This Villain Ch.1

Chapter 1: Legitimate Systems

“Beep beep—”

“Identification successful. Good morning, esteemed Senior Researcher Kang Shi.”

The intelligent system at the door greeted in a human-like voice as the tightly shut white door opened to both sides.

Yu Yan, hands in his pockets, walked in through the cold, pristine white doors of the research institute while yawning.

A green light quickly scanned his entire body as he stepped through the doorway, then silently disappeared.

As one of the biological research laboratories under the Life Group, the Evolution Research Institute in Zone 5 was not as mysterious and closed-off as the central district’s research institute, but it still maintained strict regulations for personnel.

Entry and exit required biometric verification, and entrants were scanned for contraband or pathogens.

Inside the laboratory’s doors, numerous employees were already bustling about, all clad in white uniforms, moving between the various white and silver small laboratories.

Most people, upon seeing Yu Yan step through the door, reacted by lowering their heads and pretending to work more diligently. Only two young intern researchers greeted him briefly and cautiously.

This was the result of Yu Yan’s three days of presence here. If it were the original Kang Shi—who was harsh, arrogant, vicious, and petty—not a single person would dare greet him.

Passing through the front hall and corridor, Yu Yan arrived at his private laboratory area.

The private laboratory area included several small labs, an observation area, and a breeding area.

As for why he had such a large area at his disposal, it was because the original owner was one of the four senior researchers in this institute.

Above him were only the director and deputy director; below him were over a hundred junior, mid-level researchers, and intern researchers.

In his own domain, Yu Yan lazily sat down on the newly replaced spacious soft chair and began to make tea.

He used the high-quality tea that the original owner had cherished, casually grabbing a handful to brew a strong cup. Then, he sat there, sipping tea while leisurely browsing through the research materials left by the original owner, spending the entire morning in a relaxed manner.

Just like a retired old man.

He had no choice but to take it easy. Before being bound to the system and transported to this world, Yu Yan had been a doctor, which was quite different from being a biological researcher. He couldn’t currently handle the original owner’s research.

Moreover, in this world, biological mutations had led to many strange phenomena. Kang Shi’s research involved things Yu Yan had never encountered before.

After reading the materials for a while, Yu Yan swiveled his chair to look at the experimental subjects’ breeding area through a glass window.

Placing the breeding area next to the office, right under his nose where he could observe the experimental subjects at any time, was a peculiar hobby of the original owner.

It wasn’t that he was particularly diligent or responsible in his work; he was just a psychopath.

He liked to watch the experimental subjects struggle in pain, especially enjoying making them bleed under the guise of experimentation and then sitting back to admire the scene.

As a result, the highest experimental subject mortality rate in the institute was under his care.

Before Yu Yan transmigrated into this psychopath’s body, the original owner had just rendered all his experimental subjects useless. Naturally, Yu Yan hadn’t applied for new subjects since his arrival, so the area was currently empty.

“Hmm, such a large space looks a bit empty,” Yu Yan casually remarked.

Hearing this, Assistant Researcher Xiao Gao, who had come to deliver lunch, immediately asked obsequiously, “Dr. Kang, would you like to apply for some new experimental subjects?”

Yu Yan just thought the large empty breeding area looked glaringly white and empty. If he could add some greenery or create a landscape, it would be easier on the eyes during work breaks.

He didn’t share the original owner’s interest in watching experimental subjects fight and struggle.

“Oh, no need.”

Yu Yan took the luxurious three-tiered food box, checking out his lunch.

It was quite a feast. Whatever else might be said, the benefits of this job were certainly good.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” Xiao Gao, the assistant researcher who had stayed the longest by the original owner’s side, was as dutiful as ever.

Skillfully setting out the food, he continued to flatter his boss.

“Recently, the experimental subjects we’ve received haven’t been of high quality. I checked them out; they don’t look good either. However, the S-level experimental subject that you applied for will be delivered in a couple of days. With such a high-quality subject, there won’t be time to deal with the lower-level ones.”

Xiao Gao was referring to a high-level experimental subject the original owner had applied for a week ago, which had supposedly been in the central district’s secret research facility.

Generally, the original owner wouldn’t have had access to such a high-level subject, but this one had been used so extensively that it was falling apart and near death, with little research value left. So, it had been discarded from the central district’s facility.

Its transfer to the Zone 5 research institute was essentially waste recycling.

Everyone in the research institute knew about this, and many researchers secretly envied and resented Kang Shi.

After all, this was an S-level experimental subject they usually wouldn’t even get to touch, and its near-death state still held a certain allure.

People gossiped, saying that if it weren’t for Kang Shi’s connections, he wouldn’t have had such a stroke of luck.

