Chapter 35 The Gray Dome 35 "Found it."
Lin Suwen didn't react immediately, and just stared blankly at Nanmen Jue.
The boy's smile was so intense. Many people in this world never see the sun in their entire lives, but at this moment, Lin Suwen thought that even if the sun shone directly on her, it couldn't compare to the sudden shock and warmth she felt.
"You...you want to research reuptake?" Lin Su's voice trembled. "You really...?"
"Yes, I want to study retrograde hormone, starting from this moment, starting from this second!"
As Nanmen Jue spoke, he jumped out of bed and rushed straight out the door.
Now that she has her memories back, it's as if she grew up in this Lower Tower District. She knows every corridor and every room here by heart. She can now find the core laboratory without pretending or asking anyone.
Lin Suwen was stunned for a few seconds, then her expression changed drastically as she turned around and caught up with Nanmen Jue.
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why? Weren't you all trying to get me to research that thing? Did you get too excited and lose your memory?"
Although Lin Suwen knew some secrets, she seemed to know only a limited amount. For example, she did not know that reincarnators could not have their own memories without exchanging for items, which is why she had tried so hard to get her to study the regressive element.
Therefore, in Lin Suwen's eyes now, it should be that she sat up in shock while on her deathbed and suddenly changed her mind.
"Why did you suddenly change your mind?" Sure enough, that's the kind of question.
"Because I am a great person."
She had said this to Xu Yang before, and now she says it with even more confidence.
Lin Suwen fell into an eerie silence. She couldn't keep up with the tall and long-legged Nanmen Jue, so she simply stopped. Nanmen Jue also stopped and turned around to smile at her.
“Actually, I think I’m quite lucky,” Nanmen Jue said. “The people I want to save are those who are worth saving.”
She smiled and continued walking forward, her upright back resembling that of a warrior resolutely heading to the battlefield, exuding a natural and unrestrained elegance.
Lin Suwen couldn't fully understand the meaning of her words, but she could feel an extremely heavy weight. So she straightened up, her expression solemn, and bowed to Nanmen Jue's back.
“By the way,” Nanmen Jue poked his head back from around the corner, “If you want to organize an evacuation, then go ahead and do it. I don’t know where you’re going, but that’s your business. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Nanmen Jue knew that her abilities were limited. She couldn't arrange everything in this world. She would just do her best to do what she could in front of her, and that was all.
After she finished speaking, her figure disappeared completely. Lin Suwen stood there for a while, revealing an expression that seemed to be both sad and happy.
"Brother Zhao, you were right after all, Nanmen will eventually agree..."
"Although she is rebellious, she never betrays her own heart."
Nanmen Jue didn't hear Lin Suwen's mutterings; she had already arrived at the special laboratory where she had previously studied retrograde hormones.
To her surprise, there were actually people there.
Xu Yang had harmed many people before, but he didn't touch the research team on the anti-retroviral agent. He even went to great lengths to capture Wu Qing, which shows that he really wanted the anti-retroviral agent.
Could this thing be brought into other worlds?
After considering the question, Nanmen Jue clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention.
Upon seeing her, the researchers' eyes revealed a complex mix of joy and fear, indicating that they were also aware of the numerous incidents Nanmen Jue had caused in the tower.
"Listen to me, Gray Tower is in a crisis situation right now, and President Lin is already organizing an evacuation."
Nanmen Jue's words caused an uproar.
"No, Dr. Nanmen! Once we leave the Gray Tower, we'll never be able to develop revertogen again!"
"This is our last hope, we absolutely cannot evacuate!"
"My data is inseparable from people. What will happen to this data if we leave?"
"Dr. Nanmen..."
Despite their mixed feelings, Nanmen Jue naturally became the pillar of support for everyone upon his arrival. They chattered amongst themselves, and an atmosphere of fear and unease permeated the air.
“I know, I know.” Nanmen Jue clapped his hands again. “Leave all the follow-up work here to me. You guys, go back and pack your things to prepare for evacuation.”
The room fell silent, everyone staring at Nanmen Jue, seemingly not understanding what she meant.
"Dr. Nanmen, what are your plans?" a woman wearing glasses asked.
Another person said, "I have some data here that will finish running very soon..."
“This crisis could destroy the entire Gray Tower,” Nanmen Jue retorted. “No matter what the circumstances, life is the most important thing. As long as you survive, the machines can be rebuilt and the experiments can be restarted. But if you lose your life, you lose everything.”
