The sky over the small town was perpetually gloomy, causing night to fall earlier than usual. By the time Xiao Lin decided to head back to the laboratory, twilight had already enveloped the world.
He walked down the street with Lin Niannian trailing beside him. She squinted, scrutinizing him from head to toe, a strange glint in her eyes.
Xiao Lin felt incredibly uncomfortable under her gaze and couldn't help but stop. "Do you have something to say?"
Lin Niannian adjusted her glasses, her expression resolute. "My lips are sealed. I absolutely won't tell you!"
"Thank heavens for that. I was worried you actually had something to say," Xiao Lin sighed in relief and quickened his pace.
Lin Niannian immediately cracked. She hurried to catch up, feigning a cough. "Actually, what I wanted to say is that Mr. Bai and Mr. Lan are good people. Our Captain is good too."
"So, whether you are a Parahuman or not doesn't really matter. I know you probably don't understand what I'm saying, but..."
"You just suspect I'm not a Parahuman, don't you?" Xiao Lin cut straight to the chase, rolling his eyes. "Do I look like someone with too much free time? Why would I lie to you about something like this?"
Lin Niannian fished a walnut out of her pocket. "Then crack this open for me."
Xiao Lin stared at the ornamental walnut, a black line practically appearing on his forehead. "What are you trying to do? Is this a scam?"
"I want to see just how 'hard' your mouth really is!"
Xiao Lin felt a vein throbbing in his temple; he was half-tempted to turn this girl into a specimen.
But Lin Niannian just chuckled, then suddenly changed her tune.
"Aiya, actually, none of that matters. What I really wanted to say is that regardless of whether you are a Parahuman, Mr. Xiao Lin, you are our friend now. And... well, that's it."
Xiao Lin let out a soft sigh. "Oh."
"Your reaction is a bit flat. I thought you'd be more moved."
"Maybe you're not tempting enough."
"I... I don't need to be tempting, okay? Knowledge is the ultimate charm!!" Lin Niannian pouted in dissatisfaction.
But honestly, Xiao Lin was a little touched, even if he couldn't tell if her words were genuine. He just wasn't good at expressing such emotions.
Bantering back and forth, the two arrived at the outskirts of the town. A simple, three-story, sealed research institute stood before them.
It stood amidst a terrifying, desolate ruin, yet its lights were on, offering a sense of reassurance in the deepening night.
The phone in Xiao Lin's pocket vibrated slightly. He pulled it out; it had reconnected to the institute's internal network.
He glanced at the time. It was 7:00 PM. The inventory check would likely take a long time.
"After we finish the inventory, you should stay the night at the institute. It's getting too late; it's not safe for you to go back alone."
"Then I want coffee!" Lin Niannian raised her hand.
Xiao Lin was slightly surprised. The world had turned into this mess, yet there were still such innocent girls?
Fortunately, she wasn't tempting at all. Xiao Lin casually moved to put his phone back in his pocket, but at that moment, a barrage of notification sounds erupted frantically.
Xiao Lin stopped abruptly in his tracks. These messages were all abnormal alerts from the security system!
The security system wouldn't trigger without cause. Something must have happened while he was away.
He tapped on one of the alerts, and the screen jumped to a surveillance video.
Several strangers were standing at the entrance of the sealed institute. They seemed to be trying to force the door open, but after a while, they left.
"Mr. Xiao Lin, what's wrong?" Lin Niannian asked from the side.
Xiao Lin didn't answer. He scrolled to the last warning message and checked the timestamp.
The last alert was from five minutes ago.
Xiao Lin's heart skipped a beat. He looked up. The city ruins beneath the night sky looked cold and distorted.
Exposed rebar and clinging debris looked like the unrotted bones of dead animals.
"What's wrong? Mr. Xiao Lin." Lin Niannian leaned in to ask.
Xiao Lin didn't answer. He grabbed Lin Niannian's arm and turned to head back.
"Mr... Mr. Xiao Lin?" Lin Niannian was bewildered.
But after just a few steps, a figure approached them from the distance. He was dressed in long black robes and wore black gloves.
He put a finger in his mouth and blew a whistle.
The shrill sound echoed through the night, and subsequently, more figures emerged from
the corpse-like architectural ruins.
There were about a dozen of them. They slowly closed in.
Each of them carried weapons—some firearms, some cold steel.
Xiao Lin shielded Lin Niannian behind him. He remained silent, his gaze locked tightly on the man.
The man paid no heed to Xiao Lin's wariness. A slight smile played on his lips. "You must be the owner of the institute? We've been waiting for you."
"What do you want?" Xiao Lin raised a hand to protect Lin Niannian, asking in a cold voice.
"We intend to buy your institute."
"I'm not selling."
Click-clack!
Someone behind him racked the slide of a shotgun harshly. It was an old-fashioned double-barreled shotgun, carrying a heavy implication of warning.
"Don't be so hasty to refuse." The man laughed. "I'll give you a very high price."
He raised a hand, holding a coin between his thumb and forefinger. "How about a silver coin?"
