From that day on, Cen Lin came to Ling's side more frequently.

Ling likes her very much, she is locked here every day, the only thing she looks forward to is for Cen Lin to come to her, so that she can still talk to her.

She is Ling's first friend, and Ling cherishes this friendship, but she has nothing to share with Cen Lin.

Once, the researcher in charge of her gave her a lunch with a box of sweet milk. Ling liked the taste very much, but she didn't drink it. She kept the box of milk and gave it to Cen Lin next time.gave her.

When Cen Lin took the box of sweet milk, she was not very happy, she frowned:

"What do you give me this for?"

"I want to give you something, but I have nothing but this."

Cen Lin's reaction was different from what she expected, and Ling slightly lost:

"I thought you'd like it."

"..."

Cen Lin didn't say anything.

She looked at the milk in her hand, then at Ling, and finally inserted the straw expressionlessly, sat in front of Ling and drank it bit by bit.

She didn't say she liked it or didn't say she didn't like it, but asked Ling not to keep it for her next time.

As a return gift, when she went to Ling's place next time, she brought her a flower.

The flower was a very common small white wild flower, and it grew well. Ling held it in his hand and looked at it again and again, and he liked it very much.

From then on, every time Cen Lin went to Ling's place, he would bring her a flower.

The two of them spend more and more time together, but in fact there is not much to talk about between them.

Cen Lin was the only child Ling had come into contact with, other than the former Ye Ye, but the two were different. Ye Ye liked to talk to Ling proactively, and would ask her many questions, and Ling would answer them patiently.But Cen Lin has a cold personality, doesn't like to talk very much, and never tells Ling about himself.So, although they were often together, they usually sat together in silence, or Ling told Cen Lin stories or sang.

This silent friendship lasted for a long time, until one day, many researchers came to Ling's room.They stood outside the glass wall and looked at Ling, as if they were discussing something.They were not loud enough that Ling couldn't hear them clearly.

Soon, a researcher outside opened the door next to the glass wall, he walked in, and walked straight towards Ling.

Ling was a little scared.

She flinched back, but the researcher wasn't doing her any harm.

He just smiled at Ling and told her that she can leave this room and move about freely.

After speaking, he unlocked all the locks on Ling's body.

The heavy chains were untied, and Ling felt much more relaxed for a while.

She rubbed the bruises on her shoulders and wrists pressed by the metal, and couldn't believe the researcher's words for a while.

She has been locked in this closed space for a long time, and she even thought that she would stay here for the rest of her life, but now, she has stepped out of this glass wall and can go to farther places.

"You are...Miss Ling, right?"

asked the researcher who brought her out.

Ling nodded.

"What about age?"

Ling couldn't answer this question, because she didn't know her age either.

"Is it Ye Fei's sister?"

"Um."

The researcher asked her three questions as if confirming something. Afterwards, several people discussed in low voices. Finally, they announced:

"Starting today, Ms. Ling can go anywhere within the range of this building. If you go out... We heard that Ms. Ling doesn't like the sun, so if you need to go out, you can ask other staff and they will report, and take you out."

"……Um."

Ling was actually a little dazed.

Because she didn't know what happened, why she was suddenly taken seriously, why so many people cared about her suddenly, and why she could leave here suddenly.

But Ling still seriously said thank you to them.

In fact, she didn't have any desire to go out before, because she had nowhere to go, she didn't like the sun, and she didn't like the outside world.

But this time, after being allowed to go out, she suddenly had the urge to go out for a walk.

She wants to go to the fifth basement.

Ling only had one good friend, Cen Lin. Cen Lin said that Ling was on the sixth floor, and she was on the fifth floor.

Ling thought, in the past, Cen Lin took the risk to come to her, but this time, she seemed to be able to take the initiative to visit her.

She thought that Cen Lin should be happy.

For this meeting, Ling fumbled on the sixth basement floor. Facing the maze-like floors and various incomprehensible instruments, she felt a little helpless.

But in the end she found the elevator to the upper floor, went in, and pressed the button that went straight to the fifth floor.

The elevator was slowly ascending, and Ling was a little nervous.

She looked at the picture outside the elevator, and walked out after it stopped.

Although this is only the difference between the fifth and sixth floors underground, this little difference is a brand new world to Ling.

Compared with the laboratory on the sixth floor underground, the fifth floor underground looks like a training ground.There are a lot of equipment that Ling has never seen before, and there are many people who pass by Ling who are not in the same attire as the researcher.

They were just a little surprised to see Ling, but they didn't stop them. Ling passed by them, looking at the instructions posted on the surrounding walls, trying to find a familiar person in this huge venue.

But it was still a bit difficult for her, until she heard the faint sound of beating and scolding coming from a distance.

Hearing that voice, Ling was a little uneasy, and quickly walked to the place where the voice came from.

I didn't realize until got to the place that it was the training ground inside the fifth underground floor.

The outside of the training ground was surrounded by a glass wall, and there were many strong lights hanging around it. Just now, Ling heard someone yelling and cursing from a distance, but now that he got closer, he could still hear the sound of whips being whipped on people and the ground.

Ling stood outside the glass wall and took a look from a distance, but saw a familiar red.

The little girl tied her hair up today, and she was wearing a set of neat training clothes.But at this time, she knelt down on the ground, and the coach behind her suddenly raised the whip and whipped it down on her back.

"Snapped"

With a crisp sound, Cen Lin was beaten to the ground by the long whip. Ling felt pain when he saw it, but the little girl just didn't make a sound.

"continue!"

After the whip fell, the coach scolded.

