Lava valley, base, human gene breeding laboratory.

"Preparing for Gaia virus inhibitor injection."

"The inhibitor injection is complete. The virus suppression rate in the mutant's body is 100%, and the effect lasts for one hour."

Is one hour enough?

"That should be enough. It takes a normal person about half an hour, and I've left myself some leeway."

"But that person isn't a normal person, is he? I heard he spends most of his time outside the base and is in excellent physical condition."

"Whether he'll come or not is still uncertain. Didn't he refuse to come here several times before?"

Luo Ning woke up to the sound of voices. The white light pierced her eyes, and she instinctively tried to shield them, but found that her wrists were firmly fixed, as were her legs, and even her mouth was gagged. However, the ground beneath her was soft, like a bed.

It was clear that her movements were being restricted.

She concentrated all her strength on her wrists, trying to break free, but it was no use. She calmed her breathing and waited for her eyes to adjust to the light before observing her surroundings.

She was now in a laboratory filled with various instruments. Her hands and feet were bound by four black mechanical arms. The novel had emphasized these mechanical arms when describing the dissection of aliens. They were made of the world's finest steel, and no matter how strong the aliens were, they were helpless against them. Moreover, they could move freely and manipulate the aliens' bodies into various positions required for dissection.

Three or four people in white lab coats were whispering about a man with good physical fitness around her, unaware that she had regained consciousness.

"Preparation for vocal cord blockade."

"Preparation complete, begin injection."

As they spoke, Luo Ning felt a cold liquid being injected into her throat, and her throat immediately felt numb. The vocal cord blockage should mean that she couldn't speak, but why couldn't she speak?

"Injection successful. Vocal cord block will be effective for 30 days."

"This time it's thirty days, isn't that a bit too long?"

"That mutant last time was too good at bewitching people with her mouth. The orders from above are that they are not allowed to have a chance to speak."

Luo Ning understood; this meant she was rendered unable to move or speak, and was forced to undergo their experiment.

She gritted her teeth, planning how to escape later.

The rooftop of the military headquarters building.

Lu Xinghe lay half-reclined on the rooftop, dressed in the black uniform of a security officer. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and knee-high boots. In the winter sun, he squinted, looking like a carefree young man.

But when you see his cold eyes, you realize that he is not oblivious to sorrow, but rather indifferent and aloof.

He Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when he found him: "You really are here. The people in the Gene Department have been looking for you like crazy."

"What do you want?" Lu Xinghe shielded his eyes with his hand, sunlight filtering through his fingers.

“I heard that they’ve already injected the drug into that female mutant for their breeding experiment, but you didn’t go. If you don’t go soon, you might be punished by the higher-ups.” He Cheng reached out to pull him.

Lu Xinghe had always been averse to these experiments conducted by the Department of Genetics. He glanced at He Cheng indifferently, and He Cheng immediately stopped moving. Although the two usually had a good relationship, Lu Xinghe was indeed not interested in women. He had never seen Lu Xinghe engage in any intimate behavior with any woman. Asking him to breed with a female mutant was indeed asking too much of him.

But he couldn't refuse; it was an order from above. There were only a handful of people whose genes were compatible with the mutants, and everyone else had already participated in the experiment, leaving only Lu Xinghe.

Seeing that Lu Xinghe wasn't even afraid of punishment, He Cheng had no choice but to use his trump card: "An Xiaoruo has already gone. She was also a participant in this experiment. I heard that the person she's going to mate with is a male mutant with an extremely ugly appearance. Aren't you going to go and check on her?"

Lu Xinghe finally sat up: "She was chosen too?"

"Yes...yes," He Cheng stammered, lying to Lu Xinghe.

Lu Xinghe immediately headed for the stairs. The military headquarters and the gene department buildings were very close. He soon appeared in the corridor of the gene breeding department and, sure enough, saw An Xiaoruo peeking around there.

"Uncle, come here quickly, come here quickly!" An Xiaoruo waved to him excitedly.

Over the years, An Xiaoruo has grown up with him and has always kept the habit of calling him "uncle." No matter how others tell her that she should call him "brother," she still can't change her way of addressing him. Lu Xinghe also tacitly approves of this; he doesn't object, and no one else dares to say anything.

