Run the Plot Ch.40

Chapter 40: Trigger (3)

The system held its breath: […No.]

Qi He said calmly, “According to your logic, it should be.”

[……] The system stiffened its neck, choosing self-destruction over losing the argument: [I don’t have logic.]

Qi He shook his head and walked back to sit on the sofa.

The small, dim lamp was still on, casting a hazy glow over the polished tabletop and his figure.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night was quiet, dotted with faint lights.

Qi He lowered his gaze in thought. Why did Yan Chuanbai try to flirt with him? Was it, like himself, just a fleeting impulse?

Or…

He pressed a hand against the side of his neck. In the training room, when Yan Chuanbai held him down and kissed him—did that… feel real?

The system’s trembling voice broke in: [What are you pondering now?]

“Nothing,” Qi He said, pulling himself back from his thoughts.

Given Yan Chuanbai’s “persona” and the dynamic between them, the other shouldn’t possibly like him. Yet the sudden spark of ambiguity just now didn’t seem fake either—

His heartbeat unconsciously quickened. It was as if that faint, elusive touch from the other man had stirred up a strange curiosity, a desire to probe deeper—and to win.

Of course, it was also possible he had simply misunderstood.

[So what do you think now?]

Qi He suppressed the faint tremor in his chest and steadied his tone. “To be observed.”

The system choked, its hanging heart somewhere between despair and resignation: […Everything that comes out of your mouth sounds like an experiment.]

“Occupational habit,” Qi He replied.

…

The next morning, there was a regular S-class meeting.

Qi He tidied himself up and headed to the research institute.

When he pushed the door open, the other three were already there. Yu Tianxing had something to handle in the lab and said he’d be a few minutes late.

As soon as Qi He entered, his gaze met Yan Chuanbai’s.

Both of them looked perfectly composed.

Qi He pulled out a chair and sat down. Thinking of last night, he looked over again—openly, calmly, and with deliberate scrutiny.

The fingers resting on the table seemed to twitch slightly.

Yan Chuanbai turned toward him, lowered his gaze, and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Qi He got straight to the point. “What did you mean last night?”

Yan Chuanbai’s breath paused so briefly it was almost unnoticeable. Then he curved his lips casually, meeting Qi He’s eyes without flinching. “Exactly what you thought it meant.”

“You know how I understood it?”

“Oh?” His tone was mild. “Then let’s hear your understanding.”

Qi He narrowed his eyes a little.

So that’s how it was—playing vague, are we? When it came to flirting, he’d never lost before. After a two-second pause, he pressed a hand against the table and leaned forward slightly, closing the distance until he was right beside Yan Chuanbai’s cheek.

The rhythm of their breaths fell into disarray.

Qi He murmured, “I thought you meant I was… appetizing.”

A low laugh brushed past his ear.

Yan Chuanbai tilted his head, neither confirming nor denying. “Then let’s go with that.”

Qi He held his gaze for two seconds at close range. The expression on the other’s face was hard to read—half teasing, half sincere. The faint glint of amusement in those deep eyes did have a kind of pull.

The meeting room door clicked open.

Yu Tianxing was back. Out of the corner of his eye, Qi He caught sight of him and drew back—

His attempt to probe the truth had failed.

Inside the conference room, the others: “……”

Yu Tianxing walked in and froze at the scene before him, then quickly composed himself and went to his seat.

Across from them, Yu Jiang’s eyes were wide as saucers. Her hands were pressed to her knees, and she held her breath.

You said last night, only once—that you only needed once…

Wait—what… what exactly did that mean again? I need to hear you… explain it.

The last thing Qi He said, the part he whispered close to Yan Chuanbai’s ear, was completely inaudible—Yu Jiang could only faintly make out the lip movement: index… finger… move.

Her cheeks flushed red. It’s the apocalypse—how can people still be this open!?

Beside her, Xia Jiu also seemed to sense something odd between the two. She turned her head, about to ask, when she saw Yu Jiang frozen like a statue in shock. After a pause, she couldn’t hold back:

“…What are you shocked about this time?”

Yu Jiang slowly turned to her. “You didn’t hear that?”

She glanced toward the pair, who were now talking to Yu Tianxing, then leaned in close to Xia Jiu and whispered, face still red, “Weren’t they just discussing… how many times they did that last night?”

Xia Jiu: “???”

She finally whipped her head around in disbelief. No way, girl—sure, the atmosphere was a bit flirty, but that’s definitely not what they were talking about!

