Chapter 23: What a mean person
The message came from the research institute, informing him that the assistant, Gao Nianze, who had caused significant losses with his illegal experiments, could not be found. They suspected he had used illegal means to leave Fifth District.
It was very official and full of useless information.
Yu Yan guessed that Gao Nianze was either living the high life in First District or had been disposed of in the sewers of Fifth District.
Before Yu Yan fell into another fitful sleep, Su He arrived again, this time bringing a lot of things.
She even brought her beloved pet, Xiao Ye.
A large, sickly silver wolf lay in a cage, and Su He carried it out. The two sick patients exchanged a glance.
Seeing Su He muster all her strength to lift the giant wolf, Yu Yan briefly doubted whether his own strength was not only less than 012’s but also less than his junior’s.
“You came, but why bring so many things? Are these all gifts for the sick visit?”
Even though he was too uncomfortable to speak, Yu Yan still made a joke.
Su He was quite exhausted, unpacking the luggage and pulling out item after item.
“These are all for Xiao Ye—its food bowl, water bottle, bed, pillow, comb, and washcloth…”
A pile of miscellaneous items made the already small ward even more cramped.
“Junior, are you planning to turn this into a patient’s room and treat us all together?” Yu Yan asked.
Su He petted Xiao Ye’s large head. “Xiao Ye hasn’t been in good condition recently. I need to keep an eye on it all the time. Since this place is quiet and not too crowded, I brought it along so it can rest properly.”
There was an even more important reason. Xiao Ye had shown some strange changes, which Su He could not let others know about. With people constantly coming and going in her research lab, she didn’t feel safe, so she decided to hide Xiao Ye here.
“Don’t worry, Xiao Ye won’t share the same room with you. I’ve put its bed in the next room,” Su He said, not wanting her senior to see Xiao Ye’s changes.
Yu Yan glanced at the pink socks on the silver wolf’s paws and pretended not to notice his junior’s hidden concerns and vigilance. He spoke to ease the mood: “That’s good. I was really afraid it might bite me while you’re away. I can’t afford to get bitten right now; it’s toxic.”
Instinctively wanting to argue that Xiao Ye wouldn’t bite, Su He remembered how Xiao Ye would chase him away from her lab every time he visited, and she fell silent.
It wasn’t so certain.
Su He quickly dragged the watchful Xiao Ye to the next isolation room, rubbing its large head and sternly instructing, “Xiao Ye, you mustn’t bite him. If you bite him, you’ll get sick!”
The large silver wolf, which had previously tried to look imposing, whined and rubbed against its owner, showing its weakness and discomfort, like a spoiled child.
The pink socks on its paws were rubbed off, revealing its deformed claws.
The once-large, flower-shaped claws were gradually changing towards a five-fingered shape, but still different from human fingers, looking quite bizarre.
Mutated creatures were already feared, and with Xiao Ye showing further anomalies, Su He could not afford to take any risks without knowing whether the situation was good or bad.
Su He carefully put the socks back on, rubbing its large ears. “Don’t run around or let anyone see you, okay?”
With her pet settled, Su He returned to Yu Yan’s ward with a professional demeanor.
“What’s the situation with your condition after I leave?”
“This is my medication record. The data changes are next to it.”
As they discussed the data, Su He suddenly noticed that the isolation box for 012 was covered.
Su He asked, “What’s going on with that?”
Yu Yan replied, “It’s covered to block the light. If it isn’t covered, it’s too bright for him to sleep.”
Su He said, “I see. You’re quite thoughtful. But if you cover it and he can’t see you, won’t he make a fuss?”
Yu Yan responded, “Of course he will. But is he the only one who can make a fuss?”
Su He asked, “What do you mean?”
Yu Yan smiled but said nothing. Su He had many tasks to attend to, so she didn’t have time to probe into such small matters and quickly immersed herself in her virus research.
Before long, there was a thudding sound coming from the corner where the isolation box was.
Su He looked back at Yu Yan, expecting him to lift the light-blocking curtain so 012 could see, but instead, he just picked up a cup from the bedside and threw it at the isolation box, causing a loud thud.
The noises from inside the isolation box ceased.
“That’s how it is,” Yu Yan said.
Su He remained silent.
Another day passed, and Su He stayed in the lab. As expected, Yu Yan’s condition continued to fluctuate, and Su He had to use another medication that Zhou Sheqing had sent.
“The workload is too heavy. I need time to experiment and correct mistakes,” Su He said, her eyes vacant as she grabbed her greasy hair, which she didn’t have time to wash.
What she needed most right now was time.
“If we had an experienced team to help, it would definitely shorten the time required.”
Seeing how Su He was nearly driven mad by work, even Yu Yan couldn’t bear it and suggested, “How about I find you an assistant?”
Su He responded, “What assistant? Without extensive experience in virus research, they wouldn’t be of any help at this point.”
Yu Yan said, “He does have the capability. I’m just not sure if he’ll be willing to help. But given the situation, let’s get him here and see.”
