"Clatter—!"
A single, glistening tear slid down from the mouse's terrified eye and landed on the back of his hand.
Lin Dao, who was almost completely transformed into a snake, suddenly paused, his extinguished rationality gradually returning, and the scarlet light in his pupils faded.
He looked down and saw that the little white mouse's dark eyes were brimming with tears of despair.
In that instant, he suddenly recalled the scene from earlier that day. When he finally arrived at the wine cellar, he saw a disheveled figure lying face down in the wine-red liquid, looking up at him with eyes brimming with tears, filled with despair, fear, and a yearning to live.
Lin Dao looked at the little white mouse's wet little eyes with mixed feelings.
After a moment, he frowned slightly, gently poked the white mouse's cheek with the tip of his relaxed tail, and said stiffly:
"...Don't cry."
"I won't eat you anymore," he said in a hoarse voice.
Bretta, whose eyes were blurred with tears, was taken aback by what she heard. Because of those words, her tears fell even more profusely.
Lin Dao: "..."
Lin Dao then loosened his tail and released the white mouse.
Bretta fell to the ground, still shaken.
With his eyelids slightly drooping, Lin Dao lazily lay back down, watching the white mouse slip and flee in panic, only to quickly dart up into the ceiling and disappear in a second or two.
Bryta had no idea how she escaped. Just as she scrambled up to the ceiling mezzanine, a lurking rose vine immediately wrapped itself around her and pulled her back silently.
The little mouse was pulled and thrown onto the bed, its whole body trembling and shaking, unable to recover from the fear of just facing death for a long time.
It fidgeted on the bed a couple of times, then stopped, looked up with its bright black eyes at something on the cabinet, climbed up in a few quick leaps, and pounced on its beloved running wheel.
Blaita darted inside, using all four limbs to quickly ride on her fiery wheels, her little mind blank for a while.
After a brief pause, things went blank again, then became chaotic once more.
Mr. Lin Dao is actually a giant black snake?! He was almost eaten by it! ...But he was just seriously injured saving him...Run! If it discovers his identity, he'll definitely be shot dead! Or swallowed whole! ...Yes! Run!
Bretta immediately darted out and transformed back into human form. He quickly put on his clothes and rummaged through drawers and cabinets until he found a canvas backpack. The winter clothes were too thick, and he had only packed one set of clothes before it was almost full. Bretta hesitated for a moment, then took out a piece of clothing and put it in the running wheel.
He thought about it and quickly shook his head, then took out the running wheel and put the clothes inside.
Finally, he reached out and grabbed the little white dog that was wrapped around him, coaxing it to crawl inside, zipped it up, leaving a gap, and put it on his back.
That night, Blaita quietly opened the door, slipped out sideways, removed his ID card, turned off all the power, and then quietly closed the door with a click. He glanced warily and nervously at the next room before rushing to the elevator, pressing the button, and slipping inside the moment the doors opened.
At the same time, Lin Dao, inside the house, sensed something, suddenly opened his dark eyes, and glanced outside. He picked up the communicator lying to the side, tapped and swiped it, and sure enough, a small red dot on the location display was moving.
He then forwarded the location information to Xiang You.
At this moment, Xiang You, who was having a major headache arguing with the Federation army over jurisdiction of the underground city incident, saw this moving red dot: "???"
He had to gesture to the slurring federal soldier to stop him and then call him: "Hey? You played the hero and ran off, leaving your dad to clean up a mess. Why are you sending me your location again? Do you want to go out and have some fun tonight, you unfilial son? Can your kidneys handle it?"
"The location is in Blaita." Lin Dao ignored the long string of chatter directed at You and coldly ordered, "Keep an eye on it."
Xiang You was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening. "No, it's already tiring enough for me to take care of you, now I have to take care of your little wife too..." The communicator went dead, and Lin Dao hung up.