"What's wrong?" He walked over. In the three months since he last saw her, An Xiaoruo was already as tall as his shoulder. She was now fifteen years old, the legal marriage age at the base. He was worried that she had really been taken by the gene department to be an experimental subject, but now it seemed that she was more like someone who had come to join in the fun. He Cheng had lied to him again.

He turned to look at He Cheng, and sure enough, the man had already made his escape.

An Xiaoruo pointed to the breeding room: "They said they picked the most beautiful mutant for you to breed with, so you can't refuse this time."

Luo Ning, who was in the laboratory, seemed to hear An Xiaoruo's voice. She immediately looked in the direction from which the voice came, but she couldn't see whether it was An Xiaoruo or not because of the door.

If so, who is she talking to?

When she went to listen again, the sounds outside had become quieter, making it impossible for her to hear what they were saying.

“Oh, why can’t I refuse?” Lu Xinghe asked.

An Xiaoruo said mysteriously in a low voice, "Because I heard that this breeding is actually related to an experiment to turn aliens back into humans. Don't you often mention this? If you really don't want to go in, then I'll think of other ways. I'm interested in this experiment."

Lu Xinghe's eyes narrowed: "The mutant turned back into a human? How did you know?"

He had always thought that the breeding experiment was to produce a child that interacted with a different species, and then study whether the child's genes could control the other species. He had no idea that the genetics department had such a plan.

He seemed to hear a voice from the depths of his soul: I want to become a real human again.

This voice often appeared in his dreams, like a divine incantation directed at him.

An Xiaoruo didn't notice the change in Lu Xinghe's expression and smiled slyly: "With my popularity, of course I have a few friends who know a little about the inside story."

Lu Xinghe turned around and stared at the laboratory: "Oh, there are such experiments? I'll go in and take a look."

An Xiaoruo was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect him to accept so readily. Her uncle was acting strangely today, as if he had lost his mind.

Could it be that he's about to have another episode? She instinctively tried to grab Lu Xinghe, but the lab door was already closed. She hoped she was just overthinking it, since he had been taking his medication properly for the past two years and hadn't experienced the same symptoms of waking up from nightmares in a daze.

Lu Xinghe reached out and pushed the door open. His nostrils were immediately filled with the cold smell of disinfectant. There was another room in the laboratory, which was a confinement room separated by high-strength glass. Through the glass, he could see a slender figure lying on the bed inside. Her limbs were restrained, but he could see that she was trying hard to break free.

When the experimenter saw the young safety officer finally arrive, he immediately came over and said, "Major Lu, you've arrived."

Lu Xinghe responded, "What's the situation inside?"

The researchers replied, "The other party is a human-biological interaction type of xenomorph, but the animal characteristics are not obvious. Overall, it is still human, with an appearance age of about 20 years old. The inhibitor has already been injected, but you are half an hour late. Why don't you wait a moment and we will give you another injection?"

"No need." Lu Xinghe walked towards the glass-enclosed room, telling himself he was just going to take a look.

The experimenter instructed from behind: "Major Lu, mutants are good at bewitching people. You must not make any eye contact with her later. Just complete the mission."

Another person nearby quickly pulled his colleague back: "Don't say anything more. This guy has been operating outside the base for years and has killed a lot of mutants. He won't be swayed."

"How can you say for sure? You've never heard of the saying 'even the hardest steel can be softened by a gentle touch.' Besides, in half an hour, their relationship will no longer be that of a security officer and a mutant."

"What else could they be but a security officer and a mutant?"

"It's men and women."

Upon seeing Lu Xinghe arrive, everyone in the glass confinement room withdrew and lowered the glass blinds, leaving only two experimental subjects awaiting mating in the confinement room.

When Luo Ning saw Lu Xinghe, she was stunned for a moment. She thought she was seeing things, but Lu Xinghe's face was clearly in front of her. His eyebrows and eyes had lost their youthful immaturity and had the composure and calmness of an adult. If you calculate it, he is twenty-three years old this year and is already an adult.

Tears streamed down her face, wetting her pillow. She had imagined meeting him on the vast earth, never in this small glass box. But even so, she was overjoyed.

"Lu Xinghe." She wanted to call his name, but her mouth was gagged and her vocal cords were blocked, so she could only make muffled sounds.

