“The second step, due to your unique condition, the company will at most give me two months. So after two months, when we send your best organized samples to Fang Yuxin for fusion, we will take action. I will notify you of the specifics. This operation will be carried out when the opportunity arises.”
“Wait, didn’t you tell me my current level is higher than Fang Yuxin’s? This sounds like we’re helping Fang Yuxin out?”
Lin Yuan felt something was off.
“When you see her, you’ll know that she’s still alive and not dead is only because Edgar showed mercy.” Carol Anna was tight-lipped about the topic and unwilling to say more.
“Alright. Anything else I need to be aware of?”
“Yes, there is one thing. When we conduct the handover at headquarters, you and Wang Xiaoxin will be confined in a special room. That location is not under my jurisdiction, but don’t worry, I’ll have Anderson, Lina, and Robin come to guard you.
Remember this, if it’s not one of my trusted subordinates, don’t believe anyone else.”
Why does this feel a bit wrong?
“Anna, I think there’s a problem. Who proposed this measure?”
“What’s wrong? The Supreme Council brought it up with the old men and women.”
Carol Anna didn’t miss Lin Yuan’s suspicion and asked seriously.
“It’s nothing, just a strange feeling. When we return to headquarters, if anything happens to me, remember to protect Wang Xiaoxin, understand?”
“I disagree. In my eyes, your priority is higher than hers. I must ensure your safety first.”
“Listen to me, Anna. She was brought in because of me, so she must get out alive. Besides, don’t you find it strange? Why are you specifically in charge of such an important role as me, and your reputation among them isn’t exactly good.”
“No one in HSAC is clean. Moreover, my father and uncle are both members of the Council. They have significant influence, and they intend to support my rise. Therefore, I am confident.” Carol Anna seemed to have anticipated this.
“Alright, although this so-called plan seems unreliable, I can only trust you now.”
He spoke with a tone of helpless resignation, but inwardly, he was ecstatic.
Another two months, and as soon as I’m in, the Chinese investigation team will arrive in less than half a month. Then I’ll deal with all of you!
Hahaha.
He thought this, but he still had to tread carefully. If he ended up being dissected before any reinforcements arrived, it would be all over.
“What do I need to do during these two months?”
“You just need to cooperate with my work. Speak less and trust me. No one wants you dead. Your entire body is a treasure. Countless researchers in the company want to slice you into nanometer-thin sheets for study.”
(눈_눈)
Sister, doesn’t that statement make me even more uneasy?
“That’s why the higher-ups are protecting you. A living Number Three has greater value and will bring greater benefits.
Alright, time is almost up. I have to go. Don’t let this slip.”
“Wait, one last question.”
“Hmm?”
“Who proposed restarting this project?”
“My father and two other council members, so, rest assured?”
“The Edgar you mentioned, does he approve of this project?”
You guy, wasn’t that the last question?
The last “billion” questions, right?
Although annoyed, Carol Anna tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, “He was against it initially, but now he’s very enthusiastic. After all, who doesn’t want eternal life?”
Lin Yuan fell silent and simply nodded.
After Carol Anna left, he muttered, “Does anyone truly desire eternal life? Isn’t eternal life a curse?”
He sighed, pushing the jumbled information from his mind, retaining only the three rules: speak less, cooperate with Anna, and strive to survive.
After Carol Anna left, the two people at the door returned. Seeing Lin Yuan curled up on the floor trembling, they paid him no mind.
“I thought Number Three was tough, but it’s just like that.”
“Nias, do we really not need to check on him?”
“Don’t worry, people like them recover much faster than us. They won’t die.” Nias’s tone was impatient, as if she had encountered something unpleasant in the restroom.
The rest of their conversation was idle gossip and some explicit jokes.
Aren’t those two outside going to get together tonight? As expected, the outside world is so open; I can’t adapt.
After a few complaints, Lin Yuan leaned against the wall to rest. Suddenly, his left ear, pressed against the wall, picked up a sound.
“Dong… dong… dong…”
Three long beats.
“…Dong. Dong… Dong.”
One long, one short, one long.
Morse code? Okay?
Good heavens, Wang Xiaoxin must have heard something and was specifically greeting me?
Lin Yuan sent back the same signal.
The two of them continued to communicate by tapping on the wall. Since their investigation team had their own cipher, the subsequent tapping intervals and sequences were not from a universal codebook.
“How are you?”
“I’m alright, nothing’s wrong.”
“I heard you earlier, and it sounded miserable.”
“No, I was acting.”
“This, okay.”
“Right, when we get to headquarters, make sure you stick close to Carol Anna. She can be trusted for now.”
“What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me, I have my own arrangements. You protect yourself.”
“But.”
“Follow orders!”
The tapping ceased.
Lin Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief. Translation was tiring, even with an internal cipher; it wasn’t simple. Short phrases and words were fine, but longer sentences required analysis.
The ferry sailed on the Pacific Ocean, with no land visible in any direction.
“Here, your dinner for today!” In the evening, Lin Yuan and Wang Xiaoxin’s room doors were opened, and the two people outside brought in food.
It was a lavish meal: pan-fried hairtail, two large lobsters, a big basin of bread, and a plate of unidentified fried fish, likely mackerel based on its shape. Various boiled shellfish and snails, some recognizable, others not.
There was also a small bucket of seafood chowder with pasta.
The cutlery consisted of a small bowl and a fork.
There was a lot of food, but it was just the right amount for Lin Yuan.
“You must finish it. If I find any leftovers, you’ll know the consequences,” Nias said fiercely before leaving.
This was food specially prepared for the two of them by the kitchen, personally supervised by Minister Anna. She dared not do anything drastic.
After all, most of the people on this ship were lunatics and outlaws. If it weren’t supervised, who knew if they’d add something to the food.
Lin Yuan sniffed all the food. There was no unusual odor. He silently thanked Carol Anna in his heart for protecting his right to eat.
He tapped on the wall.
He inquired about Wang Xiaoxin’s food situation.
There were no problems, so he started eating with peace of mind. Although the handcuffs on his hands had not been removed, Lin Yuan ate with gusto.
This was a seafood feast! A kid from the interior had rarely eaten like this before the apocalypse!
It was just that he wasn’t used to using the fork.
Fortunately, not much of the food required it; most of it was eaten directly by hand.
They passed three days peacefully like this. On the fourth day, they encountered a storm. Lin Yuan was so shaken that he vomited. At one point, he thought he would be buried at sea, but then the storm stopped.
On the fifth day, when the sun came out, the ferry arrived at HSAC headquarters.
At the port, a blonde man in a suit was already waiting for them.
Upon seeing Lin Yuan and Wang Xiaoxin being dragged off the ship, appearing as if they had been “tortured” for a long time, he displayed a standard, insincere smile.
“Welcome home, Number Three.”
Lin Yuan remained expressionless, his mind transformed into a muffler.
“Wo di ni di ma mai di, ni ma le di di di, di di di…”
“And welcome home too, my dear Anna.”
“Scram!”
After a cold retort, Anna led Lin Yuan inside.
“Wait!”