Chapter 67 Safe House

Chapter 67 Safe House

"I want to blow up Yongsheng Pharmaceutical."

At the Venerable Queen's, Zhu Ning, who was consuming at the bar for the first time, said as soon as she sat down, "I want to blow up Yongsheng Pharmaceutical."

Zhu Ning and the killer from Yongsheng Pharmaceutical didn't engage in a fight; it seemed like the other party just came to annoy her.

After coming out of the phone booth, Zhu Ning’s first reaction wasn’t to go to the Hive but to head to the Venerable Queen's.

She sought out Song Zhizhang for consumption, ordering the cheapest drink on the menu, though she couldn’t even tell what the drink was.

Song Zhizhang couldn’t refuse his guests and personally attended to her.

Song Zhizhang glanced around; to protect customer privacy, blue virtual walls were activated between each seat at the bar.

If customers needed more privacy, they could raise black virtual walls, which would prevent them from being seen or heard.

Currently, the blue state provided soundproofing, allowing a row of bar patrons to see each other without hearing what others were saying.

If customers found each other interesting, they could turn off the shielding wall; otherwise, they could maintain their own private space.

Zhu Ning’s words wouldn’t be leaked.

But this girl was really bold, discussing Yongsheng Pharmaceutical so openly in a semi-public setting.

Moreover, she seemed to regard him as a teammate, partner, or confidant. Song Zhizhang couldn’t figure out why Zhu Ning’s first reaction to such a situation was to come to him.

Song Zhizhang was mixing a drink for Zhu Ning, "Did you meet someone from Yongsheng Pharmaceutical?"

By the timeline, Zhu Ning should have had dealings with the other side.

Zhu Ning: "Yes, he said his surname is Chu."

Song Zhizhang was mixing two liquids, red and blue, which turned purple when combined. He didn’t even frown upon hearing this, "It’s him, then?"

Zhu Ning asked, "Do you know him?"

Song Zhizhang pushed a cup of the unknown purple liquid to Zhu Ning, "That question comes at a price."

Zhu Ning promptly transferred 20,000 new coins to him. Song Zhizhang raised an eyebrow, "Making money?"

This question was crucial, and Zhu Ning felt it was worth the cost.

Zhu Ning frowned at the purple liquid, asking, "What is this?"

Due to her profession, she managed herself very strictly, avoiding alcohol and tobacco, and never drinking anything of unknown origin.

Anything that might damage her nervous system made her wary.

Song Zhizhang: "Don’t worry, it contains no alcohol or stimulants. I wouldn’t harm you."

Hearing this, Zhu Ning actually took a sip. It tasted sweet, with no discernible flavor, but it was quite good.

Song Zhizhang leaned on the bar, watching Zhu Ning drink it down.

This girl was really interesting. Her extraordinary calmness and caution contrasted sharply with her ability to display trust openly.

You couldn’t help but feel closer to such people, as if you were on the same team.

This was probably Zhu Ning’s way of dealing with people—showing trust to those she deemed suitable, much like taming a wild animal.

You knew the other party might show its fangs, but to touch its soft belly, you had to give something in return.

For example, opening your arms to say, "I’m safe, I can accept you."

He had to admit, it worked on him.

Song Zhizhang: "If I’m not mistaken, the person you met should be Chu Qing, a medical genius who graduated from the First Military Region University’s Medical Department. He completed his undergraduate degree at 11 and his Ph.D. at 17. At 18, he joined the Yongsheng Pharmaceutical laboratory, and they all call him Professor Chu."

Thinking of Bao Ruiming’s information, Zhu Ning recalled that Yongsheng Pharmaceutical had been recruiting geniuses from various fields.

However, for such a massive pharmaceutical company, attracting geniuses wasn’t difficult.

Song Zhizhang pulled up Chu Qing’s personal profile for her, which was very limited, likely cleared from the internet, leaving only a personal ID photo and a very brief introduction.

The introduction revealed only one thing: this person was a genius among geniuses, nothing more.

In the photo, Chu Qing looked very pale, with extremely dark pupils, like deep, bottomless wells. Even through the photo, he seemed eerie.

