Chapter 3: Gossip creates a good working atmosphere
The institute’s experimental subjects came from two sources.
One type was captured from the barren areas outside human habitation zones, and the other was laboratory-bred.
012 was purely a product of the laboratory.
He was a creature cultivated using human genes and mutated white bat genes collected from polluted areas, mixed with a few bird genes.
Mutated white bats could carry multiple viruses that humans couldn’t resist. The purpose of 012’s creation was to exploit this trait, enabling him to harbor more viruses, digest them, and thus evolve.
After the Great Pollution, humans were able to edit genes, leading to the emergence of more advanced humans occupying the top of the pyramid.
Yet they still pursued continuous evolution. Successful genes from the laboratory would become their capital to be superior to others.
012 was bred for this purpose, and unlike the others from his batch who perished before reaching maturity, he had tenaciously survived until now.
From the moment he was born, he was transferred from one laboratory to another, undergoing countless experiments on his body.
Coming to a new lab made no difference to him.
These people, wearing similar clothes, would cut open his body, slice into his skull, and inject him with painful dr*gs.
But this time, there was something slightly different.
The body heat of a healthy human was transmitted through the thin gloves to his body.
012, like an animal frozen in the icy wilderness, suddenly touched by a slightly warmer temperature, felt as if he were being burned by fire, the pain akin to his skin being scorched through.
When 012 was very young, one of his researchers had touched his face and hand through a layer of protective clothing. The innate nature of young creatures is to crave warm, soft touches, and 012 was no different. His breeding tank was too cold.
But as he grew, his body harbored more and more viruses, and all the researchers dared not touch him again.
After a researcher responsible for him died from a virus infection during an experiment, they became even more fearful, donning powerful protective suits that could isolate temperature.
From then on, all experiments were conducted by machines, and the researchers only observed him through the observation box.
He had become unaccustomed to human warmth.
Yu Yan successfully injected the life-stimulating potion and noticed the subject’s trembling intensified, eventually leading to convulsions. Even the unhealed wounds on his body tore open, oozing red blood. Yu Yan couldn’t help but think, ‘Is this potion reaction that severe?’
Moreover, the sight of the red blood caused his thoughts to drift uncontrollably for a moment.
He looks human, and his blood is red; it’s hard not to see him as a person.
His doctor’s instincts almost kicked in, nearly prompting him to administer emergency treatment on the spot.
Yu Yan forced 012’s convulsing body to straighten out and lifted his face to observe his condition closely.
“Can you hear me? Open your eyes and let me see.”
The half-closed eyes, shut tightly due to the burning pain, were touched by fingers, causing 012 to jerk violently.
The injected life-stimulating drug quickly took effect, giving him the strength to resist. He suddenly struck at Yu Yan’s face with both hands.
Yu Yan’s face, shielded by a transparent mask, dodged just in time.
Even if he hadn’t dodged, 012’s attack wouldn’t have hurt him because his hands were covered in blood, with the sharp, hooked nails having been pulled out. At most, they would leave a few bloodstains on the mask.
“Stop moving your hands!” Yu Yan was frustrated with the uncooperative patient.
To prevent the near-lifeless 012 from harming himself further, Yu Yan had to touch more parts of his body to forcibly calm him down and check his condition.
However, this only made 012 more agitated, nearly toppling Yu Yan over. Yu Yan had no choice but to press him down with his own body.
Suddenly, a stern voice demanded from behind, “What are you doing? Stop immediately!”
Finally managing to calm 012 a bit, Yu Yan turned his head to see a young woman in a white uniform standing outside the enclosure.
Su He, one of the four senior researchers in the institute.
The female protagonist of this world.
The junior that Kang Shi, the original owner, secretly admired.
Seeing her serious face and the alarm in her eyes, Yu Yan knew she had definitely misunderstood something.
Yu Yan quickly injected a sedative into 012, followed by two doses of healing agent, before stepping into the decontamination area to change out of his protective suit and walk out.
“Junior.”
This was Yu Yan’s first time meeting the protagonist since arriving in this world, so he greeted her as Kang Shi would have.
Su He took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. “Senior, I heard the S-class experimental subject you requested has arrived, so I came to take a look.”
She hadn’t expected to witness that scene.
Unlike Kang Shi and Lu Qiufeng, Su He was an advocate for the humane treatment of mutant experimental subjects. She promoted kindness, the avoidance of unnecessary harm, and the prohibition of inhumane experiments.
Although she and Kang Shi graduated from the same school and worked at the same research institute, she greatly disliked this senior.
Su He had personally witnessed Kang Shi’s cruelty toward experimental subjects. With numerous black marks in his history, seeing the earlier scene immediately led her to assume the worst.
“Senior Kang, even if you don’t care about the experimental subject’s life, I heard he carries a deadly virus. Any close contact could infect you. There’s no need to risk yourself for a moment of gratification.”
“Moreover, forcibly engaging with high-level mutant subjects is strictly prohibited!”
It was clear that Su He was restraining herself from pointing at his nose and calling him a beast.