The crisis was so severe that everyone was blank with shock.
Nanmen Jue smiled slightly, "Let's go, leave this to me. I can't guarantee that I can finish this perfectly, but I will stick to it until the very end."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Nanmen Jue assumed they had tacitly agreed and was about to manually shoo them away when suddenly a trembling voice rang out.
"Dr. Nanmen, I want to stay."
Nanmen Jue paused and looked at the bespectacled woman who had spoken.
She was already crying from fright, her voice trembling, but she looked at Nanmen Jue firmly, "It's not that I don't believe you, but won't the consequences of you staying be the same as ours? Your life is precious too! Besides, these experiments are not something one person can handle alone..."
Her voice startled the others, and like a spark igniting a prairie fire, a small flame lit up the eyes of many.
"I'll stay too!"
"My data can't function without me, I want to stay!"
"And me..."
As Nanmen Jue gazed at them, a heavy yet intense feeling welled up in her heart, making her throat tighten and her eyes well up with tears.
Look, these are the original inhabitants of this world, ignored by neither the main gods nor the reincarnators. Nanmen Jue thought fiercely to himself. They never gave up, they tried their best, so why should their lives be inferior? Why are they, despite being human, not entitled to live?
She was determined to keep them alive.
The decision that had never wavered before became even more resolute. A smile appeared on Nanmen Jue's face, but his voice deepened, carrying an unquestionable quality.
"alright."
With just two simple words, the noise immediately subsided, and everyone looked at her, this time with a mixture of fear, sadness, and anticipation.
"The explosion at the Gray Tower is no small matter. If we don't start moving now, we won't have time to leave the blast zone," Nanmen Jue said. "Let's go."
The group exchanged bewildered glances, then the woman with the glasses asked again, "And what about you, Dr. Nanmen?"
“I have my own way,” Nanmenjue said. “Whether I succeed or not, I will see you all again, I promise.”
No one spoke. Nanmen Jue's powerful gaze and voice were like a reassuring pill, making people inexplicably feel that what she said would definitely come true.
They looked at her and seemed to see Chief Zhao's gentle appearance again. But compared to Chief Zhao, Nanmen Jue was now more fierce, like a wolf showing its fangs, yet deliberately restraining its aura.
"...Then, the position of Chief of the South Gate is now in your hands."
One person bends down, then many more bend down, and everyone calls out the highest title of life, entrusting all their heart and soul and trust to him.
"Chief of the South Gate".
Nanmen Jue touched her nose, feeling rather embarrassed. She felt like a thief who had deceived the world and stolen her own name.
She accepted the greeting with feigned composure, and then sent everyone away.
She went into the lab alone and reviewed everyone's progress reports one by one, and she already had a clear understanding of the situation.
The God of War had indeed given her the persona of a genius. She had thought that since she was only nineteen years old, being called a genius was nothing more than being Zhao's student whom everyone praised. However, she did not expect that the things in her memories were truly vast. She was not sure if she would have such a reserve if she had studied from a young age.
Thinking of himself, Nanmen Jue's eyes darkened slightly.
She was also praised as a genius while her parents were still alive.
She was only six years old when her parents passed away. Her older sister thought she had long forgotten what her parents looked like, but she had been able to remember things since she was one year old. Over the years, she has never forgotten her parents' voices and appearances.
She remembers that when she was four years old, she picked up the kitchen knife at home and completely separated the various parts of a half-pig. She also identified that the pig had suffered from lung disease before it died. Her parents were shocked and asked her many questions. She answered most of them fluently, but for the ones she couldn't answer, she frowned and went back to her room unwillingly. The next day, she gave the answer.
That day, her father picked her up with great joy and laughed, saying that she was more talented than her sister and would definitely become a rare surgical master in the future, and might even be able to reshape the entire medical field.
My older sister knew about this too. At that time, she was already in college, and when she came back for vacation, she would take the initiative to teach her more.
However, after their parents passed away, her older sister took away all her medical books, just as she had never shown any talent in medicine, and raised her as an ordinary child. Nanmen Jue did not understand, and her loud arguments could not get her any answers. The resentment and pain of not being understood gradually swelled under the oppression of the outside world. She became more and more rebellious and extreme, and the rift between her and her older sister grew wider and wider.
She didn't understand why her older sister, who seemed indifferent, spoiled and indulged her to the point of being a spoiled parent, never relaxed her in this aspect.