Notably, he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his prominent nose.

In the wasteland world, humans could long ago replace mechanical prosthetic eyes, and Zhu Ning rarely saw anyone wearing glasses. The glasses they wore were usually not for vision correction but embedded with some form of artificial intelligence or advanced technology.

But for some reason, Zhu Ning felt these were just regular glasses.

Zhu Ning: "Hasn’t he undergone any modifications?"

"Smart," Song Zhizhang said, "That’s the most interesting part. Under his command, countless experimental products have been developed, with extremely high success rates. He has also participated in various human modification projects and artificial human development projects. But he himself is an absolute conservative, unable to accept any form of body modification."

Zhu Ning: "..."

It was really quite twisted.

Modifying humans but refusing to change himself in any way.

Zhu Ning: "Is he a Class One Citizen, a natural human?"

Song Zhizhang: "Yes, with exceptionally outstanding genes."

And it is a gene that has undergone natural selection, with no artificial components.

Beautiful and intelligent, she is a standout among those with natural genes, and would undoubtedly be a pride of heaven even in Zhu Ning's world.

No wonder she is so detestable, Zhu Ning thought. Chu Qing spoke with a condescending attitude, as if she had rarely spoken to anyone on equal terms throughout her life.

For not only was she a genius, but also a first-class citizen.

To the naturals, this world was their creation; the other four types of citizens were born under their permission.

Even the rules of this world were written by them.

Chu Qing was almost like a creator herself.

In fact, the first-class citizens of this world were what ordinary people were in Zhu Ning's world. Zhu Ning had originally thought that meeting a natural human would feel like meeting a kindred spirit, as she had been a natural for over twenty years.

But she never expected the first natural human she met to be so repulsive.

To Chu Qing, Zhu Ning was like livestock.

Song Zhizhang: "What did you say?"

Zhu Ning: "I offered to be his mole, but he refused me."

Song Zhizhang: "..."

Song Zhizhang laughed. How interesting Zhu Ning was; no one would accept a mole who offered themselves.

But Zhu Ning's move was effective. If Zhu Ning had already caught Chu Qing's attention, Chu Qing must have considered recruiting her, though they were still in the early stages of contact. Zhu Ning directly showcased her "value."

I have no value.

It was like someone coming to rob, but before they could demand money, Zhu Ning handed over an empty wallet.

I'm giving up, do whatever you want.

Zhu Ning: "He said he wants to observe me."

This time, Song Zhizhang frowned. He usually smiled, but at these words, he showed a look of annoyance.

Though it was just for a moment, Zhu Ning noticed.

Was Song Zhizhang one of Chu Qing's test subjects? Had they met before?

Had Chu Qing's observation theory once been applied to Song Zhizhang?

Zhu Ning imagined a story where the test subject escaped and eventually joined the Prometheus camp.

Though it was her imagination, it felt very plausible.

Song Zhizhang: "No wonder you wanted to blow him up. What do you plan to do next?"

Zhu Ning: "Find a place to sleep."

She really needed rest.

"..." Song Zhizhang: "My place isn't a hotel."

Zhu Ning, knowing she was being observed by Yongsheng Pharmaceutical, reacted by wanting to sleep.

He seemed to understand the significance of Zhu Ning coming to him. She was already on Yongsheng Pharmaceutical's radar, and the Hive wasn't safe for her. She needed a safer nest.

Zhu Ning finished the purple drink, "I think your place is definitely safe."

Song Zhizhang's Queen's Noble Shop was like a sanctuary, capable of accommodating contaminated spores, with a very high security level.

Zhu Ning: "Don't worry, I won't freeload. I'll pay openly. Can I book you?"

Song Zhizhang: "..."

Zhu Ning's expression was matter-of-fact, and she looked at him with a curious gaze, as if she found him very interesting.

Song Zhizhang wasn't that narcissistic; her interest wasn't romantic, but rather personal.

They had only briefly discussed Chu Qing, without revealing many secrets—most of the information was available online—but Zhu Ning was perceptive enough to sense a connection between him and Yongsheng Pharmaceutical.