When Lu Xinghe saw the face of the person on the bed, he seemed to fall back into those hazy dreams of the past. It was as if a gentle breeze was blowing on his heart, pulling him involuntarily closer to her. Her wet eyes were like a clear spring, enticing him to almost fall into them.

He subconsciously reached out to remove her gag, completely forgetting the instructions from the experimenters and the fact that the woman in front of him was a mutant who fed on human flesh and blood.

Luo Ning stopped crying, and there was a smile in her eyes. She thought that Lu Xinghe had come to save her. Those three years of sincere treatment had earned him his gratitude. Sure enough, her choice to save him was the right one.

After the gag was removed, she was finally able to breathe smoothly. However, because she had worn it for so long, her lips were covered in saliva. She felt a little embarrassed to be looked at like this by him. She turned her head to wipe it on the pillow, thinking that she couldn't be too embarrassed after their reunion. But then she felt a sharp pain on her chin. Lu Xinghe had leaned down and pinched her chin. He stared at her blankly, his eyes filled with confusion and scrutiny.

Luo Ning suddenly felt a pang of panic. He had never made such a cold and ruthless move towards her, nor had he ever looked at her with such an aggressive gaze, which made her somewhat afraid.

"Lu Xinghe?" she uttered indistinctly, her voice filled with doubt.

These three indistinct words seemed to suddenly trigger something in him; she felt a chill wash over her and his cool lips.

He was a little awkward at first, kissing her as if he were holding a red fruit in his mouth. Perhaps it was the sweetness of the red fruit that made him gradually lose control and go deeper, wanting to eat more.

Luo Ning shook her head, trying to escape, but she couldn't move at all under his control. She finally realized something was wrong. The word "breeding" flashed into her mind like lightning. He was the only man who came in after she was injected with those drugs. So, he was not the Lu Xinghe of the past, but her breeder.

He must have forgotten her long ago. Five years is enough time to forget many people and things, especially since he left so decisively without any regrets. That's why he's now so inconsiderate of her feelings.

In an instant, humiliation, sadness, and fear surged into her heart. She stopped struggling, closed her eyes, and let the tears fall.

Lost in the warmth of her kiss, Lu Xinghe was met with something icy cold. He finally came to his senses. He pulled away from her lips and saw the tears on her face. His heart was inexplicably in turmoil. What was even more confusing was that he didn't know why he had kissed her like that. He had only wanted to take a look and leave.

He released his grip on her cheek, leaving faint fingerprints on her fair skin. As if he had done something wrong, he wiped the breath of hers from his lips and hurriedly walked out in a fluster.

Luo Ning opened her eyes when she heard his footsteps as he left. His departure was sudden, just as unexpected as his appearance, leaving her wondering why.

And then there was An Xiaoruo's voice I just heard. It sounded like she was encouraging Lu Xinghe to come in and do whatever he wanted to her. Why would such a well-behaved child turn out like this?

The researchers waiting outside were all surprised to see Lu Xinghe come out so quickly; it seemed like only a few minutes had passed.

Everyone stared at him blankly, but no one dared to go over and ask. They could only watch helplessly as he walked to the door. However, Lu Xinghe stopped and turned around to look at them coldly: "Did you spray some medicine inside?"

"What medicine?" the lab workers asked in unison.

"It's...it's a drug that excites the nervous system." Lu Xinghe looked somewhat unnatural, feeling that his loss of control just now was caused by something else.

"Yes, there is a little bit, but we are doing it according to the rules. Major, if you have any questions, you can check with our superiors." The staff member didn't know what Lu Xinghe was referring to, but if he said there was, then there was, for fear of offending this terrifying man.

After hearing this, Lu Xinghe finally found a reason for himself: it was the medicine, not that there was something wrong with him. How could he possibly fall in love with a different species that he had only met once?

After he walked out, An Xiaoruo, who was talking to others, was stunned for a moment, then immediately leaned over and whispered, "Uncle, why did you come out so quickly? You were only in there for less than ten minutes."

Lu Xinghe glared at her: "Go back to training, don't join in the fun here."

"I'll talk to my friend for a bit and then go back. Uncle, you go ahead. I'll invite you to dinner tonight." She didn't want to leave.

Lu Xinghe turned and left. An Xiaoruo immediately slipped into the laboratory, but was stopped by the laboratory staff: "This is a restricted area for experiments. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."