As Xiao Gao spoke, he secretly observed his boss’s reaction. Yu Yan appeared indifferent, seemingly focused on eating.

If this had been a few days ago, the mention of this matter would have filled the boss’s face with barely concealed excitement and pride, leading him to boast endlessly about his wealth and power and speculate on how he would handle the high-level subject.

But in the past couple of days, the boss seemed like a changed person. He no longer punished or berated the assistant researchers, didn’t nitpick over everything, and had even set aside his experiments.

Xiao Gao didn’t know what had happened to his boss and couldn’t quite grasp what he was thinking, which made him worry about his own future.

Kang Shi was known for his harsh nature, and his assistant researchers never stayed long. His paranoia led him to constantly suspect his assistants of coveting his experimental results, so he replaced them frequently.

Xiao Gao, lacking strong abilities, managed to stay longer only because he was good at flattering, reading the room, and keeping a low profile.

Now, with his boss’s sudden change in temperament and apparent disinterest in flattery, Xiao Gao didn’t know what to do.

Yu Yan noticed Xiao Gao’s unease and, after wiping his mouth, said, “The high-level experimental subject will arrive in a couple of days, right? Let’s make some preparations.”

Xiao Gao quickly responded, “Yes, yes, we need to prepare. What do you need, Dr. Kang? I’ll get it done right away.”

He thought to himself, based on his boss’s usual habits, he should apply for more experimental equipment and drugs for the subject…

Halfway through his thoughts, Xiao Gao heard his boss say, “Get some green plants.”

Xiao Gao was taken aback, “…What?”

Yu Yan envisioned creating a rainforest terrarium. The entire experimental subject breeding area was about a hundred square meters, square-shaped with glass walls on all sides for easy observation. It was perfect for a rainforest terrarium.

After delegating the task, Yu Yan left work on time.

He got into the self-driving car and returned to Kang Shi’s small villa, where he lived alone. Relaxed, Yu Yan made himself some noodles and sat in the living room with his legs crossed, watching a projection while eating.

The projection displayed various oddly-shaped animals, such as dogs with scales growing up to two meters tall, fish with shells that allowed them to move onto land, and rabbits whose fur had turned into blood-sucking tendrils.

These were animals that had mutated after the Great Pollution, collectively known as mutants.

The research institute where Yu Yan now worked focused on studying these mutants.

Watching the screen where a rabbit’s fur suddenly elongated and drained a fluorescent lizard, Yu Yan calmly slurped his noodles.

He treated it like a special effects movie, finding it quite entertaining.

The surroundings were very quiet, except for the sounds of animals hunting and feeding on the screen and his own voice.

Before going to sleep, the system, which had barely made its presence felt, cautiously spoke up.

[Mr. Yu Yan, how was your day? Are you getting used to this world?]

“Mm, I think it’s fine,” Yu Yan replied, lying on the soft bed with his eyes closed.

[That’s great! Mr. Yu Yan, do you remember the transmigration agreement we signed earlier?]

“I remember.”

[System 06 reminds you that in two days, you will encounter the mission target. Please make sure to take up the responsibility of monitoring!]

“Okay, got it.”

Though Yu Yan’s answers were brief, he had agreed, and the system felt very touched.

Nowadays, it wasn’t easy to be a system. Legitimate systems, unlike those rogue ones, didn’t force people into agreements or recklessly sign up souls without meeting the standards.

They painstakingly selected souls with sufficient strength and color, explained the agreement clearly, and then allowed them to transmigrate, ensuring the chosen world suited the host.

System 06 was fortunate to have signed five suitable hosts in one go.

…

The next day, when Yu Yan returned to the research institute, the efficient Xiao Gao, along with two other assistant researchers, had already directed people to move various plants into the experimental subject breeding area.

Yu Yan, holding a cup of hot tea with one hand in his pocket, stood in front of the glass window watching the activity. He occasionally offered suggestions, spending another calm and leisurely day.

In the evening, the system appeared again, reminding him tirelessly.

[Mr. Yu Yan, according to the world line, you will meet this world’s future villain tomorrow. Please monitor his data closely and take immediate action if his danger levels exceed the threshold!]

Yu Yan, too lazy to speak, raised his hand to make an “ok” gesture and then closed his eyes to sleep.

The work at the hospital had been busy and exhausting, and before transmigrating, Yu Yan hadn’t had a good rest for a long time. Compared to that, this world was truly much better.

…

On a new day, still feeling lethargic despite sleeping for a long time, Yu Yan walked into the research institute just on time and encountered the S-level experimental subject that had been the topic of much discussion among the institute’s staff and the future villain the system had repeatedly reminded him about.

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