At this moment, it wasn't just the arena that was experiencing unpredictable accidents.
Xia Jin's side was also in a state of utter chaos.
Upon discovering that Qin Chuan was serious this time, Xia Jin, out of necessity, had to quickly transfer his experimental samples to his secret base.
That place, whose password only he knew, housed all his illicit materials.
More than eighty percent of the monster corpse specimens sold in the auction house had been bid on and acquired by Xia Jin.
Lying on the experimental table was a monster with the head of a rabbit and the body of a human.
If Xu An were present, she would definitely recognize this rabbit-headed monster. It was the very one she and Qin Chuan had defeated when they first met, and later sold to the auction house.
Upon seeing Qin Chuan again, Xia Jin showed no signs of panic, not even a hint of the impending disaster.
Qin Chuan did not stand on ceremony. He directly led his subordinates and surrounded Xia Jin's laboratory.
He then unceremoniously sat on Xia Jin's sofa, crossing his legs.
His casual demeanor made it seem as if Qin Chuan was merely visiting Xia Jin for a friendly chat, not to seal his laboratory.
"I didn't know Captain Qin Chuan was coming, so I didn't prepare any tea. Would coffee be acceptable?" Xia Jin looked at Qin Chuan, who was seated on the sofa, with an unusual naturalness, as if old friends were exchanging greetings.
Looking at Xia Jin's composed demeanor, Qin Chuan's opinion of him couldn't help but shift slightly.
'It seems today's operation might not go as smoothly as planned.'
"Thank you."
Qin Chuan did not refuse and directly accepted the coffee handed to him by Xia Jin.
After just one sip, Qin Chuan set the cup down.
This stuff was so bitter; Qin Chuan still couldn't understand why so many people enjoyed drinking coffee.
It wasn't as good as plain water.
Seeing Qin Chuan frown, Xia Jin smiled.
"Good coffee beans are hard to come by these days. This little bit I have was exchanged for a considerable sum from a wealthy merchant."
The subtext was, you unrefined fellow, you're wasting my good stuff.
Of course, Qin Chuan paid no mind to these veiled taunts.
"My apologies, I'm accustomed to a rougher lifestyle and can't appreciate such refined things."
Qin Chuan retaliated subtly.
It seemed to say, you mock me for not understanding coffee, and I'll mock you cultured folk for being so finicky.
For a moment, the atmosphere became extremely awkward.
"If that's the case, let's get straight to the point," Qin Chuan said, looking at Xia Jin opposite him.
Xia Jin, however, acted as if he didn't know what Qin Chuan was talking about, picking up his coffee cup and taking another small sip.
"I'm not sure what Captain Qin Chuan's insights are? What do you mean by getting straight to the point?"
Qingchuan seemed to have lost all patience at this moment, his originally gentle demeanor gradually turning cold.
"Do you remember that rabbit-headed monster you first asked me to investigate? I was curious back then. The apocalypse crisis had only just begun. How did you know there was a monster in that mall? Don't you think all of this is rather unreasonable?"
"Also, your most trusted assistant. He attacked me out of nowhere, as if driven mad. Afterwards, you were in such a hurry to reclaim his corpse. I won't beat around the bush with you."
"I discovered something called blue mycelium in your assistant's body. What exactly is that?"
"And the experiments you are currently conducting, including your laboratory's ongoing ability-enhancement program, are almost all related to this blue mycelium."
As Qin Chuan spoke, his voice grew colder. "Dr. Xia, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Xia Jin listened to Qingchuan's questioning without panic. On the contrary, he remained composed, placing his coffee cup back on the table.
"Does your grandfather know about your visit to me?"
Qin Chuan gave a dismissive look.
"Dr. Xia, don't you think it's laughable that at a time like this, you're still trying to threaten me with my grandfather?"
"I don't find it laughable at all. I'm merely saying that the old man is getting on in years. Perhaps you should discuss certain matters with your grandfather before acting. Perhaps he knows the truth behind all of this."
Xia Jin smiled, but his words were like bombshells.
The moment Xia Jin finished speaking, Qin Chuan retorted loudly, as if in disbelief.
"You're spouting nonsense! How could my grandfather be involved in something like this?" Qin Chuan questioned him fiercely. "What are your intentions? Don't think you can drag my entire family into this mess. I'm telling you, Xia Jin, you won't get away with this. Your laboratory is conducting illegal human experimentation and human synthesis. I have conclusive evidence in my hands now. Don't you dare try to throw this filth onto my grandfather."
Looking at Qin Chuan's expression of disbelief,
Xia Jin seemed to be looking at an unruly child, letting the other party vent without arguing, because he knew reasoning with a child was futile.
Xia Jin slowly spoke, his tone full of certainty: "Instead of interrogating me here, why don't you go home and ask your grandfather what he did? Why do you think your grandfather barred you from the Lighthouse's power center? Why do you think he sent you to work in my laboratory? Do you really believe it was to train you? It was merely to keep you under our watchful eyes. But now, you have completely slipped out of our control."
As he spoke, Xia Jin let out a long sigh.
"I've warned the old man long ago that you are an uncontrollable factor, the biggest threat to our planned actions. But the old man, prioritizing family ties, didn't deal with you. Now, you've pushed us to this point. I know why you've brought people to blockade my laboratory. But even if you emptied my entire laboratory today, or made all the contents public, how many people on the Lighthouse do you think would support you, or stand by your side? Or..."
At this point, Xia Jin leaned forward slightly, a smug smile on his face, a mocking curve at the corner of his mouth.
He looked at Qin Chuan and said, word by word: "Captain Qin Chuan, do you really think you've won?"
Qin Chuan was still lost in the confusion that his grandfather might be one of the masterminds.
He found it hard to believe, but everything Xia Jin said before him didn't seem like a lie.
He recalled the words and deeds of Old Master Xia in the past. Old Master Qin had warned him every time not to get involved with Xia Jin's affairs or the laboratory. Wasn't this a warning in itself?
But how could his grandfather...
Qin Chuan still couldn't believe it.
Finally, regaining his composure, he asked in a calm tone.
"So, what kind of deal did you make with my grandfather?"