Chapter 36 The Tower of Gray Dome 36 Go, Mighty Man!
Nanmen Jue stared at the spoon. Before she could even put the mashed potato in her mouth, her hand trembled slightly, so she put down the spoon and calmly raised her head.
"Is there really a second Grey Tower?"
Qin Yehan nodded briefly, but his expression was not good. Nanmen Jue quickly saw through his expression.
"What happened?"
Qin Yehan remained silent.
Nanmen Jue sensed something was wrong, and his expression gradually became serious.
Qin Yehan clearly did not want to recall this memory, but when Nanmen Jue looked at him, he trembled and gasped for breath before speaking in a hoarse voice.
“I was the first one, the one who opened the door,” he whispered, “like opening…hell.”
He didn't say anything more, but that was enough for Nanmenjue to understand his fear.
For someone like Qin Yehan to react in this way, it's clear that what he saw wasn't anything good.
"There are no survivors, are there?" she asked softly.
Qin Yehan actually closed his eyes, as if he was enduring some kind of terrifying shock. After a long while, he shook his head.
Nanmen Jue looked at him with pity. She couldn't imagine how she would react if she were the first to face such an impact. Perhaps Qin Yehan was already very strong for not going crazy.
Qin Yehan took a deep breath and looked back into Nanmen Jue's eyes. "I'm fine, you don't need to look at me like that."
He didn't like Nanmen Jue looking at him like that.
Nanmen Jue withdrew his gaze and patted his shoulder instead, "You...you've worked hard."
Not only Qin Yehan, but whatever he saw, this scene will probably leave a lifelong psychological scar on everyone who witnessed it.
But they had no choice; if they didn't settle in this gray tower, they wouldn't survive long outside.
Qin Yehan nodded silently and sat back down in his seat. The two remained silent for a moment, and Nanmen Jue had already lost his appetite.
"Have President Lin and the others arrived yet?" Nanmen Jue asked.
"Not yet. At their pace, it will probably take about ten days to arrive." Qin Yehan looked at her. "I rushed back after learning that you were staying here by yourself."
“Ten days.” Nanmen Jue twirled the cup in his hand. “I told you I wouldn’t die, but you can’t survive this explosion.”
“I can drive, so I just need to leave the day before the explosion,” Qin Yehan said. “I want to come back and be with you. Even if I can’t help, at least there will still be one other person alive in this tower.”
Nanmen Jue remained silent, but the sharp look in his eyes gradually faded.
She glanced up at him, then glanced up again. Qin Yehan gave her a somewhat uneasy smile, and she sighed.
"Alright, at least as a chat partner, you're much better than Crow."
"A crow?" Qin Yehan was taken aback, only then noticing that a glossy black crow was perched at the foot of Nanmen Jue's statue, following them without caring what they were doing.
"Is this the same one you rescued?" Qin Yehan asked incredulously.
"It's my own fault for picking up this big, troublesome thing." Nanmen Jue sighed and laughed. "This story teaches us not to step on the wildflowers by the roadside, and not to pick up the crows by the roadside either."
Qin Yehan didn't understand. He couldn't see anything unusual about the crow. Did Nanmen Jue think raising a small animal under these circumstances was troublesome? That was indeed quite troublesome. She herself had forgotten to eat, so what would the crow eat?
Nanmen Jue didn't explain. She pushed the plate aside and stood up. "Let's go, little assistant, let's get to work together."
Qin Yehan's face lit up with joy, but then turned serious, his eyes showing some helplessness. "I... I don't know anything."
He can kill, he can fight, he can find his way in bad weather, and he knows how to survive, but he doesn't have any of the skills or abilities that Nanmen Jue needs.
Nanmen Jue turned his head and smiled at him, "You don't think I would let someone who just barged into the lab do any delicate work, do you? Don't worry, you'll definitely do what I assign you."
Looking at her smile, Qin Yehan's usually unmoved face slowly turned red.
“I’m not naked,” he said in a low voice. “I’m dressed.”
...
With Qin Yehan around, Nanmen Jue had to admit that his quality of life had suddenly improved, though it was sometimes a bit annoying.
The chores that anyone could do were taken care of, and meals were even provided. It's surprising that the famous rebel leader had such a talent for being a good wife.
As a result, Nanmen Jue was able to devote more energy to research.