Song Zhizhang maintained his elegant smile, "Sweetheart, I don't take guests."

Zhu Ning showed a disappointed expression, "Then I'll book a room. I want to stay long-term, at least a month."

Song Zhizhang, being in business, asked, "Any preferences?"

Surprisingly, such a service existed; the Queen's Noble Shop indeed had a wide range of services.

Zhu Ning: "It needs to be safe, especially for B-level contaminants."

She emphasized B-level contaminants.

Song Zhizhang frowned. He had heard about the incident at the Mechanical Oceanarium; they never found the contaminant source.

The purification method was peculiar; the contaminated area wasn't cleaned, but the contaminant source disappeared.

Zhu Ning actually brought a contaminant source into the Queen's Noble Shop.

His shop was equipped with automatic recognition devices. If someone brought in contaminants or a contaminant source, the alarms would go off.

In other words, no one could bring contaminants in without his knowledge.

Did Zhu Ning manage to bring something in?

She must have had a containment device on her that could bypass all inspections.

In an instant, Song Zhizhang understood how Zhu Ning had managed to evade the Cleaning Center’s Inspection Department and Yue Kaiyuan’s interrogation. This person was indeed more valuable than they had thought.

For a moment, he even felt relieved that although Zhu Ning claimed to be betraying Prometheus, she seemed to lean more towards their side.

If someone like her were to become his enemy, things would not go well for him.

Song Zhizhang smiled and nodded, “At your service.”

...

The space of the Queen's Noble store was much larger than Zhu Ning had imagined.

Since the entire block was almost deserted, theoretically, anything happening here would be hard to affect others.

It turned out that the underground area of the block was all under Song Zhizhang’s control.

Song Zhizhang led her into the basement, where the decor was similar to the upper levels—colorful with neon lights on the floor and walls.

In the middle of the corridor, there was a man, and upon closer inspection, Zhu Ning realized it was a virtual man.

He was performing a strip dance, unbuttoning his tie and then each button of his shirt one by one.

This place seemed perfect for some illegal transactions.

The corridor was deep, and Zhu Ning followed Song Zhizhang, passing the virtual dancing man.

Zhu Ning asked, “Can I ask what this place is used for?”

Song Zhizhang replied, “Are you interested? It’s for serving certain wealthy women with special tastes. If you live here, they would be your neighbors.”

Song Zhizhang casually opened a door, and Zhu Ning took a glance, feeling a bit stunned.

The bedroom was decorated in purple, filled with various sex toys. In the center was a hammock, and there were even some large props.

There were crosses, beds, and operating tables that she couldn’t understand.

In summary, she didn’t understand it, but she was greatly impressed.

This looked like torture equipment?

“Rich women have too much stress; they need an outlet to release it,” Song Zhizhang said as he closed the door.

No wonder rich women had such unique ways of relieving stress.

But Zhu Ning truly felt that people in the wasteland world were under immense pressure, like a pressure cooker that could explode into pollutants at any moment.

Having an outlet to relieve stress wasn’t bad.

Song Zhizhang continued, “There are various themed suites to choose from, like hospitals or prisons. If you want, I can give you a 20% discount. The lowest price for one session is one million.”

“...” Zhu Ning replied, “I don’t have that much stress.”

Poor people don’t deserve to relieve stress; poor people can digest their stress themselves.

Only now did she realize how quickly four hundred million could be spent. She couldn’t even afford a few sessions of these rich people’s services.

Song Zhizhang glanced back at Zhu Ning. Although she was joking, he took it seriously; she really didn’t seem to have much stress.

Being targeted by Yongsheng Pharmaceutical, scrutinized by the Cleaning Center, and manipulated by Prometheus, she showed no significant emotional fluctuations.

As they walked deeper down the corridor, Zhu Ning calculated that if they were above ground, they might already be near the edge of the block.

Song Zhizhang led her to a room at the end of the corridor.

It was a suite with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. It was exactly the kind of home Zhu Ning had always dreamed of.

The decor was simple, with pure white walls and a full set of wooden furniture, creating a calming atmosphere that stood out from the other rooms.

