If Li Ke hadn't heard the information Cheng Chenwei provided, she might have contacted Niu Dazhuang to meet up with her and take over the group of people she had rescued. But given the current situation, she definitely couldn't do that anymore.

If that group of people really emerges, it would be tantamount to telling everyone that she secretly entered the solar energy mine.

Cheng Chenwei led Li Ke to the shielding device. In front of him, Li Ke cut off its power and then destroyed the device by hand, leaving it in ruins beyond repair.

Hearing the other person's heartbeat quicken and slow, Li Ke clapped her hands and asked, "Where is the place to wash your hands?"

Cheng Chenwei tugged at the corner of his mouth to make his face less stiff, and then led Li Ke to wash his hands.

After leaving the liaison station, the group got back into the car and headed to Cheng Chenwei's research lab. The drive took less than fifteen minutes. Li Ke got out of the car and was greeted by a huge, semi-circular building that was placed on the ground. It looked to be nearly twenty meters tall. It wasn't very tall, but it was quite prominent on the island.

Just as Chen Zhizhi said, this place is indeed easy to find.

The lab was accessed via retinal recognition and fingerprint scanning. Li Ke glanced at Cheng Chenwei's operation before following him inside.

Cheng Chenwei first led Li Ke to the disinfection area, and then to the changing area. He said to Li Ke, "The work clothes here are special anti-radiation suits. Because some areas of the research lab have excessive radiation, it's better to wear these kinds of work clothes."

The bodyguards behind them had changed their clothes, and even through the glass window, you could see that the staff inside were all wearing similar bodysuits.

With everyone wearing masks and goggles, it would be difficult for strangers to tell who is who if they are of similar height and build.

Li Ke grabbed Cheng Chenwei by the collar and pushed him to the entrance: "Open the door. I don't need this, and I don't think you need it either."

Cheng Chenwei was displeased for a moment. After all, he had been a big boss for so long, and no one had ever dared to treat him like this since he came of age.

But he didn't show it on his face at all, only pressing his finger on the access control: "If Ms. Li doesn't mind, I'd be happy to accompany you."

Li Ke was too lazy to watch his act and urged him to take her to see the two living people and what their current situation was.

The staff who were originally in the laboratory turned their attention to them when they saw them walk in without any protective gear. Some even went up to ask what was going on, but Cheng Chenwei waved them away with a serious face.

Li Ke stood between two hospital beds, on which lay two patients whose bodies were charred black. Only through the monitor and their chests could one see their faint signs of life.

These two people are blind, mute, and require feeding tubes to maintain their ability to eat. They have no physical characteristics that can identify them and appear to be completely useless.

After a moment of silence, Li Ke asked Cheng Chenwei, "Why are you keeping them around?"

In Li Ke's view, this way of living is nothing short of torture, and Cheng Chenwei's actions are clearly not charity.

Cheng Chenwei explained, "Look at their skin, it's completely charred. Our staff have been helping to treat these burns, but soon, the areas where the charred skin has been peeled off will char again."

If you look at the beds they're lying on and the equipment connected to them, you'll see that they're made of special non-flammable, non-heat-conducting materials. These were specially prepared for them because other materials would quickly char and be damaged if they came into contact with them.

The most amazing thing is that they have endured the burning pain every day, yet they have managed to survive until now, as if some kind of energy is supporting them. It's simply a miracle.

Moreover, the charred tissue they remove each time is also of great research value; such experimental samples are very rare.

After all, solar energy is precious and dangerous, and no one would be willing to destroy it for special research, at least not yet.

There had been several mine explosions in the past, but people were only concerned with escaping, and those who couldn't escape all died. No one paid any attention to the corpses.

Given the abundance of marine life, these corpses would quickly disappear without a trace, making it truly rare to encounter even a few survivors.

Li Ke asked the spatial consciousness if there was any hope for the two people in front of her. If they were put into the energy pool, would there be any chance of recovery? She had some questions she wanted to ask these two people.

The spatial consciousness responded with a very weak "no," emphasizing that the energy pool had been completely consumed and no longer existed, offering no further explanation.

Li Ke didn't want to argue with it or pursue any further matters, so she stopped asking questions, and her spatial consciousness subsided once more.

Li Ke reached out to help the person in front of her end their pain, but Cheng Chenwei didn't understand what she meant. However, she still reached out to stop her, saying, "Be careful, you will be burned. It's a chronic burn that doesn't show at first, but it will get worse and worse. Our people need to use tools to collect the charred tissue from their bodies. They can't touch it directly."

Li Ke twitched the corner of her mouth slightly and asked in return, "Really?"

Cheng Chenwei met Li Ke's gaze and sensed something was wrong, but before he could think further, Li Ke took control of his hand and twisted the neck of the person on the hospital bed.

He was then forced to turn around, his face turned to the other side, where he ended the life of another person.

Cheng Chenwei had never felt so powerless before; in this woman's hands, she felt as light as a feather.

But he had never felt so powerful before. Under the other person's control, his hand was full of power, a feeling that surprised him greatly.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!