Chapter 28 The Apocalypse 27
Dongyao curiously observed Lu Xuejin's movements. Its host changed her obedient posture in front of Mu Huai. She turned her toes outward and crossed her arms to look around. Her gaze fell on her own painting, and she nodded with satisfaction. When she glanced at the religious painting next to her, she showed a look of disgust.
"Do scientific researchers also believe in religion?" Lu Xuejin reached out and poked the angel statue on the workbench, but the statue did not move.
Dong Yao said: "[Apart from the rebellious shepherd boy, the entire shepherd family in the novel are believers in the Virgin Mary and angels. The original novel also links the zombie virus to human evolution, discussing religion at length, but without explaining why. It's probably a setting added by the author for trendiness.]"
"Human evolution..." Lu Xuejin smiled, turned to face the experimental subject, and tapped the petri dish twice with her finger, making a "slurping" sound. "How far have you evolved? Can you talk?"
The test subject remained indifferent. Ignoring his ferocious face and dark red eyes, he was so quiet that he truly resembled a conscious human being.
Lu Xuejin continued to tap patiently, gradually increasing the force and frequency. Under the constant harassment, the experimental subject finally revealed its inhuman nature—it suddenly rushed forward, its body slamming into the culture dish with a dull thud, causing the entire barrier to tremble as if it would collapse at any moment.
The face, a deep bluish-gray, was deformed from the pressure. Rotting flesh scraped several sticky, wet streaks across the transparent barrier. The grotesque nostrils flared exaggeratedly, the mouth was torn to its limit, revealing jagged, sharp teeth, and the deformed tongue writhed wildly at the spot where Lu Xuejin's fingers had landed.
It looks like if it weren't for the petri dish blocking his way, he would have already rushed out and torn the provocative humans outside to shreds.
Lu Xuejin lowered her hands, her smile fading.
"'Intelligent'... isn't it just like a dog?" he said coldly. "Dirty, smelly, ugly, and noisy."
As soon as the words fell, the subject, who had been screaming incessantly, fell silent instantly. As if intimidated by some invisible force, his dark red pupils trembled violently, flashing with a fear almost inhuman. His tongue was still hanging on the petri dish, and the mucus slowly dripped down the barrier. His entire corpse was like a rooster with its neck stepped on, not daring to move an inch.
Only after Lu Xuejin turned around did he slowly retract his tongue, then suddenly darted back to the innermost part of the petri dish.
When Mu Huai opened the lab app, he found Lu Xuejin still sitting obediently in her chair, her posture suggesting she hadn't moved much while he was away. A section of her jade-like neck peeked out from her snow-white collar, and her jet-black hair swept across the room, shimmering lightly under the cold light.
For some reason, Mu Huai breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're back." Lu Xuejin turned his head and looked at him, speaking in a tone of affection that he himself didn't realize.
His heart felt as if it had been gently brushed by a feather, stirring an indescribable itch. Mu Huai cleared his throat, but being a reserved person, he didn't know what to say, so he simply picked up the box in his hand.
The familiar leather texture and buckle, only the color was different, and it looked more upscale than the one Luo Mingchuan had brought back before.
Lu Xuejin's eyes gradually lit up, and when Mu Huai opened the box on the workbench, revealing it full of high-end art supplies, she was overjoyed.
Mu Huai deftly set up the easel, placed the canvas, and then handed the wet brush to Lu Xuejin.
"If you're bored, you can draw."
Lu Xuejin suppressed her joy and whispered, "Thank you."
When she pursed her lips, even her dimples appeared, showing how excited she was to be able to paint.
Mu Huai couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile as well.
"It was nothing," he said casually.
As a result, the lab was filled with a scene where one person was working non-stop while the other was leisurely drawing.
Lu Xuejin painted very casually, splashing indigo, crimson, and dark green paints onto the canvas without any restraint. He seemed to have no compositional plan, just randomly scribbling lines, and the finished product was, without exception, an exceptionally chaotic mess.
For such a painting, Mu Huai could still lie and say, "It's like a wild and unrestrained imagination."
