In Chapter 123, Sang Zhitao only thought about the plot and didn't go directly there...
Instead of heading directly to the mysterious building, Sang Zhitao took a different route out of the city.
In the original book, she wrote that Toya came to a nearby city for an academic lecture and discovered the existence of the virus. After several days of investigation, she was framed when she reported it.
Toya shouldn't have arrived in the nearby city yet, but she should be here soon.
Thinking of this, Sang Zhitao gripped the backpack strap tightly and quickly walked towards the intercity bus station leading to another city.
Although the town where Sang Zhitao lives belongs to the Upside-Down City, it is an extremely remote town.
She wanted to get to another city, and the fastest way, besides taking a bus from the town to Upside Down and then transferring, was to find this temporary intercity bus stop on the main road outside the town and flag down a bus heading to another city.
Sang Zhitao checked the time. According to Earth time, it was about 9:40. Normally, the intercity bus would pass by here around 10:00.
She took a deep breath, stepped slightly away, and ignored the burning pain of the scorching sun on her skin. She stared intently at the empty asphalt road in the distance, fearing that her memory might be wrong and that the car that should have been there would not appear.
Time always seems to pass slowly while waiting. The ticking of her watch seemed strangely noisy in the bustling countryside. She pursed her lips tightly, not daring to look down to take a sip of water, for fear that a car would pass her by in the blink of an eye.
With the noisy ticking of the clock, the hands finally reached the time when the car would arrive, but the asphalt road stretching into the distance remained empty.
Sang Zhitao frowned, her lips turning pale. She licked them repeatedly, her hands gripping the straps tightly, her fingertips constantly rubbing them. The thought of leaving and the decision to wait kept tug at each other in her mind.
The watch continued its leisurely ticking, while the cicadas chirping in the jungle only fueled her anxiety, making Sang Zhitao's fingertips rub together with increasing urgency and ferocity.
Until a gentle breeze swept by, dispelling her anxiety, and finally she was willing to look down at the time on her hand.
Finally, she sighed silently, looked reluctantly into the distance, tightened her bag strap, and walked heavily back the way she had come.
She had only taken a few steps when she heard the sound of vehicles in the distance. Sang Zhitao looked up sharply and saw the long-awaited intercity bus breaking through the distorted heat and slowly approaching from afar.
Her spirits lifted immediately, and she quickly returned to her previous position, waved, and then, still feeling uneasy, took a few more steps forward and waved again.
The bus stopped smoothly in front of her. After boarding, paying the fare, and sitting down, Sang Zhitao finally let out a heavy sigh of relief. She quickly took out a water bottle from her bag and gulped down half a cup.
The neighboring city isn't exactly close to the town, but it's not too far either; it takes about four hours by bus to get there.
After resting for four hours in the car, Sang Zhitao finally recovered. By then, they had arrived at their destination. She carefully got off the car, looked around, and then walked up to a kind-looking auntie. She asked cautiously, "Excuse me, sister, where is the best hotel in Daoxuan City?"
When the little girl asked in such a sweet voice, the woman couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, saying, "I'm old enough to be your mother, just call me Auntie, no need to call me Sister."
Sang Zhitao, still with her obedient demeanor, quickly waved her hand and said, "How could that be?! Sister is so young and beautiful, she doesn't look like an aunt at all."
Hearing her speak so sweetly, the woman laughed heartily, and her gaze towards Sang Zhitao became even more affectionate: "You have such a sweet tongue. What are you going to do at the best hotel?"
Sang Zhitao smiled and gave the excuse she had already prepared: "My mother is waiting for me there."
The woman asked with a puzzled look, "Why didn't your parents come to pick you up?"
Sang Zhitao continued to explain, "My mother is in a meeting and is quite busy, so she told me to go by myself."
A hint of pity flashed in the woman's eyes. She thought for a moment before saying, "Well... I'm currently busy. Otherwise, I could just take you there."
Before Sang Zhitao could reply, she sighed and continued, "If you walk from here, you'll reach the bus transfer station at the end. Take Line 8 there; it goes directly there."
After thanking the woman politely, Sang Zhitao continued to follow the woman's instructions to get into the carriage.
After another two hours of bumpy travel, Sang Zhitao finally arrived at her destination.
She looked up at the tall building in front of her and followed a couple into the hotel.
She briefly recalled the original book's description and pressed the button for the floor where Toya was located.
Fortunately, she was naive when she wrote the book and never considered how strict hotels of this caliber were with outsiders, which gave her the opportunity to sneak in directly.
As she approached the door of Toya's room, Sang Zhitao recalled the plot. According to the book, Toya would be checking into this room this afternoon.
It was already close to evening when Sang Zhitao knocked on the door without hesitation.
A voice came from inside the door, a voice with a hint of coldness.
Sang Zhitao didn't reply directly, but continued knocking on the door.
Not hearing any echo from outside, the person inside became curious and decided to come and open the door.
As the footsteps grew closer, Sang Zhitao seized the moment when Toya opened the door and squeezed inside.
Toya was startled, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that it was a little girl who had come in: "Little girl, did you come into the wrong room?"
“Professor Toya,” Sang Zhitao said without hesitation, “I’m here to see you.”
Toya was taken aback, looking at her with a puzzled expression: "Looking for me?! You know me?"
Sang Zhitao nodded, and before Toya could speak further, she asked directly, "Did you notice something was wrong as soon as you entered Upside-Down City?"
