Translator: Khun
Translation Checker: Anonymous
Editor: Agneya
Proofreader: N/A
To determine whether the communication with the experimental subjects was effective, Bai Chunian did not release all fourteen experimental subjects at once and instead just selected three that were easy to control for a test first. One student would be responsible for guiding each of the experimental subjects to learn. For the sake of safety, the strength of each student would be higher than that of the experimental subject they were in charge of.
The student assigned to Invisible Stalker was a sailfish alpha from the Mad Sharks Unit, but Invisible Stalker didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it .
Bai Chunian waved his hand. “If there’s nothing else, you guys should get familiar with each other first. Learning starts tomorrow.”
Invisible Stalker dawdled beside Bai Chunian, not wanting to return to his room yet.
“I want to see the major,” he whispered.
Bai Chunian browsed the list of names in his hand, arranged the next batch of experimental subjects in his mind, and replied casually, “The major is very busy. If you have proper business to talk about, I’ll take you to see him.”
“I do.” Invisible Stalker twisted his fingertips awkwardly. “I have proper business to talk about.”
“Alright.” Bai Chunian stood up. “Then follow me.”
It took about fifteen minutes to walk from the confined underground training ground to the major’s office. Invisible Stalker followed Bai Chunian silently. He intrinsically didn’t like to talk and would not take the initiative to find a subject of conversation.
Bai Chunian chatted with him. “Why did you give yourself this name?”
His question interrupted Invisible Stalker from his daydreams. Invisible Stalker pursed his lips and replied, “The first time he asked for my name, I said my name was Xia Pingguo. The major, a person who cares about others’ feelings very much, struggled hard to hold in his laughter after hearing it.”
“He guided me, saying that apples would grow small bugs if they were kept out for a long time.”
“But my mind was blank at the time, so I changed it and said that my name is Xia Xiaochong.”
“When I got back to prison, I thought for a long time before I realized that I had misunderstood what the major meant again. Human language is so complicated. Putting things that actually exist in names would make people laugh, but this is my problem. The word Xia, it sounds very good to put into my name, and even if I’m made fun of, I won’t change my decision.”
“We’ve arrived.” Bai Chunian stopped in front of a closed but unlocked door and sent Invisible Stalker in.
The major was hunched over his desk, writing. A computer and map were by his hand.
“Sit down and wait a moment for me. This report is quite urgent,” Xia Jingtian said.
Invisible Stalker sat obediently on the sofa and stared at the major, looking at his lowered eyebrows and eyes.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Mlnf wlceafr ijafg, Wlj Alcualjc gjlrfv tlr tfjv, aegcfv boo atf mbwqeafg, jcv alvlfv eq atf vfrxabq rlwqis.
Pcnlrlyif Vajixfg kjr ralii rajglcu yijcxis, rb Djl Jtecljc ujnf tlw j iluta aeu. “Ktf wjpbg lr ibbxlcu ja sbe, ajix.”
Llr ybvs ygjmfv eq. Lf ragjlutafcfv tlr mibatfr mjgfoeiis, ibkfgfv tlr tfjv, jcv rjlv, “P…mjc jcrkfg atf defralbcr.”
Xia Jingtian smiled gently. “No need to be nervous, this isn’t your first time coming.”
“Mn,…mn.”
The growth rate of an experimental subject was several times that of humans. Although only less than a year had passed since the last time he saw the major, Invisible Stalker’s mind was much more mature than before, and he understood the gap between their standing and became reserved.
Xia Jingtian looked at Bai Chunian. “You handled the triangular pyramid incident, right? You guys should be familiar. Do you have any doubts you want to ask about?”
“Yes, yes yes yes.” Bai Chunian had been suffering from not being able to get in touch with Invisible Stalker and had many questions left unanswered for a long time.
The suitcase he took out from the triangular pyramid had two agent grooves, but there was only one HD agent (HD Horizontal Development agent. Immediately after an injection, one would obtain a type of associated ability related to their gland.) placed in it. At first he suspected that Invisible Stalker was injected with an agent and thus gained a type of self-replicating ability related to mimicking and narrowly escaping capture.
The living cells in the HD agent would fuse with the gland cells to give birth to the associated ability. It couldn’t be replaced. As long as he was injected with it, there would definitely be traces of the HD agent’s effect in his glands.
But later, Han Xingqian said that no HD agent residue was detected in Invisible Stalker, which meant that Invisible Stalker wasn’t injected with the HD agent, and the self-replicating ability was mimicked by him with his J1 ability “Man in the Mirror.”
Bai Chunian asked him, “When you escaped, how many HD agents did you take?”
Invisible Stalker replied, “One. There’s only one in the suitcase. I snatched it from a researcher.”
“What researcher?”
109 Research Institute’s researcher. He’s already dead.”
“How did that happen?”
“When I was still in the research institute, I needed to go to the testing room for inspections on a regular basis. During the last inspection, the higher ups decided after discussions that I had not reached their expected state and decided to destroy me. I saw that Hummingbird Aileen had already signed the consent document for destruction.”