It looked like it hadn’t been occupied for a long time, but there was no musty smell, indicating it had been well-maintained.

Song Zhizhang turned on the lights, “The entire suite has a full anti-pollution system. It can be locked from the outside, and if pollution breaks out inside, the lock will form a sealed contaminated area to prevent it from spreading elsewhere.”

Zhu Ning noticed that the walls seemed to be made of a different material, emitting a cold light. This was not a normal house.

They were likely made of pollutant-resistant materials.

Indeed, she had come to the right person. This was the safest place to settle Lin Xiaofeng.

Zhu Ning surveyed the bedroom and asked, “Did you live here before?”

Song Zhizhang’s body stiffened. Zhu Ning’s question was somewhat intrusive, but he didn’t get angry. He looked into Zhu Ning’s eyes and said softly, “Yes, I was unstable back then.”

Zhu Ning frowned when she heard this. She imagined Song Zhizhang’s past. Zhu Ning had confirmed through Lin Xiaofeng that the line between a pollutant source and a mutant was very blurry.

Was Song Zhizhang a mutant?

Regardless of what he was, he had once been contaminated.

When Song Zhizhang was unstable, he lived alone in this bedroom, constantly fearing he might lose his mind.

If he lost his sanity, the safety system would lock down, creating a sealed contaminated area.

He might not even wait for the demon hunters to purify him, and he wouldn’t truly die.

He would be trapped forever in a dark corner.

Zhu Ning hadn’t meant to pry into his pain; she had just spoken without thinking. She immediately apologized, “I’m sorry.”

Song Zhizhang was indifferent: "You're very smart."

Smart people think quickly; you don't need to explain much, and they understand.

Moreover, Zhu Ning would skillfully grasp the boundaries, not overstepping or offending.

This saved a lot of trouble in social interactions.

Song Zhizhang: "Three million new coins for rent per month, including food, accommodation, utilities, and property management."

Zhu Ning: "..."

Why property management?

"Alright." Zhu Ning had no choice, and this equipment looked expensive, with maintenance costs likely high.

Her previous place only cost two thousand a month, but here it was three million.

This room, called a house, felt more like an expensive cage.

Zhu Ning began to lose her sense of money. At first, she thought it was inflation, but then she realized that the gap between the rich and the poor in this world was truly vast, almost like two different worlds.

Expenses related to pollutants were all very high.

In a society already divided into first-class citizens, the other four classes were further stratified, with some never coming into contact with pollutants, while others could become mutants after exposure.

Human evolution seemed to have left some behind, delineated by wealth.

"You've really made it," Song Zhizhang said upon receiving Zhu Ning's transfer, "Little rich girl."

The forty million new coins the little rich girl had earned with her life probably wouldn't last three months. Zhu Ning had never had so much money before, yet she still felt poor.

Poor and rich at the same time, hard to describe.

Zhu Ning: "Are there cameras?"

"No," Song Zhizhang replied, "Respecting guest privacy is my duty. The room only has pollution concentration detectors and some necessary safety equipment."

People in their line of work must avoid exposing guest privacy at all costs.

He only needed to monitor a number, not what was happening inside.

Song Zhizhang: "By the way, if you stay in this room, I will be your gatekeeper. If anything goes wrong, I will seal you in."

This was a safety measure; the safe room could only be opened with the gatekeeper's consent.

If a pollution outbreak occurred and the people inside lost their rationality, the gatekeeper would decide whether to seal the area.

Song Zhizhang: "Of course, if you want someone else as your gatekeeper, I have no objection."

After all, the person in this position was special, and Zhu Ning would essentially entrust her life to them.

Zhu Ning: "No problem, you can do it."

She thought carefully; she didn't know many people in this wasteland, and even fewer she could trust. If she had to entrust her life to someone else, she chose Song Zhizhang.

Song Zhizhang fell silent for a moment: "Aren't you trusting me too much?"

Drinking when given a drink, giving money when asked, agreeing to let him be her gatekeeper, putting him in control.

This was their third meeting, right? Zhu Ning barely knew his past.

Zhu Ning: "I think you're a good person."

Song Zhizhang: "..."

