Chapter 197 (First Release)...
Ning Wanwan and the little monster were locked in a stalemate.
Just then, an alarm sounded and a flurry of footsteps echoed.
A group of fully armed security personnel and researchers in white coats poured in from the entrance and surrounded the place.
Clearly, this display of force couldn't be for Ning Wanwan's sake; their fear and dread of Monster 001 was beyond measure.
"Number 001, actually, possesses a human appearance!"
The faces of this group of people showed a distorted expression of shock, terror, and joy.
"This is a major breakthrough!"
But soon, they found Ning Wanwan standing there unharmed.
"How is it possible that she's still alive?"
"Number 001 actually didn't kill her!"
The monster showed no reaction to the group of people rushing in; it seemed completely unconcerned about the threat these armed individuals posed, or rather, it didn't take them seriously at all.
It focused intently on Ning Wanwan.
"elder sister……"
Ning Wanwan had given up on telling it to shut up. She realized that the monster was probably unable to listen to human speech because it had just transformed into human form.
However, her crisis had only just begun.
“I didn’t do anything,” Ning Wanwan said calmly to the people, her eyes lowered. “I just came to wash the lab equipment.”
"Then, I don't know how, it just appeared."
As a lowly assistant, she certainly couldn't possibly do anything. These things were none of her concern, were they?
Ning Wanwan is currently unsure what the little monster is trying to do to break through the barrier, but she certainly won't take the blame for it.
After she finished speaking, there was a hush, a silence that seemed absurd.
The little monster didn't seem to have any intention of showing its ferocity. Dressed as a cute little boy, it looked up with its fair face and dark pupils that seemed to have no whites, staring in the direction of the crowd.
With her head tilted slightly, she looked utterly innocent and naive.
Finally, a person wearing a white coat stepped forward. He had a name tag pinned to his chest, clearly indicating that he was a high-ranking researcher in the laboratory.
He laughed it off: "Of course, this accident has nothing to do with you; it's just that the facilities are old."
Everything proceeded smoothly from then on. The monster did nothing more than emerge from the petri dish, so it wasn't a big deal. However, the petri dish was definitely unusable, and Ning Wanwan was reassigned a task—
Next, she will participate in the No. 001 core experiment project.
"Why am I me?" Ning Wanwan asked incredulously, pointing to herself. "There are many people more outstanding than me, I'm not suitable..."
“You are the most suitable person.” The high-ranking head of the research institute rested his chin on his interlaced fingers as he sat in a swivel chair in front of his desk. “Number 001 is very close to you.”
They reassessed Ning Wanwan's value.
“But…” Ning Wanwan thought of the little monster turning into a little boy, and the thought made her feel awkward. She didn’t really want to agree right away.
"And don't you want to participate in the lab's core projects?"
The person in charge interrupted her, revealing a confident smile.
"You don't want to be just a junior assistant your whole life, do you?"
Ning Wanwan fell silent.
She certainly didn't care whether she was a junior assistant or not; in fact, she didn't feel a sense of belonging here. But the person in charge's words reminded her of something.
She can't stay here forever.
It would be ideal if the key to preventing the apocalypse could be found in this place.
Now, all signs indicate that the key may lie with Number 001.
Ning Wanwan even had a guess in her mind.
She felt that the monster form of No. 001 was somewhat similar to that mutated beast from the future.
But did strange beasts already exist thirty years ago?
Perhaps, that number 001... is the "Emperor" of the alien beasts!
Such associations may seem absurd, but they are actually connected in many ways, and Ning Wanwan trusts her intuition.
Finally, Ning Wanwan nodded.
"Okay, I'll get involved."
The person in charge showed a satisfied expression.
"Don't worry, you won't need to do much. Just some small assistance."
...
Ning Wanwan obediently agreed to help, seemingly blinded by the allure of participating in the core project, but in reality, she had other plans.
Now that she had deduced that the little monster was the "king" of the alien beasts, what she wanted to do was naturally to kill it.
If we kill him, wouldn't that solve the problem once and for all?
Ning Wanwan thought to herself, and now that she was a participant in Project 001, it would be even easier for her to get close to him.
That night, she secretly found an opportunity to sneak in, intending to kill Number 001.
"Slap, slap."
Inside the enormous petri dish, the monster listlessly waved its tentacles formed from black liquid, making a series of noisy, digging noises that resembled a dog tearing the house apart.
But when Ning Wanwan appeared, it instantly became like a cat encountering catnip, sticking tightly to the container wall with a splat, the glossy black liquid mimicking a suction cup as it wriggled and clung to it greedily and eagerly.
Seeing that it had reverted to its monster form, Ning Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief. If it had remained in the form of a little boy, Ning Wanwan didn't know if she could have brought herself to kill it.
She took out the knife, sulfuric acid, and other items she had prepared earlier, and looked at the little monster, finding herself in a dilemma.