“They wanted to anesthetize me and put me in the incinerator, but I ran away. On the way out, I bumped into a researcher in a big white coat. He wasn’t wearing a name tag, and I hadn’t seen him before. He looked like he was in his thirties, he was an immortal jellyfish omega, and he had that suitcase in his hand.”
“He saw me, and I thought he was coming to capture me, so I snatched his suitcase and hit his head and ran away. As soon as I left the big research institute building, I heard gunshots, and the researcher I robbed the suitcase from was shot in the heart and fell down from the window. He’s dead, I’m sure he’s dead, there’s no doubting that. But I also don’t know why the security guards at the institute wanted to kill him.” Bai Chunian found something suspicious in his narration. “At that time, did you open the suitcase and look inside? What was inside?”
Invisible Stalker nodded. “When I was hiding in the back kitchen of a restaurant, I opened it and saw a HD agent inside. The other groove was empty. I haven’t touched it. I only know that this thing is very expensive because its label is purple. There are very few agents stuck with purple labels in the research institute, all very expensive.”
“Then where does your self-replication ability come from?”
“My J1 ability can mimic all differentiation abilities shown in front of me. When the researcher fell from the building and died, the self-replication ability appeared. My glands automatically caught this ability and then mimicked it. The situation at that time was very urgent, so I didn’t think much about it.”
Bai Chunian rested his chin in his hand and looked out the window. It looked like he was slipping away, but he had actually simulated the event in his head several times over.
“How many HD agents did the research institute exactly make?” Bai Chunian thought aloud.
“Two, only two.” Invisible Stalker said confidently, “I’ve entered the information room before, and I can copy all the contents of the files in the information room. The inventory statistics file was placed in the second slot from the left of the third row of the B-4-89 bookshelf. It’s written there that only two HD Horizontal Development agents have been successfully manufactured since the year K029, when it was developed. I escaped in the year K030.”
Xia Jingtian intertwined his fingers and propped up his chin. “This year is already K034. We can’t be sure on how many they produced in between these years.”
Bai Chunian said while looking out the window, “I also left the training base in the year K030. It’s been four years.”
He transferred a file from the electronic screen on his wrist. “Dr. Han said that he detected my DNA from the most important living cells in the HD agent. My DNA is one of the raw materials for manufacturing.”
“But the research institute must have kept your samples.”
“Mn, but a lot of evidence clearly shows that the samples they kept are ineffective.” Bai Chunian pointed out the abnormalities he found during the mission. “When I encountered Experimental Subject No. 809 Kraken in the Caribbean Sea, I found a large number of my clones, then found a large number of white lion cubs when intercepting the Red-Throated Bird cargo at M Harbor.
“Four years have passed. If they could use my DNA to make agents, they would’ve already succeeded. There is no need to do this useless work.”
“In other words, although they have my DNA, they can no longer make agents.”
Xia Jingtian was very interested in this, his body leaning forward to listen intently. “Why?”
“I’m not the same as when I was born.” Bai Chunian spread his hands. “Because of Rimbaud, my DNA has mutated. The theory is hard to explain, but Rimbaud just has this kind of power.”
“You didn’t mutate after leaving the research institute. They would’ve tried samples from all of your growth stages, and there would’ve been a chance of success in the end. It’s untenable.” Xia Jingtian supported his head, quickly finding the flaw in this logic, “There must be another reason.”
“Alright.” His thinking was overturned, and Bai Chunian had no other clues.
But the fact was that since Bai Chunian left the research institute, the research institute had never been able to produce any HD agent again.
“Is there anything else you want to say?” Xia Jingtian looked at Invisible Stalker and asked with a light smile, “Xiaochong.”
Sitting on the sofa, Invisible Stalker heated up silently and replied with a stutter, “I’ll tell you guys when I think of anything else.”
“Mn, it’s late. Xiao Bai, go back and rest first. Xiaochong, stay, I still have some things to say.”
“Ok.”
He didn’t sleep last night and then watched a day of training today, so his mind was indeed a bit exhausted. Bai Chunian walked out of the big building and went back to the single dormitory prepared by PBB for instructors, working from before dawn till after dark.
Bai Chunian’s room was at the innermost side of the hallway. Just as he passed by He Suowei’s dorm, the room door was wide open, so Bai Chunian poked his head in to have a look.
Damn, so tidy. The bed was made like the floor, and the floor was as clean as the bed. The military quilt was folded into a square, and the towels were hung sharp and precise. Basically everything that the eyes could see was blue and green. There was no trash in the trash can, no items on the table, and no clothes on clothing hooks. All installation wasn’t used as it should’ve been used.
He didn’t think that although Lao He looked rough on the outside, he actually turned out to be so meticulous in private. Truly spotless despite his muddy origins.