He tapped a few times on his terminal.
Before long, the sealed laboratory door opened, and the voice of Lu Qiufeng, the head of the neighboring laboratory and a senior researcher, could be heard.
“It’s been a while since you last contacted me. Why suddenly call me over… What happened?! Why is this glass shattered like this?!”
Surprised that the assistant he found was Lu Qiufeng, Su He got up and went to the isolation room door to greet him, “Here.”
Lu Qiufeng approached, looking puzzled. “You two have been acting mysteriously lately. Su He, you’re neglecting your own research lab and coming here every day. I’ve heard quite a few rumors about you.”
He walked into the isolation room and was startled to see Yu Yan lying on the bed, looking half-dead.
“After a few days, how did you end up like this?” Lu Qiufeng realized something and recalled the empty feeding area outside.
“Is this related to your S-class experimental subject? Did you contract the virus from interacting with it?!”
Without waiting for Yu Yan to respond, Lu Qiufeng glanced at the marks on his neck and understood what had happened. He reacted with outrage, “You madman!”
“You were once cruel, but now you’re utterly depraved. I thought your temper had improved recently, but it seems you’ve completely gone off the deep end. How can you engage in such beastly behavior?!”
Yu Yan said, “Wait a moment, you don’t think I forced the experimental subject into a relationship, do you?”
Lu Qiufeng sneered, “What else could it be? The experimental subject forced you into a relationship? Do you take me for a fool? An experimental subject confined to the feeding area doesn’t initiate anything. I’ve only heard of morally corrupt researchers forcing experimental subjects, never the other way around. If that were the case, it would be one of the top ten jokes in the mutated biology research field.”
Yu Yan: What a mean person.
Lu Qiufeng was someone who could really hit a nerve.
Unexpectedly, the most agitated person in this situation was not one of the two directly involved but the neighbor Lu.
He delivered an impassioned speech full of righteous indignation, concluding with, “You brought this upon yourself. I won’t help you.”
He stormed out with a scowl.
Su He pointed to the door, “So, you brought him here just to get an earful?”
Yu Yan took out his terminal, “That can’t be. Since we’ve stirred up some excitement, we can’t let it go to waste.”
Not long after, Lu Qiufeng reappeared at the door, looking skeptical. “Is what you said on the terminal true?”
Yu Yan coughed weakly, “Absolutely.”
“No wonder,” Lu Qiufeng said as he approached the bedside, “I heard the research institute’s people went to arrest an assistant from your lab. I had warned you to stay away from high-level mutated subjects, but you didn’t listen. Now you’re suffering the consequences.”
“So what about your experimental subject? Did you deal with it?” Lu Qiufeng guessed that Yu Yan had killed the experimental subject in a fit of rage.
Given Yu Yan’s nature, even though he had mellowed a lot, he likely couldn’t tolerate such an event.
Yu Yan pointed to the place covered by a black cloth in the corner. “There.”
Lu Qiufeng asked, “Did you put its body there?”
Yu Yan replied, “I locked him there to let him reflect on his actions.”
Lu Qiufeng, with suspicion, went over to lift the black cloth and looked inside. Experiment subject 012 was lying there, covered with a man’s uniform coat.
It was clearly from Kang Shi.
Lu Qiufeng: “……”
“Tell me honestly, was it really you who was attacked by the experiment subject?”
“Yes, I was.”
Lu Qiufeng: “I don’t believe it.”
Yu Yan: “Fine, I’m a p*rvert. Help me.”
Lu Qiufeng was about to leave again, but Yu Yan pulled out his terminal and inputted something.
As Lu Qiufeng was just about to reach the door, he saw the information on the terminal, his face darkened, and walked back.
“How did you know about this? What exactly do you want to do?” Lu Qiufeng asked, suppressing his anger.
“I found out by chance. Don’t worry, I don’t like to talk nonsense,” Yu Yan said, putting away the terminal with a sincere expression. “Help me, friend.”
The original owner’s friends were also friends. In a crisis, everyone needed to contribute.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qiufeng actually cooperated and acted as an assistant. Su He quietly asked Yu Yan, “Senior, is he okay?”
Yu Yan assured, “He’s fine, at least he won’t be like Xiao Gao.”
Lu Qiufeng had even fewer scenes in the original plot than Kang Shi, but there was still some basic information and some that could be inferred.
He was transferred from First District, and his original surname was Song. The Song family and the Zhou family were rivals, both holding large conglomerates and numerous biological research labs.
As a core member of the Song family, Lu Qiufeng had committed some mistakes, which led to his exile here. It seemed he had changed his surname himself, and few people knew his true identity.
The exiled young master of the Song family was cynical and particularly hated Zhou Xiangcheng, so it was unlikely he had been bribed by Zhou Xiangcheng.
Moreover, his youth and his position as a senior researcher indicated that he was undoubtedly a genius. His involvement in Su He’s research would be of great help.
