Chapter 27 The Apocalypse 26
Mu Huai shook off the shepherd boy's hand, slowly straightened his wrinkled collar, and said in a voice without any emotion: "Since you know he has a partner, don't always think about bothering others. I brought him back to the research institute for another reason, which is not as sordid as you think."
In his eyes, his cousin, Mu Tong, had always been like an immature, spoiled child, willful and ruthless, always wanting what he wanted. His affection for Lu Xuejin was nothing more than a growing obsessive possessiveness born from unrequited love; a one-sided plunder would only bring disaster to Lu Xuejin.
If he finds out about Lu Xuejin's situation, he will definitely use it to threaten her. Therefore, we must not let him find any clues.
The shepherd boy stared intently at Mu Huai's calm face. The familiar feeling of helplessness, with nowhere to vent his emotions, surged up in his heart again. An indescribable rage surged in his chest, causing the veins on his forehead to bulge, making him look as ferocious as a demon.
"Another reason?" the shepherd boy sneered, his voice sounding like it was being squeezed out between clenched teeth. "What reason could there be for bringing him to the research institute? Those shady experiments? Mu Huai, I'm warning you, don't even think about getting involved with him! If you dare to use him as a guinea pig, I will never let you off the hook!"
Mu Huai raised an eyebrow: "You're still holding a grudge about the past. That was just an accident. I misjudged your worth. In fact, you're not qualified to be a test subject at all."
“If you hadn’t kept harassing him, I wouldn’t have taken him away.”
"...You'd better keep your word." The shepherd boy suppressed his turbulent emotions, his tone icy. "Mu Huai, I'll be watching you, always watching. You'd better not make any moves, or else—"
He clenched his fists tightly, his threat evident in his words.
At this moment, a puzzled voice came from the head of the table: "You...?"
The shepherd boy abruptly withdrew his hand, and Mu Huai instantly concealed the mockery on his face, regaining his calm and gentle demeanor.
Lu Xuejin stood at the door, probably awakened by the noise of the conversation. Her eyes were filled with blurry tears, and she was gently rubbing them with the back of her hand.
He yawned softly, his hair sticking up mischievously, and blinked, looking at the two brothers with a puzzled expression.
"I was discussing the base's hunting plans for the next few months with the shepherd boy. Did I disturb you?" Mu Huai said apologetically.
"No, not at all." Lu Xuejin obediently shook her head and gestured for her to leave. "Come in and let's talk. It's so cold outside."
His completely natural demeanor made him seem like another master of the house. Mu Huai paused, inexplicably finding the scene very comforting.
“No need, let him go up first,” the shepherd boy glared at his cousin, then looked at Lu Xuejin with a complicated expression. “...You come down, I have something private to discuss with you.”
The heat of the soy milk travels from the paper cup to your palm, then slowly spreads to your arm and heart. Take a careful sip, and the warm liquid goes down your throat, perfectly dispelling the chill of early winter.
Lu Xuejin and Mu Tong sat side by side on a wooden bench downstairs, with enough space between them to fit another burly man. Mu Tong inexplicably recalled the scene when they were still in the carriage, and the young man beside him had huddled closer to him in small, condescending steps. It had only been two months, but it felt like something that had happened in a past life.
Seeing Lu Xuejin shiver, he frowned, immediately took off his leather jacket and draped it over the young man, leaving himself with only a thin sweater underneath. He didn't feel cold in the morning mist.
"Just say what's on your mind." Lu Xuejin held the soy milk, her breath mixing with the steam to form a white mist. "The steamed buns are almost cold."
He's in a hurry to eat breakfast.
"Baby, I'll change your data for you, I promise it won't get cold!" Dongyao jumped out and said, not noticing the fleeting annoyance in his host's eyes.
The shepherd boy turned his head at the sound, his gaze meeting Lu Xuejin's. His eyes were calm and indifferent, even carrying a hint of apathy.
The shepherd boy's heart sank. In an instant, he seemed to be pulled back to that rainy night that had both broken his heart and captivated him, the rain penetrating to his very bones, bringing waves of chill and stinging pain.