Lu Xuejin suddenly smiled and said with a touch of pride, "Thank you for the compliment, Brother Mu Huai."
Brother Mu Huai...
Mu Huai was momentarily distracted. He rubbed the towel he had just used to wipe the test tubes against the angel statue several times before he came to his senses.
Lu Xuejin raised an eyebrow and then heavily smeared another gray line on the canvas.
Compared to the shepherd boy, his cousin had a more interesting personality and a greater desire for challenges. If Luo Mingchuan hadn't been there, he would have liked to spend some time teasing Mu Huai.
When he was alone, Mu Huai often stayed in the lab until the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, to meet deadlines, he would simply pull out a folding bed and sleep there overnight, then continue working as usual the next day. But with Lu Xuejin around, Mu Huai would promptly take off his lab coat at six o'clock in the afternoon and take Lu Xuejin out for dinner.
The research institute was rather deserted; the researchers either worked day and night or followed their teams on secret research missions. Lu Xuejin had stayed there for so many days and hadn't seen many unfamiliar faces.
To get from the lab building to the cafeteria, you have to pass through a small garden. It has been neglected for years, and weeds and wildflowers grow wildly. At dusk, a faint scent of grass floats in the air, and tiny insects dance around the light like flashing black dots.
Lu Xuejin followed behind Mu Huai when she suddenly sensed something amiss. Turning her head, she caught sight of a small insect perched quietly on a flower petal. This insect did not dance with its companions; it was remarkably still, its wings vibrating silently, its antennae swaying toward Lu Xuejin's location.
"..." Lu Xuejin smiled inexplicably, caught up with Mu Huai and asked, "Brother Mu Huai, there are so many mosquitoes here, why doesn't anyone take care of them?"
“Researchers are generally not interested in gardens, so this place has been abandoned... Is it ugly? I’ll have someone get rid of the bugs right away.” Mu Huai assumed that Lu Xuejin didn’t like the little bugs.
Lu Xuejin suppressed a laugh and said, "Let's forget it. It's not easy for them to survive. They won't live long when the temperature drops in winter."
Once they were far away, the little insect took off vertically and quickly caught up with them.
"Mu, Huai, Brother." In a simply decorated apartment a few hundred meters away, Luo Mingchuan sat cross-legged on the cold tiles, gripping the head of the pig-nosed snake tightly and shaking it wildly from side to side, and said coldly, "Did you hear that? Your master has another brother, and he calls him so intimately."
"Poor Captain Mu, he can't even compare to his cousin. Mu Huai is so ugly, how could your master even look at him?"
Compared to Mu Huai, his appearance could be described as "unparalleled in handsomeness".
Luo Mingchuan shook off the small snake, his eyes dimmed for a moment, and he remained motionless with his head down.
The hognose snake pretended to be dead for a while, and seeing that the two-legged creature finally stopped bothering it to vent its resentment over the departure of the other two-legged creature, it slowly nudged towards the pet box.
This home is too dangerous. One of the two-legged creatures is gone, but there's still one left. It will have to stay in its pet carrier forever.
...
As the experiment progressed, Mu Huai was no longer able to leave work on time, so Lu Xuejin had to go out to find food on her own.
The research institute's canteen is the best in the world, with a grand and spacious decor. It offers a wide variety of food, from noodles, steamed buns, and spring rolls to spicy stew, bibimbap, and mini hot pot, catering to all tastes. Given Lu Xuejin's picky eating habits, the fact that she has managed to eat every meal without fail these past few days speaks volumes about the chef's skill.
No wonder so many people are desperate to get into the research institute; even the most ordinary cleaner here is paid better than a teacher. The Sky Base may be short of funds elsewhere, but it's always been generous to the research institute.
Lu Xuejin always ate on time, and the cafeteria aunties had long recognized this well-behaved girl. Without saying a word, they would scoop up a large ladle with a kind smile, and the aroma of the food would fill the air. At this time, the cafeteria was very quiet, with only two or three researchers huddled around. Lu Xuejin sat down with his tray.
