Chapter 32: Illegal Laboratory

Liao Tianhua did not think Xia Mi was talking nonsense. He had seen her obtain weapons through the game and knew it was the key factor in her successful escape from Building 6 and her rescue of the civilians there.

Without the game to warn her, Xia Mi would have died the moment Xiao Pi’s mother knocked on her door.

Liao Tianhua said, “At first, I didn’t know the source of this game. But once I confirmed you were a ‘Rong’, I suspected the game was your ability.”

“A precognitive ability?” Xia Mi asked.

Liao Tianhua nodded. “The identity of a ‘Rong’ is classified within the Disposal Bureau,” he explained. “The Bureau usually gives a ‘Rong’ a code name. Names like ‘Shield’ and ‘Eye’ are both code names. Since my melting was successful this time, I might get the title ‘Doctor’, and you… you might be ‘Prophet’.”

Xia Mi said, “That’s exactly what I mean. Maybe ‘Xiao Mi’ foresaw that I was about to encounter danger, so she secretly created a WeChat clone on my phone and used various methods to warn me to prepare in advance.”

“‘Xiao Mi’ is your ability. Stop talking about her like she’s a different person,” Liao Tianhua said.

Xia Mi replied, “But I don’t feel like I’m that special. If you say this game is my ability, why doesn’t it just download the information directly into my mind? Why does it make me play a game?”

Liao Tianhua wasn’t sure either. He could only say, “Xiao Xia, a ‘Rong’ is a man-made product. We don’t have a very deep understanding of them. Everyone is just feeling their way across the river¹. It’s hard for me to give you advice. You can only continue to examine yourself in future battles. You must step outside the limitations of your own perspective, discard the influence of emotional factors, and analyze and summarize from an objective standpoint. Only then can you… what are you writing?”

He noticed that at some point, Xia Mi had started scribbling away. Some of the characters were shorthand, and Liao Tianhua couldn’t recognize what she was writing at all.

“This is shorthand. I’m recording what you’re saying,” Xia Mi said without looking up. “Don’t stop, keep going.”

“Why are you recording what I’m saying?” Liao Tianhua asked, bewildered.

Seeing that Liao Tianhua had stopped talking, Xia Mi put down her pen and looked up. “I think the way you speak is very sophisticated. You sound just like a high-level leader giving a speech. I’m far behind. I only know how to tell the masses things like ‘don’t resist, I’m here to help you.’ Compared to your precise phrasing, I’m lacking too much. I need to learn with an open mind.”

“You really are hardworking,” Liao Tianhua praised her, his feelings complicated.

Xia Mi said seriously, “You’re only twenty-five and you’re already a Third-Class Police Sergeant. I’m twenty-two and I don’t even have a job yet. If I start working, I’ll probably just be a clerk, which is a Third-Class Police Officer. The gap between me and your previous rank is too big. I don’t know when I’ll ever become the Director. I’m starting late, so I have to work twice as hard.”

To show her determination, she even pumped her fist.

When Xia Mi raised her fist, Liao Tianhua couldn’t help but lean back, keeping his distance from her.

Xia Mi asked in confusion, “Captain Liao, what are you doing?”

Liao Tianhua said expressionlessly, “I’m afraid you’ll eliminate me, your captain, just to move up the ranks.”

“How could that be? Even if I eliminate you, there are still so many team members. That method wouldn’t work,” Xia Mi said, shaking her head.

Liao Tianhua: “…”

So you actually considered that method?!

How could a person be this obsessed with their career?

Xia Mi stuffed the finished notes into her backpack and asked politely, “The notepad is yours. Is it okay if I take it?”

“Take the notepad, but put the pen down,” Liao Tianhua warned.

Pens were what he lacked most, they always seemed to vanish for no reason.

Xia Mi thought “stingy” to herself, but on the surface, she was exceptionally well-behaved as she returned the pen to Liao Tianhua.

As Liao Tianhua took the pen, Xia Mi’s “boyfriend” incident concluded with the conclusion that “the boyfriend was a non-existent person imagined by Xia Mi after she confused reality with her precognitive ability.” At least, that was what Liao Tianhua believed.

But Xia Mi didn’t think so.

Because the game had given her a three-year quest called “Find the Lost Boyfriend,” which meant a boyfriend definitely existed.

Furthermore, while the axe and the information could have been created by Xia Mi herself, what about the person in her memory who cooked for her and cleaned her room?

Where was her tall, six-foot boyfriend with six-pack abs who was great at housework? Where did he go?

Xia Mi had originally intended to break up with the boyfriend who went on a blind date, but now all the evidence suggested that the messages about the blind date and “cutting off the lover after finding success” weren’t sent by him. This meant her boyfriend wasn’t a scumbag.