Xiang You was so angry that her heart skipped a beat. She turned around and once again put on the elegant smile of the Asia Alliance's number one social expert, and gritted her teeth as she walked toward the federal soldiers who were negotiating.
He casually reached down and pulled Cheng Cheng over, transmitting his location to him. With a forced smile, he whispered, "Your captain's probably half-paralyzed from the fall, and his wife's run off with someone else tonight. Keep an eye on him!"
"Huh?" Cheng Cheng, who was calming the survivors down, was shocked upon hearing this: "The captain is dying?!"
While communicating with the federal soldiers in English, Xiang You took a moment to turn around and add with a smile, "That's right, he's no good. Keep an eye on Bretta, don't let him lose his wife."
Cheng Cheng was skeptical, but was soon pulled back by the people at the base to complain, keeping him busy all day long.
After entering the elevator, Blaita looked out through the elevator's transparent glass. The entire base was pitch black except for the lighthouse in the very center, which seemed to be suspended in mid-air and was illuminated by searchlights. There were only a few scattered lights.
Bretta gripped the straps of his backpack tightly with both hands, his bright eyes reflecting the light in the distance. He was just a guinea pig; all he wanted was to survive.
Stepping out of the elevator, Britta quickly ran into the alley she often frequented, peered into one of the windows where steam was rising late at night, and said, "I'd like two roasted potatoes, please."
Even late at night, it's not surprising to see people working night shifts coming to buy late-night snacks. The man was a dark-skinned old man who took the money and handed him two charred potatoes. After noticing the face under Bretta's hat, he recognized him and said with concern, "Out so late, you must be starving. Eat slowly on the way and warm your hands."
Bretta gratefully accepted it, only to look up and realize that snow was falling from the sky.
He put a roasted potato into his bag, held it in his hand, and quickened his pace as he ate it while heading towards the base gate.
But before they had gone far from the city gate, their path was blocked by a noisy crowd.
Suddenly, a man's out-of-control shouting rang out from ahead of the unseen crowd: "I'm not infected! I'm not infected! I'm not..."
"Bang—!" His voice abruptly stopped after a gunshot.
Bretta faintly smelled the metallic scent in the air. He stood there, stunned, staring at the pool of blood that had appeared in the distance.
Panic immediately spread among the small group of people who had escaped from the underground city and were queuing to leave.
Bryta was startled and took a step back in fear.
Maybe he should go back.
He had just turned to leave when a gun was suddenly pointed at him. He looked up in surprise, his eyes wide.
The guard was taken aback when he saw the pretty face, then cleared his throat twice and asked in a gruff voice, "What do you want?"
Bleta blinked and replied, "I...I want to go back."
The guard sneered as if he'd heard a joke: "Go back? Where did you come from?"
Bryta answered quietly, "East District."
"What are you doing loitering around the base entrance in the middle of the night?"
“I…I…I was just passing by,” Bryta stammered.
The guard was taken aback, then burst into laughter, before leaning closer with a grim face and pressing his gun against him, saying, "Do you think I'd believe that?"
Bryta stammered, "...Maybe."
"..."
At that moment, a thin, dark-skinned man, agitated by the pool of blood, recognized Blaita and shouted angrily, "He's the one who sells drinks at the underground boxing ring! He can't leave! He must have been infected too!"
Upon hearing this, the guard squinted, pressed his gun against Bretta's slender neck, and demanded, "Are you from the underground boxing ring?"
Bretta paused for a moment, then nodded, pursing her lips. "Yes, sir."
The guard scoffed, "Take him away and lock him in the isolation room."
Bretta: "...?" Before he could figure out what was going on, a guard came over and, holding a gun, pushed him forward.
The guard's voice rang out from behind: "A horrific mutant mutation has occurred at the underground boxing arena. Anyone leaving the arena is highly likely to be infected. Everyone must undergo risk quarantine! Don't think you're safe just because you escaped. If you go out now, you'll probably only become the mutants' midnight snack!"