Qin Yehan saw a completely different Nanmen Jue. When she entered a research state, she had a cold expression and only had eyes for the work and data in her hands. However, there was also high-energy rock music playing in the background, which made the scene particularly jarring.
But he knew that he absolutely could not go up and disturb Nanmen Jue at this time, unless she took the initiative to ask him to do something. Otherwise, he should hold his breath and pretend that he did not exist.
He understood this after he tried to remind Nanmen Jue to eat something, but was kicked away by her before he could even get close.
but……
Looking at Nanmen Jue's dark eyebrows and eyes peeking out from under her mask, it was clear that she hadn't rested for a long time since he arrived, and now, two more days had passed, and she still hadn't rested.
Even their food consisted of just one meal of mashed potatoes.
Qin Yehan couldn't hold back any longer. Braving the thought of being kicked, he stepped forward and softly called out to her, "Nanmen."
Nanmen Jue ignored him and focused on the data he had just run.
Qin Yehan's Adam's apple bobbed nervously. "Rest for a while, I'll get you something to eat."
"Go and do it," Nanmen Jue said without looking up.
Qin Yehan's expression hardened, and he grabbed Nanmen Jue's wrist. "You can't keep going like this. At least... take a break."
Nanmen Jue glanced over sharply, and Qin Yehan's eyes pleaded. His previously hesitant feelings suddenly swelled up, mixed with inexplicable anger and heartache.
“You’re not made of iron. What if you collapse after the antiretroviral drug is developed…”
"What's wrong with that?"
Qin Yehan was speechless for a moment, staring at her blankly, "What did you say?"
Nanmen Jue brushed his hand away, ignored him, and continued with his work. Qin Yehan's eyes gradually reddened; he couldn't bear to look any longer and turned to leave the laboratory.
Half an hour later, he returned and called Nanmen Jue to have dinner.
Nanmen Jue ate, then plunged back into the lab. This time, Qin Yehan didn't come in immediately.
A crow that doesn't shed feathers or get infected by bacteria or viruses landed on the lab table. "If you continue like this, your mental state won't be able to take it."
"Then let's wait until it collapses before we talk about it."
Nanmen Jue remained unmoved by reason, and even the crow sighed, "Do you always do things without leaving yourself any way out?"
"An escape route?" Nanmen Jue cleared all the data from before, raised his bloodshot eyes, and a calm madness surged within them. "I don't need this kind of thing. I don't want anything but the result I want."
The crow fell silent. Seeing that Qin Yehan had dressed and come in, it flew to the roof beam.
After following Nanmen Jue for two days, Qin Yehan could understand some superficial things, even if he couldn't understand the deeper ones. He looked at the computer in front of Nanmen Jue and saw that it had turned into a new process, and his eyes showed astonishment.
"Haven't you ever seen failure?" Nanmen Jue actually spoke up, but the emotion in his voice silenced Qin Yehan.
Although Nanmen Jue still appeared calm, his eyes, fixed on the screen, were so intense that it was hard to look directly at him.
Nanmen Jue was silent for a moment, then let out a sneer and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's start again."
[05 days, 12 hours, 3 minutes, 33 seconds]
"Start over."
[04 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes, 1 second]
"Start over."
[03 days, 21 hours, 22 minutes, and 35 seconds]
Nanmen Jue finally couldn't hold back and kicked the cabinet next to him hard.
She slumped into a chair, her chest heaving violently, her eyes, the whites of which were completely red, fixed on the screen, her fingers trembling slightly on the armrest.
Qin Yehan stood behind her, his eyes also bloodshot from exhaustion. Seeing Nanmen Jue on the verge of collapse, he looked like he was about to break down too.
"It's alright, Nanmen, you did your best." He tried to comfort her, "Don't push yourself to the brink, you did your best."
Nanmen Jue did not answer; he only saw her increasingly stubborn and ruthless eyes.
[02 days, 20 hours, 43 minutes, 2 seconds]
The data restarted once again. Both of them were exhausted and unable to speak, but they both knew that this might be their last chance.
Even if the data is successful later, there will be no time to produce the antidepressant. The production machine will explode along with the gray tower and become dust of the times.
But neither of them left.
Nanmen Jue suddenly spoke up: "You should pack your things and leave."