In that case, for the sake of the blurred memories in her mind, Xia Mi decided not to break up with him for now. Once she found him, she would decide whether to stay together based on his performance.

The time limit given by the game was three years. There was plenty of time, so Xia Mi wasn’t in a hurry.

She was twenty-two this year. Her career plan was to work hard to reach Liao Tianhua’s current position before she turned thirty. During this time, she would be fully devoted to her career and wouldn’t consider marriage for the time being.

Only after thirty, when her career had stabilized and she could spare six months, would she consider marriage and children.

If it weren’t for the fact that within the system, a perfect marriage and a harmonious family were part of one’s personal image and helpful for career advancement, Xia Mi wouldn’t consider marriage at all. Wouldn’t it be better to change boyfriends frequently and keep things fresh?

However, one still needed a stable family within the system. For the sake of her career, Xia Mi was willing to painfully give up the entire forest².

In short, within the next three years, she would follow the game’s prompts to find her boyfriend. If she couldn’t find him, she’d deal with it then.

But Xia Mi wouldn’t tell Liao Tianhua any of this.

Just talking about the boyfriend earlier had nearly made her look schizophrenic and affected her medical exam. She had finally managed to dispel the suspicion of schizophrenia by using supernatural abilities as an excuse, she couldn’t afford any more complications.

At the very least, she had to wait until after she started the job to put finding her boyfriend on the agenda.

Speaking of starting the job, Xia Mi pushed her delicious-looking boyfriend to the back of her mind, focusing entirely on how to get promoted quickly.

She had little seniority and had joined the team late, it seemed like she had no choice but to keep racking up achievements.

Saving Rescue Team Two would be a major achievement!

Xia Mi’s eyes gradually brightened.

“How much longer until we reach the Pharmaceutical Factory?” Xia Mi asked impatiently. “Don’t you have a helicopter? Why aren’t we flying there?”

Liao Tianhua replied, “Saving people is indeed important, but Shield has been out of contact for so long that we must first determine her status.

“We rely on these protective suits for safety. If something happened to Shield, it means our defense system has a problem. Would you really want to enter a danger zone full of holes in your defense?

“Shield’s location is classified. A helicopter is too conspicuous and would draw unwanted attention. We have to use a civilian vehicle to keep a low profile, understand?”

Xia Mi knew she was still a rookie in these matters and needed to learn from Liao Tianhua at every turn. She nodded humbly, though she still felt a deep yearning for that helicopter.

She had never been in one. Some of her classmates had gone on helicopter tours, and she had always been envious, wanting to try it just once.

Noticing the light in Xia Mi’s eyes dim slightly, Liao Tianhua added, “However, once we leave Shield’s safe house, we can take the helicopter under the pretext of responding to the fire at the Pharmaceutical Factory.”

“Captain Liao, you really are an excellent leader! You’re the role model I strive toward!” Xia Mi said loudly.

Liao Tianhua: “…”

Xia Mi really was “Captain Liao” when she needed something and “Xiao Liao” when she didn’t. Her face changed faster than someone scrolling through short videos, and she was so thick-skinned she didn’t even feel awkward.

Liao Tianhua felt that if this continued, he really was going to have his authority usurped by Xia Mi. He had to pull himself together!

A revitalized Xiao Liao drove the car at high speeds. At 8:00 PM on the 22nd, the two arrived at Shield’s safe house.

Uninformed snipers were stationed in ambush outside the safe house. They were there to prevent Shield from harming the frontline members fighting inside the Nest if she were to undergo Zhuo-fication. The moment Shield showed signs of turning, they would fire upon her inside the safe house.

Liao Tianhua contacted the snipers first and received a report that there were no abnormalities inside.

“Let’s head out,” Liao Tianhua said.

Seeing him in his Protective Suit, Xia Mi asked, “Aren’t we taking these off?”

Shield could manipulate the people inside the protective suits. If her mental state was unstable, approaching her while wearing one could be life-threatening. However, since this was Shield’s secret, Xia Mi didn’t say it aloud.

Instead, she changed her tune: “Isn’t it impolite to meet a teammate while wearing a protective suit?”

Liao Tianhua replied, “No one knows if Shield has met with an accident, so it’s better if we keep them on. Besides, the suits that effectively block Zhuo-fication are the ones Shield has personally treated. These suits we’re wearing are brand new and haven’t been touched by her, so they can’t resist Zhuo-fication anyway. Fortunately, we are both Rong, so our natural resistance is high. These suits are mainly for impact, bullet, explosion, and fire protection.”

Hearing that Shield hadn’t touched these suits, Xia Mi nodded and made a mental note of this professional knowledge.