This last sentence had a very good deterrent effect, and no one dared to question it anymore.
Bryta was inexplicably taken to the isolation wards in the west wing. He walked down the corridor into a row of small, single rooms, each containing only one bed. Before entering the isolation wards, everyone was arranged to line up, and doctors in protective suits came to check each person for any obvious external wounds. Next to the doctors stood two armed guards.
The young man standing in front of him seemed to have bought his drink. He nodded at him, as if he wanted to say something to ease the tension, but then he opened his mouth and closed it again.
When it was his turn, Bretta saw him walk forward. She simply pulled over a semi-transparent curtain to cover him. Through the shadows cast by the light and the rustling sounds, she could tell that the man had stripped naked and was enduring the cold and shivering as he underwent the examination.
Bretta wondered if she had any unhealed wounds on her body.
"Bang!" A gunshot rang out in front of him, and a pool of blood suddenly splattered onto the semi-transparent veil in front of him.
Bleta stared blankly at the curtain, speechless for a long time.
"Next! Hurry up!"
Before he could react, he was being pushed forward by the hard muzzle of a gun. Someone lifted the veil to reveal a young man lying on the ground with his eyes wide open. Guards rushed forward and quickly dragged the body away. A soldier standing next to the doctor gestured for him to come forward.
A red curtain was lowered behind him.
"Take it off."
Bleta dared not disobey, and reached out to take off his clothes. A doctor in full protective gear stepped forward and carefully examined his fair and smooth body with his hands wearing plastic gloves, then suddenly stopped on his shoulder.
Bryta tensed up.
The guards raised their guns.
“Wait a minute,” the doctor said, staring at the newly grown, tender red skin where he had been shot in the shoulder. “This wound is at least two weeks old.”
Bryta was taken aback. In fact, only a little over a week had passed, and his wounds seemed to be healing even faster.
The guard frowned: "Did you see clearly?"
"I'm sure." After saying that, the doctor's expressionless eyes, hidden behind the blindfold, carefully scanned the area again before looking up and saying, "There's nothing wrong with the surface of the skin."
He had barely finished speaking when the guard impatiently urged him, "Put your clothes on and come with me, hurry up."
Bretta breathed a sigh of relief, quickly put on her clothes, and glanced at the doctor one last time. Noticing that the doctor was also looking at her, she hurriedly looked away, finished dressing, and followed the guards.
He was assigned to a very small isolation room. He opened the door, went inside, and the door was immediately locked. Looking up, he could only see a faintly flashing red monitor on the ceiling.
The isolation cells had completely transparent glass walls, allowing Blaita to see into almost every other isolation cell around him. Similarly, no one had any privacy whatsoever.
Bleta didn't dare let Little White out, only secretly unzipping its jacket to let it catch its breath. Not knowing how long the quarantine would last, he sat against the wall, pulling the thin, cold blanket over himself.
He frowned and began to think seriously. If humans couldn't detect that he was an alien, could he live a good life as a human as long as he disguised himself well enough?
Although humans are much weaker than the mutants, they have weapons and can defend themselves within the base. If he leaves the Mix base… Bretta thought of the mutants he had encountered several times. They smelled delicious, but he knew he was too weak and might end up being eaten instead.
Just like tonight... He thought of Lin Dao's human body and snake tail, and his whole body trembled instinctively.
However, Mr. Lin Dao seems to have always been protecting humans. He is clearly a different species, so why does he protect humans?
Is this—the ultimate level of disguise as human?!
If he had learned to behave like him, would he have been spared from being discovered and taken back to the lab?
Bretta's head was spinning as she drifted off to sleep.
Lin Dao, who had fallen into hibernation, lay lazily on the ground and slept soundly. The underfloor heating in the safe house wasn't very warm, and he slept for a long time. In the middle of the night, he woke up alertly and opened his eyes, feeling that he could barely control himself to transform back into human form. He found a pair of pants to put on, picked up the communicator and turned it on, finding that the red dot had stopped at a certain location.