An Xiaoruo smiled sweetly at the young researcher: "Handsome, I'm Major Lu's niece. May I go in and see the experimental subject?"

Her smile made the experimenters blush. No one in the base disliked An Xiaoruo, this beautiful and lively girl, but she had an uncle whom everyone feared, and her uncle was extremely protective of his own, so even if they liked her, they dared not get close to her easily.

"No...no, there are regulations from higher up..."

“I know you’re in a difficult position. I’ll just take a look from outside, just one look will do.” An Xiaoruo also knew their predicament. Anyway, she was just curious to see what the female mutant who could make her uncle stay looked like.

"Alright, then you can go ahead." The experimenter finally gave in.

"Thank you." An Xiaoruo immediately walked towards the glass confinement room, where several researchers were already examining the female mutant on the bed.

She was smiling, but upon seeing the female mutant's face, she suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart. Her hands involuntarily pressed against the glass, wanting to get closer to her and remove the things that were binding her. She must be in a lot of pain and feeling very restricted.

The researchers put the gag back on Luo Ning. When they came in, Luo Ning's clothes were intact, but the gag had been removed. Her lips were as red as ripe berries, clearly indicating that she had been kissed fiercely.

So Lu Xinghe just kissed her and didn't do anything else?

"This is really strange, how am I supposed to write this report?" The experimenter was a bit of a headache.

"Just write it down truthfully, and then see how the higher-ups arrange it."

"What else can we arrange? We'll definitely replace him with someone more obedient. It's just a pity that Lu Xinghe and this alien species have such a high genetic compatibility."

Upon hearing these words, Luo Ning clenched her fists. When she read the novel, she admired the researchers who devoted themselves to the survival of humanity and shed tears for them who risked their lives to protect their research results after the alien invasion. But now that she was being used as a test subject, she hesitated and became afraid. She didn't want to become a vessel; she just wanted to leave, to leave this place far away.

"Xiao Ruo, you've already seen it, let's go now," the lab technician urged.

An Xiaoruo pressed her face against the glass and murmured, "What's her name?"

"Experiment Subject Seventeen".

An Xiaoruo wanted to know the female mutant's real name, but no one here cared about names. All mutants who came here had only one title: Experiment Subject X.

When Lu Xinghe returned to the military headquarters, He Cheng and several other team members were discussing the breeding program. Upon seeing Lu Xinghe, they asked in surprise, "Why are you back so soon?"

Lu Xinghe ignored him and walked straight to his office. He Cheng immediately followed: "How is it?"

"What do you mean, how about it?"

"So, how does a different species compare to a human? Did she bite you? Can she control her appetite for you? Does she have any physiological reactions?" He Cheng asked bluntly.

Lu Xinghe glanced at him: "If you're so eager to know, you can apply to the Gene Department to participate in the experiment next time."

He Cheng immediately shook his head. Killing aliens is acceptable, but sleeping with aliens is not; it would leave him with psychological trauma.

Back in his dorm, Lu Xinghe locked He Cheng out. He needed to calm down and reflect on his actions that day.

But when the surroundings quieted down, the scene in the solitary confinement cell involuntarily surfaced in his mind. She didn't bite him, nor did she show any appetite for him, nor did she have any physical reaction. She smiled when she first saw him, but in the end she cried bitterly. She struggled and resisted, but then submitted to him, although he knew that her final submission was probably just her giving up.

After thinking about all this, he felt thirsty and drank a large glass of cold water before feeling a bit better. He then turned on his computer to check information about breeding, but to his surprise, he could only view up to level five with his current status; he had no permission to read the content beyond that.

The information available so far is similar to what he had heard. The breeding experiment is mainly to study whether genes to fight off alien species can be extracted from infants born to humans and humanoid mutants. The experiment has achieved initial success, with a test subject successfully conceiving last year. The embryo is not sensitive to human flesh and blood, but the embryo did not survive.

Moreover, since the embryos could not be successfully bred through in vitro fertilization, they could only implant in the mother's body using the primitive method. Therefore, this experiment was officially approved by the authorities this year. Considering the fear of alien species among ordinary people, the breeding partners for the human side were all selected from the security officers. He and the female mutant today are the seventeenth pair of experimental subjects, and their genetic matching rate reaches 97%, ranking first among all experimental subjects.

