Chapter 7 Gray Dome Era 7: Over-the-top acting.
Her older sister had looked at her with that same gaze many times, calling her Xiao Jue softly. Was that voice pleading or disappointed? Nanmen Jue couldn't tell.
Nanmen Jue stared silently at the old man, her face expressionless. The old man seemed quite used to her attitude, still looking at her with the same gaze he would give a disobedient child, and said, "You've lost a lot of weight since you left home a month ago. Life outside is still not as comfortable as it is at home, is it?"
Nanmen Jue's gaze darkened.
What's this crappy computer doing? It's actually creating NPCs based on the player's personal experience? This tone, this care and warmth, how is it any different from her own sister who she depends on for survival?
To probe people's hearts and then manipulate them, is that it?
What use is this for clearing the post-apocalyptic world? Does it increase the sense of immersion for those who reincarnate?
Nanmen Jue felt a dull ache in her head, and a surge of anger threatened to burst from her throat, but she managed to suppress the sarcastic remark that was about to escape her lips.
Okay, if this is indeed a shoddy replica created by her sister according to her memory, then the next step should be to blame her. But she won't blame Nanmen Jue for making a mistake; she will simply take all the blame upon herself.
"It's my fault for not taking good care of you, Xiao Jue. I should have taught you these things after your parents passed away. It's my fault."
"Did you get into a fight at school again, Xiao Jue? It's because I haven't spent enough time with you and missed a crucial period in shaping your views that you've come to believe that only violence can solve problems."
"Suspending your studies is nothing. Now that it has happened, you should reflect on your mistakes instead of yelling at me that you did nothing wrong."
"So you think I'm useless, right? If I could teach you well, you wouldn't have turned out like this. If I were strong enough, I wouldn't have been bullied like this."
That's all there is to it. She's heard it for over a decade, and she knows exactly what her sister will say without even thinking.
Come on, she's ready.
However, a warm, aged hand grasped her clenched fist and gently smoothed it open, as if smoothing out the wrinkles of resentment in her heart.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Zhao Huai-ren said with heartache. "If you had let me help you earlier, you wouldn't have suffered so much outside."
Nanmen Jue slowly looked at him.
What does this mean? Does it mean that even the chief of the Life Society has rebelled?
Her gaze was so strange that Zhao Huai-ren smiled slightly.
"Surprised? Your father didn't blame you for making such a big mistake."
Nanmen Jue suddenly laughed: "It is quite unexpected. You have been so strict with me since I was a child, but I didn't listen to you at the most important time. I thought you would just strangle me while I was sleeping, so that I wouldn't embarrass you in court."
This was purely Nanmen Jue's guess based on the way the two interacted. She called Zhao Huai Ren "Dad" instead of "Teacher," which suggests that the father-daughter relationship between them was stronger than the teacher-student relationship.
As for strict discipline, Nanmen Jue narrowed her eyes. If this computer really generates NPCs based on the personal experiences of reincarnators, then her experience with Zhao Huai Ren must be very similar to her experience with her sister.
Even her tone of voice was almost the same as when she spoke to her sister.
As expected, Zhao Huai-ren showed no sign of anything amiss; he simply adjusted his glasses and sighed.
“You’re always like this.” Nanmen Jue shrugged, looking even more sorrowful than him. “You scold me, you cry to me, you keep everything to yourself, always treating me like that disobedient child, thinking I don’t understand anything. How am I supposed to know what you’re thinking?”
Zhao Huai-ren said, "Xiao Jue..."
"Don't try to fool me." Nanmen Jue pretended to cover his face. "I might die tomorrow, and you still don't want to tell me the truth?"
“…I’m sorry,” Zhao Huai-ren said.
“Of the two of us, I’m the one who should apologize,” Nanmen Jue said sadly. “Don’t worry, I will issue a disclaimer that everything I did has nothing to do with you and will not affect your position as chief.”
“I don’t blame you for anything, child.”
"Then what do you mean?" Nanmen Jue pressed his advantage. "I know you care about me, but are you going to betray Gray Tower for me? I'm not worth it!"
Nanmen Jue's acting was exaggerated and impassioned, making him a master of theatrics. However, Zhao Huai Ren seemed to have really listened to him and fell silent.
Nanmen Jue was somewhat surprised. This actually worked? But if it was effective, that would be best. She waited patiently; this was the question she truly wanted to ask: what was the Life Society's leader's true stance? Had he really betrayed them and sided with the resistance?
Finally, Zhao Huai-ren said, "My loyalty to Gray Tower will never change. But some things are not as simple as you think."
Nanmen Jue keenly sensed something subtle; something flashed through her mind so quickly that she couldn't quite grasp it.
Zhao Huai-ren asked, "Can you tell me why you stole the chip?"
He didn't ask Nanmen Jue why she betrayed Gray Tower, nor did he ask her why she chose the resistance; he asked about the chip.
The flash of light suddenly exploded, and Nanmen Jue abruptly turned his head.
“There’s something wrong with that chip,” she said with certainty.
“You guessed it,” Zhao Huai-ren said.
Nanmen Jue was struck by a huge shock and absurdity. Zhao Huai Ren continued, "You are a genius that I have nurtured. You started working with me at the age of six to develop antiretroviral therapy. You will see that this is not surprising to me at all."
No, she was genuinely surprised.