—

The meeting ended, everyone carrying their own thoughts.

Today, Xia Jiu was supposed to report to the cultivation base.

Qi He checked the time—it was almost noon. He happened to want to check on Meng Yan’s research progress as well.

He said to Xia Jiu, “I’ll go to the cafeteria with you. I called Meng Yan—she’ll join us for lunch.”

“Oh, so you two know each other,” Xia Jiu said, hands in her pockets. “Great, introduce us ahead of time then.”

Yu Tianxing headed for the lab, Yan Chuanbai went to the military division, and Yu Jiang returned to her quarters for her usual meal.

Qi He and Xia Jiu made their way to the cafeteria together.

…

By noon, the cafeteria was crowded with people.

Meng Yan had just come from the cultivation base.

She wore a crisp white shirt, with a report tucked neatly under one arm—something she planned to give Qi He. Holding a tray, she threaded through the crowd; her sleek ponytail and clean attire made her stand out easily.

Just as she was about to find a seat, a familiar voice called out beside her—

“Yo, isn’t this Meng Yan?”

She turned her head and saw Ke Yuan sitting with three of her former teammates.

It was the first time she’d run into them since transferring to the cultivation base. Meng Yan had no interest in dealing with them—she was about to turn away when Ke Yuan’s eyes locked onto the report tucked under her arm. His tone was laced with mockery.

“Carrying a report even to lunch? Who are you trying to impress?”

She paused, then shot back coolly, “Better than always tucking your tail between your legs.”

Clatter! He slammed his tray down. Ke Yuan and the others shot to their feet, full of barely contained fury.

They’d been humiliated time and again during training—forced to kneel, scolded—and the resentment had been festering. Now, seeing Meng Yan, they were itching for a target. The base strictly forbade fighting, but Ke Yuan’s eyes gleamed. He knew she held a grudge against them. If he could just provoke her into throwing the first punch—

He sneered, voice dripping venom. “What are you so proud of, Meng Yan? If it weren’t for us, you wouldn’t have even awakened your ability.”

Meng Yan’s face went cold, her eyes fixed on him.

Seeing her reaction, Ke Yuan grew bolder, adding fuel to the fire. “What, still not bowing—”

“What’s going on here? You looking for trouble?”

A sharp, clear voice cut in.

Xia Jiu appeared beside Meng Yan, frowning as she glanced at the group. “All this noise—what are you babbling about?”

Ke Yuan froze, startled by the unfamiliar face. He was just about to snap back when his gaze landed on the S+ rank printed on Xia Jiu’s ID card.

He choked mid-breath, the color draining from his face. “…Tch, whatever.”

He turned around, trying to play it off like nothing had happened—when suddenly—

Thud! Thud!!!

All four of them dropped to their knees at once.

Clang! Their trays toppled over, dishes spilling everywhere, food splattering onto their heads.

“Wh—what the hell—!”

Qi He came strolling over with his own tray, voice perfectly calm and helpful. “Heard you calling for me from over there,” he said pleasantly. “Rushed right over. No need to thank me.”

The four men: “……”

Qi He nodded toward Meng Yan and Xia Jiu. “Come on, let’s go sit over there.”

After the three of them walked off into the distance,

Ke Yuan and his group climbed up from the mess they’d made. All around, people were staring—curious, judgmental, some even amused. His face flushed from red to green, twisted with humiliation and anger. Grinding his teeth, he began muttering spitefully:

“Clinging to a few S-rank big shots—that’s all it takes to have someone backing you up!”

“What’s she acting all high and mighty for? It’s just a nutrient formula! It’s not like she made that breakthrough alone.”

“I don’t even need what she makes. I can live just fine without drinking her stuff!”

…

At the far end of the cafeteria, Qi He, Xia Jiu, and Meng Yan sat down.

Qi He glanced at her, his tone gentle. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Meng Yan said evenly.

She looked a little thinner than before—her baby-fat cheeks had slimmed away, leaving her features sharper, her whole demeanor composed and poised.

She hadn’t forgiven them. But she no longer cared.

Compared to humanity’s survival and the significance of her research, those people were nothing but ants beneath her notice.

She handed Qi He the report she’d been carrying. “Here—take a look. It’s in the final stage now.”

Qi He skimmed a few pages. “I’ll come with you later to the lab and take a look myself.”

“Oh? If I’d known you were coming, I wouldn’t have bothered bringing the report.”

—

After lunch, they headed to the laboratory.