The surrounding crowd burst into laughter. A standard coin weighed 20 grams, and silver was the most basic currency in this world.
Before Xiao Lin could answer, Lin Niannian suddenly pressed down on his arm from behind. "I recognize you. You're Liang Yuan, right? You're a 'Gravedigger' from the Yang Gang. You came to our town to trade before."
The man's expression stiffened slightly. "Miss Lin is impressive. You actually remembered me after just one meeting. Do you have a crush on me?"
This flippant joke didn't make Lin Niannian blush.
She straightened her body as best she could and said coldly, "Liang Yuan, I warn you, Mr. Xiao Lin is under the protection of our town!"
"And?" Liang Yuan shrugged.
"If you dare touch him, you will be hostile to our town. We will no longer provide you with any water, food, or medical trade. And our Mayor won't let you off. He is an Agent of a Parahuman. You know how powerful he is!"
As organizations surviving in the ruins, Gravediggers often wandered aimlessly with no fixed abode. They needed to trade for survival supplies in nearby towns regularly.
The satellite town had trade relations with many Gravediggers, including the Yang Gang.
"Wow, so scary." Liang Yuan made an exaggerated face, then sneered. "But do you know when people are craziest?"
"Money! Of course, it's piles of money! Do you know? The equipment in this institute is worth more than an entire city! Your satellite town is nothing!"
"So you'd better not say another word, or I'll kill you right now!" Liang Yuan revealed a terrifying expression.
Lin Niannian was trembling slightly, whether from anger or fear.
Xiao Lin said indifferently, "I can help you open the door, but there are additional conditions."
"Do you think you are in a position to negotiate terms with us?"
Xiao Lin said calmly, "I'll give you two reasons."
"First, the door can only be opened with the correct password. If you don't agree to the additional conditions, you won't be able to open it in the short term."
"Second, without my help, it will be difficult for you to judge the value of the things inside the institute. You wouldn't be planning to sell them as scrap metal, would you? That wouldn't be worth much."
In truth, Xiao Lin didn't mind if the items in the institute were taken.
After all, the institute had a reset phenomenon. Even if the equipment was taken, it would reset the next day.
What he worried about was them going back on their word.
Xiao Lin's words clearly worked.
Liang Yuan's face turned completely gloomy, his voice somewhat hoarse. "What are the conditions? Speak."
"Let Lin Niannian leave here," Xiao Lin said.
"No way. I won't let her call for backup," Liang Yuan refused decisively.
Xiao Lin glanced at Lin Niannian. "Injure her leg, let her walk back herself. That will buy you five or six hours. That's enough time for you to do whatever you want."
Lin Niannian's body shook violently, her eyes filled with fear.
The next moment, Liang Yuan without hesitation drew his pistol and pulled the trigger toward her right leg.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out. The tearing, burning agony caused Lin Niannian's leg to instantly lose sensation, and she collapsed to the ground.
But she didn't cry or scream. She just bit her lip, desperately holding back her tears.
"Miss Lin Niannian, if you want to hate someone, hate him," Liang Yuan laughed. "You can go now. Remember to take it slow on the road."
Lin Niannian struggled to prop herself up, dragging her bleeding right leg with difficulty. She inched her way out of the crowd, struggling toward the satellite town.
Only when Lin Niannian's figure completely disappeared did Liang Yuan chuckle lightly. "Now, can you open the door?"
Xiao Lin remained silent. He took out his phone, verified his fingerprint, and then entered the door code.
Accompanied by a harsh grinding noise, the metal gate of the institute slowly rose. The passage was opened.
Liang Yuan's breathing became rapid and impatient. He excitedly took two steps toward the institute, then turned to look at Xiao Lin. "Time is short. Let's get to work. You'd better not try any tricks..."
But in that instant, Xiao Lin heard the sound of a bullet being chambered.
Bang!
Pain exploded from the back of his knee, forcing Xiao Lin to drop to one knee.
The one who fired was a girl with a ponytail, holding a long blade. She looked capable and handsome, but her face showed extreme disgust.
"Xiao Yu, what are you doing?" Liang Yuan seemed not to have expected her sudden attack.
"The door is open. I want to kill him."
"He still has value to us."
But before Liang Yuan could finish speaking, the long blade had already pierced Xiao Lin's abdomen.
"I don't care," she said coldly. "I hate these self-righteous idiots the most. Playing the hero to save the beauty? Do you deserve it?" She twisted the hilt viciously, her eyes full of malice. "Don't worry, we won't spare her either. We'll catch her soon and slaughter you right in front of her."
Liang Yuan sighed helplessly but showed no sign of blame. "Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, you really need to fix that temper of yours."
"Fix it? These hypocritical scumbags don't deserve to live. They all belong in hell!" Xiao Yu replied coldly.
Liang Yuan shrugged at Xiao Lin. "Sorry. I tried. But this girl of ours is a bit obsessive. I can't control her, so you'll just have to suffer."
He waved his hand. "Let's go inside and move the goods. Xiao Yu, remember to leave Lin Niannian alive as a hostage."
"That depends on my mood."