She restricted Nanmen Jue in her own way, but Nanmen Jue was destined not to be an obedient person.
Despite her sister's relentless pursuit, she managed to change her application to medical school at the last second.
She still remembers her sister's expression at the time, a mixture of disappointment, shock, and even fear, her face so pale.
Then the two sisters barely spoke to each other again until Nanmen Jue was diagnosed with a terminal illness and the older sister disappeared.
Memories resurfaced in his mind, bringing with them resentment and anger. However, this time, the disappearance of his sister added an even more oppressive pain. Nanmen Jue closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had regained his composure.
She has no time to reminisce about the past; every second she delays, the chances of the people in this world surviving decrease by a second.
She refused to believe it; who isn't a genius?
As she adjusted the instruments and modified the parameters, she prayed silently, hoping that Qin Yehan and the others could find another gray tower as soon as possible. If they could activate the self-destruct device there before the radiation surge arrived, they wouldn't need the retrograde.
Once the self-destruct mechanism is activated, it cannot be stopped, but it can be accelerated.
Ten days is just the maximum allowed.
[08 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes, and 44 seconds]
The alarm sirens inside the tower sounded and then disappeared. Nanmen Jue, deep in the laboratory, could faintly hear the chaos outside.
“They’re preparing to evacuate,” the crow said.
Nanmen Jue lowered his eyelashes and did not reply.
She had to do the work of the entire team all by herself, and there were so many things to do, but she kept a clear head and never became flustered. Everything moved forward in an orderly manner.
[08 days, 0 hours, 22 minutes, 36 seconds]
After adjusting the last parameter, Nanmen Jue realized that she needed to wait a while before proceeding to the next step. After a moment's thought, she took off her white coat and left the laboratory.
On this floor, there is Zhao Huai-ren's lounge.
Zhao Huai-ren certainly has his own house, but as the chief researcher and a research fanatic, he rarely has the opportunity to return to his own home. He eats, dresses, and lives on this floor, and his laboratory is more like his home.
Nanmen Jue pushed the door open, but it wouldn't budge. So he tried swiping his bracelet on it, and it opened.
Both Zhao Huai-ren and Lin Su-wen gave her a bracelet that implicitly allowed her to enter Zhao Huai-ren's room.
Nanmen Jue walked in. As an elderly bachelor, Zhao Huai Ren's room was very tidy. He tidied his room like he would a laboratory. There were no valuables, just ordinary furniture and decorations, which were monotonous and boring.
Nanmen Jue recalled a sentence Wu Qing once said: "He's a hypocrite, he just likes to do things unconventionally."
A smile appeared on her face.
I wonder if Wu Qing has met with her teacher yet. What will they say to each other after such a long separation?
But she didn't know, just as she couldn't imagine what Zhao Huai-ren would say to her before he died.
Nanmen Jue realized that she didn't understand them at all, so she couldn't imagine what they would say or do, but when she was around them, their care and love truly fell on her.
She scratched her head in frustration. The script arranged by God was truly a psychological weapon for people with a conscience.
Isn't this also part of God's plan? Once you get into the role, you develop even stronger emotions.
Nanmen Jue took a deep breath and walked into the bedroom.
The bedroom was also very clean. Because no one came and it was in a closed environment, there was very little dust. She sat on Zhao Huai Ren's bed and used her eyes to trace the room, imagining how Zhao Huai Ren lived here.
Sometimes she would sit on her sister's bed and imagine herself as her sister.
She casually pulled open the bedside table and suddenly saw a... diary lying inside?
Did Zhao Huai-ren keep a diary? Or rather, is it possible that someone in this era still insists on using pen and paper to keep a diary?
Nanmen Jue's lips curled into a slight smile. Since the person was already dead, he felt no shame about prying into their privacy. He picked it up and looked through it a few times.
This led me to the article about her.
Xiao Jue is sick. She never told me, and I think I should pretend I don't know. She's already going through enough.
Nanmenjue paused, looking at the date. It was after she rescued someone outside the tower and was carried back for treatment.
It was around that time that Zhao Huai-ren discovered her brain tumor.
Nanmen Jue paused for a moment, then turned a few more pages.
Zhao Huai-ren was very busy and didn't have much free time each day, so his diary entries were very brief.
I released Xiao Jue without permission, expecting Su Wen to be furious and punish me as well, but she wasn't, and didn't even seem angry. Since she became president, she's become increasingly unfathomable to me.