She never imagined that her voice could become so hoarse; if the room hadn't been extremely quiet, she wouldn't have been able to hear herself say anything.
Qin Yehan heard it clearly, but did not reply.
Nanmen Jue chuckled softly, this time because he was too weak. "Still don't believe I can't die, huh?"
"Who can guarantee you won't die?" Qin Yehan's voice was equally hoarse. "My purpose in coming here is to take you away alive."
Nanmen Jue suddenly stood up and began to take off his clothes in front of Qin Yehan.
She took off her white coat and then her undershirt. Qin Yehan, startled, tried to look away, but she snapped, "Look at me!"
Qin Yehan subconsciously shifted his gaze back, only to see that this originally extremely beautiful body was covered in bandages. His eyes trembled, and Nanmen Jue's trembling fingers frantically tore off the bandages from his body.
Qin Yehan snapped out of his daze and tried to stop her, but she had already haphazardly torn off some pieces, and Qin Yehan froze on the spot.
"How could this be!"
The injuries Nanmen Jue sustained that day have not changed at all after so many days. His flesh is still a bloody mess, and a rib has even broken through the restraints of his body, clearly exposed.
Qin Yehan was shocked to find that her injury was so serious, and he was so heartbroken that tears fell for the first time.
"How...how could this be?" His voice trembled as he tried to touch Nanmen Jue, but was afraid that if he touched him, the wounded man would shatter. "It's been so many days, why hasn't he gotten any better?"
Nanmen Jue's expression was indifferent. "My body is telling you that I will not die. Is that enough?"
Qin Yehan stared at her in disbelief.
Nanmen Jue stuffed the ribs back in, put his clothes back on, and his expression remained unchanged.
"Even if this world is destroyed, I won't die. You should be worried about your own life, understand? If you understand, then get lost."
She went back to the data, and Qin Yehan didn't leave either. The two were locked in a delicate stalemate. Just then, another machine next to them sounded an alarm, and both of their expressions changed at the same time.
This machine has nothing to do with retrograde; it was specially brought over by Nanmenjue to keep an eye on things. Its only function is to detect the radiation levels on the ground and provide early warnings of snowstorms and radiation surges!
The fact that it's issuing an alarm speaks volumes.
"Don't worry, it usually issues a warning when the radiation levels just start to fluctuate, so there should still be some time." Nanmen Jue, no longer looking fierce, calmly performed a few operations.
However, when she saw what was displayed above, she was speechless.
An extremely terrifying radiation storm is forming, and it will arrive in... two days.
If the antiretroviral drug is not produced within these two days, or if it is not delivered to the public, then everything will be over.
Such a dire situation rendered Qin Yehan speechless. Even with his unwavering resolve, he could not maintain his composure upon learning that everyone in this world was about to die.
Qin Yehan was stunned. Words were useless now. A great sorrow welled up from the bottom of his heart, and he subconsciously called out Nanmen Jue's name.
"South Gate..."
Then he froze on the spot.
Nanmen Jue was also stunned, but only for a short moment, and then she started to move.
With a sweep of her long arm, she knocked everything on the table, except for the machine, to the floor. Then she took out a pen and some white paper that she rarely used from the drawer and spread them out on the table with a clatter.
Qin Yehan's pupils contracted. He suddenly thought of the night when Nanmen Jue drew the entire map all by herself. Was she like that too, exuding an aura as if she wanted to trample the world under her feet?
The situation is similar now. Nanmenjue can't wait for the machine to slowly process the data, so she starts calculating manually!
The enormous amount of data, which no one had ever thought of calculating by human effort, was transformed into black symbols flowing from Nanmen Jue's pen. Nanmen Jue lay on the table, completely ignoring everything around him, and mobilized his entire mind.
Qin Yehan knew that this was no longer an area he could interfere in, and he could no longer persuade Nanmen Jue to come back.
Nanmen Jue is now a warrior, wreaking havoc on her battlefield. How could she persuade a warrior to flee the battlefield? Not to mention that Nanmen Jue would kill him, he himself would not try to persuade her anymore.
But he didn't leave as she wished; instead, he stood behind her, ready to do whatever she asked.
He couldn't get involved in this war, but he wouldn't be a deserter either.
