Chapter 154: The Truth of the Apocalypse?

“Let me be frank!” Qian Xiao said, drawing a deep breath.

Qin Yu nodded and looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

“You know that several professors from our school have gone missing, don’t you? Or rather, most of the professors who had achieved major breakthroughs in pharmaceutical chemistry—especially those involved in human research—have disappeared. Do you want to know why?” Qian Xiao asked, watching Qin Yu smile faintly.

Qin Yu naturally knew what she was talking about. As far as she knew, Qian Xiao herself should have been one of the missing people. So why was she here now? Qin Yu rubbed the thumb of her left hand with her right, signaling for Qian Xiao to go on.

Qian Xiao shrugged. She braced her right hand against the bed and rested her left hand on her thigh, crossing her legs. The fingers of her left hand tapped idly against her leg—a habitual gesture whenever she was thinking.

“You must have guessed that I was one of the missing people as well. So why am I here? I escaped. Six months ago, I received an invitation. It was entirely black, covered in mysterious patterns. When I first saw it, I had no desire to go, but the conditions it offered were simply too tempting.

“I had devoted decades to studying the human body. I had always wanted to know what wonders lay within human genes. At the time, my research project focused on whether it was possible to determine all of a person’s illnesses from a single drop of blood. The invitation promised that I would have access to better resources for my research. You have to understand, although I held a certain position at the school, resources were ultimately limited. Naturally, I was tempted.

“Of course, what truly moved me—and what finally convinced me to accept the invitation—was that it described the bottleneck I had encountered in my research. It even offered a hint of a possible solution, only to cut off abruptly. After reading those few short lines, I decided without hesitation to go. Only later did I learn that several other professors at the school had received the same invitation.

“When we arrived at the appointed location, we were knocked unconscious. When we woke, all we saw were various advanced machines. They were so alluring that I immediately threw myself into the research.

“Eventually, several people who shared my passion and I achieved some results. On the very day we succeeded, I saw a group of people who clearly were not scientists for the first time. They all wore masks, so their faces could not be seen.

“That day, they brought in many corpses—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say many people whose breathing was so faint it was barely perceptible. They ordered us to conduct human experiments. Until then, we had only experimented on white mice or donated blood. We were terrified and flatly refused. But they threatened to kill our families if we did not comply.

“We had no choice but to give in. Perhaps scientists are born mad. During those experiments, I could feel the blood in my veins boiling. It was a kind of perverse ecstasy. I saw the same madness in the eyes of my companions.

“Human subjects were different, after all. Our earlier research projects had produced certain deviations, and some of the researchers began to lose their minds. Whenever someone reached that state, those people would quickly take them away, and another group would be brought in.

“After we finally achieved a breakthrough, we were drugged unconscious again. When we woke, we were in a basement without a trace of light. There were all kinds of animals inside as well. Many people panicked and became terrified. I endured it in silence until the apocalypse erupted. When the guards disappeared, I finally managed to escape.”

A trace of lingering fear colored Qian Xiao’s voice, and a hint of vulnerability appeared in her eyes as she looked at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu’s body tensed. One hand gripped the chair, and she leaned slightly forward, wary.

“Don’t you believe me?” Qian Xiao asked, noticing her guarded expression.

Qin Yu shook her head and leaned back slightly, though both hands remained tightly clasped around the chair.

“I believe you. It’s just that…” Qin Yu began.

“Just what?” Qian Xiao asked anxiously.

“What condition were those people in after they went mad?” Rather than answer her question, Qin Yu asked another.

“They liked to roar, then attack people indiscriminately. They were also stronger than ordinary people.” Qian Xiao thought for a moment before replying.

“Have you ever considered that the zombies might be the very people who were taken away back then?” Qin Yu asked.

“Impossible!” Qian Xiao replied firmly.

“Why?”

“Because I know exactly what I was researching. It could never have turned human beings into zombies. At most, it would have caused severe neurological disorders. Besides, many scientists disappeared. I saw other researchers in the basement as well. Some of them were no longer in their right minds, but from their muddled words, I learned that they had also been forced to conduct research. Their projects, however, were different from ours. I’m certain the emergence of the zombies had nothing to do with our research, but as for the others, I can’t say.” Qian Xiao fell into deep thought.

Qin Yu removed her right hand from the chair and rested it on her lap. Then she asked, “Do you know who the people brought in for the experiments were?”

Qian Xiao gave a derisive laugh. “What kind of people can disappear from this world without attracting public attention? Prisoners, of course! All of them were vicious criminals. That was also the main reason we researchers used to persuade ourselves to continue.”

Qin Yu frowned at that. They might all have been guilty, but was this truly the right thing to do?

“Qin Yu, you haven’t yet experienced the depths of human wickedness. The human heart is the most poisonous thing in this world,” Qian Xiao said with a sigh.

This time, Qin Yu did not contradict her. She knew that once Qian Xiao had made up her mind, no one could change it.

“You’ve told me all this. What do you want me to do?” Qin Yu asked.

“It really is pleasant talking to an intelligent person!” Qian Xiao said with a smile. “I feel guilty toward Xia Cheng. At first, I wanted to find him so that we could resolve our past grievances and live peacefully together again. But that day, I overheard his conversation with Zhao Meng. I began to think that perhaps my appearance had been a mistake, so I decided to leave. I came to see you today and told you all of this because I want you to owe me a favor. After I leave, please take good care of him for me.”

“Avoiding the problem won’t solve it,” Qin Yu said.

“I’m not avoiding anything. I just…” Qian Xiao trailed off helplessly.

“I won’t do this for you. If you want to leave, that is your decision. I won’t stop you,” Qin Yu said, her tone almost heartless.

“You!” Qian Xiao said angrily.

“I’m grateful that you told me all this. I think it may be very important to me, and I’ll find another way to thank you. But as for what you’re asking, I’m afraid I can’t do it.” Qin Yu rose to her feet.

“Brother Li must be hungry by now. I’ll go back first.”

With that, Qin Yu left.

Qian Xiao watched her retreating figure, her face dark with gloom.

That Qin Yu—she had not fallen for it!