Meng Yan’s office was right next to the main lab, separated only by a transparent glass wall. Through it, they could see the rows of precision instruments, the labeled samples, and several researchers and assistants moving about inside.

She brought them into her office first.

Handing over a small test sample, she said, “This is the current final version.”

Qi He took the vial, examined it briefly, then passed it to Xia Jiu. “How long until we have results?”

Meng Yan replied, “Since the formula’s components and ratios need constant adjustment, and we have to wait for the outcome of each clinical trial, progress has been slow. But now that we have Xia Jiu—”

Snap!

Xia Jiu flicked her fingers smartly, eyes locked on the test tube. “Two days.”

Meng Yan’s eyes flew wide. “That fast?!”

“My ability, ‘Identification,’ can directly generate precise data. As long as you can keep up with the adjustment rate, all that’s left is to put the final version into clinical trials and verify the results.”

Meng Yan grabbed her hand, eyes shining. “Why didn’t you show up sooner?!”

“I’ve only been at headquarters a few days.”

Xia Jiu brushed a hand through her short hair and gave the two in front of her a sideways glance. “Alright, stop staring at me like that. Being fascinated by me is only human.”

Qi He: “…”

Meng Yan: “…”

The system marveled: [She’s actually thicker-skinned than you!]

Qi He accepted this calmly. “Outstanding people tend to share certain traits.”

The system immediately corrected itself: […No, you still win.]

Just then, his communicator beeped sharply.

Qi He took it out and saw a short, direct message from Yu Tianxing:

[Report to the main control room. Immediately.]

He glanced up. Xia Jiu hadn’t received anything—so this was probably battle-related.

After a quick word to the others, he left for the research institute.

…

When he reached the door of the main control room, a group of military personnel was hurrying out. The door opened and shut again, and Qi He stepped inside.

Both Yu Tianxing and Yan Chuanbai were there.

His eyes went first to the large screen at the back of the room. It showed a pre-apocalypse map, and two technicians were busy fine-tuning the communication signals beside it.

Qi He turned his gaze back. “What’s going on?”

Both men looked grim.

Yu Tianxing met his eyes. “A few minutes ago, an unknown signal source came through—from the far north, near the border, in F City. You can think of it as… our discovery of a place that’s never once established contact with the outside world—”

“A hidden Base III.”

Qi He’s breath caught, then slowly released. “How did that happen?”

Yu Tianxing gave a brief explanation. “The base in F City was built underground, in a remote, isolated area with blocked routes. No one there has ever come out, nor have they ever connected to external communication channels—so we never discovered them.”

—Built underground.

Qi He’s eyes sharpened. “They were attacked?”

“…Yes,” Yu Tianxing confirmed.

F City was an underground city—its structure had once helped it survive wave after wave of zombie assaults. But after the appearance and evolution of mutated species, the city’s location was no longer safe.

“Just now, their technicians finally managed to sync their signal frequency with ours,” Yu Tianxing continued, “and sent out a distress call.”

He drew in a slow, tense breath. “F City is on the verge of collapse—about to fall.”

Qi He pressed his lips together. “What’s Headquarters’ plan?”

Before Yu Tianxing could answer, Yan Chuanbai spoke up beside him. “Each base will dispatch at least one S-rank combat-type to assist.” He looked directly at Qi He. “I’ve already ordered a helicopter to be prepped. I’ll take a team and head there.”

Time was short. Qi He was about to reply with a “good”—

but then he hesitated, glanced back, and as usual asked, “Does it have to be you?”

Yan Chuanbai lowered his eyes slightly, gaze steady. “Not necessarily.”

The words fell, and two seconds of silence followed.

Qi He’s heart had just begun to settle—

when suddenly, a sharp “beep!” split through his mind.

It felt like a system glitch, a frozen frame, before a shrill alarm burst across his internal display:

『Warning! Host detected…』

Almost at the same instant, another notification overlaid it—

『Beep! System loading…』

『Mainline impact detected. Triggering—』

『■■■ Load successful ■■■』

『Key storyline will activate in two days. Please prepare in advance. 』

Layer after layer of panels flared open, flooding Qi He’s entire field of vision like a sudden storm of pop-up windows!

Something wild flickered beneath his calm expression.

He reached out and grabbed Yan Chuanbai’s arm, eyes locked on the system interface.

“Let me go.”

—————————————————————

Author’s Note:

Qi He: Main storyline, you’re getting bolder and bolder. 🌈

<< _ >>