Looking at the permission prompts on the screen, he wondered how he could obtain higher permissions. If what An Xiaoruo said was true, then there must be higher-ups in the base who were considering a plan to turn the aliens back into humans. But others would definitely not agree. Apart from the hatred between humans and aliens, the possibility of the new drug producing consequences like a virus was also a cause for concern and fear.

But why did he secretly hope for such a potion to exist? Was it because he was also tired of the fighting?

Just then, someone knocked on the door. He immediately turned off the computer and opened the door, where Dai Wanglin was standing.

Dai Wanglin left the military after being injured two years ago and is now the deputy minister of the Gene Department. He walked in and looked at Lu Xinghe's room, then smiled and said, "You've really settled down here. Haven't you gone back to see your father recently?"

Lu Xinghe replied calmly, "We're about to go on a mission, there's no need to run around."

Dai Wanglin nodded, took out a cigarette and offered it to Lu Xinghe, but Lu Xinghe refused: "I don't smoke, it's bad for my eyes."

He's a gunman; he wouldn't do anything to harm the eyes.

"Okay, I won't smoke." Dai Wanglin knew his temper and held the cigarette between his fingers: "Then let's talk about today's breeding task."

"There's nothing to say," Lu Xinghe said, not wanting to bring it up.

Dai Wanglin's expression turned serious: "Since you don't want to talk about it, then report it. It's a subordinate reporting to a superior."

He had already read the lab report. Lu Xinghe had not completed the mission, but he had kissed the female mutant for a long time. He suspected that Lu Xinghe's memories had not been completely stripped away, and that the female mutant was likely the mutant who had raised him and An Xiaoruo back then, which was why he was both close and distant.

Reporting is a soldier's duty, and Lu Xinghe could not disobey military orders, so he could only tell what had happened.

"Oh, so you gave up after only starting out? Why?" Dai Wanglin asked.

“I can’t overcome the psychological barrier,” Lu Xinghe replied, but was that really his true answer? Even he himself couldn’t say for sure.

Dai Wanglin nodded in understanding: "Don't participate in the mission outside the base the day after tomorrow. Focus on the experiment. If we can really create a mutant that serves humanity, it will greatly reduce military casualties."

Just as Lu Xinghe was about to object, Dai Wanglin added, "This is a military order, and it has already been approved by the higher-ups. You'd better obey it. As for your psychological barriers, I believe you can overcome them in the end."

Having said all that, Lu Xinghe had no reason to refuse.

"Yes," he said in a low voice.

Dai Wanglin patted him on the shoulder: "The lab has granted you access. You can go there more often when you have time. Maybe you'll be able to accept it then."

He also wanted to observe whether Lu Xinghe still had any memories. If he confirmed that the female mutant was his former caretaker, he would kill her without hesitation.

Lu Xinghe didn't say anything more. After Dai Wanglin left, he sat silently by the window. Directly opposite the window was the Department of Genetics, and he could even see the room used for experiments. In that room, a woman who was going to have a child with him was lying.

laboratory.

Luo Ning remained silent, having calmed down. But once a person is quiet, their mind tends to wander. The things Lu Xinghe had just done to her kept replaying in her mind: humiliation and sadness followed by embarrassment and incomprehension.

Looking back on the three years they lived together, she would sometimes accidentally bump into him and then dodge away. When they lived together in the basement, he would always turn his back to her and be fully covered up. He was never disheveled in front of her, and he always buttoned his shirt all the way up.

This conservative boy had just... made her almost unable to breathe. In these past five years, he had indeed picked up some shady stuff. Had he truly forgotten her? That's why he did something like this. And since he was here, Xiao Ruo should be here too. She wondered how she was doing, whether she was being bullied like in the novels, or whether she had already been betrothed to that Song Pei.

Someone came over and fed her water and food, which she accepted. Only after she was full would she have the strength and a chance to escape. But the people in the lab weren't stupid; seeing her eating so calmly, they immediately took all the food away.

The head of the experimental group, Qi Xinwei, wiped the blood off Luo Ning's mouth with a towel and said calmly, "Don't try to escape. You won't have any chance to escape here. Your only chance of survival is to successfully conceive an embryo. I know you have human understanding, so why don't you consider my suggestion? That way, everyone will be more at ease."

