Weng Quan embarked on this endeavor with an almost certain expectation of Qin Chuan's demise.
Yet, to his utter astonishment, Qin Chuan managed to return alive. Not only Qin Chuan himself, but also his副队长, who was like his right-hand man, had returned as well.
Weng Quan's immediate thought was to find ways to obstruct Qin Chuan, to eliminate him.
However, Qin Chuan was no pushover.
Being schemed against once or twice could be attributed to coincidence, but this continuous string of unfortunate events.
Even a fool would recognize it as a trap, a ploy by someone who couldn't stand him and wanted him dead.
But who was Qin Chuan? He couldn't care less.
He struck a deal with Xia Jin. As long as he helped Xia Jin with one final task, Qin Chuan would leave the laboratory, regardless of the success of this current endeavor.
Upon hearing this news, Weng Quan found himself disbelieving and tinged with envy.
Due to the peculiar nature of the laboratory's security, once one joined, departure was impossible.
Unless one met their end within the confines of the laboratory.
The reason Qin Chuan had been placed here in the first place was not without cause.
Yet, Qin Chuan, disregarding the rules, had been recruited and now, as if nothing had happened, was leaving.
Weng Quan watched Qin Chuan's retreating back.
It reminded him of six months ago, in the office, when Qin Chuan had confronted him, his arrogant face shamelessly proclaiming:
"I despise you."
For a fleeting moment, the Qin Chuan of today and the Qin Chuan of that day seemed to merge.
Weng Quan felt as if a tiny figure was whispering in his ear, loudly and wantonly mocking him.
"Didn't you say you're different from your past self now, Weng Quan? You're still that useless, penniless kid."
"Look at Qin Chuan. He's a true prodigy. Even in the apocalypse, he's surrounded by admiration, a genuine talent."
"And look at you. You're nothing but a dog raised by Xia Jin."
"What are you so arrogant about?"
"Weng Quan, you're nothing but a stray dog!"
Weng Quan tried to cover his ears, but the voice seemed to emanate from all directions.
No one could stop it.
And no one could save Weng Quan.
Perhaps there was someone before. In his memory, there was a girl who always wore a bright, elegant dress, looking at him with eyes that held pride, yet never scorn.
She would ask him if he was out of money for food again.
But who was that girl in his memory?
In the briefest moment of distraction, Weng Quan's thoughts were once again plundered.
A barrage of increasingly venomous curses flooded him like a deluge, drowning him.
Xu An observed Weng Quan's slightly altered expression after Qin Chuan's departure. She had considered whether to alert Qin Chuan.
But seeing Qin Chuan leave without looking back, she felt that rushing forward now, in front of so many people, would only draw unnecessary attention.
Weng Quan felt as though a long time had passed, but in reality, it was merely a fleeting moment.
When he looked up again, Qin Chuan's receding figure was still clearly visible.
And the voice in his mind, like a demon's, grew louder, as if inciting him to madness.
Amidst the overwhelming thoughts.
Weng Quan seemed to hear only three words.
"Kill him!"
Kill him. Kill Qin Chuan. Only by killing Qin Chuan would no one look down on you.
Only by killing Qin Chuan would no one dare to call you Xia Jin's dog again.
Kill Qin Chuan, and from then on, no one on this lighthouse would be able to block your path.
In that instant.
Xu An admitted that her action was faster than her thought.
It was as if an inexplicable attraction pulled her body involuntarily towards Weng Quan.
Simultaneously, Xu An's absolute trust in Ze Yuan also played a significant role.
In short, before anyone could react.
Weng Quan pulled out the pistol holstered at his waist and aimed at Qin Chuan's back, ready to fire.
His movements were so swift that they belied someone who spent years conducting experiments in a laboratory, a person with no combat experience.
Instead, he looked like a seasoned soldier, adopting the most standard shooting posture and firing at Qin Chuan with lightning speed.
Almost as Xu An lunged forward and kicked away the muzzle of Weng Quan's gun, Qin Chuan sensed the anomaly behind him.
He immediately ducked and rolled, seeking cover in a blind spot.
As he turned back and saw Weng Quan aiming a gun at him, Qin Chuan felt no fear. Only a profound confusion.
Was Weng Quan insane?
How dare he?
To attempt to kill him in front of everyone?
But the next moment, Qin Chuan saw Xu An beside Weng Quan.
His heart immediately tightened.
With a speed that matched Weng Quan's, he drew his own sidearm.
And began to aim at Weng Quan.
However, Qin Chuan worried that he might accidentally injure Xu An, so his grip on the pistol was not as steady as everyone might have imagined.
"Weng Quan, what the hell are you doing? Put down the gun, we can still talk."
But Weng Quan seemed impervious, his bloodshot eyes fixed intently on Qin Chuan.
His gaze was both alien and terrifying.
Even the researchers who had followed Weng Quan looked frightened and bewildered, questioning why Weng Quan would do such a thing.
"Dr. Weng Quan, please calm down. We can appeal to higher authorities if there's anything wrong. Doctor, you can't just kill someone here!"
"Yes, Doctor, if there's a conflict, we can talk it over. Please don't act impulsively!"
"Doctor, if you have any issues, you can tell Dr. Xia Jin. If you take such matters into your own hands, you'll anger Dr. Xia Jin."
At this moment, Weng Quan's behavior was already erratic. He held his gun, but his eyes were unfocused.
He simply stared intently at Qin Chuan, completely ignoring Xu An, who had kicked his gun aside.
He kept muttering, "Kill him, kill him, kill him..."
Xu An remained vigilant, preventing Weng Quan from suddenly losing control.
Zhou Haimei had somehow crept up quietly and stood behind Xu An, ready to provide support.
"An'an, I think Weng Quan's state is a bit off."
Xu An nodded. The two exchanged a glance, understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.
After six months of interaction with Xu An, Zhou Haimei, though still unable to fully comprehend, had accepted the extraordinary occurrences happening to Xu An.
If such unusual phenomena could happen to Xu An,
then naturally, they could happen to others as well.
Xu An and Zhou Haimei communicated with their eyes. Although not a single word was spoken, their gazes revealed their thoughts.
"It seems Weng Quan is being controlled by something!"