Today, there was his favorite tomato and egg drop soup. Lu Xuejin carefully touched the bowl with her hand; it was still scalding hot. She got up to get a soup spoon. Her gaze inadvertently swept over the corner by the window, and she paused slightly.
The face was very familiar; it was the man who had grabbed his wrist and pestered him relentlessly in the art supply store, before being chased away by Liu Gao who arrived and berated him. Although his character was questionable, he was still handsome and refined in appearance, exuding the air of an upper-class person in every gesture. This time, however, he was wearing heavy black-rimmed glasses, a baggy, pale lab coat covering his body, his hair greasy and unwashed, parted in clumps, his head hanging low, and he numbly stirred his soup with a spoon.
As if sensing the gaze, the man looked up. The moment his eyes behind his glasses, which had been numb and dull, met Lu Xuejin's gaze, they suddenly burst forth with a terrifying brilliance, like dry grass being ignited. The light was so intense that it almost pierced through the lenses.
The man's lips involuntarily curled upwards into an almost surprised smile, his gaze following Lu Xuejin until he returned to his seat with the soup spoon, still lingering there.
After finishing the soup under the scalding gaze, Lu Xuejin slowly raised her eyes and looked at him with her chin propped up.
He's looking at me...
He remembered who I was? He still remembered me!
The man was so excited he almost dropped his spoon; his heart pounded as if it wanted to fly to Lu Xuejin's side.
Seeing his overjoyed expression, Lu Xuejin felt a bit annoyed, but she deliberately winked at him.
Glasses-wearing man: ...
The spoon in his hand fell to the ground with a thud, caught off guard.
He had only one thought in his mind—Lu Xuejin must have feelings for him!
Dong Yao said with disgust, "[…Let's leave after the baby finishes eating. This guy looks so unlucky.]"
Lu Xuejin lowered her head and focused on eating. After finishing, she went to put away her tray. Seeing this, the bespectacled man walked beside her, not looking where he was going, staring intently at Lu Xuejin, his eyes never leaving her. "You still remember me!"
Completely unaware that his approach was overly presumptuous, he rambled on in a tone perfectly matching his gloomy appearance, "Did I scare you last time? I was too excited, I'm so sorry. I just wanted to... get to know you, but your friend misunderstood—is he your friend?"
After some explanation, the handsome young man's expression softened, and the bespectacled man was greatly encouraged. He revealed his background in a few words, and then told a few jokes to make Lu Xuejin laugh before casually asking, "Where's your husband? Isn't he at the research institute?"
[Joke.] Dong Yao said, [So this guy has been keeping an eye on the baby all along, he even knew about your wedding, what else doesn't he know?]
Lu Xuejin said softly, "He's still with the hunting team. I'm Mr. Mu's assistant now."
assistant?
But you look radiant and full of energy, not like someone who's been working hard in the lab, but rather like someone who's been taking good care of you.
"Ah, the hunting team is great, they have a bright future ahead of them." The man pushed up his glasses, waved to Lu Xuejin, and said, "I haven't finished my work yet, I have to work overtime tonight, I'll be going now. We'll talk later."
Surprisingly, they didn't pursue the matter further.
Dong Yao snorted coldly, seeing right through his thoughts: [A feigned retreat, as if anyone couldn't see through it. If you want to play the gentleman, at least change your act!]
Lu Xuejin couldn't help but laugh.
As he walked through the garden toward the laboratory building, the man who had been hiding in the shadows slowly emerged. His heavy glasses obscured most of his face, making his expression particularly somber. His viscous gaze followed Lu Xuejin's retreating figure, clamoring with an unspeakable yearning.
Lu Xuejin Lu Xuejin Lu Xuejin——
For some reason, ever since that fleeting glimpse, he was like a man possessed, not only secretly watching the young man's every move, but also spending all his wealth to get an assistant position, chasing him all the way to the research institute.
He could tell that Lu Xuejin didn't have much affection for him; her smile was just polite, and besides, she already had a spouse.
But so what?
The man covered his face, chuckling softly. His shadow was stretched and distorted by the light, just covering a few wildflowers. A quiet insect rested on a petal, its gently trembling antennae glowing with an ominous red light.
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