"I've never been called a good person before," Song Zhizhang didn't know how to react.

It wasn't that Zhu Ning blindly trusted anyone; she had her reasons.

"Prometheus led me here, proving you're relatively safe. He introduced me to Yongsheng Pharmaceutical and exposed me to Chu Qing. He wouldn't just leave me to die."

If Song Zhizhang wanted to kill her, he would have done it long ago.

And she indeed didn't know anyone else with resources.

Song Zhizhang: "That makes sense. Under its supervision, I can't do much to you."

Zhu Ning glanced at Song Zhizhang, who still wore a blue earring. She wondered about the relationship between Song Zhizhang and Prometheus.

Why did Song Zhizhang listen to Prometheus?

Song Zhizhang noticed Zhu Ning's gaze, "This is a human-machine interface. Prometheus can only communicate directly with humans through this device. You should have used one before."

Zhu Ning nodded; the device she used during missions was likely the same.

So Prometheus was restricted, able to appear directly only through special devices.

Song Zhizhang: "I only have one, but it has invaded my nervous system, leaving traces of my consciousness. It can't be used by you. If you want to communicate directly, it might be difficult. I can relay your wishes."

Zhu Ning hummed, understanding the principle behind the device.

No wonder it was specially collected after her mission.

Zhu Ning: "Do you work for Prometheus?"

Song Zhizhang: "You can say that."

"Then we're on the same side for now," Zhu Ning emphasized the word 'for now' to ease Song Zhizhang's pressure, "Let's cooperate well?"

Zhu Ning extended her hand to him, and Song Zhizhang felt that Zhu Ning was quite childish.

But considering she used to be an athlete, it seemed like people who played competitive sports all had this problem; they liked some inexplicable sense of ceremony.

And they also valued team cohesion.

He thought for a moment and then shook Zhu Ning's hand: "Pleasure working with you."

Zhu Ning yawned and asked, "What did you give me to drink?"

Isn't it a bit late to ask now? Song Zhizhang replied, "I added a sedative to help you relax your nerves; it has no side effects."

Zhu Ning experienced it for a while. Her head had been hurting for several days, and even when the pain subsided, there was still a lingering discomfort.

Now, the discomfort seemed to have diminished.

The drink from Song Zhizhang felt like a gentle hand smoothing out the wrinkles in her body.

How considerate, as if he were a warm, cozy little quilt.

In Zhu Ning's mind, this old madam resembled a little fox, graceful and a bit cunning, but sometimes very cute.

Song Zhizhang paused and asked, "Are you really going to stay with a source of pollution tonight?"

She seemed to plan to stay with Lin Xiaofeng tonight, which Song Zhizhang considered extremely dangerous.

Lin Xiaofeng wasn't just any ordinary pollutant; she was a source of pollution in a B-level contaminated area. It took an eight-person team to handle the situation at the Mechanical Oceanarium, and now Zhu Ning was alone.

Moreover, she didn't have any firearms for self-defense.

It was said that the transparent person had immense strength and invisibility. In a situation where Zhu Ning was effectively unarmed, sharing a room with a highly dangerous source of pollution was extremely risky.

If Lin Xiaofeng went into a frenzy, Zhu Ning would be crushed into pieces.

"There's no other way," Zhu Ning said, "I have to talk to someone."

Zhu Ning herself wasn't confident. She had never interacted with children before and found it hard to gauge the boundaries.

Song Zhizhang said, "Alright, this area will be locked down, and the next time it will be unlocked is at six in the morning."

"Good luck," Song Zhizhang continued, "I hope to see you tomorrow."

The first time Zhu Ning met Song Zhizhang, he had said something similar.

After saying this, Song Zhizhang left, and the door clicked shut behind him.

Zhu Ning could feel the security system at work.

She sat on the sofa in silence for a while, the only person in the entire room.

In her hand, Zhu Ning held a card, the Ace of Spades, with a comical clown printed on it.

System: "Do you want to release Lin Xiaofeng?"

"Yes."

System: "Lin Xiaofeng has been successfully released."

Zhu Ning stared at the empty room, unable to tell where Lin Xiaofeng was.