Chapter 17 Unexpected Outburst 1
The SUV drove into an abandoned gas station. The gas pump was rusty, but the small supermarket attached was still intact.
Su Wanqing parked the car and turned off the engine.
"You guys stay in the car, I'll go check it out."
Xiao Ran grabbed her wrist and said, "It's too dangerous. I'll go with you."
“Take good care of him.” Su Wanqing shook off Xiao Ran’s hand and pointed at Lin Che. “If anything happens, I’ll send a signal.”
Without waiting for Xiao Ran to object, Su Wanqing got out of the car, holding a knife in her hand, and approached the supermarket quietly.
Xiao Ran shook his head helplessly and turned to Lin Che: "She always keeps to herself like this?"
Lin Che looked at Su Wanqing's back and replied softly, "She said that trust is a luxury."
"Indeed." Xiao Ran sneered, "Especially for you experimental subjects."
Lin Che couldn't help but ask, "How do you know so much about the research institute?"
Xiao Ran was silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "I used to be a member of the special forces responsible for the security of the institute."
Lin Che's eyes widened. No wonder Xiao Ran knew so much, no wonder he could easily identify the experimental subjects.
Not only is he X-7's older brother, he was also once part of the Institute.
"Then why——"
"I don't know what they are doing." Xiao Ran interrupted him in a low voice, "We are only responsible for the outer perimeter security and are not allowed to enter the experimental area. Until one day, I found that my missing sister might be inside."
Lin Che asked cautiously, "Have you tried to break in?"
A trace of pain flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes: "I tried, and almost lost my life. They were well prepared to deal with traitors like me."
Outside the car window, Su Wanqing came out of a small supermarket with a few plastic bags in her hands.
She looked around vigilantly, and after making sure it was safe, she quickly returned to the car.
“Found it.” Su Wanqing opened the car door and threw the bag to Lin Che, “There are also some canned food and water.”
Lin Che couldn't wait to open the bag and find a bag of salt. He tore open the package and poured it directly into his mouth, moaning with satisfaction.
Blue veins slowly appeared under his pale skin, then gradually disappeared.
"Disgusting." Xiao Ran frowned, but there was curiosity in his eyes, "Is this the Blue Blood Project?"
Su Wanqing started the car: "This is just the tip of the iceberg. Where is your technician?"
"East District, abandoned industrial park." Xiao Ran pointed in a direction, "But it's too risky to go there now. We should wait until dark."
Su Wanqing nodded and drove away from the gas station. The rain started to fall again, tapping gently on the car window.
Lin Che licked the salt grains remaining on his fingertips and felt the discomfort in his body gradually ease.
"How far is it to the industrial park?" he asked in a low voice.
"It's a half-hour drive," Xiao Ran replied, "but we can't go directly there. People from the institute will set up checkpoints on the main road."
Su Wanqing drove the car and turned into a remote country road. There were weeds on both sides of the road, and the factory chimneys in the distance were looming in the rain and fog.
"Why is the institute so anxious to find Lin Che?" Su Wanqing suddenly asked, "Is it because he is the prototype of the Blue Blood Project?"
Xiao Ran shook his head: "Not only that. As far as I know, the Blue Blood Project already has seven successful samples. They won't invest so many resources for a runaway test subject."
“Unless.” Lin Che hesitated and said, “Unless I know something I shouldn’t know.”
The car fell silent again. The sound of rain got louder, and the wipers swung quickly, but still couldn't keep up with the rain.
Visibility dropped sharply and Su Wanqing had to slow down.
"What did they do to you in the lab?" Xiao Ran turned to look at Lin Che.
Lin Che closed her eyes, memories flooding back to her mind: "Injections, blood draws, electric shocks, endurance tests were different every day. Sometimes they would let me fight against other experimental subjects to see who was stronger."
"Have you ever seen a red-haired girl?" Xiao Ran asked anxiously, "About this tall, with amber eyes."
Lin Che shook her head. “I really don’t remember. They would regularly erase our memories, especially those about other experimental subjects.”