Yu Yan: “…”
“What do you think I was doing just now?” It was Yu Yan’s first time being mistaken for a p*rvert, and it was quite novel.
“He wasn’t in a good condition, so I was injecting him with medication.”
Su He froze, looking at him suspiciously, clearly not entirely convinced but at least a bit calmer.
After a moment, she forced a smile. “So that’s it. I seem to have misunderstood you, Senior Kang. I’m truly sorry.”
“High-level experimental subjects are rare. I heard you haven’t requested other subjects recently, so it seems you plan to focus on researching this one. If you want to study him longer, you shouldn’t overexert him. Let him recuperate first.”
It was hard for her to be so roundabout.
If it were the original Kang Shi, seeing his beloved junior smile so rarely, he might not have minded showing some warmth and temporarily sparing the poor experimental subject in her presence.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he recovers properly,” Yu Yan said.
Su He visibly relaxed a bit and quickly shifted her gaze to 012 in the enclosure.
Upon seeing his appearance clearly, Su He showed a mix of surprise and admiration.
The experimental subject had a slender build, with fair skin that shimmered with a faint silver glow, like the iridescent scales on butterfly wings.
His face, which adhered to human aesthetics, was exquisitely handsome, yet possessed an otherworldly allure.
“He’s truly beautiful, more so than many genetically edited humans,” she remarked.
It was precisely this rare beauty that made his injuries so jarring.
Yu Yan also glanced at the unconscious 012 beside him.
Was he attractive? Perhaps Yu Yan, having been pursued for his good looks since childhood, had lost interest in such matters. Having seen countless human bodies in the hospital, he had grown indifferent to beauty.
After all, it was just two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
However, 012’s extra wings were indeed striking.
The silver-gray membranes were smooth to the touch, a sensation Yu Yan found pleasing. If they were intact, they would likely be even more beautiful.
Su He quickly realized her mistake after speaking.
She knew Kang Shi was interested in her, though his arrogance and insecurity had always kept him from confessing. Complimenting an experimental subject’s appearance might provoke his ire.
Anxiously observing his reaction, she was surprised not to see the expected sullen expression but rather a calm and relaxed demeanor.
Objectively speaking, Kang Shi was good-looking, but Su He had never felt attracted to him. His face often revealed an underlying hostility that made her want to keep her distance.
But today, for the first time, she noticed a kind of handsomeness in him she had never seen before.
Su He thought, ‘Am I losing my mind? How could I think this pervert looks handsome?’
After seeing the high-level experimental subject, Su He quickly left with a strange expression.
…
At noon, Lu Qiufeng came to invite Yu Yan to the cafeteria as promised and saw 012’s unconscious face.
He couldn’t help but show a bit of amazement, which quickly turned into deep disgust.
“It’s clearly not human, yet it has a face that can deceive people. These mutants are like insects that have evolved camouflage.”
Before Lu Qiufeng could continue, Yu Yan forcefully took him out of his lab area.
Stumbling, Lu Qiufeng complained, “What’s your problem?”
“Don’t look at him, he’s mine,” Yu Yan said, releasing his shoulder.
Lu Qiufeng’s smile was ambiguous. “I didn’t expect you to be so protective. You were never like this before.”
“You don’t understand; he’s very expensive,” Yu Yan replied.
The original Yu Yan had spent a fortune on the life-stimulating dr*g, draining half his savings.
Lu Qiufeng was at a loss for words.
Mid- and senior-level researchers had a dedicated restaurant, with an ambiance superior to many high-end restaurants Yu Yan had visited in his past life, complete with private chefs.
Sitting at a table with Lu Qiufeng, Yu Yan heard researchers chatting on the other side of the partition.
“Didn’t Lab 4 get an S-class experimental subject? I heard Boss Su from Lab 2 went to see it today.”
“Who wouldn’t want to see it? Unfortunately, I don’t dare to. Dr. Kang… you know.”
Yu Yan leaned back in his chair, enjoying the gossip-filled atmosphere.
This was exactly the kind of casual chatter he wanted to hear during his break.
Just as Lu Qiufeng coughed to remind the others not to say anything inappropriate, a man in a senior researcher’s uniform walked briskly into the restaurant.
“Xiao Lu, Xiao Kang, why are you eating here together today? Mind if I join you?”
Despite asking, he was already sitting down.
The institute’s most senior researcher, Li Shang, was over fifty years old, though he looked only in his thirties thanks to his evolutionary genes.
“Xiao Kang, your high-level experimental subject arrived today, didn’t it? You’re really something. You’re the first in our institute to study an S-class experimental subject.” Li Shang’s words were loaded with double meanings.
“But you better be careful not to end up like the previous researcher of that experimental subject.”
It seemed that regardless of age or status, everyone enjoyed gossip during meals.
Feigning interest, Yu Yan asked, “What happened to the previous researcher? I’m not really aware.”
“You don’t know? Dr. Zhou Xiangcheng, the one who published the mutant virus genealogy, is now in the hospital, barely hanging on.”