[02 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 2 seconds]
After Nanmen Jue finished writing on another sheet of paper, her hand trembled so much that she almost tore the paper to shreds. Qin Yehan snatched it from her bulging arm in time, and Nanmen Jue breathed a sigh of relief almost imperceptibly.
She fell backward, and Qin Yehan pulled a chair over, so she sat down inside, hunching over and digging her fingers into her hair.
"Just one step away, just one last step away, where did things go wrong..." She stared intently at a point, muttering to herself, as if she had gone mad.
[01 day, 21 hours, 22 minutes, 4 seconds]
Nanmen Jue didn't let Qin Yehan leave again. The radiation wave was coming soon, and without the anti-retroviral agent, he would die no matter where he went.
[00 days, 20 hours, 32 minutes, 33 seconds]
There are 30 hours left until the radiation surge arrives.
It seems there's no hope left.
But Qin Yehan calmed down instead. He looked at Nanmen Jue, whose hair was disheveled, lying on the table, still frantically calculating something, and a serene smile appeared on his face.
He gave her a deep look, then turned and went to the kitchen.
He had already prepared and cleaned all the remaining ingredients beforehand, making them easy to use during cooking. He also specially retrieved many recipes from the Gray Tower system.
Now, looking at these ingredients, eight different ways of cooking came to mind. He carefully considered how to prepare them to present the most perfect meal possible.
Given Nanmen Jue's workload, this might be the last dinner he can cook for her.
The gray tower will disappear in 20 hours, and the radiation wave will arrive in 30 hours, sweeping away every living thing in this world. Perhaps, apart from Nanmenjue, nothing else will exist.
Thinking of this, he was surprisingly calm. Human life is too bitter and too difficult. As the end was approaching, the first thing that came to his mind was relief rather than panic.
It's just a pity for those few children; they haven't even had a chance to experience the gentleness and cruelty of this world before they are deprived of the opportunity to live.
In the next life, may I be reincarnated in a different world.
Qin Yehan thought that if he could live in the radiation-free world that Nanmen Jue had mentioned, he would be willing to pay any price.
Lost in thought, he snapped out of it and focused on cooking.
Nanmen Jue hadn't slept for days, so he stayed up with him. His mind had been foggy, but strangely enough, he suddenly felt clear-headed.
There are 26 hours left until the radiation surge arrives.
Qin Yehan had just finished cooking all the ingredients and was plating them when the door to the room was suddenly kicked open.
It was like an explosion, making Qin Yehan's hand tremble, and he quickly looked up.
The only person who would barge in is—
Nanmen Jue leaned against the doorframe, swaying precariously. Beneath her disheveled hair, a deathly pale face was visible, her once beautiful eyes now a deep, striking red, especially the corners. She stared intently at Qin Yehan, breathing heavily. An exaggerated smile curved her lips, and a certain aura emanating from her sent shivers down Qin Yehan's spine.
"you--"
"It's a success." Nanmen Jue's voice had never been so hoarse, nor so excited. "Come here."
She turned and left. Qin Yehan stood there blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly realized what was happening and strode after her. The man who had been so carefree in the wind and snow almost tripped over the corner of the table.
Nanmen Jue led him to the production room of the anti-retroviral agent. The production line was simpler than she expected, basically only requiring one machine to produce it. However, the ingredients and proportions had to be controlled very well, otherwise the same situation as the previous version would occur.
Nanmen Jue took out the chip Zhao Huai Ren had left her and, under Qin Yehan's tense gaze, inserted it into the machine.
The massive machine began to operate.
“Actually, the teacher’s direction was not wrong before.” Amid the roar of the machines, Nanmen Jue said in a low voice, “It only required changing a few things… but I thought he was wrong, and he also thought he was wrong, which is why we went astray for so many steps.”
"But you eventually realized it." Qin Yehan looked up at the machine with awe in his eyes.
"The problem now is that there's no time to conduct clinical trials," Nanmenjue said.
"Use me." Qin Yehan blurted out without hesitation.
Nanmen Jue glanced at him and gave a weak laugh. "It's not that we don't have test subjects. This tower has everything except living people. It's just that we don't have enough time."
Qin Yehan realized that it would take time to produce the anti-retroviral agent, and it would also take time to catch up with the evacuation team from the Gray Tower.
There are still 18 hours until the gray tower explodes.