He returned to his apartment late that night, distraught and utterly wretched. Lu Xuejin's every smile and frown kept flashing through his mind—her timid lowered eyes, her submissive smile, her suppressed frown…
Are they all fake?
Just to get a ride with the hunting party and save Luo Mingchuan from danger? You like it that much?
His face contorted for a moment, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is Luo Mingchuan really willing to let you out alone?"
Lu Xuejin didn't speak, only glanced at him indifferently, "Is that all you wanted to say?"
The shepherd boy said, "No matter what you want to do for Luo Mingchuan, getting close to my cousin, whom everyone hates, is not a good choice. That guy is obsessed with his research and will even use his own family as test subjects. You'd better be careful."
Lu Xuejin smiled and said in an innocent tone, "Really? But I think your cousin is a good person, at least compared to you—he's very good."
Exactly, much better than you, you super-male!
This time, the shepherd boy's expression didn't change; he just stared intently at him and asked, "What do you want?"
His persistent and earnest attitude made it seem as if he would immediately do whatever Lu Xuejin said next.
“Captain Mu, you’re overthinking it.” Lu Xuejin took a sip of soy milk and looked at him innocently. “I really just asked Mr. Mu to find me a job.”
"...I will keep an eye on the research institute." Shepherd Boy took a deep breath, then stood up and half-squatted down in front of Lu Xuejin, his warm body pressed directly against the young man's calves, providing more protection than a leather jacket. His slightly upturned eyes held a restrained aggression. "Leave as soon as possible. This is not a good place. If you want to find a job, I have more opportunities. I remember you like painting. How about being a gallery manager?"
Before Lu Xuejin could speak, he added, "Am I not as useful as Mu Huai as a dog?"
After saying that, he stood up, put his large hand over Lu Xuejin's shoulder, and pressed the leather jacket down even more tightly.
"I'm leaving." With that shameless declaration, he disappeared from Lu Xuejin's sight, braving the cold wind.
[What triggered him?] Dongyao asked, looking puzzled.
Given the shepherd's personality, it thought that even if the man didn't yell and harass its host baby, he should at least use sarcastic remarks to imply that the baby had abandoned it after starting a relationship with him.
Why are you so afraid of peace and tranquility?
His immediate reaction of acting like a dog is completely inconsistent with his previous arrogant and aggressive personality.
“Perhaps he knows he was wrong,” Lu Xuejin said casually.
After being away for a while, the piping hot buns cooled to a comfortable temperature. Lu Xuejin lowered her head and took small bites. The soft bun skin, the sweet filling, and the perfectly sweet soy milk made for an excellent breakfast.
After breakfast, Mu Huai put the secondary card of the pass into the card cassette and hung it around Lu Xuejin's neck.
The young man picked up the cassette tape, examined it for a moment, and then looked up at him.
Mu Huai explained, "If something happens and I'm not around, you can use the supplementary card to go home to your family's apartment."
The secondary card can only be used within the research institute, and the information left behind allows him to keep track of Lu Xuejin's whereabouts.
“Okay.” Lu Xuejin nodded obediently.
A new chapter begins at the research institute.
Mu Huai's laboratory was located in the most central part of the compound, surrounded by heavily armed guards and under constant surveillance. However, Mu Huai seemed to have very high authority; even when he brought a complete stranger into the laboratory, no one raised any objections.
The scene inside... was exactly like the imagined workshop of a mad scientist, with diverse species, including several of Lu Xuejin's own kind.
The culture dish containing the zombies was right in front of the workbench. You could see the grotesque zombies at a glance, hear their terrifying roars, and hear the incessant sounds of them hitting the glass.
The proximity makes one unable to resist imagining the terrifying scene of the petri dish shattering one day, the zombies breaking free of their cages, tearing apart their prey, and satisfying their desires with flesh and blood.
Anyone else would probably find it difficult to eat or sleep in the same room as such a terrifying creature.
The laboratory owner and the unexpected guest remained completely unperturbed.