"Why?" Su Wanqing asked.
“Prevent us from establishing a connection.” Lin Che whispered, “Connection means feelings, and feelings will affect the results of the experiment.”
Xiao Ran cursed and slammed his fist on the car door: "Those bastards!"
“But,” Lin Che said hesitantly, “sometimes, memory erasure is not 100% effective. Some impressions and feelings will remain.”
Su Wanqing looked at him in the rearview mirror: "What's your impression of X-7?"
Lin Che closed her eyes and tried to recall the deleted memory fragments: "Red. Hair like fire. Laughter, very crisp. And. Fear. Every time she came, the other test subjects would be very scared."
A hint of pride flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes: "That does look like my sister. She has had fire abilities since she was a child, and her control is very strong."
“But I’m not afraid of her.” Lin Che suddenly said, “I remember that every time she came, I was very calm. It was like… like I had found a balance.”
Xiao Ran nodded thoughtfully: "Key and lock."
The car suddenly jerked, the tires slipped, and it lost control on the muddy road.
Su Wanqing turned the steering wheel quickly, but the SUV still slid sideways and hit the guardrail on the side of the road.
"What's going on?" Xiao Ran looked around vigilantly.
Su Wanqing's face was solemn: "The tire was punctured by something."
She was just about to get out of the car to check when a harsh metal friction sound came from the roof.
The three of them looked up at the same time and saw a long scratch on the roof of the car caused by some sharp object.
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“Damn it, zombie dogs!” Xiao Ran pulled Lin Che over and protected her behind him, “Let’s go!”
Su Wanqing quickly took out her backpack and weapons: "There are raincoats and weapons in the trunk, take them!"
The three of them got out of the car in a hurry, and the cold rain instantly soaked their clothes.
As soon as Lin Che stood firm, he saw three mutated zombie dogs leaping down from the roof of the car, with black liquid dripping from their fangs.
Their skin was festered, revealing their scarlet muscles and white bones, but their eyes were frighteningly bright.
"Run over there!" Su Wanqing pointed to the abandoned warehouse not far away and drew out the Tang sword from her waist.
Xiao Ran had already rushed forward, with a dazzling red light bursting out from his arms.
He punched the zombie dog in front, sending it flying several meters away.
But the other two had already pounced on Lin Che.
"careful!"
Lin Che instinctively raised his arm to block, but saw the inhibitor on his wrist suddenly light up blue.
A wall of water appeared out of nowhere, repelling the zombie dog that was charging at it. The water wall condensed into an icicle in the air, piercing the zombie dog's head with precision.
“Your ability.” Xiao Ran looked at Lin Che in surprise. “Can you control water?”
Lin Che also looked at his hands in shock. This was the first time he used his supernatural power spontaneously after the inhibitor was removed. It felt both familiar and strange.
"Go!" Su Wanqing yelled, "There will be more coming!"
The three of them ran towards the warehouse, and behind them they heard more howling of zombie dogs.
The rain blurred his vision, but Lin Che found that he could sense the trajectory of the raindrops and even slightly change their direction.
The water element resonated around him, as if welcoming his awakening.
"What can you do with water?" Xiao Ran asked while running.
“I’m not sure.” Lin Che panted, “They never let me use my abilities to their full potential.”
Su Wanqing kicked open the door of the warehouse, and the three of them rushed in. Xiao Ran immediately closed the door and propped up the door handle with a nearby metal bar.
"It won't last long," he warned.
The interior of the warehouse was empty and dark, filled with rusty machinery and scattered parts.
Rainwater dripped from the broken roof, forming small puddles on the ground.
Su Wanqing quickly checked the environment and pointed to a small door at the back.
"That may lead to the basement. We can hide there for a while."
Lin Che stood there, staring at his hand. The suppressor was still flashing blue light, but there was no longer a burning sensation.
The water element danced at his fingertips, forming tiny vortexes of water droplets.
"Focus, Water Boy!" Xiao Ran patted him, "This is not the time to play."
(End of this chapter)
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