QZ: Chapter 48.1

Seeing his action, the officer bursted out laughing.

“You originally have no business here but you just had to come in with us. If you hadn’t insisted that much, you wouldn’t have to sign this document now. And, even if he refused, you didn’t need to watch over him. Are you regretting already?”

“If I hadn’t come in, he would have chosen to be imprisoned, and your purpose wouldn’t have been achieved either. So, you should be thanking me for being here right now.”

Ling Xiao did not expect Ying Feng to see through his mind; the hand holding the pen trembled. The smile on the officer’s face gradually faded.

“You’re very confident, young man. Suppose if your Qizi chooses to agree so as not to let you be imprisoned, then would you again refuse for him to avoid imprisonment? I advise you do not think complicatedly. Our deal is just to draw blood once a week. In other time, you’ll have your freedom. Moreover, if this experiment succeeds, it will be a great event for Tianxiu people.”

Ying Feng was not moved, “For us, imprisonment is a very serious punishment. But for you, it doesn’t matter if we are in jail or not. You don’t need two useless prisoners. What you need is blood. If we refuse, we will surely suffer losses. However, it wouldn’t do you any good either.”

The expression of the officer became unclear. The two men silently faced each other for some time.

“It seems our negotiations are a bit difficult,” the officer said coldly at last.

“It is not that we can’t sign this document,” Ying Feng seized the opportunity to give in, “However, the premise is that we have the right to know the nature of this experiment, its purpose, the identity of the subject, and most importantly, whether or not it will harm the body of my Qizi.”

“Isn’t your request too much?”

“Until we see the experiment subject ourselves, we won’t be signing this document.”

The officer pondered for a moment. “Alright. You will be seeing the subject sooner or later anyway. But don’t blame me for not reminding you. If you insist more this time, the consequences may not be as simple as it is now.” He pretended to sign, “You could have stayed out of this originally.”

“You don’t have to remind me every time. It was my responsibility to enter the lab. From the very beginning, I have no intention to stay out of this.”

“How moving,” the officer got up and left.

The two followed the officer, maintaining a distance. Behind them, two soldiers also followed closely.

After they had walked for a while, Ling Xiao whispered, “Did you invade my thoughts again without permission?”

“So I have guessed correctly? If I hadn’t gone in, would you have chosen to be imprisoned alone?”

Ying Feng looked ahead. “Don’t worry. Qizhu’s don’t have the ability to peek into Qizi’s’ brain. You can think freely.”

Ling Xiao replied in a fluster, “It was me who stole. Why do you always get involved?”

“But it was also you who put this forward- if our goals are identical, shouldn’t we advance and retreat together? I have a new condition for exchange now. I want to take the test for Yutian’s joint combat department. The major is hard to pass. You promised me not to drag me down.”

“You…” Ling Xiao couldn’t immediately figure out why Ying Feng brought up this condition that couldn’t be met. Later, he realized that it was to prevent him from negotiating with the military alone. He had also had this idea…even though Ying Feng said he could not invade his thoughts, he could accurately tell what he was thinking every time.

Joint combat department… he had to admit it was also the goal of his heart.

“Then, my condition for exchange is that it is up to me whether to agree or not.”

“Exchange successful.”

The two were taken to the military aircraft. All the windows were sealed off. From inside, they couldn’t see the outside, and so couldn’t know exactly where they were being taken to.

The airplane finally landed. As soon as they got out of the hatch, they found out that they were already inside a closed space. Behind them was a long tunnel. They must have come through the tunnel.

The officer walked in front, and the couple followed him into an elevator. The elevator went straight down, and only after what seemed like half a day had passed did it come to a stop. They then realized that their destination was deep underground. What kind of place needed to be so concealed?

“We’re here.” The officer stopped outside a door. There was a sign on it — Tianxiu Genes Research Center. He fished out his card and swiped, and the door slid open to reveal a whole new world.

Ling Xiao was stunned. He had thought that the area of the base was already very large, but the venue in front of him was two or three times larger. The officer did not explain anything and went straight ahead. The two followed, and took the opportunity to look around. Computers and instrument with unknown purposes were all over the place with complex lights and numbers flashing on them.

There were many staff members and they all turned a blind eye to the strangers who had just arrived, as if they were invisible. They wore the same white uniform, but it was different from those of the base and CDC. The uniformed people seemed cold and detached, expressions unchanging. If the development of artificial intelligence people had not been forbidden in Tianxiu, Ling Xiao would have thought they were robots.

The officer led them through one door after another. The incredible level of security made the two no longer think this was just an ordinary experiment.

The last door finally opened. Ying Feng and Ling Xiao saw the face of the experiment subject for the first time. A young figure similar to a human was lying quietly in an empty chamber, as if he had been sleeping there for millennia.

> Chapter 48.2

< Chapter 39.3

T/N: So, here is our (half) chapter after a really long break… hope you have enjoyed it. Thank you so much for patiently waiting!

Somehow, the ongoing political unrest in the country seems unlikely to be settled soon. Today, there is a national silent strike; ≧◠‿◠≦ III

That said, I figure I could get back to translating now and then. So, I will try to update whenever the translations are ready!