After Ye Zhizhou saved a backup of the surveillance footage, he headed to the laboratory to retrieve the genetic modification fluid from the storage box. He also collected all the data on the improved version of the genetic fluid. After greeting his colleagues on the night shift, he returned home.
A small mirror in his pocket felt strangely lightweight, but it caught his attention.
"What are you, a hologram? Or am I having hallucinations again?" He entered his house, placed the data and genetic modification fluid in the safe in his study, and then sat on the floor while taking out the small mirror from his pocket. "Do I know you? You seem so familiar."
His tone carried a hint of genuine curiosity and affection, and a smile appeared on his face. "Why do you look so plain? How did you end up in the research institute? Did you project this hologram?"
[Attempting to retrieve plot information... Interference detected. Retrieval failed.]
[Checking task status... Warning! Task anomaly detected.]
[Warning! Unable to access soul banner data... Activating protective mechanism... Activation failed. Host, please be cautious.]
He paused, reached out to tap the holographic screen in the air, and touched the cracks on the small mirror. The smile faded from his face. "What are you saying... these cracks... are you hurt? How can I help you?"
The small mirror gently vibrated, and the holographic screen disappeared, plunging the room into darkness.
"Why did it disappear... Can you hear me?"
The small mirror remained silent in his hand, and the holographic screen did not reappear.
"What's wrong with you?" He pressed the small mirror against his chest, placed his hand on his forehead, and leaned on the nearby desk. "Is this another hallucination?" He felt a headache coming on, slowly closed his eyes, and collapsed on the floor.
The night breeze lifted the curtains, and a semi-transparent crane flew in, landing next to him. It affectionately rubbed his face with its lowered head, then tilted its neck and emitted a silent call, transforming into spiritual energy that flowed into his spiritual sea.
On the other side of the city, in a hospital room, a young man with glasses put down his book and looked at the pale youth on the bed, who was breathing steadily. He shook his head and smiled, "You're sleeping like this, and you still want to scare me with your spiritual power... Just wait a bit longer. Once the medication completes its experimental phase, you'll wake up."
The communicator placed aside, set to mute, suddenly flickered. He picked it up, checked the message, and smiled. As he stood up to leave, he answered the call, "Hey, Qi Qi, why aren't you asleep yet..."
The door closed, and the young man on the bed blinked his eyelashes slightly, then quickly returned to a calm state.
Ye Zhizhou stood in a beautiful flower field, inhaling the various floral scents in the air, feeling puzzled. "Where is this? Am I dreaming again?"
"Host."
He jumped in surprise, turned around, but found nothing. "Who's speaking?"
"Go into the house."
It was the same childish voice, clear as if it were directly in his mind. He gave up searching for the speaker and looked towards a small building not far from the flower field. "Is it there?"
"Yes."
Hearing the seriousness in the childlike voice, he couldn't help but smile. As he took steps towards the small building, he asked, "You call me the host... so, you're the small mirror I picked up? So, you can talk."
"...I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
The childlike voice disappeared and didn't speak again.
He reached the small building, pushed open the courtyard door, and entered. After a brief look around, he stopped and said, "I'm here... Are you really not going to talk to me anymore?"
[Enter the alchemy room, find the tenth bottle on the second floor, and consume one pill.]
"Using a holographic screen again..." He muttered while entering the alchemy room, searching for the pills, and talking to himself, "Why do you want me to take this? Where is this place? Who are you, and will you stay with me in the future?"
The holographic screen flickered and disappeared.
He found the pill, examined it, and smelled it, feeling puzzled. "Why does this pill look familiar? It's like the ones I used to make when I was bored..."
"Interference detected. Host, take care."
The childlike voice spoke again, and he suddenly felt his vision blur. The flower field vanished, and he found himself back in his familiar study. The communicator rang, and he blinked, slowly getting up from the floor. He picked up the communicator and answered, "Hello..."
"You finally picked up!" The voice on the other end, belonging to Fang Yixing, was filled with excitement. "Hurry to the research institute! I don't know which idiot in the project team messed with the temperature settings of your safe, but the box of genetic modification fluid inside is probably ruined! No one knows the password for the storage box, so we can't check the condition of the modified fluids! Give me the password first, and then come quickly!"
Ye Zhizhou's still-fuzzy mind suddenly cleared. "The temperature settings of the safe were tampered with? Why would someone in the project team mess with the safe's temperature? Genetic modification fluid doesn't need to be stored at a specific temperature."
"I want to know too! Damn it! Making such a basic mistake at a time like this, it's... Once the new batch of qualified fluids is produced, who knows what kind of monster the genetic subject will become!"
He frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Don't panic. The storage box is empty, and I brought the genetic modification fluid home. First, check the quantity of the unqualified batch of modified fluids. Go check."
"How can I not panic? That's... What did you say? The storage box is empty?!"
"Yeah, I know it violates the institute's rules to casually take experimental results home, but..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Fang Yixing interrupted, "I don't care about that now. Let's focus on the issue at hand. You need to hurry back to the institute."
