Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Palmer and Jie Linyuan's exchange was halted by a scream outside the cell, as Palmer listened to Jie Linyuan dictate random numbers to jot down on his physical examination form.

With the necessary information exchanged, Palmer saw no reason to stay longer. After filling out the form to a satisfactory extent, he gathered the unused examination tools scattered around and left like a student who had just managed to deceive his teacher.

Kama had already left quickly to handle the incident, leaving only two guards dutifully stationed at the door, who immediately explained to Palmer that a doctor was nearly bitten off his wrist by the inmate with the ID HI004 during an examination.

HI004? The familiar number instantly reminded Palmer of that idiot who had scared him with its howls and screams.

By the time he arrived at the scene of the incident, the door was locked again, with specks of blood left on the ground. The injured doctor had already been urgently evacuated. The remaining medical staff huddled together nearby, clutching their toolboxes in fear, none daring to speak.

It wasn't until they were back on the minibus that the tense atmosphere began to ease, with everyone slumping in their seats, breathing heavily as if they had just returned from a trip through hell, grateful to be alive.

"It was terrifying," a chubby man mopped the sweat from his brow, "The one I was responsible for had six tiger legs, its entire body covered in fur, striped yellow and black. I didn't even know which arm to draw blood from."

"Was it someone who had undergone gene modification surgery for both animal and plant genes?" Young driver Mr. Yang glanced at him through the rearview mirror, curiously asking.

"Whether it's genetic modification of animals or improvement of animal forms, at most it's about adding fur, erect ears, a tail, or gills to meet some people's curious aesthetic needs. But even curiosity has its limits, and even if the surgery fails or the next generation has genetic mutations, it's just a matter of having a furry face or a dog's nose. Who could mutate like this?" The plump man spoke with authority.

Someone beside chimed in, "I'm guessing it's a mix of animal genetic enhancements and infection mutations that together spawned this monstrosity."

……

Before the apocalypse, evolution and modification were the world's main themes.

Humanity had long since grown dissatisfied with the slow, directionless evolution of the natural world, disdainfully dismissing the Creator with no reverence, deciding to take its place, exercising the prerogatives of deities themselves.

Mechanical, beastly, and alien modifications, genetic selection, evolution, and enhancements proliferated, with people madly infatuated with altering their bodies to gain abilities and appearances far superior to others.

Gradually, the number of people deformed due to failed modifications increased, to the point where they were virtually ubiquitous. They were partly the poor, orphans, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups, partly impulsive youths, and partly powerful elites who believed in strength and eternal life.

Genetic diseases and mechanical pains filled every corner of the globe.

The ban on the internet had long prophesized that humanity would eventually reap the bitter fruits of its arrogance and recklessness.

This global pandemic could be seen not so much as a sudden outbreak but as something with ample warning signs...

……

On the minibus, Wu Yin reclined in his seat, legs crossed, appearing every bit the refined scholar, scrutinizing the checklists everyone submitted. It was hard to imagine that his was the most completely filled out, while others were lacking, and some even added estimates in parentheses after their data.

Estimating one's heart rate is no small feat.

Compared to this, wasn't the issue of not taking blood from Z1932 trivial?

Below the checklist, there was a handwritten follow-up treatment suggestion by a doctor. Wu Yin circled it and wrote on Jie Linyuan's form: Suspected contamination symptoms, unable to confirm diagnosis due to limited conditions, seek medical attention at the research institute if symptoms worsen.

Then, Wu Yin declined the driver Yang's offer to take him back to his unit, feigning excessive shock and retreated directly to his dormitory to stay behind closed doors.

Nearly a week passed, and Xin Rong comfortably stayed in the one-bedroom designated for researchers, noticing Palmer showed no signs of wanting her to leave, gradually couldn't help but reveal her true colors, spending her days lazily sleeping on the couch doing nothing.

She could only act this way because Wu Yin had never hired another "life assistant."

For the most part, as long as she didn't disturb his sleep and delivered meals on time, Wu Yin essentially treated Xin Rong like air the rest of the time.

……

After spending a whole day luxuriously sleeping in the bedroom, Wu Yin finally went to the research institute to continue working the next day.

Neither his superiors nor his colleagues voiced any objections to his absence, instead warmly congratulating him for being able to return in one piece. His friend Nate even suggested a dubious idea, proposing they "celebrate" at "the usual spot" tonight to soothe Palmer's wounded spirit.

Wu Yin, of course, refused.

Was he too eager to expose himself, agreeing to such a matter?

"Palmer, you've been really strange lately. You would never refuse to go to our usual spot before," Nate leaned forward on the desk, peering at his friend as if trying to discern some malaise from his features, "Are you really abstaining for that woman in your room? That's not like you, Palmer."