He swiped open the address to examine it closely.
Silence fell.
He dialed Xiang You's contact number.
Xiang You, who had been so busy he was practically running around, had just managed to doze off for a bit when he was startled by the urgent voice coming from the communicator. He squinted to see who it was, and was instantly jolted awake as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. He immediately reached out and pulled Cheng Cheng, who was sleeping like a dummy, over, opened the communicator, and shoved it into Cheng Cheng's ear.
"Where's the person I asked you to keep an eye on?" A cold voice came through the communicator to Cheng Cheng, who was fast asleep.
Cheng Cheng replied vaguely, "Huh? What? Captain, your wife ran off with someone..."
"..."
"Cheng Cheng!" Lin Dao shouted angrily, unable to contain himself any longer.
Cheng Cheng, on the other end of the phone, jolted awake, his mind racing. He quickly realized what was happening and answered shakily, "Yes!"
"...Where is the person being watched?"
Cheng Cheng frantically pulled out his communicator to search. He had been too busy before; when he saw the person still parked in the East District residential area, he put it aside to do other things, and later, he was so busy that he forgot about it. Thinking of this, cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Xiang Youwu pitied him and helped him set up the location, placing it in front of him. Qiao Song, who was woken up in the distance, was gloating without understanding why.
Cheng Cheng's eyes widened as he saw the red dot's final location, and he struggled to speak: "In...in the Western District isolation room under federal jurisdiction, formerly...Western District Prison."
Lin Dao remained silent for a long while before speaking: "To Lieutenant Colonel You."
Xiang You's expression changed upon being called, and he replied solemnly, "Yes, Colonel Klindall!"
"What's going on?"
Xiang You replied in a rare serious tone: "I heard that he wanted to leave the base and was arrested by the Federal City Guards and taken to the isolation room. We have already negotiated with them, and he will be released after twelve hours of isolation."
Lin Dao scoffed, "You guys were able to keep watch all the way to the West District and still be asleep? Have you had enough sleep? If you have, get up and get to work. Give me a full report on the situation in the underground city tonight."
Cheng Cheng looked pained.
Xiang You shook his head with a sigh: "...She's forgotten her father now that she has a wife."
Qiao Song, who was not caught up in the war, tried to hide himself in the distance.
"And Qiao Song."
Qiao Song was horrified: "Dad! I'm still a child, I need to recharge tonight!"
“He was already full of it.” Cheng Cheng and Xiang You joined in to expose him.
"..."
"Hey inside, wake up, come out." The guard's voice rang out from outside the door, but Bretta, who was fast asleep, just turned over and continued sleeping because she found it noisy.
"..." The guard's expression was not good. The black-clad man standing next to him glanced at the boy who could sleep peacefully in the cold isolation room, and a slight smile appeared on his lips before he went in.
The guards wanted to stop him, but a young man in the Asian Union uniform next to them smiled and stopped him, so they had to give up.
Lin Dao walked to the head of Blaita's bed, looking down at him. He found it somewhat amusing that someone would be so foolish as to go out in the middle of the night and offer themselves up to be arrested and put in an isolation room.
As if sensing danger, Bretta, who was in her sleep, suddenly opened her eyes and met Lin Dao's indifferent gaze from head to toe.
Upon seeing the other person's face, which matched the face from last night, Bretta was inwardly turbulent, but outwardly remained stunned.
Lin Dao wanted to laugh at his reaction, and raised an eyebrow slightly to ask, "Awake?"
Bryta nodded blankly.
I wondered how Mr. Lin Dao knew he was here.
"You're awake and you're still not up? Hurry up." At this moment, the smile on his face had disappeared, and he commanded with a stern expression.
Britta quickly threw off the covers and jumped out of bed.
The boy outside the door called out to him with a smile, "Tata, what are you standing there for? Do you really think this is a hotel? Quarantine is over, let's go."