Can 18 hours be enough to produce enough retrograde hormone for the current number of survivors?
This was an unknown answer, and neither of them asked. They acted in tacit agreement. Nanmen Jue also changed the packaging. Before, she had to consider the cost, but now she didn't. She put all the reversal agents she produced into extremely expensive micro-syringes.
Qin Yehan called up the largest vehicle in the Gray Tower and carried boxes of syringes up there.
12 hours.
“We should leave,” Qin Yehan said. “I know you might not die, but once the tower explodes, the remaining regressors will also be destroyed. There’s no point in you staying here.”
"Wait a little longer." Nanmen Jue kept a close eye on the quantity. "It's still not enough."
8 hours.
"South Gate! It's really going to be too late!"
"Wait a little longer... just a little longer."
5 hours.
Qin Yehan had already considered knocking Nanmen Jue unconscious and taking him away, but Nanmen Jue remained unmoved and glared at him sharply.
4 hours.
Qin Yehan's heart was pounding, and a crazy thought flashed through his mind: Why not just die here together? Dying with Nanmen Jue, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?
3 hours.
2 hours.
One hour.
Once the first ingredient was used up and the last dose of antiretroviral agent was produced, Nanmen Jue jumped up. "Let's go!"
Qin Yehan picked up the last box with one hand, grabbed Nanmen Jue with the other, and turned to run without saying a word.
Nanmen Jue was taken aback, but didn't refuse. She was completely exhausted and needed someone to help her run faster.
In the final stage, the Gray Tower's alarm sounded automatically, and the entire tower was shrouded in a dangerous red light. The incessant alarm sounded like a countdown. Little Crow appeared out of nowhere and flew after the two of them.
Nanmen Jue was practically thrown into the car. The next second, Qin Yehan got in, his eyes filled with an unprecedented ferocity, and he floored the accelerator.
With a whoosh, the huge car sped off, and Nanmen Jue was squeezed against the back of the seat. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Such a strong feeling of being pushed against the chest."
Qin Yehan pursed his lips tightly.
"Are you angry?" Nanmen Jue poked his face with a finger, speaking leisurely, "Go for it, tough guy, everyone's survival depends on you."
Qin Yehan pursed his lips even tighter. He was just waiting for Nanmen Jue to say one more word before he exploded at her, but Nanmen Jue actually fell silent.
This was not in line with her nature. Qin Yehan quickly turned his head, only to find that her head was tilted against the back of the chair, and she had lost consciousness.
Qin Yehan was shocked and, disregarding everything else, used one hand to check her breathing while speeding at high speed.
When he realized she was still breathing, and even breathing quite steadily, his heartbeat, which had stopped, resumed.
"...Really." After countless sleepless nights, she must be utterly exhausted. Qin Yehan sighed, his voice barely audible, "You're still not out of danger... and you trust me that much?"
Nanmen Jue was awakened by a sudden, violent tremor.
The deafening roar shook the earth, and a blinding red light ignited in the direction of the gray tower, even changing the color of the gray sky. The fiery red sky truly gave off an apocalyptic feeling.
When Nanmen Jue opened his eyes, Qin Yehan was practically grinding his teeth to powder, because the ground beneath their feet was cracking due to the explosion, and he was driving with all his might to escape the pursuit through the cracks!
Nanmen Jue paused for a moment, then peeked out again to look in the direction of the Gray Tower. Snowflakes, still carrying sparks, hit her face, spreading both icy cold and scorching heat at the same time. She laughed wildly against the howling wind.
"Look, Qin Yehan! We succeeded!"
"Sit back down!" Qin Yehan had never yelled at her like that before. "You're not out of danger yet, don't be too happy!"
"As long as we're not blown up, we won't die!" Nanmen Jue's eyes sparkled, his face still covered in ash. "Because I believe in you!"
Qin Yehan was startled. Nanmen Jue was smiling, a hearty and wild smile, his affectionate eyes looking at him without reservation, as if expressing his trust.
Qin Yehan's Adam's apple bobbed, and a low laugh escaped his throat. He jerked the steering wheel sharply, and the car narrowly avoided another crack at a dangerous angle.
“That’s really going too far,” he said hoarsely. “By saying that, you’ve left me with absolutely no way out.”
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Author's Note: This world will end tomorrow.
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