've already helped you block 90% of the pain."
Chen Liguo: "……" Oh, then I should be in unparalleled anguish right now.
This pain lasted for half an hour. When Chen Liguo opened his eyes he felt that the world was a completely new place. He took off his glasses for they were no longer suitable to use and saw what he usually couldn't. He could even see the small bits of dust in the corner.
Chen Liguo said, "Come on, tell me what my ability is!"
When he returned back to the lab from the corner he was stupefied.
Chen Liguo asked in shock, "Why aren't these people dressed?"
System: "………….." Very well, this ability was very 'Chen Liguo'.
The Author Has Something To Say:
Chen Liguo: Ahhhhhh, my eyes are going to be burned blind.
System: Plan succeeded √
Feel bad for Guo hahahahahaha.
Thank you darlings for the mines, grenades, and rockets.