Upon seeing who it was, Bryta murmured, "Joeson..."
After leaving the isolation room, Bretta hurriedly asked, "You..."
"How did I know you were here? There's no place in the entire Mix base that I don't know about," Joe Song boasted, trying to sound mysterious.
Bretta's eyes widened in admiration, and she exclaimed sincerely, "Amazing..."
As he said this, he only dared to steal glances at the back of the man walking in front of him, still feeling somewhat intimidated by him.
Qiao Song noticed his gaze and leaned closer to him, whispering, "You're afraid of our captain too? But don't worry, apart from being a bit fierce, having a bad temper, dark circles under his eyes, and being a bit weak, he's still a good person."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Lin Dao stopped and turned around, giving Qiao Song a piercing glare. Qiao Song immediately shifted the blame: "It was Xiang You who said it!"
"..."
Bryta glanced at Lin Dao secretly, then nodded quietly in agreement: "You're right."
"It wasn't me! It was Xiang You!" Qiao Song shouted, almost crying.
Once they left the West District, Blaita really didn't want to be in the same area as her nemesis anymore, even though his scent was incredibly tempting. Blaita was determined to resist the temptation.
He racked his brains for an excuse and said, "I...I have to go to work, I'll go first..."
"Go to work?" Qiao Song laughed as soon as she heard that. "You mean go to work at the boxing ring?"
Lin Dao, who was walking ahead, turned his head and looked at him upon hearing this.
Bleta, confused, asked, "...What's wrong?"
"The boxing ring is shut down! Your boss, West, ran away last night, and that idiot Cheng Cheng is still gritting his teeth and saying he's going to catch him."
After dropping this message, seeing that Bretta was still in disbelief, Qiao Song reached out and patted him on the shoulder, adding insult to injury:
"Tata, it's just losing your job, it's not a big deal."
Bryta stood frozen in place, blankly repeating his words: "I... I'm unemployed?"
Along the way, Qiao Song offered him half-hearted words of comfort: "It's okay, isn't it easy to earn money by making donations? Besides, with your good looks, you're not afraid of not finding a job."
Lin Dao, who had remained silent until he reached the bottom of the East District residential building, frowned upon hearing this.
Bryta pursed her lips, worried: "...Really?"
"Really!" Qiao Song received a communication message from Xiang You at this moment. After glancing at it, she saw the person downstairs and turned around, smiling and waving as she backed away: "Xiang You is too busy. I'll have to go back and work on those high-tech gadgets. Tata, get some rest and don't worry."
He quickly retreated nearly fifty meters before he dared to continue betraying the person:
"And Captain, you really can't keep going! Xiang You is even planning to get you a snake whip from the wasteland merchants to help you recover! Hahahaha!!!"
Qiao Song's arrogant laughter drew strange stares from those around him. Just as he was laughing happily with his hands on his hips, he looked up and met a cold glare from his captain. Startled, he quickly turned and ran away.
Bretta stood two meters away from Lin Dao, completely bewildered by what Qiao Song said afterward. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she licked her lips with a mixture of cowardice and greed. Her gaze secretly swept over Lin Dao's groin, and she muttered in a naive, innocent tone:
"...Does snake whip taste good?"
"..." Lin Dao's face darkened upon noticing Bryta's strange gaze, feeling as if he were being coveted.
Sensing the chill emanating from the man, Blaita quickly wiped away non-existent drool and moved aside.
After Lin Dao swiped his ID card, he entered the elevator in the residential complex and turned to face him.
After learning the man's identity, Britta simply didn't have the courage to ride in the same elevator with him.
Thinking himself clever, he quietly took a step back, pretending to be stupid and standing outside the elevator. He acted as if nothing was wrong, his hands unconsciously tucked in front of him as if he were still a lab rat, and looked up at the flock of birds flying over the base.
The elevator doors are about to close.
A long, strong hand suddenly reached out and pulled him forcefully inside. Bretta stumbled in surprise and almost fell on the man, barely managing to get into the elevator just as the doors closed.