Luo Ning wanted to say that she was willing to provide human egg cells for research, but she couldn't bring herself to create a life specifically for experimental subjects. However, she couldn't make any sound and could only open and close her mouth.

Qi Xiaowei could roughly tell what she wanted to say from her lip movements and eyes, but the last mutant who said something like that ended up killing four test subjects, so she would never believe anything these mutants said again.

After the gag was put back on Luo Ning, the experimenters left the confinement room, leaving Luo Ning alone again.

That evening, An Xiaoruo brought food to Lu Xinghe's dormitory, but he wasn't there, so she had to go back disappointed.

Lu Xinghe was sitting on the rooftop enjoying the cold wind. The Milky Way was shining brightly in the sky, but he always admired it alone. After sitting for a while, he returned to his dormitory. He didn't have much of an appetite when he saw the food that An Xiaoruo had placed on the table, so he went into the bathroom to wash up.

Water was pouring down on him from head to toe in the bathroom. He leaned against the wall with one hand and relieved himself with the other. He was a normal man, not without worldly desires, and even somewhat lustful. Over the years, he had been arranged to meet many women, but he could never muster any interest. He Cheng even jokingly asked him if he didn't like women. The truth was, he seemed to like neither men nor women.

He tilted his head back, the veins on his neck throbbing and pulsating. The image of the female mutant involuntarily surfaced in his mind again. He was startled, and his body trembled uncontrollably. Finally, his hand supporting him against the wall slowly fell down, and his breathing changed from rapid to calm.

The hot water was also stopped at this time. Everyone has a water quota, and even he cannot use a single drop more.

He pulled off a towel and walked to the mirror to wipe the water off his body. In the mirror, there was a faint scar on his chest. Dai Wanglin told him that it was the injury he suffered when he was on his first mission. Fortunately, he survived, but the severe head injury made him forget many things.

However, the person who stitched up his wound looked really bad; they were so ugly it was as if they had never received any professional training.

As for the scars on his wrists, Dai Wanglin explained that he cut himself when he was in a daze, but he vaguely felt that this was not the case.

His hand glided over the scars, and then he looked quietly at himself in the mirror, but in the end, he couldn't remember anything.

After lying down, he drifted off to sleep and had a very strange dream. In the dream, he seemed to be in a dimly lit basement with no electricity and only flickering candlelight. There was a bed in the basement, with a curtain dividing it in two. He lay down on the bed and found it surprisingly comfortable.

Then, as if stirred by the wind, he noticed a woman sleeping there. He could vaguely make out her beautiful face, her dark hair piled around her snow-white neck, her breathing soft and gentle, her rosy lips slightly parted, as if she were having a sweet dream. Later, she seemed to get a little warm and unconsciously lifted the covers, her slender arm reaching across the curtain towards him, carrying a faint fragrance.

He couldn't help but cover her arm, feeling his tension as if afraid of waking her from her dream. But the woman still woke up. She seemed to smile at him, then moved her body across the curtain and lay beneath him. He held her chin and kissed her passionately, but in the end, he kissed something cold. He stepped back and looked down, only to find that the woman beneath him had the exact same face as the experimental subject.

Suddenly he awoke from his dream. There was no basement, no curtains, and no gentle woman; it was just a dream!

He got up and sat on the edge of the bed for a while, then picked up his water glass and drank it down in one gulp. Outside the window, only a few dim lights illuminated the Genetics Department building; the test subject must be resting by now. Thinking about how badly she had cried today, he felt inexplicably irritable again, so he opened the window to let the cold air in, which made him feel a little better.

He woke up the next day to An Xiaoruo's loud knocking on the door. He opened the door, and the girl, seeing that he hadn't washed up, immediately pushed him into the bathroom: "Uncle, you'd better tidy yourself up. Your hair is a mess, like a bird's nest. Just because you're handsome doesn't mean you can be so willful."

Lu Xinghe glanced at the time; it was not yet six o'clock. He had slept for less than four hours after that dream last night.

"Why did you come so early?" he asked while washing up.

An Xiaoruo leaned against the door and smiled, "I heard that the Department of Genetics has granted you access to their lab. Can you take me with you later?"

“No.” Lu Xinghe refused decisively.

“Good uncle…” An Xiaoruo drawled, “Please take me in, I’m so curious.”

Lu Xinghe left no room for negotiation: "No."

