On the gleaming lab table, a woman lay sprawled, a man in a white lab coat holding a tray in his left hand and a sharp scalpel in his right, gesturing elegantly before the table, as if contemplating where to begin before a meal. Xiang Wan was the fish about to be butchered; her feelings were unimaginable.
"System, think of something quickly, I can't move."
Xiang Wan was completely unable to move. She desperately called out to the system in her mind. If she were to die in such a miserable state, she would definitely drag the system down with her!
"Don't get excited, we haven't made a move yet, there's still a chance."
"Damn it, you try lying down like that!"
"Ahem, this system has no body, so even if you wanted to replace it, you would be powerless to do so."
"Stop talking nonsense! Name, age, gender, hobbies, occupation—tell me right now!"
The system said no more and hurriedly relayed the man's information to Xiang Wan. It turned out the man's name was An, male, age unknown, a biology expert who had only recently joined the research institute when the apocalyptic crisis erupted. He had always been very interested in human experimentation, and in the post-apocalyptic world, dissecting living people was no longer a problem. After studying the human body, he turned his attention to zombies, specifically researching the relationship between the zombie virus and human superpowers. This explained why he had survived alone in a zombie-infested laboratory. When Peng Liuliu found him, he was researching the virus and injecting himself with the drug, yet he survived. Therefore, he was brought back to the base, where a laboratory was built specifically for him.
The place where Xiang Wan stayed was built specifically for him. This man had a great peculiar habit: wherever he stayed, no other living creature was allowed, unless it was an experimental subject. Even if Peng Liuliu came in person, he would refuse her entry.
On the surface, this person has no special abilities or other advantages besides conducting experiments, so it is truly puzzling why he would catch Peng Liuliu's eye.
"Honey, you'll have to discover that for yourself. Don't be fooled by how powerful the male and female protagonists in the book are; the truly strong ones are often very well hidden."
System: Host, this is all I can do for you. As a system with principles and ideals, how can I be forced to do this kind of thing in secret? Where's my shame? Fine, when survival is at stake, staying alive is the most important thing; nothing else matters.
Xiang Wan was practically in tears. Although the system had introduced everything about this man named An, it was as if it hadn't introduced anything at all. If he really was an unparalleled powerhouse, yet he was quietly holed up in the lab doing research related to living people, he certainly wouldn't care about human lives. The system was pushing her into a fire pit, and she would remember that.
The man named An had an extremely indifferent gaze. His eyes were so calm when he looked at Xiang Wan that it was as if he were looking at a dead object, which was quite chilling.
Xiang Wan had been injected with a drug, rendering her unable to move anything except her eyes and mouth. She had to convince An to release her before he could do anything to her; at the very least, she couldn't die!
"An, don't you remember me?"
Xiang Wan's eyes were tender and sad, as if her heart had been broken, and her voice was soft with a hint of longing.
Sure enough, An stopped moving the scalpel around and stared at Xiang Wan without saying a word.
"Have you really forgotten the days we spent together?"
Xiang Wan stared intently into his eyes, trying to detect a ripple of emotion. However, An remained unmoved, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"Fine, since I've chosen to forget, then let's forget completely. But I never expected to run into you here. You know, I've been looking for you for so long. Life in the apocalypse is tough, and the only wish that has kept me alive until now is to find you. Even if I could just see you one more time, I would die without regrets."
"Pshaw, as you wish."
An chuckled, the scalpel approaching Xiang Wan's thigh. The chill seeped into her nerves, startling Xiang Wan. Her mind raced, and she immediately replied, "I just want to tell you why your experiment failed."
The scalpel paused, then slowly moved away from Xiang Wan's thigh. Xiang Wan, her heart pounding in her chest, continued, "Of all the people you've recruited before, which one willingly became your experimental subject? Being anesthetized, knocked unconscious, or bound all affect a person's nerves, causing their cells to remember the sensations. So, when you conduct experiments, the cells instinctively resist, and how can you expect the results you want?"
An frowned, tilting her head to look at Xiang Wan, seemingly pondering the connection. Xiang Wan pressed on, "I'm willing to provide you with my cells and tissues, completely willingly. You can try, and if it doesn't work, you can kill me. I'm just worried that someone as talented as you would fail for something like this; even God would feel sorry for you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiang Wan was grabbed by the neck. An's eyes were bloodshot, filled with rampant savagery: "Say it again, and I'll kill you!"
Xiang Wan blinked quickly, indicating that she understood. Damn, this was terrifying. She seemed to be thinking of him the whole time, so how did she anger him? Mortals really don't understand the thoughts of a twisted mind. Having escaped this ordeal, until she has the ability to escape again, she'd better keep her mouth shut. Being killed for speaking out is just too damn frustrating.
An released her grip, staring at Xiang Wan until her eyes revealed complete harmlessness, calmness, and willingness. Only then did she stand up, wipe the other instruments on the lab table clean, and hang them on the wall. She then took out an injection, gave Xiang Wan an injection in her arm, and sat down to take notes with paper and pen.
Xiang Wan felt the soreness in her body slowly receding, and her strength gradually returning. The cold lab table and the cold air gave her goosebumps. She propped herself up and sat up, hugging her legs to warm them.
A large robe was thrown over, and Xiang Wan quickly wrapped herself up tightly.
"If it's a cold, just kill it."
The icy tone sent a chill down Xiang Wan's spine. Although she had survived, she was completely convinced that An meant what she said, and that if she fell ill, she would die.
She quickly jumped off the platform, wrapped herself in her robe, and wandered around trying to warm herself up.
In this laboratory, besides various heads preserved in formalin, there were only surgical instruments; not even a curtain or tablecloth. An was fiddling with his bottles and jars, and Xiang Wan really wanted to end his life with a single stroke. But remembering what the system had said earlier, she put the thought aside.
She lingered behind Ann, hesitant to speak. Damn, it's awful not being able to say anything easily.
For a long time afterward, Xiang Wan silently played dumb. Then, she belatedly realized that she had forgotten to inform the system of an important piece of information. Knowing that she was in the wrong, she simply pretended to be stupid to the end, which completely tricked Xiang Wan.
Xiang Wan, who was still struggling with how to get the clothes, glanced at the door, her eyes lit up, and she came up with a good idea.
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