Bretta instinctively placed her hands on the man's strong arms, then realized what had happened and looked up at him in astonishment.
From his perspective, the man appeared somewhat languid, yet his downward glance was icy, his thin lips pressed into a thin line. The elevator ascended straight up, and the scenery outside the transparent glass behind the man gradually changed as it went up. The dense and dilapidated shantytown at the base's lower level receded into the distance, and the view opened up.
Looking out, the winter sun was just rising on the edge of the base, its rays shining brightly on a land covered in snow.
Bretta, who had never seen anything like it before, opened her round eyes wide and exclaimed, "Wow—"
Lin Daogang, who had been supporting him for a long time, was about to frown and push him away when he saw the handsome young man with delicate features and fair, rosy skin leaning against him, watching the sunrise that he hadn't paid attention to for a long time. His beautiful eyes reflected a light that was captivating.
He paused in his support of the boy, hesitating whether to push him away.
The next second, Britta's face flushed with excitement. She suddenly stood up, left him, pressed herself against the glass behind her, placed her hands on it, and looked out.
Lin Dao felt an emptiness in his arms and turned around to look at the naive young man.
His eyes were icy, and he suddenly asked Bryta, "Why did you want to leave the base last night?"
“!” Bretta, who was enjoying the scenery, froze and slowly turned around, but dared not look at him. She lowered her head and stammered for a long time: “Because…because…it’s too dangerous here.”
Lin Dao thought of the white mouse from last night, but he was certain that the touch was not that of a mechanical pet, nor could it reveal his identity.
That's because what happened in the boxing ring, the elevator, and the wine cellar yesterday terrified the kid, causing him to panic and try to leave. After all, there were quite a few people who had lost their minds and gathered at the base entrance yesterday, trying to escape.
Little did they know that the dangers outside were hundreds or even thousands of times greater than those inside the base; even a single blade of grass could take a life.
Thinking of this, he looked down at him with deep eyes, his thin lips slightly pursed, and said in a low voice, "The most dangerous place is the safest place."
As soon as he finished speaking, the elevator arrived at the 27th floor with a "ding" and opened the door. Lin Dao walked straight out.
Hearing this contradictory statement, Blaita watched blankly as the man strode briskly to the door of 2701, swiped his card, and opened the door.
Noticing his following gaze, Lin Dao suddenly glanced at him and warned him slightly, "Keep an eye on your little guy. I don't mind occasionally improving his diet."
“!” Bretta, whose name was called, felt a chill run down her spine.
"Click!" The man entered and closed the door.
Bretta finally relaxed from the tension and fear of facing a powerful natural enemy. He walked home and entered the password. Suddenly, he heard a "beep beep beep" warning sound, and the red dot on the combination lock kept flashing. He thought for a moment, then took out his ID card and swiped it, but it still wouldn't open.
Then a video call suddenly came in through the communicator he was wearing on his wrist.
He reached out and tapped the screen, and a young man in a blue and white uniform was immediately projected in front of him.
"Hello, I am Qiao Anquan, the accommodation manager of the East District Housing of Mix Base."
Bretta felt he was somewhat familiar, much like Josh Song, except that his voice had a much stronger electronic and mechanical quality when he spoke, and his smile seemed somewhat stiff.
Bryta nodded slightly in greeting: "Hello, Mr. Joe Anquan."
Qiao Anquan calmly began, “Mr. Bretta, I regret to inform you that your six-month safe house stay has expired, and you have failed to pay your accommodation fee for one month. Therefore, a late payment fee is incurred and must be paid along with the accommodation fee. Until then, your right to use the safe house at No. 2702, Building 11, East Fourth District will be revoked. Please pay last month's rent, the late payment fee, and next month's rent, totaling 400 contribution points, as soon as possible. If you wish to renew your lease, you will need to pay 700 contribution points…”
Bretta was completely stunned when she heard this staggering number, stammering, "That's so expensive..."