An Xiaoruo was a little dejected, then took out a small white stone and handed it to Lu Xinghe: "Then please give this stone to her for me."

"Why give her this?" Lu Xinghe asked.

An Xiaoruo replied, "Consider it a gift. She wants to breed with you, right? If there really is a medicine that can turn aliens back into humans in the future, she might become my aunt."

"You can say these things to me, but you must never mention them to anyone else," Lu Xinghe said seriously.

"Oh, I see." An Xiaoru put the stone in Lu Xinghe's uniform pocket. This stone was her favorite, and she wanted to give it to the seventeenth test subject.

At seven o'clock, Lu Xinghe was practically dragged to the lab door by An Xiaoruo. She was more enthusiastic than anyone else about the breeding program, and no one knew what she was after.

Qi Xiaowei was somewhat surprised to see Lu Xinghe arrive so early. Although Dai Wanglin had told her that Lu Xinghe had been granted access to the laboratory, she hadn't expected him to actually come.

“You can go in, but An Xiaoruo doesn’t have the authority,” Qi Xiaowei said dutifully.

An Xiaoruo, knowing her place, took a step back and said, "I'm not going in. I have a whole day of training today." Then she gave the two of them a standard military salute and left.

Lu Xinghe stepped into the laboratory again, the smell of disinfectant still lingering in his breath. The female mutant lay quietly in the glass-enclosed room; if it weren't for the slight rise and fall of her chest, he would have thought she was dead.

Qi Xiaowei opened the door to the solitary confinement cell: "Go in."

Lu Xinghe hesitated for a moment: "Don't spray that kind of medicine in there anymore. I don't need those things."

"Spraying medicine? What medicine?" Qi Xiaowei was a little confused. There was nothing else in the laboratory except inhibitors, and they were usually very careful when using such precious drugs as inhibitors. How could they possibly use them for spraying?

Lu Xinghe thought she was just shy and didn't want to talk about it, but the other researchers had all admitted it yesterday: "Go out and don't let anyone bother you."

Qi Xiaowei couldn't be happier; she would never allow anyone to hinder the experiment's progress.

“Okay, but don’t remove her gag like you did yesterday. Even with suppressants, it’s still very dangerous. If the virus isn’t completely suppressed, she could bite you and cause serious problems,” Qi Xinwei reminded her. Actually, she was also wondering why this usually cautious major was so careless about this matter, since kissing wasn’t necessary.

Lu Xinghe nodded, but the female mutant didn't bite him yesterday, even though she clearly had a chance.

After the blinds were lowered, the room became quiet. He walked to her side and saw that although her eyes were closed, her body was trembling slightly. She was obviously awake and seemed to be very afraid of him. He had never seen such a timid mutant before. He really didn't know how she had survived until now in that cruel world.

Thinking about the dream he had last night, he mocked himself inwardly, thinking it was nothing more than a moment of infatuation under the influence of drugs, and not worth taking too seriously.

But the more he looked at the woman in front of him, the more real the dream seemed. Her appearance, her soft body, and the hand that had opened Pandora's box in his dream were all exactly the same as the woman in front of him.

Luo Ning had heard his voice long ago. She was scared and nervous, afraid that he would do something forceful to her again.

But he seemed to have sat down beside her, his silence making her heart pound again. She cautiously opened her eyes to look at him, only to find him also quietly watching her. Their eyes met, and they both paused for a moment, then she hurriedly closed her eyes again.

"I didn't see you, I didn't see me," she murmured to herself.

Lu Xinghe noticed all her little movements and frowned. What was she afraid of him for?

Luo Ning waited for a long time without hearing him speak or seeing him make any move, so she decided to open her eyes. Regardless of whether he still remembered her or not, some things had to be faced.

Then she saw him with his head down, his long eyelashes like a black feather, and he seemed to be playing with something in his hand, showing no intention of mating with her.

Lu Xinghe looked up after feeling her gaze. He looked into her cold blue eyes. He had never liked this color, but now he didn't feel disgusted. In fact, he thought it suited him well, as clean and pure as a lake on a snow-capped mountain.

A restlessness arose within him. He preferred her to be watching him intently rather than with such innocent eyes. So he placed the stone beside her and pushed open the door to leave.

Qi Xiaowei checked the time: seven minutes, the same as yesterday.