[Hopefully, Xiao Jue can get in touch with Qin Yehan. A Qing should be in the resistance; she'll take care of Xiao Jue.]
Nanmen Jue was taken aback.
It turns out the old man really did remember Wu Qing.
Her fingers trembled slightly for some reason as she turned to the next page.
[Aqing and Xiaojue should get along well.]
I hope they can live out their days in peace and health.
Nanmen Jue learned that Zhao Huai Ren's last unspoken words to her were his wish for her to live out her days in peace.
A smile appeared on her face, but her vision blurred with tears. To prevent the tears from falling onto the paper, she closed the diary and carefully put it back in the drawer.
Footsteps came from outside, but Nanmen Jue did not look up.
"I didn't see you in the lab, so I guessed you were here." Lin Suwen's voice was filled with worry. "Nanmen, are you alright?"
"That's fine." Nanmen Jue raised his head with a calm expression. "Did you come to see me, or do you want to reminisce about an old friend one last time before you leave?"
“Yes, both,” Lin Su asked. “The residents have mostly evacuated, and the Gray Tower is now an empty tower. Are you really going to stay here?”
Nanmen Jue raised his hand; his slender, strong fingers were wrapped in bandages, but the terrifying appearance beneath them was still visible.
“I won’t die,” she said. “Whether I succeed or not, I will come to you. Don’t worry.”
Lin Suwen's gaze was fixed on her fingers. She didn't ask any further questions, but simply gave Nanmen Jue a deep look. "Want to go take a look?"
"have a look?"
"Take a look at this grand migration."
Nanmen Jue followed her to the lobby on the ground floor. After she left, the tower's system was not shut down, and the outside scene was displayed on the screens all around.
People carrying their packs stared at the cold wind as they walked across the vast land. The procession stretched out in a very long line as they slowly made their way into the distance, like a migrating swarm of ants.
Nanmen Jue looked around for a while and asked, "Where is the destination?"
Lin Suwen shook her head with a wry smile, "I don't know yet, but we need to get out of the blast radius first."
“Hiking in this environment could result in many deaths before reaching a new home.”
“There’s no way.” Lin Suwen’s voice was hoarse and sorrowful. “From the moment I was chosen… there was no way.”
Nanmen Jue trembled slightly, then turned his gaze to her, "Are you tired?"
Lin Suwen was stunned: "What?"
"You only wanted to become president to protect everyone after you learned that this world has secrets, right?" Nanmen Jue said softly. "Isn't it tiring to carry so many lives on your shoulders?"
Tears welled up in Lin Suwen's eyes. Over the years, no one had ever asked her this question. Her childhood friend did not understand her, the people respected her but also stayed away from her, and the person she trusted caused a terrible disaster, killing her friend. Yet this young man asked her with an attitude of almost tolerance and understanding, "Aren't you tired?"
Lin Suwen smiled through her tears, a smile that was incredibly gentle.
"How could I not be tired?" she said, "but it's worth it."
Nanmen Jue's eyes widened in surprise.
"Seeing so many people survive makes it all worthwhile," Lin Suwen said.
As Nanmen Jue looked at her gentle profile as she gazed at the screen, the unspoken unease in his heart gradually subsided.
You believe me, right?
“I have unwavering faith in you.” Lin Suwen looked back at her. “I’ve always felt that if things continue like this, we will either face destruction or be reborn. I just have that feeling. Now that you’ve arrived, Nanmen.”
"Am I doomed, or reborn?" Nanmen Jue asked softly.
“You are my choice,” Lin Suwen said. “Whether it is destruction or rebirth, this is the choice made by the thirteenth president, Lin Suwen. The responsibility is mine. Go ahead and do it.”
Nanmen Jue stared at her for a moment, then a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
It is not despairing or bitter, but sharp, flamboyant, unrestrained, and even carries a hint of lazy provocation.
“I don’t like losing,” she said. “It would make me even more upset if the people who believe in me also lost.”
[07 days, 15 hours, 4 minutes, 22 seconds]
Everyone in the entire Gray Tower except Nanmen Jue, including Lin Suwen, had evacuated, turning the vast place into a veritable, cold tomb.
Nanmen Jue didn't skimp on the tower's energy either, turning on the heater and lights at full blast. She even brought in a sound system and started blasting music in the lab, making it look more like a disco than a lab.
The music in this world is all new to me, and it's beautiful.