Upon receiving his words, Qiao Anquan smiled and explained, "Given that the location you live in is in the prime area of the base, with the highest level of security, an SSS-grade safe house, and provides a range of services such as drinking water, washing water, winter heating, and electric lighting at different times, it is excellent value for money and the rent is reasonable."
"If you find the price too high, you can choose to terminate the lease, but you will still need to pay the previous month's rent and a stay fee totaling 400 contribution points."
Bryta's eyes widened, and she gasped, "What if... what if we can't pay?"
Joe's security service remained polite and courteous: "Don't worry, starting immediately, the base system will automatically deduct all the balance in your account until you pay off all your bills. Of course, if you unfortunately get infected and die during this period, and there are no other relatives involved, the bills will be waived in a very humane manner."
Suddenly burdened with debt, Bretta was shocked by the devastating news. Thinking of the most important thing in her life, she asked with trembling lips, "Then... what am I going to do if you deduct all of it and I have no money for food?"
With his still-handsome face and a gentle, spring-like tone, Qiao Anquan spoke Zhou Bapi's words: "Don't worry, hunger can further motivate you to survive and earn money. In the spirit of humanitarian aid, you can apply for mandatory job assignment at the base, and the system will analyze and determine the most suitable job for you that maximizes your contribution points."
Bryta's eyes lit up: "That's great!"
Lin Dao, a "severe insomniac" who could always hear Blaita talking to someone outside the door after entering the room, opened the door with a cold face after failing to fall asleep. After listening to a few words and making a brief analysis, he knew what kind of predicament Blaita was facing.
He lazily lowered his eyelids, crossed his arms, and leaned against the door, pretending to listen to a bedtime story. He seemed to be listening with great interest, and seeing the boy's happy expression at the end, he seemed to have anticipated something and lazily curled his lips.
“Mr. Joe, please assign me tasks now! I’m ready!” Bretta said enthusiastically, her eyes shining.
Qiao Anquan stared at him for three seconds with a seemingly invisible gaze, then suddenly smiled and said, "Mr. Bretta, congratulations! Your genetic testing upon arrival at the Mix Base showed an SSS level, which is excellent!"
Upon hearing this, Bleta's cheeks flushed with excitement, and she nodded emphatically, "Mmm!"
Qiao Anquan: "Therefore, the job assigned to you by the system is—to breed the next generation of humanity with the base's reproductive resources!"
“…” Upon hearing this news, Britta felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her head! She froze on the spot, her face drained of color.
Oblivious to his emotions, Joe continued his rambling: "Wow! This is a job that many people would kill for! Mr. Britta, you're so handsome and charming, you must have many lovely and excellent children..."
“…Have a child?!” Bretta, the lab rat, trembled, unable to believe that she was going to have offspring with a female human?!
This is terrifying!
At this moment, the man who had been watching the show from a distance for a long time suddenly felt a tremor in his chest and let out a low laugh.
"—!" Upon hearing this laughter, Bretta was inexplicably embarrassed, his handsome face instantly turning red. He wished he could immediately revert to his original form and leap onto the ceiling!
Qiao Anquan's eloquent speech about the continuation of humankind was suddenly interrupted. He turned his head past Bryta and showed a slightly stiff expression of dissatisfaction.
Qiao Anquan continued his persuasive persuasion: "This is a high-paying, safe, and enjoyable job. All you need to do is provide your excellent genes to enjoy the most luxurious treatment at Mix Base, second only to the residents of the Lighthouse. How about it, Mr. Bretta? If you're interested, I'll fill out your application form right now..."
"No, no, no! No need!" Bleta hurriedly waved his hand in refusal. He had a keen hearing, and just a moment ago he seemed to hear Mr. Lin Dao's barely audible, almost suppressed, low laughter again. He felt his face burning up!
Qiao Anquan asked again with obvious regret, "Are you sure you don't need to?"