He had just walked a few steps when he heard footsteps behind him. He looked back and saw the two little wolves surnamed He. One was carrying a basin, the other holding a cleaning rag while entering. He Wenyi squatted on the ground and wiped the floor earnestly. He Wenxiao took out the unwashed socks from yesterday from under the bed, soaked them in the basin, and rubbed them with soap. He was even happy while washing them. The long wagging tail could practically rub out a spark.
Bai Chunian moved backward and looked at the door plate. It was indeed He Suowei’s name written on there.
Ah, he had overestimated Lao He, but he did have some skill in putting child laborers to work. Bai Chunian spat and went back to his room.
He had already let Rimbaud come back and wait for him, but there seemed to be no one in the room. After habitually looking behind the door, he still didn’t see any signs. Bai Chunian turned on the hanging light, and when the white light shone down, a merman pounced down from the ceiling and knocked him to the ground.
Rimbaud held a translucent water-made steel tactical dagger in his hand. The blade was pressed against Bai Chunian’s neck lightly, and he said in a low voice, “You’re done. I’m going to kill you.”
Bai Chunian’s hand was already at the attacker’s vitals. He breathed a light sigh of relief only after seeing that it was Rimbaud. He spread out his most vulnerable spot, his abdomen, and lay on his back, even stretching his neck to touch the blade of his dagger deliberately.
A thin trace of blood marked Bai Chunian’s neck. Rimbaud was startled, and the dagger in his hand immediately turned into water, soaking Bai Chunian’s chest. His tank top stuck to his pecs, showing the outline.
Bai Chunian gained the initiative and pushed Rimbaud onto the bed, releasing a strong brandy aroma. The thin trace of blood on his neck healed quickly.
Bai Chunian crossed his hands and clasped them above his head, then lowered his head and kissed him lightly on the lips. “You hurt me, Wife. My neck hurts so badly, blow on it for me.”
Laying underneath, Rimbaud glared at him.
Bai Chunian buried his face in the hollow of his soft, cold and warm neck, then complained in a muffled voice, “You’re still being so fierce toward me.”
“You…you…wu.” Rimbaud was originally still angry, but suddenly forgot what he was angry about. Dazed, he let out a wisp of Himalayan musk rose soothing pheromones to comfort the coquettish big cat above him.
Bai Chunian hugged the fish and breathed in, rubbing his cheek against Rimbaud’s face.
Bai Chunian’s room had a floor to ceiling window. Lights of the numerous big research buildings on the opposite coast were vaguely visible. Rimbaud sat in the swing chair by the floor to ceiling window and looked at the sea surface, while Bai Chunian sat on the carpet and typed a report with his notebook computer on his leg. He needed to send the threads of Invisible Stalker’s account back to the IOA.
The light in the room was very dark, and Rimbaud touched the carpet with light force with the tip of his tail, swaying the swing chair by himself. Looking at the tall buildings on the other side of the sea, Rimbaud asked as he swayed slowly, “The buildings on the other coast are brightly lit, what are the people in there doing?”
“The research base is across from us. They’re probably all working at this time.” Bai Chunian stared at his notebook computer’s screen with one leg bent. His cheek rested on his knee, and a cigarette was held between his fingertips. The clacking of his keyboard sounded pleasant and crisp in the quiet room.
Rimbaud hugged his fishtail’s knees, folded his arms, and placed his chin on them. “Then I will swim to the opposite coast tomorrow evening. Afterward, there’ll be people worried about you in that brightly lit place.”
Bai Chunian’s fingers that were tapping on the keyboard paused, and overflowing happiness filled his eyes uncontrollably.
A reminder popped up on the laptop screen. The IOA headquarters had sent him an encrypted email. Their computers were all equipped with a special anti-hacking chip from the technology department to ensure that the information would be safe, unable to be stolen.
He opened the email. It contained a statement from Golden Silk Spider and the information obtained from an investigation by IOA special agents.
The IOA Alliance secret service teams weren’t all like Bai Chunian, a public secret service agent who could appear in public at will. There was also a group of secret agents who secretly investigate and carry out tasks. The list of these people was completely confidential, and except for the president and a few particular high-level people, no one was clear about their situation. These secret special agents had always brought secret clues to IOA from the dark.
Golden Silk Spider gave the address of a factory, saying that the batch of white lion cubs that the Red-Throated Bird was intercepted with in M Harbor was originally supposed to be delivered to this pharmaceutical factory.
IOA secret special agents went to investigate and found that this factory was a subsidiary factory of the 109 Research Institute, and a HD agent was stored inside. At the end of the document, a coordinate was given, marking the location of the factory, and a mission was issued: Investigate the specific circumstances of the pharmaceutical factory.
Thank You for the new chapter (｡’▽’｡)♡
I’m so angry about the clones and cubs, from what we’ve seen, I interpret them as little Bai Chunians, scared and confused, only knowing that they were built to die. I think the worse part is that BCN seems to feel their emotions, he gets scared and confused when he sees them despite knowing what they’re for.