Cen Lin didn't say anything, she slowly got up from the ground, and grasped the gun on the ground.Her hands trembled a little, but she still raised her arm and fired a shot at the target opposite her.

Ling saw that the bullet hit the bull's-eye. This time, the long whip in the coach's hand did not fall on Cen Lin again.

And Cen Lin dropped the gun, got up from the ground, and looked back as if feeling something.

Probably because of the pain in her body, her face was pale, and when she turned her head, she happened to see Ling outside the glass wall.

Cen Lin paused for a moment, then looked away.

They didn't talk because Cen Lin had other training.Looking at the shocking whip wound on Cen Lin's back, Ling Yuan was very worried, but he couldn't go to her side.

Ling watched for a long time outside the training ground, and only returned to the sixth basement floor at night.She thought that she would put on the shackles again after a short period of freedom, but to her surprise, that day, the researcher in charge of her was waiting on the sixth floor and said that she would arrange a room for her.

"Where will the room be?"

Ling asked.

"Where do you want to live?"

The researcher answered.

Ling was not familiar with this place at all, and there was no one she was familiar with here, so she subconsciously wanted to find the only Cen Lin she knew:

"I want to live with Cen Lin, is that okay?"

She was still thinking about the wounds on her body.

The researcher opposite was stunned for a moment.

His expression was a bit weird, and finally, he nodded:

"sure."

So that night, Ling succeeded in living in the room next to Cen Lin. She knocked on the door of Cen Lin's room later, but there was no movement for a long time.

Just when Ling thought the door would not be opened, she heard the door lock in front of her lightly slam, and someone opened the door of the room.

The red color of Cen Lin's hair was exposed through the crack of the door, and she stared at her coldly:

"What are you doing?"

"I want to see you."

Ling tilted his head slightly:

"How are you?"

"What are you looking at me for?"

"You are hurt."

"..." Cen Lin seemed a little impatient, she opened the door:

"It's just a regular meal."

With that said, she walked into the house.

Ling raised his hand and pushed open the door, and saw the appearance in the room.

Cen Lin's room didn't have much decoration, only a set of tables, chairs and a bed. There were many instruments of unknown use in the vacant space of the room, and several sets of Cen Lin's training clothes.

And Cen Lin seemed to be taking medicine. There were several cans of medicine on the small cabinet next to her bed. After Ling closed the door, she was not embarrassed and turned her back to Ling and lifted her shirt.

Ling saw the two criss-cross welts on her back, and saw that she was about to apply medicine to herself, so she slightly pursed the corners of her lips and said:

"Let me help you."

Cen Lin paused, she didn't say anything, she just put down the cotton swab and medicine bottle in her hand, and lay down on the bed by herself.

Ling went over to take the medicine bottle, and rubbed the ointment on Cen Lin's wound bit by bit.

Cen Lin buried his face in the pillow, paused, and asked:

"Why do you care about me?"

"Because I only know you. You are the first person here to talk to me besides the researcher."

Ling thought for a while, then said:

"Also, you remind me of my brother. My brother was always injured all over his body when he was a child, but I can only watch and can't help him."

"Why?"

"Because I was locked in another room and couldn't touch him."

"Why don't you go out?"

"Hmm...it's hard to explain. The room is sealed and I can't get out."

After saying this, Cen Lin didn't continue to ask.And Ling looked at the whip wounds on her back, not quite understanding why a little girl had to go through this.

she asked:

"Why did he hit you?"

"Missed the bullseye."

"That shouldn't be hitting people."

"got used to."

"Why do you get used to it?"

"..." Cen Lin was silent for a moment:

"Because I've been living this kind of life for as long as I can remember. I'm a Homunculus made up of other people's genes. The only meaning of my existence is to grow up quickly, fight, and become a useful machine, an obedient dog. Now I reachIf they don't ask for it, they will naturally not give me a good face."

Hearing this, Ling froze for a moment:

"However, no one stipulates that the meaning of your existence must be like this. Even if it's a patchwork of genes, you are now a person, a complete life."

"If I don't grow up according to their ideas, I will die."

Cen Lin glanced sideways at her:

"How do you think I've survived until now? Homunculus are all mass-produced, and it's only because I worked hard enough and ruthless that I was able to eliminate my kind and stand here. Can freedom keep me alive, can being a human make me live? Obviously, no."

Ling applied the medicine to her very lightly, and after hearing what Cen Lin said, she didn't speak again.

After a long time, she asked:

"So, are you working for Cen Jie?"

Cen Lin was a little surprised:

"You know Cen Jie?"

"Yeah." Ling nodded:

"That's the name of the person who hurt my brother. I always remember him."

"Then will you go?"

"Um?"

"Cen Jie is the one who hurt you, and I'm working for him, shouldn't you go? Don't get involved with me anymore, it seems to be the right choice."

"There's nothing right or wrong."

Ling chuckled lightly:

"The one who hurt him was Cen Jie, not you. You obviously didn't do anything, did you?"

"But I am the killing machine he cultivated."

"But you said it yourself, it's for survival. No one can blame you for it."

Ling threw away the cotton swab and put away the medicine bottle.

She hesitated for a moment, and finally raised her hand to stroke Cen Lin's hair.

When Cen Lin was touched by her, his body stiffened for a moment, but he did not escape.

And Ling looked gentle:

"There will be a lot of helplessness in the process of growing up. When you are strong enough to make the choices you want and not be dominated by others, then you are you. I believe you will not be affected by the environment around you.Because you know what you want and who you want to be, and you go your own way."

"Right, Alin?"