"Then why are you still talking?" Fang Yixing, troubled by the ups and downs of the situation, was practically having a heart attack. He shouted, "Bring the genetic fluid to the research institute! You have fifteen minutes!"
Click. The communication was disconnected.
Ye Zhizhou pressed his forehead with his hand and picked up the small mirror that had fallen to the ground. He shook his head. "Why does everything feel wrong after the car accident? Incorrect temperature settings for the safe? What a hassle..."
Fang Yixing impatiently waited at the entrance of the research institute. When he saw Ye Zhizhou get out of the car, he rushed over and said, "Three defective vials are missing: one with 98% purity and two with 96% purity. I reviewed the surveillance footage, but I didn't find anything."
He handed over the storage box and asked, "Is the surveillance footage reliable? Did anyone go to the laboratory? Could it be that Ren Qiao tampered with the surveillance?"
"Someone did," Fang Yixing replied with a dark expression.
"Who?"
Fang Yixing opened the storage box to inspect the modified fluid, gave Ye Zhizhou a once-over, and said coldly, "According to the surveillance footage, it only shows you entering the laboratory after everyone had left for the day, and your colleagues from the night shift only saw you come back."
Ye Zhizhou raised an eyebrow. "So, everyone suspects that I set the wrong temperature?"
Fang Yixing's silence was his response, and then he asked, "Are you out of your mind?"
Ye Zhizhou punched him without much patience.
"So, I think it's those people who suspect you who are out of their minds. Setting the safe temperature wrong is such a basic mistake; it's clearly deliberate. You started this project from scratch and brought together an entire team to achieve the results. Anyone with a bit of sense can see your dedication and wouldn't suspect you of tampering with your own work. But there are always some people with issues in their heads... Xiaoye, if you hadn't taken this batch of modified fluid with you, things would have turned bad." Fang Yixing swiped his access card to open the elevator, and as they entered, he warned discreetly, "Think about who might be lurking in the shadows behind you, and resolve it as soon as possible. This incident escalated too quickly."
Ye Zhizhou quickly understood his meaning and rubbed his wrist, where his communicator was, deep in thought.
This batch of genetic modification fluid wasn't just his research achievement; it was also a lifesaving remedy for some influential figure. If something went wrong with the modified fluid due to someone's interference at this critical moment, the person responsible would be in deep trouble. If he were labeled as deliberately delaying the patient's condition in this incident, regardless of whether the influential figure eventually recovered or not, he would face future challenges. Deliberately sabotaging a remedy when it's available is much worse than not being able to develop one. What Fang Shixiong said was true: if he hadn't taken this batch of modified fluid, things would indeed have taken a bad turn.
The elevator arrived, and Fang Yixing led the way out, quickly saying, "All the members of your project team have arrived, and several high-ranking members of the institute are questioning them... The family of the patient who is lying in bed waiting for treatment has also arrived."
Ye Zhizhou was surprised. "At this late hour, they all came?"
Fang Yixing gave him a deep look and replied, "That's why I asked you to think about who might be lurking in the shadows behind you. The situation has escalated too quickly."
The atmosphere in the meeting room was extremely tense. Jiang Guolong had a dark expression, the high-ranking members were wiping their sweat, He Yu looked annoyed, and Ren Qiao was sitting with her head down, sobbing.
"Why are you crying? You falsely accused Senior Ye without evidence! Senior Ye didn't accuse you; what's there for you to cry about? It's Senior Ye who spent nearly two years researching this. Does he have any reason to ruin his own research?"
"I didn't... I just... I just said that only Senior Ye entered the laboratory after everyone had left, and he deliberately changed the storage box password, which seemed suspicious... I was just worried about Brother Lou's condition..."
Ren Qiao explained through her tears, looking very pitiful. "Senior Ye can make another batch of modified fluid even if this one is ruined, but Brother Lou can't wait. I was just anxious, and I didn't mean to suspect Senior Ye..."
He Yu was so angry that she nearly smashed the tea cup in front of her. "You're still suspecting him! You're just a step away from pointing your finger at Senior Ye, accusing him of deliberately sabotaging the treatment for your so-called 'precious' Brother Lou! Moreover, don't call me 'sister.' Senior Ye is not your senior, and you're older than both of us, thank you!"
Ren Qiao sobbed louder. "I... I didn't..."
"Cry, keep crying. Only those idiots who can't think straight will believe your fake tears! And Senior Ye can make another batch and earn a bonus, but what did he consider our long-time efforts and dedication? What about the oath we took when we entered the institute?"
"I didn't... I was just in a hurry and said the wrong thing. Why are you holding onto me like this, Sister He?"
"Right, I can't stand you. I..."
"That's enough!" Jiang Guolong forcefully slammed the table and glared at He Yu. Then, he looked at the bespectacled young man and said, "Mr. Lou, I can assure you that Xiao Ye is not someone who would play with people's lives for fun. Rest assured, I will give you an explanation for today's events."
The bespectacled young man nodded calmly, his expression inscrutable, revealing nothing about what he was thinking.