Britta shook her head vigorously, her face full of embarrassment at being unable to refuse such a kind offer. She secretly glanced back at the man watching the show and whispered, "...really, it's not necessary."
“Alright.” Qiao Anquan immediately dropped his attentive mode and said expressionlessly, “Then your entire account balance will be deducted shortly. Please check your remaining bill and confirm one last time. Do you still wish to continue paying?”
A single contribution point stumped the lab rat; the poor rat shook its head: "Not considering it."
"Okay, do you have any other questions?"
“Uh…” Bryta was stunned by the question. He stared at Qiao Anquan’s handsome face, tried hard to hold back, and finally asked, “What is your relationship with Mr. Qiao Song?” They don’t look alike, but there’s a feeling that they are similar.
Qiao Anquan said with a fake smile, "He is my father."
“…?” Bryta felt that her understanding of humans was still quite flawed. Could a human as young as Joson really have such a big son?
A few steps away, Lin Dao, who was holding his arms, heard this and, seeing Bretta's dumbfounded expression, finally spoke up to explain: "Qiao Anquan is a virtual robot created by Qiao Song. Calling him 'Dad' is just his perverse hobby."
Bleta suddenly realized and nodded, "Oh, oh."
Qiao Anquan once again posed a crucial question to the socially awkward guinea pig: "Do you have any other questions?"
“Huh? I…” Britta became nervous again when asked the question.
Lin Dao watched this scene with great interest, and just as Bletta was about to burst into tears, he spoke up to save him: "I think he should be fine now."
"Mmm!" Bleta quickly agreed, letting out a small sigh of relief. "I... I'm fine now."
Qiao Anquan: "Okay, I wish you a pleasant life at the Mixk Base, good health, cherish life, and stay away from the aliens. Goodbye!" He spoke at an astonishing speed, and then quickly cut off the communication.
“…” Britta looked awkwardly at the strange man wearing a black loungewear sweater.
Having suffered severe injuries and barely rested all night, Lin Dao's face was deathly pale. He leaned against the door with his arms crossed, staring coldly at Blaita, who stood two meters away, for several seconds.
“…Mr. Lin Dao, is there anything else?” Britta asked cautiously. “If not, I must leave.”
"Thank you for saving me yesterday." After saying this, Britta carefully moved her feet and turned to walk towards the elevator, secretly pleased that she had a reason to leave.
Seeing the boy's lips twitching as he struggled to hide his true emotions, Colonel Klindall, once a popular figure, felt a complex mix of emotions.
He stared intently at the boy for less than half a minute before he swiftly and completely disappeared from his sight.
Lin Dao, who had been standing frozen for a long time, suddenly felt a gust of wind and felt a little cold. He hugged his arms, and with a calm and cold face, he slammed the door that had been wide open for a long time shut.
Ten minutes later, he dialed Xiang You's communicator again, but before he could even speak, Xiang You, who was staring at the red dot on the other end of the line, interrupted him with a loving tone:
"What, your little wife ran away again? You're here to ask your father for a wife again?"
"..." Lin Dao choked, paused for two seconds, and said stiffly, "Lieutenant Colonel Xiang You, watch your words."
"He's a key suspect in the xenogeneic acid incident, not..."
"Not what?" Xiang You asked with a smile.
Realizing he had fallen into his friend's trap, Colonel Klingdale remained silent, abruptly changed the subject, and issued an order:
"Suspect Britta's rent was due, he lost his job, and became a destabilizing factor, which is detrimental to subsequent follow-up investigations..."
"What, are you going to continue paying his safe house rent and keeping him with his mistress, or are you going to find him a job?" Xiang You interrupted him teasingly.
"..." As if to deny something, Lin Dao paused for two seconds before speaking, "I told you to keep a close eye on him and not lose him again." After saying that, he immediately and coldly cut off the communication before Xiang You could say anything more.
Blair, who had just entered the elevator
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