How can I kill her? She can't touch her because of the container.
If it breaks, it will definitely make a noise.
Ning Wanwan frowned and thought for a while, but before she could figure it out, the little monster couldn't wait to come out of the container.
"..." Looking at the large hole that had been dissolved in the vessel, and then at the little monster that had rubbed against her feet, Ning Wanwan fell silent.
If even this special material can be dissolved, is sulfuric acid really effective against it...?
Whether it works or not, let's try it first and see.
She picked up the prepared bottle of sulfuric acid and poured it on the little monster without hesitation.
"..."
"…………"
"………………"
After a while, Ning Wanwan was covered in sweat and stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
It's true, nothing works!
Neither highly corrosive sulfuric acid nor sharp knives could harm the little monster in the slightest.
Its appearance remains glossy black with an oily sheen; though it appears soft and liquid-like, it can be harder than steel when it hardens.
"Slap, slap." It seemed completely unaware that Ning Wanwan wanted to kill it, and happily rubbed against her calves.
"Get away." Ning Wanwan kicked it.
Although Ning Wanwan had expected this outcome, after all, if the little monster were so easy to subdue, the people at the research institute wouldn't have been so alarmed when it broke through the experimental equipment that day...
But, as expected, I was still very unhappy.
The little monster, however, thought Ning Wanwan was just playing with her and continued to hop around, clinging to her legs, its black, sticky liquid constantly licking her skin.
"Hiss." Ning Wanwan felt something was wrong. Seeing that the little monster was still climbing up her leg, she didn't hesitate to rip it off and throw it on the ground.
The little monster made pitiful cries behind her again, but Ning Wanwan ignored it and turned away.
However, now that she has joined the core project experiment, Ning Wanwan cannot keep avoiding contact with No. 001.
When they met Number 001 again, the little monster had transformed into a human boy.
Upon seeing that familiar face, Ning Wanwan's fingers made marks in her palm.
That's really too much.
Why do I always have to become like that child?
"I heard that 001 has been staying like this lately. I wonder what's going on. Maybe after eating it, it suddenly found the appearance of human children to be aesthetically pleasing."
My colleague started laughing as he was talking; it was such a hilarious joke.
Ning Wanwan forced a smile, but couldn't manage it. She didn't want to see the little monster like this for the time being; it made her feel angry and depressed.
But the little monster wouldn't let her go.
"Sister...sister...don't you like this look to you? Why won't you smile at me..."
The little monster's voice became increasingly fluent, more and more like the voice of the little boy in her memory, which made Ning Wanwan feel nauseous.
She pursed her lips tightly, didn't even glance at the little monster, and walked straight away.
"Sister, sister—" the little monster's cries rang out from behind, sounding even more pitiful and miserable.
Ning Wanwan thought that this emotion was being acted very humanly, but no matter what, it was still just a monster that would eat people.
For the next period of time, Ning Wanwan ignored the little monster. Rationally, she knew that what she should do most was approach the little monster and figure out its weaknesses. But emotionally, she simply couldn't bring herself to approach a monster that looked exactly like someone from her memories as if nothing was wrong.
The little monster seemed completely oblivious to this psychological barrier in humans. Instead, it seemed to feel that it wasn't acting convincingly enough, so it acted out the role even more realistically and frequently.
She became increasingly adept at acting cute, nuzzling against others, and folding paper airplanes, constantly seeking attention.
Sometimes, when Ning Wanwan looked at the little monster, she would feel a little dazed.
Is this the ferocious monster villain from the story, or the human boy who keeps calling her "sister"?
The sense of absurdity and dislocation made it almost impossible for her to distinguish between them.
"Wanwan, what are you thinking about?" The little monster tugged at her sleeve.
At some point, the little monster stopped calling her "sister" like the little boy did and started calling her "Wanwan" directly. This helped Ning Wanwan to rationally distinguish who it really was.
Ning Wanwan did not respond to it and walked forward. The other researchers were already used to Ning Wanwan's attitude towards No. 001, and skillfully picked up No. 001 and carried it into the laboratory.
The little monster, number 001, was placed on the experimental table, surrounded by various equipment and facilities.
They were going to slice up the little monster and study its body parts.
But the little monster showed no fear or resistance; its dark eyes stared unblinkingly at Ning Wanwan, who stood far away on the other side.
"Slap, slap..."
It looked very obedient, letting the researchers handle it.
This is why Ning Wanwan is here. Because they discovered that the little monster is very ferocious, and they had previously only dared to keep it in a petri dish.
But as long as Ning Wanwan is around, the little monster becomes very obedient, and they don't mind doing experiments on it.
Ning Wanwan felt very uncomfortable. She resented this little monster, but when she stood there as a reason for it to comply with the experiment, she felt as if she had become an accomplice.
"We can't cut it open here... No, let her come over."
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