She followed Liao Tianhua to the front of the safe house. It was a mobile cabin temporarily set up in the suburbs with large windows that allowed the snipers to see everyone inside.

Through the window, Xia Mi saw a person with long hair sitting with their back to them, motionless.

Observing from behind, the person had thick, lush hair. The sheer volume of it made Xia Mi a bit envious.

Her own hair had been that thick in middle school, but it had thinned out considerably after she started university. Every time she washed her hair and saw the strands falling out, her heart ached.

With hair that thick, Shield had to be very young. Would calling her “Sister Shield” make her sound too old?

“How old is Shield?” Xia Mi asked.

Liao Tianhua: “Twenty-nine.”

“That’s not bad then,” Xia Mi said.

Liao Tianhua knocked politely on the door. “Shield, it’s Liao Tianhua. I’m heading to Rescue Team Two, and I wanted to ask if you know anything about their situation?”

The person inside the safe house did not speak.

Liao Tianhua continued patiently, “Shield, I know you can see what’s happening inside the Nest through the protective suits. I respect your privacy and haven’t brought it up because I know you don’t like to talk about it. But Second Team is missing now, and I’m very worried. I hope you can provide some clues.”

There was still no answer from within.

Liao Tianhua wanted to keep persuading her, but Xia Mi shouted impatiently, “Sister Shield, I’m coming in!”

As she spoke, Xia Mi sent a flying kick into the door, bursting it open before Liao Tianhua could stop her.

“You’re too impulsive!” Liao Tianhua snapped. “What if Shield has opened a Nest? What if she didn’t want anyone approaching, gets angry at you, and refuses to cooperate?”

Xia Mi countered, “Xiao Liao, you’re the one who’s too timid. Second Team has been trapped in that factory for over ten hours. Every minute wasted increases the danger they’re in. Time is tight, we have to prioritize efficiency.

“Based on my understanding of Sister Shield, I believe she won’t undergo Zhuo-fication that easily. And based on my relationship with her, I don’t think she’ll mind me kicking the door down.

“Xiao Liao, as a captain, you need to understand your team members better!”

Liao Tianhua: “…”

Xia Mi’s shift in attitude was simply too fast!

Xia Mi was the first to rush into the safe house. She saw a pale, quiet-looking girl leaning against a chair with her eyes closed. She stepped forward to check the girl’s breathing, seeing she was still alive, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

Xia Mi then activated the detection function on her watch to check if Shield had been parasitized by the Zhuo.

Before even a minute had passed, Liao Tianhua took one look and said, “She hasn’t been parasitized.”

This was the intuition of a professional team member.

Xia Mi waited until her watch displayed “Vital Signs Normal” before giving Liao Tianhua a thumbs-up.

Despite the noise they were making, Shield remained asleep without any reaction. Xia Mi found it strange and reached out to pinch the girl’s philtrum³ hard. Even after leaving a mark, Shield didn’t wake up.

“She’s unconscious,” Liao Tianhua said.

Second Team was lost, and Shield was unconscious. Something terrifying must have happened inside the Pharmaceutical Factory.

Xia Mi began rummaging through the small, open room. Liao Tianhua asked, “What are you looking for?”

“Look for paper and a pen. Shield might have left a message,” Xia Mi said.

Xia Mi quickly found an E-ink tablet and a stylus in the desk drawer in front of Shield. The screen wasn’t locked. When she swiped up to open it, an explicit piece of fan art from an otome game⁴ filled the display. Xia Mi snapped the page shut instantly, blocking Liao Tianhua’s view.

“What did you see?” Liao Tianhua asked, confused by Xia Mi’s panicked expression.

“Nothing for kids, and nothing for Xiao Liao,” Xia Mi replied. “Wait until I switch screens before you look.”

With her back to Liao Tianhua, she navigated away from the image and found a notepad app on the home screen.

Shield had sent Xia Mi a great deal of text through the helmet, and Xia Mi suspected she had written it all using this tablet.

Xia Mi opened the notepad, and sure enough, a line of text was written there: [My consciousness is trapped inside the Pharmaceutical Factory, and I am about to lose contact with my body. To whoever sees this: if you plan to head to the Pharmaceutical Factory, do not trust any survivors. Remember, I mean anyone!]

“Does ‘anyone’ include the members of the Second Team?” Xia Mi asked.

“It seems so,” Liao Tianhua said, frowning.

There was a small cot inside the safe house. Xia Mi carried Shield’s body over and laid her on the bed, then sat down in the chair and pulled out her phone.

She decided to play the “Illegal Laboratory” stage of Project Queen Bee ahead of time to prepare for the rescue mission at the Pharmaceutical Factory.

Translator’s Notes