[06 days, 3 hours, 33 minutes, 11 seconds]
She hadn't slept all day, and even with her cheat-like abilities, Nanmen Jue was struggling. She stood up and almost fainted. She quickly grabbed something nearby, but didn't know what she grabbed, before slowly sitting back down.
Qin Yehan appeared under these circumstances. Seeing Nanmen Jue swaying precariously, his expression changed drastically as he rushed forward, grabbed her arm, and helped her slowly sit down.
Nanmen Jue's eyes were seeing stars. "What's going on? Why does it look like there's a living person in front of me? Am I hallucinating?"
Qin Yehan: "...South Gate, that's me."
Nanmen Jue's gaze suddenly fixed on his face, and he gasped.
Her expression was as if the sky were falling. Qin Yehan looked at her with heartache and said softly, "Nanmen, I came to keep you company..."
"You idiot! Who told you to just walk in!" Nanmen Jue jumped up, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him out. "This is a sterile laboratory! Couldn't you knock before you came in?!"
Nanmen Jue never expected that a second living person would appear in the tower, so he didn't close the door. He wasn't afraid that Qin Yehan would contaminate the laboratory, but he was afraid that the things in the laboratory would contaminate him!
Doesn't she even know what she's researching?! What if she accidentally turns him into an idiot?
Qin Yehan was stunned and was thrown out without resistance. As he watched Nanmen Jue frantically disinfect him, he suddenly laughed.
Under Nanmen Jue's murderous gaze, he smiled gently, "I'm sorry."
"Who are you sorry to? You're sorry to your parents who gave you your body and hair," Nanmen Jue said irritably. "Why are you staring at me? Take off your clothes."
Qin Yehan's smile faltered as Nanmen Jue had already deftly begun to undress. Qin Yehan was shocked and reached out to stop her, "What are you doing!"
Nanmen Jue kicked him away, "Idiot, don't touch me, I wasted my time disinfecting you. This outfit is useless, take it off and throw it away."
Qin Yehan had no knowledge of these things, even if it was a well-known experiment in another world. Hearing this, he awkwardly withdrew his hand and began to take off his outer clothes.
His gaze was upright, not glancing at Nanmen Jue even once. After taking off two layers of clothing, he hesitated for a moment, then asked with his back to Nanmen Jue, "Do I need to take more off?"
Nanmen Jue glanced at him and said, "That's fine."
Qin Yehan breathed a sigh of relief.
Nanmen Jue picked up the two men's clothes and gloves and threw them into the trash can in the corner. Then he pushed them into another room and disinfected it again before taking them out.
After all that, Nanmen Jue was exhausted and slumped into a chair. "Tell me, what did you forget?"
Qin Yehan was taken aback again. "Hmm?"
"You haven't forgotten anything, so why did you come back? To commit suicide with Gray Tower?" Nanmen Jue looked listless and glanced at him impatiently.
Qin Yehan was about to speak when he saw her unusually pale and lifeless face, and what he blurted out was: "How long has it been since you've had a rest?"
“I forgot,” Nanmen Jue said.
Qin Yehan was silent for a moment, then his gaze sharpened. "Have you not eaten anything either?"
Nanmen Jue was momentarily dazed. "I really forgot about that."
Qin Yehan stood up without saying a word. Nanmen Jue asked, "Are you leaving?"
"I'll go get you something to eat."
This was an answer Nanmen Jue hadn't expected. She followed him with a sense of novelty, without reminding him where the small kitchen on this floor was. She just watched him wander around aimlessly. Qin Yehan didn't ask any questions and relied on his good intuition to find where the food was.
The Gray Tower had long since lost its cook, so Qin Yehan fends for himself, boiling potatoes and eggs. He sniffed the bread that was placed to the side but didn't take it.
Looking at the freshly made, steaming hot potato and egg salad in front of him, Nanmen Jue didn't stand on ceremony and took a bite, commenting, "Too salty."
"Eat more salt, and you'll have more energy," Qin Yehan said.
Nanmen Jue glanced at him, who sat opposite him with a cold face. Nanmen Jue chuckled and ignored him, continuing to eat.
Her bandaged wrist peeked out from her wide sleeve. Qin Yehan's gaze fell on it, thinking that when he first saw her in the car, she hadn't been this thin.
"What do you want from me? Speak," Nanmen Jue said. "Don't tell me you traveled all this way just to cook me a meal."
Qin Yehan's next words brought Nanmen Jue to a standstill.
“I’ve found another gray tower,” he said.
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