"Is it bad to abstain?" Wu Yin parried with a smile.

"No, no, no, I don't believe that woman has that much charm to reform you, you hypocritical bad boy," Nate teased with a wink, "There must be another reason, Palmer, don't let me catch you hoarding something good, eating alone without telling your brothers."

"Hahaha, of course," Wu Yin casually flipped through the top document on his desk, the latest report on mutated lotus research submitted by a researcher from his team that morning.

He understood every word, but the whole thing made no sense to him, usually treating these documents like comic books. Wu Yin flipped a page, absentmindedly saying, "We're brothers, what's mine is yours."

Nate Florin left satisfied.

On the third day, Palmer's "hoarded good" appeared in the research institute's lobby. Clean, smooth silver hair tied in a neat ponytail, dressed in simple, casual trousers and a short-sleeved shirt, if not for the unnaturally black pupil in his left eye marking his non-human identity, the invitations for overnight stays would have broken through the institute's gates.

Xie Linyuan stood confidently at the reception, smiling gently at the clerk to register, stating he was there to see Professor Palmer from the Catastrophe Infection Source Research Department.

At that time, Wu Yin was in the meeting room, listening to colleagues' various feasibility reports on catastrophe pollution sources and the progress of their experiments, some of which had been stalled for almost a month with no results.

A recent summary meeting had the leader scolding them as useless, threatening layoffs for all if they couldn't produce results, sending them to work in the vegetable greenhouses outside the shelter.

Palmer's main research focus was on the sources of catastrophe infections and mutated plants. As the head of the research group, Wu Yin was also supposed to present at the meeting and was worried about how to skimp through when Xie Linyuan's arrival provided a perfect excuse. Wu Yin eagerly delegated the task to his unfortunate researcher, rushing down to the first floor to bring the visitor to his office.

Along the way, he noticed that Xie Linyuan's left eye still did not flicker with red light.

Just a frown from Wu Yin was enough for Jie Linyuan to grasp the unspoken question.

"I turned it off before I came here," he explained. "Don't worry."

"You can shut down the surveillance on your own?" Wu Yin furrowed his brows even tighter, "Then why didn't you turn it off before?"

"They don't monitor my feed in real-time, but they do perform regular checks," Jie Linyuan explained, "If I shut it down without a valid reason, it would draw their attention and suspicion. I need to maintain an image of a semi-mechanical life form that is wholly dedicated to serving humanity, without any personal agenda or threat."

Wu Yin poured himself a cup of hot water and slightly raised an eyebrow at the desk, "And now you've turned off the surveillance...?"

"I have found a reason..." Jie Linyuan smiled gently, yet Wu Yin couldn't help but read a hint of malice in it, "An excellent reason."

——Not a single word from Z1932 should be trusted.

"Are you sure this excellent reason won't arouse their suspicion?" Wu Yin was the first to express doubt.

"Not certain." Jie Linyuan conscientiously moved a chair over, sitting opposite Wu Yin, "But since I've decided to take a gamble and have placed my bet on you, how could I not take some risks?"

Wu Yin quite liked this analogy, sipping his hot water, "So, what brings you to me today, any news from the Black Knight?"

"Yes," Jie Linyuan nodded, his gaze lifting to meet the man across the desk, "The Black Knight... is a mutated black golden retriever."

As expected, Palmer didn't show the slightest surprise, surely having known this all along. Jie Linyuan couldn't help showing a bit of displeasure, "If you've known this information all along, why didn't you tell me? Making me scout for you like a headless fly these past days."

Because I felt like it.

With a slight curve to his brows and a smirk, Wu Yin said, "If you won't tell me the truth, why should I tell you everything?"

Jie Linyuan with a cold face: "I see you're not really interested in information about the Black Knight."

"Hahaha, see, you still found a clue about the Black Knight without my information," Wu Yin laughed, "Consider it... the final test before our cooperation?"

To hell with the test, Jie Linyuan accepted the explanation, though his expression was still sour. He had fully realized that the man before him was unpredictably moody and elusive. He regretted deciding to collaborate with this person, resolving never to make decisions when not in clear mind, especially around the pollution chaos period.

Without waiting for Jie Linyuan to speak again, Wu Yin asked on his own, "What else? Where is the Black Knight now?"

Jie Linyuan took a deep breath and calmly explained, "The Black Knight, an adult male mutated dog, was captured in the wild by Pioneer Squad 1 five months ago, currently detained at the core station. It has a unique appearance with two heads capable of independent thought, one of which possesses intelligence on par with a human adult, understanding human language. Due to its two-headed feature, the shelter has named it—"

"Cerberus."