This news is too serious. If it is made public, it will cause an upheaval in the entire human community, and the missions of these reincarnators will also be affected. The first to be affected will be Nanmen Jue.
Her side quest is to inject fifty rebels with antiretroviral drugs. If they find out that the antiretroviral drugs are problematic, who will she inject them with?
"Now that things have come to this, shouldn't you tell me what's really going on?" Nanmen Jue's feigned tone faded. "At least let me die knowing the truth, okay?"
“Now that things have come to this, there’s really no point in keeping it from you anymore. Ever since I heard that you stole the chip, I’ve been regretting not telling you. If I had trusted you a little more…” Zhao Huai-ren didn’t notice her change. He smiled sadly, full of self-deprecation. “Old people always think they have more experience than young people and blindly believe that they can handle everything without worrying about young people… But the truth is, this didn’t make things better. Instead, it led in the direction I least wanted to see.”
He took a deep breath, looking at Nanmen Jue with a mixture of guilt and pride. "Xiao Jue, I can hardly describe how proud I am of you. In my entire life, besides me, you are the only one who discovered this on your own. You did not choose to remain silent, but chose to resist."
Nanmen Jue was speechless.
This NPC who looks like an older sister... doesn't look like an older sister anymore.
Her older sister would never understand anything she did that she considered unconventional. Since their parents died in a car accident, her eighteen-year-old sister had taken on the responsibility of raising her independently. From the age of six, she had become a tangible responsibility, a burden that dragged down her sister's youth. She was too tired and too busy, and did not have the extra energy to understand the thoughts of an extreme and rebellious child.
Nanmen Jue doesn't blame his sister at all, so how could he blame an NPC?
She sat down again on the edge of the bed and said, "Won't you be held accountable for coming to see me like this?"
“I’m not afraid,” Zhao Huai-ren said.
Nanmen Jue laughed, glanced up at the quietly working camera, and said, "Retroviral therapy can't really eliminate radiation, can it?"
Zhao Huai-ren said, "You should know how it works."
"The principle behind radiation mutation is that high-intensity gamma rays and particles damage the DNA in an organism, causing errors during cell division. Therefore, the principle of reversibility is based on gene editing technology." Nanmen Jue combined his knowledge and thought, "Using reversible gene-editing enzymes to repair genes and induce them to revert to their original fragments..."
Nanmen Jue's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Do you remember? During the thirty-fifth Experiment No. 2, that was the first time the radiation dose in the organism's body was actually changed. The mutated monkey's 'dormant gene' was activated, and it reverted to primitive biological behavior, exhibiting astonishing instinctive responses to food acquisition, courtship, and defense." A shadow fell over Zhao Huai-ren's face. "So we thought we were on the right track, stopped all other experiments, and focused on this direction until the development of antiretroviral agents, which successfully made the radiation in the organism's body completely disappear."
“But the organisms have degenerated,” Nanmen Jue continued, adding the unspoken part.
She understood completely.
She wasn't a clueless freshman; her parents were both scientists at the forefront of research, and her older sister was a doctor. Growing up surrounded by such environments, her accumulated knowledge naturally surpassed that of the average student.
She had guessed this direction when she was studying the mechanism of retrograde hormone, but she was still shocked when Zhao Huai-ren confirmed the result.
“According to the treatment plan, to completely eliminate the radiation, three injections of antiretroviral drugs are needed,” Zhao Huai-ren said. “Before the third injection, everything will move in a positive direction: the radiation will recede, the mutations will lessen, and reason will return… It’s like being truly saved.”
“But when all three injections are given, a person will regress into a primitive gorilla,” Nanmenjue murmured. “Tens of thousands of years of evolution will all be for nothing.”
Zhao Huai-ren looked at her and nodded heavily. "The production of the antiretroviral agent should have been a secret, but this matter has had a huge impact... Someone leaked it. Before this, I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Currently, no one among the test subjects has received the third injection. When I learned that you stole the chip, I even breathed a sigh of relief."
Nanmen Jue twitched the corner of his mouth.
Is everything in this space meant for single use only?
Once this antiretroviral agent is officially put into use, it's obvious what the world will become. Right now it's just the end of the world, but by then it will be completely wiped out.
“You can keep this to yourself. I trust you know what you're doing.” Zhao Huai-ren seemed to have something more to say to Nanmen Jue, but he opened his mouth, then closed it again, and stood up. “I can’t stay here for too long, Xiao Jue. Your trial is tomorrow. I will do my best to save your life. Even if the resistance gets the chip, it won’t help you. You don’t need to worry too much.”
Nanmen Jue looked up at him. "Who told you I was here? Qi Mo?"
“It was a White Helmet soldier; she was responsible for escorting you back,” Zhao Huai-ren said.
Nanmen Jue was somewhat surprised; it was actually Zhang Chuxi.
Zhao Huai-ren gave her a deep look. "I'm leaving. Remember, as long as you follow the instructions carefully tomorrow, your chances of survival are still very high. You must listen to me."
It sounded like he had already planned something, and Nanmen Jue nodded obediently.
Just as Zhao Huai-ren was about to leave the room, Nanmen Jue asked his retreating figure, "Did the president order you not to make this public?"
Zhao Huai Ren paused, but did not answer. Before he opened the door to leave, Nanmen Jue said, "Be careful of anyone who gets close to you lately, Dad."
Zhao Huai Ren turned around abruptly to look at her; she had already gone back to bed.
A note from the author:
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