Toya frowned, a hint of wariness in her eyes: "What do you know?"
Sang Zhitao sighed and sat down in a chair in the room: "Didn't you notice that what I'm saying is completely opposite to what you think?"
Toya stood frozen at the doorway, racking her brains for a moment before turning to Sang Zhitao, her face pale, and asked, "Who exactly are you?"
"My name is Mia, and I am a student in Upside Down City. You have been infected with an Order Virus. This virus will affect your cognition. If it continues to develop, the cognitive confusion will overload your brain, eventually leading to collapse and death."
Toya frowned, opened her mouth, and was about to speak when Sang Zhitao interrupted her: "Listen to me."
"This virus originated from a mysterious research institute. The people behind this institute are connected to the royal family. Your institute has been basically bought off, and many high-ranking officials have also participated in the research. The only person who can help you is the Crown Princess."
"As for me... my parents were once members of the research institute, and I have antibodies in my body. I hope you can find an antidote from my blood."
The wariness in Toya's eyes had lessened, and she silently walked to the table and poured herself a glass of water.
Only after drinking three glasses of water did she look at Sang Zhitao and ask, "Why me?"
Sang Zhitao looked at her solemnly and said, "Many people are afraid of the power behind the research institute, or succumb to its interests, but only you will stick to your original intentions."
Toya was not swayed by her praise, and instead continued to ask, "How do you know so much?"
Sang Zhitao raised an eyebrow: "I can't tell you the reason directly, but you'll find out someday."
Toya looked at the young girl in front of her. Although she couldn't believe it, based on her observations and current feelings, she had to admit that what the girl said might be true.
“You may be right, but I must report it; it’s my duty,” Toya said seriously, looking at the girl in front of her.
Sang Zhitao broke the plot ahead of time because she didn't want to follow the same path as the original book where she was hunted down, and of course she didn't want Tuoya to report it.
Before she could even open her mouth, she saw Toya looking at her with a serious expression.
She thought of Toya from the original book, who, knowing the matter might involve serious consequences, still brought it to light and later even risked her life to plunge into the contaminated area to save the people.
Such a person will not be influenced by a few words from her, nor will she be seduced by power and interests. This is the kind of person that Sang Zhitao has cultivated. She understands her, and therefore she cannot say a single word to stop her.
"For our safety, let's report it after we enter the lab," Sang Zhitao said, rubbing her temples and sighing.
Toya looked at her childish face, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.
"I think you shouldn't attend this meeting. You should just leave now. The sooner you come up with a solution, the less harm the people will suffer," Sang Zhitao said, seeing her looking like she was about to go downstairs for a seminar.
Toya paused for a moment, weighed her options, and ultimately her desire to learn was defeated by her desire to save lives. She turned around, quickly packed her things, and looked at Sang Zhitao.
Sang Zhitao stood up with a smile, opened the door and walked out, not at all worried that Toya wouldn't follow.
When she got downstairs, she ran into an acquaintance. The acquaintance was taken aback when he saw Toya looking like she was about to leave, and subconsciously asked, "Are you... leaving?"
Toya paused, then quickly stammered, "Um, yes, something came up."
"Oh, okay." The other person replied casually, then asked curiously when their gaze swept over Sang Zhitao, "And this is...?"
Sang Zhitao hugged Toya's arm and replied with a smile, "I am Toya's niece."
Before the other person could react, Sang Zhitao immediately put on a pitiful look and looked at him: "I finally found my aunt, she is my only family. I want my aunt to accompany me to the exam. Could you please ask her to take leave for me?"
Upon seeing such an obedient child and hearing about such a pitiful background, the other person's eyes immediately softened, and they subconsciously nodded in agreement.
He had barely finished nodding when he realized what was happening. His gaze swept over the bewildered Toya beside him, and he frowned slightly, asking in confusion, "I remember you weren't... an orphan...?"
His words disappeared as Sang Zhitao pulled Tuoya away quickly, his mind filled with doubts, but Sang Zhitao interrupted him with, "Thank you, Uncle."
After getting into the taxi, Toya frowned and looked at Sang Zhitao disapprovingly: "Lying is wrong."
Sang Zhitao glanced at the driver: "I'm not lying. A sworn brother is still a brother, and a godbrother is still a brother. My father is dead, so there's no way to verify anything."
Toya opened her mouth, about to retort, when the driver in front suddenly chimed in, "What's wrong with lying? Telling the truth is wrong. You don't know how to teach children."
Toya was stunned for a moment and didn't react immediately.
Hearing the driver's words, which weren't entirely the opposite, Sang Zhitao frowned, tugged at Toya's sleeve, and whispered, "He's been poisoned too."
Toya immediately realized what was happening. After listening to a series of statements that contradicted her understanding, and then hearing the driver finish his sentence, she was momentarily confused. However, being a professor-level talent, she quickly recovered.
Seeing that no one paid any attention to him, the driver touched his nose, glanced awkwardly in the rearview mirror, and focused on driving.
Sang Zhitao glanced at him, then whispered to Toya, "The virus is spreading faster than we thought. Is your personal lab safe?"
Toya glanced at the driver, frowned, and thought for a moment: "How safe is your parents' lab?"
Sang Zhitao recalled the description in the original work: "No problem, no one but me can get in."
Toya nodded, and Sang Zhitao directly told the driver the address written in the original book.
Although the driver didn't understand why they suddenly changed their destination, he didn't say anything, turned the steering wheel, and headed straight for the new destination.
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