On the first day, Mu Huai introduced the zombies to Lu Xuejin one by one. He gave each test subject a number and name, and knew the condition and value of each test subject very well.
Mu Huai pointed to the experimental subject closest to the workbench and asked him, "You are his kind, can you glean any information from his roars?"
The test subject did not react in any special way to Lu Xuejin's arrival, but instead kept roaring at Mu Huai, its dark red eyes full of ferocity.
The long experimentation had made him no longer like other ordinary zombies, who were just muddle-headed and followed their instincts. In his eyes, Lu Xuejin could clearly see the thoughtfulness and cunning of several types of humans.
He was patiently observing.
Lu Xuejin shook her head and reminded Mu Huai, "He has regained his senses; you need to be careful."
The test subject then turned his attention to Lu Xuejin, a strange and surprised look flashing in his eyes.
Mu Huai nodded in satisfaction and said, "He is the only intelligent living zombie I have successfully captured so far. He is of great research value. Not only does he know how to disguise and show weakness like a human, but he also has special abilities."
“I’ve always suspected that he summoned the several zombie hordes that gathered outside the base before. If we hadn’t captured him, he might have evolved into a zombie leader by now.”
"The Zombie King?" Lu Xuejin tilted her head.
Mu Huai nodded: "That's a very apt term. Once the Zombie King is born, the existing structure of human bases will be disrupted."
“But don’t be afraid.” Mu Huai noticed Lu Xuejin’s lowered eyes and stepped forward to block the zombie’s hideous face, reassuring her, “He has been captured by us and has no chance of escaping. On the contrary, we can obtain a lot of information from him, and believe that one day, humanity will be able to get rid of the threat of zombies and return to the city.”
He silently added, "To become a new human being chosen by God."
However, the recent research was unrelated to the experimental subjects. Lu Xuejin watched as the various colored potions underwent chemical reactions in Mu Huai's hands and guessed that this was the special medicine mentioned in the story.
"The process is similar to mixing drinks, so what's the underlying principle?" he asked curiously.
Dong Yao stammered and couldn't explain himself.
"The original author didn't write that either!" it complained. "There are too many bugs in it, and the setting is very strange."
Fearing Lu Xuejin would press for answers, it immediately changed the subject: "Baby, are you bored? I'll show you some videos to cheer you up."
Why take the long way when there's plenty of fun to be had? Lu Xuejin feigned enthusiasm and asked, "Mr. Mu, is there anything I can help you with?"
He sat alone in the chair, with no other entertainment, looking rather lonely.
Mu Huai didn't want him to handle the experimental equipment and reagents, nor did he intend to let him do heavy work. Watching the liquid in the reaction tube boil and the intense reaction cause pale green bubbles to burst out through the gaps in the tube opening, he pondered for a moment before finally asking Lu Xuejin to help tidy up the workbench.
This job is easy. Mu Huai is a clean person by nature, and he always cleans up the workbench after finishing the experiment, so there isn't much room for Lu Xuejin to do anything.
Lu Xuejin picked up a disposable wet wipe, casually wiped the table a few times, then sat down to the side.
Seeing Lu Xuejin staring blankly at the petri dish, Mu Huai paused in his experiment, then became distracted and made no progress all morning.
In the afternoon, Mu Huai asked Lu Xuejin to stay in the lab, saying he needed to go on a field mission.
Before leaving, he repeatedly told Lu Xuejin not to touch the things on the workbench, "Most of those liquids are corrosive, and some are highly toxic. Don't go near the workbench until I come back."
Lu Xuejin immediately dragged the chair away, placed her hands on her knees, and sat up straight to show that she was very obedient.
【What a good baby…】Dong Yao Hat Ruan Ruan took out her camera to take Lu Xue Jin’s ID photo.
As soon as Mu Huai left, Lu Xuejin, who had been sitting upright, got up and walked to the petri dish.
Looking at the blurry photo: [...]
He quickly calmed down.
Kittens are so active that it's hard to take good photos of them. Although this photo doesn't show their face, it's graceful and lively, and can be considered an artistic photo!
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